Alcohol and Advertising Essay

â€Å"Alcohol is not often thought of as a drug – largely because its use is common for both religious and social purposes in most parts of the world. It is a drug, however, and compulsive drinking in excess has become one of modern society’s most serious problems† (ARF). This is so true because many people don’t consider alcohol a drug but the effects it has on you are so serious that it should be. â€Å"The effects of drinking do not depend on the type of alcoholic beverage – but rather on the amount of alcohol consumed on a specific occasion† (ARF). To give you a background on alcohol, here is a quick refresher on how it works and the effects it has on your body. â€Å"Alcohol is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream from the small intestine, and less rapidly from the stomach and colon. The drinker’s blood alcohol concentration depends on the amount consumed in a given time, the drinker’s size, sex, body build, and metabolism, and the type and amount of food in the stomach† (ARF). The effects of alcohol are very frightening to even consider. They depend on â€Å"the amount taken at one time, the user’s past drug experience, the manner in which the drug is taken and the circumstances under which the drug is taken† (ARF). At 50mg you experience mild intoxication which includes a â€Å"feeling of warmth, skin flushed; impaired judgment and decreased inhibitions† (ARF). From there you can go all the way down to 500mg which will more than likely cause death. It is an extremely scary thought to know that a substance that can cause death is freely advertised on television so that even our children can see it. In fact, they are the targets of some manufacturers marketing. In this paper we will show you both sides of whether alcohol companies should be allowed to advertise on television or not and then give you our conclusion. No – Alcohol Advertising Should Not Be Allowed On Television Alcohol companies should not be allowed to advertise on television. In today’s society, more and more children are spending all of their free time in front of a television. They don’t go outside and play anymore, they just come home from school and flip on Jerry Springer or a soap opera. Adults need to take the responsibility to protect children from undue influences as much as they can. Banning alcohol advertisements would be a simple way to help this process. In a recent study done by the Center for Media Education (CME), they found that many alcohol companies actually target youth even though it is illegal for them to drink. Companies use such things as â€Å"cartoons, personalities, language, music, or branded merchandise popular in youth culture or which would be particularly attractive to college or high-school-aged students† (CME). This shows a blatant attempt on their part to recruit new consumers who are underage. There have been previous attempts to stop alcohol companies from targeting youth such as the Voluntary Alcohol Advertising Standards for Children Act, but that is just the thing, it is voluntary. This is a try at making themselves look responsible but they still really aren’t. This Act pressures broadcasters to simply not run alcohol advertisements. It shouldn’t be the responsibility of the broadcasters to filter what goes on the air. Alcohol companies should not waste their money making these ads to begin with. Instead, they need to target a more mature audience who have the right to consume their products. The beer and liquor companies claim they don’t target youth but how can that be when you see the â€Å"Budweiser frogs or the Coors’ â€Å"Tap the Rockies† campaigns or Seagram’s dogs and Hiram Walker’s Kahlua Mudslide† (Hacker). Many of these companies have, in the past, even advertised on the youth-oriented MTV. Anheuser-Busch just recently pulled their ads off MTV. â€Å"Why did it take 10 years since â€Å"age-21† became the law of the land for the world’s largest brewer to stop competing for attention on MTV with ads for pimple control products and sports equipment† (Hacker)? â€Å"Indeed the evidence is that even young children are aware of alcohol advertisements and tend to remember them. Manufacturers further reduce the chances of young people failing to get the message by sponsorship of sports teams and events and music concerts having particular appeal to the young† (IAS). â€Å"Today, kids are bombarded by more than $700 million in beer, wine, and liquor ads on radio and television. Those ads encourage them to drink, and they bolster unacceptable levels of alcohol consumption among young people and the problems that go with it† (Hacker). When considering the Budweiser frogs, â€Å"a recent study by the San Francisco-based Center on Alcohol Advertising tested commercial and character recall among 9-11 year olds. The results: the children demonstrated higher recall (73%) of the Budweiser frogs’ slogan than of the slogans associated with other television animal characters, including Tony the Tiger (57%), Smokey the Bear (43%), and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (39%). Only Bugs Bunny did slightly better, at 80% recall of â€Å"Eh, what’s up doc? † Overall, 81% of the children surveyed identified beer as the product promoted by the frogs† (Hacker). This is a scary revelation, that our children know more about beer ads than the cartoon characters who promote good products. There are too many people who are hurting themselves and others as a result of alcohol abuse. In the past, there have been studies done that find there is nothing wrong with alcohol companies advertising on TV, but a study done by the Marin Institute found differently. â€Å"’Until now, most of the studies done on the subject conclude that alcohol advertising doesn’t affect drinking behavior,’ says Henry Saffer, research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research, ‘The alcohol industry uses these studies to bolster its argument that advertising only induces people to switch brands. These studies keep coming and find nothing because they set themselves up to find nothing’† (Abramson). â€Å"The NIAAA estimates that 14 million Americans meet the diagnostic criteria for alcohol abuse or dependence and about 100,000 Americans die each year from alcohol-related injuries, one-fourth of them on the highways† (Abramson). Granted that these are not just children but they had to start somewhere too and more than likely they began drinking at a young age. One way to help reduce these injuries and deaths is to create counter-ads. â€Å"Consumption decreases as the level of counter-advertising rises. Counter-advertising could be funded by taxing alcohol advertising† (Abramson). The study done by Saffer at the Marin Institute was a long one, it took three years to complete. â€Å"’Most researchers have little money and use inexpensive or free data on alcohol advertising expenditures that measure advertising at the national level with little annual change’, says Saffer. ‘I was able to obtain quarterly data that cost more than $25,000 from 75 cities, and that made all the difference’† (Abramson). With all of his resources he was able to come to some concrete results using a proven theory. â€Å"Saffer used a theory known as the advertising response function, which says that consumption rises as advertising increases, bus as advertising reaches the point of saturation, consumption tapers off. To measure consumption, he used highway fatalities, more than 40 percent of which involve alcohol consumption† (Abramson). â€Å"Saffer’s statistical analyses of advertising expenditures showed that decreasing alcohol advertising reduces highway fatalities† (Abramson). Another survey done by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation gave remarkable results. â€Å"An overwhelming majority of Americans say they are worried about teen drinking and would support tough measures to help curb the problem† (New and Views). One particular finding was very interesting in that it said sixty-seven percent of Americans would support a ban on television advertising on liquor. If so many people want it, why isn’t on its way to becoming a law? â€Å"There are about 9 million drinkers under age 21 in the United States and half of them are binge drinkers. When they drink, teens increase their risk of violence, date rape, sexually transmitted diseases and injury or death in traffic accidents† (Health You). These kids had to learn it somewhere. Television is becoming a way of life for many teenagers and they take what is on it as the truth. For many of them, discerning between what is the truth and what is just great advertising becomes near impossible. They need help and it is our responsibility as adults to help them. There is legislation now from Representative Kennedy called the â€Å"Children’s Protection from Alcohol Advertising Act†. This â€Å"would eliminate advertising and marketing practices that have the most impact on young people. Remaining ads would, for the first time, honestly reflect that alcohol is the number-three killer in America today, taking a toll of 100,000 lives yearly. Those ads would bear a rotating series of health and safety messages, reminding all viewers and listeners of some of the major risks related to drinking. In addition, alcoholic-beverage product labels, for the first time, would be required to reveal comprehensive, useful consumer information, such as ingredients, calories, and alcohol content, expressed in unit serving terms† (Hacker). The bill would answer the concerns of many parents and adults who feel the alcohol companies go too far in targeting youths. Alcohol companies need to be more responsible for who they target and they should also be prepared to handle the consequences of their actions as more and more people die as a result of their products. They are the ones that should be held accountable for the deaths of so many innocent people. They also should include in their advertisements the real facts. Doing this may deter people from becoming alcohol abusers. The companies do not do this though, â€Å"By definition, alcohol advertising is one-sided, avoiding any reference to the negative aspects of alcohol consumption† (IAS). They need to tell the truth and the truth is that alcohol does no good for anyone, it only hurts and destroys people and the people around them. Yes – Alcohol Advertising Should Be Allowed On Television â€Å"Advertising increases alcohol consumption, which increases alcohol abuse†¦right? WRONG. There is no solid evidence from either scientific research or practical experience that this theory of advertising is correct† (Advertising Impact). Alcohol is a legal substance so why wouldn’t it be allowed to be advertised on television? The First Amendment to the Constitution gives us the right to free speech. The American Advertising Federation opposes any effort to restrict truthful advertising about any product or service. â€Å"The U. S. Supreme Court has affirmed that truthful commercial speech enjoys the free speech protections of the First Amendment – including speech about so-called sin products. The government’s right to ban a product does not give it the right to ban speech about the product† (AAF). The AAF does not want restrictions to even begin, â€Å"bans on advertising for one product or service inevitably will lead to bans on advertising for others. Censorship is contagious† (AAF). There are some that believe that the advertising would be okay if they would agree to put warnings on the advertisements. â€Å"The alcohol industry believes that the proposed requirement of warnings in alcohol advertisements is an infringement of their First Amendment rights† (Kelly). The advertising the alcohol industry does do is simply to keep the customers they already have. â€Å"The focus of alcohol advertising is to encourage existing drinkers to maintain their brand preference, or to switch brands, and that it is not intended to attract new customers† (Kelly). â€Å"Much of the debate concerns the possible effects on children and young people. The Advertising Codes prohibit the specific targeting of minors† (IAS). Most children who watch television may like the cartoon characters but that isn’t going to make them go out and demand alcohol. They shouldn’t be allowed or able to obtain it so it shouldn’t really even matter if they see the advertisements for it. â€Å"The evidence also suggests that advertising is of less importance than other influences such as parental attitudes and example and peer group pressure† (IAS). Final Conclusions As you can see from our research, there is solid evidence that advertising alcohol on television needs to stop the way it is being done right now. There are entirely too many targets put onto young viewers. The industry may claim that it is not targeting them but there is really no explanation otherwise. Mother’s Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has come up with an exceptional set of rules for advertising alcohol on television. 1. Beverage alcohol advertising should not: a. portray or encourage drinking by individuals under the age of 21; b. use celebrities, music stars, athletes, animals, cartoon characters or other language or images that have special appeal to youth; c. depict sports, rock concerts, or other events with strong appeal to youth; or d. target spring break activities or cultural, sporting, or marketing events where it can be anticipated that a majority of the audience will be made up of people under age 21. 2. Beverage alcohol advertising should not include the licensing of youth-oriented clothing or toys that feature alcohol brand names, logos, or trade characters. 2. Beverage alcohol advertising should not portray or encourage drinking by pregnant women or women who are seeking to become pregnant. 3. Beverage alcohol advertising should not model, suggest, or otherwise encourage heavy consumption. 4. Beverage alcohol advertising should not portray or encourage drinking by alcoholics or other groups particularly vulnerable to alcohol abuse. 5. Beverage alcohol advertising should not state or imply that any level of alcohol consumption is risk-free or safe. 6. Beverage alcohol advertising should not associate alcohol consumption with high-risk activities or with situations that require alertness. 7. Beverage alcohol advertising should not depict revelry or hint at the possibility of inebriation. 8. Beverage alcohol advertising should not portray drinking as a means to achieve popularity or social acceptance, sexual appeal, or social or financial status. 9. Beverage alcohol advertising should not portray drinking in association with sexual passion, promiscuity, or any other amorous activity as a consequence of or in association with alcohol consumption. These rules would be wonderful if the alcohol companies would follow them. But, with the First Amendment backing them up, they are not going to change the way they market without a fight. The cartoons are working for them, so why should they change? There is a growing problem in this country with underage and binge drinking and these advertisements are only adding to the problem. We need to stop the problem at its root, which would mean taking the Budweiser frogs off the air. This is a great step toward reducing alcohol related deaths and injuries and it isn’t like the industry would be losing any money. They may even retain more profit because their advertising expense would be dramatically cut. We need to regulate these advertisements now! Bibliography American Advertising Federation (AAF). â€Å"AAF Position Statement: Alcohol Advertising Bans†. Available: http://www. aaf. org/bans. html Abramson, Hillary. The Marin Institute. â€Å"Alcohol Ads Increase Drinking†. Available: http://www. marininstitute. org/saffer. html Addiction Research Foundation (ARF). â€Å"Facts about Alcohol†. Available: http://www. arf. org/isd/pim/alcohol. html â€Å"Advertising Impact on Alcohol Abuse†. Available: wysiwig://9/http://www2. potsdam. ed†¦-info/Advertising/Advertising. html Center for Media Education (CME). â€Å"Alcohol Advertising Targeted at Youth on the Internet: An Update†. Available: http://tap. epn. org/cme/981218/alcrep. html Hacker, George. Center for Science in the Public Interest. Available: http://www. cspinet. org/booze/hacker. html Hacker, George. Press Conference on Alcohol Advertising Reforms. May 16, 1997. Available: http://www. cspinet. org/booze/516state. html Health You. May/June 1998. â€Å"Proms, Parents and Alcohol†. Available: http://www. lvhhn. org/healthy_you/magazine/proms_alcohol/ IAS. Available: http://www. ias. org. uk/factsheets/advertising. htm Kelly, Kathleen and Ruth Edwards. â€Å"Image Advertisements for Alcohol Products: Is There Appeal Associated with Adolescents’ Intention to Consume Alcohol? † Adolescence. Spring 1998. V33 n129 p47(13).

