The United States Federal Government Essay - 910 Words

To guarantee a partition of forces, the U.S. Federal Government is comprised of three branches: legislative, executive and judicial. To guarantee the administration is successful and nationals rights are ensured, every branch has its own particular forces and obligations, incorporating working with alternate branches.(Branches of Government  · House.gov n.d.) The legislative branch is comprised of the House and Senate, referred to all in all as the Congress. Among different forces, the legislative branch makes all laws, announces war, directs interstate and outside business and controls burdened and spending approaches. in other words you can think of them more a an administrative branch(Branches of Government  · House.gov n.d.). An administration that composes, civil arguments, and passes laws, making laws can be called legislating. Legislative Process, in the initial phase in the authoritative procedure is the acquaintance of a bill with Congress. In the wake of being presented, a bill is alluded to the suitable board for survey. A bill is initially considered in a subcommittee, where it might be acknowledged, changed, or dismisses completely. On the off chance that the individuals from the subcommittee consent to accelerate a bill, it is accounted for to the full advisory group, where the procedure is rehashed once more. f the full b oard of trustees votes to favor the bill, it is accounted for to the floor of the House or Senate, and the lion s share party administrationShow MoreRelatedThe United States Federal Government942 Words   |  4 PagesThe United States federal government should limit the influx of refugees into the United States. Currently, three different entities oversee the United States Refugee Admissions Program. These entities are the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, which falls under the Department of State, The Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is headed up by the Department of Health and Human Services, and select offices within the Department of Homeland Security. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration ServicesRead MoreFederal Government And The United States1498 Words   |  6 Pages Federal Government The United States of America government is called the federal government and is the republic of the fifty states which constitute the United States. It also constitutes the capital districts and several other territories. Now the government is made up of three different branches and they are the Executive, Legislature, and the Judicial. Those powers are all vested by the US constitution which is in the congress, the president, and also the federal court that also includesRead MoreThe United States And The Federal Government1057 Words   |  5 Pagesemploying over one hundred and fifty eight million in the year 2011 were in the workforce based on the United States, Bureau of Labor Statistics a federal agencies reporting to the Office of Personal Management, known as the federal government. The federal government is a perfect snapshot of how four different generations collaborate and work together, supporting and running our federal government. I think about 911 quite often; my company lost eleven victims was in the office at the World TradeRead MoreThe United States Federal Government1162 Words   |  5 Pagesis the reason why elections entitle an ordinary resident; it allows people to influence the future policies of the government, and people’s future. The United States relies on a complex system of government, where the national government is central but state and local governments utilize control over affairs that are not meant for the federal government. State and local governments have varying degrees of independence in how the organize elections within their jurisdiction, but they hold frequentRead MoreThe United States Federal Government1238 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction The United States Federal Government collects taxes to finance various services to the citizens. According to Rubin 2013, â€Å"Budgeting implies balance between revenues and expenditures, and it requires some kind of decision-making process.† A budget associates responsibilities to these resources, ensuring that money is available to go to war, infrastructure and to help citizens in need. Politicians, as policymakers evaluate key decision-making processes about revenues and expendituresRead MoreThe United States Federal Government1219 Words   |  5 PagesHow about maybe? In this paper I will outline the problems of the pedagogical approach the United States federal government took in light of the War on Drugs on the wide public education on drug use. I will examine two different articles from Think Progress and The Guardian that argue against the 1986 initiative by Nancy Reagan that became one of the most subtle but destructive aspects about the War on Drugs. She started an country wide program aimed at educating the youth. More specifically onRead MoreRegulation Of The United States Federal Government1827 Words   |  8 Pagesregulation it is important to note that, our government has a huge role in the lives of its citizens it resides over. The United States Federal government has its exercise of sovereignty, in other-words, it has legal and accepted authority to regulate people’s living within a certain geographic area that it has jurisdiction over—and also has regulatory power over, private and public sectors. Here in the United States we have a representative democracy, the government operates as if it is running a serviceRead MoreThe United States Federal Government875 Words   |  4 PagesToday, many Americans are firm believers that the federal government is constantly overreaching and causing citizens to feel harassed and mislead. The idea that the federal government has become overly powerful is exceedingly common throughout the United States. In many cases, the federal government does overstep by inappropriately using the power that they possess. However, there is a fine line between rebelling against the federal government for your own freedom and completely overlooking all ofRead MoreThe United States Federal Government Essay1429 Words   |  6 Pages The quality of life today for most Native Americans is drastically lower than that of the average non-Native American. Why? The United States federal government failed to continue the upward economic trajectory of the Native peoples. The aid and reconciliation Calvin Coolidge desired were not continued successfully. Instead, it is evident that while the Department of the Interior and the Presidential administrations after Coolidge have have had empathy and a desire for the Native Americans’Read MoreThe United States Federal Government1346 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States federal government is composed of three institutions, the Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court. Based on the Constitution of the United States, the federal system, and the separation of power, the three branches exist and each represents the three institutions, the legislative branch is vested by the Congress, the judicial branch is vested by the Supreme Court, and the executive branch is vest ed by the President. The three distinct branches are respectively independent

The Broad Field Of Psychology - 1199 Words

The broad field of psychology encompasses several different subsets in order to touch upon every aspect of the practice. A particularly interesting one would be cognitive psychology. This area of study focuses on several mental processes; mostly memory, perception and learning. Through the adaption of science and technology, cognitive psychology continues to grow as an important field in psychology. History of Cognitive Psychology Cognitive Psychology originally did not begin as that title. In the 1950’s, behaviorism was the dominating factor of the profession. However, much interest grew in the mental process area. Around this time era, American psychologists eventually â€Å"rejected the idea of behaviorism and adapted a model of mind based on the computer.† (Smith, 2001). Ultimately, this was because something as complicated as the brain was difficult be compared to. That is, until the arrival of the computer. It was able to â€Å"help psychologists help understand how the human mind handles information† (McLeod, 2016). How we store, use, and produce our intellectual thoughts to be exact. Yet, the term â€Å"cognitive psychology† was not coined until around 1967 when American psychologist Ulric Neisser published his book Cognitive Psychology. Since then, he has been known as the â€Å"father of cognitive psychology†. Neisser adapted this title when he disagreed with the be haviorist approach. Behaviorism focuses on a person’s motives, but there had to be more to a person’s behavior aspectsShow MoreRelatedThe Broad Field Of Developmental Psychology Is The Life Span Of Dyslexia1329 Words   |  6 PagesThe topic of discussion related primarily to the broad field of developmental psychology is the life span of dyslexia. Reasoning for why this topic is so controversial can range from speculation on the impact of media on many people to researchers arguing that there really is no definitive and accurate way of determining the reasoning for it. In order to fully address the symptoms and reasoning over time on dyslexia in this research paper, I will present multiple findings that can pin point whatRead MoreThe Field of Psychology840 Words   |  3 PagesPsychology is a discipline of social science that encompasses nearly every aspect of the human experience. The field of psychology addresses the entire gamut of human behavior and the complexi ties of emotion. Issues related to perception and cognition are included in psychological research. Neurobiology and neurophysiology also fall under the rubric of psychology. At the same time, psychology embraces less quantifiable variables in the human experience, such as emotional responses and altered statesRead MorePsychology, The Scientific Study Of The Mind1476 Words   |  6 PagesPsychology, defined as the scientific study of the mind, is a very broad field with many career opportunities. Psychology is a fairly new field and has many job opportunities available for anyone wanting to make a career with a degree. There are therapy related jobs along with jobs that are not therapy related. Most psychologists wanting a job that is therapy related need a master’s degree or doctoral, however ones who do not pursue a job with therapy obtain a bachelor’s or master’s. The averageRead MoreThe Behavioral Perspective Of Clinical Psychology993 Words   |  4 Pages Clinical psychology is a relatively new area of study in the broad category of psychology. It is a subfield of psychology that covers a wide range and variety of topics and issues such as the study, diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. (Feldman, 2010) Clinical psychologists also might deal with patients who have learning disorders, substance abuse, depression, anxiety and eating disorders. This paper will briefly discuss the behavioral perspective, some research methods in the field ofRead MoreThe Psychology Of Clinical Psychology967 Words   |  4 PagesClinical psychology is a relatively newer area of study in the broad category of psychology. It is subfield of psychology that covers a wide range and variety of topics and issues such as the study, diagnosis and treatment of psychological disorders. (Feldman, 2010) This paper will briefly discuss the behavioral perspective, some research methods in the field of psychology, positive and negative components associat ed with clinical psychology, and different controversies and ways to overcome theseRead MoreExamination of Clinical Psychology1665 Words   |  7 PagesClinical psychology is a broad science that involves psychologists ensuring the mental well-being of a patient. Its focus is diagnosing, treating, and if possible, averting psychological disorders. The field of clinical psychology applies to every demographic from young children to the elderly, families or individuals, and one’s socioeconomic status is not a factor in whether he or she should receive treatment. Clinical psychology deals with a broad range of specialties, including individuals whoRead MoreA Research Study On Psychology893 Words   |  4 Pages1. Currently, I am majoring in psychology. The occupation I chose was Psychologist. In the future I hope to do research as a Psychologist at a University. I want to do research in the psychology field so I will be able to expand the greater knowledge of the human self. 2. In the occupation psychologist, men occupy about 44% of the work force, while women occupy about 56%. Even though there is little sex segregation, there is a rather large gap in the average income. Men on average earn $49,804Read MoreBibliography Of An Annotated Bibliography1512 Words   |  7 Pagescovers evidence based practices and issues with the field of psychology such as lack of services, cost and, quality of care. Each annotation addresses the strength of the article, the purpose of the article, the relevance to the field of psychology and its uniqueness. The paper is a very brief synopsis of the article as well as a critique. It is not as concise as a literature review. Keywords: evidence based practice, issues with the field of psychology, mental health services, AnnotatedRead MorePsychology : Psychology And Psychology1630 Words   |  7 PagesPsychology is a very broad field of study and requires a lot of research when choosing a career. The education that is required for pursuing a career in the field of psychology depends on the type of psychologist you want to be. Most psychology programs require at least a master s degree to pursue a psychologist career, but some may require a doctoral degree. It is important to know the educational requirements as well as state requirements when entering the field of psychology. Southwestern hasRead MoreA Comparison of Community Psychology and Public Health1179 Words   |  5 PagesA COMPARISON OF COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY AND PUBLIC HEALTH. In this assignment the key differences and similarities of community psychology and the public health approach will be examined and critically compared. Community Psychology is a branch of psychology which is concerned primarily with achieving positive mental health in the broader context of the community rather than the individual. Public health is primarily concerned and focused on changing behaviours within the context of the public in

Discuss Jane Austen’s portrayal of her central character in the opening chapters of the novel Free Essays

Emma by Jane Austen can be described as a social satire of the Regency Age and was first published in 1816. Austen uses the omniscient narrator to immediately introduce the central character, eponymous heroine Emma Woodhouse, in the opening chapter of the novel by describing her as â€Å"handsome, clever and rich with a comfortable home and a happy disposition,† and saying how she â€Å"seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence,† with very â€Å"little to distress or vex her. However, Austen’s use of the word â€Å"seemed† may indicate that the reality of Emma’s perfect and privileged life may affect her interaction with others and consequently cause her to have many flaws due to the fact that she is good looking, indulged and allowed â€Å"rather too much her own way. We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss Jane Austen’s portrayal of her central character in the opening chapters of the novel or any similar topic only for you Order Now † Emma may be described as an exception to society in the way that she is a financially independent with a fortune of thirty thousand pounds, a vast amount of money in the Regency age. During this period, many women needed to marry for financial stability and some marriages tended to resemble business contracts as opposed to true love because so much was based on this factor. Perhaps Emma’s situation means that she may be one of the few women who is able to marry for love as opposed to finance? Austen often portrays Emma as a meddlesome and interfering character in the opening of the novel. These traits really come across when Mr Knightley, Austen’s voice of reason, discusses Harriet’s refusal of Mr Martin, an â€Å"intelligent gentleman-farmer,† and blames Emma’s influence for her turning down a man who is more than her equal in class and status, factors influential to most marriages in the Regency Age. Austen highlights this importance by referring to different social ranks as the â€Å"first set† and the â€Å"second set. † Mr Knightley guides and advises Emma with well-balanced thoughts and advice that genuinely penetrates through her self-deluding personality. Mr Knightley states realistically that Emma is wrong to meddle with Harriet and encourage her to pursue Mr Elton; he describes Harriet as â€Å"not a sensible girl,† with â€Å"no respectable relations† illustrating the importance of marrying within the right social class and also a weakness in the character of Emma Woodhouse due to the fact that she manipulates situations to suit what she wants and can sometimes avoid reality if it does not agree with her. This weakness can go on to affect and hurt others, for example raising Harriet’s hopes and expectations of marrying above her even though this is unlikely to happen. Another character who is responsible for Emma’s behaviour is her father, Mr Woodhouse. Mr Woodhouse is at fault due to the fact that he is an over â€Å"indulgent and affectionate† father who fails to see weaknesses in his youngest daughter’s character, therefore being unable to correct her mistakes and teach Emma how to consider other people’s feelings. Emma’s father is also described as â€Å"dearly loved† by her but â€Å"no companion† due to his age and distance from her. Emma’s loss of her mother may also affect her personality and explain why she has become so strong-willed and independent minded. The only female influences she has really benefited from include her sister Isabella who moved out after marrying Mr John Knightley and Mrs Taylor her governess who marries Mr Weston, a match Emma feels she is responsible for creating. As well as living within a class-conscious society, Emma conforms to the proper and polite tradition of behaviour, regarded highly at the time. When Mr John Knightley and Isabella come to stay, Emma’s â€Å"sense of right,† permits that Mr Knightley dines with them. However, Mr Woodhouse is slightly â€Å"against the inclination† that â€Å"anyone should share with him in Isabella’s first day. † This â€Å"sense of right† illustrates how Emma feels it is important to act properly and conform to social etiquette in line with what is â€Å"right. † Although Emma is described as a â€Å"spoiled child† by John Knightley, Austen also illustrates how self-contained her life is on Isabella’s visit. Emma urges them not to â€Å"talk of the sea† because it makes her â€Å"miserable† and â€Å"envious† as â€Å"she has never seen it. † Emma’s life seems circled around little more than painting and playing the piano and this may be why she feels the need to meddle with other people’s relationships for her own amusement. Overall, Austen introduces many themes and social rules and regulations along with the introduction of Emma Woodhouse. Emma seems to be a very lucky and privileged individual although she does not always make the best of her advantageous situation causing her to have an arrogant and self-righteous side to her personality. Emma’s situation is not normal and her fortune sets her aside from other women as she does not need to marry for the sake of financial gain and security, this sets her aside from being an accurate reflection of social interaction of the times. However, Emma’s conformity when it comes to social class rules and etiquette illustrates the class conscious society of Regency England and the importance of propriety. How to cite Discuss Jane Austen’s portrayal of her central character in the opening chapters of the novel, Papers

