Brief Memo Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Brief Memo - Case Study Example As the adviser firm, Harris Associates LP was sued by Jones amongst other investors, citing – section 36(b) of the Act. From receiving an adverse finding as passed by the Illinois District Court, Jones appealed, gaining a hearing in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals (Jones v. Harris Associates L.P., 08-586 1). However, in the end, the majority of the Court of Appeals (Maryland) did rule against the claim, citing the lack of judicial authority; regarding the legal regulation of investment company fees. In explanation, the court was of the view that the best regulator of ‘fees’ was the free market-arena itself. Further rejecting the provided line of argumentation, the court also viewed government as not being ‘in-place’; in regard to making such an assessment. Ultimately, the ideal portrayed was that of a strong free-market approach, as opposed to legislative interpretation of prevailing aspects of the existing economy (Jones v. Harris Associates L.P). In effect, the court ruled that when the settling entity/ person charged with a given trust’s (firm) administration made a given decision, it was in essence conclusive. This is in reference to – The Contractarian Basis of the Law of Trusts, 105 Yale L.J. 625 (1995) (Jones v. Harris Associates L.P., 08-5 86 1). In the case of the – Serita J. Weathersby v. Kentucky Fried Chicken National Management Co., No. 92-2360 (1993/4) Case [326 Md. 663, 670, 607, A.2d 8 (1992)] – essentially concerns discrimination within the employment sector, public accommodation and housing. Under focus is the aspect of employment litigation whereby the Maryland Court of Appeals did, and continues to emphasize, on the need of tort law; in regard to intentional infliction of emotional distress, to be utilized sparingly. This should be only in cases of opprobrious behavior that is inclusive of truly outrageous/ extreme conduct; extreme to the nature of going beyond bounds of decency, and hence

Section 176 Of Companies Act 1965 Essay Example for Free

Section 176 Of Companies Act 1965 Essay In Malaysia companies Act 1965 (CA), is one of the vital statutes which govern and regulate the formation and operation of a company. All the sections in this statute govern each and every part of company governance. In this case section 176 of Companies Act plays a very important role on arrangements and reconstruction of a company when the company heavily burdened with debt. Financial crisis is the most dangerous and a serious disadvantage for a company, in such situations companies normally will use this provision to escape and avoid liabilities against their creditors. This section allows the company to make arrangement and reconstruction where they can negotiate with the other parties such as creditors regarding the debt they owe. Section 176(5) of CA, must be read together with section 176 (3) of CA, where this section stress that the order made under subsection (3) is not valid until a copy of the said order is given to the registrar and only after the order is lodged, the said order will carry a binding effect from the date of the order lodgment. On the other hand, if the court find is reasonable than the court may determine any earlier date as specified in the order. This section basically talks about the date and effectiveness of the notice which been agreed by members and creditors as per subsection (3) of this provision.1 According to subsection (6), a copy of the order which made under subsection (3), must be put together or annexed with every single copy of the company’s memorandum which is issued after the order made under subsection (3).2 In the event where the company does not have a memorandum, than the order should be annexed to all instruments constituting or defining the constitution of the company. This is generally to give knowledge to a third party about the agreement between the company and the members or creditors. In this case the court may and have power to determine the period of time where the company shall comply to subsection (6). This can be seen in subsection (7) of the same provision.3 Any company fail to follow subsection (6) will be guilty of an offence against subsection (9) of the same provision where penalty of RM 2,000.00 will be imposed.4 Section 176 (10) of CA, govern the power of court to restrain proceedings.5 Here in this subsection, when there is no resolution or arrangement is made by members and creditors with company, the court have power to restrain further  proceedings in any action against the company. There are certain things the company has to do once the company obtains such order from the court. First, the company shall lodge a copy to Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (SSM). Second, the company should publish the obtained order in newspapers so that all the members and creditors of the company can know about the restrain order. Subsection (10A) says that the court may grant the restrain order for a period of not more than 90 days but there are four situations where the courts can extent the period of the restrain order for good reason. Firstly, the court must be satisfied that there is a proposal for compromise or arrangement between the company and the creditors and the creditor who representing this must hold one half of the value of all creditors which is basically 50 percent. Secondly, the court must feel that the restraining order is important for the company and the creditors to make arrangements or scheme of compromise for the approval of the creditors. Thirdly, a statement in the prescribed form must be made before three days before of the application of the order. Fourthly, the court must approve a nominated person among the creditors to act as a director of the company. These four things must be satisfied by the court for the court to give extension of time for the restrain order.6 In the case of PECD Bhd Anor v. Merino-ODD Sdn Bhd Ors the court held that, for the court to grant the extension of time more than 90 days, the company should and must follow the entire four things which stated in subsection (10A) of section 176.7 About the good reasons, Justice Vincent Ng have stated that the word good reason in section 176(10A) of CA, refers to the applicants’ bona fide intention and action to make arrangement or scheme of compromise in the case of Metroplex Bhd Ors V Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Inc.8 Section 176 on the CA is actually a sealed but not a sword. The intention of section 176 CA is actually to help companies which face some serious financial problems and debts to the creditors. This provision is must be used by the companies to prevent bankruptcy and as a chance to settle the debts to the creditors. However, some companies may misuse this section for their own enjoyment or benefit which was not and never the intention of parliament for enacting this provision. When companies start to misuse this provision, the objective of this provision is misinterpretated. This  misinterpretation can be said as one of the reason for financial crisis in 1997. Some companies may use these provisions to cheat the creditors of the company; in this case the improper usage of this section may lead to injustice to creditors. As a conclusion, section 176 of CA is very important provision which should be interpreted as per the original intention of the enactment. This provision is very helpful for the companies in financial difficulties and it will provide room for the companies to run their business and gain profit to overcome the debts. This provision also does not violate the rights of the creditors where by using this provision the company cannot escape the debt but only can obtain some time extension to repay it. This section must be used in a good manner so that the company and also the creditors do not held in injustice.

The Privacy of E-Mail Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays Interne

The Privacy of E-Mail Today the Internet is being used more and more frequently, and the question of e-mail privacy is becoming more and more of an issue in society. Many people today, both at work and at home, are using e-mail to keep in touch with their friends, family, and their co-workers. Sometimes the information that is contained in these messages is private and confidential, neither the sender nor the receiver wish any one else to be privy to what is contained in these messages. What happens if that very private piece of mail is intercepted and read by those whom it is not meant for? For some people it might only be a slight problem, but for others it could cause some serious problems. It also brings up the issue of who actually has the right to read e-mail. Is it acceptable for someone's boss or employer to be reading e-mail that is not meant for them, and is it acceptable for the police to read the private e-mail of those whom they suspect have been involved a crime? There are dozens questions that arise when a person is discussing the issue of e-mail privacy and just who has the right to read what some one else has sent to a person, something that might contain a message that they do not want read by anyone else. In 1986 the Electronic Communications Privacy Act was put into effect by Congress, this act was designed to protect the users of e-mail from having to worry about others reading what they consider to be a private message. In basic terms the act states that e-mail is not to be intercepted by an outside third party without the proper authorization. It also states that the police are not able to search and seize a persons e-mail unless they are in the possesion of a warrant authorizing them to do so. Whil... ...mics of Mass Communication 6th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill College 1999. Electronic Interaction in the Workplace: Monitoring, Retriving and Storing Employee Communications. Mark S. Dichler and Michael S. Burkhardt. October 2-5, 1996. The American Employment Law Council. November 27, 1999. www.mlb,com/speech1.html Elmer-Dewitt, Philip. "Who's Reading Your Screen?" Time Jan. 18, 1993, p.46. Reprinted in Privacy, SIRS. Boca Raton Fl., 1996. vol 5. art 1. Grossman, Lev. "How Bad Was the Hotmail Disaster?" Time Digital (August 31, 1999): 5pars. 27 Nov. 1999. www.time.com "Internet Privacy Survey." Privacy & American Business July/Aug 1997, pp. 1. Reprinted in Privacy, SIRS. Boca Raton Fl., 1996. vol 5. art 95. Privacy Rights 1996-1999. 27 Nov. 1999. San Jose Mercury News Jan. 30, 1994, pp. 1F. Reprinted in Privacy SIRS. Boca Raton, Fl., 1996. vol. 5. art. 22.

