Argumentation Essay: Facebook Essay

Argumentation Essay: Facebook When a possible employee is in the process of being hired, his or her employment should be based on a social media network such as, Facebook. The main points for this position consists of professional versus social, freedom of speech versus censorship, and a person’s true identity behind closed doors. Facebook is one of various other social networks that are not confidential. Anyone can view a user’s profile and see all of their updates. People use Facebook from sending invitations to guests to campaigning a company party. Facebook is a major part of advertising now. Another large part of Facebook is posting photos. A user of Facebook can add as many photos to their profile as they want to. Facebook has made an immense impact on modern society. All ages, including some of the elderly have Facebook accounts. Small businesses and growing corporations also take part in having an account. Also, colleges and universities sometimes use Facebook to communicate with their students about upcoming events. Employers use several methods before hiring an eligible employee. An employer is looking for someone that is polished inside and out of the professional world. They have every right to look at employee’s Facebook profile. Nothing inappropriate should be posted on an employee’s Facebook profile. Everyone is aware that Facebook is not a private social media website. Posting a status or photo online can be seen by anyone, even an employer. An employer has every right to look through the person’s information. Facebook can be a downfall for numerous opportunities. Although we all have freedom of speech, it can be taken lightly with consequences. Employees can be fired by some of their actions on Facebook. Another consequence is someone not being hired due to their Facebook profile. If an employer does not like the material, they have every right to deny your employment. Especially in this modern society, employers and businesses are looking for the top quality for their company. Top quality employees differentiate from others. They do not retain inappropriate photos or words on a public social media network site. Employers look for people who will represent their business in a classy manner even outside of the business doors. Reputation is everything to some companies. They want their company reputation as high as it can be. A good reputation starts with good employees. An employer has every right to see how a person is in their social environment. A person’s personality and  personal actions cannot be judged just through the professional world. You can tell a person’s true personal traits in their comfortabl e social environment. Facebook is the perfect gateway to see how a person’s characteristics are different in the professional versus the social environment. Not everyone realizes that somebody is always watching you. Whether it is a family member, a close friend, or an employer looking to see if you are eligible for the position. Every individual should be held accountable for what they post on Facebook. Professional conduct should be shown at all times when something is posted on a public website. Keeping a professional conduct is very important to many employers. Some individuals would make a point that everyone has a right to have freedom of speech. Those who agree, feel that it is okay to put inappropriate material on their Facebook page due to their right to free speech. Freedom of speech is a constitutional right. Many people take the right out of context. Those who disagree, feel that censorship should be analyzed. Yes, every individual has a right to speak freely but, is it right to offend someone while practicing it? The answer is no. An individual could simply say they hate their boss on Facebook. All it takes is for that boss, or another employee to see the post. The employee could encounter disciplinary actions in their workplace or even lose their job. All this could be avoided if censorship was practiced. Also, some would say that an employer looking into an applicantâ €™s Facebook would cross the line between social and professional boundaries. Those who agree would point out that applicants should not be judged on their Facebook page. Looking through an applicant’s page is unprofessional and crosses the line. Those who disagree would make the point that it is a professional choice for the employer to do. The employer knows nothing about the applicant other than what they have stated on their resume. An applicant could lie about his or her age, obligations, or even the county they live in. It is only natural to do a check up on the applicant to make sure they look eligible for the position. Think of Facebook as a back ground check. Mostly every employee has to have a back ground check of them before getting a certain position. Facebook is very similar to a back ground check. It indicates a more interpersonal and social side of the person’s life. If an applicant desires a first-class job, they should always take what they put on Facebook in consideration. Although everyone has the freedom to speak  their mind, they need to practice censorship on a social media network site. Also, being professional on Facebook could increase your chances of getting hired. Anyone, especially a future boss could look at any account and choose to accept or decline an applicant’s position

Independence Day of India Essay

A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new†¦India discovers herself again.† – J.L.Nehru On the eve of India’s independence, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru famous speech â€Å"Tryst with Destiny† marked the beginning of a free India with words symbolizing hope and triumph. India got its independence from the clutches of British rule on 15th August 1947. It was this day when India’s tricolor flag was unfolded by Pandit Nehru on the barricades of the Red Fort at Delhi. Each and every patriotic soul watched with excitement and paid tribute to thousands of martyrs who sacrificed their lives for India’s freedom. The Independence Day of India is a moment of delight and grandeur but to achieve it the nation had to put up a long battle for over two centuries against the British Empire. At last on 3rd June 1947, the last British Viceroy of India, Lord Mountbatten of Burma, declared the separation of the British Empire in India into India and Pakistan. The announcement was made under the terms of the Indian Independence Act 1947. Significance of Independence Day The significance of the Independence Day in the existence of a nation is of greater value. The day is much more than merely celebrating the anniversary of India’s free statehood. On this day India attained a major part of Asian subcontinent’s 562 extensively spread territories besides British owned states.

Oedipus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Oedipus - Essay Example The story takes a slight twist when the prophet Tiresias predicts a curse if Polynices is not buried and Antigon is not released. The king finally gives in, but this comes a bit late as when Polynices is being buried Haemon’s cry is being heard from the tomb, Antigon dies hanging on a noose (Petterson 18). The fate of Antigon could have been controlled by her in different ways. First, being aware of the king’s pride as evidenced by his willingness to defy even the gods, she should have not attempted to rebury Polynices. After knowing of the king’s plan to kill her, she should have fled till the king was dead. Thirdly when she was condemned to death, she should not have taken her life. Her death cannot be blamed on the curse because the curse had not yet been spelt. The major role she had that led to her fateful death was committing suicide. Petterson M. Oxford Guide to Plays: A-Z to 1000 best plays of world theatres. 2009. Web. July, 15 201

Law Essay (LLB) Media Law Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Law (LLB) Media Law - Essay Example the relationship of celebrities, the media and the role of law, I ask, is the media a crucial and powerful tool in brining neglected court cases to the worlds attention or does the media negatively impinge on the legal realm by influencing legal decisions? To answer this question and more importantly the title of the essay I draw on independently researched media coverage pertaining to the Naomi Campbell case and I discuss this case with reference to the module reading. Africa is known as a hotbed of conflict. Parts of this great continent still reel from impact of wars, atrocities and other consequences of strife that has gripped it in the past century. In fact, some areas still are in the state of recovering from the horrible climate that is common in many states in this corner of the globe. Among the troubled places in Africa is Sierra Leone. This country is known for its exceptionally rich diamond mines (Perriello and Wierda, 2006). It is also notorious for its internal conflict. "Sierra Leone has seen serious and grotesque human rights violations since 1991 when the civil war erupted" (Shah, 2001). The dehumanizing acts seen in this African state are among the most horrific in contemporary history. It has been noted that "25 times as many people have been killed compared to that in Kosovo when the international community decided to act. In fact, it has been pointed out by many that the atrocities in Sierra Leone have been worse than was seen in Kosovo" (Shah, 2001). "In the war, more than two million people were forced to flee their homes, collecting in crowded internally displaced person camps around Freetown or in dangerous refugee camps along the volatile Guinean and Liberian borders" (Perriello and Wierda, 2006). In this conflict "killing were also widespread. It is estimated that perhaps up to 100,000 people were killed during the conflict. Execution was used to install terror and obedience among the civilian population and within the forces

Portfolio analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Portfolio analysis - Essay Example Correlation according to Cohen (2003) can be defined as the description of the degree in which two variables are related to each other. For example how is coffee business growth related to the weather patterns? Correlation can either be positive or negative meaning a single variable can affect the other positively or negatively. Covariance on the other hand can be defined as the manner two variables change at the same time. Covariance can be described as how two risky assets go hand-in-hand or in relation to one another (see C. Patrick Doncaster, 2007). If the covariance is positive this implies that the assets returns are simultaneous and if negative, this will imply the returns on the assets are inverse.Correlation and covariance both describe the relationships of two variables and in the way they move whether positively that is together or negatively that is inversely. Looking at the above definitions of covariance and correlation we can clearly see the relationship between the tw o in the context that correlation will determine the extent to which two variables are connected to each other while covariance will look at the same two variables and asses how they move together. Portfolio diversity is best achieved if the covariance is not in the same direction meaning the assets in the portfolio do not have perfect correlation (see Alexander, 2009). If the two asset variables do not have a direct relationship in terms of their asset returns this will mean that they do not move in the same direction ... Correlation as earlier defined is the relationship of various assets in a portfolio and how they impact on each other in terms of returns. In case assets have a low correlation according to Lhabitant (2004), this will mean that the assets have a minimal interaction in the market in terms of returns. If one of the assets is affected negatively this will not necessarily mean that the other assets will suffer the same adverse effects to the same degree but in a lesser degree. Negative correlation will mean that the assets have no relationship in terms of performance and this will mean that the performance of individual assets will be independent of the other assets in the same portfolio. A low or negative correlation will minimize the portfolio risk to very low levels because the assets will have no direct relation in terms of negative correlation or minimal relationship in terms of low correlation. This will mean all the assets will act as independent factors in the portfolio despite h aving a common investor. This will ensure that when one of the assets is not doing well in terms of return all the others will not be affected since they lack a relationship. A good portfolio is aimed at having the lowest risk and this can be best assessed by ensuring the portfolio mix is of assets with low or negative correlation. c. Diversification and why is it important to portfolio risk Diversification in terms of portfolio means minimizing the risk factor by investing in various assets (see Hagin, 2004). This will mean that an investor should not invest all his money in one asset but rather subdivide his money to be invested in various assets so that the risk is well distributed. Suppose an investor invests all his money in one asset this will mean that the risk