Manipulates Some On The Business Script †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Manipulates If It Had Some On The Business Script? Answer: Introducation The organization is an important part of any association. The knowledge of managing staff is also known as Taylorism. He was the solitary to bring in the diverse levels of the chain of command in the association and introduce the preparation of skill in a new employee to do employment (YouTube, 2017). Anybody who could not convene the superior standards of knowledge got fired up. Taylorism is a division of almost every manufacturing. However, the personnel today, with the liberty to raise the tone and query decisions, the organization nowadays need to be elastic with its labour force. The idea of Taylorism is abusive to the personnel based on the supposed low level of information of the staff by the organization. Script used in call centre is concerned with the selling of the monotonous kind of the scripts with responses to the conversation done with the clients. Yes, I notice Taylorism in the movement of given that the call centres staff with the script of all kinds of the response (Mulherin and Pruijt, 2003). It suggests that the employees are not competent of shaping the effective reaction to the query of the clients. Some part of the thoughts are also being utilised in a figure of organisations in the present society, like Audi, Ford and, Mercedes, which put into practice the idea of the meeting lines along with the technical management of the workers by declining the size of the human being tasks (Mulherin and Pruijt, 2003). Taylor uses his time-and-motion study to expand a creative division of labour scheme. Taylor argues that even the majority basic, tedious tasks could be designed in a manner that noticeably would add to output, and that technical management of the employment was more efficient than the "plan and motivation" method of inspiring workers (Patrina, 2014). Taylorism theory of organization focus on the beneath mentioned thoughts has power over the workers to permit the system of government to have improved productivity and effectiveness. Coaching the workers of the organisations concerning the various organization methods and style. The Taylorism hypothesis allows the organisations in the existing industry to have improved management of the workers and a variety of human possessions available to the system of government. This hypothesis of management still allows the human capital departments to the quantity of organisations to establish the various merits which should be obsessed by the candidate to become an administrator. This hypothesis of organization also allows the whole business model of a present organisation to be alienated into a numeral of task groups, such as monetary, professional, technological, commercial, and book-keeping and safety (Patrina, 2014). The blog integrated the example of different organisations implementing the theory that is named Fordism and Taylorism. We finished that the hypothesis of Taylorism gives a crumb more admiration to the workers in contrast to the hypothesis of Taylorism (Barrett, 2013). The time motion learning by Taylor affirmed some citizens do the job more professional than others. As per him, there is just one method to do a job, which is so wrong, a job can be completed in any way in accordance with an individuals own brain set. Thomas Friedman on Globalisation; 3 Eras of Globalisation; The World is flat The other activity is to discuss the Thomas Friedman on Globalisation; three eras of globalization. Globalization generates a free market economy. According to him defining the measurement is momentum. According to Friedman globalization is build around the three balances, which overlies and influence one another.Friedman believes that there are three eras of the globalization. The third era of the globalisation is not only limited to the countries for the business and market expansion but is within the individuals and has made them compete, collaborate and connect globally. According to Friedman, numerous flatteners resulted in the current globalization platform. He asserted that the power of the digital revolutions has become perceptible: an entity can generate digital content, can be uploaded on the internet, and individuals form the other countries can work together on it. Friedman believes that the Flat world in the globalization is that platform where there are no barriers and the individuals work, communicate and collaborates across the boundaries. Whereas there are some of the risks or the drawbacks of living in such a flat world of globalization; is that the business ethics reduces the organization freedom; for example, shifting of the multinational companies into the developing countries for the reduction in the companys cost (YouTube, 2017). The other drawback of living in the flat world of globalization is that the different individuals have the various different thoughts; and if no boundaries will be there then the individuals will not be bo unded and will work according to their wishes and with no rules and regulations that are creating their own rules for the trade and transactions (Egger and Kreickemeier, 2010). Yes, I do agree with the Friedman/s iron rule of the Flat world as per the rule the flat world is the platform where there is no barriers or the walls between the individuals and is completely open and can be unfettered. According to the rule when the world is flat anything which can be done will be done and will be done only by the individuals (Villaverde and Maza, 2011). The advancement in the technologies can help the individuals doing whatever they want to do. The increased tools of the connectivity encourage the individuals having the good ideas can pursue their ideas and apply in the today world of globalization (Villaverde and Maza, 2011). The most significant factor for the survival in the flat world is the ability of learning and how to learn. For example, if the airlines starts their own website where the individuals can go online and get the prints of their boarding passes themselves may help them to act as the ticket agent and with this will learn new things and can do wh at they like. According to me the level of the globalization is not uniform across the world as the cultural differences will persist among the different segments of the world which in turn affects the level of the globalization (Egger and Kreickemeier, 2010). The level of economic growth and the uneven growth pattern of the different countries are also the reasons of the not having the uniform level of globalization around the globe. Conclusion: Hence, it is believed that the flat world not only stands for the equal world, but in the one or the other way results into levelling the economic playing field for the ones involved in such process of globalization. References Barrett, E. (2013). Book reviews edited by Chris Taylor20131Henri de Waele. Book reviews edited by Chris Taylor Layered Global Player Legal Dynamics of EU External Relations. Springer, 2011. , ISBN: 9783642207518 62.99 1st ed.International Journal of Law and Management, 55(3), pp.247-248. Egger, H. and Kreickemeier, U. (2010). Worker-specific Effects of Globalisation.The World Economy, 33(8), pp.987-1005. Mulherin, J. and Pruijt, H. (2003). Job Design and Technology: Taylorism versus Anti-Taylorism.Contemporary Sociology, 32(5), p.588. Patrina, E. (2014). Managing the organizational development through global expansion: case study of Ford Motor Company.NEW UNIVERSITY: ECONOMICS LAW, (5-6), pp.52-56. Villaverde, J. and Maza, A. (2011). Globalisation, Growth and Convergence.The World Economy, 34(6), pp.952-971. YouTube. (2017).Ford and Taylor Scientific Management (Edited). [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PdmNbqtDdI [Accessed 13 Aug. 2017]. YouTube. (2017).What Thomas Friedman means when he says "The World is Flat". [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM2BguxRSyY [Accessed 13 Aug. 2017].

Analysis Of The Holocaust Essays - The Holocaust, Nazi Germany

Analysis of the Holocaust Of all the examples of injustice against humanity in history, the Jewish Holocaust has to be one of the most prominent. In the period of 1933 to 1945, the Nazis waged a vicious war against Jews and other "lesser races". This war came to a head with the "Final Solution" in 1938. One of the end results of the Final Solution was the horrible concentration and death camps of Germany, Poland, and other parts of Nazi-controlled Europe. In the aftermath of the Holocaust, people around the world were shocked by final tallies of human losses, and the people responsible were punished for their inhuman acts. The Holocaust was a dark time in the history of the 20th century. One can trace the beginnings of the Holocaust as far back as 1933, when the Nazi party of Germany, lead by Adolf Hitler, came to power. Hitler's anti-Jew campaign began soon afterward, with the "Nuremberg Laws", which defined the meaning of being Jewish based on ancestry. These laws also forced segregation between Jews and the rest of the public. It was only a dim indication of what the future held for European Jews. Anti-Jewish aggression continued for years after the passing of the Nuremberg Laws. One of these was the "Aryanization" of Jewish property and business. Jews were progressively forced out of the economy of Germany, their assets turned over to the government and the German public. Other forms of degradation were pogroms, or organized demonstrations against Jews. The first, and most infamous, of these pogroms was Krystallnacht, or "The night of broken glass". This pogrom was prompted by the assassination of Ernst von Rath, a German diplomat, by Herschel Grymozpan in Paris on November 7th, 1938. Two days later, an act of retaliation was organized by Joseph Gobbels to attack Jews in Germany. On the nights of November 9th and 10th, over 7,000 Jewish businesses were destroyed, 175 synagogues demolished, nearly 100 Jews had been killed, and thousands more had been injured, all for the assassination of one official by a Jew ("Holocaust, the." Microsoft Encarta 96). In many ways, this was the first major act of violence to Jews made by the Nazis. Their intentions were now clear. The Nazi's plans for the Jews of Europe were outlined in the "Final Solution to the Jewish question" in 1938. In a meeting of some of Hitler's top officials, the idea of the complete annihilation of Jews in Europe was hatched. By the time the meeting was over, the Final Solution had been created. The plans included in the Final Solution included the deportation, exploitation, and eventual extermination of European Jews. In September 1939, Germany invaded western Poland. Most, if not all Jews in German-occupied lands were rounded up and taken to ghettos or concentration camps. The ghettos were located inside cities, and were a sort of city/prison to segregate Jews from the rest of the public. Conditions in the ghettos included overcrowding, lack of food, and lack of sanitation, as well as brutality by Nazi guards. Quality of life in a ghetto was probably not much above that in a concentration camp. In June 1941, Germany continued it's invasion of Europe by attacking and capturing some of the western U.S.S.R. By this time, most of the Jews in Europe now lived in lands controlled by Nazi Germany. The SS deployed 3000 death squads, or "Einstagruppen", to dispatch Jews in large numbers ("Holocaust, the." Microsoft Encarta 1996). In September 1941, all Jews were forced to wear yellow Stars of David on their arms or coats. A Jew could be killed with little repercussions for not displaying the Star of David in public. Some of the first Jewish resiezce to the Final Solution came in 1943, when the process of deportation to concentration and death camps was in full swing. The Warsaw ghetto in Poland, once numbering over 365,000, had been reduced to only 65,000 by the continuing removal of Jews to camps in other lands ("Holocaust, the." Microsoft Encarta 1996). When the Nazis came to round up the remaining inhabitants of the ghetto, they were met with resiezce from the small force of armed Jews. The revolt lasted for almost three weeks