Having a child with a disability Essay -- essays research papers

When Andy was born I was the happiest woman on Earth. When I saw his beautiful face and his tiny body I cried, I will never forget that moment. We stayed in the hospital for three days. That first night back from the hospital Andy didn’t do anything but cry all night long. I did not know what to do, this was my first child, and I didn’t know how to calm him down. I called the Doctor and he explained to me that this was the normal behavior for a first born child, and he just needed to adjust to the new environment. I would give Andy his milk, change his diaper, hold him, sing to him, but nothing would stop Andy’s crying. We didn’t much sleep. That week my husband had to work so I had to deal with Andy by myself, which was frustrating. Finally after about a week Andy gave up some. His dad couldn’t even get close to him because he would start crying again, because Andy couldn’t be held or fed by anyone but me. I had to spend every minute of the day with him to the point that I had to put a mattress in his room so I could get some sleep. I slept in his room for a whole year. There weren’t a lot of changes in Andy’s behavior during that year. The Doctor didn’t know what was wrong with him, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. Taking care of Andy was a full time job for me. Ever since Andy was born my whole life style changed. My husband, Jack, started working long hours because he didn’t want to stay at home and deal with Andy. I couldn’t go out by myself or with my friends anymore. I had to take Andy with me everywhere I went. Basically, I didn’t have a social life anymore. My relationship with my husband was also going down the drain because we never spent any quality time together. My whole life was a big mess at that Cabarcas 2 point, but whenever I saw Andy’s face he made my heart smile. Andy was a year old and he didn’t talk much I got worried, but the Doctor told me to wait a few more months because boy’s take a little bit longer than girls to start talking, so I did. In despite of all the frustration and despair I always showed Andy a lot of love. My husband also realized that he was being selfish by leaving all the responsibility to me. He took some responsibility upon himself to take care of Andy so he could get closer to him. Andy was very aggressive sometimes and whenever his dad tried to touch him, he would get away from his dad and start run... ...ee and a half years. In the near future I want Andy to go to a specialized school for where he could learned more that what he already now until now. THE END I chose this disability because I have a friend who has an autistic child and I babysit for her sometimes. This child is a wonderful child I baby-sit him and his sister and the are so cute together I really love these kids. I don’t charge their mom any money to take care of them; I just like to spend time with them. Al l this kid likes is to go outside and play, and when he’s tired he just comes to me, takes my hand and shows me what he wants. He is talking a lot more now that what he did a year ago. He is a child that I admire because he has come such a long way and has overcome many obstacles. I really liked writing this Cabarcas 5 paper because I never put my self in that situation and it isn’t easy at all to deal with a disable child everyday of your life. That is a challenge that I don’t know if I’m ready to take. I was afraid to write this paper at the beginning because I was afraid that this could happen to me, but I leave everything in the hands of God. I say this because I’m pregnant now and anything could happen.

Tooth and Claw

â€Å"Disguises† Every character and their relationships between them in â€Å"Tooth and Claw† by T. Coraghessan Boyle, disguise themselves in many ways, both consciously and unconsciously, all for different purposes. The author introduces us to four major characters in this story that all interact with each other and have some sort of mask over themselves hiding their true identities and motives. The main character James Turner Jr. as recently moved to California â€Å"So that I could inject a little excitement into my life and mingle with all the college students in the bars†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he lives by himself in an apartment which his aunt pays for even though he has a full time job. This apartment is extremely messy and unorganized. It seems to me that James is not living up to his full potential, he is running away and maybe even hiding from something the apartment is perfect example of just that. James has a full time job but was recently told to take some time off and now he does not know what to do with his free time. James is drawn to a bar named â€Å"Daggets,† â€Å"Daggets is the only place I feel comfortable. And Why? Precicely because it was filled with old men drinking themselves into oblivion. It made me think of home. Or feel at home, anyway. † James has moved halfway across the country to â€Å"Mingle with the college students† yet he frequently visits a bar that is surrounded with â€Å"old men. † He has been eyeing a waitress at â€Å"Daggets† named Daria, but â€Å"hadn’t worked up the nerve to say more than hello and good-bye to her. â€Å"Daggets† may serve as another mask that James is hiding beneath, it reminds him of his father (who died sixth months earlier) and he can also relate to Daria because of how close in age they are. A mysterious man enters the bar named â€Å"Ludwig† who begins to show falsehoods right from the start. He begins to flirt with Daria and orders two raw eggs from her, everyone believes he is going t o eat them but he does not. After James has had a few drinks Ludwig convinces James to play him in a game of dice but doesn’t tell him what they are playing for. Ludwig surprises everyone and brings in a large cage with an African wild cat nside it, to everyone’s surprise this is what they will be playing for. James doesn’t have the courage to back down and â€Å"I couldn’t back out without feeling the shame rise to my face—and there was Daria to consider, because she was watching me, too. † It seems as though Ludwig sort of a con artist, he brings an exotic animal that he wants to get rid of to a bar where almost every person in there is judgment impaired. This was Ludwig’s plan, go to a bar, convince some drunk people to play a game, and dump this animal on them and leave. James is intoxicated enough to fall right into his plan, not knowing what hit him until it was too late. James wins the game of dice, winning the cat and immediately after Ludwig disappears and James is trying to figure out what has just happened. Daria witnesses this and immediately shows interest, excitement, and curiosity. â€Å"Daria rose and came to me with a look of wonder. ‘Don’t do a thing till I get off, O. K.? ’ and in her favor she took hold of my arm. ‘I get off at nine, so you wait, O. K.? ’† Daria is falsely identifying herself to James (unconsciously or consciously) she begins to lead him on. James believes she is interested in him but she is really interested, excited and curious about the cat and the moment, she is in for the ride. Daria has her own motives, it seems she does not really care about James. They go shopping together to buy essentials for the cat, Daria in control of the situation and in complete disregard for James. â€Å"I watched Daria march up and down the aisles seeking out kitty litter and the biggest cat pan they had†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢I’ve only got ten bucks,’ I said†¦she reached back to slip the band of her ponytail so that her hair fell glistening across her shoulders, a storm of hair, fluid and loose, the ends trailing down her back like liquid in motion. She tossed her head impatiently. ‘You do have a credit card, don’t you? ’† Daria is subtly flirting with James; she is leading him on again so that she will get what she wants. She does not care whether he has any money; she is so interested and curious about the animal that she will do anything to get what she wants. The next two days Daria stays at James’s house and they occasionally talk and have long conversations but becomes clear that she is only there for the concern and interest in the cat. The first day she leaves and says â€Å"Take care of our cat now, O. K.? † It seems as though she is implying that they are together and the cat is both of theirs. This seems to confuse James, he doesn’t know exactly what she meant by that. Replying to this he shows another falsehood by not showing exactly how he feels, â€Å"I shrugged in a helpless, submissive way, the pain of her leaving as acute as anything I’d ever felt. ‘Sure,’ I said. † She then pulls him in for a kiss and calls him â€Å"sweet. Every time she enters the apartment she goes right to the cat and every time she wakes up she immediately says â€Å"We have to feed the cat. † Soon Daria’s ride is over, her interest is lost in the cat and in James (if there was any real interest to begin with) and so is her curiosity. She soon figures out James’s real personality, how he is basically a loser and whatever interest she may have had with him, has been lost. After she has spent the last three days with him she ends up telling him that she has a boyfriend and that she doesn’t want to give him the wrong â€Å"impression. Whether she realizes it or not she leads him on this entire time and already did give him the wrong impression, she was falsely identifying herself and her actions towards James. James does not know what to do with himself after what Daria informs him. He formed a dependence on her, â€Å"I felt lost without her. † He becomes angry and hostile with the manager at â€Å"Daggets,† his boss, and himself. After he is asked to leave the bar for drinking too much and insulting the bartender, James faces the cat and essentially attempts to commit suicide. He goes back to his apartment, â€Å"Pulled open the door, and slipped inside. And then—and I don’t know why—I pulled the door shut behind me. † Every character in this story misrepresents themselves in one way or another with the way they act towards each other and with what they have people believe. Even the giant African cat misrepresents itself, it does not belong in a bar, nor does it belong in an apartment. The characters in this story hide behind masks, physically or theoretically all to gain something or to hide something.

Free Essays on Working Students

In Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser illustrates the situation of high school students who work in fast food restaurants, and who are being used, in an author opinion, by their employers. Schlosser writes, â€Å"Teenagers have been the perfect candidates for these jobs, not only because they are less expensive to hire than adults, but also because their youthful inexperience makes them easier to control† (68). Obviously, young people cannot expect higher salaries than adults since they are uneducated and unqualified. In order to become responsible, high school students should work. In fact, their first job prepares them for potential jobs, gives them great opportunities to afford their needs, and teaches them how to dispose their revenues. Work trains high school students for future jobs which follow their education. At work students learn how to be punctual. Sooner or later, they realize that missing work is not the same as missing school, and absents may cause lay off. In addition, working teenagers understand that respect for others and kind attitude are the key to work in an atmosphere of friendship. Schlosser writes, â€Å"Teenagers open the fast food outlets in the morning, close them at night, and keep them going at all hours in between. Even the managers and assistant managers are sometimes in their late teens† (68). This shows how teenagers become responsible thanks to work. In addition, they get the promotions and the raises. Even low-paying jobs at chain restaurants prepare students for forthcoming professions and help them to assimilate with future duties and requirements. Preparing for potential jobs in mature lives is not the only advantage of being a worker and a high school student, at the same time. Since working teenagers earn money, they learn how to dispose their revenues. Many young people do not realize how hard it is to earn money and more how hard it is to save them. Teens have to comprehend how to resp... Free Essays on Working Students Free Essays on Working Students In Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser illustrates the situation of high school students who work in fast food restaurants, and who are being used, in an author opinion, by their employers. Schlosser writes, â€Å"Teenagers have been the perfect candidates for these jobs, not only because they are less expensive to hire than adults, but also because their youthful inexperience makes them easier to control† (68). Obviously, young people cannot expect higher salaries than adults since they are uneducated and unqualified. In order to become responsible, high school students should work. In fact, their first job prepares them for potential jobs, gives them great opportunities to afford their needs, and teaches them how to dispose their revenues. Work trains high school students for future jobs which follow their education. At work students learn how to be punctual. Sooner or later, they realize that missing work is not the same as missing school, and absents may cause lay off. In addition, working teenagers understand that respect for others and kind attitude are the key to work in an atmosphere of friendship. Schlosser writes, â€Å"Teenagers open the fast food outlets in the morning, close them at night, and keep them going at all hours in between. Even the managers and assistant managers are sometimes in their late teens† (68). This shows how teenagers become responsible thanks to work. In addition, they get the promotions and the raises. Even low-paying jobs at chain restaurants prepare students for forthcoming professions and help them to assimilate with future duties and requirements. Preparing for potential jobs in mature lives is not the only advantage of being a worker and a high school student, at the same time. Since working teenagers earn money, they learn how to dispose their revenues. Many young people do not realize how hard it is to earn money and more how hard it is to save them. Teens have to comprehend how to resp...