7ps of Marketing Essay

Place TGV now has 20 premier multiplexes at significant shopping centres in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Seremban, Johor Bahru, Terengganu and Penang with a sum of more than 165 screens and over 31,000 seats. The location accessibility is very convenient for customers as its outlets can be found at most shopping centres. The distribution channel TGV had used is through internet and retail. Customers can purchase TGV cinemas ticket through the official website of TGV or at any TGV cinema outlets. But only customer age older than 18 years old can purchase its movie tickets online. People The staffs who sell ticket are required to be able to speak in English and Bahasa Malaysia. Besides that, staffs of TGV cinema are required to wear a red uniform that is provided by them. They are also required to have a minimum education level of SPM. Training will be provided for the employees from TGV. Staffs of TGV cinema are also approachable, welcoming and helpful. The job scope of the employees is to sell TGV cinema tickets face to face. Customer Service Hotline of TGV operates from 9am to 9pm. TGV offers email feedback when it is outside those office hours so that customers can contact them anytime. TGV also has a official Facebook account to interact with its customers to inform them the latest news and to receive feedback from them. Process Customer is required to purchase the service either at TGV cinema or through online. If the customer purchases the TGV cinema ticket at the outlet, he or she can immediately get the ticket on the spot. If the customer purchases the TGV cinema tickets through online, he or she is required to print out the transaction receipt to use it as TGV cinema ticket. Then, the customer can enjoy their service which is to watch movie in the cinema after showing the ticket to the staff at the entrance. Physical Evidence TGV cinema offers comfortable seats that are sofa-like. Besides that, TGV cinema displays high definition movies and provides good sound surrounding system. The seats in the TGV cinema are red in color. It also provides good air cooling system in the cinema. Different movies are shown in different theatres. Moreover, TGV cinema also offers different types of theatres like  Digital hall, Beanieplex, Cantina, IMAX, LUXE, and Indulge. Different theatres offer different kind of facilities. For example, Beanieplex provides seats that are replaced by bean bags cushion.

Assessment for learning Essay Example for Free (#9)

Assessment for learning Essay Learning is an innate capability of a person. People perceive things and learn through their experiences while they grow up and develop accordingly with their ages. Aside from the normal people who learn in the normal way, there are off course other people who are above normal, after which learn through special trainings and conditioning. People learn accordingly with their capacity to gain information and store it in their minds. It is not only by sending children to school that they are learning but also through their real life experiences that require not only for their intelligence but also for their emotional skills. In determining the learning rate of a certain group, it is very important that the surveyor is able to gather the information about the specific group such as age range, family background, nutrition of the students and other factors that actually affect the learning activity of a person, be it a cognitive or conditional learning. There are also specific tests that can be given to the students or the target learners to have written and documented results. Suppose I chose the pool of elementary students that includes children ranging from 10-11 years old. These children are already exposed to a large scope of media that portray the different roles and scenarios in the society. If I am to analyze their emotional intelligence, I would give them examinations that can determine how well they interact with other students such that they will be told to work on groups. Through the activity, students with good family background can actually have the bigger possibilities of leading the group thus causing peace whenever other children tend to fight for what they believe. Off course there will be passive kind of children and the best tool to give or offer them are group dynamics that can actually unleash their inner talents. That is also possible if the conductor of the test is encouraging and enthusiastic. In terms of academic assessments, children on this age range can be fed with lectures and practice activities such as solving math problems or subject and verb agreement. In my past experiences as a child, it is very effective for me that children will be given the chance to construct their own sentences and math problems. After that, children will be asked to solve and analyze what they do and have it in group discussions. Group discussions can help the children to gain other ways of solving such problems and understanding different sentences. It is also helpful that the teacher follows up the development of the understanding of a student. Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson is necessary thus providing them devices and strategies that can help them understand more the difficult points. Specific tools that can be used in assessing the ability of a person in Mathematics and English can be flash cards and reading literary pieces (stories, anecdotes) respectively. Both can add up to the expertise of a student to the subject matter. Every child deserves the right for education. For those who can’t afford it, there are still many ways to supply your children with it; either tutoring them every day or enrolling them a school that caters scholarships. It is vital to feed the children with knowledge while they are young and still can acquire and save them to their memories. The value of education is much more priceless than any treasure in this world: not fading but still growing through ages. QCA WEBSITE. Assessment for learning. Retrieved 1 May 2008 from http://www. qca. org. uk/qca_5067. aspx Assessment for learning. (2017, Jan 11).

