Code of Ethics Comparison Lowes vs. Home Depot Essay...

Established as the older company of the two, Lowe’s ranks forty-second as a Fortune 500 company. Established in 1946 as a small hardware business, Lowe’s has grown into a 40,000 product, global market enterprise that consist of 1,710 stores nationwide expanding into the countries of Canada, Mexico and Australia (Lowes Internal, 2010) Home Depot, founded in 1978, is the fastest growing retailer in the United States. Ranked twenty-ninth as a Fortune 500 company, Home Depot continues to remain the number one do-it-yourself retail store in America. These two companies may sell products of the same nature, but comparing their Code of Ethics is their way of setting themselves apart. (Home Depot Internal, 2009) Lowe’s begins their manual with†¦show more content†¦Therefore, every employee, while acting on behalf of the company, shall comply with all domestic or foreign government laws that are not consistent with the ethical principles’ to which Lowe’s subscribes. (Lowes Internal, 2010) Home Depot compiles advertising, antitrust and confidentiality in policy of Compliance with Laws, Regulations, Policies, and Standard Operating Procedures. Advertising is to be provided to consumers with accurate, fair, and lawful information that is intended to help them make informed decisions. Antitrust laws in the United States and other countries are intended to preserve a free and competitive market place. Confidentiality is extremely important, as internal information is not to be shared with any outside venders, competition, or family members. This is to provide a guide for employees’, as Home Depot seeks competitive advantage. (Home Depot Internal, 2008) Lowe’s and Home Depot maintain their competitive advantages by â€Å"warning† employees not to give away information that cause unfair balance while attempting to gain an edge. Both companies feel that free market is up to each individual company to strive for innovative ideas that separate the two. 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Article 63 - The Evolution Of Mobile Casino Gaming

Article 63 - The evolution of mobile casino gaming Once upon a time it was a case that you could only access a casino by visiting a brick-and-mortar premises or logging into one on a laptop or desktop computer. It always required you as a player to truly dedicate time to playing too, rather than letting you pick up and play whenever you saw fit. However, when smartphones entered the marketplace back in 2007 with the launch of the iPhone, change was clearly on the horizon. Handheld devices would change the way people gamble online and this article looks at how the medium has evolved over the years. As the field has evolved, more and more developers have gotten in on the action. In US and international markets most mobile casinos are†¦show more content†¦The very latest mobile casinos also deliver flawless animations. If there is one industry that has kept the mobile casino field moving forward, it is software development. Java, flash, and HTML5 have all combined to create stunning animated sequences for mobile casinos. 2D graphics and 3D rendered graphics, along with HD stereo sound, make mobile casino games very impressive on both the eyes and the ears. When mobile casinos first hit the marketplace in 2010 there were less than a dozen to choose from. In 2015 the number is nearing the three-figure mark, each offering hundreds of titles with new games being launched every single month. The field has boomed in a way that many wouldn’t have seen given the slow start to life the platform had. Long gone are the clunky and basic mobile casinos of the past, as today they look impressive and couldn’t be easier to navigate. Looking back at the past it is clear that the mobile casino market hasn’t just evolved, it has arrived, and is here to stay. I, like most, questioned the mobile casino market when it first started. Largely as I was unsure how far any casino could really go with the platform. However, as time has gone on I have clearly been proven wrong. Technological innovations have turned the field from basic and boring into graphically impressively and truly interactive. These days when you want to gamble, don’t feel you have to turn on your laptop, simply reach for your

Bankers Perception on Islamic Banking Free Essays

Shari’a supervision plays an essential role in the governance of IFIs. It has different forms at macro and micro levels. (Chris Pierce, 1988) Deposits are strictly not considered as loans in the Islamic sense. We will write a custom essay sample on Bankers Perception on Islamic Banking or any similar topic only for you Order Now If it is in the form of money, then he has an obligation to pay Zakat out of it. If these deposits are indeed loans, then it is the banks which should pay zakat on them. In reality,the banks make the depositors pay the zakat , which is injustice. (Alexandra R, Hardie M. Rabooy, 1991) M. Norain, Ariffin, M Adnan explained the perceptions and awareness among bankers in Islamic banks is essential to enhance corporate social responsibility. M. Norain, Ariffin, M Adnan explained that to fulfill the Islamic needs of the society, proper policies have been developed so that there will be no recurring problems in the future relating to the banking system and investment. M. Norain, Ariffin, M Adnan suggested that Islamic organizations, Islamic banks are accountable to Allah and to the communities in which they operate and have a duty to be transparent in all their activities. Ethical investment now recently become an issue in the West, and it is very important in the Islamic world and Islamic Banks must work on these principles which fulfill the needs and commitment to the bankers. (Alexandra R. Hardie and M. Rabooy 1991) a serious question arises that whether Islamic Banks are keeping to the rules about partnerships. In this context some scholars believe that the working partner in mudaraba should not mix the capital of the various suppliers of funds; if this is done then the problem is very serious for the Banks, (Alexandra R. Hardie and M. Rabooy, 1991) Malaysian banks experience economies and annual productivity change on a big scale. The latter productivity estimates indicate that full-fledged Islamic banks have overcome some of these cost disadvantages with passage of time. Mariani Abdul-Majida, David S. Saalb,* and Giuliana Battistic (2010) The separation of Islamic from conventional banking services may allow managers to better focus on improving the cost efficiency of Islamic banking where as in the short run, the new Islamic banks will suffer manyr transitional problems. Mariani Abdul-Majida, David S. Saalb,* and Giuliana Battistic (2010) M. Khan A. Mirakhor (1991) describes economic system which is based on Islamic principles is permanently have the prohibition on the payment and receipt of interest. This restriction makes Islamic banks different from financial institutions in many ways. Islamic banking system in Pakistan was adopted in such a manner to leave the intermediation role of the banking system undisturbed. Where as the banking system in Iran is used as an instrument for achieving the goals and objectives of the Islamic revolution. M. Khan and A. Mirakhor, 1991) Islamic Law prohibits charging interest. financial instruments used by Islamic banks are not based on profit-and-loss sharing (equity) but, debt like instruments are a rational response by Islamic banks to their contracting environments and debt becomes the dominant instrument. (K. Aggarwal Yousaf, 2000) Egypt’s Islamic banks, while observing certain Islamic precepts in their operations, in order to improve their status, these banks fulfils their social mission by enabling their customers according to Islamic needs. Elizabeth Mayer, 1985) Use of existing Islamic financial instruments such as zero coupons bonds, paper for trade finance and unitised securities. There is a need to encourage secondary market development so that instruments can be traded effectively. (Rodney Wilson, 1991) The scope for development of Islamic financial products is vast enough, such products can play a major role not only facilitating the muslim countries but widely promoting the economic advancemen t. (Rodney Wilson, 1991) How to cite Bankers Perception on Islamic Banking, Papers

Child Abuse Essay Paper Example For Students

Child Abuse Essay Paper STUDY OF FAMILY INTERACTION LEAD TO NEW UNDERSTANDING OF ABUSIVE PARENTS Researchers at the University of Toronto have taken important steps toward producing a profile of an abusive parent. Prof. Gary Walters and doctoral student Lynn Oldershaw of the Department of Psychology have developed a system to characterize parents who physically abuse their children. This could ultimately allow social service professionals to identify parents in child abuse. Over the last five years, Walters and Oldershaw, in collaboration with Darlene Hall of the West End Creche, have examined over 100 mothers and their three to six-year-old children who have been physically abused. In the laboratory, the mother and child spend 30 minutes in structured activities such as playing, eating and cleaning-up. The family interaction is video-taped and later analyzed. The researchers have developed a system which allows them to record the effectiveness of parenting skills. They are particularly interested in disciplinary strategies because abuse most commonly occurs when the parent wants the child to comply. Its a question of trying to determine which type of parent produces which type of child or which type of child elicits which type of parental behaviour, explains Oldershaw. As a result of their work, Walters and Oldershaw have identified distinct categories of abusive parents and their children. Harsh/intrusive mothers are excessively harsh and constantly badger their child to behave. Despite the fact that these mothers humiliate and disapprove of their child, there are times when they hug, kiss or speak to them warmly. This type of mothering produces an aggressive, disobedient child. A covert/hostile mother shows no positive feelings towards her child. She makes blatant attacks on the childs self-worth and denies him affection or attention. For his part, the child tries to engage his mothers attention and win her approval. An emotionally detached mother has very little involvement with her child. She appears depressed and uninterested in the childs activities. The child of this type of mother displays no characteristics which set him apart from other children. In order to put together a parenting profile, the two researchers examine the mother/child interaction and their perception and feelings. For instance, Walters and Oldershaw take into account the mothers sense of herself as a parent and her impression of her child. The researchers also try to determine the childs perception of himself or herself and of the parent. Abusive parents are often believed to have inadequate parenting skills and are referred to programs to improve these skills. These programs are particularly appropriate for parents who, themselves, were raised by abusive parents and as a result are ignorant of any other behavior toward her child. One of the goals of the psychologists is to provide information to therapists which will help tailor therapy to the individual needs of the abusive parents. Recidivism rates for abusive care-givers are high, says Walters. To a large extent, abusive parents which require a variety of treatment. Their research is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Contact: Gary Walters (416)978-7814 Lynn Oldershaw (416)978-3528