Aes Case Solution Essays

Aes Case Solution Essays Aes Case Solution Paper Aes Case Solution Paper 1. How would you evaluate the capital budgeting method used historically by AES? What’s good and bad about it? â€Å"When AES undertook primarily domestic contract generation projects where the risk of changes to input and output prices was minimal, a project finance framework was employed. † Usually, project finance framework is used when the project has predictable cash flows, which can easily represent operating targets through explicit contract. When cash flows are certainty, the company can have higher level of leverage and it is easier to separate project assets from the parent company. Advantages and Disadvantages: ) Advantages a. Maximize Leverage b. Off-Balance Sheet Treatment c. Agency Cost d. Multilateral Financial Institutions 2) Disadvantages a. Projects V/S Division b. Complexity c. Macroeconomic Risk d. Political Risk: 2. If Venerus implements the suggested methodology, what would be the range of discount rates that AES would use around the world? If Vene rus and AES implement the suggested methodology, the projects would change while WACC changes. To find WACC we must first calculate the leveraged bets for each the US Red Oak and Lal Plr Pakistan projects, using the equation unleveled beta/(1-D/V). It is easy to find debt to capital ratios, which are 39. 5% for U. S and 35. 1% for Pakistan, and the unleveled beta, which are both 0. 25, in Exhibit 7a and 7b. Then we can obtain a leveraged beta for the U. S. , 0. 41, and for Pakistan, 0. 3852. Second we should find the risk free and risk premium rates. Because all debts are finance in U. S. dollar, we use the risk free rate, which is equal to U. S. T-bill, and risk premium rate, which is equal to U. S. risk premium, to calculate the cost of capital for all countries. Using equation cost of capital = Risk Free Rate + levered beta * Risk Premium, we can get the cost of capital for U. S. project, 7. 27%, and for Pakistan project, 7. 2%. After that we should find the cost of debt. Using the formula risk free rate + default spread, we can get the cost of debt for both U. S. project and Pakistan project are 8. 07% (4. 5%+3. 47%), in which both U. S. project and Pakistan project have a same spread, 3. 47%. To adjust we add the sovereign risk into calculation. In Exhibit 7a, the sovereign risk for the U. S. is 0% but for Pakistan is 9. 9%. We thereby get the new evaluation of the cost of capital and cost of debt, which are constant for U. S. and rise to 17. 1% and 17. 97% for Pakistan. Finally we calculate the WACC. The formula is leveraged beta * (cost of capital) + Debt to capital * (cost of debt) * (1-tax rate). Then we get for the U. S. WACC= 6. 48% and for Pakistan WACC= 15. 93%. Finally, we should adjust the WACC with its risk score. Because everything is calculated in U. S. dollar, the U. S. risk score is 0. So the U. S. projects WACC is constant. The Pakistan risk premium is 1. 425. So the change is 1. 25 * 500= 705bp = 7. 05%. Therefore, we get the final Pakistan WACC, which is 23. 08% (15. 93%+7. 05%). In conclusion, the difference between the U. S. and Pakistan projects is 16. 60%. Obviously, the U. S. project looks much more favorable. 3. Does this make sense as a way to do capital budgeting? The financial strategy employed by AES was historically based on project finance. The model worked well in the domes tic market and in the international operations. However, when AES started its diversification of business, it had to face to increasing symmetrical risks, such as business risk. In addition, project finance did not include the risk of devaluation of currency in developing economies which resulted in significant losses due to the inability of the company to survive its international debt obligations. And AES should also pay attention to political risk. Hence we see that the geographical diversification of business made project financing less recommendable as a symmetrical risk becomes more manifest. 4. What is the value of the Pakistan project using the cost of capital derived from the new methodology? If this project was located in the U. S. what would its value be? In order to calculate the value of project for the Lal Pir project in Pakistan, we first need to calculate the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) using the new proposed methodology. The first step is to calculate the value of levered ?. The value of the levered ? comes out to be 38. 52%, which essentially means that our project is not very highly correlated to the market return. Using this v alue of ? we now calculate the cost of Equity. We have used the return on U. S. Treasury Bond, which is 4. 5%, as the risk free return. The cost of equity comes out to be 7. % and similarly, using the risk free return and the default spread we calculate the cost of debt which comes out to be 8. 07%. It is important to note that the cost of debt and the cost of equity also need to be adjusted for the sovereign spread. Once we have the adjusted costs of equity and capital, the WACC comes out to be 15. 93%. However, now we need to adjust this WACC for the risks associated with doing the project in Pakistan. As mentioned in part 2, we get final WACC 23. 08%, which lead us to calculate NPV from the year 2004 to 2023. And it is -$234. 34 million. For U. S. , first we see the sovereign spread is equal to zero. Secondly, in this case we would need to calculate the business risk using the information given in Exhibit 7a. This score comes out to be 0. 64 and using this score, our business risk comes out to be 3. 23% and adding it to calculated value of WACC, we get our final WACC of 9. 64%. Using this we calculate our NPV for USA which comes out to be -$35. 92 million. 5. How does the adjusted cost of capital for the Pakistan project reflect the probabilities of real events? What does the discount rate adjustment imply about expectations for the project because it is located in Pakistan and not the U. S.? To calculate the adjusted cost of capital, we should adjust six common types of risks: Operational, Counterparty, Regulatory, Construction, Commodity, Currency and Legal. In Pakistan, it is possible to meet all these risks except construction. Additionally, the highest probability is the legal risk. When we calculate the WACC for Pakistan through traditional formula it comes out to be 15. 93%, however in order to incorporate the risk factor associated with Pakistan we need to adjust it for the Total Risk Score, which in this case is 1. 425. So we need to adjust our WACC 23. 08%. As mentioned earlier the discount rate is adjusted based on the total risk score of the country. This total risk score is compiled from 6 main types of risks, the probability of which varies from country to country. While currency, regulatory and legal risks are significantly high in Pakistan, the operational, counterparty and commodity risks are higher in U. S.. Similarly when come to the adjusted WACC for Pakistan (23. 08%) and WACC for U. S. (6. 48%), we can conclude that Pakistan is much riskier to invest than the U. S..

Transition Metal Colors in Aqueous Solution

Transition Metal Colors in Aqueous Solution The transition metals form colored ions, complexes, and compounds in aqueous solution. The characteristic colors are helpful when performing a qualitative analysis to identify the composition of a sample. The colors also reflect interesting chemistry that occurs in transition metals. Transition Metals and Colored Complexes A transition metal is one that forms stable ions that have incompletely filled d orbitals. By this definition, technically not all of the d block elements of the periodic table are transition metals. For example, zinc and scandium arent transition metals by this definition because Zn2 has a full d level, while Sc3 has no d electrons. A typical transition metal has more than one possible oxidation state because it has a partially filled d orbital. When transition metals bond to one more neutral or negatively charged nonmetal species (ligands), they form what are called transition metal complexes. Another way to look at a complex ion is as a chemical species with a metal ion at the center and other ions or molecules surrounding it. The ligand attaches to the central ion by dative covalent or coordinate bond. Examples of common ligands include water, chloride ions, and ammonia. Energy Gap When a complex forms, the shape of the d orbital changes because some are nearer the ligand than others: Some d orbitals move into a higher energy state than before, while others move to a lower energy state. This forms an energy gap. Electrons can absorb a photon of light and move from a lower energy state into a higher state. The wavelength of the photon that is absorbed depends on the size of the energy gap. (This is why splitting of s and p orbitals, while it occurs, does not produce colored complexes. Those gaps would absorb ultraviolet light and not affect the color in the visible spectrum.) Unabsorbed wavelengths of light pass through a complex. Some light is also reflected back from a molecule. The combination of absorption, reflection, and transmission results in the apparent colors of the complexes. Transition Metals May have More Than One Color Different elements may produce different colors from each other. Also, different charges of one transition metal can result in different colors. Another factor is the chemical composition of the ligand. The same charge on a metal ion may produce a different color depending on the ligand it binds. Color of Transition Metal Ions in Aqueous Solution The colors of a transition metal ion depend on its conditions in a chemical solution, but some colors are good to know (especially if youre taking AP Chemistry): Transition Metal Ion Color Co2+ pink Cu2+ blue-green Fe2+ olive green Ni2+ bright green Fe3+ brown to yellow CrO42- orange Cr2O72- yellow Ti3+ purple Cr3+ violet Mn2+ pale pink Zn2+ colorless A related phenomenon is the emission spectra of transition metal salts, used to identify them  in  the  flame test.

