Jinnikins Jeans Formative Assignment Essay

The Assignment will be arranged in a business report format in regards to the evaluation of provided voice level for the staff at Jinnikins Jeans. This report will be in a very brief and efficient frame. The Jinnikins Jeans evaluation will take place by using relevant theories and models that is being covered in the lectures as well as some independent research. This will be in the form of books, journals, and some online sources in order to support the theories. I intend to open this report with clarifying how important it is for employees to have a voice in organization in general as well as stressing the fact that how maintaining a good level of voice within the organization can influence positively for the employees and could lead to growth of the company. The next step would be a brief overview of the Jinnikins Jeans case study and discuss how much they are maintaining the level of voice for employees in their business. Despite the fact that At Jinnikins Jeans the two brothers are making the main decisions, the commitment cycle model has been chosen. Because it allows to assess the impact of employees freedom voice range to the overall company’s success by using its 5 parts in the cycle. The next step of this report will focuses in more details on the motivational aspect of the employees in Jennekins base on the fact that George and Trevor are the only one who is making the decisions at the company by using two different theories as they will allow different ways of evaluation to the topic. This will encompass Hertzberg analysis and Vroom expectancy theory. Vroom expectancy theory has been chosen as it allows to discuss about the requirement of completion of 3 elements of motivational forces in relation to give voice to the employees at jinnikins. The report will argue about the fact how the brothers can understand employees interests when they are not giving enough voice to them in order to relate their interest to their final out come of their performance results and keeping them motivated. The Hertzberg analysis has been chosen as it makes it possible to analyse how the brothers reward method in order to motivate their employees really affect to their motivational level. Furthermore, The report will evaluate how giving the voice to employees in Jinnikins Jeans has effected to the overall performance and their motivation by counting in using Hertzberg theory. Throughout the report, references of academic books will be present. These will include the core and recommended references provided in the module guide. Furthermore, journal article will act as vital point of reference in order to evaluate Jinnikins Jeans in more details. The report will be referenced using Harvard style.

Accounting Essays – BT Cashflow Changes

BT Cashflow Changes.BT Group ( BT ) is the taking UK company supplying landline telecommunication services and equipment. It besides had the nomadic telecommunication concern which was later sold as MMO2. After the sale of nomadic concern, BT ‘s profile has now changed from a growing company to a mature hard currency bring forthing company. A )Fiscal public presentationThe most common nonsubjective appraisal of the fiscal public presentation of a house is the return it generates on its assets and the measure and quality of the returns. Measure is measured by the absolute and per centum alteration in entire net incomes. The net income and loss history of an administration and its analysis are the premier and first indexs of a house ‘s fiscal public presentation. The latest one-year consequences of BT is for the period stoping 31 March 2005. Appendix I shows the sum-up of cardinal net income and loss figures over the last three old ages. BT ‘s turnover and net income after revenue enhancement in 2005 have increased as compared to 2004 but are still lower than those in 2003. The turnover has declined by 5.7 % merely whereas net income after revenue enhancement has declined by 32.7 % over the two twelvemonth period. This shows that the concern has really low variable costs which is in line with the heavy fixed cost investings usually made by telecommunication companies in set uping their webs and subsequent really low variable costs in transporting informations. While turnover increased in 2005, runing net incomes have declined. This indicates that the concern is confronting some pricing force per unit areas or is passing more on advertizement as the operating net income declined by 0.5 % merely. BT ‘s 2005 net income after revenue enhancement was & A ; lb ; 1,820m and was well higher than & A ; lb ; 1,406m. Though the absolute net income is really high figure compared to most of the concerns and indicates that the company is in strong fiscal place, it besides shows that BT has high fiscal purchase. The company paid a important high involvement and if grosss and operating borders come under more force per unit area, it could hold problem paying involvement costs. BT is cognizant of this issue and has focused on cut downing its net debt. After confronting tough times in early 2000s, it has sold many old investings to raise money for refunding debt. BT ‘s portion monetary value rose after