Contribution and Marginal Costing Essay

This is an important business concept and must never be confused with profit. The contribution of a product refers to how much it contributes to the fixed costs and profit of the business once variable costs have been covered. It can be calculated either per unit of output or in terms of total contribution of all units produced. Contribution ignores fixed costs and only considers any surplus left once variable costs have been subtracted from revenue. Hence, contribution is what a product contributes towards the fixed costs of the business and, once these are paid, the profits of the business. Managers need to know, as accurately as possible, the cost of each product or service produced by the firm. One reason for this is the need to make a pricing decision. In fact, buyers of many products will want an estimated price or a quotation before they agree to purchase. Managers may also need to decide whether production should be stopped, stepped up or switched to new methods or new materials. Managers also need to compare actual product costs with original budgets and to compare the current period with past time periods. In calculating the cost of a product, both direct labor and direct materials are often easy to identify and allocate to each product. For instance, the materials used in making product X are allocated directly to the cost of that product. These are not the only costs involved. Overheads, or indirect costs, cannot be allocated directly to each product but must be ‘shared’ between all of the items produced by a business. There is more than one costing method that can be used to apportion these costs and, therefore, there may be more than one answer to the question: ‘How much does a product cost to produce?’ contribution costing method that only allocates direct costs to cost/profit centers not overhead costs. This approach to costing solves the problem of how to apportion or divide overhead costs between products – it does not apportion them at all. Instead, the method concentrates on two very important accounting concepts: †¢Marginal cost is the cost of producing an extra unit. This extra cost will clearly be a variable direct cost. For example, if the total cost of producing 100 units is $400 000 and the total cost of producing 101 units is $400 050, the marginal cost is $50. †¢The contribution to fixed costs and profit. This is the revenue gained from selling a product less its variable direct costs. This is not the same as profit, which can only be calculated after overheads have also been deducted. For example, if that 101st unit with a variable (marginal) cost of $50 is sold for $70, it has made a contribution towards fixed costs of $20. The unit contribution is found as the difference between the sale price ($70) and the extra variable cost ($50), that is $20.