Arab Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Arab Family - Essay Example Every morning, she prepares her family by making them breakfast before they leave for work or school. A typical day for her involves supervising and helping with the cleaning of the home, she then has the family driver take her to the market where she purchases provisions for the day before going back hope to prepare lunch. Her husband who runs his own business usually makes it home for lunch at around one and sometimes has a siesta before going back to the office where he stays until around 6 PM. In most scenarios in the Arab culture, the family revolves around the man who is expected to provide and protect his family; the woman in most cases takes care of the family and handles domestic concerns (Ertà ¼rk 4). Nevertheless, this is not universal and there are many Arab career women who hold professional positions, if they are married however, they will still be expected to look after domestic affairs. The children do not come home until 5 PM, Asha the daughter will normally greet her mother and go to her room to attend to her homework until 7 PM in the evening. Abdi is in college and unless he has a class project, he will watch TV or play video games, sometimes he will drive out to see his friends but almost always make his way back before 7. The family sits down to dinner at around 7: 30, the menu often reflects the diversity of rich Saudi cuisine. The food normally includes rice, some chicken or mutton, stewed vegetables and spiced tomato source. Side dishes and desert often include coffee ice cream and chocolate or soda, tea is also commonly served black with lots of sugar and spices such as rosemary. Dinnertime is very important for the family, in the Arab culture more so Saudi, families use dinnertime to get to talk and listen to each other about the day’s events. When they are eating together, they get to bond and strengthen their family unity;

The effect of atmosphere on customer perceptions and customer behavior Essay

The effect of atmosphere on customer perceptions and customer behavior responses in chain store supermarkets - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that in the current age of globalization and the increased diversity of products, the shopping behavior of most people has changed significantly. Gone are the days when a shopper would simply walk into his or her favorite store and purchase what he or she likes. However, the shopping and customer world has changed, with many more options available. Even the option of going to the store or supermarket has been expanded to include online shopping and deliveries. In some ways, the shopping experience has evolved with more customers focusing less on shopping and more on the experience of shopping. Retailers also have better options in their products, prices, as well as store spaces, allowing for greater diversity in their options. Retailers are also eager to gain brand loyalty from customers as an added business advantage. In order to secure such loyalty, retailers have set out to improve the environment in their stores. They believe that with an enticing environment in their stores, they would be able to promote positive emotions and feedback from customers and draw them into the stores. Factors which refer to the store’s environment can impact on customer feelings and experiences, also affecting their purchasing behavior, their level of consumption, how much they would spend, and their satisfaction with the experience. A good experience while shopping in a store would likely prompt a repeat visit in the future; it can also facilitate spending in the store, including impulse purchasing. Currently, profits from chain store supermarkets are not too remarkable, and concerns have been raised on how to provide pleasant and inviting shopping experiences for customers in order to increase customer spending as well as increase their time of stay in the store.  

CHRYSLER LLC Business failure Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CHRYSLER LLC Business failure - Research Paper Example ed in making decisions, technological and global competitiveness, mergers and the acquisitions, rethinking business processes and alliances among others. The reasons behind the failure of the company were a result of a complex combination of organizational, managerial and leadership factors. The use of organizational behavioral theory helps in explaining why the company failed in the achievement of its strategic and operational goals. This was a clear example of ineffective leadership, poor organizational structuring and imbalanced management (Stephen, 2004). From 1940s to the beginning of the 21st century, the company underwent a series of changes but these changes did not help in ensuring its sustainability over time. The failure of the company can be dated back to the 1950s whereby it failed to survive the competitive and organizational pressures of the time. The company experienced lack of adequate organizational support and ended up relying on external consultants. The company w as transformed and followed the patterns adapted by General Motors whereby each division of the company had its own executive who had the powers to decide and authority over everything under its division. Unlike the case of the General Motors, the executives at the company felt that this decentralization was unfamiliar to them and as such did not welcome it (Robbins, 2003). Another factor which led to its failure is the merger with Daimler as mentioned earlier. At the time, the company was experiencing rapid organizational advancement, high profitability rates as well as huge opportunities in business. Before the merger, the company executives had already got used to working as a team and the merger destroyed this with many executives departing the company. As such, this organizational... Further still, poor leadership was experienced in Chrysler and the company failed to form a better corporate image and failed in overcoming its market and operational challenges. With considerations on the management and the departure of effective leadership, and the effect of the organizational culture of Daimler, there was a huge gap in the leadership and management of the company. The merger led to a crash of the cultures of the two organizations. The attribution theory can explain the failure in the Chrysler LLC Group. The attributions theory explains the actions of other individuals, the employees and stakeholders. These attribution processes are perceptional in nature and not motivational. It analyses how the attitudes of the individuals affect their actions as the views enable individual to filter information and choose the one to believe (Scott, 2007). The failure of the company was due to the perception of the leaders of their positions within the company. The differences in the perceptions of the executives and the stereotypes each of them had became a barrier to them effectively cooperating in the management of the business. The business failure of this company confirms the importance of organizational behavior and illustrates how poor leadership, mismanagement and ineffective organizational restructuring can result to the failure of a business.

Economics of Race and Gender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economics of Race and Gender - Essay Example In addition, analysis of different movies indicated that it is something that is not unstoppable, and organized efforts will be very effective in eliminating it from the society. Specifically, it is an observation that although discrimination and racism are not visible evidently in the society, however, a microscopic eye can be very helpful in identifying such elements in the society, and it was understandable from different movies in the class. For instance, the film Rosie the Riveter evidently indicated the effects of discrimination on women during and after World War II in the United States, and the film showed such effects with the help of character ‘Rosie’ and her confrontation due to discrimination in California during wartime 1944. From this movie and other movies like Crash, Freedom Writer, one can clearly observe presence of discrimination and racism in the United States, and thus, the class helped enormously in better understanding of the topic. Despite the fact that in an ideal society, which many societies claim to be, access to political and economic opportunities must be based on meritocratic factors, however, the same is true. The entire human history reveals that social positions and social classes have greatly affected the ability of people to score on political and economic grounds. There are different ways of looking at the same. Firstly, it can be looked from the perspective of both genders. Despite women are in majority on this planet, yet there are a very few women leaders known to the world. In fact, the countries that claim to be most democratic ones had women suffrage for the longest periods. Secondly, it can be viewed from the point of view of social classes. It is common for children belonging to wealthy parents to get a good education and earn more in their coming life. Moreover, even the lower social class from which most number of people belongs has produced very few political leaders. Moreover, in many parts

Wipro Consulting Services (WCS) as a global business leader in Coursework

Wipro Consulting Services (WCS) as a global business leader in technology consulting - Coursework Example But in order to become the business leader in technology, it needs to go further. It required the independence and also the strategic focus which comes from operating as one of the separate unit within Wipro but at the same time take the advantage of the parent company in technology and to acquire the customer base. Wipro Technologies Ltd is based in Bangalore and employs about 95000 people across its office which is spread globally (Lampel, wt al, 2010). In the year 2001, most of the technology consulting firms such s Infosys, Wipro and Tata Consultancy Services had started to provide the basis IT infrastructure as well as development of application services to its customers. As the companies started to gain a better knowledge and understanding of its customers the companies started to assist them to use IT in their business to improve the efficiency and hence reduce the cost. Today these IT firms face a tremendous pressure in order to deliver high value of IT services to its custom ers. As a result different business models were adopted by the firms and also by Wipro. Wipro Technologies uses two distribution models namely â€Å"Global Delivery Model† and â€Å"Fixed Delivery Model†. Wipro have developed globally a competitive business which is based on the expertise and also the ability to identify, train, and manage and motivate the talent. Prior to 2001, it was difficult as well as costly for the company to access their talent in the developed countries. Thus in such a situation it become increasingly necessary for Wipro to develop business models so to compete with the upcoming demand in the developed markets. Under the leadership of Kirk Strawser, Wipro undertook two from of business model. When IT software and consulting firm emerged in India, most of the Indian companies did not use the sophisticated technology to support the system; this further resulted in challenge for Wipro to convince the companies to use the technology and help build them a competitive advantage over the other firms. In addition, most of companies had an in house IT department and was not willing to outsource to other firms. The developed market offered a much deeper pool of customers and also higher price for the services than those in the Indian market (Khanna and Palepu, 2010, p.155). With the emergence of IT services and software, many big companies started to implemented the use of IT and as a result Wipro technologies competed with the service providers of technology. Wipro had faced challenge in its technology sector from two categories one was the global players and the next was the Indian players. Global players included companies such as Accenture, IBM, HP, Cap Gemini and EDS (Burgelman, et al, 2008). These companies had made more than 90% of the global consulting market. Wipro was way behind these companies. The companies made use of the resources and also because of cost advantage of its offshore presence in countries such as Russia, India, Philippines, Europe and others. Indian layers included companies such as TCS, HCL, Cognizant, Infosys and others. Wipro and these firms basically used the same concept as they started their operation with low cost IT service providers and adopted the â€Å"global delivery models†, â€Å"technology rationalization† and â€Å"service integration† (Lampel, wt al, 2010). The terrain of IT services and