Economics (twin deficit) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Economics (twin deficit) - Essay Example The deficit has been covered through the borrowing from various agencies both foreign and domestic. The persistent current account deficit for last 20 years has given unprecedented amount of claims to foreign investors. It is always possible that at some time in future and specially if no corrective measures are urgently taken up, the situation may very well become challenging. The foreign claims are generally in the form of stock bonds, treasury issues, bank accounts and other types of financial securities. Foreign governments, their central banks and international agencies possess a sizable share of the claim. One way of looking at the present scenario is that America is becoming increasingly dependent on the imports while its export market is not showing substantial growth. Steady depreciation of the dollar in the international market is the indicator that decides the inflow of foreign investment in the country. When the dollar depreciates, there is more inflow of foreign goods and services. IMF in recent time has also cautioned US to take appropriate steps to curb its rising current account deficit. The report says that ‘the concern remains that at some time more adjustment will be needed to ensure that the global pattern of current account position remains consistent with the willingness of the international wealth holders to build up net claims on the United States’. The global economy has been advancing at a very fast rate and in the present circumstances when the global inter-dependence has become a norm, United States needs to moderate its consumption and spending and focus on issues that would help restrain the increasing growth of current account deficit. One must conclude that today statistics show that US needs to import $1 trillion of foreign capital every year. In the long run, it is highly unsustainable situation both in terms of

Homeland Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homeland Security - Essay Example The essay "Homeland Security" talks about the illegal border crossings and human smuggling that are considered as imminent threats to homeland security. Within the context of the United States, the foretold issues are most important because they are interconnected with a global spread of terrorism. The problem of illegal border crossing and human smuggling are interconnected because the illegal immigrants seek the help of the human smugglers to enter the U.S. Zhang, makes clear that â€Å"In recent years human smugglers have focused their efforts on recruiting willing U.S. citizens to provide transportation services in the border area†. Besides, illegal border crossings mainly occur through the Mexican and Canadian borders. Most of the states in U.S. face the problem illegal immigration but the problem in severe in California, New York, and Illinois. The restrictions on immigration imposed by the federal government resulted in large scale illegal border crossings. The Southern border of the U.S. is used by the Mexicans for border crossing. The same route is used for human smuggling from different parts of the world. Illegal border crossings and human smuggling are controlled by powerful gangs for a profitable business. The flow of the illegal immigrants into the US is in terconnected with the phenomena of transnational population relocation. The problems surrounding the illegal alien in the US require a global view and suggest more diverse strategies than the history of immigration Law enforcement.

Chilean Mine Collasp Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chilean Mine Collasp - Essay Example for the public and those directly affected to attribute such unfortunate events to the negligence of the firm involved, delivering such a message can be instrumental in either supporting this opinion or denouncing it. If the firm chooses to deliver the message in a more personal way, especially to the families of the victims, it will seem more caring and compassionate rather than just wring a letter or an email. The same case may apply to the way the news are delivered to the other employees. As Gibson (2011) asserts, the bearer of the message is as important in determining how the message will be received as the way the message is delivered. In such a situation, leadership will be expected to be seen at sight and the message will need a senior person to deliver the news. If a junior employee or junior member of the management is used to deliver the message, the message may be taken less seriously and may also lead to people regarding the firm as uncaring, unconcerned and irresponsible. The need to have a senior member of the firm such as the CEO address the issue in a direct and personal manner, will be important in showing that the firm is concerned and that all necessary actions will be taken to contain the current situation as well as prevent such an incident from coming again. As soon as there is a designated person to communicate the message, the rest of the firm, especially the junior staff, should be instructed not to comment on the subject. This will be important to avoid the situation discussed above, and also to avoid contradicting reports that can make the firm to seem to be hiding something. Definitely, emotional and psychological support will be necessary to help the customers cope up with the bad news. A councilor or a psychiatrist may be needed to help in supporting these families, and make sure that they are able to take the news without having a major breakdown. More importantly, they will need to be clearly informed without hiding anything

Plurality of Law in the United Kingdom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Plurality of Law in the United Kingdom - Essay Example Both of these concepts of UK Parliamentary sovereignty are compromised by the UK’s accession to the EC.1 This fact together with the UK’s accession to international treaties and conventions and the application of common law ultimately means that the UK constitution is subject to two underlying and conflicting principles. These two conflicting principles are Parliamentary sovereignty and a plurality of sources of law in the UK. There is a concern and perhaps some measure of optimism that the plurality of sources of applicable law in the UK will eventually limit, if not eliminate the concept of Parliamentary sovereignty and that this would be progressive development. This paper argues, however, that the introduction of a plurality of laws in the UK is only made possible by the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty. Just as parliamentary sovereignty permitted the introduction of a plurality of sources of law it can just as easily reverse this application of a plurality of sources of law. Therefore, while a plurality of sources of applicable laws might challenge the concept of parliamentary sovereignty in practice, theoretically, parliamentary sovereignty continues to provide for a reversal of this approach. A.V. Dicey’s description of the constitutional rule of law envisioned by the UK’s concept of Parliamentary sovereignty puts the strength and endurance of UK Parliamentary sovereignty in its proper perspective. Dicey maintains that the UK’s constitution is built around three significant principles. First, the rule of law renders the government accountable to the public. Secondly, the public is also accountable to the rule of law. Thirdly, the constitution sets out the framework by which the judiciary are made accountable for the administration of law.2 In describing the UK constitution, Dicey goes further to state that this constitutional framework is made possible by the fact that Parliament enjoys â€Å"total power†, and this is a basis of parliamentary sovereignty.

Creation Myths Essay Example for Free

Creation Myths Essay Creation myths are present in all cultures of the world, and while these stories reflect very different beliefs of creation, they also possess many similarities as well. Each culture from around the world has developed beliefs and cosmogony that help them to understand the most ancient and primordial of questions: where did we come from? Ancient civilizations bore stories of primitive worlds, gods, and creators who sprung forth to create the world we live in and who created the first man and woman. Experts have come to find that there are common themes of creation myths which all myths can be classified into; accretion and conjunction stories, secretion stories, sacrifice stories, division or consummation stories, earth-diver stories, emergence stories, two-creator myths, deus faber (the maker god), and ex nihilo (out of nothing). Some cultures usually bear more than one type of theme for creation. Two creation myths that bare similarities and differences are the Norse and Egyptian. The theme of Norse creation is based on accretion and conjunction, secretion, and two-creator myths, while Egyptian creation myths follow the themes of secretion, deus faber, and ex nihilo (Leonard McClure, 2004). Norse creation myths spring forth from the Swedish and Scandinavian cultures. The Norse myth begins in a world called Ginnunngagap, which was the earth before the heavens were created and before any living thing existed. In the Southern end of Ginnungagap was a land called Muspelheim, a fiery realm of fire and poison, and to the North was a land of ice and cold called Niflheim. The gods that came after, created Midgard which was the middle land born from the great Yggdrasil tree; a pleasant and habitable place for humans. The gods resided in a different realm in the center of the earth called Asgard; from Asgard, the gods watched over all of mankind. The elements that exist in these worlds are plants, soil, water, wind, mist, ice, and fire (Brancaccio, Tonk, Van Driel, Passantino, 2012). The world before time in Egyptian creation was called Nu. Nu was the dark swirling waters of nothingness and chaos. Atum the creator, a sexless being, sprung forth ex nihilo from the waters of Nu, and through secretion, bore a son and daughter who created earth and sky. Elements of this world are water, rain, earth, plants, and wind (Brancaccio, Tonk, Van Driel, Passantino, 2012). The creators in Norse mythology began with the first three beings; Ymir a male frost giant, Buri a male god, and Buri’s wife, the first goddess. Audhumla was the first animal who licked free from the ice Buri and his wife. Audhumla was also the one who gave Ymir sustenance through its milk. Buri and his wife the goddess, bore three sons; Odin, Vili, and Ve. These three sons killed and dismembered the giant Ymir, whose corpse then created the world. Ymir’s flesh became the land, his blood became the sea, skull became the dome of sky above, his bones became mountains, and his hair became the grass and trees. Odin then stole sparks of fire from the land of Muspelheim, to create the sun, moon, and stars. Destroyers of this world came later in Norse mythology with the introduction of other beings and giants that bring forth Ragnarok, the time of destruction of Midgard. Surt is the guard and giant of Muspelheim who destroys the heavens with his fiery sword. Hati and Skoll are wolves the chase the sun and moon, are the destroyers of these celestial beings. The frost giant Loki, along with Fenrir, and the World Serpent are also released by Surt to aide in the destruction of the world (Rosenberg, 2006). In Egyptian myths, the main creator was called Atum. He was neither male nor female, possessed an all seeing eye. He joined with his shadow and bore a son from his spit called Shu, and from his vomit, a daughter called Tefnut. Shu was made the god of air, and Tefnut the goddess of moisture, they were responsible for sorting out the chaos of the universe into a perfect balance called maat. These two produced children, one male and one female, Geb and Nut, who were then separated to create the earth and sky. Other gods were also created who each had an individual responsibility in creating maat, these gods were Isis queen of the gods, Hathor the goddess of love and beauty, Osiris the god of wisdom and justice, Seth the god of evil, Thoth the god of wisdom, and Nepthys the protector of the dead (Brancaccio, Tonk, Van Driel, Passantino, 2012). Cosmic occurrences in Norse creation played a great role in the creation of the first beings and the first world. The mingling of fire and ice caused the melting of a mountain which produced the first being Ymir, the frost giant. Celestial bodies such as the sun and stars were created of fire sparks from the Land of Muspelheim. The role of cosmic occurrences in Egyptian creation was expressed by celestial beings becoming the creators of natural phenomena. Nut the sky goddess gave birth to the sun every day, and also produced rain that fell upon the earth to grow plants. The cycle of rainfall, sunrise, and sunset were all thought to be produced by the gods. The similarities shared amongst the Norse and Egyptian myths were evident in the several aspects and themes. For one, both Creators Ymir and Atum, were deus faber meaning that they alone were the first creators, they also both arrived into their respective worlds ex nihilo, out of nothingness. Secondly, Ymir and Atum created other beings through secretion; Ymir created beings through his sweat, and Atum created man with his tears. In both myths, many lesser gods were created to govern over natural phenomenon, and played roles in the cycles of death and rebirth. The difference between the two cultural myths is the fact that Norse creation was born out of violence and violent acts. Gods were constantly in battle; the theme of good and evil play a large part in Norse myths. Egyptian myth presented the need to bring peace and order to the chaotic world of Nu. The gods and goddesses main role was to find balance and Maat. In conclusion, world creation myths have similarities as well as differences. The commonality between them all is that they serve to fulfill the same need which is the need to understand the world around us and understand our origins. Earlier cultures have pondered over the beginning and creation as we still do in this day and age.