it announced its strategic determination to cut down net debt by raising money through divestments. The net involvement payments have declined from & A ; lb ; 1,439m in 2003 to & A ; lb ; 801m in 2005. Not merely that, the net involvement payment has declined from 49.5 % of operating net income to 29.0 % from 2003 to 2005. The decrease in net involvement as a per centum of operating net income is an of import betterment as it gives investors comfort that even if operating borders come under force per unit area, the company would still be able to run into its involvement liabilities. One speedy manner to analyze a company ‘s public presentation is to look at the net incomes per portion form. The net incomes per portion had besides a alteration form similar to that of net income after revenue enhancement. It foremost decreased from 31.4p in 2003 to 16.4p in 2004 before increasing to 21.4p in 2005. The 2005 addition in net incomes per portion highlights the betterment in public presentation. Though the net incomes did lessening in 2004, BT kept on increasing entire dividend paid to stockholders. This shows the direction ‘s religion in concern traveling frontward and its ability to run into higher dividend outlooks in future. The returns generated on assets is measured by Return on Capital employed ( ROCE ) . Appendix II shows the computation of ROCE for BT. BT had a healthy ROCE of 19.0 % and 20.7 % in 2004 and 2005. The quality of returns is measured by their consistence and by the spread of net incomes, i.e. , the per centum of net incomes being generated from different divisions and locations. The less trust of net incomes on any one division and/or location means the company is in better form to defy downswings in its markets. None of BT ‘s concern contributed more than 50 % in its turnover in the twelvemonth ended 31 March 2005 ( BT, 2005 ) . This indicates that BT Group is moderately good protected from the diminutions in a concern line. The state of affairs is somewhat different if we look at the operating net incomes where BT Wholesale division contributes more than 50 % of net runing net incomes. Any more border force per unit areas in this concern could cut down future net incomes. Most of BT ‘s net incomes originate from UK and hence it net incomes are susceptible to alterations in UK economic system. Fiscal placeThe fiscal place of a company covers its fiscal construction, its assets and liabilities, its liquidness and hazard direction attack ( Accounting Standards 2004/2005 ) . Appendix III gives the high spots of BT Group ‘s balance sheet from 2004 to 2005. The entire fixed assets have increased by & A ; lb ; 639m in the last twelvemonth. While entire fixed assets have increased, the entire current assets have decreased by & A ; lb ; 254m, so entire assets have increased by & A ; lb ; 385m. The lower addition in entire assets as compared to increase in fixed assets is chiefly due to diminish in hard currency and investings. The major alteration in fiscal construction has occurred on the liabilities side. The entire current liabilities have gone up by & A ; lb ; 3,938m due to increase in current loans and adoptions of & A ; lb ; 3,227m. This shows that BT is financing much more of its assets from current adoptions. The monolithic addition in current loans and adoptions has reversed the net current assets ( liabilities ) place. BT had net current assets of & A ; lb ; 2,027m in 2004 and had net current liabilities of & A ; lb ; 2,165m in 2005, a net lessening in current assets of & A ; lb ; 4,192m. While the current liabilities have increased, the long term creditors have decreased by & A ; lb ; 4,335m. If we merely look at long-run creditors, the decrease is impressive and it gives more assurance to the investors that company is in better fiscal place now. But when we combine the lessening in long term creditors with the addition in current liabilities, the net alteration is really less. And the fact that alterations in current liabilities is chiefly due to borrowing alternatively of addition in trade creditors means that the funding of assets has simply shifted from long term adoptions to short term adoptions. The current assets to current liabilities ratio has declined from 1.24 to 0.83 in the last one twelvemonth, a mark of concern in footings of liquidness particularly when the addition in liabilities is non chiefly due to higher trade creditors. Debt to equity ratio indicates the funding of assets. BT had entire debt of & A ; lb ; 13,697m in 2004 and the corresponding figure for 2005 was & A ; lb ; 12,589m, a lessening of & A ; lb ; 1,108m. If we now exclude hard currency and short term investings from entire debt, BT ‘s net debt was & A ; lb ; 8,425m and & A ; lb ; 7,786m in 2004 and 2005 severally. The net debt to book value of equity ratio declined from 2.75 in 2004 to 2.02 in 2005. This means that debt fundss about twice assets as being financed by equity. Higher sum of debt consequences in lower leaden mean cost of capital as debt is cheaper equity. But as BT reduces more debt, its leaden mean cost of capital will increase. The addition would be partly offset by lower cost of equity due to take down opportunities of bankruptcy. Hazard