Teenage Pregnancy Pact - Teens Choose to Become Pregnant

Teenage Pregnancy Pact - Teens Choose to Become Pregnant Adult women old enough to have teenagers dont get it. But their teenage daughters do. Teen pregnancy has evolved from a shameful situation to a symbol of status in many high schools in the US, and moms of teenage daughters have seen this happen in their lifetimes. The June 2008 allegation that a teenage pregnancy pact may have existed at Gloucester High School in Massachusetts - resulting in 17 pregnancies in a school of 1200 students - rocked a town that counts among its residents a large Catholic population. The previous year, the school had only 4 student pregnancies in comparison. Of the girls who were pregnant at the time, none were older than 16. TIME magazine, which broke the story on their website on June 18, 2008, reported: School officials started looking into the matter as early as October after an unusual number of girls began filing into the school clinic to find out if they were pregnant. By May, several students had returned multiple times to get pregnancy tests, and on hearing the results, some girls seemed more upset when they werent pregnant than when they were, Sullivan says. All it took was a few simple questions before nearly half the expecting students, none older than 16, confessed to making a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together. Then the story got worse. We found out one of the fathers is a 24-year-old homeless guy, the principal says, shaking his head. Teenage pregnancy is only part of the issue. Another more complicated aspect touches on legal and criminal issues - statutory rape and Romeo and Juliet laws (consensual sex between older and younger teens.) Engaging in sex with anyone under the age of 16 is a crime in Massachusetts. And as a June 2008 Reuters story revealed, a handful of the fathers are adults: ...[L]ocal officials said at least some of the men involved in the pregnancies were in their mid-20s, including one man who appeared to be homeless. Others were boys in the school.Carolyn Kirk, mayor of the port city 30 miles northeast of Boston, said authorities are looking at whether to pursue statutory rape charges. Were at the very early stages of wrestling with the complexities of this problem, she said.  But we also have to think about the boys. Some of these boys could have their lives changed. They could be in serious, serious trouble even if it was consensual because of their age not from what the city could do but from what the girls families could do, she told Reuters. And the teen pregnancies at Gloucester High School raise yet another hot-button topic - the idea of schools providing contraception. The Reuters article indicated that during the course of the school year, Gloucester High administered 150 pregnancy tests to students but, in a phone interview with Greg Verga, chairman of the Gloucester School Committee, discovered that the administration resisted efforts to prevent pregnancy: The school forbids the distribution of condoms and other contraception without parental consent a rule that prompted the schools doctor and nurse to resign in protest in May.But even if we had contraceptives, that pact shows that if they wanted to get pregnant, they will get pregnant. Whether we distribute contraceptives is irrelevant, said Verga . As parents agonized over what had happened in their town to their teenage daughters and were puzzled by a large number of pregnant girls, others understood why what was once a shunned condition now seems glamorous. Part of it may have to do with teen pregnancy films such as, which some have said glosses over the very real problems teenage moms face in favor of a hip Hollywood version of life as a baby mama. And part of it is rooted in the socialization of young girls and teens. Books, films and music bombard teens with the message that being loved are what really matters. For teens unsure about themselves and their relationships, the desire for some form of unconditional love leads many to think motherhood will satisfy that longing. As the TIME article observed: Amanda Ireland, who graduated from Gloucester High on June 8, thinks she knows why these girls wanted to get pregnant. Ireland, 18, gave birth her freshman year and says some of her now pregnant schoolmates regularly approached her in the hall, remarking how lucky she was to have a baby. Theyre so excited to finally have someone to love them unconditionally, Ireland says. I try to explain its hard to feel loved when an infant is screaming to be fed at 3 a.m. Sources: Kingsbury, Kathleen. Pregnancy Boom at Gloucester High.TIME.com, 18 June 2008.Szep, Jason. Teen pregnancy pact shocks Massachusetts city. Reuters.com, 19 June 2008.

Nursing Practice over the Last Two Centuries Essay

Nursing Practice over the Last Two Centuries - Essay Example In addition, nurses stated getting profession training in nursing schools. Nurses acquired their skills through apprenticeship. While the practice enabled the nurses to handle their patients because of the knowledge they had acquired, they did not have the theoretical comparisons that they could make. In the twentieth century, nursing practice registered more changes where nurses acquired professional training as well as joining professional bodies. The setting of more nursing school has promoted standardization of the nursing practice (Mosse & Harayama, 2011). In nursing school nurses do not only learn how to handle their patients, but also how to handle social and administrative issues. Initially, nurses took a diploma or an advance diploma. The introduction of bachelor degree and masters degree programs enables nurses to embrace the most modern trend of disease analysis and patient care. The mode of practice also registered changes with many nurses combining spiritual and medical practice while attending to the patients. Other changes include information management in the nursing practice. Although the nursing practice has relied on patient information since the olden days, in twentieth century, record management was critical in nursing practice (City TownInfo. Com, 2010). Administration as well as working codes for nurses has also faced numerous changes. Some of these changes include practice methods and social approval of the practice among others. My views on BSN v ADN My views have greatly changed following the BSN course. With the advanced diploma course, I was only able to handle specific cases in nursing whereas the BSN prepared me to handle complex exercises, which nurses with advanced diploma in nursing cannot handle. For example, delivery health care may pose challenges to nurses with advance diploma. The content of information and research conducted in this area at BSN level is instrumental in handling these cases. Largely, the training covers the biological, physical, and behavioral sciences, which are critical in handling patients. While advance diploma covers most of the aforementioned areas, it tends to specialize of a given area. For instance, ADN in perioperative cases exposes the nurse to handle issues within his specialization as opposed to other areas. It is evident that specialization limits the ability of a professional to handle multitask. I believe BSN offers in depth coverage on administrative skills that

RESEARCH PAPER Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research Paper Example Hence, it would be apt to apply a Marxist critical approach to any of the works of Shakespeare, and more so to Hamlet. The more traditional approaches towards literary criticism do coax and cajole the text to yield the innate meanings inherent in it. However, a Marxist approach towards the understanding of Hamlet, rather than delving on bringing out the hidden meanings, will rather try to approach the text as a material creation that needs to be understood in a historical context. To be able to interpret Hamlet in a Marxist context, the readers need to approach the theory wearing a Marxist lens that places a more than regular stress on as to how the characters affiliated to varied classes tend to interact with each other, particularly in the backdrop of the class oppression and the involving socio-economic inequity, and especially considering those words and dialogues emanating from any character that propose or are indicative of the rebellion against the upper classes. This is becau se form a Marxist perspective, the main element of interest will tend to be a determining base and then the determined superstructure imminent on it. In that context in the play Hamlet, the mannerisms inherent in the interactions between varied social classes, and the way the society is structured in the play indeed happens to be a strong driving force in the play (Joughin 57). In Hamlet one could indeed trace a strict representation of the avowed Marxist social classes that are the Aristocracy, represented by the royal family and the people of the court, which constitute the ruling class and make the pivotal socio-economic decisions in the play, the Bourgeoisie that are the characters that stand just below the aristocracy and earn a living by trading in the resources required by the other classes, and then the lowest class that are the Proletariat or the working class or the serfs that eke out a living by selling their labor and skills. There is no denying the fact that without muc h elaborating on the characters akin to each of the respective social class, it is amply evident in Hamlet that every character in it could be placed in one of the three Marxian social classes. The very first scene in Act I in Hamlet is replete with the indications of class struggle and thereby constitutes an ideal subject for a Marxian dissection. The scene begins by showing one of the guards on the palace walls relieving his colleague of the night duty. Now, in the times of Shakespeare, night watch was a work that was never assigned to the members of the upper class, and hence it could be concluded that the two guards, though being officers, hailed from the lower social strata. Irrespective of their mutual greeting of â€Å"Long Live the King!† which seems to evince their loyalty for the aristocracy, this loyalty seems to smack of falsehood and despair as no good member of the lower class made to perform the watch duty on a cold night will prefer to be so supportive of the upper classes who made one undergo such an ordeal. Hence, the truth that leaps forward is that perhaps Shakespeare happened to be an opportunist who simply could not help supporting and sustaining the socio-economic status quo of which he was a part of, that is, the monarchy,

Annotated Bibliography on Human Rights Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

On Human Rights - Annotated Bibliography Example One of their cultural practices dictates the accumulation of large herds of cattle and cultivation of extensive agricultural lands with the former serving as a symbol for their wealth and power. The accumulation of vast lands and herds lead to the increase of their population density. Culturally, the Bantu-speaking farmers were described to use these amassed fields and horde of cattle for political and social transactions, including marriage issues related to the bride’s wealth compensation (termed as lobola) and â€Å"tribute demand purposes†. There was a group of Bantu-speakers who settled near water resources called as Sotho-Tswana. The other group of Bantu speakers who settled in coastal plains was known as Nguni. The third group of Bantu-speaking people, the Khoisans was another group known to settle on the west and southwest. Today, these three groups comprise majority of the settlers of South Africa. This article can purposely be used to study today’s comp osition and stratification of South Africa’s inhabitants which may help in drafting economic plans, policies and reforms or for whatever purpose it may serve.The article presents South Africa (SA)’s as a catalyst of the African continent. It is progressively an â€Å"emerging economy† in the making. Here, South Africa was presented to have achieved a world class economy, boasting of its abundant natural resources, established financial, communications, transportation. It has also boasted of a reliable and progressive legal framework system. In fact, it was also cited to be among one of the top 20 stock exchanges in the world. Finally, SA also boasts of its institutional vis-a-vis financial management reforms guaranteeing less risk to its foreign investors. Aside from posting a positive economic growth, the article also presents challenges or threats that may hamper SA’s economic growth if not properly addressed immediately through reforms. These deterrent factors include inadequate energy supply, IMF’s report about its long-standing issue on unemployment along with poverty, wide gap in wealth distribution and high incidence of HIV/ Aids. Since the best features about SA were featured in this article, it would best suit to get this positive information packaged into an investment portfolio for purposes of investment promotion in the near future. South Africa Human Rights, (2011). amnestyusa.org. Amnesty International US. Retrieved Feb. 06, 2011 from http://www.amnestyusa.org/all-countries/south-africa/page.do?id=1011238 The article presents an update on the South Africa’s committed violence against human rights. It presents records of different cases where human rights were violated. Killings, tortures, extrajudicial executions committed by officials in authority like policemen themselves, large scale forced evictions that ended up in violence between refugees and migrants, abuse of female minors, cases of battered and abused women are some of the crimes reported with high rates of incidence. The rate is so alarming that such crimes were attributed to the failure of government to implement its reforms, policies and guidelines aimed at suppressing these crimes and