A History of the Napoleonic Code (Code Napoléon)

A History of the Napoleonic Code (Code Napolà ©on) The Napoleonic Code  (Code Napolà ©on) was a unified legal code produced in post-revolutionary France and enacted by Napoleon in 1804. Napoleon gave the laws his name, and they largely remain in place in France today. They also heavily influenced world laws in the 19th century. It is easy to imagine how the conquering Emperor could spread a legal system across Europe, but it might have surprised many of his day to know long it outlasted him. The Need for Codified Laws France in the century before the French Revolution may have been a single country, but it was far from a homogenous unit. As well as language and economic differences, there was no single unified set of laws that covered the whole of France. Instead, there were large geographic variations, from the Roman Law which dominated in the south, to a Frankish/Germanic Customary Law which dominated in the north around Paris. Add to this the canon law of the church which controlled some affairs, a mass of royal legislation which had to be considered when looking at legal problems, and the effects of local laws derived from parlements or appellate courts and trials, and there was a patchwork which was very difficult to negotiate, and which stimulated a demand for a universal, equitable set of laws. However, there were plenty of people in positions of local power, often in venal offices, who worked to prevent any such codification, and all attempts to do so before the revolution failed. Napoleon and the French Revolution The French Revolution acted as a brush that swept away a mass of local differences in France, including many of the powers that stood against codifying the laws. The result was a country in a position to- in theory- create a universal code. And it was a place that really needed one. The Revolution went through various phases, and forms of government- including Terror- but by 1804 was under the control of General Napoleon Bonaparte, the man who appeared to have decided the French Revolutionary Wars in France’s favor. Glory Beyond the Battlefield Napoleon wasn’t just a man hungry for battlefield glory; he knew a state had to be built to support both him and a renewed France. Most important was to be a law code that bore his name. Attempts to write and enforce a code during the revolution had failed, and Napoleon’s achievement in forcing it through was massive. It also reflected glory back onto him: He was desperate to be seen as more than a general who took charge, but as the man who brought a peaceful end to the revolution, and establishing a legal code was a massive boost to his reputation, ego, and ability to rule.   The Code Napolà ©on The Civil Code of the French People was enacted in 1804 across all the regions France then controlled: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, chunks of Germany and Italy, and was later spread further across Europe. In 1807, it became known as the Code Napolà ©on. It was supposed to be written fresh, and based on the idea that a law based on common sense and equality should replace one based on custom, societal division, and the rule of kings. The moral justification for its existence was not that it came from God or a monarch (or in this case an emperor), but because it was rational and just. A Compromise Between Old and New All male citizens were supposed to be equal, with nobility, class, a position of birth all wiped away. But in practical terms, much of the revolution’s liberalism was lost and France turned back to Roman law. The code did not extend to emancipating women, who were subjugated to fathers and husbands. Freedom and the right of private property were key, but branding, easy imprisonment, and limitless hard labor returned. Non-whites suffered, and slavery was allowed in French colonies. In many ways, the Code was a compromise of the old and the new, favoring conservatism and traditional morality. Written as Several Books The Napoleonic Code was written as several Books, and although it was written by teams of lawyers, Napoleon was present at nearly half of the Senate discussions. The first book dealt with laws and people, including civil rights, marriage, relationships, including those of parent and child, etc. The second book concerned laws and things, including property and ownership. The third book tackled how you went about getting and modifying your rights, such as inheritance and through marriage. More codes followed for other aspects of the legal system: 1806’s Code of Civil Procedure; 1807’s Commercial Code; 1808’s Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure; 1810’s Penal Code. Still in Place The Napoleonic Code has been modified, but essentially remains in place in France, two centuries after Napoleon was defeated and his empire dismantled. It is one of his most lasting achievements in a country in thrall to his rule for a turbulent generation. However, it was only in the latter half of the 20th century that laws were altered to reflect equality to women. Wide Influence After the Code was introduced in France and nearby areas, it spread across Europe and into Latin America. Sometimes a straight translation was used, but other times large changes were made to fit local situations. Later Codes also looked to Napoleon’s own, such as the Italian Civil Code of 1865, although this was replaced in 1942. In addition, laws in Louisiana’s civil code of 1825 (largely still in place), derive closely from the Napoleonic Code. However, as the 19th century turned into the 20th, new civil codes in Europe and around the world rose to reduce the importance of France’s, although it still has an influence.

The Pearl Essay Example

The Pearl Essay Example The Pearl Essay The Pearl Essay Essay Topic: The Pearl In The Pearl, the author, John Steinbeck, uses the pearl to express what human nature is. At the beginning of the novel, the pearl that Kino finds is described as large as being incandescent and as perfect as the moon; by the end of the novel, Kino looks at the pearl it is ugly, gray, like a malignant growth. In general, mankind’s are greedy, deceptive and evil. In the novel, Steinbeck tries to say that human nature tendency toward greed, deception and evil, which can cause something good and beautiful to become something bad and evil in both physical and mental ways. First of all, Steinbeck shows human beings are instinctively greedy. Steinbeck uses the scene to show humans are gluttonous is where the doctor comes to Kinos house and heals Coyotes after Kino has found a pearl. When Coyotes is bitten by the scorpion, Kino takes him to the doctor to get treatment. But the doctor refuses to heal Coyotes because Kino is indigent. Later On, after Kino owns the pearl, the doctor automatically comes to Kinos house and offers a treatment for Coyotes. After he treats Coyotes, he pretends that he does not know Kino has a pearl and asks Kino about the medical expenses. You have a pearl? A good pearl? The doctor asks with interest (35). The reality is that he wants Kinos pearl more than giving people treatments. Although the doctor has a lot of money and his life is very plentiful, he still wants more and his is discontented. Obviously, the greed had already controlled the doctors mind and the way he acts. Another example that humans are greedy is the scene where Kino does not want to give up the pearl and keeps all his dreams also demonstrates peoples avarice. Juana, who is smart enough to figure out the reality of the pearl trouble, advises Kino to throw the pearl away. Juana says, This pearl is evil. This pearl is like a sin. It will destroy us all! (38). Even though Juana warns Kino that the pearl will bring misfortunes to the family and advises him to throw the pearl away, Kino neither takes the advice nor listens to what his wife says because Kinos mind is already overtaken by his dreams. He is only thinking of being Juana and Coyotes and himself standing and kneeling at the high alter (24), [dress] in the new white clothes (24), holding a Winchester carbine (25), and Coyotes sitting at a little desk in a school (25). Clearly, the greed is surpassed his mind and controls his actions and what he says. After Kino has found ofthe pearl of the world, everyone is willing to own it and they begin to start think of their own dreams, Every men suddenly [becomes] related to Kino, and Kinos pearl [goes] into the dreams, the schemes mans enemy (23). And so, the narrator says, For it is said humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more (25). In the scene where people try to steal Kinos pearl after the pearl is found (37-38), they do whatever that is possible in order to steal the pearl. Jealousy has grown in the heart of these people and jealousy has turned into greed. People are hurting each other and it is like a dog-eat-dog world. From greediness comes deception, which is another humans characteristic. In the scene where Kino sells his pearl, the pearl dealers try to deceive Kino since he is ignorant (48-52). They all act in collusion with each other because they want to buy the pearl at a very cheap price. In order to do that, all dealers tell lies, saying that the pearl was not valuable and it was a monstrosity because they are willing to deceive to get what they want. And, the doctor is also deceptive when he comes to Kinos house and heals Coyotes; the doctor reveals his characters of deception (30-33). The doctor makes Coyotes sick for a while by giving him a potion, which is in reality a dangerous substance. First, he overstates Coyotitos state of his illness, saying that he might die if he does not get immediate cure. Since Kino is ignorant, he does not know the doctor is telling the truth or not. The doctor gives Coyotes some potion and that makes him sick for a while and he says this potion would help Coyotes to get rid of the poison. In fact, Coyotes is getting better right before the doctor comes to heal him. The doctor smiles, but his eyes in their little lymph lined hammocks [do] not smile (30). As one reads this quote carefully, one can see what the purpose is when the doctor comes to Kinos house-either steals the pearl or forces Kino to pay for the treatment. Since the doctor knows he can retrieve power form Kino, he must want to do something to deceive Kino. The way that the doctor acts seems to be nice, helpful and kind; but what he does and thinks is unconcerned and deceptivemakes an illusion and lies to Kino. Lastly, evil is one of mankind’s instinctive qualities as well, which comes from peoples greed and deception. Steinbeck uses the doctor who refuses to treat Coyotes as a symbol of showing humans is evil. When Coyotesis bitten by the scorpion and Kino asked the doctor for treatments, he rejects to heal the Indian people who are not the same race as he is unless those people can prove that they have enough money to pay for his service, Have I nothing better to do than cure insect bites for little Indians? I am a doctor, not a veterinarian (11). Has he any money? No, they never have money. I, I alone in this world am supported to work for nothing and I am tired of it. See if he has any money! (11). Even though he might able to cure, he only cures those who can afford to pay for the treatment. On the other hand, the doctor might kills someone indirectly since the doctor refuses to heal those patients who do not get immediate cure. Also, in the scene where Kino hits Juana when she tries to throw the pearl away back in the sea without asking Kino, this reveals humans are naturally evil. He [strikes] her in the face and she [falls] among the boulders, and he [kicks] her in the side He [hisses] at her like a snake and she [stares] at him with wide unfrighten eyes, like a sheep before a butcher (59). Kino hits his wife and becomes more evil after he has found the pearl. Most important of all, he has lost his humanity and becomes like an animal. He will not consider his family anymore like he used to because he has turned evil and he is overtaken by his dreams. Also, Steinbeck uses the scene where people burn down Kinos house to show humans do evil acts to harm someone. Since the pearl dealers cannot think of a way that can deceive Kino, they burn down his house in revenge, which makes Kinos family become homeless. Kinos house has smokes of the first fires seeped out through the walls of the brush house (62) and is a tall edifice of fire lighted the pathway (63). Once again, human beings avarice and deception have turn into evil and make them do evil acts, which can harm people very easily. All in all, Steinbeck states the facts in The Pearl that humans are instinctively avaricious, deceptive and evil, which can cause something perfect and gorgeous into something bad and wicked in both physical and mental ways. At the beginning of the novel, the pearl is described as being lucent and perfect; later on, the pearl is described as having a curious dark on its surface; at the end, the pearl is ugly and gray. The doctor, townspeople and Kino, who are affected by greed, deception and evil of the humans characteristics, do something bad that makes the pearl becomes ugly and dark. We, human beings, do something bad and evil and our behavior will change the quality of an object. In other words, an objects quality depends on the way people look at it and how people treat it. If we try to get what we want and do not be concerned or examine our behaviors, something that is beautiful and perfect can turn into something bad and evil, just like the ending of this novel.