Cowboy Proxemics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cowboy Proxemics - Essay Example Hickey and William E. Thompson further studied the role of proxemics in American cowboy population and how it differed from the usual American standards. Hickey and Thompson argued that a lot of proliferation has taken from cowboy culture to the mainstream American culture. Today, some aspects of cowboy culture are clearly known. For instance, media has popularized the garb worn by cowboys, that it is frequently copied by members of other cultures and occupations. Hence, for a cowboy one of the ways he found to preserve his identity was by preserving his notions of personal space. Hall proposed that for Americans there are four kinds of proxemically relevant personal spaces. They are: intimate zone ranging from zero to eighteen inches for loved ones, personal zone ranging from one and one half to four inches, social zone ranging from four to twelve feet while public space was anything over twelve feet. Among cowboys, on the other hand, those who do no know each other well, the usual speaking distance is six to eight feet. The ways people use space differs from culture to culture and subculture to subculture. This is so because proxemic research is based on the concept of territoriality or the behavior by which an organism typically lays claim to an area and defends it against members of its own and other species. This is basis of study of animal behavior. Non-verbal communication or process of transmitting messages also plays role in the study of proxemics (Ottenheimer Harriet, 157). It comprises of body language, gestures, facial expressions and even gaze. While Americans believe in maintaining an eye-contact during the course of a conversation, the cowboys neither stares not scan the eye of the partner in a regular manner. Since proxemics is in a way study of culture anthropologists have argued that intercultural communication, occupation, cultivation, preservation and utilization of space is also taken into consideration and this could be the reason for differences between subcultures of the same culture. Harriet Joseph Ottenheimer in her book, the Anthropology of Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology states that as cowboys were frequently seated in horses there developed differences in their need for personal spaces. Thus, for them personal space ranges from six to eight feet roughly this is the space they need if two horses were standing nose-to-nose. However, their side-by-side personal space ranges from zero to eighteen inches, suggesting that if their horses are side by side their feet might touch. Famous adage goes-old habits die hard. Anthropologists argue that as cowboys spent most of their time on their horses, they carried the same proxemics system in non-mounted situations as well. So cowboys at social gatherings like a campfire tend to place themselves facing each other across the room and make sure they are six to eight feet apart also while placing themselves side by side close together on one side of the room. In Kansas, pickup trucks pulled off the road are parked side by side while their drivers can have a chat while seated on the trucks. As we are living in global village, cowboy proxemics will go through a change due to influences from other cultures and subcultures. As proxemics is part of culture and is guided by culture transmission, anthropologists h

Willam Blake (1757-1827) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Willam Blake (1757-1827) - Essay Example Industrial revolution that swept across Britain can be attributed to the emergence of romantic writing. Among the advocates of Romanticism, Blake’s poems and paintings demonstrated deep emotions including romance, passion, and aspiration to freedom as a genuine response to the chaotic social conventions of the time. William Blake, the prominent poet and painter was born in London as the son of a hosiery shop owner on 28 November 1757. He started his initial formation as a painter at the age of ten, at the art school run by Henry Pars in Strand. After his four years of learning at Pars, he was apprenticed to James Basire and seven years later by 1778 he joined the Royal Academy where he mastered drawing using living models (William Blake1757-1827, BBC). Blake’s first volume of poetry was published in 1783 encouraged by the great artist of the time, Flaxman. Blake explored the scope of integrating painting with book writing and in 1788 he initiated illuminated book Ã¢â‚¬Ë œThere is no Natural Religion’ followed by Songs of Innocence, Songs of Experience, Book of Thel and many more throughout the subsequent years. He was indeed a versatile writer and poet who performed all efforts himself for printing his illuminated books. Blake’s other famous works include the Book of Job (1825), and Pastorals of Virgil (1821).

12 angry men movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

12 angry men movie - Essay Example The movie for nominated for three Oscars(Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing, screenplay based on material from another medium) and finds a place in the list of all time great movies. In 2007, the library of Congress chose â€Å"12 angry men† for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Here, we analyze the dynamics of the 12 jurors and what might have influenced them in taking a decision in favor of or against the accused. The movie begins with the scene in which the judge is seen giving instructions to a jury consisting of 12 gentlemen. The judge informs the jury that the defendant will have to take the electric chair if proved guilty. The jury is also instructed that their judgment should be unanimous. The jury then moves into the jury room where they get acquainted with the other members of the jury and start their work. The case which opens up as an open and shut case takes a turn when one of jurors (juror #8) decides to veto the decision of the other eleven jurors. He is able to convince the other jurors that the defendant should be acquitted as there is doubt beyond reasonable limit questioning the authenticity of the witnesses. However, the other jurors do not follow the juror #8 quickly. The juror #8 faces strong argument from the other members which sets up the film. The jury decided to vote 12-0 in favor of acquittal and closing scene shows the twelve jurors leaving the jury room to present their findings of fact to the court. Juror #8(Henry Fonda) is the most important character of the plot as he is the first to veto the decision and question the authenticity of the witnesses. Though the juror #8 appears both confident and nervous at the beginning, as the discussion proceeds he succeeds in making the other jurors believe in his argument that there is doubt beyond reasonable limit in declaring the boy as guilty of murder. Juror #9 immediately supports the view of juror #8. Juror #5 and #2 also follow

Outline the main features of ethnographic research and discuss when Assignment

Outline the main features of ethnographic research and discuss when and how it might be used - Assignment Example These are naturalism, understanding and discovery. Naturalism is the view that social research should capture the human beings in their natural environment directly. Understanding conveys that human beings do not give out fixed responses each time and each response has to be understood individually. Lastly, ethnographic research is defined as being inductive or discovery-based, rather than merely testing hypothesis. According to ethnography, cultural understandings need to be identified for research interest. An ethnographic study can overestimate the role of cultural perceptions or underestimate the role of objective forces. Ethnography can identify the relevant community of interest though often this isn’t easy. Factors like community, formal organization, informal group, and individual-level perceptions may affect the subject of study. An ethnographic focus may overestimate the role of community culture and underestimate the casual role of individual psychological or of sub-community forces. It is also believed that the researcher has complete knowledge of the subject under study including the language and customs of the population. In this case, the researcher may get influenced by his or her own culture during the

Arthashastra Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Arthashastra - Term Paper Example That is why, over two thousand four hundred years ago, Kautilya authored this historic publication. Through the authorship of the Arthashastra, he enabled the inception of the Gupta Dynasty. Since then, the Arthashastra has stood the test of time and has passed the test of credibility. This man, through his writing, demonstrated vision and foresight. If we share from the wisdom that Kautilya embodied, we will be enriching ourselves. This paper is going to address the following issues concerning the Arthashastra, they are, the authorship, translation of the title, books of Arthashastra, the Rajarshi, maintenance of law and order, wildlife and forests and finally the economic ideas in the Arthashastra. The History of Arthashastra Its origin It is believed that the Arthashastra was written in the period around 2nd century BC. This is according to R.P. Kangle on his writing about the Kautilya Arthashastra. However, the current content that we know may have been edited and condensed in th e 2nd century A.D. This explains why some affinities and references in it may be anachronistic for the fourth century BC. Other scholars hold the belief that it was authored in the 7th century BC. There had been claims that the Arthashastra had been authored by two different people, namely, Kautilya and Chanukah.1 However, these claims tend to de disapproved by the fact that the treatise ends with the following words. â€Å"This Sastra has been made by him from whom intolerance (of misrule) quickly rescued the scriptures and the science of weapons and the earth which had passed to the Nanda ‘king.† From that statement by Thomas R. Trautmann, it can easily be deduced that Kautilya and Chanukah are the same person, because Chanukah was mandated with mentorship to Chandragupta Maurya. This however did not eliminate the controversy over Kautilya’s sole authorship of the Arthashastra. In a nut shell, as regards its authorship, most scholars agree that it happened betw een the 7th century BC and 4th century AD. However, it became influential in the 12th century when it became influential, when it disappeared. It was then discovered in 1904 and published in 1909. The first English translation was published nearly a hundred years ago. Its translation The Arthashastra has had different translations done by various scholars including A.L. Basham, D.D. Katsambis, G.P. Singh and Roger Boesche. Each of these has accorded the publication a different title although with closely related meaning. According to Boesche, the Arthashastra is â€Å"a book of political realism, analyzing how the political world does work and not very often stating how it should work, a book that frequently discloses to a king what calculating and sometimes brutal measures he must carry out to preserve the state and the common good.† One reason why this scholar defined this publication in such a manner was because of the argument in it that described how an efficient and sol id economy can be managed. In it, the ethics of economics and the duties and obligations of a king are clearly stipulated. The Arthashastra dealt with a wide range of issues regarding the running of a kingdom. It laid out the policies of administration, the redistribution of wealth, handling of the natural resources, taking good care of animals, medicine and the important of medicine on society. The books of Arthashastra According to Rangareajan, the Arthashastra is divided into 15 books. They are named as follows: concerning the Discipline,

End User Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

End User - Term Paper Example The staff looks to the manager for direction in all aspects of the business. The staff is the end user in any new technology or programs implemented in the business. The staff’s understanding of new technology or programs implemented depends heavily on the direction of the manager. The responsibility of a manager exemplified in the final outcome of end user information systems is through implementing a system of successful learning. End User Satisfaction (EUS) is critical to successful information systems implementation (Au, Ngai, Cheng 2008) In several studies there has been a proven decline in performance and quality of work when new information systems are implemented. This is due to end users having to learn a new system yet produce if not more the same amount of work. The time and training for learning a system can become costly. To responsibly put this new system into effect a manager should first consider before purchasing the system what’s the ratio of user cont rol to the controlling of the user. In other words better user control would be more adaptable in the end user learning the system than the system controlling the user. The systems are usually developed by designers who don’t know the specific needs of the user. So user control is very important.

Prevention of mother to child Hiv transmission Essay

Prevention of mother to child Hiv transmission - Essay Example Quantitative research is the methodical scientific assessment of observable phenomena through computational, mathematical, or statistical methods. For example, the observable phenomena in health and social care may include HIV prevalence in expectant mothers, rate of mother to child HIV transmission, and infant deaths resulting from mother to child HIV transmission. Quantitative uses a systematic approach through actual data collection and analysis rather than making assumptions on describable phenomena. The purpose of the quantitative approach is to develop hypothesis about the observable phenomena. The research technique goes a long way in testing the hypotheses or theories so developed in order to ascertain their veracity or otherwise. In social and nursing care, scholars may use quantitative research to develop hypotheses around mother to child HIV transmission. The testing and proof of such hypothesis can bring significant benefit to the nursing fraternity (Daly, Speedy, & Jacks on 2009, pp. 135-140). Health and social care demands evidence-based practice, which quantitative research provides in hard data. In essence, evidence-based practice (EBP) or Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is the point at which the patient values & preferences, best research evidence, and clinical expertise converge. Evidence-based practice (EBP) involves the prudent utilization of the most reliable contemporary evidence in making critical decisions about the health of patients.