What Is Effective Production Management Commerce Essay

What Is Effective Production Management Commerce Essay To begin with, effective production management is impossible without scientific management. Scientific management is a part of the cycles production management at the operational level. It should be based on scientific achievements and best practices to ensure increasing productivity and preserving human health. It is important to mention that an American engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor was the first scientific engineer, who used and formalized scientific management and highlighted its four principles. Milton (1957) stated that Taylor was an innovator and an entrepreneur in his field, and he had more than his share of emulators, rivals, and disciples (p. 23). According to Finn Borum (1980), Frederick Taylor worked on promoting efficiency in manufacturing enterprises around the turn of the century (p. 288). Scientific management is a process of improving the labor organization based on scientific achievements and excellence. Scientific management is the labor organization based on modern scientific achievements and best practices, which were systematically introduced into the workplace. Scientific management allows combining technology and people in the labor process. In addition to the above-mentioned information, scientific management can be characterized as An approach within classical management theory that emphasizes the scientific study of work methods in order to improve worker efficiency (Bartol and Martin, 1998, p. 41). Scientific managements implementation saves time and is an important growth factor productivity of living labor. The importance and value of scientific management is that it allows you to save hard work as a result of better use of the productions material elements. Moreover, the importance of scientific management to organizations is also that it solves the problems of wasted human effort and promotes efficiency and effectiveness in the workplace. And, finally, the improvement of labor organization gives an opportunity to save future labor by taking into account the requirements of scientific management on the stage of companies, equipment and processes design. George (1968) said that Taylors work had importance in ways directly germane to operations research. His contributions, great as they were intrinsically, were even more valuable in revealing the merit of creating elements of organization whose object was not the performance of operations, but their analysis: It is difficult t o overemphasize the importance of this first basic step: the formation of organizations for research on operationshis work led to better decisions than those which were possible, and in most cases, necessary before (pp. 151-152). Scientific management plays an important role in solving the problems of improving production efficiency and improves product quality. The main directions of scientific management are: Improvement of forms of division and cooperation of labor in enterprises; Improvement of the workplaces organization and maintenance; Rationalization of techniques and methods of work; Improvement of work quota setting; Preparation and training the workforce; Improvement of the working conditions; Rationalization of work and rest; Strengthening of labor discipline; Increase of employees creative activity. The main key characteristics of scientific management: scientific management calls for the scientific methods application to work in order to define the best method for solving each task. Scientific management admits that the employees should be scientifically chosen based on their professional qualifications and trained to carry out their work in the optimum manner. Scientific management aimed at addressing the following interrelated tasks: economic, psycho-physiological and social. The economic task deals with the equipments complete use, raw materials, and increase of labor productivity. The creation of favorable working environment, which is very important for the workers health, their working capacity is the solution of the psychophysiological task. The solution of the social task aimed at increasing satisfaction of the labors conditions and results. It should be noted that scientific management has a clearly defined set of the tasks. There is an interaction between scientific management and improvement of other elements of the organization of production. This is especially manifested in the organization of workplaces. The labor organization is associated with production of elements, such as equipment and technology. The labor organization affects the type and nature of production. The major components of scientific management are the division of labor and cooperation. The division of labor in the enterprise means an isolation of separate partial work processes to reduce the production cycle due to the simultaneous execution of various jobs and improvement of work productivity. It is important to mention that the organizers of production at the enterprises of the countries with developed market economies pay great attention to the reduction of manufacturing cycle time. This is due to the fact that the reduction of manufacturing cycle time is a central task of the organization and management of production, an indicator of the effectiveness of managerial work. The high level of specialization indicates production standards. The division of labor is impossible without its cooperation. The cooperations objective is to ensure coherence between the actions of individual employees or groups of employees performing a variety of work functions. The division of labor and cooperation are two interrelated and complementary aspects of production management. The division of labor can be technological, functional, qualifying and professional. The technological division of labor is divided into phases, types of work, products, sites that detail technological operations. It determines the placement of workers in accordance with production technology and greatly affects the level of works importance. An important task of a work organizator consists of finding the optimal level of the technological division of labor. The functional division of labor depends on nature of staff functions in production and their participation in the production process. According to this criterion, workers are divided into workers and employees. Employees are divided into leaders, professionals and technical executors. In turn, the workers can be functional groups of main workers: service and support, groups of maintenance and transport workers: quality inspectors, working for energy services, etc. The qualifying division of labor divides into complexity and accuracy of work in accordance with professional knowledge and experience. The division of labor is carried out under the skill level of the employees. The professional division of labor divides into trades, professions, grades and categories. With the help of the above-stated principles and components of scientific management, it is possible to i ncrease specialization in production in order to accentuate worker rights in the shop floor. Sullivan admitted that This mass production model of shop-floor control depends on two key assumptions: a job is a precisely defined series of tasks; and seniority is the criterion for the allocation of jobs (1987, p. 96). In order to compare and contrast scientific management to more modern management approach, such as total quality management (TQM), it is possible to say that the difference between these two approaches is that the main idea of TQM is that the company should work not only on product quality, but also on work quality as a whole, including the staff work. The continual improvement of these three components is: quality, quality of process organization, and qualifications of staff can achieve more rapid and effective business development. Quality is defined by categories, such as a degree of implementation of customer requirements and growth in financial performance. But the main idea of scientific management is that labor organization is an integral part of the organization of production. The basis of scientific management is the division of labor, which involves the separation of major works from the subsidiary preparatory and ancillary works. These actions help to improve the usage of working time of skilled employees. It is possible to conclude that both management approaches are very important for all types of organizations and are the basis of modern management. Nowadays, scientific management plays a big role in the modern organizations process and it has a direct relevance to the modern business environment. A good example is McDonalds Corporation, one of the largest fast-food restaurants, which still applies the principles and basic standards of scientific management in its organizational process. McDonalds Corporation always tries to promote its workers through different practical and effective ways. For instance, McDonalds uses different types of promotion programs and competitive salaries. It takes many different forms from the thankful words to financial incentives or even to a wide recognition of Employee of the Month. In addition, Macdonalds applies the methods associated with a scientific study. Moreover, the company scientifically selects, trains, and develops each worker and employee. Seldon, Ingraham, and Jacobson (1999) write The selection process is one of the most critical human resource functions because it supplies persons with specific knowledge skills and abilities needed to perform public services. (p. 602). This is a strong tradition and an essential part of work for McDonalds to train its employees scientifically and practically. McDonalds puts into practice the third principle of scientific management and cooperates with its workers, teaching and helping them in every way. McDonalds divides work into equal parts between managers and employees. Every worker keeps his/her place and is occupied only with his/her job. In summary, it is possible to draw a conclusion that scientific management is a set of measures aimed at achieving the greatest results in the organization of production. Scientific managements implementation creates the conditions for health workers to maintain their efficiency, increase the period of their employment, growth, cultural and technical level of workers. Taylor, who is considered to be a father of scientific management, made a great contribution to the development of a new worldview. His disciple Carl Barth stated that My dream is that the time will come when every drill press will be speeded just so, and every planer, every lathe the world over will be harmonized just like musical pitches are the same all over the worldso that we can standardize and say that for drilling a 1-inch hole the world over will be done with the same speedThat dream will come true, some time (1914, p. 889). Modern scientific management consists of organizational, technical, psycho-physiological and techno-economic aspects of work organization and management.

Program Review of the Iowa State University Office of Academic Information Technologies :: Technology Essays Technological

Program Review of the Iowa State University Office of Academic Information Technologies Essentiality: The mission of the Office of Academic Information Technologies (AIT) at Iowa State is to support campus academics through information technology (IT). It seems in the â€Å"information age† of the research university that this mission truly is an essential element, especially in light of ISU’s institutional mission of enhancing learning, promoting discovery, and engaging constituents. Indeed, this mission cannot be accomplished currently without a robust IT infrastructure. Quality: In rankings based on computing resources and services available to undergraduates, Iowa State was ranked 20th in the most recent (AIT, 2000) research university category of Yahoo’s â€Å"Most Wired† colleges and universities. While critics have questioned the usefulness of these types of ratings suggesting that thoroughness of application is really what is measured, it does show that the quality of information technology at ISU has been noticed in a peer rated study. Internally, where critics are usually the most vociferous, students, faculty, and staff have had both praise and disapproval. The harshest criticism of late have been the addition of a Microsoft Licensing Agreement which students believe to be a waste of their student fees (Iowa State Daily, 2002). Although quality, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, the quality of IT as measured by peers, students, faculty, and staff is at least average and probably above average within Iowa Stateâ⠂¬â„¢s peer institutions. Availability: AIT has taken pride over the years in giving students, faculty, and staff almost unlimited access to the university’s IT resources. The Durham Center for Computation and Telecommunications has been one of only a handful of buildings on campus open 24 hours, seven days a week. The supply of open computers within the Durham Center has usually outpaced demand except for small rush periods during the semester. Accessibility for disabled clients has also been a priority. Recent budget cuts have taken their toll on this availability however. During the last year, the center has reduced its open hours from 24 to 17 on weekdays and 14 on weekends, more closely mimicking the library’s open hours policy. Another limitation has been levied upon a few heavy Internet users in the dormitories (Iowa State Daily, 2001). Because of this heavy use, at a cost to other, less intense users, a limit has been placed on the amount of information that can be downloaded from dorm computers.

