Monday, September 30, 2019
Passive Design Strategies Achieving Effective Response to Local Climate
PASSIVE DESIGN STRATEGIES ACHIEVING EFFECTIVE RESPONSE TO LOCAL CLIMATE Table of contentspage Abstractâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦.3Introductionâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦Ã¢â¬ ¦ .Abstraction This survey is aimed at placing the specific inactive schemes that can be applied to edifices in a specific type of local clime to accomplish a proper response to that clime. With edifices being the highest energy consumers and inactive design schemes of major benefit in decrease of energy demand for chilling and warming, the research will bring out the effectivity of the major inactive chilling and heat turning away schemes in supplying thermic comfort and how the pick of these is a effect of the local clime. To accomplish an thorough research, different literature beginnings where used to find a assortment of inactive design schemes that are employed in different climes. From this cognition, the schemes used at the first block of suites at the Belum rain forest resort where identified and their effectivity is established consequently. The first block of suites at the Belum rainforest resort incorporate a big figure of inactive design schemes supplying a wider fluctuation of compari ng survey. These when compared to the other blocks at resort will widen the range of the research. Approximately 40 % of family energy is used for warming and chilling to accomplish thermic comfort. This rate could be cut to about nothing in through sound clime antiphonal inactive designs.. To accomplish high energy efficiency at belum rain forest resort, schemes like Encouraging natural air flow with big gaps and supplying shadowing were used amongst other non as effectual methods. It can therefore be concluded that some inactive design schemes are more effectual than others in specific climes and cognition on this effectivity can drastically better energy efficiency gained due to the usage of these design schemes.IntroductionEach clime zone has clearly different design and building demands, This is because within each of these chief zones there are besides many regional sub-zones with differing local conditions features such as air current forms, humidness, temperature and tallnes s above sea degree. There exists a big figure of inactive design schemes that can be applied to any peculiar edifice. Of these schemes, some are cosmopolitan and would use to about all types of climes but for the most portion each of these clime zones require specific types of inactive design techniques to be applied to edifices in order to be effectual. In add-on to this, in response to the local clime, some of these specific passive schemes are more effectual than others in accomplishing their ends and therefore a grade of precedence can be placed on them for easier design determination devising. Malaysia has high temperatures and a High humidness twelvemonth unit of ammunition, to accomplish edifice sustainability energy usage for chilling has to be minimised, the major factors to see for this clime are the air current and the Sun. Most of the heat addition in the edifices is from the Sun specifically solar heat addition though Windowss and conductivity heat addition through walls. And most of the chilling is by air flow. From this we can clearly detect that the most effectual inactive design schemes are those that control heat addition and supply chilling through air motion. This paper will look into how effectual peculiar inactive design schemes employed to the first block of suites at the Belum rainforest resort in reacting to the local clime by reacting to the undermentioned research inquiries:What is inactive architecture design?What are the inactive design schemes employed to accomplish decrease in heat addition in the first block of suites at the Belum rain forest resort?What are the inactive chilling design schemes employed in the first block of suites at Belum rainforest resort?How make these passive design schemes employed efficaciously respond to the local climePassive architecture designHarmonizing toâ⬠¦Passive architecture design refers to a design attack that uses natural elements, frequently sunlight, to heat, cool, or light a edifice. Every inactive design attack is aimed to maximize comfy conditions for people to populate in, while cut downing the usage of energy and therefore the impact of edifices on the environment. In a physical s ense, a inactive design attack is one that will utilize merely locally available energy beginnings like radiation from the Sun, air motion from air currents and temperature differences and use the natural flow waies of that energy to bring forth work. This work is chiefly the warming, chilling and illuming of enclosed infinite and as such inactive design systems will necessitate really small care and cut down a buildingââ¬â¢s energy ingestion by minimising or taking mechanical systems like pumps and fans used to command indoor temperature and lighting and devour a batch of energy. Passive architecture design is required in order to cut down on the demand for mechanical chilling and warming of indoor infinites. In bend this warming and chilling is required in order to accomplish thermic comfort. Therefore thermic comfort can be regarded as the terminal demand of inactive architecture design together with energy efficiency while accomplishing that. Bs en iso 7730 defines thermic comfort as that status of head which expresses satisfaction with the thermic environment. That is to state the status when person is non experiencing either excessively hot or excessively cold. The chief factors impacting thermic comfort are temperature of the air, humidness, air motion, metabolic rate and vesture. Of these, air temperature ( which is the chief determiner ) , humidness ( which affects evaporative chilling from the human tegument ) and air velocity or motion ( which accelerates vaporization ) are all affected by general environmental factors and can hence be controlled ut ilizing inactive architecture designs.inactive design schemes accomplishing heat addition decrease in the first block of suites at the Belum rain forest resortOn this block at the Belum rain forest resort, heat turning away was given extreme importance as the block is extensively shaded and a overplus of heat turning away schemes was used compared to the inactive chilling schemes. The schemes include orientation of the edifice to its site, usage of deep over bents, usage of mesh shadowing devices on Windowss, shadowing of walls and facade, usage of banian sticks to shadow Windowss and usage of flora for shadowing both Windowss and the frontage Orientation This block of suites is oriented in such a manner the longer facade that has the suites and window gaps faces the north-south way with no Windowss on the east-west way. This provides for a shaded in-door infinite during twenty-four hours clip, in this set up, exposure to radiation is minimised as solar radiation is easy controlled by over bents since the high angle of the Sun in the sky in summer makes it easy to shadow Windowss utilizing this while daylighting is maximised cut downing on the demand for unreal lighting in the edifice. Besides in this orientation the eastern and western sides that have no window gaps are exposed to the low-angle summer Sun in the forenoon and afternoon and hence there is less heat addition from these Deep overhangs This block of suites uses a pitched gable to gable type of roof.The usage of a pitched roof provided for deep over bents on the longer frontages. The overhangs On the north and south-facing walls, control direct beam solar radiation. And therefore cut down on the incident heat on the facade and the first floor Windowss. Overhangs are most efficient because being external shading devices, they intercept solar radiation before it has entered through the Windowss or is incident on the walls and therefore even when energy is absorbed by them it is non trapped behind the glass. As the edifice does non precisely face north-south, the over bents are of increased size. This was besides done to efficaciously supply shadiness for both floors of the block. Mesh shadowing on Windowss This shading was extensively applied to all Windowss of this block of suites. This mesh shading placed in forepart of Windowss is considered more efficient than the complete bents chiefly because it is suited and provides shadiness for the Windowss all through the twelvemonth. Unlike the other shading devices, it does non necessitate extended computation to acquire optimum consequences and does non depend on the angle of the Sun. The Mesh besides provides this shadowing while leting for air motion and therefore encourages cross airing. The meshes are made of coated metals as being portion of external shading devices there is demand for the stuff to be upwind resistant. They besides have an added advantage of being flexible to utilize and keep. Banyan sticks cladding The south and north confronting walls of this block are about wholly made of Windowss to advance airing with minimised exposed wall. The entireness of the Windowss and exposed wall is clad in closely arranged banian sticks that farther heighten the shading to the Windowss in add-on to the mesh shading provided. Like the other external shading devices it reduces on the incident heat on the Windowss and the walls. And besides due to their distance from the window radiation energy absorbed by the banian sticks is non re-radiated to the window or wall. They were besides used as a base for vegetive shading. Bing a signifier of perpendicular shading, they have been besides used to shadow the E and west frontages of the block. The banian sticks are treated to accomplish conditions opposition and prevent decay. They have a major disadvantage of cut downing visibleness and natural twenty-four hours light into the edifice The facade of the block was besides constructed in such a manner that the open walls are perpendicular to the way of the facade and as such are wholly shaded by next walls. This design ensures that no external wall is straight exposed to the Sun and as such do non absorb beaming heat. Vegetative shading This was achieved at this block of suites by usage of mounting workss that get support from the banian sticks cladding. With the banyan sticks already positioned to supply shading, the workss are introduced so as to heighten the shadiness provided by the sticks. These workss provide the 3rd and concluding bed of shadowing after the mesh shading and the banian sticks cladding. They cut down solar radiation to every bit low every bit low as 20 % .These together with the banian sticks facade cladding besides work as a clime shield, protecting the edifice from rain and air current bill of exchanges through the Windowss. They besides protect the edifices coloring material and the facade itââ¬â¢s ego from intensive conditions. Plants besides have the added advantage of supplying evapo-transpiration, where, as workss transpire and loose H2O to the ambiance, the vaporization that takes topographic points uses heat energy from the environing chilling it in return.Passive chilling schemes employed in the first block of suites at the Belum rainforest resort.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Wgu Fin Analysis Task 1
In order to ascertain how well a company is performing, analyses must be done in regard to the business being stable, including itsââ¬â¢ ability to pay debts, how much cash or other liquid assets are available, and whether the organization is viable enough to continue operations. These analyses typically look at income statements, balance sheets, and statements of cash flow, where current and past performance will be studied with the goal of predicting how the company will perform in the future. There are four ways in which the Competition Bikes will be evaluated. First, we will look at a horizontal analysis.This is a comparative study of a balance sheet or income statement for two or more accounting periods, to compute both total and relative variances for each line item. (businessdictionary. com) Second, the company will be judged based on a vertical analysis. This is done by way of financial statement analysis in which each entry for the three major categories of accounts â⬠â assets, liabilities and equities in a balance sheet, is represented as a proportion of the total account. (investopedia. com) The third method we will use to evaluate the bike company is through trend analysis.This type of analysis is often employed to identify current and future movements of an investment or group of investments, and may involve comparing past and current financial ratios as they relate to various institutions in order to project how long the current trend will continue. (wisegeek. com) And last, a ratio analysis will be studied by looking at the broad method by which financial data is converted into simple mathematic ratios for comparison. (ratioanalysis. org) Horizontal Analysis When looking at Competition Bikes Inc, we will be comparing their sixth and seventh years, and then their seventh and eighth years.This will allow us to gauge the performance over a significant period of time to see if the organizationââ¬â¢s business is rising, staying steady or fa lling. For example, if net sales were ten thousand dollars in year one, and eleven thousand dollars in year two, this would be seen as a ten percent increase. Using the horizontal analysis worksheet, we see that Competition Bikes realized an increase in net sales between years six and seven by over thirty percent. This was followed in years seven and eight by a decline of fifteen percent.While the net sales in year eight were better (+13%) than year six, sales did fall from the previous year. Another key indicator to look at is gross profits, where the difference between net sales and the cost of goods sold is calculated. In our case, for years six and seven we see an increase of over thirty seven percent, but a decrease of over sixteen percent between years seven and eight. This could be caused by either selling less, through an increase in the cost of goods sold, or a combination of the two. One very important aspect when examining how any business is able to make and sustain prof itability is the operating cycle.This looks at how quickly a company is turning over their receivables, inventory and payables. By lowering the operating cycle, businesses are able to manage their assets more efficiently. Using figures derived from days inventory outstanding, days sales outstanding and days payable outstanding, a business can determine how long inventory is staying in the pipeline, and how long it is taking to sell and collect payment on that inventory. This is done by finding the cost of goods sold (from income statement) and dividing by 365, which will yield the sales per day.Then determining the average inventory (from balance sheet) by adding previous inventory plus ending inventory and dividing