of bankruptcy is measured by involvement screen ratio which is defined as the ratio of hard currency available for involvement payments to net involvement. Appendix IV shows the EBITDA computation and involvement screen ratio. The involvement screen ratio has increased from 6.1 in 2004 to 7.0 in 2005. The healthy involvement screen ratio shows that BT has farther reduced the hazard of bankruptcy and is in better fiscal place now. The debt degree is now really much within manageable degrees and is more like a hard currency rich mature company. Companies usually tend to follow certain dividend tendency to signal market of their appraisal of future net incomes. Dividend declaration is besides portion of hazard direction as it is based on direction ‘s appraisal of future hard currency coevals and outgo outlooks. The hiking in dividend in 2004 and 2005 inspite of diminution in net incomes in 2004 shows the direction appraisal of future low hazards to hard currency flows. Fiscal AdaptabilityAn entity ‘s fiscal adaptability is its ability to take effectual action to change the sum and timing of its hard currency flows so that it can react to unexpected demands or chances ( Accounting Standards 2004/2005, page 26 ) . Appendix V shows the chief elements of amalgamate hard currency flow statement of BT Group. BT Group is bring forthing high sums of hard currency influx from operating activities. During the twelvemonth ended 31 March 2005, the company generated & A ; lb ; 5,900m of net hard currency from operating activities. BT is in telecommunication concern which demands comparatively high degree of absolute investings. It spent & A ; lb ; 2,408m on capital outgo during the twelvemonth ended 31 March 2005. Even if we believe that all of capital outgo was required under normal operations, BT was still left with & A ; lb ; 2,282m of excess hard currency in 2005. As we can see from the Appendix III that BT has now focused on refund of loans. During the last three old ages, the company has reduced adoptions by & A ; lb ; 7,395m. Though BT is able to bring forth important sum of hard currency before disposals but that was non plenty in 2003 and 2004 to refund loans. The company so sold some of its investings to bring forth hard currency for loan refunds. BT besides pays a important sum of dividend to its stockholders. So if its cyberspace hard currency from operations do diminish in future, it has still some buffer in footings of dividend payments to take attention of loan refunds. B )The aim of fiscal statement is to supply information about the coverage entity ‘s fiscal public presentation and fiscal place that is utile to a broad scope of users for measuring the stewardship of the entity ‘s direction and for doing economic determinations ( Accounting Standards, 2004, page 22 ) . The conformity of an entity ‘s fiscal studies with UK ‘s Accounting Standards can be gauged over two chief countries – content and format. Content is of import to give true and right image of a house ‘s fiscal public presentation and place. Different users need different information. Fiscal statements are used by investors to establish their investing determination. So it is of import that fiscal statements have the right content to assist accomplish this end. It is besides of import to hold right format of presentation. Investors are more likely to experience comfy if they see familiar presentation manner and can so measure the company easy. We will look at the content and major fiscal statements to see whether they comply with UK Accounting Standards. We will so besides at few extra notes to fiscal statements to see whether they are besides in line with true and just rule and give the readers a clear image of the entity. First of all we compare net income and loss statement with FRS 3 ‘Reporting fiscal public presentation ‘ . BT ‘s amalgamate net income and loss statement clearly shows the entire turnover and portion from joint venture and associates, and in making so gives more lucidity of its gaining base. The fiscal statement format is similar to the illustration formats shown in Accounting Standards 2004/2005. BT ‘s 2005 Annual Report nevertheless does n't demo portion of turnover and net incomes from discounted operations ( BT, 2005 ) . It is because BT did n't sell any concern in 2005. If we look at the 2002 Annual Report ( BT, 2002 ) , it shows the turnover and net incomes from discounted operations besides. The fiscal statement besides has statement of entire recognized additions and losingss in line with FRS 3 patterns. So the histories run into net income and loss statement UK Accounting Standards in footings of both content and format. We now compare BT ‘s hard currency flow statement with the format prescribed in FRS 1 ‘Cash flow statements ‘ . BT ‘s hard currency flow statement has non merely got all the headers but they are besides in the same order as mentioned in FRS 1. BT study besides gives sub-categories under the major headers and hence is a echt attempt to educate investors every bit much as possible on the coevals and usage of hard currency flows. BT hard currency flow statement uses the format prescribed for the ‘Group ‘ histories. The notes to fiscal