Health care reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Health care reform - Essay Example ch, a national level database of all the people could be handled allowing doctors to provide treatment for the patients without considering the insurance procedures. (Mirmirani, 2010) Such a centralized system eliminates the need for the patient to enter details about their health history and as a result, it allows them to save time and prevents them from doing any fraudulent activities. Also, a collection of such data would enable the medical researchers and developers to identify the common symptoms more effectively and develop treatments that might abolish the occurrence of those common diseases. (ABC News, 2010) Although there is a possibility for the insurance providers to easily get to know of the medical history of the patient and deny any insurance coverage to them, there is the backing of the government to provide the coverage. So, overall it saves the time of both the patients and the doctors in providing treatment and at the same time ensuring that there is integrity in providing such service. To collect the medical history and details of each citizen in the US and to organize them is a tedious process to conceive. Although information can be brought from already insured people, the need to organize them for easy access and retrieval makes it a big overhead. Once the system goes live, there is every possibility for people to lose out jobs in insurance industries and health care organizations. It would be a complex process for the government to reallocate those people to some other jobs. Once people go out of jobs, it would be harder for the government to maintain the stability of the economy. The current scenario is not presenting a good future for the economic situation of the country and such a system would increase the pressure on the country to maintain its supremacy. (Balanced Politics.org, 2010) With free insurance coverage being provided for the people, there is every possibility for the people to take advantage of such schemes and be more

Personal and Professional Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Personal and Professional Development - Essay Example HSBC was recognized in the Asia-Pacific region as the institution that provides finance to the increasing trade between China and Europe. The HSBC group was first opened in Hong Kong and then in Shanghai. HSBC group’s UK banking has been developing and improving from 1836. Acquisition of Midland Bank in Europe in 1992 has brought lot of pride, honour and reputation to the bank and this made the HSBC group grow as one among the leading banks in the world. Imperial Bank of Persia, which was also known as Bank of the Middle East was acquired by the HSBC group in 1959 along with its 26 branches. This entry of HSBC group into the Middle East provided the group to enter into the wider, and quickly varying financial markets in the world (hsbc.co.uk). HSBC group has well established markets in the South America as well as the emerging markets in the South and Central America. The HSBC group is categorized into four business groups. These include Commercial banking, Global banking and markets, retail banking and wealth management (hsbc.co.uk). The HSBC group provides HSBC Premier bank account for everyday banking accounts and services. The group aims at providing exclusive service in banking. Relationship manager helps the customers and gives tailor-made advices in wealth management, money management, preferential rates and terms, and globally linked-up online banking (hsbc.co.uk). Other facilities offered include internet banking, telephone banking, branch banking, and mobile. Through internet banking, a customer can have access to his/her account 24 hours a day (hsbc.co.uk). HSBC group provides wide range of products for accounts having personal banking. It provides insurances of home, travel, car, premier car, life, critical illness & income cover, and student insurance (hsbc.co.uk). Special feature of planning is rendered regarding health & family, home & lifestyle, work & retirement, and planning tools. HSBC also obliges its customers through online customer support centre that clears their doubts. Security centre assists HSBC’s customers to have a secured transaction while operating online. It helps by providing security downloads, and secure key (hsbc.co.uk). Task 1: a. Examine the benefit of self-managed learning to individuals and organizations and evaluate the various approaches involved. Self-managed or self-directed learning involves encouraging individuals to take responsibility for their own learning needs, either to improve performance in their present job or to satisfy their career aspirations (Armstrong, p. 560). According to Armstrong, self-managed learning has the process of recording achievement and action planning where the individuals can review what they have learnt, their achievement and their goals and action plan to achieve their goals and new learning which is to be acquired by them. The principle behind self-managed learning is that people learn, understand and retain the things they find out and helpful i n improving their skills (Armstrong, p. 560). HSBC group must provide chances for its workers to learn new things so that they can acquire new skills for effective job performance. Self-managed learning helps the people working in an organization to find various methods of learning things which are from the society or at the workplace. Learners are to be provided with proper guidance, proper material and information and help they make use of it to a maximum extent. Personal development plans must be

Women's rights and culture Annotated Bibliography

Women's rights and culture - Annotated Bibliography Example Web. 2 Nov. 2014. . "Inter-linkages between Culture, Gender Based Violence, HIV and AIDS and Womens Rights TRAINING MANUAL." Welcome to SAfAIDS. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. . 1. "Inter-linkages between Culture, Gender Based Violence, HIV and AIDS and Womens Rights TRAINING MANUAL." Welcome to SAfAIDS. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. . This online article describes the relationship between culture and women’s rights by specifically focusing on how culture has facilitated the violation of women’s right, thereby leading to gender-based violence and spread of epidemic diseases among women. It is an imperative resource for this research as it provides an insight regarding the correlation between culture and women’s rights. 2. "Culture Clash: The Law, Womens Rights and Real-world Solutions." OpenDemocracy. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. . This is another crucial online article for this research. It explicates the relationship between culture and women empowerment by indicating how certain forms of culture can be used to promote gender equity in a manner that women’s rights are not violated. The article highlights how certain legal structures can supersede cultural beliefs, while facilitating the emergence of other cultures, which can be used to fight for women’s