An Introduction To Sleep Disorders And Somnambulism Psychology Essay

An Introduction To Sleep Disorders And Somnambulism Psychology Essay Sleep disorder can be defined as sleep difficulty or disruption of sleep. Sleep disorder that have reached a very serious level can cause emotionally or psychologically disturbance to that person. Furthermore, sleep disorder can even cause murder for such as sleepwalking murder. Examples of common sleep disorders are insomnia, sleepwalking (somnambulism), and teeth grinding (bruxism) and so on. Basically, sleep disorder can be divided into four types: Dyssomnias, Parasomnias, Medical or psychiatric disorders and sleeping sickness. Dyssomnias is a sleep disorder that causes a particular person to feel sleepy during day time due to sleep deprivation from insomnia during the night. Parasomnias are categorized as abnormal limbic movement, emotions, perception and so on that link to sleep deprivation. Teeth grinding, snoring and so on may also occur due to effects from Parasomnias. Medical or psychiatric disorder causes panic, anxiety depression and so one. Last but not least, sleeping sickness can also be transmitted by Tsetse fly. Sleep disorder is actually much more common during childhood. This is because children tend to sleep more deeply than adult because their body will go through growth during the third and forth stage of Non-REM sleep which is known as deep sleep. In fact, it is far more common in boys than in girl because boys tend to sleep more deeply than girls due the presence of a higher level of the testosterone hormone. There are 4 types of treatment for sleep disorder, they are behavioral treatment, medication treatment, alternative therapy and also supplements. Behavioral treatment includes sleep relaxation, sleep hygiene and so on. Medication treatment is by getting medication which is prescribed by the doctor. The common drugs which are prescribed for medications for sleep disorders are Benzodiazepines, Anticonvulsants and so on. Moving on, alternative therapy is a therapy that includes everything from changing your diet, lifestyle, exercising, doing yoga, hypnosis and meditation. Supplements for sleep disorders are include herbs, melatonin, relaxation and exercises. People who have the characteristics listed below are more likely to suffer from sleep disorder. First, people who are overweight or are suffering from obesity. Secondly, people who are alcoholics and drug addicts. Thirdly, people who are inflicted with a huge amount of stress which leads to depression. Lastly, people who do not sleep on time or do not have sufficient amount of sleep. If you realize you fall under any of these categories, dont worry. This is because it is easy to overcome it. The first thing you have to do is to make sure you exercise every day, for at least 30 minutes per day to reduce the stress level in your body and balance the amount of hormones in your body. Then, try to avoid food that contains caffeine that will affect your quality of sleep. In addition, do not take any alcoholic drinks, as it will worsen your sleep problems. Try not to do anything stressful 3 hours before going to bed. Follow the steps here, and you will find it easier to fall asleep and sleep disorders can be reduced. Sleep Disorder Somnambulism Have you ever come across this situation where you see a kid walking around few hours later after their sleep? Or even may be one of your family members or your friends told you that you urinated on their bed last night but you dont remember a thing? Have you ever heard of murder while sleepwalking? Actually these situations only occur to those who are suffering from a sleep disorder called Somnambulism, also known as sleepwalking. According to a study by Dr. Christina A. Gurnett, of the Washington University School of Medicines Department of Neurology, sleepwalking was inherited as an autosomal dominant disorder with reduced penetrance in this family. Genome-wide multipoint parametric linkage analysis for sleepwalking revealed a maximum logarithm of the odds score of 3.44 at chromosome 20q12-q13.12 between 55.6 and 61.4 cM. Have you ever wonder what somnambulism is (or commonly called sleepwalking)? Have you ever wondered why will people walk around while they are sleeping and the next day they claim that they do not remember such a thing had happened? Have you ever wonder what is happening inside the sleepwalkers brain? Actually there are 5 stages of sleep while we are sleeping. They are REM, Non-REM stage one (Light Sleep), Non-REM stage two (Sleep Spindles), Non-REM stage three and 4 (Deep Sleep). Sleepwalking will only occur in our deep sleep, which is third and forth stage of Non-REM sleep. Here are some facts about sleepwalking. Firstly, sleepwalkers normally do not remember what they did because they were not in a conscious state. Secondly, they will look dazed; their expressions are dimmed and they tend not to respond to you when you talk to them. Thirdly, sleepwalking usually happens once a night only. Fourthly, sleepwalking can usually last for a few seconds to 30 minutes. Fifthly, its more common in childhood and more common in male than female. Moreover, while they are sleepwalking, their eyes are open but they are unable to see the same way when they are awake. For example, they will think that they are walking in a shopping mall but in fact they are wandering around their house or even their garden. What causes sleepwalking in children or adult? Experts believe that it is due to the immaturity in the brains regulation of sleep wake cycles in the child. Most children outgrow the symptoms as their nervous systems develop. Sleepwalking that happens during adulthood is most likely due to extreme stress, drug abuse or alcohol abuse, certain medication, insufficient amount of sleep and also irregular sleep schedule. Heredity is also one of the causes of sleepwalking. If one of the parents is a sleepwalker, chances of the child being a sleepwalker will increase to 45%; if both the parents are sleepwalker, the chance of the child sleepwalking will be increased to 60%. Is it dangerous to wake a sleepwalker up? We shouldnt wake a sleepwalker up as it will cause heart attack or shock! Well, those statements are not entirely true. Yeah, it is true that it is dangerous to wake the sleepwalkers up because they might injure themselves or the one who wake them up. This is mainly because by waking the sleepwalkers up, it might cause temporary distress or confusion to them. Hence, it may cause them to do something violent to protect themselves unconsciously. One of the most common question is, what should we do if the sleepwalker is doing something dangerous since we are not suppose to wake them up? The answer is simply just leading them back into their room and let them continue their sleep. Try not to wake them up, as you will startle them and you wouldnt want to get bruises right? There is a misconception that sleepwalking is actually a sign of psychological disorder of that person. This is not true because sleepwalking doesnt cause any emotional harm to that person. Sleepwalking itself is neither dangerous nor harmful. The dangerous part is only when that person is doing things that they unconsciously think is correct. For example trying to fight the intruders to protect themselves, but in reality they are hitting their family member or may be walking across the street and might get into a car accident. Dr Plazzi had done a research on sleepwalking in December 2005. According to him, sleepwalking is very common as 30% of the children experience at least one sleepwalking episode while sleepwalking only occurs to 2-3% of the adults. Sleepwalking can be caused by heredity. The main reason of sleepwalking is normally due to stress and some of the other reasons which are alcohol abuse, drug abuse and insufficient amount of sleep. Sexsomnia is when that person is involved in sexual activity when they are sleeping. Here is few of sleepwalking stories from different people from the world. Catherine moves in to live with her boy friend. One night, she saw her boyfriend woke up and walk to his wardrobe and start urinating there. She was so shocked and the next day when her boyfriend wakes up, he doesnt remember what had happen. There is another story here where it happened to John. John was drunk and sleeping one day. He sleepwalked to his friends house and he urinated on her bed. His friend was so angry that he scolded him. John punched her back and went back to his house. The next day, Johns friend told him what happened but he doesnt remember a thing. There is also a case where this boy, Mike, he is very sure that he sleeps on his bed every night but when he is awake, he tend to find himself at the garage. Luckily there no accident had happened before because his dad found him sleeping there and quickly solved the issue. There is also one issue where he causes his girl friend for not getting en ough sleep and they finally broke up. Here is another story of Mark. Mark is one of the sleepwalkers. He tend to wake his girl friend up everyday and sleep talk to her and then go back to sleep and he normally do not remember about the incident. His girlfriend could not bare being woken up by her every night that they eventually broke up. If something similar happens to you, please look for the psychiatrist or the doctor for treatments before it troubles or injures anyone else or you yourselves. Psychiatrist or doctors will give you advises or medication. To be honest, there is no way to prevent sleepwalking completely but we can minimize the chances of sleepwalking by getting enough sleep, releasing your stress by doing exercises or meditation and also try not to excite your brain too much one to two hours before your sleep. Medication may be necessary if the sleepwalkers have the tendency to hurt themselves or the people around them. Example of medications that used to treat the sleepwalkers are ProSom, Klonopin and Trazodone. Please be aware that there is a risk taking these medications which is the individuals sleepwalking habits might become worst if he or she stops consuming the necessary medications. In conclusion, sleep disorder is not very harmful but it can be very disturbing if you are suffering from a sleep disorder. Sleep disorder can be divided into 4 types which are Dyssomnias, Parasomnias, Medical or psychiatric disorders and sleeping sickness. Treatment for sleep disorder can also be divided into 4 categories which are behavioral treatment, medication treatment, alternative therapy and also supplements. People who are overweight, always not getting enough sleep, take in a lot of alcohol or drug and are always stressed up or depressed have a higher chance of having sleep disorders. One of the sleep disorder, sleepwalking, can be very harmful and harmless as well. It depends on what kind of behavior of that person when they are sleepwalking. Sleepwalking is said to be caused by immaturity in the brain stem of the children sleep-wake cycle. Sleepwalking in adult is caused by excessive alcohol or drug intake, stress and sleep deprivation. We can minimize the chances to slee pwalking by doing exercises, getting enough sleep or getting medications. For those who have a sleepwalker in their family or among their friend, please gently guide them back to their bed and try not to wake them up when they do sleepwalk. Waking them up might cause them to act violently on you. Sleepwalking also tends to occur more in childhood than adulthood. It usually happens more frequently in guys than girl. Last but not least, somnambulism is not a sign of psychological disorder which in other words means that a person who is suffering from somnambulism is not necessarily crazy or insane.

Hollowness in Emily Dickinson’s Poetic Discourse Essay example -- Biog

Hollowness in Emily Dickinson’s Poetic Discourse Much has been said about Emily Dickinson’s mystifying poetry and private life, especially during the years 1860-63. Allegedly it was during these years that the poetess, at the most prolific phase of her career, withdrew from society, began to wear her â€Å"characteristic† white dress and suffered a series of psychotic episodes. Dickinson tended to â€Å"theatricalize† herself by speaking through a host of personae in her poems and by â€Å"fictionalizing† her inner life as a gothic romance (Gilbert 584). Believing that a poem is â€Å"the best words in the best order† (to quote S.T. Coleridge) and that all the poems stemming from a single consciousness bring to surface different aspects / manifestations of the same personal mythology, I will firstly disregard biographical details in my interpretation of Dickinson’s poems 378, 341 and 280 and secondly place them in a sort of â€Å"continuum† (starting with 378 and ending with 280 ) to show how they attempt to describe a â€Å"plunge† into the Unconscious and a lapse into madness (I refrain from using the term â€Å"journey,† for it implies a â€Å"telos,† a goal which, whether unattainable or not, is something non-existent in the poems in question). Faced with the problem of articulating and concretizing inner psychological states, Dickinson created a totally new poetic discourse which lacks a transcendental signified and thus can dramatize the three stages of a (narrated) mental collapse: existential despair, withdrawal from the world of the senses and â€Å"death† of consciousness. In poem 378 the reader is introduced to the mental world of a speaker whose relentless questioning of metaphysical â€Å"truths† has led her to a state of complete â€Å"faithlessness†: l... ...son’s Poetry: Stairway of Surprise. New York: Holt, 1960. Eberwein, Jane Donahue. Dickinson: Strategies of Limitation. Amherst: U of Massachusetts P, 1985. Feit Diehl, Joanne. â€Å"’Ransom in a Voice’: Language as Defense in Dickinson’s Poetry.† Feminist Critics Read Emily Dickinson. Ed. Suzanne Juhasz. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1983. 156-75. Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the 19th Century Literary Imagination. New Haven: Yale UP, 1979. Homans, Margaret. â€Å"’Oh, Vision of Language’: Dickinson’s Poems of Love and Death.† Feminist Critics Read Emily Dickinson. Ed. Suzanne Juhasz. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1983. 114-33. Miller, Cristanne. â€Å"How ‘Low Feet’ Stagger: Disruptions of Language in Dickinson’s Poetry.† Feminist Critics Read Emily Dickinson. Ed. Suzanne Juhasz. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1983. 134-55.