statement besides has detailed describing on rapprochement of operating net income to run hard currency flows, analysis of net debt, acquisition and disposals in line with formats for the ‘Group ‘ histories. The following subdivision we analyse is on segmental coverage and look into its comparison with SSAP 25 ‘Segmental Reporting ‘ . SSAP 25 says that a populace limited company should supply segmental analysis on lines of concern category and geographical location. The notes to fiscal statement subdivision in the 2005 Annual Report has a subdivision on segmental coverage wherein BT shows the turnover, runing profit/ ( loss ) and net assets/ ( liabilities ) of different concern lines. It besides provides the above informations based on the geographical location of contrary coevals. The above meets SSAP 25 demands and besides helps investors make a better judgement of hazards faced by BT. BT is in telecommunication concern where engineering alteration is rapid. BT has acquired many companies in recent old ages to maintain gait with the technological developments. So it is of import to analyze the acquisition policies and revelations are in line with the UK Accounting Standards. FRS 6 ‘Acquisitions and Mergers ‘ and FRS 7 ‘Fair values in acquisition accounting ‘ govern the acquisition accounting policies. BT ‘s one-year study under ‘Notes to fiscal statements ‘ gives elaborate revelation of entire and just value of the acquisitions made by it. BT ‘s fiscal statements non merely give the book and just value of acquisitions but besides a elaborate account of them for each acquisition. The clear and easy to understand format of fiscal statements and the deepness of information in them signals that BT non merely merely make the lower limit to run into UK Accounting Standards but besides follows them in true spirit. Appendix I – Highlight of BT Group ‘s net income and loss histories ( Beginning: BT Annual Report and Form 20-F ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.btplc.com/Sharesandperformance/Howwehavedone/Financialreports/Annualreports/AnnualReports.htm ) Appendix II – ROCE of BT Group ( Beginning: BT Annual Report and Form 20-F ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.btplc.com/Sharesandperformance/Howwehavedone/Financialreports/Annualreports/AnnualReports.htm ) Appendix III – Highlight of BT Group ‘s balance sheet ( Beginning: BT Annual Report and Form 20-F ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.btplc.com/Sharesandperformance/Howwehavedone/Financialreports/Annualreports/AnnualReports.htm ) Appendix IV – Interest screen ratio ( Beginning: BT Annual Report and Form 20-F ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.btplc.com/Sharesandperformance/Howwehavedone/Financialreports/Annualreports/AnnualReports.htm ) Appendix V – Highlight of BT Group ‘s hard currency flow statements ( Beginning: BT Annual Report and Form 20-F ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.btplc.com/Sharesandperformance/Howwehavedone/Financialreports/Annualreports/AnnualReports.htm ) Bibliography and mentions Accounting Standards 2004/2005 – Extant at 30 April 2004 ( 2004 ) ; Wolters Kluwer ( UK ) Limited. BT ( 2005 ) ; BT Annual Report and Form 20-F for the twelvemonth ended 31 March 2005 ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.btplc.com/Sharesandperformance/Howwehavedone/ Financialreports/Annualreports/AnnualReports.htm BT ( 2002 ) ; BT Annual Report and Form 20-F for the twelvemonth ended 31 March 2002 ;hypertext transfer protocol: //www.btplc.com/Sharesandperformance/Howwehavedone/Financialreports/Annualreports/Annualreportsarchive.htm

How Christians Belief about Jesus Guides them to Confront Evil Essay

How Christians Belief about Jesus Guides them to Confront Evil - Essay Example In Romans chapter twelve verse seventeen, Christians are told; â€Å"repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all† (Rom 12: 17). When abiding by this command, in real life, Christians choose to forgive and forget. Take an example of this situation. Jane and Catherine have been friends since childhood. They live together and share expenses. They contribute the same amount to pay rent, do some shopping and buy other household items. One time, the two decided that it was time for them to live separate lives. To help each other, they agreed to buy the household items in two phases, using the money they had saved. Jane was to receive the first batch, and Catherine the last. This, however, never happened since Jane bought the first batch and left with all the money to an unknown location. This is a painful experience for Catherine, and naturally, she may feel the urge to revenge. The Christian way, however, advocates for forgiveness. They use so many of Jesus’ teachings and others from the Bible to justify forgiveness. In this case, they could argue, that the â€Å"wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord (Romans 6:23).† This is according to Romans chapter six verse twenty-three. If one is a believer in Christ, he or she should refrain from acting against his teachings. Doing so is a sin, and that means death. Evil is not only through revenge. Evil is multi-faceted and dealing with it is also complex.