by 2, and finally, taking the result of the average inventory and dividing by the cost of sales per day. For Competition Bikes this results in a figure that shows a decrease over the course of two years. Lower is better, and clearly signals that sales are increasing in c omparison to inventory. Another promising sign is the cash conversion cycle. This is a metric expressing the time (in days) that it takes a business to translate resources into cash.In this case it calculates out to a lessening conversion cycle, which points to asset liquidity through a short receivables time span with a long payables period. This is another sign that Competition Bikes is efficiently managing itsââ¬â¢ resources. Lets take a look at the expenses listed under ââ¬Å"general and administrativeâ⬠on the horizontal analysis worksheet. These particular expenses are costs a business incurs when performing normal operations. For years six and seven there was an increase of a little over 20%, or approximately 156 thousand dollars. Then in years seven and eight there was another slight increase.In order to maintain consistent or increased profits without raising prices and/or selling into new markets in order to increase sales figures, a business would have to cut exp enses. Next comes ââ¬Å"operating incomeâ⬠, which is revenues minus operating expenses, and generally referred to as EBIT, or earnings before income and taxes. In other words, this is a measurement of a companyââ¬â¢s profits before all relevant deductions have been made. In our case, there was a significant increase of nearly 155 percent from year six to seven, and then another increase of over 60 percent in year seven to eight.The net earnings of Competition Bikes is up well over 300 percent for the first years of comparison, but declined over 80 percent between year seven and eight. This clearly indicates that factors have changed during the last two years that are directly impacting the bottom line of the business. Moving on to company assets, the ââ¬Å"cash and cash equivalentsâ⬠portion of the income statement shows a decrease of nearly 55 percent on a decline of over 142 thousand dollars, but during the year seven and eight horizontal analysis there was a signif icant increase in cash assets by almost 350 percent.These are assets that are cash, or can be readily converted into cash. Balance that with the ââ¬Å"total liabilitiesâ⬠which is the combination of all debt Competition Bikes is liable for. As can be seen on the worksheet, the liabilities increased a small amount from year six to seven, but decreased over the next two years. Increasing assets and decreasing liabilities of any company means the long-term sustainability is good. And last, we look at stockholderââ¬â¢s equity. This refers to how much capital investors have put into the business. In other words, this should represent positive differences between assets and liabilities.For Competition Bikes, from year six to seven this margin increased by a little over 3 percent, or approximately 70 thousand dollars. While slightly increasing, investors prefer to see a larger gain. Between years seven and eight the equity increased by almost one and a half percent. While not a la rge increase, at least this was a step in the right direction. Vertical analysis Through a vertical analysis, we can take a look at entries for assets, liabilities and equities. These are represented as a proportion, or percentage of the totals for any given year.The main advantage of a vertical analysis is that it is easy to read, clearly understandable and charts changes in the operations of a business on a yearly basis. By looking at a vertical analysis a person can see financial performance over a period of time. Lets start by looking on the revenue side. By calculating what the relationship is between net sales less cost of goods sold, we can see that our gross profits are remaining steady at roughly 27 percent. In other words, the cost of goods sold is approximately three quarters of the amount of net sales.These two measurements would probably be considered the best barometer of how efficiently a company is operating. Likewise, when we consider the operating expenses for sell ing products and running the company, we see that they are relatively steady with only a slight fluctuation of a few percentage points either up or down, with all the variation coming from differences in general and administrative expenses. Given the minor fluctuation of expenses over time, there seems to be a good internal control system in place. This holds costs in check while being able to concentrate on sales.Generally, the percentage of ââ¬Å"total liabilitiesâ⬠has been declining over the three years shown. This represents the companyââ¬â¢s ability to retire debt, and as the worksheet shows, the proportion of total stockholder equity has been holding steady as well. By holding the line on expenses, retiring debt and maintaining stockholder equity. Competition Bikes has been able to operate in a very efficient manner, while growing the companyââ¬â¢s assets at a rate of 5 to 6 percent per year. Trend analysis The goal of performing trend analysis is to collect infor mation over a period of time, and to use that data to spot a pattern, or trend.Under this scenario of comparative analysis, the finances of a company are evaluated over in order to predict future potential based on past performance. When we look at Competition Bikes historical data for net sales, there is a year over year gain, with the exception of year 8. To start, from year 6 to year 7 there was a significant uptick in sales by a little over 33 percent. While net sales declined in year eight by approximately 17 percent from the previous year, they still represented a gain over year 6. For each subsequent year following the eighth, there should be a steady rise in sales.Because there is very little change in expenses, even though sales dropped off, the profitability of the company remained strong. This trend is predicted to hold through the remainder of years 9 through 11. Given the steadily increasing sales, the company would be attractive to investors looking for steady but reli able future growth. While sales are rising slowly, the net income continues to see increases that are in tandem. Ratio analysis Ratio analysis is the conversion of financial data into simple math ratios in order to use for comparing with other, similar businesses.Data from past years that is widely available through public financial statements can be analyzed and compared to other organizations, and the results of these comparisons can provide vital information when making decisions. For the case of Competition Bikes, I will be using four different metrics to calculate the financial well being of a company. They are liquidity ratio, debt to equity ratio, return on equity ratio and net profit margin ratio. There are three types of liquidity ratios that we will look at.The current ratio is considered to be a barometer of a companyââ¬â¢s liquidity, and shows the relationship between working capital and its availability to meet present obligations. It is calculated by doing the follo wing: current assets ? current liabilities Competition Bikes, Inc. Year 6 1,029,303/105,080= 9. 8 Year 7 1,353,044/233,700= 5. 8 Year 8 1,575,831/300,200= 5. 2 The current ratio of Competition Bikes is decreasing slightly over the three-year period shown, but the ratio that is commonly thought to be acceptable would be anything above 2, and higher current ratios are always better.Since these ratios calculated out to well above that figure, this business would have no problem meeting its short-term debts. Next, another type of liquidity ratio is the quick ratio or acid test. This is used to measure the liquidity of a company, and its ability to meet financial obligations. The quick ratio is used to determine a companyââ¬â¢s financial strength or weakness, where higher numbers mean there is a stronger probability, while lesser numbers mean weaker probability, of ability to pay off short-term debt. Quick ratios are calculated as follows: (current assets ââ¬â inventories) ? urren t liabilities Competition Bikes, Inc. Year 6 1,029,303 ââ¬â 203,300 = 826,003/105,080 = 7. 85 Year 7 1,353,044 ââ¬â 219,068 = 1133976/233,700 = 4. 84 Year 8 1,575,831 ââ¬â 221833 = 1353998/300,200 = 4. 5 The quick ratio is an indicator of a company's short-term liquidity. It measures the company'sà capacity to meetà its short-term debts withà the most liquid of assets, but is more conservative than the current ratio because it excludes the inventory. This is done for the reason that companies may have difficulty converting inventory into cash should an immediate need arise.The higher the quick ratio,à theà better the position of theà company, where a value of less than 1 may mean the business might have difficulty meeting its short term obligations. While Competition Bikes has a declining ration, it is still well above what is commonly considered acceptable. This points to their ability to pay their short-term debt. The last type of liquidity ratio is the cas h ratio. This ratio is generally the most conservative calculation of liquid assets because it removes inventory and accounts receivable from the equation, and is the best measurement of a companyââ¬â¢s liquidity.By using this ratio, it is possible to determine if a business can pay off its short-term debt. Typically this is the measurement that will be used by creditors to determine how much credit they would be willing to extend, and is simply the ratio ofà a cash assets to current liabilities. Cash ratios are calculated as follows: cash + short term investments/current liabilities Competition Bikes, Inc. Year 6 261,000 + 198,500 = 459500/105,080 = 4. 37 Year 7 92,376 + 220,000 = 312376/233,700 = 1. 34 Year 8 414,038 + 220000 = 634038/300,200 = 2. 1 The cash ratio is a further refinement of quick and current ratios, and ndicates a company's liquidity. This is done through the measurement of cash on hand, cash equivalents and short-term investments in relationship to current l iabilities. Cash ratios are the most conservative of the liquidity ratios because it only looks at the assets that are highly liquid. It is unusual for companies to have the cash on hand to cover all current liabilities, and these ratios are generally lower than other measures of liquidity. When compiling financial reports, these ratios are not used very often because it is realistic for a company to maintain the levels of cash necessary to pay off all current liabilities.It is generally accepted that businesses do not hold large amounts of cash. Competition Bikes has a very good cash ratio, and while it had declined from year 6 to year 7, the ratio has improved in year 8. This company is highly liquid. Aà class of financial metrics that are used to assess a business's ability to generateà earnings as compared toà its expenses and other relevant costs incurred during a specific period of time. For most of these ratios, having a higher value relative to a competitor's ratio or theà same ratio from a previous period is indicative that the company is doing well.The debt-to-equity ratio is a measurement of how much a company's creditors have committed versus what the shareholders have committed. This ratio is calculated by dividingà total liabilitiesà byà stockholders' equity, and indicates what proportion of equity and debt the company is using to finance its assets. Debt-to-equity is calculated as follows: total liabilities ? shareholdersââ¬â¢ equity Competition Bikes, Inc. Year 6 1,995,080/2,204,223 = . 905 Year 7 2,018,700/2,274,344 = . 887 Year 8 1,980,200/2,305,631 = . 858The debt-to-equity ratio is a key financial analysis ratio that is used to evaluate a company's financial standing by measuring their ability to repay debts. The optimal debt-to-equity ratio should be about 1, where liabilities are equal to equity. However, these ratios can be tied to particular industries, where companies with more long-term investments have higher ratios. If the debt-to-equity ratio is increasing, creditors are financing the company. This is not the preferred situation in regard to both lenders and investors, because less debt to creditors means interests are better protected in the event of a business decline.Typically, having a high debt-to-equity ratio means not being able to draw additional lending. The lower the debt-to-equity ratio, the better. Competition Bikes debt-to-equity ratio is very good, and has held fairly steady over the three-year analysis period. This demonstrates that the company relies on shareholder equity to do their financing, rather than through loans. These factors point to minimal long-term borrowing needs, meaning the business doesnââ¬â¢t use long-term debt to finance its operation. Maintaining a low ratio is the usual approach, because future solvency is not impacted.The return on equity ratio indicates the returns, by way of net profits, to the shareholders of the company, and is measured as a percen tage of shareholder equity. This ratio measures how muchà profit a company is able to generateà with money that shareholders have invested, as opposed to what creditors have loaned a business. It is also a useful ratio at determining success with managing resources, and is especially useful for privately owned businesses that have no easy way of determining the market value of ownersââ¬â¢ equity.Return on equity ratios are calculated as follows: net income ? shareholdersââ¬â¢ equity Competition Bikes, Inc. Year 6 41,148/2,204,223 = . 0186 or approximately 1. 8% Year 7 170,121/2274344 = . 0748 or approximately 7. 5% Year 8 31,286/2,305,631 = . 0135 or approximately 1. 3% The ratio of return on equity from year 6 to 7 improved substantially through the realization of a large gain in net income, while at the same time having shareholder equity remain largely unchanged. Then from year 7 to 8 the ratio nosedived to below what is was in the first year of comparison.This declinat ion in ratio is indicative of the inability of the company to make profits with the investments made by its shareholders. The company seems to be trending downward, and is unable to produce sufficient earnings for its investors. There are many analysts that view return on equity to be the most important ratio for stockholders to look at, and is indicative of how well a companyââ¬â¢s management is performing. Lower numbers mean Competition Bikes may not be spending wisely, and is not very profitable. The net profit margin is a ratio measuring the profits of a company, and is used to measure how well a company controls costs.This calculation refers to money left for the owners, after all sales, expenses and taxes are paid. Higher net profits mean the company is more effective at translating sales into actual profit. Net profit margins may also provide clues into a company's pricing policies, costs and efficiency of production. This ratio is useful in looking at performance over a p eriod of time. It is calculated as: net profit ? net sales Competition Bikes, Inc. Year 6 41,148/1,191,000 = . 