Franchise Support

UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA SABAH BG33303 PENGURUSAN PEMASARAN FRANCAIS Chapter 20 Summary NAME| MATRIX NUMBER| Safrina bte Ahmad Shah| BB10110567| Julianne Wing| BB10110274| Mohammad Harith b. Elias| BB10110334| Norhanim bte Hj. Yasin| BB10110442| Norhafizah bte Kasman| BB10160784| Ching Siok Chun| BB10110093| Franchise Support Constructive support of franchise is important for effective operation and overall success of the franchise system. Franchise support of franchises is important because it will develop and maintain sufficient and improve communication skills between the franchisee and franchisor.The franchise support service will ensure profitability, self-employment, striving to be successful, opportunity for growth, and a success or failure story. Opportunity to earn profit is the major driving force for people to start a franchise business. Franchise service support act as an intermediaries in between the franchisor and franchisee in providing training, suggestions to maintain str ong sales and improve profit margin to the franchise business. Regarding the self-employment matter, this franchise support service provides methods, programs, and suggestions for improving and assists in solving problem.In order to become successful in the franchise business, the franchise support staff should offer praise, encouragement, and instruction to the franchisee because working in the positive environment will ensure success to the franchised business. Franchise support services help franchise business to grow by introducing new product and services, marketing techniques, and carefully planned promotional campaign will help franchisees to keep a positive outlook on the business and continue to look for alternative to expand business and increase profit margin.The success or failure story of the franchise business is determined by the management team on how they manage their business properly. Getting the right employees with good discipline, giving good hospitality servic es, working environment is comfort and relaxing, and others show that the franchise supports service assists them in order to maintain the high standard of the franchise system and vice versa. COMMUNICATION As we know, communication is very important factor in daily business activities.Communication involves individual or group in particular businesses. In franchising, a good communication process is very important for the franchisor and the franchisee. Information system that been used by franchise system should be clearly and easy to link with other function and decision making as well. The more effective the communication, the more effective the supervision. There are several communication tools that are typically been used to deliver the information First is telephone.It is highly effective mode of communication, because it is more faster and get 2 way communication. Telephone contacts are important to keep the franchisee informed about the plan and activities for parent company , to evaluate franchise performance of record and also to let the franchisee know what assistance to expect from the franchisor. Phone contact can be set up in many ways, such as through planned telephone calls. These actually to develop interrelationship between franchisor and franchisee in order to retain the support between them.Usually planned calls are to discuss the sales level, product and service support, promotional plans and also to raise any questions given by the franchisee. Second are spontaneous telephone calls. It is actually to boost the morale and feelings of interdependence of the franchisee and the franchisor These kind of calls actually can help the franchisor to understand the immediate concerns of the franchise, get a feel for the franchisee’s general attitude over time and determine if there is nything the parent company could or should be doing over and above the regular services its providing. While the third one is conference calls. These calls being conducted by contacting several franchisees at the same time. Letter or earlier phone contact should be prearranged to ensure the attendance of franchisees within a district area or region. These calls usually to inform the franchisee about the current plan of franchisor such as promotional activities, new product and services, and new contest or customer relation project.Another communication method is internet websites. It helps people to get connected with other people around the world. Same goes to franchise, all business activities can be conducted through internet such as processing orders from suppliers and channel members and do promotion. For franchise, it can expand internet into intranet where it allows the franchisees to access their information system by using secret password. By this way, franchisees can read the report and also any updated issues or activities provided by the franchisor.Chat room is available for them to do the conversation and discussion about certa in issues. Moreover, franchisor and franchisee also can work together through extranet, where they can make their order after review the supplier’s products. Next is email. Email is more convenient to use in order to send any documents or messages to other functional members, suppliers, staffs, different companies, family member and also between franchisor and franchisee. This is because, email can save their costs and required less time compared to other communication methods.Through email, the messages can deliver faster to the other parties and also get their feedback. Moving on to the next communication tool is mail contacts. Mail contacts are mails that are in forms of newsletters and activity reports that are distributed for the purpose of providing instructions, supplying advertising, promoting materials and discussing any legal matters that arises. In other words, mail contacts communication are follow-up information that are resulted from conference calls, issues or questions raised by franchisee, spontaneous calls or suggestions for advertising promotions.These letters are sent by sales manager or the president of the franchise system all for the purpose of assuring a continuing support and service from the main office. Last but not least are visits. Visits are one of the communication tools that come in the form of personal, support-service and training visits. Personal visits are very important to a franchisee when it is especially done by a representative of the main franchise home office such as the president, vice president, franchising directors and many more.Personal visits can be known as an excellent public relations tool which is effective for solving and addressing problems that may arise from the company. Whereas for support-service visits, the purpose of these visits are for helping and aiding the franchisee in order to resolve the problems in its operations by providing hints in dealing with the rapid change in competitive condit ions. As for training visits, it is where visits are made by home office staffs that are involved in the preopening and grand opening training of respective franchises solely for the purpose of the value of royalty fees being returned to the business.FRANCHISEE TRAINING To developing a training operation involves three major actions by a franchisor: designing and implementing a training unit or function, establishing a training location, and developing the training program, including the philosophy, learning and skills to be achieved and the methods to be used in providing the training. Usually a person who was in charge of training program has experience in each major function.There are two critical requirements that must be met by anyone put in charge of a franchisee training program: The person must have knowledgeable about effective training process and must have both depth and breadth of understanding of the operational needs and characteristics that will ensure success in the particular franchised business that necessary because need to be able to incorporate into training program (1) production/operations methods of the franchised business, (2) accounting, marketing and personnel practices and (3) effective methods of developing and maintaining constructive franchisor-franchisee relationship.Training function was important to continuity and growth of the franchisee system, the head of training is part of the upper management of the organization. The center is the original location of the franchisor that can locate almost everywhere or can locate regionally. Example insurance company that provided located for training program in their regional in headquarters. It’s because to enhance their control of the training process and ensure continuity of subject matters to be presented.Training program usually will take at least five days long and may last for up to two months and vary considerably from one franchise system also provided that vary in lengt h, complexity, and subject matter. This training will teach the franchisees and other employees the skills necessary for them to more successful in this business. The objective for training is the skills to be learned, and the training methods to be utilized are carefully put together. From the book or manuals the franchisees can learn the business rather than be taught.Franchisor also provided lectures, group discussions, situational problem analysis, and an independent, hands-on performance under the guidance of experienced trainers was the best business. Other than that the focus in this program is self-application through actual performance of operational required within the franchised system, whether the training takes place in a training center or on the job at the franchisees own franchised business. Three major component of franchisee training:- ) Preopening Training ( Formal ) Preopening training was a first general franchisee training that we will explain. Usually preopeni ng was the most intensive training period. Most franchised require one week or 300 hours of opening training. For preopening the training will consists in classroom that include planning the franchised business, hiring, purchasing, merchandising, advertising, business management, cash and inventory control, and production/operational methods.Franchisees have the opportunity to meet three and twelve or limited number of franchisees to discuss their expectations, desires, strengths, and worries with other franchisees as the individually and collectively anticipate running their own operations. After meet for the training franchisees will feel the advice was very helpful in developing loyalty to the franchise system, creating individual within the franchise organization, and learning or improving skills of operations for the franchise.Manual for the operations usually include finance, operations, marketing, management, and service/production. Will include audio or videotapes, that can descriptions of all franchise operations and usually include operating procedures suggested or required by the franchisor. A manual was an important thing to both franchisor and franchisees because franchisor not only offers a training approach, but also affords protections incase any dispute or questions arises regarding appropriateness of methods used in training franchisees.But for franchisees, the information they need to know on order to function effectively within the business environment of the franchisor was in the manuals. Lastly, references was already provides to refresh the memory or to solve some problem that arises during a workday. 2) Grand Opening Training ( On-site ) For the grand opening of a franchised business, most franchisor sent either the training manager or a member of the training unit to work with the new franchisee. Grand opening training consists of one to two weeks of in-depth work experience in which the trainer assists the franchisee with grand openin g of business.They are trains the staff in operating procedures associated with service/production, finance, marketing, and operation. The franchisor representative often stays with the franchisee until the newly opened unit is running smoothly, which may take from several days to several weeks. The length of time can vary considerably as a result of the normal difficulties of any grand opening or because of unexpected problems or complexities. For the service-oriented businesses, franchisors provided between two and seven weeks from the time the training begins to the actual grand opening business.This period includes one to three weeks of intensive training at headquarters as well as one to three weeks on on-site training to prepare for forthcoming grand opening. At the time of grand opening, the franchisor representative stays with the new franchisee for the first full week of operation. In this way help both parties, franchisor and franchisee in builds a good business relationsh ip, as the evidence of franchisor commitment and as a return, hopefully earning loyalty, enthusiasm, and team spirit from the franchisee. ) Continuing Training Program ( Postopening ) Some franchisors provide training at quarterly, semiannual or annual meetings between the franchisor and franchisees. Others hold seminars on specific topics of current interest to franchisees as the need arises. Most of the national or international franchise systems provide a regular schedule of training at their headquarters or at the site of the franchisee requesting the training.The training is given during the regular weekly or monthly visit by the field representative to the franchise site and addresses such areas as quality control, financial or accounting methods, advertising or marketing developments, or new methods, equipment, or products and services being introduced by franchisor. There are some franchisors are provided specialized training and advice to some franchisees. In example, a fra nchisee who has a territory that appears ripe for expansion may receive training in location analysis, market analysis, lease negotiation and construction services.There are many franchising firms provide ongoing training to their franchisees and the employees of the franchisees. Ongoing training varies widely from franchisor to franchisor and from industry to industry. Regional and national meetings for franchisees are often loaded with training opportunities such as marketing updates, industry trends, new product and service developments, franchisor policy and procedure changes, or informal exchanges of ideas among franchisees themselves or between franchisors and franchisees. The most important role in the delivery of continued training is field representative.They often work directly with the franchisee at the business site, providing expert counsel, giving on-the-spot management and operational suggestions, providing instructional video or audio materials for the franchisee and employees and serving as a channel for sharing new ideas that a developing across the franchise system. Ongoing training is the primary method for most franchisors to initiate new products or services into the franchise system and also as the ideal vehicle for transferring the knowledge and skills required to keep the franchise system be more efficient.

Logic behind the look ahead adder essays

Logic behind the look ahead adder essays Problem: Understand and explain the logic behind the look ahead adder. Why is the look ahead adder important, what benefit does it have on the adder circuit. The look ahead adder has many benefits that allows for faster circuit speed over the full adder. The full adder, was created in a way that required a delay to find the outcome of the two inputs to see if a carry out was necessary. The delay would not be a problem using 2, 4 8 or even 16 bit number, but when 32 or 64 bit numbers are used, the delay growths. The solution to this problem was the look ahead adder. The idea behind the look ahead adder is that a simple gate can be added that can evaluate previous process and determine if it will carry a 1 or 0, thus eliminating the delay. The entire process is trying to branch the input into another logical circuit, which will tell the next adder if there is a carry, if the process becomes instantaneous, then there would be multiple adders working at the same time, thus creating parallel processing? However, the look ahead adder adds five addition gates to tell the next adder if the carry out will be a 1 or 0. Is this the simplest way of doing the problem? I agree that the look ahead adder is an easier way, but adding four gates seams to me that it would take just as long to finish the process then the full adder. The entire process forks the two inputs, into OR and AND gates. The OR gate then outputs the result to a AND gate in addition to the carry in. The point is to see if there will be a carry out. Because if either input is 1 and a carry-in is 1, then there is a carry out of 1 and a sum 0. The AND gate then outputs its result to the previous OR gate. The idea is to pass a one or zero to the next sum based on the carry and both inputs. The entire process goes through a series of comparisons to see if there is both inputs are 1 and if either input is 1 AND the carry in i ...

Sandusky Scandal Essays

Sandusky Scandal Essays Sandusky Scandal Essay Sandusky Scandal Essay that the senior officials acknowledged there may be a real problem but where in too deep and did not Pennsylvania State 14 know how to handle it. This concern along with denial are what prompted Schultz to seek outside council realizing these incidents were a part of a bigger issue with Sandusky (Spooking Sullivan, 2012). However, once the core group of officials again agreed to keep details of the incident hidden for the betterment of Penn State, they also ignored each of their individual consciences and moral ethics trusting the other persons Judgment and decisions over their own. Had there been no doubt that Sandusky intentions were innocent there would have not been so much secrecy surrounding it where any other issue was transparent between HRS, the board of trustees. There was a clear indication by these senior officials actions to weigh the success of the university over the code of principals and ethics it was founded on, focusing on the needs of the group and trust in each other over their obligation to protect children as school officials. Solution to ethical issues is a part of the previous discussion to implement checks and balances, rules and regulations. One way to prompt ethical behavior is to train employees to a see something, say something rule. This could be achieved by funding multiple lines of communication between departments and administration. The university could have easily funded a tip hotlist worked by an independent agency responsible for fielding and investigating complaints that could be summarized for the board of trustees in monthly meetings. This form of communication would create more openness to report department issues anonymously regardless if someone was covering it up. Chapter eight in Robbins and Judges Organizational Behavior, discusses the concept of courtship and grouping. An underlining issue of the Sandusky Scandal was that the core group was operating in a grouping capacity. According to B grouping occurs when a consensus overrides the realistic appraisal of alternative rouses of action, which is what resulted in the core group assigning Sandusky 15 behavior to being Just inappropriate oppose to criminal; because he was viewed as a longtime friend/colleague, instead of objectively situational based. The solution to this type of opinion forming in terms of B is utilizing courtship perception; which causes an individual to make a shift towards a less conservative opinion that would vary from the original groups position. Implementing a different course of action such as the officials idea to alert the police and HRS would have resulted in a better outcome for the entire group instead of its dismemberment from poor decision making and lack of leadership (2014, p. 263). Thoughts Conclusion and Ending The overall consensus of public opinion regarding the Sandusky scandal is that it could have been prevented. Considering how organizational behavior operates, its purpose is to create interpersonal relationships that serve a common purpose; whether it is a positive or negative outcome Monsoons, n. D. ). It is almost odd that the public reacted with such shock that an institution was capable of producing such a secretive environment believing they are above common law. The combination of individuals and environment that operate within a systematic structure influences the success or failures of businesses Monsoons, n. D. ). The structure of influence if based on the pattern of behavior that influences the environment and controls how individuals think and behave within that structured environment. Think about how B operates in other institutions that participate in scandalous behaviors and cover- ups. Since the dawn of enlightenment, the widespread scandals of the Roman Catholic Church have become a well-known secret. Thousands of reports have been add against the Catholic Church and their participation to cover-up child sexual abuse by Pennsylvania State University Scandal 16 priest. The notion of child abuse through the Catholic Church has been an on-going issue because of the loyalty shared among members of the church towards the Vatican (Kim, 2013). Like Penn State the Vatican is a representational imagine that people within the organization glorify. By comparison, in terms of a church and school being organizational institutions, Sandusky is as a priest; and the core group is as the clergy. Sandusky held a position of power that others sought to please and inform to; keep in mind, that scandals are seldom exposed until years after the initial occurrence (Kim, 2013). Yet after corruption within the organization becomes public, the blame does not fall on the entity that it represents. Mainly because people are not going to stop being catholic do to the reputation of priest the scandals have exhibited for the church. In the same terms, university students are not going to stop pursuing a higher education due to scandals within the athletic department. Scandals can be dismissed by blaming the corruption of those individuals involved while maintaining an image that the organization itself is not to be blamed for the behaviors of those that operate within it. Environments within an institution create a culture of the greater good mindset. There is an intangible entity that allows the most revolting acts of abuse virtually go unpunished (Borrowers, 2004). There is no difference in the fundamentals that govern B and its ability to take a group of people and control their behavior based on what bonds them to their organization and the environment within it. The institution of churches, schools, and governments operate under the same fundamental principles that is the basis of organizational behavior and what an individual is capable of within an inclusive environment loyal to a cause. The idea that organizational behavior is capable of producing the most influential environments in any type of group setting based on the individuals commitment to the greater cause of the Pennsylvania State University Scandal 17 institution itself, to the point of going against ones own morals and better Judgment (Hub, 2003). Organizational behavior is built on shared goals, commitment to the successes of the image, and deep trust towards the belief of an institution. For a member of the priesthood or faculty of the university to expose secrets would be a betrayal to what they have come to identify themselves as. This reason of exposing truths and feeling as though the individual has betrayed part of their own public identity, stands for public shaming; which may be worse than a moral driven secret and guilty conscious (Borrowers, 2013). Consider how powerful is the image for which one is willing and capable of committing crimes in the name of loyalty to their organization. References 8 Alder, C. (2013).