Strategic Analysis of ALDI Essay

1. Introduction Albrecht Discount Inc., globally known as Aldi, is a German based family owned global discount chain of supermarkets. Aldi constitutes of two independent groups, that are Aldi Nord (North) and Aldi Sud (South) legally and economically independent but family related (Aldi Sud Business, 2013). It is the market leader in the industry of international grocery retailing and owns and operates chain of discount grocery stores in Europe, Australia and United States. It’s stores retail and supply general merchandise and food including meat products, fresh meat, frozen and refrigerated foods,  sweets and snacks, dairy and bakery products, beverages and pantry items in addition to home care and personal care products (Report Linker, 2013). In the present Aldi Inc.’s strategic analysis is carried out to identify and evaluate its strategies against its business environment to critically analyze whether the strategies pursued by Aldi are effective in maintaining its market leader position or not. In doing so environmental analysis of international grocery retailing industry is carried out to bring about the opportunities and threats the industry is facing and SWOT analysis is carried out to shed light on Aldi’s strengths and weaknesses and opportunities and threats the industry is facing on the whole. Aldi’s strategies are then evaluated against the SWOT to analyze the effectiveness of its strategies in maintaining its market position. 2. Brief Background on Aldi Aldi Inc., was founded by Karl Albrecht and Theo Albrecht in 1913 in Essen and started trading in bakery products, later in 1914 Karl Albrecht’s wife Anna Albrecht opened the first grocery store. In 1919 they acquired a commercial and residential building in Essen and enlarge the grocery store. 1945 the brothers took over the family business and opened more stores and by the end of 1948 they were four Albrecht stores. In 1954 Albrecht expanded further more and opened its stores outside Essen and branch enlargement took place with 77 stores with core business as food self service. In 1961 two legally separate groups were established known as Aldi Sud and Aldi Nord yet the family remained connected. 1962 first ALDI – Albrecht Discount branched was opened in the discount principle and entire branch network was changed into ALDI format. Gradually internationalized its business by first entering in Austria with acquisition of Hofer retail chain, then further expanded in Germany, entered in the United States, UK, Ireland, Australia, Switzerland, Slovenia and Hungary, in that order (Aldi Sud Facts and Figures, 2013). Aldi Group is active in nine European countries and in European market is one of the leading retail companies and a well known retail chain all over the world. Aldi Sud is into retail food trade and comprises of 31 companies located in Southern and Western Germany and Aldi Nord operates its own branch network of 2500 outlets in the northern and eastern Germany (Aldi Sud  Business, 2013; Aldi Nord, 2013). Aldi Group has more than 10000 stores worldwide with annual turnover of 75bn yet its core market is Germany (Fitzgerald, 2013). Aldi stores are known for their efficiency, no frills stores, low levels of staff, few big brand names and modest opening hours (Fitzgerald, 2013). Their main core competency is cut price through cost cutting, selling cheap and low quality products(Grocery.com, 2013) and its mission is â€Å"simply smarter shopping† (Aldi US, 2013). Aldi’s big rivals include TESCO, Morrison’s, Sainsbury, Asda, Carrefour and Lidl (Sky News, 2013; Butler and Bowers, 2013). The Albrecht’s has expanded into new territories but remains a closely guarded company and never disclose its profit margins citing commercial sensitivity and do not share much information with other branches managers (Fitzgerald, 2013). Aldi has to triple its staff and check outs to cater to the extra one million customers coming to its 500 stores in UK. The firm shunned premium big brands for its cut price own versions of premium ranges to attract new customers looking for cheaper products (Steiner, 2013). The retail market is seeing intense competition and big retail supermarkets are losing market share to discount stores and up market grocers such as Aldi all over Europe and other international markets. 3. Market Identification of Aldi It is an intensely family owned private company. Both Aldi Sud and Aldi Nord operate in retail markets however Aldi Nord mainly in Europe whereas Aldi Sud operates in the United States and Australia among other international locations. It has Aldi stores are located in Germany, Austria, Australia, Denmark, France, Belgium, Greece, Ireland, Hungary, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Poland, Slovenia, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United states operating in 36 states and United Kingdom (Grocer.com, 2013). Its customers are mainly ‘do it yourself’ shoppers and bargain hunters (Grocer.com, 2013). Aldi in 2013 has outshined its biggest rivals in UK with doubling in annual profits and sales increase of 40.6% being a cut price grocer and holds 3.7% of market share in UK (Steiner, 2013; Sky news, 2013). It earned profit of 157.9 million in 2012 from 70.5 million in 2011 and sales increased from 2.7 billion in 2011 to 3.8 billion in 2012. It opened 34 new stores that were crucial in its strong performance in 2012 (Steiner, 2013). Aldi Ireland revenues increased by 30.7% in 2012 outstripping its German rival Lidl,  opened 3 more stores, in addition to 40 stores in Ireland that are being refurbished or extended. Together Lidl and Aldi control 12.5% of Irish grocery market (Fitzgerald, 2013). Aldi United states’ annual revenue is $68,700 million (U.S) with 1400 stores in 36 states employing 11,000 employees (Grocer.com. 2013). Aldi SUD in Germany consists of 31 independent companies, with more than 1820 branches, employing more than 33,600 employees (Aldi Facts and Figures, 2013). Aldi Nord operates in Eastern, Western and Northern Germany with around 2500 outlets (Aldi Nord, 2013) 4. Environmental Analysis International grocery retailing industry is facing intense competition and become a real battleground, retailing giants are offering plenty of price discounts to attract customers, that is seriously impacting their suppliers and pressure to regulate the sector is growing (Fitzgerald, 2013). The following section analyzes in detail the opportunities and threats the retail grocery industry is facing through PESTEL Analysis. 4.1 PESTEL Analysis 4.1.1 Political factors Legislators of European countries are being pressurized to regulate the retail market because intense competition and price cut is negatively impacting the manufacturers and suppliers (Fitzgerald, 2013). Retail companies are being accused of paying the lowest price to their suppliers, which is harming their business seriously, and are on the brink of collapse. Political campaigns are being carried out and interest groups are asking customers not to buy products their because of that (Osborne, 2012). 4.1.2 Economical factors Economic slowdown in developed countries and Euro zone crises has affected the industry greatly as customers with less income to dispense are forced to shop for cheaper and retailers owned goods swallowing their brand and switching from expensive brands. High flying retail giants are feeling the pinch as there was considerable drop in their sales and profits and more and more customers are switching to discount stores and up market grocers  (Butler and Bowers, 2013). Cash strapped households due to shrinking in their budgets as a result of high inflation that is not proportional to wage rises are flocking to discount stores (Sky News, 2013). The below graph shows consumer retail expenditure five year growth rate of UK (Verdict, 2009). Figure 1: Total consumer retail expenditure of UK- five year growth rate (Verdict, 2009) Burgeoning population, rise in immigration, developed nations beginning to emerge from recession and economic recoveries, falling in unemployment rates, urbanization leading to renewal of growth in retail industry. Disposable income, GDP and consumer spending are the macroeconomic factors that affect retail industry directly (Reuters, 2012). Asia pacific is dominating the industry as it driving the increase in global retail trade, representing 35% of the global retail market and will grow highest among all other regions between 2012 and 2017 (Reuters, 2013). 4.1.3 Social and cultural factors Consumers are becoming more and more socially responsible and considering increasingly the social impact of their purchases and supporting mainly those retailers who are also socially responsible and assert sustainable practices. Consumers are avoiding retailers who they think are irresponsible, encourage sweat shops, exploit suppliers, and outsource manufacturing and carryout unethical practices. Consumer preferences are changing more rapidly than ever before and retailers are struggling to cope up with their changing preferences. Economic recession is giving rise to generational differences, as whole generation experiencing recession are using money more cautiously and less credit cards (Mack, 2013). 4.1.4 Technology factors Technology is changing the way consumers shop retail products and the way retail businesses operate in bad and good ways. Online retail shopping has increased in manifolds along with creating more awareness among consumers, leading to price comparisons to find the best deal across the world. It is presenting both opportunity and threat as technology is helping in boosting retail stores performance but also forcing them to adapt to new changes  brought forward by technology or else give way to competitors who are doing so (Mock, 2013). Technological growth such as mobile commerce has provided opportunity for retailers to better interact with customers and give them more convenience and better service (Reuters, 2013). RFD Radio Frequency Identification Device has facilitated end to end tracking of ingredients and better stock control through business intelligence tools (PWC, 2013). 4.1.5 Environmental Factors Retail chains are being pressurized to be more socially responsible and adopt sustainable practices as their low price strategies are affecting the suppliers and the environment as a whole. Retailers are also accused of harming the environment as they are blamed for increased consumption of food products and causing global food insecurity and also for increased used of harmful plastic material for packaging. They are also accused of indulging in unethical practices to drive the products prices down and not caring for the environment (UNEP, 2003). To minimize this negative trend retail chains have to sustainable materials for packaging and carrying and in turn putting that costs on consumers (Osborne, 2012). 4.1.6 Legal factors Tax issues such as VAT, excise duties, environmental and property taxes, HR taxes, cross border transactions tax issues, corporation taxes and compliance with laws and legislations and increasing costs of corporate social responsibility are presenting challenges to retail industry and increasing their cost of operations. Accounting regulations like adopting of IFRS and passing of Sarbanes Oxley legislation on demand of stakeholders heightened the regulatory pressures on the retail and consumer industry (PWC, 2013). 4.2 Key Trends affecting the industry Consumers are switching from up market retail chains to low price retail chains (Butler and Bowers, 2013). Price inflation of retail products putting more pressure on retailers to decrease its impact on customers and cut down on profit margins (Butler and Bowers, 2013). E commerce and M commerce are increasing leading to increase in online retail (Mack, 2013) Customers are more aware and comparing prices online to gain best deal (Mack, 2013) Burgeoning population, urbanization, economic recovery are renewing growth  in retail sector (Reuters, 2013). Consumers preferences are changing more rapidly than before (Mack, 2013) Consumers are seeking more convenience and using other mode of payments like credit card, debit card etc. (Osborne, 2012; Mack, 2013), New consuming habits such as value shopping in FMCG products and clothing, luxury shopping in furniture and technology (PWC, 2013). Trends towards retailers being more socially responsible and sustainable retailing (PWC, 2013). Consumers supporting local suppliers and against outsourcing (Fitzgerald, 2013) Customer polarization that is have are shopping in up market stores, have not shopping more in low price stores, driving the growth of the industry (Sky News, 2013). Global retail trade growth is driven by Asia Pacific markets and will see highest growth rate. 5. SWOT Analysis 5.1 Strengths Highly efficient stores, staff levels are kept low, operates with only few big brand names and opening hours are fairly modest (Fitzgerald, 2013). High brand value and large extended network of branches covering major developed markets in the world. Continuous expansion in new markets to cater to increased footfall of customers. Basic packaging and limited advertising to keep costs low. Cost advantage derived from economies of scale (Fitzgerald, 2013) Own cheap luxury brands giving stiff competition to expensive luxury brands (Fitzgerald, 2013) Increase in sales mainly coming from new stores (Butler and Bowers, 2013) Discount pricing are impressively cheaper attracting shoppers away from bigger retail giants such as Tesco, Sainsbury Cherry pick bargains offered by Aldi increasing the number of shoppers (Butler and Bowers, 2013) Robust growth over the years (Fitzgerald, 2013) Good for buying staples (Ferruza, 2011) 5.2 Weaknesses In England Aldi does not accept payments through credit card restricting customers who want to pay through credit cards (Osborne, 2012) Charges  customers for a carrier bag (Osborne, 2012)  Low staff levels not able to handle increased customer footfall Reputation damaged because of recent horsemeat scandal and employee spying accusations (Snoops, 2013; Stuart, 2013; The Guardian, 2013). Serious limitation of product selection only 2800 products varieties are offered while other supermarket offer 30000 and shopping cart has to be rented for a quarter, (returned later after cart is kept back) (Grocery.com; Ferruza, 2013) Less glamorous store , interior ambience of stores is not so great, stores are like warehouses, does not decorate shelves, spends very less in packaging, stocking and transportation (Grocery.com, 2013) Stocks low quality products (Ferruzza, 2011). Less glamorous stores, ambience not attractive in stores, it’s like warehouse style store, no frills Stocks low quality products Limited product selection Low level of staff Charges for carrier bags and shopping carts Does not accept payment through credit cards Reputation damaged due to horse meat scandal and employee spying Sells mostly own brands label and limits the number of outside brands Very low advertising and store promotion and only in-house advertising Opportunities Economic recovery in development markets, burgeoning population, urbanization renewing growth Technology such as m-commerce and e-commerce increasing sales Customer polarization increasing discount retailers sale Economic slowdown in the past, inflation and high unemployment rate forcing customers to buy cheaper products Global retail trade growth is high in Asia pacific region and driving the market Price inflation moving customers to discount stores Threats Customers inclination towards sustainability, corporate social responsibility and preference to local suppliers threatening the cost efficiency of discount stores Taxation, and heightened regulations Technology creating operational complexities Consumer changing consuming habits and preferences threatening the industry 6. Identification and evaluation of the Strategies pursued by Aldi Aldi’s competitive strategy is to gain competitive advantage over its rivals through efficiency. Its competitive strategy is low cost leadership that it derives from economies of scale, cost efficiency, low staff level, low quality products, limited product selection and high bargaining power with suppliers (Fitzgerald, 2013; Butler and Bowers, 2013; Steiner, 2013). Its strategy to achieve its mission of simple smarter shopping it has implemented the following strategies in view of its changing business environment. 6.1 Strategies implemented by ALDI Constant rolling out new stores with increased size between 10,000 and 15,000 sq.ft in all countries it is operating (Fitzgerald, 2013). Backward vertical integration, producing cheaper luxury products to attract consumers who are  switching from expensive luxury brands (Grocery.com; Fitzgerald, 2013). Renovation and expansion of existing stores (Fitzgerald, 2013). Started using advertising campaigns to attract more up-market customers to promote its own luxury brand labels deviating from its past strategies (Butler and Bowers, 2013). Increased checkout points and staff level in its store to cater to extra one million customers coming to its stores all over Europe (Steiner, 2013). Delivering high value to customers who are looking for cheaper deals through efficiency in transportation, presentation and packaging (Steiner, 2013). Online sales and apps for attracting internet savvy consumer and engaging customers through social networks (Aldi App, 2013). Sustainable sourcing and reducing environmental impact through recycling and minimum packaging (Aldi Nord, 2013). 6.2 Critical Evaluation of the Strategies In view of Aldi Inc.’s SWOT and the strategies it has implemented it can be said that Aldi’s strategies are in sync with its changing business environment and taking advantage of its strengths and minimizing its weaknesses. By expanding its store sizes, renovating and redecorating its existing stores and opening new stores of bigger sizes it has tried to minimize its weakness of less glamorous warehouse type store. And by opening more stores consistently over the years it is taking advantage of burgeoning population that is resulting in increase of customer footfall (Fitzgerald, 2013). It has also taken care of its weakness of low staff level and increased staff level and checkouts to cater to increased customer footfall (Steiner, 2013). It has started rolling out advertising campaigns for promotions to attract luxury customers and elevated its market positioning by retailing luxury products and changing its reputation of a retailer of low quality products (Butler and B owers, 2013). Aldi is gradually moving from discount store principle to convenient store principle, opening stores in affluent locations, offering luxury products, delivering both value and quality to broaden its consumer base (Skynews, 2013). Through vertical backward integration it has taken advantage of the opportunity presented by the consumer shifting from expensive luxury products to comparatively cheaper luxury products by producing its own luxury label offering them at less price. Broaden its customer base by opening stores in affluent  locations and changing its positioning from a discount store to a convenient store, this is to take advantage of opportunity presented by economic recoveries of developed countries. It has sustained its cost efficiency competitive advantage by lessening costs on packaging, transportation and offering cherry deals. Aldi apps facilitate m-commerce, and it also sells online and interacts with customers using social networks, thus it is taking advantage of op portunities presented by digital media technology. It has minimized threat presented by environmental factors by adopting recycling and has become more socially responsible by adopting sustainable practices for sourcing to minimize the threat presented by customers inclination towards sustainability. However Aldi has not fully taken advantages of other opportunities such as taking advantage of growing Asia Pacific market, it is operating only in Australia and has not yet entered Asian countries where high growth is expected and many governments have opened foreign direct investment in retailing. Price inflation of products and heightened laws and regulations will threaten its cost leadership strategy and in future might increase its operational costs and it may not be able to sustain its competitive strategy for long however it has not taken any measures to address these threats. Increasing staff level will increase its labor costs adding to its operational costs further. 7. Conclusion Aldi Inc. is evolving and implementing strategies to take advantage of opportunities and thwart threats presented by its environment by exploiting its strengths and reducing or eliminating its weaknesses. It has resulted in success as Aldi has experienced great success in 2013 with increased profit and sales compared to other supermarket chains however it may not be able to sustain its competitive advantage for long because prices and costs are increasing and profit margins are decreasing with retail market being saturated in developed countries, it has to expand its operations into new markets for sustaining growth and maintaining market leader position. 8. References Aldi App, (2013), Smart Phone, Aldi App, Aldi Us, Available at https://www.aldi.us/en/services/smartphone-app/, Accessed 25 November, 2013. Aldi Nord, (2013), â€Å"Business†, Aldi Nord, Available at http://www.aldi-nord.de/unternehmen.html, Accessed 28 November, 2013. Aldi Sud Business, (2013), â€Å"Aldi Sud Business†, Aldi Sud, Available at https://unternehmen.aldi-sued.de/de/ueber-aldi-sued/unternehmen/, Accessed 24 November, 2013. Aldi Sud Facts and Figures (2013), â€Å"Aldi Sud Fact and Figures†, Aldi Sud, Available at https://unternehmen.aldi-sued.de/de/ueber-aldi-sued/unternehmen/daten-und-fakten/, Accessed 21 November, 2013. Aldi US, (2013), â€Å"Aldi US Corporate†, Aldi Us, Available at https://corporate.aldi.us/, Accessed 27 November, 2013. Butler, S., and Bowers, S., (2013), â€Å"Britain’s big supermarkets lose ground to cut price rivals and up market grocers†, The Guardian, Available at http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/nov/19/britain-supermarkets-market-share-fall-tesco-sainsburys -lidl, Accessed 22 November, 2013. Ferruzza, C., (2011), â€Å"Forget Trader Joe’s let’s hear it for Aldi†, Pitch, Available at http://www.pitch.com/FastPitch/archives/2011/07/18/forget-trader-joes-lets-hear-it-for-aldi, Accessed 19 November 2013. Fitzgerald, K., (2013), â€Å"Germany the history of Aldi Supermarkets†, Meat Trade News Daily, Available at http://www.meattradenewsdaily.co.uk/news/300413/germany___the_history_of_aldi_supermarkets_.aspx, Accessed 23 November, 2013. Grocery.com, (2013), â€Å"Aldi Foods†, Grocery.com, Available at http://www.grocery.com/aldi-foods/, Accessed 27 November, 2013. Mack, S, (2013), â€Å"Social Factors Affecting Retail Business†, Small Business Chron, Available at http://smallbusiness.chron.com/social-factors-affecting-retail-business-71662.html, Accessed 23 November, 2013. PWC, (2013), â€Å"Industry Issues†, PWC, Available at http://www.pwc.co.uk/retail-consumer/issues/retail-and-consumer-ind ustry-issues.jhtml, Accessed 22 November, 2013. Osborne, H., (2012), â€Å"The Aldi Experience: Supermarket shopping with a difference†, The Guardian, Available at http://www.theguardian.com/money/blog/2012/oct/08/aldi-supermarket-shopping-difference, Accessed 25 November, 2013. Reportlinker, (2013), â€Å"Aldi Inc. – Strategic SWOT Analysis Review†, Report Linker, Available at http://www.reportlinker.com/p0500369-summary/Aldi-Inc-Strategic-SWOT-Analysis-Review.html, Accessed 29 November, 2013. Reuters (2013), â€Å"Research and