From the Perspective of the Priest Child Abuser Essay Example for Free

From the Perspective of the Priest Child Abuser Essay The article â€Å"A Priest Child Abuser Speaks† from the book Slayer of the Soul was contributed by a priest who wishes to remain anonymous. He is a self-confessed child abuser during his priesthood, and by writing this, he wishes to share his experiences and his gradual climb back into society. He also believes that writing this article would provide a lesson for both the victimizers and their victims, and hopes that the victimizers would avoid committing such hideous wrongs towards their victims. In the article, the priest shares his journey of self-realization as he slowly vaporized the demon that was poisoning his soul and coercing him to do such crimes against children. The priest recalls that he was convicted for abusing children — sexually, psychologically, and emotionally — in the 1980s, and sentenced to 14 months in a minimum security facility. He believes that he was lucky, knowing that a similar child-abusing priest was sentenced for 20 years of hard labor. The priest mentions that life was tough for him both inside and outside of prison. He felt that a lot of people resented him for what he did to children, and believed that what happened was just a lie, no matter how true it was. Some officers, notably a lieutenant who hated him, bullied and toyed with him. Other prisoners were disgusted at his presence, refused to befriend him, or intimidated him often. For his size, he thought that he would not stand a chance, and he saw that avoiding conflict was the best solution. However, not all of these people resented him or was afraid of him. He recalls making some friends while in prison, ranging from guards to cell mates. They supported him and were sympathetic of him, especially at the time when the lieutenants abusive nature went a bit overboard. While in prison, he fought for the system to give him therapy for the â€Å"sickness† he believes that he was carrying. He won that appeal, and the court sent him to therapy twice a week. The Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA) provided the opportunity for him to realize the root from which this sickness stemmed. While trying to heal himself, he also experienced rejection from close friends and acquaintances. Life was certainly difficult for him who was branded as a â€Å"child abuser,† which is why he wanted to reform himself in order to reenter society. During his SLAA therapies, he recalled his childhood which was filled with fear, anxiety, misfortune, and harassment. It was at that time when he idolized his parish scoutmaster and weirdly fell in love with him, prompting him into having a sexual relationship with him. It was a very traumatic experience that he knew he had to pull out from. He deducted that this might be the root of his â€Å"sickness† all along, as it was reinforced by an authority figure that it was â€Å"okay† to do it. He was also searching for a father figure, since his real father abandoned him and his family, and his mother declared him as the head of the household. When he entered the parish, he wished to help the children who had no father figure and had an emotionally miserable life. Things boiled over, and pretty soon, he was sexually involved with these young boys. One boy told his parents, and this made him realize his mistake. He mustered the strength to tell their parents that they need immediate therapy, but was arrested in the process when one therapist told the police about him. When he finally got out of prison, he wanted to mend the ties with his family and clear things up with them. However, they failed to â€Å"hear him out,† which was the reason that drove him into an unstable state in the first place. He confronted his scoutmaster and felt betrayed by his insights on the issue involving child abuse, telling him that it was wrong while he was regretting the fact that he believed in his scoutmaster. The damage has been done to him, and he believes that he needs to accept the consequences of his actions and just move on. He mentions that it left a black hole in his life, upon which he was initially placing things to fill that void. However, he realized that it was not the right course of action as he was building his life around that hole, completely avoiding it. Thus, he wished to enter the ministry again in order to help others that are trapped in the same dark cell in which he broke out from, although not completely. The priest mentions that gradually, he was able to recover his life and reform himself into the person that everyone knew before the incident. He was also able to reenter society as himself once again. Hence, he wishes to share his experiences to the world through this article in order to let people know that victims could become victimizers themselves one day, if they are not treated immediately. References A priest child abuser speaks. (1990). In S. J. Rossetti (Ed. ), Slayer of the Soul: Child Abuse and the Catholic Church (pp. 99-111). Mystic, CT: Twenty-Third Publications.

Stitch in Time Save Nine Essay Example for Free

Stitch in Time Save Nine Essay The history of copyright law starts with early privileges and monopolies granted to printers of books. The British Statute of Anne 1710, full title An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or purchasers of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned, was the first copyright statute. Initially copyright law only applied to the copying of books. Over time other uses such as translations and derivative works were made subject to copyright and copyright now covers a wide range of works, including maps, performances, paintings, photographs, sound recordings, motion pictures and computer programs. Today national copyright laws have been standardized to some extent through international and regional agreements such as the Berne Convention and the European copyright directives. Although there are consistencies among nations copyright laws, each jurisdiction has separate and distinct laws and regulations about copyright. Some jurisdictions also recognize moral rights of creators, such as the right to be credited for the work. Copyright are exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work. Copyright does not protect ideas, only their expression or fixation. In most jurisdictions copyright arises upon fixation and does not need to be registered. Copyright owners have the exclusive statutory right to exercise control over copying and other exploitation of the works for a specific period of time, after which the work is said to enter the public domain. Uses which are covered under limitations and exceptions to copyright, such as fair use, do not require permission from the copyright owner. All other uses require permission and copyright owners can license or permanently transfer or assign their exclusive rights to othEarly developments The earliest recorded historical case-law on the right to copy comes from ancient Ireland. The Cathach is the oldest extant Irish manuscript of the Psalter and the earliest example of Irish writing. It contains a Vulgate version of Psalms XXX (10) to CV (13) with an interpretative rubric or heading before each psalm. It is traditionally ascribed to Saint Columba as the copy, made at night in haste by a miraculous light, of a Psalter lent to Columba by St. Finnian. A dispute arose about the ownership of the copy and King Diarmait Mac Cerbhaill gave the judgement To every cow belongs her calf, therefore to every book belongs its copy. [1] [This story comes from an author much more interested in a good story than an accurate one and so one can question whether this was the actual decision, or even whether there was a case at all. However the story is quite old and so at least gives us some idea of opinion in the days before the printing press. Modern copyright law has been influenced by an array of older legal rights that have been recognized throughout history, including the moral rights of the author who created a work, the economic rights of a benefactor who paid to have a copy made, the property rights of the individual owner of a copy, and a sovereigns right to censor and to regulate the printing industry. The origins of some of these rights can be traced back to ancient Greek culture, ancient Jewish law, and ancient Roman law. [2] In Greek society, during the sixth century B. C. E. there emerged the notion of the individual self, including personal ideals, ambition, and creativity. [3] The individual self is important in copyright because it distinguishes the creativity produced by an individual from the rest of society. In ancient Jewish Talmudic law there can be found recognition of the moral rights of the author and the economic or property rights of an author. [4] Prior to the invention of movable type in the West in the mid-15th century, texts were copied by hand and the small number of texts generated few occasions for these rights to be tested. During the Roman Empire, a period of prosperous book trade, no copyright or similar regulations existed, copying by those other than professional booksellers was rare. This is because books were, typically, copied by literate slaves, who were expensive to buy and maintain. Thus, any copier would have had to pay much the same expense as a professional publisher. Roman book sellers would sometimes pay a well regarded author for first access to a text for copying, but they had no exclusive rights to a work and authors were not normally paid anything for their work. [5]