Conflicts and challenges in Philadelphia Coursework

Conflicts and challenges in Philadelphia - Coursework Example This supports by proper data and scientific evidences that is relevant nowadays. The method which uses is particularized examination of a literature together with the critical summarizing and personal inferences on the topic. â€Å"Of course I actually know no more about Philadelphia in 2009 than does anyone else† – write Bacon in his famous essay (Knowles, 2009), still he makes a try to elaborate a new urban form and planning trajectories for his lovely city. Edmund Bacon has occupied post of the director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission for more than twenty years and tries to use all his knowledge and resources to restore the city plan and contribute a new vision of modern urban area. Bacon argues under the Philadelphia rising from â€Å"post-Depression, post-war inertia – from the old industrial city† (Knowles, 2009). This man has intentions to reconstruct his place of birth and make this city pleasant and renovated. Edmund Bacon has his own special and sometimes contradictory preferences in city construction. His main idea regards in transformation the city into â€Å"a model of humane urbanism† (The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 2014). After the World War II, Philadelphia has appeared as a place of outworn infrastructure and household deficiency. Deindustrialization course has remained notable and achieved popularity in that period (Knowles, 2009). Bacon suggests the ideas for growth of urbanization and city development as a perspective area. He elaborates a new mega-structure idea due to the perspectives of Philadelphia city peculiarities, but federal government’s Bicentennial planning commission refuses this project due to the high cost of implementation (The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 2014). Hence, the most prominent reason for incomplete realization of Bacon’s plans is a lack of financial resources. Still, the changes accomplish in some perspective, and

Clothing adaptation vs. weather and body Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Clothing adaptation vs. weather and body - Essay Example The company has to strategize on the cheapest mode in which the materials get transported from the supplier. The company should also seek to diversify its resource use to make the very best from the material inputs. Such diversification may fall under designing subsidiary industry where by-products may be of value (Lewis 23). Competition is healthy for a company in a business environment. Within the same industry, No Forecast faces the problem of competing with other major companies. To compete efficiently, No Forecast should give out sample products to the consumer. Sample products help in familiarizing the products with the consumers. There is also the importance of an aggressive advertisement. The advertisement should be affordable and should cover a wide geographical area. Channels of advertisement have to reach as many people as possible. For instance, the company may resolve to use the internet to sell its products. The product has to be of higher standard and consumer friendly. Customers should feel proud by identifying with the No Forecast apparel (Lewis 45). For the brand to be popular, No Forecast can venture with a famous company so as to identify with the product. Selling the product by venture increases its chances of reaching the market faster. It should also aim at participating in the corporate social responsibility. Company’s brand has to stand out from its competitor. No Forecast should focus in distributing the product in different market spheres, especially those having greater purchasing power (Lewis 53). For buying of the company by another company, it has to be attractive and profitable. The company’s profile has to align with its visions and objectives. It has to be the best place that investors are comfortable doing business. The company has to maintain competitive strategies in reaching its goals. Employees have to be at the forefront in making the company a better place. The management should focus on the

Differences in competencies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Differences in competencies - Essay Example These differences emerging can be clearly seen at various patient are situations for example variations in approaches to decision-making or nurse care. One patient care situation that brings out differences in nursing care among ADN and BSN nurses is cardiac care units. Baccalaureate nursing care approaches include altruism, values of autonomy, integrity, social justice, human dignity and unconditional regard for all patients. Their nursing practice include disease prevention, health promotion, early detection of human health deviation, quick and adequate treatment of chronic and acute illnesses as well as compassionate care for people nearing death. As a result of their training, BSN nurses are able to respond to more demanding patient care tasks like those witnessed in the cardiac care units. Johnson (1988) state that BSNs are associated with lower rates of failure-to-rescue and mortality rates. These can be attributed to their good nursing care approaches like quick and adequate t reatment of chronic and acute illnesses. Research conducted in various cardiac care units reveal that there were 4.9 fewer deaths for every 1000 patients in those hospital intensive care units (ICUs) where a large proportion of nurses had a bachelor’s degree (Van den Heede, 2009). ... These indicate higher level of clinical support among the BSNs compared to other types of nurses like the ADNs. An emphasis on compassionate care for patients indicate a higher level of promotion of human dignity among the BSN nurses. BSNs make a higher utilization of protocols or care maps in order to guide patient progress during their hospitalization period. This presents a scientific and more systematic nursing approaches among the BSN. In their efforts to maximize on patient autonomy and human dignity, BSNs emphasize on teaching patients on how skills for taking care of themselves in relation to their type of disease or medication, and adopting a healthy lifestyle. Emphasis on healthy lifestyles is an incorporation of prevention measures with treatment. It prevents the progression of the disease or emergence of other diseases that can worsen the present condition. Due to their level of education, the BSNs have a higher level of expertise as compared to the ADNs. It should be not ed that BSNs take four years to receive their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree while the ADNs take 2-3 years to receive their degree. BSNs undertake their studies in universities and senior colleges whereas ADNs undertake their studies in community colleges. As a result of their levels of expertise, the BSNs are more competent case management as compared to ADNs. This is can also be linked to their high levels of scientific, critical-thinking and leadership skills. Due to the superior level of competency among the BSN, ADNs can work under BSN and but the BSN cannot work under the BSN. BSNs are more capacitated in working under a variety of inpatient and outpatient environments as compared to