California SB 1386 Essay examples -- essays research papers

On July 1, 2003, California enacted an electronic data privacy law to protect residents from one of its fastest growing crimes: identity theft. SB 1386 (Civil Code 1798.29) requires businesses to notify California residents if a security breach results in disclosure of personal electronic data. All businesses are subject to this law regardless of size, location, or operations. Business owners should be aware of the problems associated with identity theft, the steps required to comply with SB 1386, and the preventative measures available. Identity theft is a significant problem to both citizens and financial institutions. The FTC estimates that over 27.3 million Americans have been the victims of identity theft in the past five years. The U.S. financial impact is staggering; in 2002 alone, losses were estimated at $48 billion to financial institutions and $5 billion to victims. The FTC reviewed trends from 214,905 cases reported in 2003, and California accounted for the highest number of incidents (39,452). In 20% of all cases, the source of the information breach involved disclosure of personal data over the internet or other electronic sources. In 55% of all cases, the identity theft resulted in credit card, bank, or loan fraud. Federal and state laws address this growing problem. The FTC provides some protection by aggressively enforcing existing federal laws. Under the unfair and deceptive trade practices law, a website operator must adhere to the company’s own privacy policy or face prosecution for failing to exercise a reasonable standard of care. Reasonable care includes addressing potential system vulnerabilities such as viruses and encrypting personal information so that it cannot be viewed. The FTC recently ordered several large corporations to implement stronger privacy controls after breaches exposed personal information. In January of 2001, Eli Lilly settled with the FTC after accidentally releasing the e-mail addresses of nearly 700 consumers who were using the company’s anti-depressant Prozac. Seven months later, Microsoft was targeted by the FTC for misrepresenting the security of its â€Å"Passport Wallet† web service. More recently, in April of 2004, Tower Records faced allegations for allowing and failing to correct a breach that disclosed consumer information including names, billing and shipping addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and ... ... 2003. http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/IDT_CY03/California%20CY2003.pdf January 18, 2002, â€Å"Eli Lilly Settles FTC Charges Concerning Security Breach†. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/01/elililly.htm August 8, 2002, â€Å"Microsoft Settles FTC Charges Alleging False Security and Privacy Promises†. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/08/microsoft.htm April 21, 2004, â€Å"Tower Records Settles FTC Charges†. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/04/towerrecords.htm Articles: Cheryl A. Falvey, â€Å"Disclosure of Security Breaches Required by New California Privacy Legislation†. http://library.lp.findlaw.com/articles/file/00008/009186/title/Subject/topic/Antitrust%20and%20Trade%20Regulation_Unfair%20Trade%20Practices/filename/antitrustandtraderegulation_2_237 Whole Security, â€Å"Facts on Identity Theft†. http://www.wholesecurity.com/threat/identity_theft.html Auxillium West, â€Å"California SB 1386 – Personal Information: Privacy†. http://www.auxillium.com/californiaSB1386.shtml StrongAuth, Inc., â€Å"California’s SB 1386 – Frequently Asked Questions†. http://www.strongauth.com/regulations/sb1386/sb1386FAQ.html Legislation: California SB 1386 http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/01-02/bill/sen/sb_1351-1400/sb_1386_bill_20020926_chaptered.html

Historical Analysis Of Jerzy K :: essays research papers

An obscure village in Poland, sheltered from ideas and industrialization, seemed a safe place to store one ¹s most precious valuable: a 6-year-old boy. Or so it seemed to the parents who abandoned their only son to protect him from the Nazis in the beginning of Jerzy Kosinski ¹s provocative 1965 novel The Painted Bird. After his guardian Marta dies and her decaying corpse and hut are accidentally engulfed in flames, the innocent young dark-haired, dark-eyed outcast is obliged to trek from village to village in search of food, shelter, and companionship. Beaten and caressed, chastised and ignored, the unnamed protagonist survives the abuse inflicted by men, women, children and beasts to be reclaimed by his parents 7 years later--a cold, indifferent, and callous individual. The protagonist ¹s experiences and observations demonstrate that the Holocaust was far too encompassing to be contained within the capsule of Germany with its sordid concentration camps and sociopolitical upheaval. Even remote and  ³backward ² villages of Poland were exposed and sucked into the maelstrom of conflict. The significance of this point is that it leads to another logical progression: Reaching further than the Polish villages of 1939, the novel ¹s implications extend to all of us. Not only did Hitler ¹s stain seep into even the smallest crannies of the world at that time, it also spread beyond limits of time and culture. Modern readers, likewise, are implicated because of our humanity. The conscientious reader feels a sense of shame at what we, as humans, are capable of through our cultural mentalities. That is one of the more profound aspects of Kosinski ¹s work. It is this sense of connectedness between cultures, people, and ideas that runs through the book continuously. While the  ³backward ² nonindustrialized villages of Poland seem at first glance to contrast sharply with  ³civilized ² Nazi Germany, Kosinski shows that the two were actually linked by arteries of brutality and bigotry. Both cultures used some form of religious ideology to enforce a doctrine of hate upon selected groups whom they perceived to be inferior. Totalitarian rhetoric and Nietzschian existentialism replace a hybrid of Catholicism, which in turn replaces medieval superstition as the protagonist is carried from the innards of village life to the heart of totalitarian power. In the first several chapters of the novel the little protagonist is firmly convinced that demons and devils are part of the tangible, physical world. He actually sees them. They are not mythological