Appraisal Techniques Available to Finance Managers

Appraisal Techniques Available to Finance Managers INTRODUCTION: What are the different appraisal techniques available to finance managers to make decisions relating to investment projects? Discuss each of them and recommend, giving your reasons, which of them you consider as the best technique applicable to your company. INVESTMENT APPRAISAL: Investment appraisal also known as capital budgeting. As finance manager one of the important areas of decision-making for the long-term is must to tackle the investment the need to committed funds by buying buildings, machinery and land. Finance manager have to check of the size of the inflows and outflows of funds, for handling these types of decisions, the degree of risk and the lifespan of the investment cost of obtaining funds are despatched. The capital budgeting cycle can be summarised in some stage which are as follows: Expecting investment needs Identifying project to satisfy needs Examine the alternatives Choose the best alternatives Making the spend Monitor the project Looking at investment appraisal involves us in stage 3 and 4 of this cycle. We can classify capital expenditure projects into four broad categories: Maintenance replacing old or obsolete assets for example. Profitability quality, productivity or location improvement for example. Expansion new products, markets and so on. Indirect social and welfare facilities. Even the projects that are unlikely to generate profits should be subjected to investment appraisal. This should help to identify the best way of achieving the projects aims. So investment appraisal may help to find the cheapest way to provide a new staff restaurant, even though such a project may be unlikely to earn profits for the company. WHAT ARE THE INVESTMENT APPRAISAL TECHNIQUES? Investment Appraisal also known as Capital Budgeting is used to assess whether capital Expenditure on a particular project will be beneficial for the entity or not. These techniques can be used to evaluate projects both in the private and public sector companies. Most commonly used the following techniques. A: Traditional Methods 1: Payback Period 2: Accounting Rate of Return (ARR) B: Discounted Cash Flow Methods 3: Discounted Payback Period 4: Net Present Value (NPV) 5: Internal Rate of Return (IRR) 6: Modified Internal Rate of Return (MIRR) 7: Adjusted Present Value (APV) Traditional Methods Payback and Accounting rate of return (ARR) period are non discounted methods while all other mentioned methods are discounted. By discounted it is meant that the time value of money is considered in these methods. 1: Payback Period Payback period calculates the time taken by a project to recoup the initial investment. For a finance manager, evaluating projects by this technique would prefer projects with short payback period than those with longer payback periods.It is simple to calculate and easy to understand. Payback is literally the amount of time required for the cash inflows from a capital investment project to equal the cash outflows. The usual way that firms deal with deciding between two or more competing projects is to accept the project that has the shortest payback period. Payback is mostly used as a starting screening method. Payback period = Initial payment / Annual cash inflow So, if  £12,000000 is invested with the aim of earning  £12,00000 per year or net cash earnings, the payback period is calculated thus: P =  £12,000000 /  £12,00000 = 10 years This all looks fairly easy! But what if the project has more uneven cash inflows? Then we need to work out the payback period on the cumulative cash flow over the duration of the project as a whole. Payback with uneven cash flows: Of course, in the real world, investment projects by business organisations dont yield even cash flows. Have a look at the following projects cash flows with an initial investment in year 0 of  £120,000 The payback period is precisely 6 years. The shorter the payback period, the better the investment, under the payback method. We can appreciate the problems of this method when we consider appraising several projects alongside each other. We can see that the payback period for two of the projects (3, 5) is six years. In this case, then, the two projects are of equal merit. But, here we must face the real problem posed by payback: the time value of income flows. Put simply, this issue relates to the sacrifice made as a result of having to wait to receive the funds. In economic terms, this is known as the opportunity cost. More on this point follows later. So, because there is a time value constraint here, the two projects cannot be viewed as equivalent. Project 3 is better than 5 because the revenues flow quicker in years five and six. Project 4 is better than Projects 1 and 2, because of the earlier flows and because the post-payback revenues are concentrated in the earlier part of that period. So its clear that the payback method is a bit of a blunt instrument. So why use it? Advantages of payback: 1st, it is popular because of its simplicity. Research over the years has shown that UK firms favour it and perhaps this is understandable given how easy it is to calculate. 2nd, in a business environment of rapid technological change, new plant and machinery may need to be replaced sooner than in the past, so a quick payback on investment is essential. 3rd, the investment climate in UK in particular demands that the investors got fast returns. Mostly long-term profitable possibilities investments are viewed due to longer wait for revenues flow. Disadvantages of payback: It has not enough real facts, which choose the length of best payback time? No one from other does it is planned by pitting one investment opportunity against another. Cash flows are regarded as either pre-payback or post-payback, but the latter tend to be ignored. Payback takes no account of the effect on business profitability. Its sole concern is cash flow. Payback summary. It is probably best to regard payback as one of the first methods you use to assess competing projects. It could be used as an initial screening tool, but it is inappropriate as a basis for sophisticated investment decisions. 2: Accounting Rate of Return (ARR): This technique compares the profit earned by the project to the initial investment required for the project. Thus a project with higher rate of return is preferred. The Accounting rate of return expresses the profits arising from a project as a percentage of the initial capital cost. However the definition of profits and capital cost are different depending on which textbook you use. For instance, the profits may be taken to include depreciation, or they may not. One of the most common approaches is as follows: ARR = (Average annual revenue / Initial capital costs) x 100 Lets use this simple example to illustrate the ARR: A project to replace an item of machinery is being appraised. The machine will cost  £550,000 and is expected to generate total revenues of  £80,000 over the projects seven year life. What is the ARR for this project? ARR = [( £ 90,000 / 7) / 550,000] x 100 ARR = 2.37% Advantages of ARR As with the Payback method, the chief advantage with ARR is its simplicity. This makes it relatively easy to understand. There is also a link with some accounting measures that are commonly used. The Accounting rate of return is similar to the Return on Capital Employed in its construction; this may make the ARR easier for business planners to understand. The ARR is expressed in percentage terms and this, again, may make it easier to use.There are several criticisms of ARR which raise questions about its practical application: Disadvantages of ARR: 1st, the ARR doesnt take account of the project duration or the timing of cash flows over the course of the project. 2nd, the concept of profit can be very subjective, varying with specific accounting practice and the capitalisation of project costs. As a result, the ARR calculation for identical projects would be likely to result in different outcomes from business to business. 3rd, there is no definitive signal given by the ARR to help manager to decide whether or not to invest. This lack of a guide for decision making means that investment decisions remain subjective. Discounted Cash Flow Methods 3: Discounted Payback Period This technique works similar to payback period, the difference here is that discounted values of cash flows are used for calculation of the payback period. 4: Net Present Value (NPV) The NPV method calculates the present values for all future cash flows. The discount rate may be the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) or it may be any cost of capital depending on the risk of the project in consideration. This type of appraisal is regarded superior to the ARR and the payback period, however there are certain assumptions, on which this technique is based, making its evaluation less reliable. The Net Present Value (NPV) is the first Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) technique covered here. It successes on the idea of situation cost to put a value on cash inflows increasing from capital investment. Keep in mind that opportunity cost is the calculation of what has been given or forward as a result of a special decision. It is also referred to as the real cost of taking some action. We can look at the concept of present value as being the cash equivalent now of a sum receivable at a later date. So how does the opportunity cost affect revenues that we can expect to receive later? Well, imagine what a business could do now with the cash sums it must wait some time to receive. Looked at another way, it is simply that the business have to receive the capital to invest in the project. So, it has to wait for the revenues arising from the investment, the interest is paid on received capital. NPV is a technique where cash inflows expected in future years are discounted back to their present value. This is calculated by using a discount rate equivalent to the interest that would have been received on the sums, had the inflows been saved, or the interest that has to be paid by the firm on funds borrowed. Present Value Table Net Present Value tables provide a value for a range of years and discount rates. Notice the time scale used in the table: The present value for 0 years is always 1, and this is not included in the present value table. If we are looking to find the present value of  £ 10, 0000 which you expect to receive in 5 years time, at a rate of interest of 7 %, we should use the following table: Step 1 Look down the top column of the table (After n years) and find 5 years. Step 2 Look across the row titled At rate r for the rate of interest of 7 %. Step 3 Where the row for 5 years intersects with the column for 7 % in the table, there is the relevant present value factor. In this case this is 0.713. Step 4 Multiply  £ 10, 0000 by 0.713 =  £ 71300 NPV Illustration Calculate the present value of the following projects cash flows, using a 10 % discount rate. Assessing the value of NPV calculations is simple. A positive NPV means that the project is worthwhile because the cost of tying up the firms capital is compensated for by the cash inflows that result. When more than one project is being appraised, the firm should choose the one that produces the highest NPV. 5:Internal Rate of Return (IRR): IRR calculates the rate at which the NPV of a project equals zero. According to this method if the cost of capital of a company is more than the IRR, the project will be rejected and if it is lower than the cost of capital it is likely to be accepted. IRR and NPV concepts are correlated. We know that when a positive NPV is produced by our DCF calculations, a project is worthwhile. We have also seen that when there are competing projects, we should select the one that produces the highest NPV. But sometimes a finance manager will wants to know how well a project will perform under a range of interest rate scenarios. The aim with IRR is to answer the question: What level of interest will this project be able to withstand? Once we know this, the risk of changing interest rate conditions can effectively be minimised. The IRR is the annual percentage return achieved by a project, at which the sum of the discounted cash inflows over the life of the project is same to the sum of the capital invested. Another way of looking at this is that the IRR is the rate of interest that reduces the NPV to zero. Making the investment decision Lets set out the criteria for accepting or rejecting investment opportunities, using the NPV and IRR. As a Finance manager, considering whether to accept or reject an investment project, on the basis of their acquiring the funds necessary at a known rate of interest. 1: The NPV approach asks if the present value of cash inflows less the initial investment is positive, at the current borrowing rate. 2: The IRR approach asks if the IRR on the project is greater than the borrowing rate. Illustration of NPV IRR An initial investment of  £ 2500 in a project produces cash inflows of  £ 750,  £ 750,  £ 900,  £ 900 and  £ 595 at 12 month intervals. The cost of capital to finance the project is 12 %.We are required to decide whether the project is worthwhile using: 1. The Net Present Value 2. The Internal Rate of Return A positive NPV makes the project worthwhile because the cost of tying up the firms capital is compensated for by the cash inflows that result. 2. IRR The above calculation for NPV used a 12 % discount rate and produced a positive value of  £ 318.07. We need to find a discount rate that produces a negative NPV. Lets try 20 %. The IRR lies between 12 % and 20 %. But we can get much closer to the precise answer by using arithmetic. IRR = 12% + Difference between the two discount x Positive NPV Range of +ve to â‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"ve NPVs IRR = 12 % + (8 % x 318.07) IRR = 478.73 IRR = 12 % + 5.32 IRR = 17.32 % IRR Problems While there are some different difficulties with the IRR, MIRR solves two of them. First problem is the IRR accepts that interim complete money movements are invested again at the rate of return which was same as the project which creates them. This is most often happening a plan which is not real and a very simple situation, that the funds will be invested again at a rate where the firms cost of capital is closure. Therefore, the IRR often provides a reasonable, hopeful image of the projects which is under study. Normally for checking the projects in the fair way, the weighted average cost of capital can be used for investing again the interim money movements. 2nd, you can find more than one IRRs for projects with different negative and positive flows of cash, which control to confusion. IRR Summary: The value to a business of calculating the IRR is that its decision-makers are able to see the level of interest that a project can withstand. In the case where a number of projects are competing for selection, the one that is most resilient can be chosen. 6: Modified Internal Rate of Return (MIRR) (MIRR) is a managing the methods of an investments attractiveness. It is used in capital budgeting to give the rank to different investments. Modified Internal Rate of Return is a change of the (IRR) internal rate of return and intent to solve some problems with the internal rate of return (IRR). Using (IRR) we assumes that reinvestment rate of the company is the (IRR). (MIRR) overcomes this assumption and evaluate projects on the assumption that the reinvestment rate is the same as the companys cost of capital. This assumption for the cost of capital makes it a more effective technique as compared to the IRR. MIRR is calculated as follows: mbox{MIRR}=sqrt[n]{frac{-FV(text{positive cash flows, reinvestment rate})}{PV(text{negative cash flows, finance rate})}}-1 Where n is used for the number of same periods which is at the finish stage, where the cash flows occur, PV is used for present value, FV is used for future value. 7:Adjusted Present Value (APV) APV method is used for evaluating investment in projects where risks for a project are different from the company considering such undertakings. This type of evaluation overcomes weaknesses present in the NPV technique. Adjusted present value (APV) is similar to NPV. Use the cost of equity as the discount rate is different. For the financing effects different adjustments are made. Normally with DCF models, adjusted present value calculation is simple but boring. Calculating the first step of an APV is to calculating the basic NPV by using the cost of equity like discount rate. The companys cost of equity and this may be the same. To recalculate using CAPM and by estimating a beta, in some cases may be it is necessary. First calculated the base of NPV, after that calculate the NPV of every set of cash flows which results from financing. The tax results of using debt rather than equity are most obvious. The cost of debt can be discounted or that shows unknown activities about the tax effects at a higher rate. NPV of the tax effects is added then to the basic NPV. If there are some other activities of financing, also added or subtracted, then APV is the final result. Given capital organization unrelated, savings from the financing should be levelled by changes in the necessary return on equity and changes in capital structure as well. Normally this makes a simple NPV with the WACC like the discount rate suitable. Normal NPV calculation: Where, in a simple situation: These more complicated situations are more easily handled BY using Adjusted Present Value (APV), more difficult conditions are very easy to handle. APV based on the below: APV = NPV of project pretended, itâ‚ ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s all equity financed + NPV of financing results. APV divide the total value of the project into different parts: any debt is no used for value assuming in one part, and then using the debt in capital structure we add the extra value Best Technique: After discussing all the financial appraisal techniques, it seems that the choice of best financial appraisal techniques depends upon the nature of Project. References Internal Rate of Return: A Cautionary Tale Find MIRR with FinEasy MIRR v1.0 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modified_internal_rate_of_return http://www.bized.co.uk/timeweb/reference/using_experiments2.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finance http://moneyterms.co.uk/dcf/ http://moneyterms.co.uk/capital-structure/