Financial Reporting on Goodwill and Intangible Assets

Financial Reporting on Goodwill and Intangible Assets Question 1 Under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), goodwill and intangible assets must be treated separately during a business combination in accordance with IFRS3. Prior to IFRS 3, companies, during a business combination situation, intangible assets and goodwill could be accounted for as goodwill[1]. Under IFRS 3, acquired intangible assets are treated separately to goodwill. With recognised intangible assets, the value of the intangible asset can be amortised over the useful life of the asset. Goodwill is the value difference between the price paid for a business on acquisition and the value of the assets. Unlike intangible assets, goodwill cannot be amortised but needs to be re-measured for impairment, on an annual basis. This impairment value can be included in the income statement as an expense, on an annual basis. This is the critical difference between intangible assets and goodwill[2]. Upon acquiring a business, the acquiring company must assess the fair value of the relevant assets and liabilities including some identifiable intangible assets. This is the only time that these assets can be recognised on the balance sheet. Internally created intangible assets cannot be amortised in a straight line and reduced in this way on the balance sheet unless they are identifiable in terms of a useful life expectancy. Intangible assets that have an indefinite life span cannot be amortised on a straight line basis and must be re-measured for impairment, instead. All internally created intangible assets are re-measured for impairment, regardless of whether or not they are able to ascertain the useful life expectancy of the asset[3]. Goodwill is generally considered as a type of intangible asset; however, for the purposes of IFRS 3, it must be accounted for separately, during a business acquisition, with goodwill never being amortised and intangible assets that can be recognised to have a specific life expectancy can be amortised on a straight line basis. This is not the same for internally created intangible assets which will never be amortised. Question 2 (a) Gearing is calculated by considering the ratio of debt to equity, which is considered as debt divided by capital employed (or debt divided by debt plus shareholder funds). Intangible assets are often added back on to the shareholders’ funds as intangible assets such as goodwill and are a measure of the history of the company and not its current financial strength[4]. Calculation Gearing Numbers reported in company’s balance sheet (733 + 8585) which is total borrowings divided by shareholder equity / (9318 + 4013) total debt plus shareholder equity 69.90% Adjusted to make goodwill valueless (733+8585) / (4013 + 9318 – 4514) goodwill is taken off the shareholder equity 105.68% Adjusted to treat both goodwill and intangible assets as valueless (733+8585) / (4013 + 9318 – 9974) goodwill and intangible assets are added back on 277.57% The higher the ratio or gearing percentage, the greater the company favours debt over equity. A ratio of 100% would indicate that the company has an equal preference for both the use of equity and debt[5]. Therefore, the higher the percentage the greater the dependence and the greater the perceived financial risk. Shareholders will only obtain a return on their equity once all interest payments have been made. Therefore, the higher the reliance on debt, the more volatile the shareholder earnings are going to be. However, the debt repayment is set and, therefore, the higher the gearing ratio, the greater the risk but also the greater the potential return for the existing shareholders[6]. The figure for Allied Boots, for the purposes of this analysis is 105.68%. Any figure over 100% is considered high, which means that there may be volatility for the shareholders, but the profit growth will also be higher. In this case, the figure with goodwill ignored, has been used as this takes into account the fact that goodwill is largely a measure of historic value. The reason for this is that goodwill is entirely a reference to historic value generated in the business and should not, therefore, be taken into account as part of the shareholder equity. Intangible assets are continued value generating assets and should, therefore, remain in the calculation. For example, the intangible assets could include intellectual property which continues to add value to the business, whereas goodwill at the point of business acquisition is simply a reflection of the value of the business name at that point; no further value will be generated by virtue of this figure[7]. Question 3 In an entirely efficient market, all analysts will have all relevant information available to them, allowing them to makes suitable adjustments to give them the best possible information in relation to the value of the business. Truly efficient figures imply that all figures within the accounts reflect all known information[8]. However, in reality, markets are not entirely efficient as there is information that is not reflected in the financial data. Financial data, by its very nature, is historic and simply reflects what has happened in the past. Values for intangible assets such as intellectual property and goodwill can vary very quickly and are extremely subjective in nature. Goodwill and intangible assets are often based on information that is not publicly available such as internal know-how and, therefore, cannot be suitably analysed to see how realistic they are; this potentially offers considerable discretion for managers in terms of how these figures are reflected in the acco unts[9]. Due to the potential discretion in this area, regulators need to lay down certain treatment rules to ensure that the information being provided by the financial accounts is as close to full, true and fair as is possible. This then allows the analysts to make the most suitable decisions for their chosen position. Bibliography Blake, John, Lunt, Henry, Accounting Standards, Pearson Education, 2001 Dunse, Neil A., Hutchison, Norman E., Goodacre, Alan, Trade-related valuations and the treatment of goodwill, Journal of Property Investment Finance, 22, 3, 2004 Elliott, Barry, Elliott, Jamie, Financial Accounting and Reporting, Pearson Education, 2006 Mard, Michael J., Hitchner, James R., Hyden, Steven D., Zyla, Mark L., Valuation for Financial Reporting: Intangible Assets, Goodwill, and Impairment Analysis, SFAS 141 and 142, John Wiley and Sons, 2002 Reilly, Robert F., Schweihs, Robert P., Valuing Intangible Assets, McGraw-Hill Professional, 1999 Seetharaman, A., Sreenivasan, Jayashree, Sudha, Raju, Yee, Tey Ya, Managing impairment of goodwill, Journal of Intellectual Capital, 7, 3, 2006 Seetharaman, A., Balachandran, M., Saravanan, A.S., Accounting treatment of goodwill: yesterday, today and tomorrow: Problems and prospects in the international perspective, Journal of Intellectual Capital, 5, 1, 2004 Weetman, Pauline, Financial Accounting: An Introduction, Pearson Education, 2006 Wines, Graeme, Dagwell, Ron, Windsor, Carolyn, Implications of the IFRS goodwill accounting treatment, Managerial Auditing Journal, 22, 9, 2007 Footnotes [1] Weetman, Pauline, Financial Accounting: An Introduction, Pearson Education, 2006 [2] Mard, Michael J., Hitchner, James R., Hyden, Steven D., Zyla, Mark L., Valuation for Financial Reporting: Intangible Assets, Goodwill, and Impairment Analysis, SFAS 141 and 142, John Wiley and Sons, 2002 [3] Blake, John, Lunt, Henry, Accounting Standards, Pearson Education, 2001 [4] Seetharaman, A., Sreenivasan, Jayashree, Sudha, Raju, Yee, Tey Ya, Managing impairment of goodwill, Journal of Intellectual Capital, 7, 3, 2006 [5] Elliott, Barry, Elliott, Jamie, Financial Accounting and Reporting, Pearson Education, 2006 [6] Dunse, Neil A., Hutchison, Norman E., Goodacre, Alan, Trade-related valuations and the treatment of goodwill, Journal of Property Investment Finance, 22, 3, 2004 [7] Seetharaman, A., Balachandran, M., Saravanan, A.S., Accounting treatment of goodwill: yesterday, today and tomorrow: Problems and prospects in the international perspective, Journal of Intellectual Capital, 5, 1, 2004 [8] Reilly, Robert F., Schweihs, Robert P., Valuing Intangible Assets, McGraw-Hill Professional, 1999 [9] Wines, Graeme, Dagwell, Ron, Windsor, Carolyn, Implications of the IFRS goodwill accounting treatment, Managerial Auditing Journal, 22, 9, 2007

Oil Drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge Essay -- Argumentat

Oil Drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge The main issue presented in my research involves the debate between environmentalists and the United States government on whether to open and develop a portion of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in the northern coastal plain of Alaska for the purpose of drilling for oil. Environmentalists argue that opening up this region of ANWR to future oil drilling would destroy the current ecosystems, disrupt animal habitats and adversely change the lives of the people in these local communities. Proponents of oil drilling in this region argue that all the issues presented by the environmentalist groups are not valid and they have no scientific facts to support their argument. Proponents of this issue point to the successful Prudhoe Bay oil exploration, which has produced nearly 13 billion barrels, or, 20 to 25 percent of the oil produced in the United States for the last 23 years. President George Bush recently indicated that he is renewing his campaign to open part of the Artic refu ge to oil exploration, contending that oil drilling is essential to the national security of the United States and would create jobs on a national and local level. George Bush supported his campaign by stating in a recent article â€Å"America is already using more energy then our domestic resources can provide and unless we act to increase our energy independence, our reliance of foreign sources of energy will only increase.† (w1) He also indicated from the same article saying â€Å"Alaskans know firsthand that modern technology allows us to bring oil to the surface cleanly and safely, while protecting our environment and wildlife.† (w2) His proposed energy plan also includes modernizing other energy del... ...ANWR based on geologic surveys. This oil discovery would greatly reduce our dependency for foreign oil supply, create jobs on a national and local level and put more money in the local economics by the increase in the tax base for Alaska. It appears based on the data I accumulated that with the newest technology in oil development would allow the oil to be brought to the surface and distributed in a clean and safe manner. If the people of the coastal plain are not affected negatively by oil development and the wildlife can co-exist in a positive manner then I would support future oil development in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. Bibliography W3 : www.anwr.org www.alaskawild.org Reuters: by Steve Holland â€Å"Bush says U.S. Needs to Drill for oil in Alaska.† Sat. Feb 23,2002 Taken from www.story.news.yahoo.com W1 & W2: www.foxnews.com www.bushnews.com

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man- in †the Moon Marigold

Dominik Laszczkowski 11/12/12 Test Essay In The Effect of Gamma rays on Man- in – the Moon Marigold by Paul Zindel, Beatrice, the single mother of Tillie and Ruth, has multiple internal and external conflicts which present barriers to living a normal life. A single mother whose life has gone awry, she copes with it through  self-hatred,  cynicism, and  drug abuse, and by verbally (and at times physically) abusing her two daughters But she finds other ways to sustain herself.There are many internal conflicts reflected by personality and inner issues, as well as external conflicts which inhibit her ability to function normally in society, including family dynamics and environmental factors. Beatrice faces many internal conflicts because, first off, she is a crazy women! She is completely nuts. In the story Beatrice asks, â€Å" Do you want me to chloroform that thing right this minute? † ( 10) This shows her insanity because she wants to kill a rabbit that has not d one much harm to her or anyone else.Eventually her insanity drives her to the max and she ends up killing the per rabbit. Another problem Beatrice has is her life style, its not healthy at all. She sustain herself with alcohol and cigarettes and by creating illusions. Creates an illusion to escape problems by drinking but then having a drinking problem because she is always drinking. Because Beatrice was crazy and had a bad childhood she is know as â€Å" Betty the Loon†. In the story Ruth says, â€Å" Miss Hanley said her nickname used to be Betty the Loon. † ( 71) Thus everyone remembers her and how much of a weirdo she is.And Beatrice does not have a lot of nice to clothes to wear because of how poor they are so she never want to go out in public, or anywhere in general. Not only does her internal conflicts cause problems, so does her external ones. Beatrice has many external conflicts that cause her a lot of trouble too. She is very anti-social, stays home a lot be cause she wants to hide from people. Beatrice does not like being judged in anyway. In the story when yelling at Tillie she says, â€Å" I have no clothes, do you hear me? I'd look just like you up on the stage, ugly little you! (61) This shows how poor they area and that she knows that people are going to laugh at her because of their poverty. Beatrice is also husband- less because he left thus making it extremely hard being a single mother as she needs to do everything herself. Another external conflict is that she gets paid very little weekly and she needs to take care of very old people, people that are almost-died. She struggles a lot to make it through life. Beatrice has bad memories from her childhood which still taunt her now in her life and she does not want people to remember her.Beatrice has dreams that she wishes to come true and uses them as illusions. She wants to turn the closed shop that part of her home into a tea shop. Beatrice is also looking into buying a real e state so that they can move into a new big home. In the story Beatrice says, â€Å" Four- family house. Six and a half and six and a half over five and five. Eight garages. I could really do something with that. A nursing home†¦ † ( 22) This shows her illusions by thinking about buying expensive stuff in the future, but she does not have that much money to pay something like that because of her low paying job and poverty.Her routes of escape is drug abuse. She drinks a lot when there a problem she doesn't want to deal with and as well as smoke a lot of cigarettes too. As the play's main character, Beatrice is mainly  narcissistic and  lethally short-tempered, which is only worsened by the drugs. However, her plight is  sympathetic, as her past reveals a life spiraling steadily downward, leading her to  self-destruction. Thus being able to create illusions for herself she can sustain herself a little and not have to face the problems for a little.