Economics of Race and Gender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economics of Race and Gender - Essay Example In addition, analysis of different movies indicated that it is something that is not unstoppable, and organized efforts will be very effective in eliminating it from the society. Specifically, it is an observation that although discrimination and racism are not visible evidently in the society, however, a microscopic eye can be very helpful in identifying such elements in the society, and it was understandable from different movies in the class. For instance, the film Rosie the Riveter evidently indicated the effects of discrimination on women during and after World War II in the United States, and the film showed such effects with the help of character ‘Rosie’ and her confrontation due to discrimination in California during wartime 1944. From this movie and other movies like Crash, Freedom Writer, one can clearly observe presence of discrimination and racism in the United States, and thus, the class helped enormously in better understanding of the topic. Despite the fact that in an ideal society, which many societies claim to be, access to political and economic opportunities must be based on meritocratic factors, however, the same is true. The entire human history reveals that social positions and social classes have greatly affected the ability of people to score on political and economic grounds. There are different ways of looking at the same. Firstly, it can be looked from the perspective of both genders. Despite women are in majority on this planet, yet there are a very few women leaders known to the world. In fact, the countries that claim to be most democratic ones had women suffrage for the longest periods. Secondly, it can be viewed from the point of view of social classes. It is common for children belonging to wealthy parents to get a good education and earn more in their coming life. Moreover, even the lower social class from which most number of people belongs has produced very few political leaders. Moreover, in many parts

Word Mouth in Advertising Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Word Mouth in Advertising - Dissertation Example From this discussion it is clear that positive word of mouth is perhaps what most companies like to hear because besides increasing the consumers' intensions to purchase innovative products; it helps company by creating a favorable brand image and that of the firm. This can subsequently lead to a reduction in the amount of expenditure by companied on promotions. Negative word of mouth on the other hand, dissuades potential buyers from a brand, product or a firm and consequently damages the firm’s financial position as well as and   more power than positive word of mouth communication.As the paper stresses while many authors have handled the impact of negative word of mouth communication in advertising, there is still a huge gap, especially when it comes to how this marketing tool can be used to influence campaigns that target social problems such as gender bias, smoking, poverty, respecting traffic signs, sexual harassments, and education. It is worth noting the fact that ne gative word of mouth communication, because of its influential power, can be used to achieve progress in a number of areas in the society. However, the previous researchers have only been delving on how word of mouth advertising has been influencing marketing and sales but failed to conduct a proper investigation on the impact it can have in solving social problems that the society faces today. There is no doubt that it would equally have a big influence in this area as well.

Universal Health Care Is Socialism Essay Example for Free

Universal Health Care Is Socialism Essay Europe is considered one of the most ideal places to live. Its fascinating history and being home to some of the worlds most beautiful sights, who wouldn’t want to live there. While those are great incentives, some educated might argue that there are better amenities if one decides to reside there. Aside from what I just listed, Europe is home to some of the best working conditions. A 30-hour workweek, lengthy vacation packages, its wide-ranging early retirement benefits and its government sponsored health care coverage (Goldman). While some call this desirable, everyone calls it socialism. Socialism is an act of government stepping into the free market in an attempt to equally distribute goods to the public. Therefore the liberal agenda to enforce a universal healthcare system in America is an act of socialism. America was built and is where it is today due to our free market, or for a better term, capitalism. Capitalism is having the power in the people, letting the people decide how and what they want to spend their money on with no interference from the government. Letting the people strive and attempt to achieve the highest paycheck is the best way to motivate workers, therefore increasing the economic output as well as GDP. When a government takes more money away from the rich in hope to provide more for the lower classes with generous benefits for little work, it can erase the incentive for hard work. Therefore decreasing workflow as well as total economic prosperity. Merriam Webster defines socialism as any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods. Socialism dates back to the 1700’s during the French Revolution. The Industrial Revolution was seen as machinery replacing human labor. With poor housing, poor working conditions, slave labor, and the richer, all led to the envy for a society that was more equal, and with these conditions continuing to grow, the socialist ideas caught on rapidly (truth-it). The socialist movement is instilled in Europe and, here in America, the Democratic party has pushing and pressuring the federal government into developing political and economic system, similar to Europe’s. This movement led by President Obama and his left leaning supporters has been bringing America’s capitalistic system closer to the socialist left, that of Europe. Universal health care being a front-runner of his massive government spending plans has only been a glimpse of the socialist agenda and the true desires the President has for this country. The people of America needed to decide if they wanted to move in this direction or stick with our roots and continue on our free market economy. I believe that after this recent election and the Republicans winning a majority in the House of Representatives shows the direction most Americans want to focus our effort and energy as a country. That being in a more, free market, free of universal health care. This increase in government spending can only be financed by increasing taxes or government borrowing. While we should be open to all ideas, we should take a look at how socialism has affected Europe. The people of Europe are just now facing the reality of their lavish lifestyle for the past few years, many people were not making as much as they were spending. Leading a breakdown in their economy and now facing the hurt of a deep recession. Universal health care falls into the realm of Socialism due to the fact that government would be responsible for funding this massive new program. Government would be controlling the distribution of the health care as well as funding. That definition could also describe the regulations already set in Europe, where is widely accepted as a socialist policy. Universal health care would be an attempt to properly cover all Americans with adequate health care for a very low, if not a free, price. Stating that all Americans deserve health insurance and anything else is unacceptable. For this to become true government would have to own and regulate the vast majority of health care therefore taking responsibility for the use and distribution health care. While many people are reluctant to dub universal health care as socialism, the truth of the matter it is. They need to realize if we go ahead with this act we will be drifting away from our roots of a capitalistic society. Socialism has taken over Europe and is to blame for their current state.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Franchising Commerce Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Franchising Commerce Essay An arrangement for a continuing relationship in which one party a franchisor provides an accredited opportunity to another party the franchisee to do business using its trade name and offers assistance in organizing, training, producing, marketing and managing a good or service in adherence to certain specifications, in return for monetary exchange. Franchising is a style of business which has a lot of different but same branches throughout the world .The franchisee usually pays a one-time franchise fee plus a percentage of sales revenue as royalty, and in turn gains instant name and recognition, tried and tested products, standard infrastructural design and interior dà ©cor, detailed techniques in running and promoting the business, training of employees and on-going help in promoting and improving the product A franchise is usually a main agreement between the franchise owners and the government. Question 1 answers : The advantages of franchising from the franchisees point of view are myriad, most important among them are: First, the franchisee can benefit from the widely recognised by the style of branding name of the franchisers around everywhere. When a franchiser is around ,it can only mean one thing that is the franchise is well known around and among people, reputed company with extensive customer base and immense brand name recognition. Brand equity is important so that the franchises can always gain the specific benefits from the main consumers awareness ,faithfulness and loyalty; on the other hand, it lessens competition during recession. The franchisee does not have to waste all the time, cost of expenditure and the effort in building up company goodwill and establish a famous brand name. A branded restaurant chain will maintain its sales and competitive power even in times of recession and huge competitivenesss will be around in the catering or cooking industry as the whole brands name is clearly widely well knowned and recognized and favoured by the people. Second, franchisee can have a lot of access to the main big kinds of business management skills which are rarely easy to get a grip on. The franchiser usually has important business skills like: production management, financial management and marketing management. This in turn, increases the possibility of success of the business. A franchisee is always populated in every part of the world as they are very well known for what so ever they do as in catering or multi level marketing and so on. The bigger the power of dependingness of the franchisor company, which definitely has the big organization globally, which has a bigger organization, proves beneficial to the franchisee company, because, the franchisor company has a proven business concept and a thriving operational profile. Like the advantages, there are many disadvantages too as can be in any form of business, however in this context the disadvantages. The disadvantages to franchising are that the franchisor will lose control over certain aspects of the job.  Ã‚  The franchisor will also lose hands-on involvement with the individual operations and the franchisor will also be limited by contract to the actual changes which can and may incur in the franchise units operation structure.   The prerequisite to compensate the franchisee payment and it expenditure to the franchisor can be too large a sum (in some cases). The bigger and famous the brands name the larger the amount to be paid. Such Second, all the goodwill accumulated by the franchisee in the local market will be transferred to the franchisor once the franchise contract expires or terminates. Years of hard work melts in moments with the transfer. Third, the franchisee does not have much freedom in his business. It is necessary that he has to adhere to the standards, policies, procedures and functioning systems of the franchisor. Creativity in ones own business is curtailed completely. Fourth, corporate profit margin reduces because of payment of royalties and other associated levies. Many entrepreneurs think that owning and running a franchise business guarantees more revenue, profit and returns; this is not always be the case, while it may be true for the short term but long term case studies show that starting your own business will be cheaper to run and pay off better than franchising. Communication is one of the most important things between a franchiser and franchisee, when there is some sort of miscommunication the business is likely to fail. Which will end up costing the franchisee a lot of time effort and money just as it will the franchiser. Especially if the franchise is opened in a country overseas. The cost will automatically increase due to taxes imposed by respective governments. As a franchisee you will not be able to operate your business to your fancy because the franchiser will already have some sort of business plan. Even though the franchisee may be better able to handle and organise the business but because they are tied to the brand theyre representing therefore makes business operations difficult. Furthermore, if the franchisee isnt able to uphold the franchisers image and standards, it will reflect poorly on the brand itself, which will then slow business down for both the franchiser and franchisee and in addition will make future entrepreneurs think poorly of the company and will lead them to not invest in the particular franchise as well. The success of a franchise depends on both the franchisor and the franchisee, on the product and the business strategies. To run a successful franchise one has to study the market, the franchisor and the product carefully and judiciously. Question 1 conclusion : After doing my research, what I can conclude is that franchising is a great way to expand a business and spread the name of the franchiser far and wide. A lot of thought must go into owning and running a franchise and is not an easy job and it is a lot to consider. But if it is done the right way and is organised for example, if its operating system is being run smoothly, it will surely prosper . Many companies have become successful by opening their branches across the country and in some cases the world. These companies are not stopping to open their franchisors around the world because these franchisee knows very well that the market globally demands the franchisors to be around. These can only tell one thing is that franchisors are upcoming throughout the entire world and it will not stop blooming due to the fact of its importance around as all the researches shows. Question 2 : 2. Identify one franchise property in your local market. discuss about the operation of it and how this property helps to improve the economic of your area. Question 2 introduction : In this modern era of globalization, a companys operations segment is the unit that manages and supports the company. Employees take care of all of the background activities that keep a company running efficiently behind the scenes. Operations employees dont usually come in direct contact with customers and end users, though they are responsible for helping to ensure that customers ultimately receive the product or service that the company promises. The  operating cycle  of a business is the average period of time required for a business to make an initial outlay of cash to produce goods, sell the goods, and receive cash from  customers  in exchange for the goods. If a company is a reseller, then the operating cycle does not include any time for production it is simply the date from the initial cash outlay to the date of cash receipt from the customer. Companies dont arbitrarily decide an operating cycle because it reflects how in reality business transactions progress from start to finish. The operating cycle is also referred to as the cash-conversion cycle, which is the length of time that a company takes to convert its inventory purchase to sales revenue. A typical operating cycle includes the days of inventory outstanding before sales, the days of accounts receivable outstanding before cash collection, and the days of accounts payable outstanding before cash payments. The operating cycle is useful for estimating the amount of  working capital  that a company will need in order to maintain or grow its business. A company with an extremely short operating cycle requires less cash, and so can still grow while selling at relatively small margins. Conversely, a business may have fat margins and yet still require additional financing to grow at even a modest pace, if its operating cycle is unusually long. Question 2 answers : The following are all factors that influence the duration of the operating cycle: The extended payment terms to the company by its  suppliers since the company can delay paying out cash. longer payment terms shorten the operating cycle. The order fulfilment policy, since a higher assumed initial fulfilment rate increases the amount of  inventory on hand, which increases the operating cycle. The credit policy and related payment terms, since looser credit equates to a longer interval before customers pay, which extends the operating cycle. Thus, several management decisions (or negotiated issues with business partners) can impact the operating cycle of a business. McDonalds is a great example of a franchise, many people have opened this chains of fast food all over their respective countries and to bring benefits to themselves and economies in which theyve started this .Here are some of the factors of the famous fast food chain we visit frequently, McDonalds. Common Operations Units Management is one of the most important operational part of a moving business. Management is responsible most of everything. The management would handle the production duties and make various and different strategic plans for the company to follow. The marketing unit is in charge of the side of how to attract the customers towards the companies .As in example ,the marketing unit would be the people who publish stuffs about the company in newspapers and magazines. The administrative unit of the company is in charge of ordering supplies, hiring employees, and managing communication within (and outside of) the firm. If you have a secretary to run your small office, this person commonly handles all of your administrative support activities. Quality Management Employees who work in operations have various kinds of responsibilities, but the most common and the most important job to handle is the quality management. All of the operational units in the business will have to keep an eye on the quality management. This is due to the fact that if quality management is not handled properly with an oderly manner, there could be a very bad image upon the companies which in the end would be blamed on the operational units. Considerations To have a functional and well-run operations unit, the company must be structured and its foundation must be strong in order to run like a well-oiled machine. Communication to and from the various operational units of the business is key because they all work together to help generate a profit for the company. This is especially true for a very small company one cog in the wheel can jam up operations. There is usually as written operations procedure manual distributed among all the employees to clear out all the confusions. This helps a lot because then the employee doesnt need to disturb the employers for any information but just directly go through the manual. When a franchisee invests in a host country, the scale of the investment is likely to be very large and cause a lot of economic activity in whichever market it establishes itself in. Improving the balance of payments   Inward investment will usually help a countrys balance of payments situation. The investment itself will be a direct flow of capital into the country and the investment is also likely to result in import substitution and export promotion. Export promotion comes due to the franchise using their production facility as a basis for exporting, while import substitution means that products previously imported may now be bought domestically. Providing employment   FDI will usually result in employment benefits for the host country as most employees will be locally recruited. These benefits may be relatively greater given that governments will usually try to attract firms to areas where there is relatively high unemployment or a good labour supply. Source of tax revenue   Profits of franchises will be subject to local taxes in most cases, which will provide a valuable source of revenue for the domestic government. Technology transfer   Franchises will bring in the best technology and all the kinds of methods that would be new to the host country. In contrary ,by doing this method, the host country would learn a lot from all these kinds of techniques which are very valuable to them. National reputation   The presence of any one of these franchises may bring out the best of the country and also improve the high status of the host country. This would be very good because all the other host countries which would see the difference, would definitely follow up with their own franchises Question 2 conclusion : Given all the information, a owning and running a franchise is a risky business as is with all business but people do so with government encouragement and because they think that running a franchise will guarantee a bigger or higher profit or income. This may not always be the case and it is often found that in the long run running an original business gives higher returns. Though all business have their pros and cons, franchising and running a franchise has with it a lot to consider and the proper decisions and actions must be taken in order for the business to succeed and prosper.