2 Year Better Than 4

ESLL26-08 04/17/2013 Journal Homework#1 In the article that I read, â€Å"Two Years Are Better Than Four†, Liz Addison, expresses her opinion on community colleges, which she believes that the community college system should be regarded as one of America’s uniquely great institutions, not only because community colleges lets students have a place to start their higher education, but also because community colleges is critical to the nation by offering people a network of affordable future, of accessible hope, and an option to dream.Addison firstly refutes Rick Perlstein’s opinion and states â€Å"My guess, reading between the lines, is that Mr. Perlstein has never set foot in an American Community College†. Then coupled with the writing that came before this statement, this line sets up Addison’s paper and provides the reader with her thesis â€Å"The philosophy of the community college is one that unconditionally allows its students to begin†. And Addison properly concluded her opinion of community colleges towards the end of the essay that the community college really matters to these students, from different backgrounds.It services them a way to prove themselves who would never breathe the college experience. From where I stand, I would look on the community college as a turning point for the whole life rather than a start. Regardless of what background you had or how horrible your life was — yes, they make everyone equal —- and there you will have one shot, one opportunity to make your whole life a big turn. For workers, they will approach the higher education.Community colleges make a balance of occupation and education for them; it becomes possible to take the class after working. The working people have already had rich experience, but lacking of theoretical knowledge, and there they may master it so that they can make progress in their work and improve the quality of their lives. For students who a re not ready for the 4-year universities, they will find discovery of a two-year preparation and transfer to a better university. Take myself as an example.I graduate from a high school in China and just moved in America last month. Failing the exam or dropping out of school may happen to me if I go to a 4-year university directly without language training and then I would spend the rest of my life in the restaurant on waiting tables. Thank of the community college, it offers a key to the American society and live that I can grow up a little bit with my first English class, a bit more with making American friends, a whole lot more with understanding American culture. My life is going to turn with just a placement test.

The Continuum from Legitimacy to Fraud Research Paper - 9

The Continuum from Legitimacy to Fraud - Research Paper Example This essay demonstrates that the suitability of an accounting policy under the requirements of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) draws a line on the continuum that distinguishes legitimate earnings management from fictitious accounting transactions. The process of determination of whether or when earnings management dealings do cross the line is essentially difficult to ascertain legitimacy to fraud, especially in certain situations on financial transactions. Legitimate earnings management in an entity translates to quality in earnings but with no reference to whether there has been a fair presentation of the financial statements that are convenient to the generally accepted accounting principles. Auditors’ roles with regard to quality of the entity’s earnings are important though their responsibilities are spelled out in detection and reporting of fraud. Auditors need to address their judgments about quality and the acceptability of the entity’s pr inciples of accounting and all the financial estimates that underlie the statements. Auditors should always inform the committee on the audit on the unacceptability approach at the end of the accounting period so as to improve the overall effectiveness of the corporate body on audit committees. The communication between the auditors and the committee on the audit is seen as an avenue for enhancing clear understanding of the quality of earnings and all the issues related to it hence improving the level of financial reporting. ... ?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦42 4.0 Question #4 Overview: Ethical Considerations†¦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‚¬ ¦..45 4.1 Recommendations†¦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‚¬ ¦46 4.2 Corporate mechanisms to avoid fraudulent Earnings Management†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.50 4.3 Board oversight†¦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‚¬ ¦.51 4.4 External Audit and internal Audit reporting to Audit committee of Board†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..52 4.5 Whistleblower procedures†¦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‚¬ ¦.52 4.6 Code of conduct and ethics of Financial Officers†¦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‚¬ ¦.53 4.7 Philosophical Stance†¦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‚¬ ¦.54 4.8 References†¦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‚¬ ¦..55 Question #1 Overview —Theoretical and Conceptual Knowledge Introduction (Overview) Earnings management entails an extensive range of illegitimate and legitimate actions undertaken by companies and business organizations’ management s, affecting the entire legal entities’ overall earnings. In understanding this phenomenon of earnings management, it’s important to have a wide overview of the legitimate managerial activities carried out in an entity and the fraudulent reporting that is spearheaded by accountants and the entire management of an organization. The management of earnings leans on the credibility of financial information which is adversely affected by legal or illegal undertakings. All managerial activities within an organization have various implications and potential effects on earnings management.

Current Economic Climate in Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Current Economic Climate in Britain - Essay Example This paper illustrates that the economic climate in Britain affects businesses differently. Even with the realized economic progress, competition has heightened across all industries. Free market practices have become predominant, forcing businesses to engage in intense competition in order to secure significant market shares. Most importantly, Britain is not immune to the euro crisis as well as global financial and economic hardships. For this reason, risks might seem to outweigh benefits in starting up a new business. However, this might not be the case. The economic climate, whether it progresses, stagnates, or deteriorates, does not directly translate into business failure if risks are involved. The business environment can hardly be immune to risks and economic hardships. Business diversity in the economic context has to cope with many eventualities, which if not managed can be catastrophic to many businesses. Even in the best of economies in the world, risks cannot be ignored. Rather, the presence of risks is acknowledged and the necessary course of action taken to manage the risks. Business competition in Britain’s economy has been observed to intensify over time. Following this trend, the most influential risks for businesses are operational, financial, or economic in nature. The benefits realized by any given business in the economy depend on the opportunity identified, strategies taken to exploit the opportunity, decision making, and management practices employed. These aspects are essential in countering business start-up risks that could negatively affect the performance of the business.

The Current System at BAAF Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Current System at BAAF - Essay Example In addition, the intranet may be configured to provide email access and web forum that will allow geographically distant office employees to coordinate on the product testing approaches and methodologies. This also entails the establishment of a prompt and organized communication interface for employees to locate and discuss issues with the relevant personnel online. In addition, the intranet may be configured to provide email access and web forum that will allow geographically distant office employees to coordinate on the product testing approaches and methodologies. This also entails the establishment of a prompt and organized communication interface for employees to locate and discuss issues with the relevant personnel online.4.4 Moreover, all the policies, manuals, checklists etc. that are required by employees to carry out their responsibilities, can be kept on the intranet; thus allowing easy access and complete information.4.5 This will enable BAAF to reduce their turn around time for product development; that will ultimately benefit customers and will also result in savings of high magnitude to the company, as it is estimated that for every week saved in R&D, the company gains up to  £ 1 million pounds per year. B) EXTRANET AND ITS LIMITATIONS5. Using Extranet to share information between Pharmaceutical companies5.1 It is estimated that if BAAF works in collaboration with different pharmaceutical companies in the market, they might be able to reduce the amount of work by sharing information with other companies; and eliminating the need to do everything themselves.  5.2 In order for that to happen, the company can establish an extranet. Wikipedia compares extranets with intranets by stating that an extranet is similar to an intranet with the difference that intranets are generally limited to the employees while extranets can be accessed by outsiders including customers, suppliers and other authorized parties. The detailed comparison can be seen at < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intranet>.5.3 However, using extranets to share information over the network has some disadvantages that may prove to be critical to the company’s interests.  