0345 or approximately 3. 4% Year 7 170,121/5,980,000 = . 0284 or approximately 2. 8% Year 8 1,286/5,083,000 = . 006 or approximately . 6% In looking at these net profit margins over the course of three years, Competition Bikes is in a severe decline. While the drop off between year 6 and 7 was only a little more than half of one percent, going from year 7 to 8 showed well over 2 percent less. This means the company is not efficient with in controlling costs, and must get a handle on their expenditures. The rise in costs could be attributed to raw materials costing more, rising salaries, declining sales or lowered sales prices due to competition.The bike company needs to gets its costs under control if it expects to survive. Working Capital Working capital is the amount of current or liquid assets a company has, after subtracting its current liabilities. Working capital is s ometimes called operating capital, and is a valuation of liquidity the organization has to run and build their business. In general, companies with greater amounts of working capital are better able to achieve success by utilizing their assets to invest back into the business.While a business may have a large amount of assets, it may be very difficult to convert them into cash in order to take advantage of opportunities that require fast action. If current liabilities are more than current assets, a working capital deficit is created, and a business cannot survive for long when in this situation. The calculation is as follows: current assets ââ¬â current liabilities Competition Bikes, Inc. Year 6 1,029,303 ââ¬â 105,080 = 924,223 Year 7 1,353,044 ââ¬â 233,700 = 1,119,344 Year 8 1,575,831 ââ¬â 300,200 = 1,275,631The working capital of year six was 924,223, with year seven posting a gain up to 1,119,344. This was again increased in the year eight results at a total of 1 ,275,631. This equates to an increase from year 6 to 7 of over 21%, and another increase from year 7 to 8 of approximately14%. The rising amounts in working capital demonstrate that the company has been steadily increasing their working capital during the three-year period. The consistent rise in available liquid assets confirms that the business has sufficient working capital to make advances in creating more profits.There are several ways in which to improve the working capital. Since more profit and/or more cash on hand equates to more working capital, steps should first be undertaken to increase profit through reduction in expenses. This could be accomplished by systematically auditing all processes and procedures of the business and streamlining wherever possible. Second, by issuing more stock, the company could increase their available working capital. Third, replacing short-term debt by converting to long-term debt would lessen the amount of current liabilities, and free up f unds to invest in something else.Four, by converting all non-cash liquid assets into cash, the organization could make available, additional funds to spend. And last, by speeding up the accounts receivables cycle, and collecting money more quickly, the business would be able to have this money in hand. By maintaining a positive working capital the business would be able to undertake initiatives to improve their profitability. These liquid assets could be used to increase production, hire more employees, purchase other businesses, or expand the operations into additional buildings in order to accommodate an increase in orders.By spending money on the ââ¬Å"latest and greatestâ⬠equipment in order to increase efficiency you will realize more productivity from workers. This can include things such as better computer systems that are able to automate the sales process, as well as manufacturing equipment that has a higher production capability. Growing a business can be done in man y ways, but the easiest ways are by spending money in order to make money. One method is to increase the number of new clients by hiring more salespeople that can cover more territory.Another way is to increase the amount billed for each transaction, by offering sales incentives. And last, you can use marketing dollars to increase the frequency at which purchases are made by way of repeat business. Purchasing system evaluation Every business must have internal controls in place to create a system of checks and balances that safeguard company assets and resources. These controls include things such as audits, reviews and procedures, all of which are designed to allow the organization to conduct business in an orderly and efficient manner.These controls also serve to deter and detect errors, prevent theft/fraud and promote accuracy of the accounting data. In the end, the business must be able to produce up-to-date and reliable information that is readily accessible to those making bus iness and financial decisions. Competition Bikes has a few internal purchasing controls in place that are designed to streamline their ordering. The steps that are taken by the purchasing department when buying items for Competition Bikes are: ) Purchasing is instigated through the use of monthly budget projections 2) Purchasing gets bids from three sources for similar quality materials and selects low bidder 3)Purchasing issues a PO to chosen supplier 4) PO is sent to the supplier by purchasing on the first of projected month 5) Upon receipt of goods, materials are brought to production line for use during the month 6) Unused parts are sent to the raw materials inventory stores on last day of month 7) Purchasing sends suppliers invoice to accounting ; accounting writes check to payAs we can see, the company has put some checks into place when purchases are made. First, the orders are based on budget projections that mirror the amount of needed raw materials. This ties the employees doing the purchasing, to a system that can be checked for accuracy. Because there will be a record of the monthly projections and the corresponding order that was placed, there will be an audit trail that can verify validity. Next, there is a requirement of getting three bids before an order can be placed.This removes the temptation of doing underhanded deals with a particular vendor. Then, as materials are received the items are delivered to the production line for use. This allows the purchasing department to check the items received against the items ordered, to make sure the order is complete before it is made available for use. At the end of the month whatever parts are left get sent to the storage area that is used for excess material. The last internal control that is in place is the accounting department being given the invoice by purchasing for final payment.This process puts in place, the appropriate oversight by the accounting department, whereby the same person(s) order ing are not writing the checks. If this were not the case, there would be potential for financial improprieties to occur. While there are some controls in place, there is a general lack of process centered around accounting for the inventory. The purchasing department buys raw materials based on the projected budget for the month. If they were to balance projected material needs against the amount of material left over from the previous month, the system would be less wasteful and more manageable.This would also allow them to keep tight reign on the already purchased materials inventory by carrying the remaining inventory forward. Then the company would be able to save money by reducing the material in storage, eliminating the need for storage space and buying things as the need arises. In addition, there is no procedure for signing off on receiving material, getting approval to move material to storage at the end of the month or for signing in order to have the invoice paid.There s hould be a method creates a paper trail over the entire course of tracking the purchases. I recommend the following course of action: 1) Purchasing is instigated through the use of monthly budget projections 2) The required amount based on projected budget is checked against the leftover inventory on the production run 3) The amount of materials left in inventory should be used to reduce the new order 4) Purchasing gets bids from three sources for similar quality materials and selects low bidder 5)Purchasing issues a PO to chosen supplier ) Supervisor checks work of the procurement clerk and signs off on order 7) PO is sent to chosen supplier by purchasing, on the first of projected month 8) Upon receipt, materials received are compared against the order and a supervisor validates what was purchased/received 9) If correct, order is taken to production floor for use 10) Purchasing sends invoice to accounting department to write check to pay 11) Accounting supervisor gives OK for invo ice to be paid 12) Cycle begins all over the next month by taking inventory of what still remains on the production floor.There are several risks at play in light of the companyââ¬â¢s internal controls. First, since there are no procedures in place for managing the inventory, the company is opening itself up to the possibility of theft. Once the raw materials leave the purchasing department and get taken to the production floor, there is no way to account for what has been used. Then, at the end of the month when the left over parts are taken to inventory storage there is no way to determine exactly what is left.Another area of risk is the lack of approval process, and no supervisors being given the ultimate responsibility for creating checks throughout the process. In conjunction with this same area of threat, there is no system in place for accounting to cross check the purchases before they receive the invoice. If the accounting department was required to sign off on the order before it went out, they would be able to provide another check to see if budget lined up to orders, and carried through to the invoice being paid.Sarbanes-Oxley compliance Back in 2002 the federal legislators felt they needed to act in the wake of the Enron and Worldcom debacles. These two companies were caught falsifying their accounting records to cover up misdeeds. Because the falsified information was published in the balance sheets, income statements and annual reports, people invested their money and lost millions of dollars. The resulting action was creation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) that is administered by the Securities and Exchange Commission.This was a piece of legislation that was designed to protect shareholders and the general public from errors in accounting and unscrupulous financial practices. The act provided rules and requirements for the retention and storage of electronic documents. These rules impact the financial side of companies, as well as IT depart ments that are charged with storage of electronic records. This act specifies that electronic records and electronic messages must be saved for at least five years. There are three rules associated with SOX.The first rule makes it a crime to alter, destroy or falsify records or documents. Second, this legislation lays out rules for accountants performing audits. When auditing a company that issues securities through the SEC, all paperwork that is produced during the audit must be retained for five years. And last, the act specifies the type of documents that must be stored. This includes any audit related documents, electronic communications created or received during the course of an audit and any financial data.In regard to Competition Bikes and its compliance with SOX, the company believes they are adequately addressing the requirements of the legislation. However, there has been an audit finding that points out the possibility of ââ¬Å"material misstatementâ⬠on the compan yââ¬â¢s annual or interim financial reports. In short, this means there is the chance that false information is reported in the financial statements. This could be either accidental or intentional, but could impact the companyââ¬â¢s stock prices.Based on the available information, this is possible because of the lax control over the materials inventory. There exists a loophole in the purchasing process whereby at the end of each month the remaining production materials inventory is sent to storage without accounting for what has been used. This opens up the company to theft of materials without even knowing something has been taken. Another area that is problematic is not having a system of checks and balances in place when creating orders and paying for them.The purchasing department does the buying without getting higher-level approval, and the accounting department pays the bills strictly on the authority of the purchasing people. This leaves the door open for fraudulent pu rchases because no one is overseeing what is being bought, and nobody is checking to see if the inventory has been received. Competition Bikes should put some procedures in place that more tightly control the purchasing and inventory of materials. One that controls how much gets ordered, who oversees the process, and how the vendors get paid once the products arrive.First, the purchasing department should account for any remaining inventory at the end of the month and only purchase additional materials that are needed. The current practice has materials being put into storage at the end of each month without being inventoried, with complete replacements being ordered based on projected needs. By scrutinizing raw materials, and how they get purchased, overspending and theft opportunities are alleviated. Second, before orders are placed, a single responsible party needs to sign off on all purchases, thus creating a system of checks and balances.Third, the accounting department needs t o be involved in the receiving/inventorying in order to maintain oversight of products and the associated payments. And last, the accounting and purchasing departments need to work collaboratively in order to create oversight of each purchasing/inventory/payment process. By having the separate departments involved in each step along the purchasing process, the opportunity for improprieties to exist is greatly lessened. References Horizontal Analysis: Definition (n. d. ) In businessdictionary. om Retrieved February 24, 2013, from http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/horizontal-analysis. html Vertical Analysis: Definition (n. d. ) In investopedia. com Retrieved February 24, 2013, from http://www. investopedia. com/terms/v/vertical_analysis. asp Trend Analysis: Definition (n. d. ) In wisegeek. com Retrieved February 25, 2013, from http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-trend-analysis. htm Ratio Analysis: Definition (n. d. ) In ratioanalysis. org Retrieved February 25, 2013, from h ttp://www. ratioanalysis. org/
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Dystopian Society Essay