Great Ideas Project: Origin of Sex Essay -- DNA Biology Biological Pap

Great Ideas Project: Origin of Sex Sex, though usually used in terms of reproduction, is actually quite separate: it refers to the splitting and recombining of genetic material through the meiosis (fission) and fertilization (fusion) of genomes in such a way that, when they are reproduced, the new generation of cells contains a different set of genes than that of its parents. Sex is by no means necessary for reproduction. Asexual reproduction, or parthenogenesis, is actually about twice as efficient for population growth; there is thus a â€Å"two-fold cost† of sex in reproduction. There are many benefits to sex, however, that outweigh its inefficiency. Among these benefits are the opportunities for the repair of damaged DNA, the rapid recombination of genes to more readily adapt to changing environments, and the elimination of the accumulation of deleterious mutations from a population. It is easy to find benefits to sex; finding a theory for the origin of sex is not nearly as simple. There are many cont ested theories for what made organisms evolve in a pattern which is less efficient for population growth, but no sure-fire answers.[1] The predominant theory for the origin of sex has always been the benefits of DNA repair. In an asexual haploid cell, if both sides of a DNA strand were damaged—for instance, if the thymine and adenine erred and became unrecognizable—since the cell would have only one copy of the information, there would be no chance for the cell to repair the damage and the cell would either die or be able to pass on only grossly mutated genes. However, an asexual diploid cell and a sexual cell each contain an extra set of chromosomes providing the template to repair that damaged DNA strand. Using DNA r... ...rsity Press [2] Michod, Richard E. (1998). Origin of Sex for Error Repair. Theoretical Population Biology, 53, 60-74 [3] Mauro Santos, et. al. (2003) Origin of Sex Revisted. Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere, 32, 405-432 [4] Dacks, Joel and Roger, Andrew J. â€Å"The First Sexual Lineage and the Relevance of Facultative Sex.† Journal of Molecular Evolution (1999), Issue 48 pg 779-783. [5] Leboeuf, Adrian. â€Å"UCSB Researchers Study Advantages of Sexual Reproduction† Daily Nexus, volume 82, issue #28 [6] Crow JF. â€Å"Advantages of Sexual Reproduction† PMID: 8062455 [7] Rothschild, Lynn J. â€Å"The Influence of UV Radiation on Protistan Evolution.† Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology (1999), Issue 46 no. 5 pg. 548-555. [8] Sterrer, Wolfgang. â€Å"On the Origin of Sex as Vaccination.† Journal of Theoretical Biology (2002), Issue 216 pg. 387-396.

Affirmative Action :: Quotas Race Minority Academics Essays

Affirmative Action In Texas, acceptance to public universities for high school students is now based on academic achievement - if a student is at the top ten percent of his or her class, he or she will be automatically accepted. This is a way to counter the unfairness of affirmative action causes because the admission has nothing to do with race or sex. Arguably, this policy is reasonable because students studying at the same high school receive equal opportunity to learn and educate themselves. This may seem fair, but the same problem still exists. If a student has to work part-time just to make a living because his or her family is unable to sustain financially, how is this student going to find time to study and be successful in school, and therefore, be in the top ten percent? In recent supreme court ruling, the point system that were using in admitting law students at the University of Michigan was ruled unconstitutional and therefore taken out. The university used a point system that quantified the qualification of the applicant's status. If a student's points exceed a certain number, he or she is admitted to the school. The university gives an extra twenty points to the minorities in terms of enforcing affirmative action and helping the disadvantaged. The six of the judges believe that the defined number system is in many ways similar as having a set quota in admitting minority students, which was banned in the case of University of California v. Bakke of 1978. The judges believe that having a rule in admitting students strictly by race is impersonal. In Bakke's case, the University defends itself for having such quota with the fact that admitting minority students into medical school can help improve social discrimination because the minority are less likely to have the education or the financial status to go to a medical school. As a result, being a doctor becomes majority profession. The judges at the time countered the university's statements by stating that the school is being unfair to the non-minority applicants, who are not directly responsible of the social discrimination. The Supreme Court ruled the University of Michigan's point system unconstitutional in the undergraduate level, but kept the same system for the Law school. They believe race should be taken into consideration, but should not quantify qualification. Although the judges opposing this ruling stated that "A fixed numerical score for racial minority status has the virtue of honesty.