Food Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Food Science - Essay Example The liquid component, which is in the form of droplets suspended in the other component, is known as the disperse, discontinuous, or open phase. The other phase is called the continuous or closed phase. For instance, when oil and water are mixed together vigorously, the oil may be dispersed in water, or the water may be dispersed in oil. In an 'oil in water emulsion', oil forms droplets in water (oil dispersed in water) and in a 'water in oil emulsion', water forms droplets in oil (water dispersed in oil). Fruits can be divided into climacteric and non-climacteric types based on the pattern of respiration during the ripening period. Climacteric fruits include apples, bananas, pears, melons and avocados which have a distinct ripening phase. Non-climacteric fruits include citrus fruits, grapes, strawberry, and pineapple which have no distinct ripening phase. The two classes respond to ethylene quite differently. If immature climacteric fruits are treated with ethylene, the onset of the climacteric and the associated ripening changes is hastened, but the overall pattern of respiration remains unchanged. If non-climacteric fruits are treated with ethylene, the rate of respiration is rapidly increased which leads to changes in colour through loss of chlorophyll, increases in simple sugars and loss of acids. For example, oranges lose chlorophyll Wheat proteins are divided into gluten proteins (generally about 80 to 85% of total wheat protein) and non-gluten proteins (about 15 to 20% of total wheat protein). It is the gluten proteins that largely determine the breadmaking performance of wheat flour. Wheat gluten proteins have the unusual property to form a visco-elastic mass after hydration. When kneading/mixing the flour with water, gluten proteins enable the formation of a cohesive visco-elastic dough that is capable of holding gas produced during fermentation and oven-rise, resulting in the typical fixed open foam structure of bread after baking. Although the dough rheological properties essential for breadmaking are largely determined by the wheat gluten proteins, interactions of the gluten protein matrix with other flour components like flour lipids, non-gluten proteins, may affect its rheological properties. Wheat gluten rheological properties can be modified further by the addition of oxidants, reducing agents, or pro teases that directly change gluten proteins or by the addition of lipids/emulsifiers or hemicelluloses that can modify gluten

Final Exame Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final Exame - Essay Example When individual living in the society will have a clear idea about the basics of his life then the positive aspects of the culture are also adopted by the neighboring civilizations. There are various primary functions of religion. One such function is provision of mental peace. Human being is surrounded around difficulties and insecurities therefore religion provides them the binding force. Religion also promotes positive social values such as honestly and integrity. Another function of religion is the promotion of solidarity. It provides the platform at which people of different races can unite together. Question 2: Not all religious practitioners are equal in terms of their strength of their prayers. Religious practitioners are important part of the religion since these are the real people who are transferring religion to the younger generations. Religious practitioners are classified into four broad categories. These include individualistic, shamanistic, communal and ecclesiastica l. Individualistic is the basic practitioner of the religion. Shamanistic is the part time religious practitioners who practices religion on behalf of other people which could also be his clients. Communal practitioners propagate the religious values to the group of people. Ecclesiastical practitioners are those who practice religion with a proper hierarchical structure. Catholic Church can be considered as an example of these practitioners. Question 3: The whole world has become one marketplace this is an era of globalization. Therefore immigration is inevitable in this modern world. Tourism is going to flourish in this modern era because of the changing demographics and psychographic elements of the world. Indigenous will interact with international artistic works. Only those people will survive who can provide best possible things (Nanda & Warms, 2009). Question 4: Expression of body art is becoming one of the most popular artistic works in the modern world. Instead of portraying on paper, experts are of the opinion that body expressions can describe the conceptual background in an effective manner. It is a difficult task for an artist to provide attention to details. Therefore body art is the best way to project the concept clearly. Question 5: Colonialism has played an important role in the development of modern culture in majority of the regions where British has ruled. The language of colonial areas is influenced by the culture and values of those people who have ruled them. For example Hindi has adopted various words of English language. Similarly many African countries still understand French because African countries had been French colonies in the past. There are many Muslim states like Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Turkey which have taken influence from European Colonialism. Majority of the countries which were ruled by British, have adopted their political culture. Most of the English and French colonies are still based on democratic system. L egal system is one of the key components for the efficient and effective functioning of the state. Colonial era’s law is still followed in majority of the countries with certain amendments. People living in these areas are of the opinion that they have learnt a lot from different civilization with which they have interacted. The architecture of colonial areas reflects the adoption of English or French design in the construction. Sociologists are of the opinion that interaction of two different civilizations has brought positive results for the overall development

Application of One of Four Individual Theories to Health Behavior Term Paper

Application of One of Four Individual Theories to Health Behavior - Term Paper Example rature study about the mental health disorder among young adults and middle aged people it can be suggests that depression and anxiety can be treated and cured if those are identified in early stages. This paper uses the theory of planned behavior to critically analyze the prevalence of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety among young adults and middle aged groups. My selection for the condition, mental health behavior and priority group is particularly based on the fact that mental disorders such as depression, stress and anxiety are currently the most common cause of mental health problems among young adults and middle aged individuals and are a leading. For example, depression, problem of anxiety is common among young adults, with nearly 10% of young adults currently suffering from depression and anxiety disorder related problems This is attributed to the fact that many young adults and people in their middle ages often undergo a number of stressful situations related to their career, work, family, religion and economic status (Middle life crisis). Some of the potential specific reasons may include: The chosen group often experience mental disorders such as depression and anxiety as this is the age people begin to experience changes associated with aging in life and may long to get back the youthfulness they had during adolescent. The Theory of Planned Behavior is one of the four individual theories to health behavior that can effectively be used to explain the high prevalence of mental disorders such as depression and anxiety among young adults and middle aged individuals. According to the theory, an individual’s control over behavior is determined by a number of constructs namely: Often times, an individual’s willingness to seek for psychiatric help for a mental disorder like anxiety and depression can, to a great extent, be explained using a series of beliefs and attitudes as Icek Ajzen conceptualizes in the TPB (Buckworth & Buckworth,

Political Socialization and Ideology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Political Socialization and Ideology - Essay Example Blue: The Political Typology) TYPOLOGY AND DEMOGRAPHICS: Yes, my demographics match those with the typical person in my quiz. The majority of the traits that are present in a main street republican that is I am very critical and observant about how the government functions in American society. I believe in religion and the values that come along with it therefore I completely oppose marriages of the same sex and abortions. I do not find charm in greed and hence business does not enamor me much. I support all the efforts made by the government in order to protect this environment. And finally I have faith in labor as hard work always pays off irrespective of how crucial the circumstances might be. The only point that I disagree over is when it comes to my typology is that I support social welfare programs to an extent. There are many Americans who are in need of support by the government to make both ends meet, therefore such programs should regulate.Lastly I do support immigrants as through their efforts there have been positive benefits to our current economy. The main street republican group thus closely matches my typology. ANALYSIS OF MY SURVEY RESULTS Like I mentioned previously that my results are quite agreeable with only a few reservations that I have regarding them. My result stated that I am a main street republican which is the best group they could put me too. Since I support the Republican government and I totally side them with most of the characteristics they believe I possess. A "Main Street Republicans  differ from Staunch Conservatives in the degree of their conservatism and in their skepticism about business. They are socially and fiscally... The subject of political sociology and ideology is quite important as it helps individuals to understand the depth of politics and their stance over it. Politics is an integral component of every person's life as it directly or indirectly affects an individual in various manners. By studying political sociology one can easily affiliate himself to the prevailing system and do his best in order to change the system if required. As a main street republican I believe that the present system is the best way to sustain as it allows the direct involvement of public in the state affairs making it an issue of the entire nation. Certain amendments and strict laws and regulations need to be made in order to overcome prevailing social evils in the society. Thus "Greatness is rare and great men are few; but republican government puts power in the hands of many rather than few."