Alliance Boots Marketing Essay

Task 1 (L.O.1.1) What is the Marketing Process? There are many different definitions of the Marketing Process, here are just two of them. i) â€Å"Marketing is the social process by which individuals and organizations obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging value with others.† (Kotler and Armstrong 2010) This basic definition of marketing explains how societies and organisation interact, where an organisation fulfils the wants or needs of individuals. In return, the organisation hopes to make a profit. ii) â€Å"Marketing is the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organisational goals† (Marketing Principles, BPP Learning Media,2010 pg.6) This definition looks at marketing more from the view of an organisation. It takes into account a lot more factors, such as the marketing mix, and looks at marketing as something that has to be done in order to achieve their goal, ie. Profits. The marketing mix is essential for an organisation to establish both its target market and unique selling point, it uses the 4 P’s to help find these. The four P’s are the idea of modern marketing theorists and they cover the ways that an organisation can influence consumers to buy their particular brand. The Four P’s are Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. Product: A product is anything that can be offered to the marketplace for consumption that will satisfy a need or want. It is not just something physical (tangible), it can also be a service provided e.g. cleaners, psychics etc., where, once the transaction is finished the consumer does not have anything to show for the money spent. These are non-tangible goods. The packaging of a product is important, not only as protection, but for communication (how to use a product), to remind consumers of the brand, and also to express company brand values (fair trade, supporting charities etc.). (appendix 1.1.1) Price â€Å"Costs will dictate the minimum price that can be charged in order to make a profit† (Marketing Principles, BPP Learning Media Pg.19)  Except for Loss Leaders, the purpose of a product is to make a profit for an organisation. The product must be bringing in more money than it’s costing to make or it’s not a viable source of income. This involves balancing a range of factors. Some examples are: 1. The price of competitors: If a product costs too much when compared to a similar product, the company could price itself out of the market. 2. What the target market is willing to pay: â€Å"The amount your target market is prepared to pay for your product depends on its features and the target market’s budget.† (http://www.learnmarketing.net/marketingmix.htm). 3. Consumers Perception: Some consumers will equate the price of goods with quality. What matters for a product in relation to pricing is the average price paid. Eg. Fashion & technology starts off with high prices, while FMCG’s start low Place   Traditionally in the 4P’s, place refers to distribution. It is concerned with where the product is bought and consumed, and getting the product in the right place at the right time (S. Hilliard, notes). Distribution also concerns itself with where a product is made, how it is stored and how many people are involved with a product before it reaches the shelves. The more people involved, the more expensive the product. If the producer of a product sells directly to the public, they must be easily accessible. There are three main distribution strategies available: 1. Intensive Distribution: This can be used for impulse or low-priced goods e.g. Coca-Cola. 2. Selective Distribution: This is used when a product is sold in a few places. Products still gets to wide geographical markets, but at the same time, feels like there’s some exclusivity to it. Eg. John Rocha at Debenhams. 3. Exclusive Distribution: Is when a product  is given to a sole distributor. The product is usually high-priced. Eg. Ferrari dealers or boutique clothes. Promotion Promotion is the means by which information about a product is communicated. It is done through advertising and Public Relations, where the company pays for, and so has control over information given to the consumer (Tesco’s Computers for schools programme). Publicity is uncontrolled and so can have a bad, as well as a good impact on a company (BP’s Gulf of Mexico’s oil spill). It is vital for businesses to have good reputations since the internet is so easily accessible to the public nowadays, and news is not so easily forgotten. Promotion also involves the selling efforts of staff involved with a product. If a consumer is happy with service they would be more likely to come back to the same store but may not talk about it to other potential clients, on the other hand, if a consumer has a bad experience in a place they are far more likely to tell other people about it. You can find examples of this all over social media sites. Promotional offers are also helpful in stimulating a demand for goods, especially impulse bought goods. Eg. Boots pharmacy’s â€Å"Three for the price of two†. Task 2 (L.O.1.2) Alliance Boots Marketing Approach: Charles Revlon said â€Å"In the factory we make cosmetics, in the store we sell hope†. This can also be said of the company this assignment will be looking at. Alliance Boots marketing approach is both market and consumer based. They have necessary goods like prescription medicines & opticians, but they also have their health and beauty ranges in-store, they are also a major pharmaceutical wholesaler and distributor, in doing this they have become a world leader in their field. Their revenue at year ended 31March 2012 is  £23 billion, up 18.4% on 2011. Their trade profit was almost  £1.03 billion, up 12.4% on the previous year and 88% over the last five. The cause for this is that they been increasing their direct ownership in emerging global markets, they have also been increasing joint ventures with companies such as Farmexpert & Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals Corporation in China (Alliance Boots Annual Report 2012 Pg.7). They have brought their products such as No.7 and Boots Laboratories into countries where they do  not have a retail presence through selling to independent pharmacies and online. In their stores, the organisation is very concerned with customer care. They have training programmes for their staff when launching a new product so staff can be informed in case of questions from the public. At the moment they are refitting stores and opticians so as to make them more accessible to consumers. Boots are continuing to develop their website, and also their BootsWebMD.com page, a health. The Boots brand is the most recognisable pharmacy-based health and beauty brand in Europe and their No.7, Soltan and Botanic ranges are synonymous with good quality and good value (Appendix 1.2.2). This and other promotions like their â€Å"Only at Boots† offers are what they use to keep themselves ahead of competitors. They seek to give consumers the best possible value by reducing prices where possible and also increasing their â€Å"Advantage Card†, and in doing so promote brand loyalty, which leads to extra sales. The organisation has gone into multiple charities to continue with improving the brands name and keeping itself in the public’s mind. They understand that the â€Å"link between good Corporate Social Responsibility and good business is vital† (Boots Annual Report 2012 Pg44). In this, they encourage their people to volunteer in charities that benefit local communities, and have developed a good reputation by doing so. They have volunteers that travel to the developing world to help promote eye-care in collaboration with Vision Aid Overseas. (Appendix 1.2.1) In the U.K. especially, Boots have a very selective strategy when looking at where to put their stores so as to maximise their profits. They place their flagship stores in the heart of major towns or cities for all the consumer’s needs, their local pharmacies are healthcare focused for communities, high street stores are geared towards health and beauty, and finally their stores in airports for travellers’ last minute needs. Task 3 (L.O. 2.1) SWOT Analysis of Alliance Boots Strengths * They are world leaders in a market that has potential for long term growth and so are at the forefront of technology * 69% of a survey asked why they shopped at Boots said it was because of the range of products in  their store(*table down the bottom*). They have a wider selection than competitors in their market. * With training programmes for Boots staff, especially for their own brand products, consumers can be more informed about any questions or worries they may have without necessarily having to go to a doctor. * Their brands are well trusted by consumers so they have a loyal group of consumers. * Through BCM, their Contract Manufacturing business, they manufacture special prescription medicines for individuals. * Boots have an excellent reputation when it comes to delivery of prescription medicines for patients’ needs Weaknesses * As a major organisation in their field, any negative publicity could cause major damage to the brand’s name. In 2011 Alliance Boots offered members of its final salary scheme the chance to take part in a so-called â€Å"pensions increase exchange†. This would see members handed a one-off increase to the value of their pensions in place of annual inflation-linked rises. This may lead to problems for them in the future if pensioners do not get enough money to see them all the way through old age which, in turn, could see consumers look at Boots in a bad light. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/pensions/8820994/Alliance-Boots-could-be-open-to-pension-mis-selling-claims.html) * During a recession, people are more willing to buy generic brands, in doing this, the organisation may lose out on selling their own brand products and so lose out on profits. Opportunities * Boots are continuously evaluating franchise opportunities in selective countries with large populations, and growing healthcare expenditure that they have not yet penetrated. * They have attempted to tackle the weakness mentioned above by releasing their own generic brand of pharmaceuticals, â€Å"Almus†, which has been released in six countries, after the recent launch in Germany. * In certain health and beauty stores (mainly stores inside shopping centres), the group have just started to sell sandwiches and drinks to give consumers a place to grab a quick lunch. When it comes to profit, to paraphrase another company’s slogan â€Å"Every Little Helps† . Threats * Boots had an excellent market position; it was in this position that the company had to deal with changes in the external business environment. There were supermarket chains like TESCO that entered the personal care market with big plans and stores that covered every product line that the customer would deal with. Naturally, supermarket chains threatened the niche that Boots was ruling and these large retailers had much more to offer than just drugs, drawing in crowds from all parts with a comprehensive product package under one roof. * Other more direct competition, like Superdrug have been a threat to Boots recently. They have launched their own brand of cosmetics which has meant that Boots, in response have had to lower their prices. Pest Analysis of Alliance Boots Political With governments increasing the number of medicines available for purchase for minor illnesses, Boots have been able to sell a lot more over the counter products to consumers without them having to go to the doctor for prescriptions. The American company Walgreens have bought a stake in the organisation. â€Å"The U.S. government is becoming the largest payer of prescription drugs could be a larger long-term challenge for pharmacy reimbursement.† (http://eupolitics.einnews.com/article_frame/120352863) There is a view that this has been done as a way for Walgreens to hedge their bets, in case it becomes problematic getting reimbursed from a government trillions of dollars in debt. Economics With the worldwide recession at the moment, a lot of companies are finding it hard to run a business profitably. Alliance Boots seem to have made their industry recession-proof. Consumers may go without holidays or nights out, but it seems the population still can’t do without their health and beauty products. Although, consumers do seem more brand aware and are more receptive to lower priced or generic brands. Sociocultural Factors A person’s social environment includes their living and working conditions, income level, educational background and the communities they are part of. The organisation seems to understand this and in developing worlds where they have a market presence they support multiple charities, Doctors without  Borders in Africa and South America. â€Å"As an organisation focused on pharmacy-led health and beauty, promoting and supporting a range of initiatives that improve the health and wellbeing of the communities in which we serve is a natural extension of our business activities.† (http://media.allianceboots.com/app_media/alliancebootscsr/home/pdfs/AllianceBootsCorporateSocialResponsibilityReport.pdf). Closer to home, they understand how the government are trying to promote a more healthy lifestyle (although not doing a whole lot to encourage it, reduce taxes on health products/ fruit)* and are trying to capitalise on the idea. Technology Through Boots â€Å"Centre of Innovation†, the organisation tries to get new entrepreneurs to get in contact with them. If a product is good enough Boots may help fund it with a view to the product going into their stores. In the U.K., they are trying to lower their carbon footprint by fitting new stores, and refitting existing stores with sky lights, sun pipes and solar panels. These stores have seen their carbon emissions reduced by a third. Task 4 (L.O.2.2 & 2.4) Buyer behaviour is the study of the why, when, what, where and how consumers buy a certain product. To steal a line from the real estate industry, the three most important things in marketing are segmentation, segmentation and†¦ segmentation. Research places groups into different segments and allows an organisation to know the geographic, demographic, and psychographic variables (target market) to aim their products at. The two products this assignment will be looking at are 1) â€Å"Boots Winter vaccine† and 2) â€Å"FCUK men’s deodorant†. (Appendix 2.2.1, 2.2.2 & 2.2.3) The stages of buyer behaviour are: * Need recognition * Information search * Evaluation of alternatives * Purchase decision * Post purchase evaluation (Marketing Principles BPP Learning Media Pg. 132) Need recognition: 1) A person vulnerable to influenza and wants to protect against it. 2)  Consumer needs a new can of deodorant. Information search 1) Internet search, Emails ( If the consumer has an Advantage Card) 2) Ask friends, TV adverts, flyers from the last time shopper was in the store Evaluation of alternatives: 1) Talk to a GP. Are the GP’s services more hygienic? 2) Is the price okay for the product compared to the other products like Lynx, Nivea etc, does it smell better than the other products? Purchase decision: 1) Confirm that factors important to the consumer are met. 2) Price is right, product smells good. Post purchase evaluation: 1) Did the vaccine work? Were the standards of the consumer met? 2) Does the spray do what it was bought for? Segmentation: Geographic: As seen in task 2, Boots have strategically placed stores to maximise their consumer base and profits. (Flagship stores corner shops, airports etc.). Demographic: Appendix 2.2.4 1) Winter Flu Vaccine: * With winter starting soon Boots are beginning to promote their Winter Flu vaccination service. This will be aimed at a wide demographic. * This vaccination is strongly recommended for: * persons aged 65 and over †¢ Those with a long-term medical condition such as diabetes, heart or lung disease †¢ People whose immune system is impaired due to disease or treatment †¢ Persons with a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 40 †¢ Pregnant women (can be given at any stage of pregnancy) †¢ Residents of nursing homes and other long stay institutions †¢ Healthcare workers †¢ Carers †¢ People with regular close contact with poultry, water fowl or pigs. (http://www.boots.ie/winter-flu-vaccination-service.aspx) 2) FCUK men’s deodorant: Boots target market for this and all other â€Å"designer† body-sprays are males aged from 16 to 35. These are consumers (usually) with plenty of discretionary income and who may feel more under pressure to look their best. They don’t always worry about money when it comes to this. Psychographic: 1) Winter Flu vaccine Boots aim this product at people who are security and status seeking. If this is to work for them they cannot afford to be lackadaisical when it comes to hygiene. They can instil confidence in their consumers simply because they are such a well-known brand, and if they had any negative press it would surely be widely reported on. 2) FCUK men’s deodorant: This product is a more expensive option than a lot of the competitive products Boots have for sale. It’s also a bit more expensive than if consumers were to go into a supermarket and buy the same product. As FCUK is a well-known brand, consumers who are status seeking could be looked at as a potential target-market base, but consumers who have the â€Å"Hedonistic† approach to life would be more appropriate. Task 5 L.O. (2.3& 2.5) Boots target-market ranges from the pharmacies they supply as part of their wholesaling and distribution right through to what they hope will be their loyal consumer. Through wholesaling, they must ensure their products are the best quality for the best price when compared to rivals like Superdrug. If they were to be found to lack the quality of their rivals it could have a lasting damaging effect on the organisation. (Boots estimate the goodwill of their name in their joint ventures to be worth  £4.7billion). As a pharmacy store Boots are aimed at consumers who are security and status seeking. Recently their â€Å"First Leaf† advertisement for the autumn/ winter begun on television and was aimed at mothers who want to avoid illnesses in their family throughout the winter with vitamins and throat sprays, and at the  same time promotes luxury items like bubble-bath and autumn coloured hair-dyes. The â€Å"advantage card† is a major factor in how Boots target their market. They have been able to understand their target market so well that they send separate offers to individuals based on their spending habits, which encourages consumers back to the store and can only be an advantage on their behalf. The card has also gotten excellent reviews from consumers on websites like reviewcentre.com. Boots are in a very strong position for the challenges that may face them in the next few years. Although with the â€Å"green movement† becoming a more prolific part of lifestyle segments, they could promote their CSR, which does a lot of charity works in developing countries they have employees in. They do not test on animals, or have testing carried out on their behalf. With governments looking to provide more cost-effective ways of managing healthcare, Boots could possibly expand in communities through weight- management programmes, health check-ups and smoking cessation advice. But if they don’t do this I still think they’ll be fine.