Compare the dystopian societies, and the methods used to create them, in ââ¬ËThe Handmaids Taleââ¬â¢ by Margaret Atwood, and ââ¬Ë1984ââ¬â¢ by George Orwell (paying particular attention to the representation of gender). The futuristic and oppressive themes that define a dystopian society are in ââ¬Ë1984ââ¬â¢ by George Orwell and ââ¬ËThe Handmaids Taleââ¬â¢ (THT) by Margaret Atwood. These forms of society feature contrasting types of repressive social control and these stories often explore the concept of humans abusing technology or the rights of people. Dystopian societies are often imagined as police states, with unlimited power over the citizens. Although many elements of a dystopian society can be seen in ââ¬ËThe Handmaids Taleââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ë1984ââ¬â¢, the authors, the two novels explore the extreme negative effects of social control through their dissimilar opinions of a dystopian society. Through the choice of the narratorââ¬â¢s gender, the authors explore issues of this, which can be seen as a clear feature that emphasises the amount of oppression that both protagonists may experience; even though there is more prominence given to a woman facing male domination. Evidence from the1960ââ¬â¢s shows that there was controversy to whether women are equal to men in terms of jobs, the vote, education and their position within the family. In modern society women are more equal to men; however, during the period that Atwood wrote ââ¬ËTHTââ¬â¢, the Womanââ¬â¢s Liberation Movement was occurring which was a political movement born in the 1960ââ¬â¢s from the second-feminism wave. All pride and dignity is taken from the women in Gilead, which is a clear form of oppression towards women. One example would include the isolation from their families and they are used as ââ¬Ëwombsââ¬â¢ that have no other use. Not only is she tortured by the thoughts of what could have happened to her child and husband but in her new role, she is raped repeatedly by the Commander which proves that the female gender is less dominant compared to the men. Contrastingly, within ââ¬Ë1984ââ¬â¢ Winston has a negative attitude towards the dictatorship of Big Brother which suggests that men are more likely to rebel than women. Therefore, your gender may affect the amount of anger you have towards a person/society. Winston and Julia; lovers and rebels, are trying to become members of anti-Party Brotherhood. Therefore, the fact that Winston and Offred are of contrasting genders, emphasizes the amount ofà rebellion that they feel towards their dictatorships. Orwellââ¬â¢s narrator, Winston, narrates in third person whereas, Atwoodââ¬â¢s narrator, Offred, narrates in first person. ââ¬Ë1984ââ¬â¢ is clearly a novel warning people that politics could eventually control everything the people do. ââ¬ËTHTââ¬â¢ is clearly a personal warning proposed by Atwood, as the authorities do not control everyone and what they believe in; they only need the ââ¬Ëwombââ¬â¢ of the women which is the useful part of a women ââ¬â illustrating the view that the ââ¬Ëpoliticalââ¬â¢ cannot be separated from the ââ¬Ëpersonalââ¬â¢. Winston is giving the reader a more unbiased view because he is not as involved within the events as the reader may think. Winston comments on events that he is not involved in which gives the reader the view that Winston is an unbiased narrator. Contrastingly, Atwood clearly allowed Offred to become a first person narrator so that Atwood could become more involved in the events that happen in Gilead and to have a more intimate relationship with the reader as she can voice her own opinion which questions her reliability as a narrator. Within the first chapter, Offred clearly uses the word ââ¬Å"weâ⬠, which shows the reader that she, is restricted within the Red Centre and lacks identity. The structures of both novels reflect a dystopian society in terms of the hierarchy of the places. Perhaps both authors have a different opinion of how societies will be structured in the future. Evidence for this is that ââ¬ËTHTââ¬â¢ is split into fifteen parts; nearly all of them are named ââ¬Ënightââ¬â¢. Contrastingly, in ââ¬Ë1984ââ¬â¢ the chapters are represented as numbers and not as names which could portray Orwellââ¬â¢s vision of life within Oceania. It can be argued that Winston is not living his own life as men do in the 21st century this is because he is under Big Brother rule and will not be able to escape as Big Brother controls everything he is thinking and doing, even though the reader gets an idea that Winston doesnââ¬â¢t agree with this. The lack of detail and minimal description from Winston about the society could suggest that there is no significance in life and Winston has no importance within Oceania, which is explained through the structu re of the society. However, the fact that in ââ¬ËTHTââ¬â¢ the majority of the chapters are named ââ¬Ënightââ¬â¢ could give the reader an insight to how restricted women are in this society. Theà fact that night can generate fear to some people really shows that women were fearful of their future and they obviously do not only want to be seen as a ââ¬Ëwombââ¬â¢ to continue the next generation. On the other hand, it can be seen that Offred is more comfortable during the night as she has a sense of freedom as she can think and imagine in her head. An example would include when Offred goes to see Nick, they speak awkwardly at first, but gradually become more comfortable with one another. Therefore, the structures of both novels that both authors have clearly thought about represent the hierarchy of the societies. ââ¬ËTHTââ¬â¢ uses hierarchy of oppression such as the Guardians, and Aunts to maintain social control. The role of the aunt is to essentially ââ¬Ëpoliceââ¬â¢ the Handmaids so that they will become adapted to their new society, and the blame of many incidents is purely put on women. For example, ââ¬Å"The spectacles women used to make of themselvesâ⬠¦ bare backs and shoulders in publicâ⬠¦ no wonder those things used to happen.â⬠This suggests that Aunt Lydia believes that whatever it was that women suffered in the former society, it due to their own behaviour. This way of controlling minds in ââ¬ËTHTââ¬â¢ is a more understated way compared to the means the Party uses in ââ¬Ë1984ââ¬â¢, in which the surveillance and control is displayed more apparent. Wilson is obviously aware of the government surveillance that he is exposed to; the Telescreens are noticeable and their purposes are evident. This guarantees that people will abide by the governmentsââ¬â¢ rules, being aware that there will be a consequence if they donââ¬â¢t obey; they fear the potential punishment which scares them into submission. Therefore, the methods of control that Atwood uses are perhaps more subtle; contrastingly the surveillance is more obvious within ââ¬Ë1984.ââ¬â¢ The ââ¬ËAuntsââ¬â¢ arguably are a more subconscious method of maintaining power. By limiting the essentials to the women in the Gilead society, women of the future are warned of the oppression they may face and ultimately need to avoid. A completely differing method used by the totalitarian government in ââ¬Ë1984ââ¬â¢ is surveillance used by the party maintaining the oppression over Oceania by using Telescreens. The party use this constant surveillance to maintain social control and ensure that the party can control and eliminate any form of uprising. ââ¬Å"BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOUâ⬠is a constant reminder to the society that every action takenà is watched and that Oceania has no form of discretion. As a result, the lack of privacy in ââ¬Ë1984ââ¬â¢ allows the party to maintain control over the peopleââ¬â¢s actions and thoughts which increases the extent of power. The dictatorships in both ââ¬ËTHTââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ë1984ââ¬â¢ restrict the protagonistââ¬â¢s memory so that what they learn whilst being overpowered is what they believe to be right. Winstonââ¬â¢s memories are less frequent compared to Offredââ¬â¢s, and they are also more direct. Offredââ¬â¢s memories of the past are staggered but she has irregular flash backs of her daughter and her former partner, Luke. She has flash backs of fleeing across the border into Canada, but they were caught and separated from one another, and Offred has seen neither her husband nor her daughter since. However, Winstonââ¬â¢s memories are unclear as they were destroyed due to the revolution. The dystopian government and oppressive society created a void in his mind. Perhaps the authors put the impact of the memories into the novels so that the reader gets an impression that memory in a dystopian society reflects freedom. The more Offred and Winston imagine their past, the more they are able to think about the previous amount of freedom which would lead them to rebel. Both societies restrict individuality which leads to both protagonists rebelling; this is because of the impact of being under oppression. In ââ¬ËTHTââ¬â¢ the totalitarian state is portrayed as negative by the reader because Offred is isolated from society and left powerless. This leads to Offred having rebellious outbursts even though she is denied freedom of speech. During testifying all of the Handmaidââ¬â¢s shout at Janine ââ¬Å"her fault, her fault, her faultâ⬠and ââ¬Å"she did, she did, she didâ⬠. The importance of all of the Handmaids shouting in monotonous tone represents the lack of individuality. Furthermore, the repetition represents the whining auto-response expected by the women in the Gilead society. Contrastingly, Winston shows aggressive hatred towards Goldstein and everyone present in the room. He and other people have ââ¬Å"a hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness and a desire to killâ⬠. This expresses the importance of Big Brother and shows how he has turned all of the characters into inhumane people. The language that Orwell uses is vicious but creates an animal-like view of Winston which tells the reader that he will always be under Big Brother control, expressing aà warning of the future. Unlike remorse felt by Offred, Winston feeds off hatred which distinguishes the two protagonists and the severity of the state control in both novels. The exploitation of language and use of propaganda features prominently in both novels. The establishments use language to endure control over the inhabitants to change peopleââ¬â¢s thought process. Within ââ¬ËTHTââ¬â¢, the authorities use one-sided Bible quote to condition the handmaids to conforming and to ensure there is no form of rebellion. Offreds analytical nature is represented as she knows that these Bible quotes are distorted. ââ¬Å"Itââ¬â¢s from the Bible, or so they saidâ⬠. Offred also acknowledges these are forms of propaganda to ensure that the dystopian society is fully in play. The use of propaganda in Nazi Germany (1933-45) had a dramatic affect in changing the publicââ¬â¢s opinion in favour of Nazi policies, including ââ¬Ëtotal warââ¬â¢. This is similar to Offred as she knows that the Bible quotes are publicized to ensure the women understand their only purpose, to reproduce, however, she still prays even though she doesnââ¬â¢t agree with it. However, in ââ¬Ë1984ââ¬â¢ the system of ââ¬ËNewspeakââ¬â¢ is used to shorten the way of speech and it is the specific language used in their newspapers. This suited the totalitarian regime of the Party, whose aim was to make subversive ââ¬Å"thought crimeâ⬠and speech impossible. Thus Newspeak is possibly an attempt by Orwell to describe a deliberate intent to exploit this decadence with the aim of oppressing its speakers. To conclude, the ways in which ââ¬ËTHTââ¬â¢ and ââ¬Ë1984ââ¬â¢ reflect a dystopian society are through the structures of the novels and the language the author uses to represent the characters personalities. Atwood mainly focuses on the structure of her novel which emphasises the unstructured dystopian society, by sectioning the chapters into significant parts; whereas, most novels simply have chapters. George Orwell aims to show the reader the structure of a dystopian society by using simple sentences and placing more power on Big Brother the reader gets an insight into how powerful a policing system can be in a dystopian society and ultimately warns them of the future. Bibliography: AQA English Literature B A2 ââ¬â Nelson Thrones ââ¬Ë1984ââ¬â¢ ââ¬â George Orwell ââ¬ËThe Handmaids Taleââ¬â¢ ââ¬â Margaret Atwood
Friday, September 27, 2019
Observe different person's behaviors in hospital Essay
Observe different person's behaviors in hospital - Essay Example From a theoretical point of view, the behavior shown at work is the result of operant conditioning reinforced through punishment and rewards. Therefore, individualsââ¬â¢ behavior can be assessed well only if they are approached from various dimensions. It is interesting to note that people who gather at a public place are more likely to express their real traits when compared to those at workplace. I spent some time observing how the patients and staff at Miami Childrenââ¬â¢s Hospital behave in the hospital premises. At the conference hall, I observe the parents or relatives of some patients attending Professor Juan Aquaââ¬â¢s orientation speech on ââ¬ËChildrens Medical Services Primary Care Programââ¬â¢ (CMS). He gives lectures on the significance of the program emphasizing on how the Miami Childrens Hospital Pediatric Care Center serves as a medical home for their child once enrolled in the Program. His old age and his low voice make it extremely difficult for audience to catch what he says. Evidently, he had this speech earlier perhaps for another batch, for he speaks to the audience as if they are already aware of the program. The staffs at the venue show no special interest in the speech as they are familiar with each and every aspect of the CMC. People attending the talk have multiple responses. Some are interested to hear what the professor says whereas those sitting in the last rows look distracted. Obviously, they are happy to get the professor to lecture from the middle of the class in a much louder voice. They may pay better attention to the professorââ¬â¢s lectures, and answer his questions only if the professor delivers lectures in a louder voice in an interactive way. Many of them remain unresponsive, waiting for their turn to move to the registration counter. The orientation program is mandatory for enrolment. However, there are a few parents who take notes of each
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Educational applications of Bandura, Piaget, Gissell, Erikson, and Research Paper