How the United States Must Handle China and Its Military in the 21st C

There is a delicate balancing act a country must be aware of when it is a military superpower. A superpower must exercise extreme care to protect their economic superiority, advance their foreign policies, and project their military might all while working to advance the global system. Enticing China to become a responsible pillar of the global system will be one of the greatest challenges of coming decades for the United States and the Western world-particularly since it appears for the moment China is uninterested in playing such a role. This is the unique situation the United States and China find themselves in, with so many mutual interests, and as the global economy begins to slow, challenges such as: China’s increase in military spending and foreign tension which is rising throughout the Pacific region, highlight the importance of the U.S./China political and military cooperation. However, China’s economic agreements with neighboring countries, the U.S. and Chi nese trade deficit, Chinese foreign policies and military growth, and current U.S. Presidential relations with Beijing all play a decisive role in shaping these two military superpowers. China’s continued refusal to contribute positively to international trade negotiations and constant challenge to their current World Trade Organization (WTO) status places these agencies in a serious state of jeopardy. China is also hurting the global trading system by supporting the creation of a loose but potent Asian trading block. China has difficulties in accepting the terms of membership into organizations which already exist such as the WTO and International Monetary Fund (IMF). They’ve continually challenged the WTO’s rules by exploiting loopholes and the lack of regula... ...007): 26-30. Scobell, Andrew and Wortzel Larry M., Shaping China’s Security Environment: The Role of the People’s Liberation Army. Carlisle: Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, 2009. The White House. National Security Strategy of the United States 2010 (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2010): 1-60. Tucker, Nancy. Strait talk: United States-Taiwan relations and the crisis with China. Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, 2009. Tzu Sun. The Art of War. Translated by Samuel B. Griffith. New York: Oxford University Press, 1971. Walt, Victor. "China bets on Iran." Fortune 160, no. 8 (2009): 90. Yanhua, Li. "President Hu Jintao and US President-elect Barack Obama Discuss over Telephone 2008-11-09." September 15, 2009. http://www.enghunan.gov.cn/wwwHome/200811/t20081109146216.htm Internet; accessed 9 Aug 2010.

COBOL, IS IT GOING AWAY? :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On May 28, 1959, the Conference of Data Systems Languages (CODASYL) met for the first time with the idea of developing a universal language for building business applications. That language was COBOL. By 1960, COBOL was commercially ready, and for the next 20 years, more programs were written in COBOL than in any other language. Influenced by FORTRAN, a programming language for the scientific community, and FlowMatic, the group recognized the growing needs of the business community. They thought that if the scientific programmers were going to get a single language, they could do the same for business. In April 1959, at an informal meeting at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, a small group of computer manufacturers, large users and academics asked the Department of Defense (DOD) to head the efforts (The Creation of COBOL,Brandel). The next month, the DOD called the first meeting of CODASYL, which consisted of eight computer manufacturers and a few l arge users. The DOD broke CODASYL into several committees, and by June, the nine member â€Å"short-range committee† was asked to undertake a six-month investigation into developing the language. DOD made COBOL mandatory for all suppliers of computing hardware and software who were bidding of defense procurements (Encyclopedia of Comp.Sci.,page350). This pressure resulted in persuading other suppliers to adopt COBOL also and thus the programming language took off.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In addition to machine independence, one of the most important requirements of the language was simplicity. The committee wanted the language to be readable by laypeople, which led to the idea of using English (The Creation of COBOL,Brandel). In addition, computer manufacturers were trying to develop their commercial COBOL compilers while COBOL’s specifications were being defined (Creation of COBOL,Brandel). A complete specification was finished in just six months. That was in December 1959. In 1974, COBOL officially changed to four-digit date fields, but that change obviously didn’t catch on right away. The COBOL creators played a huge part in the famous Y2K problem because of the use of two-digit year fields they used and did not fix in time. This huge problem cost many companies millions and they say that many of these companies will not solve the problem within their own business until even as late as 2008. The Y2K problem effected the world as a whole and showed COBOL’s impact globally. Analyst firm Gartner estimates that applications managing about 85 percent of the world's business data are written in COBOL.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman -- Yellow Wallpaper C

â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Many intellectual artists, who are widely acclaimed for their literary work, live in a world characterized by â€Å"progressive insanity† (Gilman 20). Charlotte Perkins Gilman was one such individual. A writer during the early 20th century, Gilman suffered from bouts of deep depression, due part to her dissatisfaction with the limitations of her role as wife and mother. Her writing, particularly her famous story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† reflects experiences from her personal life. In doing so, â€Å"she achieved some control over both her illness and her past† (Lane 128). Many people still admire the fact that Gilman wrote her piece â€Å"to save people from being driven crazy;† however, perhaps she wrote the story to rescue herself from the psychological distress that she often suffered. (Gilman 20) Many people find the conclusion of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† problematic because the protagonist ends up insane. Others, however, have offered an alternative reading of the story, one which posits that the protagonist’s response to her profoundly oppressive situation is perhaps the most â€Å"normal† and â€Å"healthy† response to her. Clearly Gilman had a great deal to say about the restrictions placed on women in the early 20th century. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† explores a young woman’s gradual psychological demise. In doing so, however, readers may also observe the gradual liberation of a woman. In â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† the narrator who is suffering from depression, takes a trip to the country for the summer, with her husband and their baby. Her husband has diagnosed his wife’s condition as merely â€Å"a temporary nervous depression† (Gilman 4) and he decides to move her to a nursery that is located at the top of the house. She is surrounded by ugly yellow wallpaper and barred windows. Disturbed by the wallpaper, she asks her husband for another room or different wallpaper; however, he refuses. The woman becomes increasingly unhappy as she is forced t occupy a room that she despises. In this deprived environment, the pattern of the wallpaper becomes increasingly compelling. The figure of a woman begins to take shape behind the pattern of the paper. At night the pattern becomes bars, and the woman in the wallpaper is imprisoned. As her imagination worsens, she frantically rips off the paper in order to free the woman she perceives i... ...se of the phrase â€Å"living paper† is quite effective. I used this quote because it symbolizes the importance and the effect of this inanimate object’s power over the tragic heroine. The word â€Å"living† is the most appropriate description for its power. Treichler, Paula: She states, â€Å"the female lineage that the wallpaper represents is thick with life, expression, and suffering† (193) It summarizes some of the main themes of the narrative. It restates the gender-related struggle and captivity that captures the true essence of this story. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Shumaker, Conrad. Twentieth Century Literary Criticism. Vol. 37, 1990 p.195 He states that the husband is, â€Å"fearful and contemptuous of her imaginative and artistic powers, largely because fails to understand them or the view of the world they lead her to.† This quote describes the marital conflict between our heroine and her husband, hence the true struggle behind the story. 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lane, Ann J. To Herland and Beyond. 1990 p.130 She states, â€Å"frightened by the images of a baby, the one she has and the one she was.† This quote expresses a symbolic comparison between the hopelessness and helplessness of the heroine and that of her child.