Competition Bikes, Inc. (CBI) Financial Analysis Report Essay Example for Free

Competition Bikes, Inc. (CBI) Financial Analysis Report Essay In order to determine a company’s performance, analysis must be done for key metrics, including the ability to pay debts, how much cash or other liquid assets are available, and the company’s viability to continue operations. These analyses involve the review of income statements and balance sheets, where current and past performance will be studied with the goal of predicting how the company will perform in the future. Upper-level management at CBI can use this information to make decisions in line with the company’s goals. This report for CBI will include four sections. First, I’ll analyze the company’s financial strengths and weaknesses by doing a horizontal analysis, vertical analysis, trend analysis, and ratio analysis of CBI financial results for years 6, 7, and 8. The second section will include an analysis of the company’s working capital, including suggestions on ways to improve working capital and use excess working capital to increase profits. The third section will note any weaknesses in the company’s internal controls, and how those can be corrected. The fourth and final section details Sarbanes–Oxley requirements and how the company can mitigate risk and ensure compliance with the requirements within that legislation. A1a. Horizontal Analysis Horizontal analysis is defined as the â€Å"comparative study of a balance sheet or income statement for two or more accounting periods, to compute both total and relative variances for each line item† (businessdictionary.com, n.d.). For CBI, we will be comparing years 6 and 7, then years 7 and 8. This will allow us to gauge the performance over a three year period of time to see if the organization’s business is rising, staying steady or falling. Net sales for CBI products increased 33.8 percent between years 6 and 7. This is a sign of strength for the company and a signal that their bikes are well received by customers. However, net sales dropped by 15% between years 7 and 8. This is a weakness for CBI, as net sales affect the bottom line, and they will have to find a way to make up for this sales shortfall elsewhere in their budget (such as cutting expenses). This shortfall is due to the fact that the niche market that purchases the majority of the bikes, professional riders, experienced a reduction in sponsorships due to the economic situation. Therefore they purchased fewer bikes than in previous years. The company expects to recover from the current year sales decline within three years. The cost of goods sold includes all direct costs attributable to the production of goods sold by the company. Cost of goods sold and sales revenue move in tandem. In this case, the cost of goods sold increased 31.8 % between years 6 and 7. The cost of goods sold increase was slightly lower than the net sales increase of 33.3%, which is a sign of strength for CBI as it indicates that management is doing a good job keeping production costs at a manageable level. In years 7 and 8, the cost of goods sold decreased by 14.5%, which is similar to the decrease in net sales, down 15% in that same time period. Gross profits, which is net sales less the cost of goods sold, increased by 37.5% between years 6 and 7. This is a strength for CBI. An increase such as this signals that management has made a strong commitment to growth while at the same time controlling the operational and production costs. Gross profit was down by 16.3% between years 7 and 8. This is a result of falling sales in the current year. Under General and Administrative expenses, there are two areas of interest that warrant further analysis executive compensation and utilities. Executive compensation rose by 29.4% in years 6 and 7, which makes sense given the strong sales increase during that period. Executives made good business decisions during this time and should be compensated for these results. However, executive compensation stayed flat during years 7 and 8. Granted, sales and profits were down for the year, so a large increase would not be warranted. However, no increase in compensation could be considered a weakness for CBI, as salaries and compensation are a significant tool to keep talent. Morale may suffer if after a year’s worth of hard work, they get no increase at all. Utilities were up a modest 3.8% between years 6 and 7, with an increase to 11% between years 7 and 8. With CBI building fewer bikes in year 8, a reasonable assumption is that utility usage would decrease also. Therefore this increase in utilities should be examined further. Some of this increase could be beyond CBI’s control (such as rate adjustments by the utility company) but a couple of options for the company to explore to manage this expense and be more efficient would be an energy audit, and/or negotiating with the utility company to pre-pay their utilities for a certain time period to get a discount. Operating income is the amount of profit realized from operations after removing operating expenses such as the cost of goods sold and employee salaries. For CBI, operating income increased strongly (154.6%) between years 6 and 7. However, operating income between years 7 and 8 is strongly negative, with a 69.1% decrease. This is due to the fact that gross profits dropped by 16.3% during this time period, but total operating expenses decreased by only 3.6%. This is not sustainable over the long term and is a weakness for CBI. They need to reduce their production expenses wherever possible, become more efficient in their operations, and find ways to increase sales revenue – ideally, a combination of these. The last item on the income statement is net earnings – the so-called ‘bottom line’ both as a reference to its position on the income statement, and a reflection of the fact that total revenues minus total expenses. CBI’s net earnings rose a remarkable 313.4% between years 6 and 7, which is a reflection of the fact that profits grew at a much higher rate than expenses during that period. Net earnings declined by 81.6% between years 7 and 8, which is due to total revenues dropping to a greater extent than total expenses. This is a weakness for CBI as it is not sustainable for long before the company runs out of money. As mentioned previously in the operating income section, this is an issue that CBI’s management team must address if they want to stay in business. Cash and cash equivalents declined 64.6% between year 6 and year 7. This is a weakness for CBI, particularly in light of the fact that sales were up during that period. The company should have more cash or cash equivalents on hand, not less. In years 7 and 8, cash and cash equivalents increased by 348.2% this during a period where net sales were down by 15% compared to the previous period. While this appears on the surface to be a positive – as cash and cash equivalents help with the company’s liquidity – it can actually be interpreted as a weakness as CBI’s large amount of cash and cash equivalents may make some analysts question the company’s ability to manage their cash flow in a way that maximizes profits and efficiency. CBI’s accounts receivable, which represents money owed to them by their customers, increased by 164.3% in years 6 and 7. While accounts receivable are classified as assets, this is a potential weakness for CBI as it signals that a lot of the assets they are claiming on the balance sheet are tied up in receivables that are not as liquid – they have not yet received payment. Accounts receivable was -15% in years 7 and 8. This reduction is a strength for CBI as it signals that they are improving their cash flow by more effectively collecting money owed to them. The large scale change in numbers year over year for both cash/cash equivalents and accounts receivable at CBI signal volatility year over year. This could be a red flag for investors looking for consistent levels of performance. CBI also might find it difficult to continue to hire the best salespeople, who work on commission and are likely looking for a company with solid sales that will provide a steady paycheck. Total current assets, or those that are reasonably expected to be converted to cash within one year in the course of business, include cash, inventory, accounts receivable, marketable securities, prepaid expenses and other liquid assets. CBI’s current assets rose 31.5 percent from year 6 to year 7. Growth in current assets is generally regarded as a strength and a sign the company is growing. However the picture changes when current liabilities for the same period are analyzed, which I will do in the next section. Total assets represent total current assets plus net property and equipment and give a complete picture of all short term and long term assets. Total assets for CBI increased by 2.2% between years 6 and 7, due in large part to the large increases in accounts receivable and work in process inventory. When a large amount of accumulated depreciation was factored into assets, it brought the total assets figure down substantially. Between years 7 and 8, total assets decreased by 0.2%. After reviewing the balance sheets I noted that while current assets decreased substantially between years 6 and 7, then 7 and 8 (down 15%), long term assets stayed flat (down 0.5% over the same period). Overall, assets, liabilities and stockholder’s equity were all down between years 6 and 7. This is a weakness for CBI as investors will review these negative numbers and question the company’s ability to be profitable and grow. Total current liabilities are debts that are due within one year in the course of business. They include accounts and notes payable, accrued salaries, and other accrued expenses. Current liabilities increased by a whopping 122.4% between years 6 and 7, largely in part to the large increase (192%) increase in accounts and notes payable. Between years 7 and 8, accounts and notes payable increased by 33.3%.This is a serious weakness for CBI, as it signals that they are taking on a disproportionate amount of debt compared to their sales growth rate. CBI would need to generate substantial sales increases in future years to pay the interest on this debt and continue to cover their expenses. The fact that total current liabilities continue to trend upward year over year while sales actually went down between years 7 and 8 is a warning sign. CBI could have trouble meeting its debt obligations (and getting any further funding from creditors) if sales are flat or continue to trend downward. Total long term liabilities – those that come due more than one year in the future – are holding steady at CBI, decreasing 5.6% between years 6 and 7, and decreasing by 5.9% between years 7 and 8. This is a sign of strength for CBI as it shows they are managing their long term debt responsibly. Retained earnings represent the amount of assets created through profits that are retained in the business and are part of owner’s equity. Retained earnings increased by a healthy 17.4% between years 6 and 7, which makes sense given the strong sales results. Retained earnings rose by only 2.7% between years 7 and 8, which is not surprising in light of the fact that sales are down in the current year. This decrease is a weakness for CBI, as retained earnings is part of stockholder’s equity. Those invested in the company (or those considering doing so) will note the sharp decrease in funds available for reinvestment in the company and possibly question the prospects for growth unless the company can turn things around quickly. A1b. Vertical Analysis Through a vertical analysis, we review entries for assets, liabilities and equities. These are represented as a percentage of the totals for any given year. The main advantage of a vertical analysis is that it is easy to read, clearly understandable and charts changes in the operations of a business on a yearly basis. By reviewing vertical analysis data, a person can see financial performance over a set period of time. Cost of goods sold decreased from 73.4% of net sales in year 6 to 72.6% in year 7. This is a strength for CBI because a reduction in CGS leads to higher profit. This is evidence that management is doing a good job controlling product costs. In year 8, CGS increased slightly to 73% a minor increase but this could be considered a weakness for CBI as it signals that the costs to produce their bikes are going up. Gross profit was 26.6% of net sales in year 6, and increased to 27.4% in year 7. This is a strength for CBI as it signals that the company is doing a good job of selling their product and keeping costs at a manageable level. In year 8, Gross Profit dipped slightly to 27%. This is because the cost of goods sold went up slightly during this time, and sales were down. A gross profit reduction is normally a weakness; however, in light of the 15% decrease in sales in year 8, the fact that gross profit only decreased by 0.4% from the previous year should be considered a strength for CBI as it indicates that the company has minimized the impact of the sales downturn on their gross profit margins. Upon reviewing the general and administrative expenses, all of the line items followed the trend of decreasing as a percentage of the total in year 7, and then increasing as a percentage of the total in year 8. This makes sense given that these expenses are part of the cost of goods sold figure. One example is the ‘Other general and admin expenses’ which was 2.7% of the operating expenses total in year 6, decreasing to 2.6% in year 7 and then increasing to 3.3% in year 8. While these make up small percentages in the company’s overall operations budget, this is a weakness for CBI, as these types of expenses should not be going up if there are not sufficient sales to support the increase. CBI management should keep an eye on these expenses to ensure they do not creep up year over year, which would have a negative effect on their profit margins. When looking at the individual numbers, for example administrative salaries, we see that there is no change in the percenta ge of the total between year 7 and year 8. Administrative salaries did not increase at all in year eight, and neither was executive compensation. This could be a weakness from an employee morale standpoint, as they worked hard all year and did not see any raise in their pay. However, this data is not surprising given the difficult economic conditions in year 8. There was a purchase of 25,000 shares treasury stock in year 7, and it’s possible that management offered this stock to employees in lieu of a pay increase. Operating income was 2.8% of the total in year 6, increased to 5.3% in year 7 and decreased to 1.9% of the total in year 8. The decrease in year 8 is largely due to the increase in operating expenses, which factors into the operating income equation. The fact that CBI’s operating expenses are trending up year over year without accompanying sales increases is a negative trend for CBI and should be considered a weakness. This is something the company’s management should be monitoring closely and taking action to control expenses and promote sales. Net earnings were 0.9% of the total in year 6, rising to 2.8% in year 7 (not surprising given the increase in sales) and decreasing to a three year low of 0.6% in year 8. Since this bottom line number is a key indicator of a company’s profitability, this decrease should be something that the company’s management should make a top priority to fix. Cash/cash equivalents were 6.2% of total assets in year 6, decreasing to 2.2% in year 7. This is a weakness for CBI as this is a sign that the company may have trouble paying their debts and expenses. In year 8 this figure improved substantially to 9.7% of total assets. However, the company needs to make sure they are not sitting on too much cash, but investing it to grow the company and maximize profits. Accounts receivable represented 6.5% of total assets in year 6, and increased dramatically to 16.7% in year 7. Although accounts receivable is considered an asset, it should be noted that the cash is not collected right away. This asset is less liquid than cash or other short term assets and CBI should ensure that they are collecting payment from customers in a timely manner. Accounts receivable decreased slightly to 14.2% in year 8, which would be interpreted as strength as it indicates that CBI is doing a good job collecting payments from customers. Total current assets represented 24.5% of total assets in year 6, rising to 31.5% in year 7 and 36.8% in year 8. Reviewing the line items for current assets, this increase is attributable to the increase in accounts receivable as well as cash/cash equivalents. This could be interpreted as a strength for CBI, as an increase in current assets means the company is in a better position to pay debt obligations and use assets to grow the company. However, it’s worth noting that the majority of CBI’s current assets are tied up in less liquid assets – accounts receivable and inventory. These are more difficult to convert to cash should the need arise. Total long term liabilities (mortgage payable and other long-term liabilities) decreased steadily year over year at CBI. In year 6 they represented 45% of total liabilities and equity, decreasing to 41.6% in year 7 and 39.2% in year 8. This is a strength for CBI as it shows they are paying down their long-term liabilities. A reduction in liabilities improves liquidity ratios and the company’s ability to pay operational expenses as well as their debt obligations. Total current liabilities for CBI followed the trend of current assets and rose steadily year over year – 2.5% of total liabilities and equity in year 6, 5.4% of total liabilities and equity in year 7, and 7% of total liabilities and equity in year 8. Looking more in-depth at CBI’s current liabilities shows that this increase year over year is due to the rise in accounts and notes payable. The other line items (accrued salaries and other accrued expenses) held steady. I interpret this as a weakness for CBI, and should analyze why their current liabilities were rising when they were collecting more cash, particularly in year 8. The cash flow increase in year 8 was substantial and could have been used for accounts payable obligations. It’s possible that the company was holding on to cash/cash equivalents in year 8 to weather the economic downturn. Retained earnings represent earnings not paid out as dividends, but retained by CBI for reinvestment in the company. Retained earnings represented 23.3% of total liabilities and equity in year 6, rising to 26.8% in year 7 and 27.5% in year 8. This is a strength for CBI as it shows that management is committed to retaining earnings in order to grow the company. A1c. Trend Analysis Trend analysis involves the usage of past figures for comparison. For trend analysis, information for a number of years is compared to a base year. Each item of the base year is represented as 100% and on that base, the percentage for the other years are computed. This analysis determines the percentage of increase or decrease in each item with respect to the base year and helps analysts make forecasts for future years. For CBI, net sales have been provided for year 6 (the base year) as well as years 7 and 8. The historical trend analysis figures for CBI are shown below, based on net sales and establishing year 6 as the base year. Year 6: $4,485,000 (100% trend percentage) Year 7: $5,980,000 (133.3% trend percentage) Year 8: $5,083,000 (113.3% trend percentage) This trend analysis does not show any surprises. The horizontal and vertical analysis clearly showed that various metrics (net sales, operational expenses, net income, etc.) showed a large increase from year 6 to year 7, followed by a decrease between years 7 and 8. The trend here shows a large net sales increase, followed by a decrease. The large swings in sales seem to indicate volatility for CBI. This is a weakness because it’s more difficult to forecast accurately, which can lead to inaccurate resource planning and negative stock price impacts if performance does not meet stated expectations. The forecasted trend analysis for CBI, using year 8 as the base year is shown below: Year 8: $5,083,000 (100%) Year 9: $5,247,450 (103.2%) Year 10: $5,471, 000 (107.6%) Year 11: $5,681,000 (111.8%) There’s no information given on how these forecasted trend numbers were calculated. It’s a positive sign that the sales increases are only a few percentage points each year, as this is much more sustainable and likely than a large increase such as between years 6 and 7 (which is generally not sustainable in the long run). This forecast would seem to indicate that the outlook is positive for CBI for the next few years. It’s likely that one of the underlying assumptions is that the economic situation will improve, and the company will sell more bikes. However, given the operational weaknesses pointed out in the horizontal, vertical and ratio analysis, if I were an investor or analyst I would want to know more about the company’s plans to address the se weaknesses before taking these figures at face value. A1d. Ratio Analysis As part of the ratio analysis, two important ratios to consider when analyzing a company’s liquidity are: Current Ratio Acid-Test Ratio The current ratio is current assets divided by current liabilities, and measures a company’s ability to pay their short-term liabilities. In theory, the higher the ratio the better. However, there are some limitations to the current ratio as I’ll note in the next section. CBI’s current ratio in year 7 was 5.79, and in year 8 was 5.25. Stated another way, CBI could use their current assets to pay their current liabilities 5.25 times over in year 8. This would seem to be a strength for CBI, and in fact this ratio is higher than their competitor Two Wheel Racing (with a ratio of 4.20). However, this ratio has one fundamental flaw its conceptually based on the liquidation of all of a companys current assets to meet all of its current liabilities. In reality, this is not likely to occur. Its the time it takes to convert a companys working capital assets into cash to pay its current obligations that is the key to its liquidity. Much of CBI’s current assets are tied up in accounts receivable, as well as work in progress inventory and raw inventory. These assets are not as liquid as cash, but are figured into the current ratio calculation. So CBI’s high current ratio looks strong on the surface, but upon further analysis there is a weakn ess in the somewhat large proportion of less liquid assets CBI holds that factor into the equation. The acid test ratio is another measure of liquidity, and more stringent than the current ratio in that it measures a company’s