Expanding your business to China Essay Example for Free

Expanding your business to China Essay There are many advantages to expanding your business to China. Not only is China considered one of the largest economies in the world, it also has a vast emerging market that is still growing (Startup Overseas). Although China has embraced many Western Business ethics and practices, there are still numerous cross-cultural differences that can make it difficult to succeed without sufficient research and knowledge of the culture. Examples of these cross cultural differences include the Chinese’ attitude toward work and workplace, the labor laws, and how Chinese businesses collaborate with other organizations. More differences include how we market and sell a product, and how pricing differs between our two countries. Perhaps the most important differences are those of ethical positions, such as child labor and sexism. A Chinese worker’s attitude toward the job and the workplace depends on what position they have in an organization. China is considered a collectivist society, which means the majority of people within the society act in the interests of the group and not necessarily themselves (Geert Hofstede, 2010). The United States is considered an individualistic society and emphasizes the importance of the individual. This also applies to the way these countries do business. A collectivist business may have a team of workers contributing to satisfy all the customers, whereas an individualistic business may have several individual representatives who each have their own client list. Another difference in the workplace is how large an organization’s Power Distance is. Power distance is the acceptance that all individuals in the society are not equal (Geert Hofstede, 2010). China has a very large power distance, which means its’ workers accept the fact that there is a hierarchy within the organization, and they know their place within that organization. They expect power within the business to be distributed unequally. The United States has a lower Power Distance acceptance, which means that workers don’t accept that power is distributed unequally within the organization, and they expect to be treated as equals to even the people in the highest positions of the business. The Chinese also accept that decision making comes from the top, whereas in the U.S., everyone wants their suggestion and opinion to be heard, and they do not always accept decisions that are made within the organization. The  differences between Chinese and U.S. labor laws are subtle, but still worth mentioning. In China, a normal working week is 44 hours, with a maximum of 48 hours (only 4 hours of overtime is allotted). In the U.S., a normal working week is 40 hours, with overtime paid on any hours worked over that 40. Maternity leave is up to 3 months paid in China. In the U.S., Maternity leave is up to 12 months unpaid (at the company’s discretion). Surprisingly, women in China make 80.5% of what men in the same position make, whereas in the U.S., women only make 70% of what men make in the same position (Guo). In China, businesses tend to put an emphasis on personal relationships between business partners. An initial business meeting will consist of getting to know the personality and lifestyles of the one you are entering into a relationship with (Graf). Chinese business owners will want a loyal friendship when considering associations. This system of social networks and influential relationships that facilitate business and other dealings is called guanxi (Mah, 2012). In the United States, owners of a business as well as the workers within that organization strive to keep their personal and professional lives different. Though some partners end up being friends, and many workers build friendships outside of the workplace, it is not the intention at the start of a business relationship. Gift giving is also a large cultural difference. In the United States, if a gift is given at the start of a business meeting, or the start of an association, it can be seen as bribery or a way to make businesses feel obligated in working together. Chinese organizations are much more accepting of gifts although certain etiquettes must be followed in order for the gift to be given in good faith (Culture Crossing Guide). For example, gifts must be nicely wrapped and may not be opened right away unless prompted to do so. Also, do not give any gifts such as clocks, flowers, or cutting instruments as it is considered disrespectful. Negotiation style is a major difference between the United States and China. In China, social context, personal relations, and non-verbal behavior are very important in negotiation. There are usually many people from the  company who attend the meeting to discuss any topics that need negotiation. Americans value legal contracts and documents over personal relationships, and do not put as much stock in body language. American businesses usually only send one or two people do the negotiating on behalf of the entire company. For the purposes of this paper, let us assume that an American Company has seen great success with its toy product. This company is looking to expand its business to China. There is usually a demand for toys in any country and in China, 17.1% (roughly 223 million) of the nation’s population is under 14 years old (Central Intelligence Agency). Research also shows that the total retail sales of toys in China have increased by 14.2% since 2010 (HKTDC Research, 2014). The Design of this toy would have to be carefully rethought, particularly if it is a doll or Barbie type toy. The doll would have to be remanufactured to suit the needs of the children in China. Skin Color, Clothing, and accessories would all need to be redesigned. For example, although most girl-intended American Dolls wear pink, pink is considered a gender-neutral color in China. The color white is also associated with death and mourning, so any â€Å"wedding dress† dolls would need to be recolored to the traditional Chinese color of red (KaiWen, 2010). The clothing of the doll would probably have to become more modest. In looking at Chinese dolls, most are dressed in Geisha style robes. The United States dolls tend to show more â€Å"skin.† The packaging of the doll would also have to be translated to Chinese. The company would also need to avoid any symbolism that might offend Chinese parents or even the government, such as any American paraphernalia, like the flag, or anything with a religious context, like a cross. Imagine the price of this toy is $5.00. The value of a $1.00 is equal to 117.78 ( ¥). That would mean that the exchange rate on the toy would be $588.90. But with the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) factor, we know that China’s market exchange rate is .6 (World Bank, International Comparison Program Database, 2014). This means that China would actually pay 60% of what the United States would pay for the toy. The price of the toy would be  353.34  ¥. This price could be adjusted depending on competition in the Chinese market. The American company would also need to increase the price based on exporting costs. A sale price, or discounted price, in China is also different from what a sale price would be considered in the United States. In the U.S., if a product is on sale, the advertisement might say â€Å"10% off.† In China, they advertise the percentage of the price that you would pay for, in this example â€Å"90%† (Tyson, 2014). Good times for sales would be around National Chinese Holidays, such as the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival), May Day, or the Mid-Autumn Festival. Several sales channels can be used to promote a product in China. Traditional avenues include major shopping centers, specialty stores, and franchise chains. There is also the internet platform and many sites such as Amazon or Baby.tmall.com. One of the best ways to break into the toy market in China is to have the toy include educational or technological aspects. This would help broaden the available channels of the toys to include museums, zoos, and electronic stores. This is very different from the United States, who tends to promote and market to the different genders. Most American toys are either for girls or for boys; there aren’t very many gender-neutral toys. Just like in the United States, China has import and trade regulations. Some of these regulations include import inspection (Regulations for the Administration of Inspection of Toy Imports and Exports), attention to the potential danger of toys, China Compulsory Certification (CCC), and standards such as plush toy fillings should be even and of an appropriate softness with no hard objects inside. It is also worth noting the Standardization Law of the People’s Republic of China, where four levels of standards are stipulated: national standards, industry standards, local standards, and enterprise standards. This company will have to adhere to all of these standard and regulations in order to export the toys from the United States to China. Another option for the company would be to open a factory in China, or use a preexisting Chinese toy factory to manufacture the toys and sell / distribute locally. In order to reach the more rural  areas of China, this company might consider making a deal with a Chinese company that already distributes to those small towns and rural areas. If this company does decide to open a factory in China, or utilize a preexisting factory, it will have to deal with ethical issues such as child labor, and sexism. Child labor has been a widely controversial issue for many years. The PRC Law on the Protection of Minors was first passed in 1991, and the newly revised Minors Protection Law entered the force in 2007. Many International rights documents have also been implemented by the UN (Library of Congress). Although the child labor conditions have been described as â€Å"improved† in China, there are actually no statistics or documentation to back it up. We still hear reports of Child Labor issues existing in China. As a company looking to do business in China, it is important to set certain standards within the organization that do not support and do penalize child labor. Although women in China make a higher percentage of what men make (80.5%) than what women in American make compared to men (70%), there is still a lot of sexism in the society and the culture of Chinese businesses. For example, women must always greet men first, and it is not acceptable for women to look men in the eye. Women are not allowed in higher or executive positions within the organization. Women are still expected to meet a nice man, get married, have children, and take care of the household. Not to mention the fact that having a son is extremely preferable to having a daughter in most Chinese families. While this behavior would be considered abhorrent (mostly) in Western cultures, foreign businesses may actually benefit from China’s oversight in regards to women. Foreign businesses may hire the talented women for executive positions that Chinese businesses have ignored or cast aside (Harris, 2010). While there are many differences between the Chinese culture and ethics from those of the United States, expanding a business in China can be mutually beneficial and successful. There is a balance between Chinese and American societies and laws that must be found, or all parties may be unhappy. Before growing your business to a foreign country, much research and planning must be done. Or, as the Chinese proverb says, â€Å"if a thing’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.† Works Cited Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.). The World Factbook: China. Retrieved from Central Intelligence Agency: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ch.html Culture Crossing Guide. (n.d.). China. Retrieved from Culture Crossing Guide: http://guide.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_student.php?id=43 Geert Hofstede, G. J. (2010). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. New York: McGraw-Hill USA. Retrieved from The Hofstede Centre. Graf, R. (n.d.). 10 Major Cultural Differences Between China and the United States. Retrieved from Hubpages: http://hubpages.com/hub/10-Major-Cultural-DifferencesChina-and-the-UnitedStates Guo, B. (n.d.). Chinas Labor Standards: Myths and Realities. Retrieved from academia.edu: http://www.academia.edu/165449/China_s_Labor_Standards_Myths_and_Realities Harris, D. (2010, 12 16). Sexism in Cina. A Good Thing for Foreign Business? Retrieved from China Law Blog: http://www.chinalawblog.com/2010/12/sexism_china_style_a_good_thing_for_foreign_busine ss.html HKTDC Research. (2014, 09 18). Chinas Toy Market. Retrieved from HKTDC Research: http://chinatrade-research.hktdc.com/business-news/article/China-Consumer-Market/China-s-toymarket/ccm/en/1/1X000000/1X002MRF.htm KaiWen. (2010, 11 09). Ask the Chinese Girl. Retrieved from Blogspot: http://ask-a-chineseguy.blogspot.com/2010/11/colors-in-chinese-culture.html Library of Congress. (n.d.). Childrens Rights: China. Retrieved from Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/law/help/child-rights/china.php Mah, R. (2012, 11 23). Cultural Differences Between America and China. Retrieved from World-Class Business Etiquette: http://www.etiquetteoutreach.com/blog_new-york-etiquetteguide/bid/92662/Cultural-Differences-Between-America-and-China Startup Overseas. (n.d.). Expanding a Business in China. Retrieved from Startup Overseas: http://www.startupoverseas.co.uk/expanding-a-business-in-china# Tyson, K.