Double Click for TListView

Implementing On Item Click / Double Click for TListView Delphis TListView control displays a list of items in columns with column headers and sub-items, or vertically or horizontally, with small or large icons. As do most Delphi controls, the TListView exposes the OnClick and OnDblClick (OnDoubleClick) events. Unfortunately, if you need to know what item was clicked or double clicked you cannot simply handle the OnClick / OnDblClick events to get the clicked item. The OnClick (OnDblClick) event for the TListView is fired whenever the user clicks the control - that is whenever the click occurs somewhere inside the client area of the control. The user can click inside the list view, BUT miss any of the items. Whats more, since list view can change its display depending on the ViewStyle property, the user might have clicked on an item, on an item caption, on an item icon, nowhere, on an item state icon, etc. Note: the ViewStyle property determines how items are displayed in the list view: the items can be displayed as a set of movable icons, or as columns of text. ListView.On Item Click ListView.On Item Double Click To be able to locate the clicked (if there is one) item when the OnClick event for the list view is fired, you need to determine what elements of the list view lie under the point specified by the X and Y parameters - that is the location of the mouse at the moment of click. The TListiews GetHitTestInfoAt function returns information about the specified point in the list view’s client area. To make sure the item was clicked (or double clicked) you need to call the GetHitTestInfoAt and react only if the click event occurred on an actual item. Heres an example implementation of the ListView1s OnDblClick event: //handles ListView1s On Double Click procedure TForm.ListView1DblClick(Sender: TObject) ; var   Ã‚  hts : THitTests;   Ã‚  ht : THitTest;   Ã‚  sht : string;   Ã‚  ListViewCursosPos : TPoint;   Ã‚  selectedItem : TListItem; begin   Ã‚  //position of the mouse cursor related to ListView   Ã‚  ListViewCursosPos : ListView1.ScreenToClient(Mouse.CursorPos) ;   Ã‚  //double click where?   Ã‚  hts : ListView1.GetHitTestInfoAt(ListViewCursosPos.X, ListViewCursosPos.Y) ;   Ã‚  //debug hit test   Ã‚  Caption : ;   Ã‚  for ht in hts do   Ã‚  begin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  sht : GetEnumName(TypeInfo(THitTest), Integer(ht)) ;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Caption : Format(%s %s | ,[Caption, sht]) ;   Ã‚  end;   Ã‚  //locate the double-clicked item   Ã‚  if hts [htOnIcon, htOnItem, htOnLabel, htOnStateIcon] then   Ã‚  begin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  selectedItem : ListView1.Selected;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  //do something with the double clicked item!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Caption : Format(DblClcked : %s,[selectedItem.Caption]) ;   Ã‚  end; end; In the OnDblClick (or OnClick) event handler, read the GetHitTestInfoAt function by providing it with the location of the mouse inside the control. To get the location of the mouse related to the list view, the ScreenToClient function is used to convert a point (mouse X and Y) in screen coordinates to local, or client area, coordinates. The GetHitTestInfoAt return a value of THitTests type. The THitTests is a set of THitTest enumerated values. The THitTest enumeration values, with their description, are: htAbove - above the client area.htBelow - below the client area.htNowhere - inside the control, but not on an item.htOnItem - on an item, its text, or its bitmap.htOnButton - on a button.htOnIcon - on an icon.htOnIndent - on the indented area of an item.htOnLabel - on a label.htOnRight - on the right side of an item.htOnStateIcon - on a state icon or bitmap associated with an item.htToLeft - to the left of the client area.htToRight - to the right of the client area. If the result of the call to GetHitTestInfoAt is a subset (Delphi sets!) of [htOnIcon, htOnItem, htOnLabel, htOnStateIcon] you can be sure the user clicked on the item (or on its icon / state icon). Finally, if the above is true, read the Selected property of the list view, it returns the first selected item (if multiple can be selected) in the list view. Do something with the clicked / double clicked / selected item ... Be sure to download the full source code to explore the code and learn by adopting it.

Physician and American Golfer Tom Essay

Physician and American Golfer Tom Essay Physician and American Golfer Tom Essay Blaming the Doctor For physicians a god like perspective is brought forth by society. Brain Goldman explains this in his video â€Å"Doctors make mistakes. Can we talk about that?’ Goldman puts very simply that if a baseball player clears the ball 3 out of 10 times its good, and if he can clear it 4 out of 10 times he’s amazing, but in the medical world what would truly want are doctors or surgeons only to do things right 4 out of 10 times. The answer is no! When it comes to are health or even the health of our loved ones we want absolute perfection. As a society I believe we are to blame for the needs of doctors to cover up misdiagnosis, and take firm belief that medical inaccuracies could be lessened if doctors were able to admit mistakes freely without fear of what the outcome could be. American golfer Tom Watson captured the world's attention. If he had won at age 59 he would have been the oldest winner of the golfing championship. He captured my attention after he narrowly lost. Watson could have blamed his caddy, his clubs, or loud fans for his defeat. Instead he said plainly, "I put myself in a position to win but I did not get it done." He admitted that the errors leading to his defeat were his alone. If only more physicians had that same sense of responsibility about owning up to medical errors. It's easy, for example, to shrug off hospital infections. A decade ago, the Institute of Medicine published "To Err Is Human," a ground-breaking report that focused on the epidemic of medical errors in the U.S. Some of the nation's most respected physicians wrote it, and many doctors endorsed it. The report recommended changing hospital and physician practices to reduce errors. Those recommendations included publicly disclosing errors and safety concerns. Since then, b illions have been spent studying the problem, but not much has Tens of thousands of people continue to die each year because of errors. It's difficult or impossible to determine who or what was responsible for a medical mistake or hospital-acquired infection. But often we know that an error was the culprit, not the disease or the patient. Administrators worry that if they acknowledge errors, doctors and staff will be afraid to report them. But is that fair to patients who might have been harmed? They deserve to know what happened. The patients and families deserve an apology from staff who take responsibility for the error. Until our health-care system gets its act together, patients and their families will have to be constructively assertive to get to the bottom of any mishaps In an ideal world, the only factors that would go into a physician's decisions would be his or her years of clinical training and an assessment of what's best for the patient. Unfortunately, healthcare isn't that simple. A

Multiculturalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Multiculturalism - Essay Example In general, the practice of multiculturalism is said to be effective in improving the marketing communication of the Chinese and Indians who are residing in Australia. (Zhu, Nel, and Bhat, 2006) By considering the intercultural dimension and characteristics of each customer, business people are able to create a stronger buyer-seller relationship. Among the Australian Indians, it is the creation of trust and loyalty between them and the Asian seller(s) which further creates a way to develop future business opportunities. On the other hand, the Australian Chinese develop a close relationship with its Asian suppliers in order for them to be able to be able to end up making a win-win negotiation concerning the price and quality of the products they will purchase.Aside from improving the purchasers’ relationship with the Asian suppliers, multiculturalism also improves the working relationship between Australian business owners and their employed groups of workers in the Asian count ries. As a result of implementing multiculturalism within a business institution, a company’s all business performance and efficiency can be improved.The application of multiculturalism in doing business with Asia particularly in the trading of human power, raw materials, and finished products removes the cultural barriers and racial discrimination between Australia and the Asian countries. International trading is important since it could result in a significant economic advantage on the part of Australia.