Speaking And Pronunciation Syllabus Education Essay

Syllabus design is an built-in portion of English linguistic communication instruction and as instructors seek develop linguistic communication proficiency in 2nd linguistic communication scholars they are expected to make constructions of larning which will enable the accomplishment of this enterprise. As such, this essay provides a justification for a course of study designed to be used in learning speech production and pronunciation to Libyan secondary pupils with Arabic as their first linguistic communication. Ideally, the syllabus marks to decide speech production and pronunciation jobs experienced by English linguistic communication scholars of Arabic descent. More frequently than non, Libyan and Arabic speech production pupils are merely exposed to larning English through formal instructions as explained by Rabab'ah ( 2003:181 ) . Following this, they are unable to to the full foster their speech production and pronunciation accomplishments which are best acquired through syne rgistic and communicative acquisition. As a consequence of the differences which are present between English and Arabic pronunciation, most of these scholars experiences jobs related to emphasis and modulation. However, the greatest hard present amongst Arabic scholars of English is their incapacity to pass on fluently and proficiently in English. It therefore becomes rather important to turn to these jobs by explicating an effectual course of study. The speech production and pronunciation course of study is hence aimed at developing English linguistic communication proficiency and particularly with focal point at developing expert eloquence which as asserted by Chambers ( 1997:536 ) , is the chief index of communicative proficiency. This purpose will at the terminal facilitate communicative and matter-of-fact competences which will let scholars to use the English linguistic communication suitably in their twenty-four hours to twenty-four hours interactions. The scholars targeted by this course of study have shown great enthusiasm for the acquisition of English speech production and pronunciation. Their motive is fuelled by the demand to interact and pass on with English talking tourers who usually frequent Libya. The scholars who are aged between 16 to 17 old ages possess limited capacities in speech production and pronunciation accomplishments as indicated by a nosologies trials carried out prior to the designing of the course of study. At the pre-intermediate degree, this course of study is ideal for them. Organization and Description of the Syllabus The course of study which focuses on developing speech production and pronunciation accomplishments is comprised of a sum of 12 Sessionss with each session amounting to one hr. As such, scholars will hold a sum of 12 hours of contact. There will be 16 Libyan scholars go toing the Sessionss at a linguistic communication centre located in Tripoli. The course of study is organized in such a manner as to reflect the subject, speech production and pronunciation focal point and the speech production activities for every session. In the first unit of the course of study the chief focal point is on talking where scholars will larn how to do questions and besides give information. In making so, they will besides integrate this in larning the pronunciation of long vowel sounds. The 2nd unit follows the same guidelines but the speech production focal point is directed towards speaking about others in a conversation while at the same clip familiarising oneself with the pronunciation of the shwa sound. While the speech production focal point for most Sessionss revolves around doing questions, giving information, doing remarks and explicating descriptions, pronunciation ‘s focal point is at groking the usage of vowels and consonants. Unit 6 utilizes descriptive undertakings in larning the usage of consonants /s/z/iz. Other elements of pronunciation are besides addressed with Unit 3 learning scholars how to associate words and sounds in sentences. Unit 4 marks to learn contracted address signifiers. Other phonological constituents such as modulation, falling and raising modulation are tackled in Unit 7. Word emphasis which is an of import facet of pronunciation is taught in Unit 8. Unit of measurements 11 and 12 accommodate assimilation and the pronunciation of the [ -ed ] signifier severally. The course of study ideally reflects its aims by supplying speech production activities for each session which are meant to supply scholars with an synergistic environment for tackling th eir speech production accomplishments. Evident in the course of study is the usage of synergistic activities throughout all Sessionss. These activities include pair work, function drama, treatments, group work, questionnaires and games. These activities fit the purpose of the course of study as they will give scholars ample pattern on their English communicating, speech production and pronunciation accomplishments. The sample lesson program for Unit 4 clearly indicates learning processs for this scholar centered course of study. Since the chief focal point is to transfuse talking accomplishments to scholars, the instructor is expected to use instruction methodological analysiss which mostly focus on the scholar ‘s acquisition demands. Indeed, functional purpose of the lesson is to enable scholars to seek and give information utilizing telephone devices while the phonological aims include larning how to use contracted address suitably. As indicated by Nunan ( 1998:26 ) , such a scholar centered course of studies can be implemented efficaciously by integrating ample communicative and synergistic undertakings. This is observed in the lesson program as scholars are invariably asked inquiries by the instructor ; they are besides involved in synergistic group work where they pattern colloquial accomplishments. The lesson program is besides realistic and made more effectual by the instructor â⠂¬Ëœs usage function drama undertakings and the usage of familiar content such as the engagement of hotels frequently done by tourers with whom these scholars would desire to interact with. In general, scholars will hold acquired equal speech production accomplishments which they can use in their day-to-day interactions with other English talkers. Talking besides accommodates the formation of relationships with others and the Libyan scholars will make so during their extremely synergistic speech production and pronunciation lesson. Follow up is an of import facet of instruction and acquisition. From the lesson programs guided by the course of study, scholars ‘ apprehension of the content is evaluated by the instructor during the assorted lessons. For case in Unit 4, scholars are expected to transport out group function drama undertakings as they examine their capacity to inquire and give information. The instructor ‘s function in this activity as in all other lesson activities is to interact with the scholars and point out countries which need rectifying. Oral accomplishments are likely to attest with the usage of such synergistic and prosecuting follow up activities as indicated in the course of study. Theoretical Justification of the Syllabus It is quite cardinal in the designing of such a course of study to organize a theoretical footing for its content. This factor provides intent for the course of study and besides provides a nexus between its design and pattern. This course of study chiefly targets the Libyan pupils ‘ capablenesss to pass on efficaciously with other English speech production persons. As such, the course of study must concentrate on bettering eloquence, rightness and intelligibility in their usage of the linguistic communication. Contrary to old aims of larning speech production and pronunciation which was to derive native like speech pattern, current purposes of larning pronunciation focal points on deriving intelligibility as observed by Tarone ( 2005 ) . It is therefore critical to see the rules of the communicative attack of linguistic communication larning utilised as a footing for the course of study. In this attack, the focal point is chiefly on communicating and the content being taught d epends on the scholar ‘s demands. Since the Arabic speech production Libyan learners seek to go better communicators, the course of study has accommodated legion speech production and synergistic undertakings and chances. Libyan scholars are observed to hold troubles in articulating [ -ed ] signifiers and besides the plural signifiers /s/z/iz. Following this analysis, it is important for the course of study to integrate communicative chances for them to pattern the pronunciation of these sounds. Indeed as Brinton, Goodwin and Celce-Murcia ( 1996:8 ) assert that such methodological analysiss like listening and copying and phonic preparation are rather effectual in learning pronunciation. These techniques are reflected in the course of study as scholars are encouraged to accommodate the instructor ‘s competent pronunciation by copying and so practising pronunciations during the lesson activities. In add-on, Libyan scholars will profit amply from the interactive linguistic communication they will larn whose accent as described by Richards ( 1990 ) is to let the creative activity of positive interactions between persons and this is reflected in the course of study as it focus on subjects aimed at le ting scholars to do little talk, questions, give regards and do new brushs. The above communicative attack which has been used in the course of study incorporates undertakings which will enable scholars to incorporate both eloquence and truth in their speech production. Indeed as postulated by Ellis ( 2003 ) , the usage of such undertakings like descriptions and narrations which are dominant in the course of study non merely allows scholars to pattern linguistic communication usage but besides sums to complex and accurate usage of the linguistic communication. Talking truth is besides said to emerge from the usage of unwritten communicating undertakings as described by Lynch ( 2007:317 ) who argues that when scholars cooperate in placing their speech production mistakes and rectifying them they are able to derive assurance in the mark linguistic communication and even strive to talk the linguistic communication suitably. This factor implies that as Libyan scholars who experience troubles in utilizing contracted address will happen it helpful to engaged in un dertakings which encourage both the scholars and the instructor to rectify their mistakes and besides steer them towards avoiding the unneeded usage of long words and sentences. The Syllabus and Pragmatic Competence The mark of the course of study is non merely to develop communicative competency in scholars but besides matter-of-fact competency. Matter-of-fact competency trades chiefly on the utterance degree of linguistic communication and with factors which allow native talkers to use the mark linguistic communication in societal interactions uninhibited. Harmonizing to Rueda ( 2006: 170 ) there are many facets of matter-of-fact competency which can be facilitated during schoolroom direction which means that the course of study needs to actively integrate such sole instructions. For scholars to derive this signifier of competency, they must possess the ability use the mark linguistic communication for different intents. Besides, scholars must get the ability to grok a talker ‘s purposes and have a bid of the linguistic communication regulations utilized in making signifiers of discourse. Explicit direction in the instruction of English to the Arabic speech production pupils is rather ne cessary. Such direction is expected to expose scholars to the accurate English linguistic communication input as observed in the course of study where scholars are provided with relevant speech production and pronunciation contents. Besides as seen in the course of study, it is important to make chances for the pattern of the matter-of-fact cognition that scholars have acquired during the learning procedure. Arabic talking scholars frequently experience jobs in understanding intended significances in discourse chiefly because they are unable to hold on the usage and significances of modulation and word emphasis. Harmonizing to Smith and Swan ( 2001:198 ) the unpredictable nature of English word emphasis eludes most Arabic talkers and instructors need to fit them with accomplishments for observing alterations in significances brought approximately by English word emphasis. As this is important to deriving matter-of-fact competency, the course of study has incorporated these facets as scholars engage in larning undertakings which enable them to separate between falling and raising modulation and the several implied significances. Chapman ( 2007:10 ) points out that the instruction of modulation in an synergistic environment will let scholars to understand how native talkers of English construe them. While trying to learn the Libyan pupils English and promote matter-of-fact competency, it is of import to see the function of top- down and bottom-up abilities. In order to accomplish the acquisition of these accomplishments, learning schemes need to see the differences which exist between linguistic communications and guarantee that scholars utilize these differences in larning the mark linguistic communication and that their native linguistic communication competency does non impede their mark linguistic communication acquisition. For case as illustrated by Chang, El-Ashry, Leclere and Palmer ( 2007:8 ) negative transportations can happen in the acquisition of English vowels by Arabic talkers due to the bing difference in the writing system of both linguistic communications. While vowels are found in the English alphabet and each of them stand foring multiple phonemes, Arabic talkers express their long vowels utilizing letters which represent individual phonemes. This contrast need s to be clearly addressed in the instruction of English long vowels to Arabic scholars. McCarthy and O'Keeffe ( 2004:26 ) ascertain that the usage of spoken principal has become rather of import in the instruction of speech production. Corpus in the instruction of Arabic talkers provides a native illustration of the usage of the mark linguistic communication and efficaciously assists scholars in look intoing their competency. The usage of written texts and recordings in the mark linguistic communication is demonstrated in the course of study and lesson program and promises to heighten eloquence and pronunciation. In learning matter-of-fact competency in Arabic scholars of English, there are assorted underlying premises which include the fact that the act of speech production is tantamount to executing speech Acts of the Apostless, that there are peculiar address Acts of the Apostless used by all linguistic communications and that there are differences in how talkers of different linguistic communications do things and in when they do them. The elaborate course of study has accommodated a huge scope of address Acts of the Apostless as scholars are taught how to transport out assorted colloquial undertakings. Besides, the usage of communicative activities like group work and function drama provides an effectual manner of leaving matter-of-fact competency. Decision From the above treatment, it is apparent that syllabus design is a complex and affecting undertaking. The analyzed course of study will efficaciously transform the speech production and pronunciation capablenesss of the targeted Libyan pupils. Greatly motivated to derive communicative competency in English, the scholars will profit from a communicative instruction attack which is besides learner centered. In add-on, this attack makes it easy to get matter-of-fact competency every bit good. The course of study has incorporated assorted countries in speech production and pronunciation which are considered to be debatable amongst Arabic talking 2nd linguistic communication scholars. As such, the surveies of contracted address, modulation, word emphasis, [ -ed ] signifier application, long vowels and plural signifiers of /s/z/iz/ have been incorporated. Other facets of significance which have been addressed include the usage of spoken principal and the top-down, bottom-up abilities in sc holars. In kernel, this course of study has the capacity to act upon the accomplishment of the larning aims desired by the Libyan pupils.