Conflict Theory and Crime Essay

Time magazine reports an alarming study, where the United Stated is imprisoning more offenders (violent and nonviolent) in prisons and jails than any other country in the world. It is useful to use conflict theory and structural functionalism to explain this practice and to break down the topic with these two schools to then begin building solutions to this crisis. The report done by the Pew Center urges states to stop the practice of putting non-violent offenders behind bars. The report also points to the spending done on corrections, which outweighs spending done on education. From a conflict theory standpoint, many â€Å"law and order† type states demonize low-level offenders, such as drug and alcohol users, and alienate them from society. These people are more likely to become â€Å"caught in the system† and commit low-level crimes (such as stealing to support a drug habit) to only re-enter jail or prison. Even though addiction is viewed as a disease, it is not treated as such, therein lies the structural functionalist perspective that the system of law is black and white. The system functions to exhibit to society what actions are allowable and which actions are criminal, from this perspective there are no nonviolent and violent offenders, only offenders. Both schools of thought are helpful in pointing out many of the interesting points in the article. According to the study, 1 in 100 Americans are in jails or prisons. Add to that number the disproportionate numbers of minorities incarcerated and from a conflict standpoint, one can see inequality in this number. One in thirty men ages 20-34 are behind bars while for African-American men, the number is 1 in 9. For women ages 35 to 39, 1 for every 355 Caucasian women are imprisoned while the figures for their African-American counterparts is 1 in 100. From the article, as well, it is shown that spending on schools is less than spending on corrections. From a conflict standpoint, it can be presupposed that schools in more violent areas could serve to help children, who may be susceptible to criminal activity, but since these schools are in â€Å"bad† neighborhoods they receive little help. Therefore, looking at poverty as inequality and the ignorance of education in lieu of incarceration spending is important, the study suggests. From a structural functionalist perspective, one can gather from reading the article, that many of the programs used today to get â€Å"tough on crime†, such as the three strikes law is putting more prisoners behind bars. From this perspective, one can see that the system of justice reacts to the public outcry for punishment for certain crimes and in turn react by enforcing stricter laws. The structure of law is something that changes due to the differences in the social value system. When a value held by Americans is threatened, for example when an ex-offender is released and commits a heinous murder on re-entry to society, the laws change to reflect the feelings of discourse. The system therefore, has changed to reflect an increasingly punitive society and another interesting note in the article is that the United States remains one of the leaders in nations, in relation to capital punishment. The structure of justice reflects the American structure of punishment and incarceration while the value of treatment and mediation is almost non-existent. In closing, the article â€Å"US Incarceration Rate Hits New High† is a look into the cost of conflict and the inadequate use of punishment in the system of justice. The sociological schools of conflict and structural functionalist theory are helpful in looking at these numbers in the current research to later apply it to ameliorating the problem, as many states are in a financial crisis with this problem. The Pew Center is urging the states, so burdened by high costs and high inmate population, to curtail the practice of incarcerating non-violent offenders. Hopefully further sociological studies will help this process further. References Crary D. (February 28th, 2008). â€Å"US Incarceration Rate Hits New High†. in Time Magazine. Available online http://www. time. com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1718266,00. html. Last accessed February 28th, 2008.

Final Exam Solutions (Leadership and Organizational Behavior) Essay

1. TCO A, B) Define organizational behavior and list the four emotional intelligence competencies that contribute to understanding ourselves and others within the organizational behavior environment. 2. (TCO D) Referring to the team decision-making process, define consensus and unanimity and explain the difference between the two. 3. (TCO E, F) Although conflict is usually considered a negative experience to be avoided, it actually has the potential to produce positive organizational outcomes. Please identify three ways in which conflict can be a positive influence. 4. (TCO G) There are six sources of position power in organizational settings. Identify and define three of these sources. 5. (TCO H, I, J) The senior executive team at AllGoodThings.com, after a strategy review session with the Board of Directors, has decided that it’s time to invest some time and capital in improving the corporate culture. The company has rebounded from a near calamity two years ago, and while it was a great scramble, the company survived and is in the strongest position ever. They knew that the culture had been strained by the episode and wanted sincerely to work to bring things back to â€Å"normal.† With the assistance of local HR offices, a case was made to the employee population that certain aspects of their current culture might have suffered over the past few years and that it was time to think about change. They announced that they would be undergoing an organizational culture review and that everyone’s opinion was valued. A whopping 79% of the employees participated in the survey that they administered. Senior management had worked with the consultants for a few months before the survey was given and had determined their â€Å"Ideal† scores. The survey confirmed their suspicions. 6. (TCO C) As a manager you are in a situation where a key employee seems to have lost his excitement about the job. The employee’s familiar positive tone and high energy approach to the job and the workplace seem to be on the wane. You really don’t know what is going on with this person. But, you can try to start to understand this employee by examining various motivation theories. Use elements from each of Maslow’s theory, Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory, and Equity theory and assemble your own motivation theory to help you to start understanding this employee. Be sure to fully explain and define all elements that you use in your new model of motivation. Finally, compose a short case to demonstrate how your motivation model can actually be applied. 7. (TCO G) The Michigan and Ohio State studies represent seminal research on leadership theory. Both studies identified two basic forms of leader behaviors. What were the similarities in the findings from these two studies and what was the significance of the research? 8. (TCO A, B) In order to meet organizational goals and objectives management must comprehend organizational behavior in relationship to the functions of management. List and describe the management process functions and describe how the five personality traits contribute to the management process. 9. (TCO E, F) Neff Incorporated is a small business with 100 employees and 4 managers. 10.(TCO D) Define the concept of social loafing. Why does social loafing occur? Give an example of social loafing and a suggestion for how to prevent it.

Marketing Strategy for Decline Stage Essay

Marketing Strategy for Decline Stage Posted on April 2, 2012 by admin in Marketing. The main characteristics of the maturity stage which help to define the appropriate marketing strategies are Sales of most product forms and brands eventually decline Decline may be due to Technical advances which lead to better substitutes Change in customer taste with time Increase in competition Lower sales volume leads to Over capacity Increases price cutting Profit erosion Carrying a weak product may be very costly if there are no suitable strategic reasons to keep the prodict alive in the market. To handle declining sales, marketing strategy could be Increase firms invest to dominate market/strength competitive position Maintain investments in innovations and R&D until uncertainties above industry are resolved Decrease firms invest, selectively by dropping unprofitable products and focus on nice areas and profitable products Harvesting or divesting the product as per the GE Matrix strategic growth model. Appropriate marketing strategy for this phase depends completely on Industry’s relative attractiveness and Company’s strength in the industry. If the industry is attractive and company has significant strength in the industry then the company may decide to hold the product or brand even if sales volume decline during this phase. Post Tagged with Decline Stage, Marketing Strategy, PLC ↠ Previous Post If you enjoyed this article please consider sharing it! Next Post → Like crackmba.com/marketing-strategy-for-decline-stage/ 1/5 9/4/13 Marketing Strategy for Decline Stage | CrackMBACrackMBA Search Categories open all | close all Banking (114) Finance Wiki (183) HRM (9) Important Alert/News (95) Marketing (23) Online Fraud (1) Operations (20) Practice Tests (115) Previous Papers (24) Quiz (505) Strategy (8) Systems/IT (38) E-Mail Subscription Enter your email address: crackmba.com/marketing-strategy-for-decline-stage/ 2/5 9/4/13 Marketing Strategy for Decline Stage | CrackMBACrackMBA Subscribe Delivered by FeedBurner Pages open all | close all Finance Wiki Marketing Strategy Systems/IT HRM Operations Quiz Banking Alerts/News IBPS Online Fraud Recent Posts Previous Papers Practice Tests Tags Banking Awareness Quiz Banking Glossary Banking Quiz Banking Terms Banking Bonds Business Quiz Capital Market Computer Awareness Quiz Computer Quiz Data Quiz CMM Interpretation Debt Securities DI Different Funds English Exam Alert Finance Quiz Financial Ratio Analysis IBPS IBPS Quiz Interview Alert Logical Reasoning LR Marketing Marketing Awareness Quiz Marketing Quiz Mathematics MBA Admission crackmba.com/marketing-strategy-for-decline-stage/ 3/5 9/4/13 Marketing Strategy for Decline Stage | CrackMBACrackMBA MBA Quiz Options PO MBA Result Alert Practice Test Previous Paper Probationary Officers Quantitative Aptitude RBI RBI Assistant Recruitment Alert Risk SBI SBI PO Exam Specialist Officers Verbal Ability .. Current Affairs Business News GK Quiz Updates Current Affairs India – 3 September 2013 Sep 3, 2013 1. Indian Parliament gave its nod to the landmark Food Security Bill yesterday which seeks to provide highly subsidised foodgrains to†¦ Current Affairs Global – 3 September 2013 Sep 3, 2013 1. Ronald Coase, the British-born US economist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1991, passed away yesterday in†¦ GK Quiz – 3 September 2013 Sep 3, 2013 GK Quiz – 3 September 2013 4401 â€Å"World Population Day† is observed on _____________. A) 6-July B)†¦ Microsoft to acquire Finish phone maker Nokia’s mobile phone unit Sep 3, 2013 Global tech giant Microsoft has agreed to acquire Finish mobile maker Nokia’s mobile phone business for 5.4 billion euros†¦ Verizon to acquire Vodafone’s 45% stake in its US business for USD 130 billion; one of the largest deals in corporate history Sep 3, 2013 US mobile giant Verizon Communicat ions Inc agreed to acquire Vodafone Group Plc’s 45% stake in Verizon Wireless in a†¦ crackmba.com/marketing-strategy-for-decline-stage/ 4/5 9/4/13 Marketing Strategy for Decline Stage | CrackMBACrackMBA CrackM BA – If it’s ’bout M BA, it’s @ CrackM BA. Colorway WordPress Theme by InkThemes.com crackmba.com/marketing-strategy-for-decline-stage/ 5/5