History of Political Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

History of Political Philosophy - Essay Example However, the true objective of conservatism is to establish dignity, which is a social and psychological stipulation of discrepancy. Thus, the deceptions of conservatism in the current era will no longer be adequate because conservatisms are sophisticated especially in the current cultural society. On should accept conservatism as a guide to public policies because it is one of the significant driving forces towards building the American society where freedom, prosperity and opportunity flourish. However, it is significant to strike a balance between protection of civil rights and fundamental rights. There is a dramatic increase of conservatism in the public organizations and policy research organizations since the midst of 1990. The changes can be explained through the expansion of conservatism movement in the nation, the fall of communism and increased political democracies across the globe. Understanding cultural misunderstanding is significant because culture plays significant roles towards social and economic development. Behr (23) argues that conservatism movement is instrumental towards reorganizing and establishment of democracy across the globe. It continues to flourish the former communist nations, and it has played significant roles in numerous entities as well as h elping organizations to increase visibility. Socialism is an economic system of ownership. The central meaning involves common ownership of economic resources across the globe. Although, common sharing of resources does not make sense, but some commodities tend to be personal consumption. Common ownership means everyone has a right to participate in decision on the way global resources will be utilized. In this case, nobody can take personal control of the common shared resources beyond their personal possessions. Therefore, democratic control plays a significant role in socialism. This is where the government has powers to

War and Genocide against the Jews in Europe Essay

War and Genocide against the Jews in Europe - Essay Example Anti-Semitism has been one of the most important reasons behind the genocide conducted against the European Jews during the World War II. The development of the World War inspired the Germans to have control over the entire territory captured by them; due to this factor, they initiated rapid military movements in the German-occupied areas. Genocide is regarded as an unethical and barbarian activity by the entire world but there was little effort made by different countries to stop the genocide carried out by the German military forces. The European Jews were completely isolated from the rest part of the world during the progress of the World War II. The Germans got extra mileage to carry out the entire Holocaust because they did not experience any obstacles from the best part of the world. After detailed analysis, some historians such as Arnold Toynbee has been able to conclude that most parts of the world did not have any respect towards the Jews community because of their personal beliefs. The Christians believed that the Romans had killed Lord Jesus Christ and the Jews community supported the actions of the Romans (Crowe 17). Genocide against the Jews recorded mass killings of 5-6 million people in Europe because of the lack of interference of other communities. â€Å"It is significant that early Christians blamed the Jews for the crucifixion, which was actually practiced by the Romans during the period. The beliefs of the Christians have been supported by stating that the Jews mobs demanded Jesus’ death under the power of Roman governor Pontius Pilate† (Bergen 161). It has been observed that the convictions against the Jews society were not accurate but there are very few evidence in favor of them. The genocide of Europe was conducted by the German military forces under the leadership of Adolf Hitler and the Christian society isolated the Jews and left them to suffer under the brutal tortures of the Nazis.

The way we lie Essay Example for Free

The way we lie Essay People tell lies everyday,whether it is a simple white lire or a more complex lie. In article the way we lie written by Stephanie Ericsson she explains the different forms of lying, and how life is harder when we dont lie to authority figures, people we love.In the short story shooting an elephant the narrator is guilty of lying to the Native people in the village he is in. The narrator puts up a facade that he is like any other white man and can kill anything. A facade is an illusion, we put on to portray what we think the world expects from us. The narrator in Shooting an Elephant continuously lets us know that he does not want to kill the elephant but he feels that he must because thats what everyone is expecting from himI had no intention of shooting the elephant- I had merely sent for the rifle to defend myself if necessary He also goes on to say how he feels like a fool going down the hill to kill the elephant, he continuously lets us know that he isnt what everyone thinks he is rather he is just as nervous as everyone else is. At the beginning of the short story we are told that the narrator is an european police officer in the town of Moulmein. When a person wears a police uniform one assumes many things.The first being that that person can protect us from harm and defend those who are weak. The narrator tries to preserve all these stereotypes in the short story. A stereotype is used to categorize a specific groups of people,although the narrator knows that he isnt a ruthless elephant killing machine he wants people to believe that they are safe around him. For them to think hes a good police officer he must kill the elephant regardless of what his initial intent was. because of the crowd gathering around him he doesnt want them to think that hes like any other white police officer, so he kills the elephant knowing that he didnt want to bring any harm to the elephant.