Educational applications of Bandura, Piaget, Gissell, Erikson, and Vygotsky at early childhood sites (Preschool to2nd grade) - Research Paper Example The mind of children especially those in the stage where they are introduced to learning concepts are very navigating are exploring thus they are supposed to be given an opportunity to explore their curiosity and in the end they will develop both mentally and cognitively (Follari, 2007). The psychology of children is not inferior to that of adults it is only that children have limited line of thinking within which they level of understanding is limited (Pound, 2011). Theories about the manner in which children learn and acquire knowledge at their tender age however they at some point tend to conflict with each other since they were advanced by different people who conducted their research at different historical times and under varied circumstances (Robinson & Jones-Diaz, 2006). However, they whole tend try to explain the fundamental issues concerned with child psychology that influences the manner in which children acquire knowledge and understanding of things (Morgan, 2011). Bandura took a behaviorist approach in advancing his thoughts on how children in preschool as he believed the manner in which children developed mentally and cognitively was generally based on their behaviors. Bandura indicates that learning for children is a gradual process which continues perpetually throughout oneââ¬â¢s life (Pound, 2011). Even after maturity the learning process goes on as a mature person continues gathering new knowledge and skills from his/her surrounding or from formal education in schools. Development in children is regarded as a conditional behavior which is special in nature as in the manner in which a particular child behaves determines how he/she develops mentally and cognitively (Mooney, 2013). The behaviors that children develop according to Bandura are not inherited from their kins they are due to the childââ¬â¢s interaction with his/her immediate environment that makes a child behave in
LGBTQ blog post Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
LGBTQ blog post - Essay Example The plight of homosexuals has continued to roll over the decades and even the 21st century is seemingly no different. The social stigmatization that homosexuals receive in the contemporary society cannot be overlooked. Immediately one is identified as a gay or lesbian that becomes the genesis of their stigmatization. Many people even in the countries that boast of being developed still view lesbians and gays as malevolent and a lot of dereliction is directed to them. Different people have postulated unfounded opinions and judgments concerning homosexuality. Some think it is a developmental problem that has psychological contributions. Others have had several questions unanswered concerning the issue of homosexuality. ââ¬Å"â⬠¦..what factors contributed to its purported prevalence? Was it a holdover of primitive instincts usually found only in ââ¬Ëuncivilizedââ¬â¢ groups? Or was it an effect of modern life?ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ (Kaufman and Terry 27). These demonstrate how much people have pondered about the issue which has resulted into faulty perceptions about the gay and lesbian people as w ell as the transgender. With different persons coming up with diverse explanations, stigma and disgrace has been the order of the day in the homosexual world. As reported in the International Journal of Sexual Studies, gay parents are more susceptible to stigmatization. The outcome of this empirical study conducted to determine the extent of social stigmatization of the gay parents revealed much more that what had been hypothesized. People tend to look at the gay parents as ââ¬Ëundeservingââ¬â¢ parents who are misleading examples to the society. It is not any news to hear that some countries have declared homosexuality illegal and that those found oriented to this sexual bearing should be sentenced to death. Uganda is one of the countries that surprised the world by its coarse laws
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Concepts of Time Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Concepts of Time - Essay Example One significant issue that the Americans understand through the conception of time is the declaration of independence. In the book, The Sons of the fathers, Albanese looks at the declaration of independence in terms of time and the importance of that achievement at the time it happened and in future time (Albanese 5). Albanese states that the declaration of independence meant a lot to school-going children. She states that the declaration of independence was a form of enlightenment to schoolchildren in 1937. She also states that this event was significant for succeeding generations because they would consider the document as an evidence of a stronger foundation. As such, Albanese looks at the declaration of independence in terms of its meaning to different people in different generations (Albanese 18). In 1937, the declaration of independence meant that Americans could control their materialism. They looked at independence in terms of ability and capacity to control their belonging. However, the current America does not look at the declaration of independence as a means to control their materialism. They look at it in terms of awareness and freedom. The declaration of independence means a way of acquiring rights and controlling politics and governance. Albanese looks at declaration of independence in times of people like Thomas Jefferson, Margaret Willard among other people (Albanese 219). During the declaration of independence, Americans considered it as a sacred document and an entity that was handled by religious leaders as a formed of governance. Albanese states that because the document was sacred, then the time of its declaration was also sacred. There were religious practices that were done during the declaration, which included natural liturgy of religious remembrance. Another important event looked at in terms of time is the ratification of the constitution in 1787. The constitution marked a different age in the United States of America. For example, b efore the constitution was ratified, American people did not have many rights and freedoms defined. The political class used to control many issues that affected citizens. Political leaders did not care about the wellbeing of citizens, as long as they acquired the things and privileges they wanted. However, after the ratification of the constitution, many rights and freedoms were defined formally in the constitution. They allowed American citizens to engage in certain things such as free will to religion, freedom of speech, right to life and freedom of movement among other things. Therefore, time in this sense, meant an aspect of different lifestyles and ways of life in America (More 19). American Revolution is also understood in terms of time. Political leaders who existed in the United States of America in the seventeenth century used history to compare forms of governance, political regimes and the success of different governance systems. They compared political systems and their governance through time and used that history, to develop their own political forms. A notable result of this involves the start of republicanism that occurred in the United States of America in 1775. Republican values in the United States and the importance of a materialistic way of life influenced the American Revolution. All Americans adapted their ways of life including, culture, religion
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Globalization of a Domestic Company Research Paper
Globalization of a Domestic Company - Research Paper Example As the paper declares investing in a given country will is affected by a diversity of factors. In this regard, it is crucial for the management of Sterling Limited Company to have an in-depth analysis of these factors. By attention to the most significant factors, this section will focus on the distance of the designated country, the cultural background of the residents, the overall knowledge of the country in question, the language classification as well as the relatives of the chosen expatriates in the new country. As the research stresses the distance between the mother country, the United States, and the designated state for the expansion will be very crucial in the decision-making process. As a core factor of consideration, the aspect of distance will dictate the efficiency of the operations as well as the financial implications of the expansion process. Clearly, the greater the distance between the two countries, the harder the management and the more the operational costs. It is, however, imperative to note that this does not mean that the expansion of the operations of a given company will be limited to countries within the same geographical regions. Impediments facing the expansion of a given company across borders van be internalized through the adoption of a variety of dynamics. The organization will have to invest heavily in telecommunication and communication in a bid to ensure a smoother flow of resources from the headquarters to the satellite branches in other countries.
Monday, September 23, 2019
Employment and Discrimination Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Employment and Discrimination Law - Essay Example These laws are called the employment laws and they have proved effective in enhancing proper business conduct within the business world. Some of these laws which have been in place include those that govern employee dismissal, child labour, employee benefits and labour contracts among other contracts and their applications in various business enterprises have worked well in ensuring the well being of both the employers and their employees. In the course of business conduct, employee - employer relationship is crucial in determining the success of each of the two parties in the business world. However, sometimes achieving a cordial relationship becomes impossible with the eruption of personal issues that come in a day to day basis. This has sometimes led to discrimination and in this case it is the employee who suffers the brunt sometimes leaving the employer to go scot-free after committing some unfavourable and inhumane acts against his/her employee. The case of Anne is a similar one where she is forced to unfairly suffer the consequences of being in bad terms with her boss. Employer retaliation, like in Anne's case is an aspect of employment law in which a lot of emphasis has been put and attorneys have had to defend their clients in regular basis under such circumstances. As an attorney, I would consider Anne's case as a solid one and which she is capable of winning should she press legal charges against her employer. (Robert Hill, Nick Dent and Adam Lambert: Labour and Employment: United Kingdom: Associative Discrimination). Also According to The ACAS statutory Code of Practice on discipline and grievance, the proper procedure for disciplining Anne would not put her career at risk but to hold a meeting with her and discuss the issues. Her boss would be recommended to express his grievances directly to Anne after which he would make clear his decision to give poor reference to Anne which according to the law is not encouraged. In dealing with such a case, it is important to consider whether Anne's employer informed her of her employment rights as postulated in the labour law. This law which is concerned with the rights of employers demands that all employers should take charge and sensitize their employees considering the rights which they hold as workers in their workplace. Freedom from retaliation is one of the major subjects which are dealt with in this law. In a case whereby the employer had not informed Anne and maybe other employers of their rights as his employers, Anne should be able to sue him of that as the first offence committed against her by her employer. Anne would then go ahead and sue Jim, her boss for the offence of hindering her from exploring and obtaining other employment opportunities on grounds of unfounded accusations (Office of Public Sector Information (united kingdom) Employment Rights Act 1996, chapter 18). Jim has definitely committed an offence against Anne. With regard to the employment and labour law, Anne should seek legal redress since as an employees and a human being for that matter, she has her rights regarding the choice of how she relates with other individuals either within or without her office environment. In order to establish a concrete case against the crime of employer retaliation which Jim committed against
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Traditional Chinese Culture Essay Example for Free
Traditional Chinese Culture Essay Any business, its survival and development with its own cultural conditions and cultural environment are inseparable. Enterprise culture is the basis of survival, the standard of behavior, a guarantee of success. My article focuses on the traditional culture, Confucianism, Taoism two ideas on the positive role of enterprise culture, but also a brief analysis of the traditional culture of negative impact of enterprise culture. Chinaââ¬â¢s enterprises in creating organization culture should absorb the essence of traditional culture, discard the dross, the traditional culture in building of enterprise culture to play its due role. Enterprise culture refers to the business philosophy, value systems, historical traditions and work style, performance for the whole spirit of enterprise members, common value standards, precipitation of habit, certain moral norms and culture quality. It not only can play the guidance and constraint role to the thought and behavior of staffs, motivate their creativity, enhance the cohesive affinity of enterprise, but also can be more clearly to distinguish this enterprise and the competition, so that it is convenient for consumers to identify enterprise, and then produce identity Enterprise culture is the foundation of the enterprise existing, criterion of performance, and the guarantee of success. The formation of enterprise culture theory began in the 1980 s in the United States. At that time, the whole international economic situation has undergone great changes, Japan in just 20 years, it became the worldââ¬â¢s second developed capitalist countries from a defeated country, and became the major competitors of American enterprises, which makes people rethink the phenomenon deeply. After a deep analysis, in the process of enterprise competitions, is the enterprise culture makes Japanese rapid rise, is the enterprise culture plays a major role on Japans economic development. So the western business US-Led opens a wave create enterprise culture boom. When we explore the Japanese enterprise culture, and found that the Japanese enterprise culture was influenced by Chinese traditional culture. Therefore, when Chinese enterprise is creating the enterprise culture and improving competitiveness, in addition to learning and introducing advanced enterprise culture of eastern and western outside, still necessary to learn from Chinese traditional culture in the ideological treasure. Chinese traditional culture on the influence of positive aspect, about the positive influence of Confucianism and Taoism I The positive influence of Confucianism The representative figure of Confucianism is Confucius, Confucius thought often is used by the enterprise. There is a the father of the modern industry who is called Shibusawa Eiichi, he established the enterprise for the whole life, operated hundreds of business enterprise for example, Prince paper, Oriental textile, and Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industry, the enterprise has been founded more than one hundred years, they are still prevalent. How does he do the enterprise so well, Shibusawa Eiichi explained by himself, is the analects of Confucius and abacus , it is Confucian moral and interests are the interoperability of pursuit in the production and business operation, also the moral and economy are the one, or call justice, we consider the ethical moral when we aspire interest factors, we aspire interest factors when we consider the ethical moral. Confucian explanation and couterfacture explanation,made Confucian ideas gain the new strength. The analects of Confucius and the thought of Confucianism are very available for the enterprise culture construction in China, this article mainly from the benevolence, faith, justice and harmony several aspects to discuss Confucianism on the influence of the enterprise culture construction in China. The thought of Benevolence Benevolence, kindheartedness, benevolence is the core of Confucius thought, is the essence of the Confucian. the word of benevolence appeared. 