External Environment Analysis Slp Essay

In this part of the paper an external analysis regarding the California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) will be conducted. The main objective of this external analysis is that to scan the external environment for factors which might open up new opportunities or present threats to survival for California Pizza Kitchen. To do that an external analysis based on Porter’s Five Forces Model and a PEST analysis will be carried out. Porter’s Five Forces Model Porter’s Model of Five Forces is one of the most versatile frameworks to analyze the industry external environment. With the application of this model California Pizza Kitchen will be able to understand and get a handle on the competitive and market characteristics of the food and beverage industry Bargaining Power of Suppliers The supplier power is based on the concentration of suppliers and the availability of suppliers within the region where California Pizza Kitchen operates like China, USA or Japan etc. It is important for CPK to pay a close attention to the needs and the wants of their suppliers. (Cravens, 2000) Bargaining Power of Customers Here California Pizza Kitchen has to be careful because the customer’s influence increases over a company. it is extremely important for California Pizza Kitchen to lookout for the tastes and preferences of the customers so that they are able to cater to all their needs. For example, Pizza Hut when it opens a new franchise in any company, does product adaptation so that it would suit the local tastes, therefore this needs to be done by CPK as well. (Cravens, 2000) Rivalry among Competitors There is a great deal of competition between 2 similar companies in the same industry. For example, the biggest rival among the competitors of California Pizza Kitchen is Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut is one of the oldest and the most famous pizza chains all over the globe, it has somewhere around 34,000 franchise outlets, delivery units and kiosks all in over 100 countries. Availability of Substitutes A substitute product for any California Pizza Kitchen product can cause the company to lose its business. Any product that is available in the market has a substitute available and the substitute for pizza is burgers and fried food. For example, California Pizza Kitchen is easily substituted for Burger King, McDonalds, Subway or KFC. (Hollensen, 2003) Threat of New Entrants This is another one of the competitive forces that affects the company in a big way. For example, the entrance of Dominos within the food and beverage industry can cause California Pizza Kitchen to lose some of its business. PEST Analysis The abbreviation for PEST analysis is Political, Environmental, Social, and Technological analysis. This analysis will help California Pizza Kitchen to know its environmental challenges and in how to operate the company in the present and by helping it to prep itself for the future. This analysis will help California Pizza Kitchen to match its resources with its activities and to help it move in the right direction. Political Analysis Here the political term refers to the global, national, regional and local trends, changes or events. Since CPK operates in somewhere around 10 countries around the globe, the company needs to adhere to the rules and regulations of that country in which it operates. California Pizza Kitchen needs to work with various special interest groups within the company and the market as well. (Kevin & Kotler, 2008) Environmental Analysis California Pizza Kitchen is extremely committed to the environmental responsibility. The outlets of company follow the environment regulations and promote cleanliness in their surroundings. California Pizza Kitchen has a very clean and tidy environment and has a very proper system to dispose of the garbage. The company supports charitable programs and takes the first steps for promoting, supporting and participating in the welfare of the community. California Pizza Kitchen has even sponsored educational programs in local community schools and the company also provides funds for different events like Fundraisers and the money collected at these fundraisers go to non-profit schools, which focus on children, youth sports and education. (Kevin & Kotler, 2008) Social Analysis The social term in the analysis refers to the developments within the society that is means culture, behavior, the expectations of the customer, the attitude of the company towards the society etc. California Pizza Kitchen has introduced   CPKids Programs under California Pizza Kitchen Foundation for children ranging 10 years and under in schools and a variety of organizations , for example,   Restaurant Tours and Incentive Awards for outstanding accomplishments to Fundraising Events and Sports Team Partnerships. California Pizza Kitchen also has a great deal of programs for the community as well. Technological Analysis The technological term over here refers to the development, such as, the processing of the products, how the machines are operated. With the use of technology in the operations, CPK has been able to reduce the cost of production, the performance of the organization has increased, has helped the company with its supply chain operations. CPK needs to introduce multinational development teams so that it ensures that the system design needs the need of the company. With the help of parallel development CPK will be able to assign different parts of the system to different subsidiaries of the business. The manager needs to listen to the ideas of the employees as well. Change the department’s structure so that it would be able to fit the communication needs. (Kevin & Kotler, 2008) Conclusion The end result after conducting the environmental analysis is that California Pizza Kitchen needs to keep a lookout for the taste and preferences of its customers and it needs to follow trends and information revolution by leveraging greater consumer insight to deliver superior value products to the customers which in turn creates sustainable, yet incredible business results for the benefit of their stakeholders. The company needs to improve its technological aspects and it needs to follow all the rules and regulations. If they are able to do so then they would have a competitive advantage over their competitors, where they would lock-in customers and lock-out competitors. References Cravens, D W. (2000), Strategic Marketing. New York: McGraw Hill Hollensen, S, (2003), Marketing Management: A Relationship Approach. Financial Times/Prentice Hall Kevin, K. & Kotler, P. (2008), Marketing Management. Prentice Hall