Strategic Issues Facing Lockheed Martin

Strategic Issues Facing Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin is a global security Company that employs about 136,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. It was formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. It has its Headquarters in Bethesda, MD (Maryland). The Corporation reported 2009 sales of $45.2 billion, a backlog of $78 billion, and cash flow from operations of $3.2 billion. Lockheed Martin is one of the biggest Defense Contractors in the world. One of the biggest news in 2010 was that the United States had decided to buy up to 2443 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets. The F-35, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter, is the U.S. defense departments costliest weapons purchase at up to $382 billion over the next two decades. This makes it the biggest military deal ever. All this helps to pose an interest in this company. Cost Surge: The Lockheed Martin F-35 program is facing manufacturing inefficiencies, part problems and at least six engineering technical challenges as stated by the U.S Government Accountability Office (GAO). As such costs have grown and scheduled extensions are likely. Companys contribution to the National Economy A large part of Q2 GDP performance, +0.39% of total GDP growth 1.6% for the U.S owes thanks to wars and general defense. The defense sector of which Lockheed Martin is a part has contributed heavily to the countrys overall GDP. Lockheed Martin is also involved in other public activities. Companys contribution to the Regional Economy Lockheed Martin is a global security organization with its reach in countries and regions like Canada, United Kingdom, Africa, Europe, and Middle East, the Americas, Asia Pacific and Australia. Lockheed Martin has customers around the world and has partners in more than 50 countries outside the United States. Furthermore it has helped countries like Turkey by enhancing their defense capabilities. Recent Strategic Choice Lockheed Martin completed the divestiture of its Enterprise Integration Group business to Veritas Capital on November 23rd, 2010 for $815 million and also plans to sell off PAE in 2011. Source of Information on the Company:Â  www.lockheedmartin.com (355 Words) Executive Summary This assignment basically tells about the Defense Industry, discussing one of the major Defense contractors in detail in the world and other variables linked to the industry and the company alike. This project covers a lot of areas, using various tools for the purpose of analysis based on facts and our judgment. There are a few models used in this project to assess the state of the company and the industry alike; the first being the Industry Life Cycle which specifies where the defense industry currently stands whether it is introduction, growth, maturity or decline. Another model used such as the Key Factors for Success is used to determine basically what factors any given company needs to survive in the defense industry. Another one would be Porters Five Forces which determines the forces affecting the company. These are models based on factors relating to the industry. The other three models used are based on the company itself including SWOT which analyzes a companys strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats; SFAS which take the most critical two factors of the lot; and TOWS Matrix which helps to devise new strategies in regard to SWOT factors. After an in depth analysis, the current company performance is assessed based on efficiency, effectiveness and return to investors in regard with their recent strategic choice. Review of options is the next step in the project which takes into account the strategies formulated in the TOWS Matrix and determining which ones are the most important or critical to implement. The next area which is implementation of strategies provides an overview of if the future strategies can be deployed effectively and efficiently based on factors like structure, systems and policies. And the last part of the project determines the usefulness of all the six models used in the project. (300 Words) The Defense Industry as you see is in the Growth phase of the Industry Life cycle. A few leading firms in the industry and the ones that are surviving are huge firms like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman. These leading giants continue to innovate and create new products and services and refine old ones in order to stay in the game. The defense industry is basically a never dying industry due to the global conditions and national security challenges faced by the different nations of the world. Companies like Lockheed Martin have been there for 16 years now. There are several reasons on why the Defense Industry is in the growth stage. To begin with, despite the time the defense companies have been around, they continuously monitor customer needs and introduce new products and technologies into the market. This leads to increase in sales and growth. For example, the recent development of the F-35 fighter jet which was made possible with the collaboration between Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems has given the defense industry a new source of life. It is a new innovative product, which will intrigue customers to buy it and hence resulting in increased sales and ultimately growth. Technology development, innovation and engineering are the core areas of the defense industry. Companies like Lockheed Martin and Boeing analyze these areas and respond accordingly. They keep up with changing times by introducing new products and technologies keeping the Defense Industry well in the Growth phase. Moreover it can be said that the Defense Industry is in the High Growth part of the Growth phase. Why it can be said so is because although the sales are increasing, the increase in sales is not exceptionally high. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of the Aerospace and Defense sector in the period 2005-2009 was 8.7%. The sector grew by 0.4% in 2009 compared to 10.4% in the previous year. As said before, the Defense Industry is a never dying Industry and it continues to grow year by year by providing new technologies, weapons and advanced warfare systems. These Key Factors listed above are very important to survive in the Defense Industry. Taking Innovation and Technological advancement first, these are two of the most important factors for success in the Defense Industry. The giants in the industry like Boeing and Lockheed Martin have to keep up with changing times by providing or innovating new technologies and products. The National demands for defense technology are very high. And hence, the defense companies need to have advanced technology and innovative and creative personnel in order to deliver to the nation and hence succeed in the defense sector. The quality of the products is also very important. Customers can switch between defense contractors if they are not satisfied with the quality. The reliability of the products is also an important factor in the Defense Industry. As the products are designed for Warfare, product reliability is very crucial. Cost effectiveness is also among the most important factors in the Defense Industry. Every country has a defense budget. The Defense companies have to comply with the budget. Companies also need to have a skilled workforce in order to deal with complicated tasks including the likes of manufacturing military aircrafts. Diversification is also a very important factor to survive in the defense industry. Companies like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Boeing are heavily diversified into related markets including manufacturing naval shipbuilding, aircrafts, helicopters etc. Also, Defense companies need to have government contacts in order to carry out Lobbying. Overall Lockheed Martin is fairing pretty well in the Defense Industry. Although, compared to Boeing and Northrop Grumman, it has a few shortcomings in areas like being Cost Effective; it is handling the other key factors very well. It is well above the average level of operations in the defense sector. Porters Five Forces Threat of New Entrants (Low): The threat of new entrants is quite low in the Aerospace and Defense Industry. Few factors like very high capital requirements to sustain operations, having highly differentiated products act as entry barriers into the industry. The defense industry has a few big firms including Lockheed Martin, Boeing etc. who are very well established. Their products are highly differentiated, acting as a barrier; also the customers are reluctant to switch to a new companys product because personnel have to be trained again in order to use the new products raising switching costs. Companies in the defense industry need to have a huge amount of capital in order to sustain activities like building military aircrafts, naval ships etc. A new company will not have a large customer base and hence wont achieve economies of scale in order to reduce per head costs. Rivalry among Existing Firms (High): The rivalry among existing firms in the Defense industry is quite high. The leading Defense contractors like Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman have intense competition over winning defense contracts. As the firms in this Industry are few, they analyze each others move very carefully and issue counter moves accordingly. Firms in the defense sector use innovation and new technology to in order to differentiate their service and deliver better than the competitor which ultimately increases competitive rivalry. Threat of substitutes (Low): There are actually no real substitutes for the defense industry. The military aircrafts, equipments, and other systems cannot be replaced with anything else. For example, considering the commercial aircraft segment in the Aerospace and Defense Industry, there are alternatives like Rail Transport which may act as a possible threat due to factors like global warming and carbon footprints. But, the Defense Sector doesnt have any substitute. For example, a countrys Air Force cannot be replaced by zero emission gliders; it has to be military aircrafts. It is because they cannot serve the same purpose. A nations Defense Sector cannot be substituted as they are the only ones who can serve the National Security purpose. Bargaining power of Buyers (Low): The bargaining power of buyers is low in the Defense sector. Although, the buyers have some financial muscle as they are mostly Government organizations, this power is somewhat diluted as the government needs the defense systems and programs. It is very important to the government. Now, companies in the Defense Industry like Lockheed Martin dont just provide military aircraft and hardware like missiles and other weapon systems but also cater to the repair and logistic needs of their buyers. This means that it increases switching cost for the buyers and hence reduces buying power. The differentiated products provided by the Defense companies also decreases buyer power. For example, a product specially designed by Lockheed Martin like the Exoskeletal Load Carrier HULC cannot be designed by Boeing and vice versa. Bargaining power of Suppliers (Low): The bargaining power of suppliers is low in the Defense Industry. Firstly, there are many suppliers to choose from. Also, there is no switching cost considering the suppliers which makes the power of the suppliers weak. The supplier costs also dont form a large part of the organization. In the defense industry, the defense companys major costs are in regard with RD, advanced technology and skilled workforce rather than supplier price. The major suppliers of the defense industry like Steel and aluminium manufacturers cannot forward integrate and compete directly with the defense companies. For Example, a steel manufacturer cannot build complex aircrafts and weapons. This further reduces supplier power. Relative power of Stakeholders (High): The relative power of stakeholders is pretty high in the Defense Industry. Stakeholders like the Government, customers and suppliers can affect the company majorly. Taking into consideration the government, the government has strict laws and regulations for each company to follow. In case of a breach or due to any other viable reason, the government has the power and to match it the authority to terminate contracts and transactions. This may lead to losses in the company. The suppliers and customers can also affect the company. Internal Factors Strengths: Lockheed Martin has quite a number of strengths. Having a well diversified portfolio has enabled Lockheed Martin to not be over dependent on a single market segment and also serving a large customer base. Lockheed Martin is strong financially as per the stats given over the years. It had shown an increase of 5.8% in revenues in 2009 compared to the fiscal year 2008 and is also the largest defense contractor by revenue as of FY2009. In addition, it is one of the leading companies in providing tactical and transport aircraft and other defense systems. Lockheed Martin serves a very large customer base, which provides for economies of scale. And also the company is very advanced technologically, its recent achievement being the JSF F-35 program. Weaknesses: Lockheed Martin also lags in a few areas. In 2009, about 85% of the net sales were made to the US government. This shows over dependency on one customer which would affect its growth. Another area it has to consider is cost. It is not really a cost effective firm. A recent example would be the high developmental costs for the JSF F-35 project. Plus, the employee attitude is poor in Lockheed Martin. And the turnover rate is also pretty much near high. Lockheed Martin also ranks no. 1 in federal misconducts. This affects the reputation of the company and the scenario of future contracts. External Factors Opportunities: One of the opportunities that Lockheed Martin can capitalize on is the rise in defense spending by the US. The DoD has seen consistent growth within the last ten years as it grew from $300 billion to almost $550 billion. Further, the congress agreed to fund military operations in various countries. Also, the US space and military market has witnessed strong growth and the trend is likely to continue. Another point could be the space business initiatives. Lockheed Martin is a prime contractor for a number of space business initiatives initiated by NASA. More initiatives will create new business opportunities for Lockheed Martin. One other point is the easing of export controls by the US with India in order to trade with the country. Another one would be the cyber security needs which are increasing globally to deal with cyber warfare. Threats: There are quite a number of threats that Lockheed Martin is facing. Lockheed Martin deals with numerous government agencies and entities, and as a result has to face regulations relating to disclosure of cost and acquisitions. Also, Lockheed Martin has to deal intensely with competitors like General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman and BAE systems in regard to competitive factors such as technical superiority, reputation, price, etc. Also, The Company is involved in environmental and potential proceedings relating to soil and groundwater contamination, disposal of hazardous waste etc. which impact the companys profitability. Substitutes like the Russian MIG fighter jets and others can act as a possible threat to the company. Also, Lockheed Martin has to keep up with changing times by innovating new products and services and acquiring new tech to keep up with rapid technological changes. Strategic Factor Analysis Short: The fact that the US military market is going to grow may be viable for a short period or an intermediate period. So the company has to look for other viable opportunities which would be there for a long term. For the short term, it is definitely an opportunity which the company should capitalize and ultimately as a result it will benefit the company in different ways like for example increase in sales. Intermediate: A factor like not being dynamic is in the intermediate segment. Not being dynamic or not being very agile to change is a weakness which will affect the company in medium term. This is because issues like these need to be addressed in the medium term at least if not in the short. If not done so, the company may not be able to deliver accordingly and lose out to the competition. Same is with the factor of substitutes. They can be there for an intermediate term. Lockheed Martins main competitors like Boeing and Northrop Grumman are always there with new innovations and products. So, in order to stand up to the competition, Lockheed Martin has to bring in new technologies and unique products every time. As discussed earlier, the rivalry is intense and companies come out with new and unique products to stay ahead in the game. Long: Factors in the long run considers all the four; strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Considering financial performance, a company like Lockheed Martin earns about 80% of its revenues from military sales. It receives many of the defense contracts and if delivered as supposed to, it will stay in a good position financially. It is also in a position to acquire some other firms. An example would be Gyrocam Systems LLC on 31st august, 2009. Also, all the companies have to be advanced technologically in order to meet the demands of the customer. They have to provide distinctive products which are not possible without advanced technology. Factors like export control easing by the US towards India are also in the long run. Once eased, it will trade with the nation for quite some time. Government regulations also stay for a long time. TOWS Matrix Strengths (S) Financial stats New Technology Well balanced Portfolio Economies of scale Strong market position Weaknesses (W) Dependence on the U.S government Cost management Not agile to changing conditions Employee attitude Contract misconducts Opportunities (O) Rising defense spending Growing military and space market Space business initiatives Export-control easing Cyber Security needs SO Strategies Expand business into India by acquiring firms Use advanced technology to deliver new and unique products to the growing market WO Strategies Reduce the dependence on US government by expansion into other countries Change employee attitude to deliver better products Threats (T) Government contracts and regulation Intense competition Environmental compliance costs Substitutes Technological changes ST Strategies Regular and timely Upgrades of systems and technology to stay competitive Acquisition of firms to gain new technology in order to deal with substitutes WT Strategies Be dynamic to keep up with rapid technological changes Reduce costs in order to comply with the regulations SO Strategies (Maxi-Maxi): SO strategies are formed considering the use of a companys strengths to capitalize on the opportunities. According to the figure above, I have devised two strategies which will do so. As the US has eased its export controls towards India, Lockheed Martin can expand its business there by acquiring firms and so on. This can be done as the company is financially strong and is in a position to do so. Another strategy that can be used is that Lockheed Martin can use its advanced technologies and systems to capitalize on the opportunity of the growing military and space market by offering new and differentiated products. ST Strategies (Maxi-Mini): Now, ST strategies are formed by considering the use of a companys strengths to minimize the threats. Two strategies have been devised. The first one is to regularly upgrade the systems and technology of Lockheed Martin in order to deal with threats like rapid technological changes. In the defense sector, big players like Boeing and Northrop Grumman may have better tech compared to Lockheed Martin and so in order to compete it has to have timely upgrades of its own technology. Also another strategy to be considered would be an acquisition strategy. In the defense sector there are quite a number of substitutes. Lockheed Martin can acquire more firms in order to gain access to new technologies and minimize the threat of substitutes. These strategies are possible because of the strong financial position of Lockheed Martin. WO Strategies (Mini-Maxi): WO strategies are formed by considering the capitalization of opportunities by overcoming weaknesses. One of the strategies that can be considered is reducing the dependence on the US government by expanding overseas. Recently, US eased its export controls towards India, which means Lockheed Martin has the opportunity to make sales in the latter. This can reduce the over dependence on the US government for sales. Another would be changing employee attitude by providing a better work environment, which in turn will help to develop better products for the growing military and space market and hence increasing sales. WT Strategies (Mini-Mini): WT strategies are formed by considering the minimization of weaknesses and avoiding threats and are basically defensive. One of the strategies would be to be more dynamic to changing conditions. By being more dynamic, Lockheed Martin can stay up with changing times and avoid the threat of rapid technological changes. By analyzing the conditions and acting, for example, Lockheed Martin upgrading its systems and technology, the company will be able to stay competitive. Another would be to effectively reduce costs by using methods that are efficient, so as the excess costs are not transferred to the final products. In case of Lockheed Martin, it has to comply with government regulations regarding costs and any default may result in termination of contracts and transactions. Assessment of current Company performance Efficiency: Lockheed Martin was very efficient in its recent strategy of divesting its business in EIG (enterprise integration group). It also plans to sell most of its PAE business unit. Lockheed Martin was very efficient in using the Divestiture strategy. Lockheed Martin had an after tax gain of $184 million ($0.51 per share). Not many resources were required to do so as EIG was a very high quality segment of their business associated with the support of organizations like the National Reconnaissance Office, other elements of the intelligence community. Lockheed Martin did not require much effort and resources in order to carry out their divestiture strategy. Effectiveness: Lockheed Martin was very effective in carrying out the divestiture strategy. There were many prospective buyers for the business unit. Lockheed Martin effectively made the sale to Veritas capital without much hassle from either side. The cash generated from this transaction was effectively deployed in various ways like in the specific 4th quarter of 2010; 13.2 million shares were repurchased for $916 million, discretionary contributions of $840 million to the pension trust, cash dividends totalling $269 million which is an increase from the previous year in the same quarter and expending capital of $426 million. Return to Investors: Lockheed Martin paid a total dividend of $269 million in the fourth quarter which shows a $29 million increase from the payout in the 4th quarter of 2009. Also the total dividend payout in 2010 being $969 million showed an increase of $61 million over the previous years total payout. It clearly shows that Lockheed Martins profits had gone up in 2010 by quite a good margin. The corporation was paying out more dividends makes it clear, that quite some money was being made by it. The share value also went up after the divestiture was completed by $0.51 per share. Review of Options Lockheed Martin can consider the use of various strategies devised above in order to deal with major threats and weaknesses by using opportunities and strengths. One of the most critical strategies that should be considered as an important option by Lockheed Martin is the expansion strategy. Adopting this strategy will help Lockheed Martin to capitalize on a valuable opportunity and at the same time, help it to reduce its excess dependence on the US government. Lockheed Martin can expand in to other countries by using either acquisitions or maybe they can enter into a Joint Venture with some other companies. Another strategy could be the acquisition strategy. Lockheed Martin can consider acquiring firms in order to get new technology. This will help them to stay very competitive in the market, deal with the competition and at the same time help them to deal with a major threat of substitutes. Another strategy that would be recommended is being more dynamic to change. By being more dynamic, Lockheed Martin will analyze the market constantly and keep up with changing trends and factors like rapid technological changes. Being a defense contractor, it has to keep up with such changes in order to keep up with the competition. Another one would be the changing of employee attitude towards the organization and work. This can be done by providing a cooperative and healthy work environment and proper training of personnel. This in turn will benefit the organization in the long run by providing dedicated and motivated personnel which will help to produce higher quality products and services. Implementation of Strategies Structure: Now, in order to carry out the most critical strategies that are stated above, the company should analyze their structure and make changes if they have to. The current horizontal structure of Lockheed Martin can well serve the purpose. Lockheed Martin gives all the employees initiative to work and deliver better results. There is an immense sense of team work and team spirit. Lockheed Martin enables its employees to make decisions at their respective levels and hence shows decentralization of power to a certain extent. It is useful in motivating employees and efficiently catering customer needs. Systems: Lockheed Martin basically has all the system facilities to deliver the strategies. In order to deliver the expansion strategies Lockheed Martin needs to develop software(s) and systems for the place where they are expanding. Lockheed Martin has all the necessary systems in place in order to deliver the most critical strategies. It can enhance its capabilities by upgrading systems factors like software(s) and machines in order to cater better to the strategies. Policies: In order to comply with the strategies above, Lockheed Martin should adopt a recruitment policy. Specially in using the expansion strategy, Lockheed Martin needs to employ new workers in order to sustain such strategies. Employing dedicated and motivated personnel would surely benefit Lockheed Martin. Another policy that can be adopted by Lockheed Martin is a reward policy. Lockheed Martin can reward individuals by using factors like pay increments and bonuses. Cooperative teamwork and appropriate rewards will help to change employee attitude and motivate them to deliver better products. Usefulness of Models Industry life cycle: The industry life cycle was very helpful in assessing the specific stage of the life cycle in which the defense industry currently is. More importantly it has helped in analyzing the fact that why the defense industry is in that specific stage. Industry life cycle is an important tool in the analysis of an industrys life. It has given us an in depth view of where the industry is and also what the companies in the industry are doing to stay alive. Key factors for success: The second model is very useful in assessing the most critical factors that a company needs to survive in the specific industry, in this case the defense industry. It was useful because it gave us an overview of the industry in regard with the factors required to succeed in it. It told us what a company needs to survive, how their competitors are fairing in the core areas and which areas can the company make changes. Porters five forces: Porters five forces helped us to analyze the six crucial and constant forces that affect the industry. It has helped us to analyze how the industry is affected by these six forces and what stand do the companies have in consideration to these forces. SWOT: SWOT analysis was very useful as it helps is assessing the companys internal factors; strengths and weaknesses and external factors; opportunities and threats. It helped us to look into the company in depth to find out where it lags and where it excels. Also it helped us to look into valuable opportunities which the company can capitalize on to grow or expand and also threats which the company faces. SFAS matrix: The SFAS matrix is basically derived from the SWOT. But what makes it very useful is that it helped us to choose the most critical factors of the four points; strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It has helped us to analyze what are the critical strengths and opportunities for our company and how long are they going to stay there. Also, It helped us to analyze our weaknesses and threats and how much time we should take to address them. Overall, it was a very important tool in assessing the critical factors to which the company should respond accordingly to grow and stay competitive. TOWS matrix: Another model derived from SWOT. This was very useful in basically formulating the best strategies possible for our company that they can deliver in accordance with the four factors.