Child Obesity Essay

Who’s To Blame for Obesity? Do you want to be surrounded with a society filled with obese children? Obesity has become a big problem in America. Parents are not being careful with the amount of junk food they’re allowing their kids to take in. According to Daniel Wientraub’s article â€Å"The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home†, he claims that parents are in the position to fight the epidemic of overweight children, not the government or fast food companies. I agree with Daniel Wientraub because parents should be held accountable for the obesity of their children. Advertising has become Americas biggest tool for manipulating kids in the U.S as indicated in David Barboza’s â€Å"If you Pitch It, They Will Eat It†, New York Times article , professor Linn of Harvard says â€Å"The programs have become advertising for the food and the food has become advertising for the programs (Barboza,P.39,Par.33).† Children are getting attached to television and programming, wh ich is where the fast food commercials vastly appear. For example, kids begin to ask their parents for fast food just because there happens to be a toy in their â€Å"Happy Meal†. Parents don’t have the strength needed to continue managing on telling their children â€Å"No!† because they will cry, nag, and proceed to bug their parents to take them. Marketing strategies aim on manipulating kids, and the more being targeted, the more money they continue making. Parents need to start saying â€Å"No!† and begin acting like the boss, instead of it being the other way around. Exercising is a huge factor on staying healthy. A vastly amount of kids in America are not participating in physical education. In the article â€Å"The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home† Daniel Weintraub indicates â€Å"We limit television and encourage our boys to get out the house, either to participate in organized sports or to ride their bikes, skateboards, or roller blades(Weintraub,P.43,Par.15).† This particularly indicates that parents need to push and motivate their children to exercise daily, to remain active. Staying fit is more important because it prevents obesity. The majority of children lack exercise and stuff themselves with fast food but it isn’t their fault because their too young to comprehend any better. Parents need to step it up and provide their kids with consistent physical education to prevent their children becoming obese. Adolescents need to start noticing what they are feeding their children. A great amount of food comes from the home kids are living in. in Daniel Wientraub’s  article â€Å"The Battle Against Fast Food Begins in the Home†, he states that, â€Å"We try to cook as many meals as possible on the theory that even the last healthy home cooked meal is probably better for our children than the healthiest fast food serving (Weintraub, P.43, Par.15).† I support this claim because when kids are given a meal at home, their parent can provide and control the ingredients they are feeding them, in contrast to when they are eating out. Therefore, kids can consume vegetables and healthy edibles that their parents are serving at home, without worrying about the bad factors that fast food is giving them. In other words, cooking at home is a veritable good way for parents preventing obesity. Others may suggest that fast food services are at fault for childhood obesity. However, I believe this is faulty reasoning because fast food places provide a great amount of high fattening food that makes kids gain weight. Support of my position can be found in the following â€Å"Fast foods marketing strategies, which make perfect sense from a business perspective, succeed only when they induce a substantial number of us to overeat (Brownie, P.33, Par.6).† This clearly substantiates my position by illustrating that purchasing fast food products may be cheap and less time consuming, but it is a bad decision for parents to make on their children. In conclusion, I am adamant that parents are responsible for what they feed their kids. As such, in my opinion it would be in our best interest for parents to stand up and help children at most they can. If parents follow this course of action, I am confident that child obesity will decrease not only in America, but all over the world.

Sexual Boundary Violations At Work Place Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Sexual Boundary Violations At Work Place - Essay Example Women occupying the relatively higher status in the workplace are also subjected to such misbehavior by men of either same status or higher position. Men always go after power either by conferred status or through acquired status. But women generally do not have an obsession with power. The powerful statuses they occupy in organizations are merely out of their work interest and involvement. Even after occupying a greater powerful position they want to retain it by persisting involvement alone. Women never resort to any other crooked methods for retention of power. But in case of men, once they taste the blood of power, they get ever intoxicated to it and want to maintain it at any cost. Especially when they happen to encounter women with the real power of ingenuity or skill, they get mentally annoyed, the cause of which is never able to be identified by their fickle psyche. As a result, they find sex discrimination as a tool to overpower women. This process of overpowering leads to s exual boundary violation and then subsequently to sexual harassments even. Workplace rudeness is the pinhole opening for Sexual Boundary violations in many organizations. The rudeness includes several aspects of misbehavior such as sending a nasty and demeaning note, not giving credit where a credit is due, giving dirty looks or another negative eye contact. ( Metts et al, 2009: p.252) Before landing on a clear-cut definition of sexual boundary violation, it becomes necessary to understand sexual boundary crossing.

Article Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Article Analysis - Essay Example The research question was answered by conducting a research study using tactile prompt and self-monitoring interventions to third and fifth graders with severe behavioural problems who were diagnosed with either emotional handicap, language impairment, Asperger syndrome, and educable mentally handicap who need a strong behavioural support. While managing the group of students, the behaviours of three instructional assistants were recorded. Upon applying the treatment package which includes the prompting, self-monitoring and accuracy feedback to the 1st dependent variable – managing disruptions. As soon as student response was sable, the prompting component of intervention was removed from the study observation. Eventually, Fisher (2006) compared the results with the baseline wherein the data was gathered under normal classroom condition prior to the research interventions. applied to the 2nd dependent variable – bonus-point delivery. As soon as the bonus-point delivery was consistent to the main goal of the study, the prompting component was removed followed by applying the final response known as ‘prompting appropriate behavior’. Although very little to no improvements was noticed during the first training session in the case of Fran, Kelly, and Nicole. Although the application of self-monitoring and accuracy feedback methods was not enough to maintain Nicole and Kelly’s behaviour change during the bonus-point delivery, the research findings revealed the application of the treatment package which includes the prompting, self-monitoring and accuracy feedback is effective in terms of increasing the levels of managing the students’ disruptive behaviour in class, prompting appropriate student behaviour, and bonus-point delivery from close to zero to a consistently high rates. In line with this, the use of vibrating pagers should be removed since the presence of wearing the pager could significantly affect the

Who is your role model and how did that person impact your life Essay

Who is your role model and how did that person impact your life - Essay Example He made me realize my purpose and potential, my dreams are to change the world to become a better place where the world would be free from diseases, and quality healthcare would be available to all. Like Obama, I am determined not to give up on my dreams. Moreover, President Obama has taught me never to lose my hopes, always focus on the future, and press forward always no matter the obstacles. According to Price (92) his opponents said negative things about him such as he did not have any political experience to govern a state like America, but he did not listen to them because his intentions were focused on the best lives for all. Becoming the president of America was not an easy thing considering that he was an African American, he came from a humble family, was not famous, his family had no political background, and of all things his father was a Muslim. Therefore, I have emulated Obama’s behaviors, and now I am a persistent, strong minded and compassionate person. Many thanks to Obama as a weak, intolerant, and unconfident me, is now gone. I am now the most passionate and outstanding person in whatever I do, and I am not ready to stop. Price, Joann. Barrack Obama: A Biography. U.S.A: Greenwood Press, 2008. Google books. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.

Managing a small business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing a small business - Essay Example In Australia, for a business to be referred to as small, it must have fewer than 15 people employed in it. In addition to the above-mentioned criteria, other classification of businesses also takes into consideration the aspect of total assets, sales or the net profit of the business. All over the world, small businesses forms a substantial number of businesses and it is dependent on the economic system prevailing. Small businesses supplement the ‘big’ businesses in commercial activities as they ensure that products reach the remotest parts of the country. Typically, most small businesses include; convenience stores, restaurants and pubs, hairdressers, tradesmen, and guest houses among others. In this regard, this paper endeavors to find out a number of issues related to small businesses (PUB) in Canterbury by interviewing the proprietors. Methodology The mode of information collection in this research paper was direct interview of the proprietors. Since the information was to be gathered on a single business premises, the proprietors were contacted prior and agreement was reached on the best time and day. In this case, I chose to consider a Pub in Canterbury named Dolphin. Dolphin is a modernized dining pub that provides a range of services to their customers. The information relating to the business was collected using a radio recorder coupled with note taking, the proprietors were found to be six and because of the nature of the question and considering time, all the proprietors were assigned sections of the inquiry to respond to so that the interview could not be skewed to an individual. Interviewing one person on all the areas of concern could lead to inaccurate information from the interviewee given fatigue and boredom. The questioned were then designed separately and spread amongst the six proprietors in Dolphin business from which the information regarding the business was collected. Market Research – Information Gathering Market res earch involves identifying what the people want and conform to it so that you can have a business competitive edge over the competitors. Market research is thus a very important tool in business survival as it enables one to make a determination on how to do marketing of their product. In this case, I interviewed the first proprietor and collected the following information about the market research. I. Primary Research Dolphin realized that they have to cut themselves a niche in the business environment by standing out as the best provider of services to the customers. They decided to do a primary research that was aimed at giving them insights on the taste of the people on varieties of foodstuffs, peak period of the business, and on issues of references. To acquire all these information, the management used questionnaire to source for information, in some instance, they asked the customers to rate their performance on specific issues like hygiene, satisfaction and so on. Rating of Dolphin’s performance was considered against what customers considered the best pub in the area where the business is situated. The information obtained from such responses is to be used for making the necessary improvement on the customer’s satisfaction. II. Secondary Research: A part from primary research for improving the performance of the business, Dolphin also relies on the secondary sources in its effort to understand the management of the business such that customer can be satisfied