Emotional climax Essay Example for Free

Emotional climax Essay Continuing the theme of humanity and its behaviour, I believe the following events to be true to that. It is strange that in a play that revolves around its religious puritan upbringing, it also lacks a certain amount of Christian/Satanic or general imagery or symbolism. I would say that in comparison to a play such as Macbeth which relies on its disturbing imagery to convey the involvement of dark forces with the plot, The Crucible uses the reactions and actions of human beings to essentially shock the audience with as opposed to bold and obvious imagery. The preceding actions of the girls is but a taste of the weak human nature that will to some degree be the ruination of the innocents of Salem: the inert readiness to speak out against those who will miss use power and authority to a larger agenda, is the collective attitude that will allow silence to manipulate the villages fate. The tension is released as the anger and madness dies, but the atmosphere is left with a slight air of detectable pessimism as the girls (including Mercy,) leave with no attempt to rectify with Proctor anything he may have heard or stay for Abigails sake- (Id best be off, I have Ruth to watch.) Instead they leave apologetically and sheepishly, I quote- [Mercy sidles out.] Now that the stage is rid of the bulk, only the strong figure of Proctor, a slightly hidden Abigail and mute Betty remain. The scope is quiet, the audience surges with anxiety, as we are now fully aware of the extent of Abigails character and her master schemes for both characters on stage. The stage directions quote- [Abigail has stood as though on tiptoe, absorbing his presence, wide-eyed. He glances at Betty on the bed.] The scene is perfectly set, almost waiting for Abigail to pounce. The remainder of the scene has only dramatic effect in the two characters direct speech and actions. It is the dramatic effect of the language in the dialogue that develops the characters for the benefit of the audience as history repeats- Youre surely sportin with me. The flirtatious attempts of Abigail do nothing but reveal the nature of their relationship. Proctors character is used in the first act and indeed second as a pawn, a strong male presence that conjures up history, friction and feelings between a variety of characters. In this quote, Proctors reply demonstrates their current familiarity, as he obviously feels his would be rude answer appropriate in her case, which suggests history and the blunt coldness of his words suggests a tainted one- You know me better, This is used to great dramatic effect as this quote is an example of what classes this scene a complication. The revelations between the two characters and the audience displays I theorize that in this epitome, a play like The Crucible has numerous complications, which take the severity of the actual complication (the witch hunts,) to a higher level. For example the threat of being accused by one villager is but trivial when the accusation of attempted murder through witchcraft of which Elizabeth and Proctor are fully aware leads to trial, is brought to their knowledge. This accusation of attempted murder is one complication that mounts to a highly climatic and tragic demise. The heated and often dark references that Abigail uses are incredibly direct and delivered with a force that might suggest these are situations that are in need of persuasion. Not only the dramatic tension created by her choice of tactics, but the very level of desperation and inner naivety of the character that results in juvenile actions is incomprehensible! The confusion behind the seemingly innocent Abigail is astounding and her unpredictability creates tension as the audience realises the precarious nature of the play when Abigail is involved. The next scene I will analyse simply overflows with emotion, brought out through the characters ordeals. Elizabeth is featured here, wife of Proctor and the other half of an unhappy marriage. Their struggles seemed to begin and end with that harlot, once again Abigail is at the centre of insular turmoil. Leading up to this scene, we have seen a troubled and excluded couple; as Goody Proctor kisses him with suspicion and keeps their future happiness with it at the root of their marriage, Proctor bites his tongue with his sins past sins upon his shoulders. This scene is one of revelation and the audience sits enthralled as even tension created for the ultimate end disappears, as the couple who obviously still have love for one another quash their insecurities and make their peace. The scene begins with this fluctuation of feelings toward one another still in tact. The atmosphere is one of grief and almost acceptance, as these accusations, deaths and confessions have continued over the past few months (since the previous scene,) and the two characters have bared gruelling witness to it all. Once again, this final appearance of Elizabeth to Proctor needs a more detailed explanation, as the stage directions take the audience through every one of their actions and therefore magnifying the importance of the revelation of this scene, [Alone. Proctor walks to her, halts] The gentle nature of Elizabeth has been taken advantage of, in order to coax proctor into a confession. Elizabeth has taken the opposite course of action and frees him from her suspicious grasp.  Elizabeths query, though perhaps comical when an attempt is made to read it seriously, shows her utter lack of compassion and hope through the injustices of their predicament. Lack of compassion even for her own husband, though her enquiry made is meant in a considerate context- You have been tortured? Elizabeth continues to answer his questions in a cold and blunt manner, (their inhibitions still remain, anticipating the arrival of the emotional climax.) Extending the theme of revelation, this is probed unintentionally by Elizabeth and her remarks, for example she says about the death of Giles Corey, They press him John, more weight he says. Proctors reply is influenced by this, the courage of Corey is taken by Proctor and used to state, I have been thinking I would confess to them Elizabeth. In addition, the quote of Elizabeths instigates she wishes him to form a course of action, which he does in the previous quote. However, her reply is not one of looming suspicion or ruled by mistrust, it overcomes those petit consciences and the character finds the will to say, I cannot judge you John. No matter how Proctor begs for an order, a course of action or reassurance, Elizabeth stands strong and helps him to lose his inhibitions by making his own choice. The scene finally reaches a heart-wrenching climax as Elizabeth delivers the line Only be sure of this, for I know it now: Whatever you will do, it is a good man does it. Whatever the finale, this is a satisfying resolution because the characters have admitted exactly what the audience almost begs them to say, the actors deliver a service of satisfaction. Perhaps the only the example of dramatic imagery is the recurring theme of winter inside the Proctor house, as opposed to the summer and heat in the midst of the Abigail/Proctor love affair. Elizabeth now admits that is was a cold attitude she had towards her husband; a shrivelled marriage that she kept, a cold house. Her admittance of this symbolises the last string of the old relationship broken. The dramatic effective adds to the release of tension between the characters as the entire situation diffuses. Both of the characters fronts falter as they indulge in insular peace, paving the way for the final resolution: the turmoil between husband and wife is finally resolved, Proctor has everything to live for and the strength to do what is need to remain with family and friends- or is it? Unfortunately, the phrase too good to be true springs to mind, and also to the audience. The scene I analysed is in theory the penultimate resolution. It fits this description perfectly, as although it is misleading -because Proctor decides not to have his life and confess, but die with sanctity of name- it is satisfying. Dramatic tension is built extremely subtly behind the contagious joy of peace between the Proctors, foreseeing the ultimate loss of inhibitions for John. True, the character has lost the stubbornness that kept his wife from him, but it is also true to Elizabeths statement that John has not forgiven himself: self confessed sinner he may be, but a proud man is John Proctor. The truth may be that even in death, let alone life would the character not forgive himself for his sins with Abigail. His martyrdom was the release of self-hatred through a noble stand; he held onto the only thing that in his opinion was not tainted, his name. The Crucible recurs the theme of boundaries and limits, with such things as physical limits including the obsession with land, exclusive living (within colonies,) and with names. Proctors boundary was infact the preservation of his name, that is the only earthly piece of self he would not let go of- the only piece of self he realistically had left. This is a truly effective resolution, as the main character is finally at rest: Miller is no hero for surviving the courts, but his duty to society is done, his warning and message still survives fifty years on.