109 times in The Analects of Confucius ,had a variety of explanation, one of the most common and the most important explanation is love the people, Confucius answered for several times when Xushen who is his student asked him, did explain: benevolence is intimate . In the business management of enterprise in China need to respect their staffs, understand them, trust and tolerant them, and care about them, thus it is effective that enterprises foster employees Loyalty and trust of employee, if the enterprise must consider employees, it can arouse the enthusiasm of employees fully. The thought of Trustworthiness Trustworthiness is words and deeds are the one, mentioned trustworthiness for many times in The Analects of Confucius; Analects à · government-funded said: people who have no faith do not have to recommend him, The Analects of Confuciusà ·YanYuan said people who have no faith do not have any space to stand . Faith is a neutral concept, does not contain the class, any person must stress trustworthiness when dealing with people and handling affairs, people who have no faith do not have to recommend him, people who have no faith do not have any space to stand. The enterprise must stress the trustworthiness to make the enterprise success. trust is the positive thought in the Confucian, also is the important model of exchange moral principle in China. It is worth for us to learn and use for reference in the enterprise culture construction today. Because the good faith, externally, first of all, good faith can greatly reduce transaction costs, improve business efficiency; Secondly, the good faith can set a good reputation for the enterprise to develop a broader market space, thus get more benefit. Internally, only on the basis of good faith, the internal enterprise can achieve the mutual trust, the harmonious interpersonal relationship of mutual understanding, then minimize the internal friction, give full play to peoples biggest potential. An entrepreneur with strategic vision should understand these: the enterprise survival is not a day or two days, but the long career. Some enterprise implementation of the principle of bad faith, they will be kicked out the fierce marketing competition quickly. The thought of Righteousness Righteousness is about the moral and socialist. Confucius said, One has not lived in vain if he dies after he is told of the way, the enterprise must set up the correct moral as their action creeds in the cultural construction, and fight for it. Especially, when the righteousness and interest conflict are contradicting, we must keep a clear head and the right values. Confucius said, a gentleman is always moral, vile people just focus on the only gain ( The analects of Confucius, benevolence ), Riches and position without are to me as the floating clouds, he also put forward the thought that Consider righteousness when seeing benefits. Advocate people to do it when seeing the righteousness, sacrifice for justice, pay more attention to the righteousness and be careless benefits, No matter what to do, dont forget the righteousness. Make personal behaviors conform to the righteousness and moral, and dont care about the utility or material interests. In the enterprise culture construction in China, should set up the correct merit as an important content, when making staffs consciously aware that stress justice, should admit that benefit of necessary, when meeting the pursuit of benefit, need to accept the constraint of righteousness. So, can achieve use the righteous to estimate benefits, With a moral to develop interests, adjust and regulate the action that the enterprises in the economic activity, and make the enterprise obey the law, legitimate the business in a correct way to make money, treating making money as a way, not a destination, Consciously let making money associate with the national prosperity and interests, do charity donations for the education, make benefits reward the society, embody the value orientation of traditional Chinese culture. The thought of harmony Confucian culture emphasizes harmony, Confucius said highly summarizes the basic spirit of ritualâ⬠harmony is the most precious is the history of several thousand years of interpersonal relationship, national culture, social relationsââ¬â¢ traditional principles. Use the way of seeking more common grounds while reserving differences, to coordinate the part of peoples interests and requirements. To achieve the overall coordinating, harmony is the Chinese society long-term stability of the important cultural pillar. The Chinese nation strong cohesion also is the result of the tradition of harmony. For the enterprise culture construction is concerned, the relatively popular approach is using three harmony to manage the enterprise , three harmony s are harmonious people,harmonious objectives, and harmonious benefits, namely, the enterprise management need to make people relationship harmonious, enterprise production and environmental harmonious, the enterprise competition and cooperation get together organically . The Confucian ideas from different aspects in the construction of enterprise culture plays a role, is the enterprise lubricant of operation. Therefore, the enterprise should with extraordinary grand vision, pay attention to absorb excellent Chinese traditional culture reference to educate staffs and develop employees, make them love their work, solidarity and cooperation, the spirit of harmony, the competitiveness of the enterprises can strengthen. II The positive influence of Taoism The representative figure of Taoism is Laozi, Zhuangzi. The respectively writings are ââ¬Å"Laozi ââ¬Å", ââ¬Å"Zhuangziâ⬠. Enterprise culture construction can absorb reasonable nutrition in China. 1. The thought of ââ¬Å"The nature of the Tao, govern by non-interference. â⬠The Taos is the center thought of the Taoist . Laozi said The nature of the Tao, govern by non-interference. means things have its development rule, people should do something according to rules, shall not act just as you please. In applying the enterprise culture construction, firstly, the leader behavior should conform to the natural development rules, and set legal system according to the rules. Secondly, the enterprise should consider its own characteristic and the surrounding environment totally when involving enterprise reform, dont take it for granted. Thirdly, for leaders, should be good at stressing the important issues. the routine affairs are made decentralization to subordinates, so the duty and right are clear, exhaust its power each, leaders seem be at leisure, actually,the work is in the perfect order, it is inaction and without exception 2. The thought of Dialectical to things, dialectical at all thingsâ⬠. This is the Taoist thought and essence. Laozi thought, all phenomena are in opposition to each other, such as new and old, filled with failure, high and low, long and short, fortune and misfortune, and so on, and the opposite relationship is also can be changed. Focus on present enterprise, the market is like the battlefield, there is success,also there is fill, in the face of the fierce competition, the enterprises should have a clear understanding. When the enterprise is in the management difficult period, the enterprise should not be discouraged, through unremitting efforts, have the difficult situation improved and developed in the opposite direction , which is succeed; When the enterprise is in prosperity, also should recognize that the enterprises still exist some problems, which is likely to be hidden, and at the same time, the enterprise competition rises rapidly on barely detectable speed ,the enterprise will fall behind, even may be eliminated carelessly. The thought of dialectical to things to know things, manage the enterprise, is also one of magic weapon that many enterprises win the game to success or avoid arrogance and keep lead. 3. Thought of The beginning of crumbs Laozi thought, all the great things of the world, start from the trifle deeds. He said: The close columns are born in Baekho wood; the platform of nine layers of begins tired soil; A journey of miles begins with a single step. This has a great enlightening significance for enterprise culture construction. Each enterprise has one dream, the constant development and growth. In order to o realize this dream, it will have to start from scratch, however many enterprise doesnt do this, they are anxious for success, expect them to compare blindly, expand the scale recklessly, introduce foreign capital, ignore its own conditions, also regardless of what are the procedure and regularity, result in appearing management difficulty, funds are wasted, the increase in liabilities and so on a series of unhealthy phenomenon. The enterprise of world Top 500 enterprise, Which enterprise is not clear about the history of hundreds of years? Which enterprise does not rise abruptly based on its accumulated strength? Then they achieve the brilliant achievements. Taoism, broad and profound, it educate todays enterprise has dialectical view of success or failure, conform to rules to manage the enterprise in a thought of The nature of the Tao, govern by non-interference. , at the same time, look upon the business enterprise growth in a thought of beginning of crumbs, causes the enterprise to sustainable development. The negative influence of Chinese traditional culture. Everything is split into two, there is no absolute good or completely bad, when seeing the excellent traditional culture, also should see its negatives, here is the simple analysis of the Chinese traditional culture on the influence of negative aspect 1. The doctrine of the mean impartial, the maintenance arts of harmonic fold Wood show in the forest, the wind will destroy them, shoot the bird which takes the lead, these proverbs advise Chinese not to be the worlds firstly will affect the enterprise competition consciousness of first-class , also greatly affect the enterprise internal personnel selection, training and the use. Governor General of Canada, Wu Bingzhis father educated his kids, if you dont want to pick the stars in the sky, so you even the dust of the ground also cant get. In the age of globalization now, the business is more competitive, is full of risk, who is too timid and overcautious, everything is not dare to do it firstly, or competition consciousness is light , no desire to make progress, and do the industry in ââ¬Å"muddle through â⬠mind, Im afraid the enterprise is difficult to live forever. When former general electric CEO jack Welch talk about general enterprise culture, Had one well-known saying is competition, competition, and competition again. 2. How do you view the success or the failure. How to evaluate the person who often fails. No one dares to say that he will never fail. Modern scientific education research indicates that people learn from mistakes, so, to a certain extent, successful people are the failure of more than others. As a modern merchant, must be not afraid of failure, only the person is not afraid of the failture, who would know failure, will distinguish which is the successà through failure, which is the failure of forever, so as to avoid the failure in the key problems. In the traditional Chinese culture, the evaluation of a person is often not see who makes it so many things, but more is to see how many he made the mistake, against many people, how many times he has failed. In this standard, the kind of person who doesnt care no fame, only request no faults, the person who takes care of a good relationship is in the ascendant, but the person who has the big momentum, who is careless of the relationship, who plunges into the affairs often suffer more loss. Long-term since, the enthusiasm of employees will be hit, the harm to the enterprise is self-evident. 3. Pay more attention to the history, experience, authority and the thought of ranking. Dont know the ancient, no righteousness. I had passed a bridge more than the path where you had walked . A big officers saying is more virtuous than small officer, as if all the leaders are wiser than subordinates in all the problems . The experience of past, were not completely intact are used to guide todays real life, The experience of the past, were not completely intact used to guide todays real life, many experiences for todays often are only core thought about. Above in the role of thought enterprise culture construction, will only make enterprise feudal breath is strong, it is difficult to develop for the Long time. 4. The trend in thought, to pay attention to the metaphysical of the research, and neglected the physical quest, cause pay attention to traditional culture, neglect art bad tendency. In the Confucian culture dominant, formed a very bad idea: advocating principles, despised the skill, People has always attached great importance to learn the traditional culture. This kind of idea and further encourage the value of intolerance. The idea for the enterprise culture construction, easy to cause the enterprise just talking morality, no material technology pursuit, in science and technology is the first productivity of modern society, ignore technological innovation is dead, must avoid this narrow traditional culture. Overall, as the traditional Chinese culture running in Asian for the thousands of years, is a complex culture on both sides of the body. Speaking from the positive aspects, it plays the positive role in the construction of enterprise culture, is the enterprise culture innovation, the basement to continue to progress; Speaking from the negative aspects, it also can form the block role in the construction of enterprise culture, is a heavy burden of history. We should see the positive aspect, also need to see the negative aspect, take the essence and discard the dross in order to service modern enterprise culture construction.