Competition Bikes Inc. Storyline Essay

Introduction Competition Bikes Inc. is considering an expansion to Canada and is trying to determine whether to merge with or acquire the Canadian Biking Inc. facility. We take a look in this summary at capital structure approaches, Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return and the concerns surrounding that. Competition Bikes working capital is discussed and finally an analysis on if the company should merge or acquire Canadian Biking Inc. Capital Structure Approach A1. This summary provides a report and recommendation of a capital structure that maximizes shareholder return. Capital Structure is how well a company finances its assets, operations and growth using short and long term debt, and common and preferred equities. Overall, more equity and less debt attracts investors. Equity is either common stocks, or preferred stocks. Competition Bikes Inc. is looking to expand to Canada. To expand, the company must have the most appropriate capital structure not only to be able to pay off debts, have an acceptable return on investment, and increase cash flow, but to have the appropriate funding to expand and for future stability and growth. Currently Competition Bikes has working capital, long term notes payable, common and preferred stocks, and retained earnings. We will use Earnings per Share (EPS) from the table below to make a recommendation as to what approach the company should use. This is what investors look into as well. There are five capit al structure approaches Competition Bikes can take to generate the capital required for the expansion. The table below shows the calculated EPS for each structure which is discussed after. 9% Bonds Only. Bonds are risky because they require a fixed interest payment that could negatively affect shareholder earnings if sales projections are not as anticipated. Payments are typically made semi-annually which decreases the company’s income. This is regarded as a debt, not equity which takes more time to realize benefits. This option yields the highest interest and lowers Competition Bikes Income before Tax (EBT). The plus to this option is that bonds are debt financing and therefore tax deductible. In some smaller companies this is less expensive that using equity to finance debts. Competition Bikes does not fall into this category really because it is unknown if profits will increase or dividends will be diluted in future years. Future monies earned will be used to pay off the debts and not be reinvested into the company as new earnings. Using moderate expected earnings before interest and taxes amounts (EBIT), the EPS for stockholders over 5 years with this option is .103. The lower EPS is means less common stock shares outstanding, less equity, and fewer dividends. The risk is higher in this option as highly leveraged companies tend to have difficulties with cash flow. 50% Preferred Stock and 50% Common Stock. In this option the investors fund  the expansion. Competition Bike’s equity is used rather than debts to finance growth into Canada. Investors have more of an invested interest in the company and Competition Bikes has less debt to income ratio. Preferred stockholders will earn dividend payouts on a regular basis while the Board of Directors determines if common stockholders receive dividends. Preferred stockholders also tend to hold on to their stocks longer preventing a declined value in them. There is no interest to pay back in this option therefore, all EBIT are retained. The EPS for this option over 5 years is .203, one of the highest two in this analysis. Investors will see an immediate return on investment beginning in year 9. This option yields the highest net income and preferred stock dividends. On a negative note, this option can be a lengthy process consuming time resources. 20% in 9% Bonds and 80% in Common Stock. The 20/80 option mix of bonds and common stock is a better option that 100% bonds. This option uses both debt and investors to fund the expansion and allows Competition Bikes to give less dividends if it so chooses. The debt to income ratio remains small here and interest low as only 20% is being used as debt. Over 5 years this option yields .197 EPS which is the close to the 50% preferred and common stock. There is more risk here as debts must be paid back on a strict schedule, regardless of income. However, EBT is higher and the total income available for common stock increases. 40% in 9% Bonds and 60% Common Stock. Like the previous option, this option uses both debt and investors to fund the expansion. While having 60% in common stock still keeps the company from forced dividend payouts, it’s not as safe as 20/80 option. The split in bonds and common stocks keeps interest low. Not as low as the 20/80 option, but not as high as the 60/40 option. The same holds true for available income. There is more available for common stock than 100% bonds. The EPS for this option is .182 because of the number of outstanding shares is higher than the 20/80 option. 60% in 9% Bonds and 40% in Common Stock. In this option, there is debt just as there is in the first option. The increase in interest (12%) causes less equity and fewer dividends. The income available for common stock is the low in this option. It’s also important to note that Competition Bikes had declining sales the past two years. It is unknown if they will have enough sales to meet their interest payments on time and continue business as usual. The EPS over 5 years with this option is .16, the second lowest. Recommendation. Capital structure as we can see can be tricky. It is the best balance of debt and equity to maximize returns, EPS. Excluding the 60/40 option, all the options show continued growth through the years. However, 50% common and preferred stock option yields the stronger EPS at .203 and is therefore the recommendation for Competition Bikes. The continued strength and growth in this option will maximize shareholder return, and yield addition dividends to investors with less risk. The increased EBIT will be retained in the company. The goals of this analysis were to ensure the highest EPS keeping shareholders satisfied while building strong net income in the business. The larger equity versus debt in the 50% Common Stock and 50% Preferred Stock accomplishes that. This option is recommended for Competition Bikes to improve the company’s financial position. The alternate capital structure would be the 20/80 option. Net Present Value and Internal Rate of Return A2. In this summary we discuss the Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) methods in regards to the proposed investment. These areas determine if the investment is worth moving forward with the merger or acquisition without financially harming the company. The Capital Budget income statements were reviewed to make the following determinations. NPV. This method appraises investments. The calculation for NPV is the investments total net cash flows minus initial costs. If the result is positive then the investment should be accepted. Negative results should be rejected. The NPV indicates the investment’s value, or profitability. IRR. This method is more often used to make investment decisions with companies. The IRR calculation is the discount rate of interest that decreases the asset’s net present value to the cost of the investment, or  back to zero. This is the true economic return earned. The IRR should be equal to or greater than the cost of the capital, or hurdle rate, to accept the investment. Competition Bikes requires a 10% hurdle rate to pursue the investment. Lower results should reject the investment. Growth is considered in this method. The IRR is the efficiency and yield of an investment. Competition Bikes Inc. has provided the following five year projection on NPV and IRR. This is provided in both the low demand and moderate demand scenarios. Concerns for NPV – Low Demand. After investing $600,000 in this scenario, the total present value of $573,260 yield a negative $26,740 NPV. Although this does not mean the company will lost money in this scenario, it does mean they will not meet their self-set 10% hurdle rate. Growth in sales is set at 49,000 or six units yet not enough to increase to a positive NPV in five years. This is an indication the company should not move forward with the expansion as investors will most likely not want for the cost of capital to be realized. The global economy is also at a low point which give Competition an even higher risk of not making its even low demand model sales expectations. Concerns for NPV – Moderate Demand. After investing $600,000 in the moderate scenario, the total present value is $602,243 leaving a NPV of $2,243. While this is a positive number, it is not a high one so the company would have to decide if projections were more accurate in the moderate demand, or low. If Competition Bikes does not meet its projections by any margin, this NPV will move into a negative status. In addition the declined economy, Competition Bikes has been over predicting sales in recent years. If the company follows this same pattern, the numbers in this scenario could be off. Concerns for IRR – Low Demand. The rate of return for this scenario is 8.7%, 1.3% lower than Competition Bikes’ 10% threshold. This indicates the project will not be funded or profitable, steering investors away from investing. Concerns for IRR – Moderate Demand. The rate of return for this scenario is 10.1%. Although it is above Competition Bikes’ set limit for moving forward, it barely meets the minimum. With the market in a down swing, its best to look at the low demand rather than moderate at this point. Having the moderate barely meet the 10% should raise concern for the company. Investors may not want to spend money for a venture that is marginally acceptable. Not recommended. From the summaries above on the NPV and IRR, it is not recommended that Competition Bikes move into the Canadian market at this time. There is a possibility that the expansion would be a success, but the risks are too high. The 10% rate of return is not only rarely met in these scenarios, that threshold may be a little low too. Expansion into another country with additional building planned is much riskier than just an internal investment due to economic and regulatory issues. The cash flows used to create these scenarios are not exact either. Competition Bikes would need to leave itself a little more room for cash flow fluctuation. Although they will be spending more on advertising in the first year, it is unknown if it will increase sales. The expansion is something that could be reconsidered after the economy bounces back. Working Capital for Canadian Expansion A3. (1) Obtain Working Capital. Working capital is Assets minus Liabilities and can be obtained by several avenues. Competition Bikes will have to build working capital to afford the expansion. Below are some of the avenues the company can use to acquire working capital. Debt financing. One time transaction bank loans is debt financing and usually comes with a higher closing cost. Loans can also be obtained through government loans such as the Small Business Administration. These type of loans can be long or short term but general hold high interest rates. SBA loans general have terms less restrictive than those at the bank because they are services through the loan guarantor, not the lender. Avoiding using outside monies to fund a project is optimal assuming a favorable cost/ benefit ratio. Revolving Credit. Credit can be used continuously to fund multiple projects. Lines of credit tend to have lower payments than bank loans. Lines of credit can be used as working capital when appropriate. Interest is paid here and monthly payments cannot be missed or the company’s credit rating is at risk. Liquidating Assets. Companies can sell unnecessary assets such as structures or buildings, land, machinery, etc. Competition Bikes can sell its excess parts. Equity Financing. Offering preferred and common stock is a way to obtain working capital without going further into debt. Maximizing shareholder returns will raise funds for the company. Stocks will dilute ownership in the company but make the expansion possible without the threat of debt. Increase Sales. Managing already existing finances such as paying off debts, increasing sales and capacity, investing in marketing and advertising, lowering production costs and growing the business can increase working capital. Retained earnings can be reinvested as working capital as well. Lending. Working capital can be obtained from selling accounts receivable or increasing their accounts receivable collections system. Loaning more money with longer terms or reducing fixed and variable costs can also increase working capital. A3. (2) Manage Working Capital. Managing or preserving working capital is  done by budgeting, reinvestments, managing accounts payable and receivable, and inventory and asset management. There are other ways to manage or preserve working capital but these are discussed here. Budgeting. Competition Bikes can maintain its working capital by budgeting properly. Controlling costs and managing debt and assets will maintain cash flow. The balance sheets showed errors and ambiguous spending. Good record keeping is essential to know where money is going and where it’s coming from. The company can improve their debt management to know where costs can be cut. Paying debts on time will decrease interest paid and worthy record keeping can help know when the debts are due. Reinvesting. The company can reinvest working capital to preserve it. The 50% common stock and 50% preferred stock structure mentioned earlier will help the company manage working capital. This option yields the highest earnings per share building capital. Increase Accounts Receivable Interest and Discounts. Competition Bikes currently invoices at net/30 days. This should be reviewed and shortened to less than 20 days. Discounts should not be offered in excess and should be careful managed. Smart cost control maximizes cash flow. Accounts payable credit terms can be negotiated with suppliers as well. This may decrease interest and help maintain working capital. Inventory/ Asset Management. In addition to an acceptable record keeping system, inventory control can help the company in knowing what’s on hand, what’s incoming and outgoing. This can help determine what assets can be liquidated and used as working capital. A3. (3) Lease vs. Buy. Deciding whether to lease or buy is a way to manage or preserve working capital. Competition Bikes needs to know which the better option to preserve their working capital is. The assessment below discusses the options. Lease. The lease for Competition Bikes would be a 5 year lease with fixed  monthly payments. There is a $50,000 buyout option at the end of the lease and no tax deductions are offered. There is a 6% interest rate on leasing the facility. The company would not be locked into keeping the building after the 5 years. Leasing would yield a lower NPV than purchasing the facility and sustains working capital. Buy. If Competition Bikes chooses to purchase the Canadian facility, it would increase debt and still have fixed monthly payments. However, they would be able to take advantage of tax deductions. There is also a 6% interest rate in this option. Some considerations in purchasing are the depreciation of the facility, the down payment, and the maintenance upkeep. Purchasing the facility requires a $50,000 down payment which results in lower monthly payments than leasing. Recommendation. Leasing seems to make the most financial sense for Competition Bikes in this scenario. Investing the $50,000 into the company to build revenue and manage working capital is a smarter decision than spending it on a down payment. This option will produce less debt and less risk of bad credit. Given that future growth is unknown, it is better to lease for five years and determine at that time how to expand based on how the market is doing at that time. There is lower inherent risk in leasing and better chance of increased returns. The overall lease payments will be less than purchasing so the company should lease, reassess after 5 years, and look into the option to buy at that time. Merger or Acquisition A4. Competition Bikes must consider to merge with or acquire Canadian Bikes Inc. If the company does nothing, it could be faced with market competition that slides the company under. Below we look into the options, the consequences, positives and negatives of each. A final recommendation is made for Competition Bikes based on all information thus far. Merger. In a merger, the two companies would combine. Competition Bikes is a larger company with 975,000 shares of common stock versus Canadian Biking’s  200,000. Currently the earnings per share for Competition Bikes is .032 and Canadian Biking is at .121. If the companies merge, their earnings per share would increase to .053, an increase for Competition Bikes. In a merger, the acquiring company uses its own securities in exchange for the merged company’s so it will dilute shareholder equity. However, since the exchange would be 3:1 basis, this would result in 65% increase for Competition Bikes, holding as a positive for the company. Both companies have expected continued growth over the next five years becoming a stronger competitor. A Merger would mean increased technology, customer base, and pre-established business departments. The merge will also come with more employees and possible duplication of duties making layoffs inevitable. Acquisition. In an acquisition, one company (in this case Competition Bikes) will take ownership of the target company (Canadian Biking). Canadian Biking Inc. will no longer exist and stocks for Competition Bikes Inc. will continue, expecting a return on investment. Competition Bikes is offering shares at 1.43, 30% premium over their current stock of 1.10. The projected cash flow does not meet the 10% hurdle rate Competition Bikes requires for investments. With an offer price of $286,000 and present value of $212,138, that would leave a negative NPV of $73,862. This will not leave the company with a return on investment. Since Competition Bikes has had decreased sales in the past few years, acquisition is riskier than a merger. In an acquisition Competition Bikes would acquire all of the patents and copyrights from Canadian Biking. Conclusion Competition Bikes Inc. is considering a Canadian expansion and is faced with the determination whether to merge with or acquire the Canadian Biking Inc. facility. We have analyzed the source and management of working capital to help the company in the decision to merge with Canadian Biking, Inc. or to acquire the company. After consideration of the items discussed, it is recommended that Competition Bikes merge with Canadian Biking Inc. The monies required to merge with Canadian Biking Inc. should come from 50% preferred and 50% common stock. The growth of the merged company yields more  projected cash flow over five years than if Competition Bikes simply acquires Canadian Biking Inc.