The Challenges Of Organizational Change Management

The Challenges Of Organizational Change Management Organization change management is a process in which you bring and manage changes in an organization for the batter performance of the organization. To improve the quality of out put and find the ways to increase the customers level of satisfaction. Find the ways how to compete the competitors and find the techniques to reduce the cost without disturbing the quality of a product. Significant change in an organization Organization changes are made due to many different reasons which are discussed below. To compete the competitors in market For smooth running of business To increase sale level To introduce new technology To improve the performance of organization While making change you should consider your customer in your mind because sometime your customer do not like changes and that bring negative impact in your organization and sometime company makes so much profit by introducing changes. Only making change in a strategy is not only the thing you companies make the changed strategy perfectly but the fail to implements the strategy and even organization implements strategy very nicely but it fails to control it and cannot have proper check and balance on it. A good strategic manager should also develop a changed strategy and implement and even maintain it without disturbing the quality of the product. Formal and informal organizations There are generally two types of organization formal and in formal. In formal organization an organization follows each and every aspect defined in its mission vision statements, goals and objectives and each and every thing is properly documented and follows all procedures while in informal organization company do make any documented record most of the things are verbally and orally. But formal organization can make good changes and maintain it and can also view the success percentage of changes because all things are written and can analyse easily. Bureaucratic organizations Bureaucratic organization is an organization typified by formal processes, standardization, hierarchic procedures and written communication (1) That means bureaucratic organization is an organization where all powers are assigned to a specific person or department there is a centralized power system and each and every task is done according to described rules all communication should be in writing form. Strengths of Bureaucratic organizations Following are the strengths of a bureaucratic organization All process are controlled by superior management All communication is done in written form Division of work is done according to systematic way All employees knows their duties and responsibilities All process is monitored by authoritative person No chance of communication gap All rules and regulation are pre defined Hierarchy structure Weaknesses of Bureaucratic organizations No innovation proves Too long hierarchy chain Prolong communication No dialogue process Long and delay process Delay decisions Lack of communication among top management and employees Comparison of alternative forms of organizational development Organizational Development Inventions and innovation that are made in an organization for the development are called organizational development. These inventions and innovations are pre planned, and applied in an organization in the systematic way, all strategies which are not showing desired results are studied thoroughly and all aspects that are creating problems in the development of organization are revised and changes are planed and implemented in a systematic way. Different types of Organizational Developments Four main areas which require development of change are discussed below. Human Processes Human process needs changes and developments. Highly skilled workers are the assets for a organization and a successful organization always conduct some training and development programmes for their workers. In an organization workers are categorized into many groups like production team, marketing team, account staff, clerical staff, customer service staff etc. all of them have different trainings programmes. If the workers are divided into groups and changes are made for a particular group they can understand and adopt the changes easily. Structural inventions Structural changes are made for the structure of an organization that means an organization wants to reduce its hierarchal chain for the smooth running of business and smoothly flows of information from one end to another end and also for quick decision where it need keeping in view that quality of product do not disturb some time powers are also assigned to a specific department for the batter performance. Human resource management (HRM) As discussed earlier that human is the basic factor for the success of business the company should review their performance and organise some programmes for their batter performance also give them proper reward because if employees are satisfied they do efforts more for the success of a business. Strategic inventions Strategic innovation is the creation of growth strategies, new product categories, services or business models that change the game and generate significant new value for consumers, customers and the corporation. That means the strategic innovations holistic, multidisciplinary framework that enables organizations to take a strategic approach to innovation. (2) Task 2: System Development Introduction As the time passes the automobile industry need to bring changes in policies and its infrastructure to survive and compete in the international market. Basically automobile industry is a very large industry and there are many brands that available in the market. To survive every automobile industry has to research and introduce new technology and design in every upcoming model. Ford is one of the leading automotive manufacturing companies in the United States. Based in Michigan in 1903 by Henry ford and grew to reach revenue of $150 billion and more than 370,000 employees by 1996 [1]. In the 1970s, the automobile manufacturing industries (General Motors, Ford and Chrysler) was crunched by foreign manufacturers such as Honda and Toyota. In 1999, Ford took steps to compete the foreign market by acquiring the Swedish Volvo model and expanded it to other regions as well. Furthermore, Ford launched a fully organized re-engineering manufacturing process plan called Ford 2000 aiming at re-establishing the infrastructure of the company. The process was to reduce their vehicle centres to only five covering operations which spanned 200 regions. It also meant to cut down redundancies and to require Information Technology (IT) to be the driving force and the link between the Ford centres worldwide. Organisational development against change in automobile industry Human processes Human nature is to react against the change. Automobile industry need to change their human process to achieve change efficiently and effectively. They need to organise the team work for the change. Strategic Planning against the change Automobile industry needs strategic planning to bring the change to survive in the market of the United States. Ford need to plan how to implement change and earn profit from the changes. Stakeholders These are the participants who could be affected by the change process. In automobile industry directors, managers, share holders, transporters, suppliers, government and financing institutions are stake holders. We have to identify stakeholders affected directly or indirectly by the change. And also we have identified the resistances against the change by the stake holders. Purpose of Stakeholders Analysis Main objective of the stakeholders analysis to clarify the following things: To recognise and categorise the main stakeholders being affected by the organizational change To analyse the reaction of stakeholders against change To get the attentions of the stake holders about the change To find out the stake holders who resists and support the change To get the positive response from the stake holders To cooperate with the Stakeholders for implementation of the organizational change Organization Ford Motor Company Organizational Change: Change is to adopt new technology, techniques and policies to survive and compete the market. Stakeholders in Automobile Industry (Ford Motor Company) Stakeholders Description Effecting level Strategic Stakeholders Directors and higher level management define strategies. Highly Affected Managerial Stakeholders Those who help to implement the strategies, Administrative staff. Highly Affected Operational level Stakeholders Those who are actually running the system as an operating system. Highly Affected Directly influenced Stakeholders These are those stakeholders who are directly affected such as directors and admin staff. Highly Affected Indirectly Influenced Stakeholders These stakeholders are not affected directly. Slightly Affected Suppliers The suppliers are highly affected by the change. Highly Affected Customers/Transporters They are highly affected by the change. Highly Affected Resistance against Change After identifying the stakeholders the next step is to work out the resistance against the change. Cultural barrier to change All the systems, techniques and methodologies being used, are very hard to change to the new one. The change in the culture of the automobile industry i.e. Ford could be very hard to understand the new system. Money It is again a vital barrier to change. The change needs more trained people and implementing this change could be very expensive. Especially for the customers, use of new technology will increase the cost of motor for the end user. Willingness of the Stakeholders In this case, the employees could not be willing to accept this change because of it confusing nature, strange methodology and new organization has to face lots of problems for implementing this change. Time Bringing change in short span of time could be very hard and is barrier to change. Above mentioned are the factors which could discourage the Stakeholders to accept this change and it could be very challenging situation for an automobile industry. Task 3: Implementation Appropriate model for change The world today is ever changing moving from one phase to another and only the thing that does not change is change itself. As the modern business environment is propelled by the three Cs namely Customer, Competition and Change, organizations are always looking for new business innovation to salvage their ailing enterprise.. (Hammer and Champy, 1993) One of such solutions that have been identified and used by many companies is the Business Process Re-engineering or shortened as BPR (4) There are many different views about the management of change in an organization but John Kotter has been accepted a change management guru, gave an eight step approach for managing a Change in an organization, leads a great impact of change management effectively and efficiently. Step One Create a situation when the change is required There are two different approaches about changes one is that wait for the market and time there must be a time that others change their strategy and adopt new techniques or technology to compete the marker or earn more profit and there are one more group who make suddenly make a trend of changing develop, and implement changes this group create such situations in the market that all business competitors always think about changes. Ford motors totally change its infrastructure and make such trend that other automobile also adopt it. Discuss the threats about the change While planning a change you should also keep in mind about the threats of changing that your business may face regarding changes. Develop such strategy that can completely overcome the problem of threats. Ford motors wants to cut off their cost and want to also make more customer and sale. It launch web technology and provide all information about their products on the web and it reduce its cost by closing its outlets from many different cities of all over the world. Find out the opportunities You should have to think about the opportunities of the business that either you have to introduce new models or you have to explore new markets. Ford motors find out the opportunities regarding its business by making some changes in the model and also explore some new market by approaching to the developing countries. Explain the more convincing reasons While finding out the opportunities for the business you should have to focus on the opportunity that is suitable for your company and your company can easily afford and adopt it. Ford had launched its plan to update its infrastructure, and seized the opportunity brought by the global movement of integrating the voice, fax transmission network with data transmission and expanded its WAN to include its offices in Europe and elsewhere.(1) Ask about the customer support While discussing about the changes you should be keep in mind the either your customer will support it or not. Make such plans that are also suitable and more convenient for your customer. Step Two: develop a strong Union To make and implement changes ford make a strong union. Ford want to introduce web technology for this purpose it organize and built a very strong team and make user friendly web that also reduces its training cost that everyone can enter information on the web and it also make a team that properly organize and control the data on the web. Step Three: A clear Vision for a Change To make and implement changes you should have a clear mission that what you want to do actually. Your all staff members must know about the actual purpose that what to do and for what to do. Why you are making the changes. Ford motors had a clear mission that it want to make more sales and explore more markets and also compete its competitors and also want to cut off its cost. Step Four: Tell the Vision Once you have decided to make and implement changes and you have a clear mission you should have to tell your vision to your employees and also to your customers. And take view of your employees and your customers as well. All of the ford motors employees were fully aware about the planning and they have complete knowledge about the vision that what they have to do and for what they have to make changes. Step Five: Take out all the Barriers Make changes is not so simple. It is very difficult and there are many barriers that should be removed that can obstacle the way of changes. Ford motors had make such strategy that others cannot copy it and it also owned the Sweden Volvo and also partially owned the Mazda to gain the competitive edge. Its web technology also requires very huge amount that others cannot copy it easily. And ford motors also registered its new innovation. It tried to almost remove many barriers that can obstacle its way during implementing the changes. Step Six: Develop a short-term Wins Develop such strategies that can be implemented and shows result in short term to obtain and determine the progress and success percentage of the strategy. Do not try to make such strategy that needs very long time to show the result. If something goes wrong you can change it easily and short term tasks are also supervised and implemented easily. Step Seven: Move ahead for a Change. After covering above six steps now it is the time to implement the changes. You should have to develop the ways that how to implement the strategies. Each and every aspect should be discussed in briefly for the implementation for the strategy. Ford motors have also worked on each and every aspect that how it will implement the changes to obtain the desired results. It launched the web technology and provides all its data on it and also cut off its outlets from the several regions to save some cost step by step. Step Eight: attach the Changes in organizational Culture The last and foremost step is that how you will justify the changes made by you in your business strategy and how you will support and attach it with your organization culture. While making changes you should have to also concise on the culture of your organization.

Most Memorable Scene In Of Mice And Men :: essays research papers

Part One:The scene that was most memorable to me in this play was when Lenny and Curley ¡Ã‚ ¦s wife shared a conversation while the others were away. It started with Lenny moping around about the rabbit he had killed and then Curley ¡Ã‚ ¦s wife joined him. This scene ended in a surprising way, but in my opinion many interesting things were discussed about the concept of life. I was extremely surprised with the ending of this scene because when the conversation began I predicted that it was the start to a close relationship between the two of them. During this conversation they discussed issues such as life and dreams. At first Lenny refused to open-up. "  ¡Ã‚ ¥George says I ain ¡Ã‚ ¦t to have nothing to do with you-talk to you or nothing. ¡Ã‚ ¦ " He was very reluctant to talk to her or share anything with her. She was the complete opposite. Curley ¡Ã‚ ¦s wife was looking for someone to talk to. As the scene continued, Lenny relaxed and was able to talk and listen to her. Curley ¡Ã‚ ¦s wife began by asking Lenny questions. As she continued walls were torn down and she was able to get closer to him. Then she told him about her life. "  ¡Ã‚ ¦I get lonely ¡Ã‚ ¦  ¡K..  ¡Ã‚ ¦You can talk to people, but I can ¡Ã‚ ¦t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How ¡Ã‚ ¦d you like to not talk to anybody? ¡Ã‚ ¦ " It was hard for Curley ¡Ã‚ ¦s wife to get Lenny to talk but eventually he told her about his rabbit and other things about his life. "  ¡Ã‚ ¥We gonna have a little place-an ¡Ã‚ ¦ rabbits. ¡Ã‚ ¦ " In the end Lenny became overly excited and ended up killing Curley ¡Ã‚ ¦s wife. From this, I gathered that Lenny had never been so close to anyone, especially anyone of this opposite sex. This gave him such a great feeling that he did not know how to deal with it. The moment he felt Curley ¡Ã‚ ¦s wife moving away, he acted on his inner feelings and he was frightened. The scene portrayed a good example of the interaction of two complete strangers, it was interesting to see how they shared things and opened up to each other.Part Two:This scene is related to the theme in different ways. I think that it incorporates three main aspects of the theme. It is related to belonging, loneliness and dreams. All three of these are active issues in society today.