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Advantages Of Outsourcing ICT In An Organization Information Technology Essay
Advantages Of Outsourcing ICT In An Organization Information Technology Essay This is a report about Tescos company ICT outsourcing and knowledge management. In the following paragraphs two questions are going to be answered and analyzed according to the information existing in Tescos case and also strategic managements theory. Outsourcing ICT is quite commonly used by organizations as an approach to strategic management. Access the advantages and disadvantages that outsourcing can bring in developing effective uses of information systems in an organization such as Tesco. The huge amount of competion and the global economic crisis that organizations have to face nowadays have made Information Communications Technology outsourcing a really attractive management tool in order to cut expenses in non-core activities, specific in overheads of Information Technology departments. By deciding to outsource, there would be a lot of benefits but also a number of risks associated with it. It is important for a decision maker to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of ICT outsourcing, before making the decision to outsource. Outsourcing ICT has to do with the whole information science, helping the business field. It is about networks, web design, programming, online shops etc. Network services is the most common ICT services activity that is being outsourced and that outsourcers who do not comply with contract has the most influence on ICT outsourcing inherent risks. The Technology of information and communication is growing fast and the vendor business has to be updated and synchronized with the era of 2010. So it would be far easier for them to sell their products and serving their customers in every possible way. For a company that has to deal with so many products from soap to bread it would be more difficult to take the risk and create their own Information and communication department from scratch and keep It upgraded while their whole business is running. The result of this difficulty is to outsource ICT specific in Tescos case to Trilogy Company. The advantages of outsourcing ICT in an organization such as Tesco. ICT is vital to Tesco. Every aspect of their operation is controlled or monitored by ICT stock, distribution, payroll, communication methods, and so on. ICT is essential to the running of a modern store. It is used for planning, monitoring, auditing and communicating between store operations. For example, when an item has its barcode read at the checkout, the system not only logs the price onto the till, but also logs the financial transaction between Tesco and the customer and the fact that the stock has been reduced by one item. On the distribution side, instructions from the mainframe computer are sent directly to forklift truck operators at depots by radio links. This shows the integration of departments by using ICT. All stores are connected to the mainframe at Head Office via the Tesco Network. Another advantage of Outsourcing ICT from a business perspective is that organizations are realizing that owning and operating their own IT infrastructure no longer makes sense. The cost of that is much bigger and the results are never guaranteed. This coupled with the common resource lack make outsourcing a viable alternative. It is important for organizations to adopt the right approach in order to reap the benefits of outsourcing. They should demand the following from any ICT company they are going to cooperate. Selectively outsource specific ICT functions in stages Grow into a mutually beneficial relationship Gradually leverage on the benefits of outsourcing Continuously review performance and make adjustments Have Technical support from experienced system engineers Gain confidence and in-house acceptance before outsourcing more functions With the right approach and the suitable outsourcing of ICT the organizations will manage to stay high at the competitive edge in the market. Serving the customers in the best way and surprise them with new ways of purchasing their products (for ex. via online-shops) will keep their loyalty and the margin will be for both sides. A big company like Tesco has many sub-stores, some in the same country and some abroad. The communication between them and the line the company sets everywhere should be established well. ICT helps with this area and it was the primary reason that chain branches use ICT. In summary outsourcing ICT for a company such as Tesco is important for increasing the ability to reach the goals of the company, reduce human risks, saving time, helping the company to stay competitive and minimize the operating costs. The Disadvantages of Outsourcing ICT in an organization such as Tesco. As it was already mentioned above, the outsourcing ICT has also disadvantages that raise the risk the company has to take. For example, At times, it is more cost-effective to conduct a particular business process, rather than outsourcing it, not that much in IT but maybe if the upgrade the company wants to make is small and the fee the ICT Company asks is big. When you begin to outsource your business processes, you might find it difficult to manage the offshore provider when compared to managing processes within your organization. In case, your outsource ICT service provider becomes bankrupt or goes out of business, your organization will have to immediately move your business processes in-house or find another outsourcing provider The employees in your organization might not like the idea of you outsourcing your processes and they might express lack of interest or lack of quality at work also outsourcing can create potential redundancies for your organization, a lot of employees may lose their jobs. Your outsourcing provider might not be only providing services for your organization and maybe the quality of the service isnt always guaranteed, especially in low-price agreements. Since your provider might be catering to the needs of several companies, there might be not be complete devotion to you and your company something that couldnt happen if you owned the ICT department. In outsourcing, you may lose your control over the process that is outsourced and dont be able to fix something in time because you are not in charge of this field. Outsourcing, though cost-effective, might have hidden costs, such as the legal costs incurred while signing a contract between companies and you might also have to spend a lot of time and effort in getting the contract signed. There can be several disadvantages in outsourcing, such as, renewing contracts, misunderstanding of the contract, lack of communication, poor quality and delayed services amongst others. The disadvantages of outsourcing give organizations an opportunity to think about what they are stepping into. However if you find a reliable outsourcing partner you probably wont experience any of these disadvantages of outsourcing.
Friday, September 20, 2019
A brief history of Ryanair
A brief history of Ryanair A brief history of Ryanair is set out to provide a background of submissions. Ryanair is Europes largest low-fare airline and based in Ireland.à This is a public listed company who are trade on Dublin, London and New York (NASDAQ) Stock Exchange stocks.à It is committed to low cost airfares and introducing competition to the European flag airlines and air transport market growing alliance.à It has the ability to provide passengers with the industrys lowest fare is dependent to a large extent, the low cost and high efficiency of the airport.(RYANAIR LIMITED 2007) Ryanair, started operations in 1985, launched 15 flights a day between turbine support and London Gatwick Airport Waterford.à The beginning of the companys commitment to providing low-fare air travel to the Irish public contrast, oligopoly pricing is provided in time for Aer Lingus and British Airways.à Ryanair was the first European airline set up a special low fares and competition within the European short-haul routes.à In the companies of first year, its 57 employees carried just over 5,000 passengers in this original route. In 1986, Ryanair routes into Dublin-London, which was jointly owned by the two countries, the airlines, which Aer Lingus and British Airways. In Dublin, London route has been stalled about 1 million passengers each year from 1975 to 1985, when some of the features the highest air fare per kilometer in Europe. Before Ryanair to join this route, the normal flight between Dublin and London in 1985 was à £ 209 return. Ryanair began service on May 23, 1986, to introduce the launch of the fare à £ 94.99 return. In its second full year of operation, Ryanair has just 120 employees to carried more than 82,000 passengers on two routes. In the next three years (1987-1989), the rapid expansion of Ryanair routes opening up many new Irish and British, and to improve its fleet. However, while customers continue to flock to Ryanairs low fares, the cost does not control, and the companys accumulated losses. By 1990, the company employs 350 people, operating 14 aircraft (4 different types), was carrying 600 000 passengers, but had managed to loss of à £20 million in just 4 years. These losses are mainly due to over expansion and the inability to strictly control costs, the deregulation of the market, and these new cost control is essential to the ability to provide low-cost services of the profits. 1994 also saw the acquisition of Ryanairs first Boeing 737 aircraft used orders for six second-hand 737-200 series aircraft (130 seats) was purchased directly from Boeing. In the next three years to buy fifteen 737-200 aircraft were to make the fleet to twenty-one 737-200s. In line with the expansion of the fleet, more new routes form Ryanair is to open up the Irish by the British, increase frequencies, providing a total of all the routes, an the ticket prices were reduced even further. As a result in 1995, the airlines 10th anniversary, Ryanair has become the largest airline in Dublin-London routes, and they operate in each line on which it operated (in terms of traffic routes), total 2.25 million passengers per year and labor Now more than 600 people. After 1997, the EU air transport deregulation, the airlines was free for the first time open up new routes to continental Europe. Service was launched in Stockholm from London Stansted and Oslo efficient secondary airports, as well as in Paris and Brussels from Dublin and efficient secondary airports. Similarly, Ryanair to enter these markets fare over 80%, respectively, lower than the most expensive week, and then by the flag carrier airline fares. Positive response and a large number of passengers low fares in these arrived in the European market for the first time. Ryanair was the first low-fare airlines to provide scheduled flights from Britain to Continental Europe and vice versa. 1997 also saw the Ryanair Holdings plc float in Dublin and New York (NASDAQ) stock exchange. At that time, the airline is the capital of IRà £300 million in the infrared market value and more than 3 million visitors each year to bring its network of 18 routes. Despite this success, Ryanair remains committed to lowering fares, increase service frequency, and to maximize the low-fare seats to the number of business and leisure travelers. Ryanair was a direct competition with a lot of Europes largest airlines, including British Airways, Scandinavian Airlines, Alitalia, Lufthansa, Sabena, Air France, Aer Lingus, but offer low fares unparalleled of The package, on-time flights, high frequency, and friendly in-flight service, Ryanair is continuing to be successful, winning increasing public and customer support. In 1999, Ryanair announced an up to 45 new Boeing 737-800 series aircraft for the two billion U.S. dollars next major investment plans. This is the latest and most modern Boeing aircraft. The first five aircraft to be delivered to Ryanair in 1999, and five more scheduled for delivery each year thereafter. Ryanair is the lowest in Europe and is to provide the latest and most modern air fares on Europe. Ryanair announced in 1999, another record performance, operating 35 routes to 11 countries, the carrying almost of the nearly 600 million passengers. Ryanairs customers to enjoy high-fare competition is the flag carrier airlines from Europe collected 300 million pounds worth of savings. At that time the company employs were more than 1,200 people. Ryanair launched in early 2000, Europes biggest travel website at www.ryanair.com, which launched within 3 months has taken over 50,000 bookings per week, by offering low airfares which start from as little as à £ 1 return taxes on Glasgow London plus tax and à £9 return plus taxes on Dublin-London route.In February 2000, Ryanair announced 10 new European routes for the summer of 2000, the service from London (Stansted) to Malmo in Sweden; Hamburg (Là ¼beck) in Germany; Verona (Brescia), Sardinia (Alghero), and Lamezia in Italy; Provence (Nimes), and Perpignan in France, and Shannon in Ireland. The airline has also introduced two new low fare services from Frankfurt (Hahn) Shannon in Ireland last summer, and to Glasgow (Prestwick) in Scotland. So far in 2001, Ryanair has launched seven new routes in the UK and to increase the capacity on number of existing lines. In February of this year, Ryanair announced that its first mainland Charleroi in Brussels, the European base would initially be open from its seven destinations in the provision of services. Ryanair will build the airport in Ireland, the base has been the basis of the cost of more competitive and cost-oriented regulation of airport / facility. This year, Ryanair will offer 36 Boeing 737 aircraft fleet and will be about 9 million passengers. Unfortunately, only about 18% will come from the traffic in Ireland as in the regulation of the airports competitive cost and inefficient infrastructure. It have be clear from the background that Ryanairs rapid growth of routes and traffic will continue to focus on low-cost, high efficiency of the airport, in order to minimize costs and ensure that the airports rapid turnaround time and maximum efficiency of the aircraft. This is a major factor in Ryanairs ability to guarantee the lowest fares in Europe.( RYANAIR LIMITED 2007) 2.Environmental and European airline industry analysis 2.1 External analysis à PESTLE PESTLE analysis is a short form for political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal (Channon, 1997). PESTLE analysis hasà provided a comprehensive detailed list, possibly affects successful or the defeat, especially strategyà (Johnson and Scholes, 2007). Political Some countries grant preferential treatment to companies from their own country. From the case study also pointed out that the French government attempted to protect Air France-KLM by forcing easyJet and Ryanair to move the staff they employ on French soil from British contracts to more expensive French ones Economic Fuel prices, because they increase the problems caused a major airline industry, if they do not hedge they had to cut corners to save costs in other areas. All the airlines are working to reduce costs and increase their profit margin, they reduce the cost of the effort will have a negative affect on the pilots and staff because as they may have low wages of lack benefits that would otherwise have been there. There are problems, the market increasingly competitive, as in emerging and developing countries have more people hope that have more airlines, so in order to adapt to this, by reducing industry profits. With the current economic crisis may be the demand for flights in the fall, because we are in recession, layoffs and people therefore have less disposable income means that they cannot leave. This may be a favorable low-cost aviation industry for people who can still afford the holiday will be looking for cheaper alternatives. Social-cultural Passengers are now not only need the cheapest fares, they also need a comfortable chair, safety and never lose their luggage, and the best facilities and etc. Technological Technology has improved, which means that the industry is changing, becoming more environmentally friendly and efficient. More effective infrastructure of airports are means that many airports of the airlines can charge more fall from the sky. Environmental There are new laws that say that the airline industry has to be more environmentally friendly therefore the manufacturers, designers and airline companies have to combat this together in order to decrease carbon emissions and make the industry less harmful to the environment in order to comply with EU regulations. Legal The whole industry is very strict control laws, but also because they have to constantly adapt to new changes in law, i.e. not allowing the liquid on board. These contracts to the industry has their pilots did not seem to benefit the workers as it contributes to the company soon which may change soon and the company will have to adapt to this. 2.2 Internal analysis five forces frameworkà Porters five forces is an important tool for analyzing the organizational structure of the process of strategic industries. It is used to understand the strategic business opportunities and threats should be consistent with the organization of the external environment (Dagmar Recklies, 2001). Threat of entry à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Some barriers to entry: à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ High capital investment à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ limited availability of slots to make them more difficult to find the suitable airport. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ instant price wars if erode the existing LCC route. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Need low-cost basis à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Flight Authorizations In Europe, low-cost carriers were increase in 2006. Although expressed in the European airline industry is a large number of entrants and competitors, but as many as 50 have gone bankrupt, been taken over, missing or had never left the ground. Therefore, the threat of entry Ryanair face is media. Threat of substitutes à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Customer are No brand loyalty à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ No close customer relationships à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ No switching costs to customers à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Other modes of transport, such as Eurostar, high-speed trains, Eurolines, ships, cars, etc. Passengers will choose the train, because do not want to face the inconvenience and cost of checking baggage, spend more extra time in airport security line. The train is the only alternative of airline to the threat of an alternative airline of Ryanair is low. Bargaining Power of Customers à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Customers are Price-sensitive à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Switch to another airline is relatively simple and does not involve high costs (internet, all airlines are online) à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Customer understand about the cost of providing services à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ No loyalty Although the customers complaints, they feel disturbed about Ryanair has been trying to sell them something of the aircraft. Although some passengers, they need comfortable seating, security will never lose their luggage, the best such facilities and Ryanair has been graded as the worlds most disliked airline in the survey of Ryanair, but they do not want to change and continue to focus on cutting costs, to provide low fares. Therefore, the buyer bargaining power is low. Power of supplier à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢Boeing is a major supplier of RA à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Only two potential suppliers of aircraft Boeing and Airbus à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Switching costs from one supplier to another is high, because all the mechanics and pilots must be retrained. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Aviation fuel prices is directly related to the cost of oil (Ryanair control these through the hedge). à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Regional airports have little bargaining power because they rely heavily on an airline à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ A larger airport, where Ryanairs competitors operate with greater bargaining power The actual purchases of aircraft, fuel supply, are the two major suppliers of the aviation industry. The supplier cannot control the fuel prices, although Ryanair is so sensitive and cannot affect the fuel suppler to Ryanair. On the actual purchase of the aircraft, Ryanair has a very healthy relationship with the main supplier of the aircraft, the Boeing Company (Brophy and ST. George, 2003). Suppliers cannot bring great results to Ryanair Competitive Rivalry à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Intense competition in the LCC market à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Most of the cost advantage can be copied immediately à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ The current low level of competition as the two major low-cost airlines to avoid a direct face to face competition by choose different routes to service à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ However, if a company does decide to compete on the same basis, as Ryanair has a heavy pressure on prices, profit margins and thus profits à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ there is not much difference between the services. The main difference is the price factor In the highly competitive aviation industry competition is high. Although Ryanair is a pioneer who performed low-cost airlines, but competitors has also the implementation of low-fare. Beside, they also copied a number of Ryan strategic. For example, Aer Lingus and FlyBE airlines have also introduced charges for hold luggage after Ryanair perform it. 2.3 Scenario analysis Worst Case: Increase of Salaries If the employee be successful, unions can represent the experience of Ryan, to increase wages. No. Increase of other staff New employees need in marketing, European Union regulations (such as safety regulations require additional crew on each flight.) Accounting, information technology Increase of Airport Charges Airport charges could increase in many Government owned airports. It may be are 100% increase. Increase of Fuel Prices Fuel prices may rise by 1% per annum. There may be another war to increase the oil prices. The increase in average flight distance The new destination may result in the average flight distance increased by 10% for two years and 5% for three years, followed by 0% per annum Increase of Marketing Costs Such of the competition may increase in some routes may need to launch marketing campaign for Ryanair. Eastern Europe may not be a popular route is expected, and may require additional advertising. Low price does not mean low quality. This idea needs to communicate. Best Case: In this case, this situation will be re-considered the most optimistic assumption that all possible outcomes into account. Future energy prices will remain at todays prices, in the best situation. The euro is still better than the U.S. dollar against the U.S. dollar. Load factors will remain stable at a high level for many years benefited from the growing number of passengers to use the entire fleet. The marketing costs should support the continuous increase of passengers, and should cover the new routes. Revenue should be increased in the planes flight as a better offer / services to enable passengers to spend a few euro on average for each flight. 3.Ryanairs strengths and weaknesses.- SWOT analysis Strengths: à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Brand Name: Ryanair, through its 14-year in LCC market has developed a very good recognized brand name. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Benefit from the low airport charges: These low-cost assistance benefits based on Ryanair. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ The first advantage of the regional airports (such as Charleroi): As a market entry barriers à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Internet sites (94% reservation) : reducing distribution costs as through the phone booking is more expensive. Eliminates the need of travel agents. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ High-density seat à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ All of the Boeing aircraft: a unified fleet saving on maintenance and training cost. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Fast turn around à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ High service performance: Punctual, flight speed the completion of the high rate and low loss of luggage, these give a good image of the companys reliability. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Modern fleet which resulting in lower maintenance costs: will become more uniform, with only one model (737-800), also a relatively new aircraft will require less maintenance. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ High aircraft utilization: Ryanair Airlines planes to fly longer to generate more income from its assets. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Fuel and other risk hedging. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Small headquarters: Low on overheads à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Point to Point: No hub and spoke, lower cost because not passed the required services Weaknesses à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Easy to Bad News: Ryanair was considered arrogant and the slightest incidents have been a lot of news stories. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Niche market: the possibility of limited expansion à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Distance of some regional airports from the advertising objectives: After a period of customers may feel that this is a big inconvenience. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Poor quality of services: interpersonal skills. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Ryanair is extremely sensitive to changes in charges (increase in value of the fare) Opportunities à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ EU enlargement: will open many new destinations à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Significant potential to capture market share: In the LCC market share will more than double à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Benefit from less exposure to geopolitical risks: As the only real business in Europe à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Ryanair economic slowdown actually helps to change the corporate culture, stealing customers from traditional carriers as they seek lower fares. Threats à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Dependent on the oil market: fuel cost depends on the oil market. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Dependent on the economic cycle à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Increase of Low fares competition à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ European Court of Justice ruling: It may make more difficulties and costs of future expansion. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Limited growth of the southern European market à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Regional airports gain bargaining power for second round à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Customers are very sensitive of price à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Ryanair and Easy Jet limit each others growth rout wise, need to live peaceful coexistence, or is likely to become the battlefield of the line (such as: London- Rome) -à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Face increase in air traffic control charges. As more planes fly in the sky. à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¢ Inability to prevent the introduction of fuel tax and environmental fees: this will reduce their growth potential because it depends on the price of the stimulus. 4.Evaluation of Ryanairs strategy Ryanair aims to establish itself as Europes leading low-fare scheduled passenger airline through continued improvement and expansion of low-cost services to their products. Ryanair aims to offer low fares, thus increasing the passenger traffic. A continued emphasis on cost control and operational efficiency is a very important part of the Ryanair way of doing things. Here are the key elements which make up Ryanairs strategy: Low fare: This is used to stimulate demand, their goal fare conscious leisure or business travelers who do not go, otherwise it will all or use other transport modes, such as car, coach or train. Ryanair to sell seats on the basis of one-way unlike most traditional carriers this change take effect in November 2001. Ryanair set fares based on demand for flights and with reference to the remainder of the scheduled departure date. 70% of the seats are the lowest fares in the sale of tickets can be assigned routes, once the full price of each seat. Ryanairs Dublin to London (Stansted) is the most popular passenger route in terms of passenger volume; with fares from 19.99 to 169.99 (available in the lower special promotions).In September 2003, Ryanair launched a fare promotion offers a total of two million seats on certain routes for free (excluding government taxes and passenger service charges) for travel period from September 2003 to 17th December 2003. These movements are very useful to consolidate Ryanairs low fares image. (M. Michel Alle ,Ryanair Plc. 2004) Frequent point-to-point short-haul flight routes. Ryanair provides frequent point-to-point service in the short-haul routes, airports and major population centers in the surrounding areas and tourist destinations. An average of 1.1 hours flying time has been an average line length of 746 kilometers, in 2003. Ryanair flight an average of 1.94 round per day from each line. Short-haul flights only option to allow Ryanair to provide frequent service, while eliminating the need to provide frill service customers, or they will no longer flights. Point-to-point flying (as opposed to the service center and spoke the traditional operators used) to avoid the cost of Ryanairs passengers to connect through service providers, including baggage transfers and transit passenger assistance costs. This is one of the key differences between Ryanair and traditional carriers. (M. Michel Alle, Ryanair Plc. 2004.) Commitment for safety and quality of maintenance. Ryanairs commitment to safety is the most important priority for the company and its management. This commitment begins with hiring and training of Ryanairs pilots, flight attendants and maintenance staff, and includes a policy to maintain its aircraft in accordance with the highest European airline industry standards. Ryanair has not been a single incident or significant damage to passengers or flight crew in the 19 years of operating history. Although Ryanair aims to operate its fleet in a cost-effective manner, management does not seek to extend Ryanairs low cost operating strategy of the regions security, maintenance, training and quality assurance. Routine maintenance and repair of aircraft carried out in-house, and the present contract airframe maintenance, engine overhaul services and routing of the maintenance contractor, these contract will be under reviewed.(M. Michel Alle ,Ryanair Plc. 2004) Ancillary Services: Ryanair offers a range of ancillary, revenue-generating services, including on-board merchandise, beverage and food sales, accommodation booking service, advertising, travel insurance, car rental and rail and bus tickets. Ryanair distribution of car rental, accommodation and travel insurance through its Web site and traditional telephone reservation offices. Management believes that providing these services through the Internet to allow Ryanair to increase sales, while at the same time, reduce cost per unit basis. Ancillary revenues, not including charter flights, increased by 68.1% (2002: 44%) and now accounts for 11.7% of total revenues compared to 9.4% in 2002. Customer service. Ryanairs strategy is to provide the best customer service performance of its peers group. According to reports by the Association of European Airlines and the airline announced its own statistics, Ryanair has made good on time, luggage lost less and less to cancel all of the rest group than their European counterparts. Ryanair realized that the strong focus on the implementation of these services and the operation of non-congested airports. 5.Recommendation To have the largest amount of routes, the lowest fare airline in Europe without any compromise Ryanairs business model, beyond all the other operators in all aspects, including quality of service. I think Ryanair is also eager to adhere to high growth. I think Ryanairs strategy has become a key factor in its great success. Therefore, in the end I applied all of these designed of recommendations to improve their business. The Recommendation of Ryanair are as following: Continue to look for ways to reduce costs Although Ryanair has the lowest cost base of any competitor, I believe Ryanair can continue to reduce its cost base, because it although at a lower pace of growth. Increase the frequency of existing routes European low-cost airline (LCC) market is not exhausted. Ryanair currently has a average 3.88 fights per capita daily of flight routes. This figure compared with Easyjet airlines and traditional carriers, is very low. This means that, Ryanair is the loss of business passengers who need a more flexible schedule. Ryanair added that if the frequency of some of their routes, they can effectively steal some passengers from the traditional carriers in order to increase market share. The development of smaller bases in the Continental Operating Bases With the low cost market saturation from London, Ryanair must to look at their other business base to expand their network. Dublin, Brussels, Hahn, etc can be developed. Although there is not the same demand, outside London there is sufficient demand to make considerable profits Open up new routes in Europe There are many possible routes are still not served by low-cost airlines. To make a viable way there must to at least 32,000 people each year. Research is needed to find out a feasible route before the competition. And the opening route to un-served destination, Ryanair can also open routes where the competition is more expensive traditional carriers to attract customers to the cheaper, no-frills choice Extended to the Central / Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is rapidly becoming a hotspot for tourist and business travelers continue to expand as the E.U., but Ryanair does not meet any of the more popular destinations. Other low-cost airlines has been established there, such as Sky Europe, but not all routes have been exhausted. There are still have many opportunities in this field. To actively seek market share from the Charter Market The Charter is a huge market of represents 25% of the total traffic in Europe. Ryanair must be aggressive in this market by vigorously promote DIY holidays, rather than group tours. With the increasing popularity of the Internet and the popularity of lower travel agents, which is the market cannot be ignored. Ryanair should be provided to small package destination and aim to strengthen the side of the business. Customer Service Overhaul Ryanair has a remarkable performance as tangible customer service (punctuality, time to complete the flight, etc.) views, but in the softer side of the customer service is not always good and have a lot of bad news. With this in mind Ryanair Airlines, while maintaining its strict rules and regulations, must to be adjusted on this area.
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