ability to cover their short term liabilities without selling inventory to do so. Looking at CBI’s numbers, the acid test ratio in year 7 was 4.41, and in year 8 it was 4.14. These numbers are higher than that of their competitor Two Wheel Racing (3.40) and that represents strength for CBI. However, I’ll note once again that the company will need to monitor and manage their current assets to ensure that the proportion of less liquid assets (accounts receivable and inventory) does not greatly outweigh their more liquid assets (such as cash). Average collection period is the time that it takes CBI to collect accounts receivable payment from customers. This number held steady at 43.8 days in years 7 and 8. However, it’s higher than that of competitor Two Wheel Bikes (32.5 days). This is a weakness for CBI, as it signals that the company may be too lax in collecting what’s owed to them and may eventually have difficulties meeting their short-term and long-term obligations. CBI should focus on strategies to reduce the time it takes to collect on accounts receivable. The debt ratio represents the total percent of assets financed by debt, and is calculated by dividing total liabilities by total assets. In year 7, 47% of CBI assets were financed by debt, which decreased slightly in year 8 to 46.2%. However this number is still substantially higher than that of their competitor, Two Wheel Bikes, at 38%. This is a weakness for CBI, and if they cannot bring this ratio down by increasing sales and profits to pay down some of their debts, they may have trouble paying their debt obligations. Gross profit margin for CBI was 27.4% in year 7 and 27% in year 8. This is lower than that of their competition, Two Wheel Racing at 32.1%. This is a weakness for CBI, as it signals that they are not as efficient as their competitors. CBI could improve this ratio by decreasing expenses, which would in turn decrease the cost of goods sold. Another way to improve this ratio would be to increase revenues. The operating profit margin for CBI differed substantially from year 7 to year 8. In year seven the figure was a healthy 5.3%, but in year 8 it dropped sharply to 1.9%. This is a weakness for CBI as this is a lot lower than that of Two Wheel Bikes (5.2%) and this signals that CBI is not doing a good job generating cash flow and providing shareholder value. One way CBI could improve their operating profit margins is by auditing their operating expenses and trimming costs wherever possible. An example would be adopting lean work processes with as little waste as possible. The raw materials inventory in particular should be reviewed to see if efficiencies could be gained by improved internal controls for inventory. Net profit margin is the percentage of each dollar earned that is translated into profits. CBI’s net profit margin in year 7 was 2.8%, and a dismal 0.6% in year 8. These numbers are much lower than those of the competition (Two Wheel Racing had a margin of 5.2% in year 8) and are a definite weakness for CBI, as companies with low net profits can go bankrupt in the event of a sustained downturn. This low number signals that the company is not running their operations efficiently and would be a red flag for investors. Earnings per share is an indicator of a company’s profitability and ability to generate shareholder wealth, and is the most important factor when determining the company’s share price. As the name suggests, it’s the earnings that the company generates per share outstanding. In year 7, CBI’s EPS was 0.17, or 17%. In year 8 that figure declined to 0.03%, which is nearly zero. This is a serious weakness for CBI as it suggests that the company is not doing a good job of generating wealth for shareholders, and this could lead to a selloff of the stock. In a worst case scenario, the stock price would decrease and the company could go out of business. Return on total assets is an indicator of how effectively a company is using its assets to generate earnings before contractual obligations must be paid (Investopedia.com, n.d). In year 7 CBI had a 4% return on assets, slightly lower than that of their competitor Two Wheel Bikes (at 4.8%). In a year where sales were up 33.3% from the year before, investors might expect a higher return. As I’ve pointed out in other sections, the reason this number is not higher is because CBI did not do the best job keeping their expenses under control. In year 8 the number is even worse – a dismal 0.7%. This is a weakness for CBI overall as it shows the company has some work to do to control expenses and use their assets effectively. Return on common equity measures how much profit a company generates with the equity shareholders have invested. This ratio is calculated by subtracting preferred dividends from net income, then dividing that number by common equity. CBI’s return on common equity was 7.5% in year 7, and decreased sharply to 1.4% in year 8. This is much lower than that of the competition – Two Wheel Racing’s ratio was 8.1% and is a weakness for CBI. This signals that the CBI is not doing a good job generating profit from the equity shareholders have invested, and it could lead to a stock sell off or investors demanding that measures be taken to increase equity returns. Financial analysts and investors would likely not have much confidence in these numbers. The price/earnings (P/E) ratio is a measure of the valuation of a company’s share price compared to its per-share earnings. Price/earnings ratios are tied to investor expectations. Investors are willing to pay more if they believe that future earnings will be substantially higher. On the other hand, if a company is stagnant and investors dont believe that future earnings will be going up, they will not want to pay as much and the P/E ratio will be lower. CBI’s P/E ratio in year 7 was 29.41. This means that investors would be willing to pay $29.41 in share price for every $1 in earnings. This is a strength for CBI because it suggest investor confidence in the company, which typically leads to an increase in share price. However, in year 8, the P/E ratio declined to 23.33. This is due to the company’s lackluster sales and operational performance in year 8. This is definitely a weakness for CBI – if investor confidence continues to decline, the share price will decline also. Times interest earned represents the number of times operating income can cover interest expense. CBI generated enough profits in year 7 to cover their interest expense 5.27 times. This number is a strength for CBI as it demonstrates that the company is doing a good job of generating income while keeping expenses at a manageable level, and is higher than the 4.24 figure from their competitor, Two Wheel Racing. However, the times earned interest ratio in year 8 is only 1.77, mainly due to the large drop in net income in year 8. This is a weakness for CBI as sales and profits decreased, while interest expenses did not drop in proportion. CBI needs to do a better job managing their operating expenses, which will improve this ratio. A2. Working Capital Analysis for CBI An important measure of a company’s efficiency and short-term financial health is the amount of working capital they have on hand. This is one measure of the company’s liquidity, and the ability to meet short-term (current) debt obligations with current assets. Working capital is used for day to day operational expenditures to pay bills of the business including employee wages, utilities, and rent, among others. This number is calculated by subtracting current liabilities from current assets. Investors view working capital as measure of a company’s operational efficiency. In general, companies with greater amounts of working capital are better able to achieve success by investing assets back into the business, rather than hanging on to non-cash assets in large amounts. While a business may have a large amount of assets, it may be very difficult to convert them into cash in order to take advantage of opportunities that require fast action – an example of this is an asset such as land or buildings. If current liabilities are greater than current assets, a working capital deficit is created, and a business cannot survive long-term in this scenario. Working capital numbers for CBI: Year 6 1,029,303 – 105,080 = 924,223 (9.79 current ratio) Year 7 1,353,044 – 233,700 = 1,119,344 (5.79 current ratio) Year 8 1,575,831– 300,200 = 1,275,631 (5.25 current ratio) CBI has been steadily increasing their working capital in years 6-8, with a 21.1% increase from year 6 to year 7, and a 14% increase from year 7 to year 8. This consistent rise in working capital confirms that the business has sufficient working capital to cover their short-term liabilities and invest for future growth of the company. One thing to note here is the large increase in current liabilities from year 6 to year 7 (82%) when assets rose by only 21.1%. This is largely due to the large increase in accounts and notes payable. Large increases in liabilities such as this are not a negative per se and can signal that the company is investing for growth, but should be monitored over time to make sure the company does not become overleveraged. The ideal scenario is if the increases in assets and liabilities are more proportionate (rising at a similar rate). Working capital is related to the current ratio, which measures the company’s ability to pay current liabilities with current assets. It’s calculated by dividing total current assets by total current liabilities. This ratio should be at least 1, which means the company has exactly enough capital to pay its short term liabilities, with no excess cash. It’s preferable if the ratio is higher than 1. However, a ratio that is much higher than the average could be considered a weakness, as it may signal that the company has too much inventory on hand, is slow to collect on accounts receivable, or that they are hanging on their excess cash rather than investing it for future growth. It’s important to note that working capital ratios vary widely between industries; when analyzing a company’s working capital ratio, a comparison to the average ratios for the overall industry should be included in the analysis. CBI’s current ratio was very high in year 6 – 9.79. This means for every $1 in liabilities, the company had $9.79 in assets. On the surface this appears to signal strength, but this could actually be considered a weakness for CBI as it suggests that they are holding on to cash and liquid assets and not investing to grow the company to its full potential. In years 7 and 8, the current ratios decreased to 5.79 and 5.25, respectively. This is largely due to taking on additional short term liabilities (accounts and notes payable). The ratio in years 7 and 8 is much closer to the ratio of their closest competitor, Two Wheel Racing and suggests that the company is moving toward using their current assets more effectively. If CBI can keep operating and goods costs under control and not overleverage themselves, the taking on of additional debt could be considered part of the cost of doing business and part of their growth strategy, i.e. a positive development. Working capital could be improved in the following ways: 1. Decreasing the amount of liabilities in short term debts such as accounts and notes payable. 2. Converting short term debt to long term debt to free up funds for investment. 3. Increasing efficiency via internal process improvements, thereby reducing expenses and increasing profits. Examples include shortening accounts receivable collection periods (CBI’s are longer than that of their closest competitor) and consolidating sales offices. 4. Issuing stock to generate capital for investment in assets that will help the company grow, such as the purchase of a new distribution center or bike assembly location. Excess working capital (liquid assets) could be invested in the following ways to increase profits: 1. Internal systems updates such as new, faster computer systems for employees or manufacturing equipment. This investment has the benefit of improving efficiency. 2. Investing in people – hiring new talent as well as training the salespeople already working for the company. 3. Investing in marketing and advertising to create compelling sales promotions and get the word out about CBI. Since the company’s sales are largely through word of mouth advertising, there is considerable untapped sales potential. A3. Evaluation of the internal controls for the purchasing system at CBI After reviewing the purchasing system for CBI, there are a few weaknesses in the internal controls that the company should address to mitigate risk and increase efficiency. 1. No receiving department currently exists to monitor incoming shipments from suppliers. Having no internal controls in place for this step in the supply chain is a weakness for CBI. This can result in an increased risk of incorrect orders being processed, resulting in unused parts being sent to the raw materials inventory stores as noted in the storyline. These parts must be written off the books if they are not used in the current year, and this costs the company money. The other impact is damaged orders being accepted by the company. If orders are monitored upon arrival and found to be damaged, CBI can contact the supplier immediately to remedy the situation. This will minimize costly delays in production since errors are caught earlier in the supply chain, and the company can save money if they have ensured that all orders are accurate and undamaged before payment is sent to the supplier. 2. The purchasing department’s procedure for selecting suppliers is not as robust as it should be. Checking for three sources of similar quality, as noted in the storyline, is a good start but not sufficient to ensure good internal controls. Suppliers should be vetted in a selection process using criteria defined and documented by CBI. If this is not done, it could lead to increased risk of fraud (collusion between the CBI Purchasing manager and the supplier, for example). 3. The purchasing manager is responsible for multiple related responsibilities; in this example, selecting the supplier, placing the order and sending the supplier’s invoice to the accounting department. There is not sufficient separation of duties throughout the purchasing process. A3a. Weakness Corrective Actions The following scenario illustrates what a purchasing procedure policy with good internal control procedures in place could look like for CBI. 1. The production department evaluates existing inventory of raw materials, then creates a list of raw materials they need for the next month and sends it to the purchasing manager. 2. The purchasing manager gets the list and consults with the policies and procedures manual for the raw materials. The manual instructs the purchasing manager to consult the trade journal for the industry, which contains a list of suppliers for the raw materials requested. 3. The purchasing manager should review the supplier list to ensure there’s no conflict of interest (such as close friends/relatives working for any of the suppliers on the list, stock ownership in any of the companies, no gifts accepted from the companies). If there are conflict(s) of interest for any of the suppliers, they should be removed from the list. 4. The purchasing manager should then review the Better Business Bureau (BBB) list for the remaining suppliers to see if any complaints have been registered during the past y ear. Suppliers with complaints registered with the BBB should be removed from the list. 5. The purchasing manager should contact the remaining suppliers to request competitive bids. Once they are submitted, the bids should be reviewed and the lowest competitive bid selected. 6. Once the bid is selected, the purchasing manager should send a purchase order to the selected bidder. Once this is done, the purchasing manager’s job is complete. 7. The supplier sends the shipment to the company; upon arrival it is taken in by the CBI receiving department for inspection and documentation. A shipping note is generated by the receiving department which details each item and can be used to confirm that all items that were ordered actually arrived. 8. A copy of the shipping note is sent from the receiving department to the accounting department, and accounting will compare that note with the invoice from the supplier requesting payment. They cross check these two documents to ensure they match. 9. Once accounting has ensure these documents match, they write a check to the supplier and the process is complete. A3b. Risks All of the weaknesses, if not remedied, increase the risk of fraud. An example of this would be the purchasing manager colluding with the supplier to send an invoice with inflated numbers to accounting, which would result in overpayment to the supplier that does not reflect an accurate order. In a worst case scenario, if the record keeping is weak and the employees are able to subvert the system and falsify the documents, then financial statements based on numbers in these documents are no longer accurate. Experienced financial analysts who review the company’s financial statements will immediately know that something isnt right with the numbers, and will sell the stock, leading to a drop in stock price. If this is left unchecked it can result in the downfall of the company and/or criminal prosecution of the company’s financial executives. Given these risks, it would be very prudent for CBI’s management team to take an in-depth look at the internal controls for p urchasing and make adjustments to correct the weaknesses. A3bi. Risk Mitigation In the proposed purchasing system in section A3a, there are two ways that the identified internal control risks are mitigated. First, there’s a good separation of duties – this avoids the situation where one employee is responsible for multiple related responsibilities (which can lead to greater temptation for fraud). An example of this is in step #7. The purchasing manager is not involved in this step; they were directly involved in the placement of the order and so should not also be in charge of receiving the order or generating the shipping note (therefore maintaining separation of duties). Second, there are also multiple checks and balances to ensure accuracy for orders, as well as documentation for each step to ensure good records are kept. Accounting will then have accurate numbers on which to base their financial reporting, minimizing the risk of material misstatements on their annual or interim financial statements. A4. Analysis of compliance with Sarbanes–Oxley requirements An important piece of legislation related to financial reporting and internal controls for publicly traded companies is the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX). After several highly publicized accounting scandals among corporations in the US in the 1990s, SOX was enacted to â€Å"reform companies’ financial reporting processes, as well as the internal and external auditing of the financial reporting process† (Hilton, 2011). It’s very important that companies understand and comply with the rules laid out within this legislation, as the penalties for not doing so are severe. Top executives including the CEO and CFO can be held criminally responsible and go to prison if their company’s financial statements are fraudulent or misstate the firm’s financial condition. There are two sections within SOX that are of particular relevance – sections 302 and 404. Section 302 requires the signing officers of a company’s financial reports (such as the CEO and CFO) to establish, maintain, and monitor the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting. In other words, these executives are ultimately responsible for the accuracy of the company’s financial documents, and must disclose to the company’s auditors any weaknesses or changes in the company’s internal control system. Section 404 requires a company include an internal control report for financial reporting within its annual report. This internal control report must contain two key elements – a statement of managerial responsibility for establishing and maintaining an effective internal control structure for financial reporting, as well as an assessment of the effectiveness of the defined internal control structure. A4. Compliance In regard to CBI and its compliance with SOX, the company believes they are adequately addressing the requirements of the legislation. CBI’s internal audit stated that internal controls over financial reporting are accurate based on criteria set forth by the Committee of the Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). However, the annual report issued by the auditors to the shareholders noted that the company’s internal control over financial reporting could lead to a possibility of a misstatement in the company’s annual or interim financial statements that would not be detected or corrected in a timely manner. This will be noticed by financial analysts and investors, and could affect the company’s stock prices as well as the increase the likelihood of close financial scrutiny and audits by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), whose mission is to â€Å"oversee and investigate the audits and auditors of public companies, and sanction both firms and individuals for violations of laws, rules, and regulations† (Hilton, 2011). A4a. Noncompliance Corrective Actions Based on this information, CBI should take immediate actions to ensure compliance with SOX, including reassessing and addressing weaknesses in their internal controls over financial reporting, possibly consulting with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board to do so. When CBI’s annual report is published, it should include an internal control report with the elements noted in Section 404 (statement of managerial responsibility over financial reporting internal controls, and an assessment of the effectiveness of the defined internal structure). The statement should clearly state any and all corrective action taken to bring the company’s financial reporting into compliance with SOX regulations. The company’s auditors need to be able to vouch for the effectiveness of the implemented internal controls. RESOURCES Hilton, R. (2011). Managerial accounting: Creating value in a dynamic business environment (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Hardcover ISBN: 9780073526928. What is Horizontal Analysis? Definition and Meaning (n.d.). Retrieved from Business Dictionary: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/horizontal-analysis.html Definition of ‘Return on Total Assets – ROTA (n.d.). Retrieved from Investopedia: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/return_on_total_assets.asp