Focus Groups Essay -- essays research papers

Focus Groups   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Focus groups are a qualitative form of marketing research that can help a marketer assess consumer needs and feelings in a way that simple questionnaires can not. In a focus group, you bring together a small group to discuss issues and concerns about the features of a product. Participants are usually paid a fee for their time. A marketer can gain valuable information such as gaining a customer’s attitudes and determining advertising persuasiveness. The group is typically run by a moderator who maintains the group's focus. Some recent topics of interest regarding this subject are focus groups for advertising, Online focus groups, and political focus groups.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traditional focus groups usually deal with a consumers reaction to a product, whether it be good or bad. In today’s ad-packed media, marketers need to worry about how consumers react to their advertising. Many marketers have set up focus groups to do just that: gauge how efficient an ad is, whether or not the group was interested, and if the ad and brand name can be recalled from the spot.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Companies such as Motorola have used focus groups to gauge the effectiveness of commercials. When the company chose to launch the â€Å"Wings† campaign, they were unsure of what song would be appropriate for the T.V spot. An overwhelming response from a focus group led to the use of the Rolling Stones song â€Å"You Can’t Always Get What You Want†. Marketers at Motorola raised concerns of whether or not the song was appropriate, based on the title. After a positive response from their focus group, the company ran the ad. â€Å"overwhelmingly positive focus-group response to the Rolling Stones as a transgenerational and transgeographic icon confirmed people were more interested in the emotion of the music than the lyrics.† (Adage.com, Snyder)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While traditional focus groups and their face to face method of collecting data has proven to be effective, the internet has proven to be both more effective and more convenient. A traditional focus group normally consists of about 10 people, while an online group can reach thousands of participants. The DiscoverWhy group is one such group that holds online polls and focus groups for various companies. In order to test the effectiv... ...se the information wisely can gain valuable insight to difficult problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://adage.com/search97cgi/s97_cgi?action=View&VdkVgwKey=%2E%2E%2F%2E%2E%2F%2E%2E%2Fadage%2Fwww%2Fnews%5Fand%5Ffeatures%2Ffeatures%2F19980420%2Farticle2%2Ehtml&DocOffset=35&DocsFound=92&QueryZip=focus+group&SearchUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fadage%2Ecom%2Fsearch97cgi%2Fs97%5Fcgi%3Faction%3DSearch%26QueryZip%3Dfocus%2Bgroup%26Filter%3Dadage%255Fbak%252Ehts%26ResultTemplate%3Dadage%255Fresults%252Ehts%26QueryText%3Dfocus%2Bgroup%26ResultStart%3D31%26ResultCount%3D10& http://adage.com/search97cgi/s97_cgi?action=View&VdkVgwKey=%2E%2E%2F%2E%2E%2F%2E%2E%2Fadage%2Fwww%2Finteractive%2Farticles%2F20000327%2Farticle1%2Ehtml&DocOffset=17&DocsFound=92&QueryZip=focus+groups&SearchUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fadage%2Ecom%2Fsearch97cgi%2Fs97%5Fcgi%3Faction%3DSearch%26QueryZip%3Dfocus%2Bgroups%26Filter%3Dadage%255Fbak%252Ehts%26ResultTemplate%3Dadage%255Fresults%252Ehts%26QueryText%3Dfocus%2Bgroups%26ResultStart%3D11%26ResultCount%3D10& http://www.adcritic.com/corporate/ http://www.mtv.com/sendme.tin?page=/mtv/news/chooseorlose/features/feature_0306.html

How George Psalmanazar Escaped From History :: History Historical Essays

How George Psalmanazar Escaped From History Moravagine is an idiot, but he is also an idiom...a term whose meaning is established by usage, and not deducible from the meanings of its constituent parts. Idioms are the place where language shows signs of wear: those phrases have been said so many times they have fused into a single unit and can no longer be pried apart. -- Paul La Farge, "Idiots!," The Believer 1. In early 1703, a man named George Psalmanazar arrived in London and had a few discreet conversations. Within a year, he had a publishing contract and the ear of the British royal courts; not long after that he was given a post at Oxford. Psalmanazar's book, An Historical and Geographic Description of Formosa, describing the virtually unknown East Asian island society from whence he came, was read throughout Europe, and his beliefs - among them, that false accusations were worse than cannibalism, Jesuits were the ruin of pure societies, and the blood of snakes could keep a man alive for a century - were repeated as ethnographic dogma. In keeping with the traditions of his native land, Psalmanazar ate only raw foods and recorded the Lord's Prayer in an alphabet unknown to Western civilization (Aldington 44). His conversion from pagan heathenism to the Anglican Church fueled a thousand heated theological debates in learned society. Once ingratiated into European literary circles, he use d his unique firsthand knowledge of Formosa to help compile one of the greatest encyclopedias British society had to that point seen (Stagl 186). When at last Psalmanazar passed away in 1763, leaving behind a small estate, a room of empty laudanum bottles, and a request to be buried in a pauper's grave, it seemed that the idiom would never be pried open. The man from another world was modestly interred and there the matter appeared to rest. In 1764 his papers were given a more thorough examination, and the following facts were discovered: - The deceased man's name was not George Psalmanazar. - In almost no way did the actual island of Formosa resemble Psalmanazar's celebrated account of it. - Psalmanazar had, in fact, been born in Europe, and never left it in his lifetime. - The society, language, history, belief system, and culture of Formosa, right down to the calendar, were products of his own invention. The strange case of George Psalmanazar lies somewhere at the uncomfortable intersection of truth and credulity.

Black Women Essay

The act of resistance and defiance is one of the most used human reactions that we as Americans often use this to express ourselves in society today. These reactions are also used when some one fee3ls that they are being treated unfairly or in an unjust manner. America is supposed to be a land of equal value and opportunity when it comes to being human. Obviously this is not the way that things are in society today but things were a lot worse off not so long ago. From the late eighteenth century up until now a struggle for equality has been being fought by women, especially the black woman. Now it may sound funny to talk about equality and then turn around and identify a specific group of women. There is I think good reason to acknowledge this difference, this being that this particular group of women has been the most outspoken and influential group of women during this power struggle. I can explain this be saying that the black Black women had to pout up with one: being black from the times of slavery in which blacks were treated as less than human, and two: they are in fact women whom had no respect in society and are still looked at as inferior to the male in today’s society. So the Black woman has had to endure double the hard ships throughout their struggle in America. They fought this battle with resistance by means of resiliency they as a collective group have refuses to accept unjust unequal treatment. As I progressed through our class I realized that there are many different methods of resisting and refusing to accept things for the way they are. One of the most effective methods that women in general have used over the years is writing. Writing in itself is so expressive if ones feelings and opinions, and women have used this method to educate and relate to all audience and social classes. Black women have provided us with a plethora of different genres of writing from the slave narrative to books that specialize in educating the black woman of today’s society they are all effective and critical mechanisms used by the Black woman and culture in society today. So the Black woman has the ability evolve and adapt to the different requirement of society today all of this in the black woman’s psyche and is instilled in her from child birth. One of the most influential characters involved in this molding of thought process of the black child is the Black mother. From my personal experience and from my knowledge gathered from the readings and lectures the black mother is the greatest form of resiliency and positive voice that I can identify. A mother in general is a nurturing person that has the task of raising a child and making sure that the child grows up learning right form wrong. The black mother is this, but there is another el3ement that she has that other mother’s do not the kids that she is raising and teaching are Black children. Therefore she has to be strong for them and teach them outside the American norm because they are in fact not looked at as belonging to this norm. my mother instilled in me and my brothers the fact that we were Black men and that we were always to be proud of that, my mothers favorite thing to say is â€Å"Boy don’t let no body walk over you† this was often the advice that she gave me as a child I used to think of it as â€Å"wow mama why you so confrontational? † but as I got older I understood that that is how she operated all the time in today’s society as a black woman day by day she is constantly tried by numerous things but she refuses to be broken down by any thing. I also recognized this in Dust tracks on a road, not only in the book but also in the writing itself. Zoras mama’s dialogue throughout the story is represented as a strong woman that takes care of her family and keeps things in order. That is the role of the black mother in today’s society also except in our society today the black mother also active in the work force and not just a stay at home mother adding another task to their agenda. As far as the dialogue in the story it was written exactly as they talked back then. This is because for so long the black woman was silenced and forced to talk and behave in a manner that was not their own. This form of writing is clearly an act of resilience because of the simple fact that they are writing in a form that they were told was unaccepted and not civilized. This form of writing says that â€Å"this is how we as a people used to talk and we are proud of it†, people often look down upon the African American vernacular of that time but it was the result of learning a new language second and third and illiteracy in which both these were factors of oppression that were resisted and defied by our people. In today’s society there are similarities to this they can be found inside the school systems. The schools that are in dominantly minority areas are neglected financially and also under staffed this causes students to not learn exactly what they should be learning to be successful. To over come this there are a lot more Black woman teachers that see that this is not where we want our children to go and that a change is needed. They can also relate to black students and educate those outside our race or those who do not understand the struggle and what has come from it. In my experiences a good Black woman teacher acts as a kind of mama away from home for students and a positive female figure for young female students. Over all I can say that this course was really enlightening as far as acknowledging the Black woman I have always thought that most black woman of today’s society were strong and goal oriented but I have never really sat back and thought about why and where this extremely strong sense of self originated. Black woman have endured and persevered for years in America from days of slavery and Harriet Tubman to the civil right movement and Rosa Parks the Black woman has develop[ed an attitude of refusing to accept meritocracy and unjust treatment seeing this has helped me to understand that is where the black woman’s sense of resiliency comes from today.