America Foreign Policy

The trade embargo placed by the United States on Cuba involves financial, economic and commercial restrictions that were first placed on Fidel Castro’s government in 1962. It was as a result of the government expropriation of assets and properties of US nationals and corporations. The embargo was first suggested and implemented by president Kennedy’s government on the charge that there was lack of democracy in Cuba not only in respect to the Cuban nationals but also to other nationals.In essence, the embargo restricted certain economic and financial transactions between the nationals of the two countries whether directly or indirectly in regard to the use of a third country or national of such a country. The embargo started with the introduction of an import quota on sugar imported from Cuba by several millions. This was met by an agreement by the Soviet Union to by the rest of the sugar from Cuba. Still, the Cuban government under the leadership of Fidel Castro continu ed to take further actions on businesses owned by American national, confiscating most of it.The US government retaliated by expanding the trade restrictions even further especially because of the alignment of Cuba with the Soviet Union in the cold war which caused the Cuban missile crisis. Later, the US government imposed travel restrictions to its nationals restricting them from traveling to Cuba. Further down the line, the US government charged the Cuban government of hosting Soviet Union nuclear weapons and since the union was an enemy in the cold war, regulations were put in place to freeze any Cuban assets in the states and to further consolidate the restrictions put on the country.Various restrictions has since been put in place which include restriction on the amount of money spent by a US national on the Cuban island, restrictions on the forms and amount of gifts that a US national can give to a relative in Cuba or a Cuban national among others. Furthermore, the US governme nt restricted any company that is involved in trade activities in Cuba from entering the US economy on the argument that such a company would be trafficking assets from US to Cuba. To date, most of the trade restrictions placed on Cuba and expenditure restrictions placed on US nationals and corporations still stand.Despite efforts by some of the activists and United Nations has been meeting a dead end with previous and current presidents of the US suspending bills and efforts aimed at lifting the embargo. Despite the fact that some valid reasons were used in basing the embargo and the fact that the US government and its nationals are not affected much by the Embargo, the effects of it are not only affecting the unintended but also affecting the US economy in ways which were unintended. Efforts by activists and the UN are still unsuccessful despite the dire consequences that the embargo has had.In essence, while today the embargo is much founded on democracy issues in Cuba, it goes a step further to restrain the achievement of democracy in the country, punishing Cuban citizens as opposed to the Administration. The purpose of the paper is to expound on the benefits that can be achieved by lifting the embargo not only to Cuba but also to the US and its citizens in general. Why the Embargo should be lifted As observed earlier, various efforts to lift the restrictions on Cuba and American travelers have continuously been rejected both by the President and the congress.On the contrary, the US government has eased a little following pressure from some of the activists. For example, agribusiness organizations and American farmers put the government under pressure to lift some of the restrictions which saw the allowance of sale of medicine and agricultural goods only for humanitarian reasons. Still, many of the restrictions still are in place and there exist no evidence that these restrictions will be lifted any time soon. In light with the embargo, Cubans and scholars have argued that the embargo has and still is affecting negatively the resources of the Cuban nationals as opposed to those of the government.This raises many humanitarian issues in regard to the US government especially considering that the embargo was as a result of democracy issues in Cuba. It has been argued and it is true to a greater extent that the economic damage that arises as a result of the embargo is to some extent responsible for the problems associated with transportation and food shortage in Cuba. As argued by some governments and activist, the embargo has had dire effects on medicine supplies, food and other economic needs of Cubans.This by extension has resulted in vulnerability in infectious diseases and epidemics including malnutrition. The restrictions also have negatively affected the flow of medical information in the country thus resulting to diseases that would otherwise be easily dealt with. The rationing system that results as a result of food shortage hav e greatly affected men and the elderly since designed to give preference to women and children. On another view, the embargo has greatly influenced the capacity of US investors in Cuba but more so have affected non American investors in Cuba.In this context, investors who have interests in the US economy have been reluctant or have been restricted by the law from investing in Cuba. As such, the embargo is not only affecting the Cuban and the American nationals but also the nationals of other countries as well. Moreover, it has continuously threatened diplomatic relationship of US and other countries in regard to the dealings and transactions of these countries and Cuba. In any case, while the embargo gives the Cuban government a scapegoat for problems not directly associated with the embargo, it gives a head start for non US businesses in Cuba should it be lifted.In this regard, these businesses have already established firm foundations to be shaken by the competition that would ari se from the lifting of the trade embargo. In general, while the embargo is aimed at improving the democracy and the compliance with human rights, it has continuously affected these rights negatively making it non humanitarian itself. It is worth noting that it an inadequate reason for the US government to argue that it is involved in charity work aimed at giving medical and food supplies to Cubans.On the other hand, the bureaucracy involved in this charity work has greatly affected its effectiveness in Cuba. Charity organizations and other non governmental organizations have faced delays as a result of the licensing process involved and transportation problems. It also represent a violation of international law as provided for by the United Nations Charter. In this context, the fact that the embargo directly condemns the sale of certain food products and medical products abuses the human right of accessing life saving medical supplies.Further Arguments As it stands out, the trade em bargo imposed by US government hinders free trade between the two countries. While the US government is highly dependent on home production, it does not mean that it has a comparative advantage on all it consumables thus it is forced to import some of it consumables from other countries. This implies that there is an existence of free trade between US and these other countries. One of the major advantages of free trade is that it promotes liberalization of the economies involved.As such, by maintaining the trade embargo on Cuba, the US is denying the Cuban economy better grounds for liberalization. In essence, the Cuban economy can not be open to American investors nor is it open to non US investors who have interests in both countries. In this context, the US economy is and continues to lose the advantages that are associated with the liberalization of the Cuban economy just like any other economy. In fact, it would be irrational to argue that the economy of Cuba has little to offe r to that of US.On the other hand, Cuba has been famous of having a comparative advantage on sugar production. It is imperative that the US economy can obtain such goods from other economies but the question remain, how cheap would it attain them from the Cuban economy. A good example is the tourist potential of Cuba. Travel restrictions have greatly affected the realization of benefits in Cuban tourist industry as the US government restricts its nationals in visiting the island and in the maximum amount of dollars that can be spent on the island on any given day.Moreover, free trade allows the manifestation and improvement of diplomatic relationship between the countries involved. While the problem in Cuba is a political one, trade embargo does not help in solving other problems in the country especially social and humanitarian’s one. It has over and over been argued that as opposed to a trade embargo, the problems in Cuba can only be solved by changing the communist politic al organization in the country. In light with these, the US government should first lift the embargo then embark on measures that are aimed at filling the loopholes in the Cuban political system.In any case, the embargo like others placed on other countries such as Iraq will only give the Cuban administration a reason to cling further to it political system. While, the US government restrict the provision of certain services to Cubans as was evident in the situation where the US government stressed Starwood hotels to chase away Cuban delegate who had attended the US- Cuba Trade Association, the Cuban government is also justified to retaliate in any way they think will bring equality. Such retaliation will only worsen further the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.Still, free trade helps in increasing the amount of foreign currency held by a given economy. With the reduction of economic aid by the soviet, Cuba has been experiencing may economic problems most of which i s as a result of lack of foreign currency to service debts secured from Asian countries. As a result, the living standards of Cuban nationals have greatly depreciated. In this context, it is a fallacy for the US government to argue that all the humanitarian problems in Cuba are as a result of bad governance.In essence, the US governments and it allies whether countries, corporations or individuals have greatly contributed to the decline in humanitarian welfare in Cuba. By placing sanctions on allies dealing with Cuba and by closing it economy from Cuba, the US government denies Cuba a chance to earn foreign currency and by extension impacts heavily on the livelihood of Cubans. Perhaps the most obvious advantage of free trade is that it increases the living standard of the nationals of the two respective economies.In this regard, free trade increases the availability of a variety of goods and services to the populations of the two countries. For one, the population has a variety of q uality products to choose from and secondly, these products are available at a cheaper price keeping in mind the concept of comparative advantage. Buying these products a cheaper price will increase the real purchasing power of the constituents of the population giving them the capability to save and invest in other areas of the economy.It would therefore be worthy to the Cuban nationals if the US government lifts the embargo as this will help in not only reducing their dependence on other economies through charity works but it would also improve their living standards. Since the US government and economy is highly involved in charity work to help Cubans, the lifting of the ban would also go a long way in helping the economy to develop given the nature and the cost of the resources used for charity work. Another advantage of free trade is that it helps in improving the infrastructure of both countries and this is inclusive of both transport and communication.While the US trade embar go on Cuba can be seen as restricting the movements of goods and services, restrictions have been put in place which restricts the docking of Cuban ships on American docks. Similarly, there have been travel restrictions especially in regard to US citizens. In light with the restrictions and with the poor diplomatic relationship between the two countries, the infrastructures of the two countries have suffered though not in direct terms. For example, flights operating between the two countries have been rerouted as no of the country want the other to intrude in her air space.Situations as these have increased the cost of transport between the two countries and have even hindered the movement of goods and services especially for Cuba since it has to use long routes to import goods thus a high cost of importation. Such a poor infrastructure has also been accused of harboring poor flow of medical information into Cuba and by extension increasing the persistency of epidemics and diseases in the country. Free trade encourages the increase in the level of investment opportunities between the respective countries while at the same time increasing foreign direct investments.This on the other hand helps in raising the living standards of the population of the two countries. Should the government lift the trade embargo, investment opportunities will sprout in the two countries. As a result, even if the US does not directly participate in investing in the Cuban economy, other multinational companies will seek investment opportunities in the country. In essence, those allies of US who have been reluctant to invest in the country will reconsider their stand. Moreover, the multinational companies in Cuba will also seek investment opportunities not only in the American economy but also in the economies of its allies.This will earn foreign currency for all the participating countries but more so will help in raising the living standards of Cuban nationals. As evidence has shown , the confiscation of Cuban assets including money held in banks, the government is only further aggregating the problem as the Cuban government is bound to take equal measures of counter attack and this can only add up to a web of tit for tat game. In addition to the above, free trade is also important in that it helps in increasing employment opportunities in the respective countries.As is the case with the living standards, creation of employment opportunities is integrated with other factors such investment and specialization. As stated earlier, free trade creates investment opportunities which by extension create employment opportunities while at the same time improving the living standards of the nationals. In addition, free trade increases the economies of scale which means more investment and earnings from the existing investments. This will also help in creating employment opportunities for the citizens of the two countries.In this light, it would be more advantages if the US government considers the probability of lifting the embargo as this would benefit not only the economy of Cuba but also its own economy. It would help in raising the living standards of Cubans thus reducing the level of poverty and dependence in the country. Finally, free trade helps in the harmonization of labor policies between the two countries thus offering cheap and affordable labor term. On top of this, free trade allows increased mobility of factors of production.As stated earlier, the fact that the US economy is capable in producing most of its consumables does not necessarily mean that it has a comparative advantage in production of all of them. If the embargo is lifted, the US economy will be able to expand its base in relation to factors of production thus improving on the productivity of its economy. With the advantage arising from the geographical positions of the two countries, the US economy is capable of importing factors of production from Cuba at a lower cost an d in time thus increasing productivity in its industries.Goods can also be exported to Cuba not just for charity work but also for earning foreign currency. Conclusion As is evident following the above discussion, it is evident that the US by placing the embargo on Cuba, the US government has denied the Cuban economy to grow and by extension, it has denied Cubans the opportunity of enjoying a high standard of living. While the argument still remains that the embargo is aimed at improving the democracy in Cuba, it should be known to the US government that this has only resulted to more humanitarian problems than there was before the embargo.It is therefore important for the US government to accept the fact that what is needed in Cuba as opposed to trade embargos is to change the whole political system. As such, the US government should lift the ban and look for other economic and political ways of influencing Cuba. Reference: Arnson Cynthia, 1993. Crossroads: Congress, the President and Central America, 1976-1993. Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania State University Press, pp. 17 Bhaqwati Jaqdish, 2002. Free Trade Today. United States, Princeton University Press, pp.34 Fawn Rick, 2003. Ideology and National Identity in Post Communist Foreign Policies. London, Frank Cass, pp. 32 Gianaris Nicholas, 1998. The Northern American Free Trade Agreement and the European Union. Westport CT: Praeger Publishers, pp. 23 Louis A. 1995. Essays on Cuban History: Historiography and Research. Florida, University Presses of Florida, pp. 45 McGillion Chris, 2002. Unfinished Business: America and Cuba after the Cold War, 1989-2001. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, pp. 19 Pierce Anne, 2004.The American Foreign Policy Tradition: Inspiration for Troubled Times. World and I, Vol. 19, pp. 56 Showalter D. 2007. Debating Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Foreign Policies, 1933- 1945. The Historian, Vol. 69, pp. 87 Ted Hopf, 2002. Social Construction of International Politics: Identities and For eign Policies, Moscow, 1955 and 1999. Cornell University Press, pp. 90 William M. 1998. Our Own Backyard: The United States in Central America, 1977-1992. United States, University of North Carolina Press, pp. 41