The Scarlet Letter :: Essays Papers

The Scarlet Letter In this novel Hester Prynee is represented in several different ways. Before this story starts she was sent to Boston by her husband (Roger Chillingworth) who was supposed to be meeting her there shortly. He never makes it, she assumes he died at sea. While in Boston she meets Rev. Dimmesdale she has an affair with him and gets pregnent. He then starts to ignore her. Months later when everyone finds out about her illegitimate daughter (Pearl) and that she is un married. She is looked upon with great sin. When she is first introduced into the novel she is in the prison. She emerges wearing an elaborately emroidered scarlet letter â€Å"A† (meaning adultery) on her breast, and carries her 3 month old infant in her arms. She is led onto the scaffold where she has to stand in fron of the whole town as part of her punishment. While on the scaffold she has flashbacks of her old life, this is where we first learn about the real Hester Prynne. The rest of her punishment is that she has to wear the scarlet â€Å"A† for the rest of her life. The Rev. Mr. Dimmesdale pleads with Hester to tell the name of the man she had a sexual affair with, but she will not. After the 3 hours she is lead back to the prison with Pearl. At this point in the novel we learn that back in England Hester was married to a man, Roger Chillingworth. This man is now in Boston and comes to visit Hesters prison cell. Hester and Dimmesdale discuss who is at fault for her affair. He admits that he will find the father though. When Hester is released from prison she has the choice to go anywhere in the world, but she chooses to stay in Boston where she commited her sin and where she will have her punishment. She starts sewing and sells her garments but puritan society never accepts her. Believes â€Å"A† allows her to see sinful and immoral feelings in other people. Hesters strength is most seen when she goes to the Governers mansion to plead for her daughter. In the following years Hester and Dimmesdale start speaking again. Now you will be able to see her weaker side.She falls in love with him all over, they plan to leave Boston and move to Bristol, England and live the rest of their lives there. But they never make it, When Hester dies she is burried next to Dimmesdale. Physically Hester at the begining of the novel is a tall young woman with a figure of