Ethical issues in the service industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical issues in the service industry - Essay Example The main problem in this article is why the airplanes from the same company are operating with less fuel in their engines. There is a fuel policy which is posing an ethical issue hence risking the life of hundreds of passengers who fly with Ryanair airplanes. Even though the Irish Aviation Authority noted that most of the aircrafts left their destinations with more than the required fuel reserves, the ethical issue remains why the pilots waited for the 30 minutes minimum landing alarm from the plan. It is argued that this poses a threat to the customer’s lives. It is also argued that all the three planes that made emergency landings made their mayday landings when their fuel was less than the final reserve (Massey, 2012). The pilots were in ethical dilemma on whether to make their landings or not but they argue that declared their emergencies according to the EU safety regulations which require emergency landings in case the fuel runs below the reserve elevel. The solution is going to be applied based on the ethical issues which require that the airline upgrades its safety standards. The airline industry is one of the industries where safety is the most crucial thing. This is because most of the accidents regarding airplane have always resulted to 100% loss of life and property worth millions of money. It will therefore raise questions why an airline would have more than its three airlines making emergency landings due to shortages of fuel in their planes. There will need to be a review of the airline fuel policy in order to ensure that the planes do not run out of fuel while in operations. There would also be the need to review the price policy for the airline industry as it may not relate to the type of quality the customers are paying for. All this is aimed at ensuring that the company is avoiding ethical issues in relation to safety of its passengers. The Spanish government was forced to make an

A Critical Evaluation of HRM and Organisational Behaviour Theories Essay

A Critical Evaluation of HRM and Organisational Behaviour Theories - Essay Example As such, this essay seeks to critically analyse the influence of HRM practices and organisational behaviour on the performance of the individuals as well as the organization as a whole. The essay starts by explaining the meaning of the key term, organizational behaviour and this will be followed by the evaluation of various factors that can affect the performance of the employees. The last part of the paper will summarize the main points discussed. Basically, organisational behaviour can be summed up as the study of what people do in an organization and how that behaviour affects the performance of the organization (Robbins, 1993). Organisational behaviour is specifically concerned with employment related situations and it emphasizes on aspects such as work, productivity, human performance and management. As such, there is a correlation between organisational behaviour and HRM given that these are employee oriented. In order for the workers to put optimum performance in their operati ons, it is imperative that the leadership of the organization put some measures that are meant to ensure that they are satisfied with their work. This leads to improvement in their performance which ultimately leads to the productivity of the organization as a whole.... Leadership is generally defined as â€Å"the social process of influencing people to work voluntarily, enthusiastically and persistently towards a purposeful group or organisational goal,† (Werner, 2007, p.36). A leader often adds an inspirational and emotional dimension to the organization through creating a shared vision among the members and inspiring people within that particular organization to be passionate towards the achievement of the vision and set goals. It can be noted that change is also inevitable in organisations hence there is need for the HRM to take a holistic approach in anticipating such changes. Given the complexity of the changing human resources management landscape, the leader has to be better positioned to engage the employees through working with them such that they will be in a better position to put optimum performance in their operations. The human resources managers as leaders play a great role in anticipating both internal as well as external fac tors that can affect the operations of the employees. More often than not, certain changes are viewed with mixed reactions by the members of the organisation hence there is need to first identify the aspects that can immediately affect the performance of the workers. Internally, there may be need for the managers to change the roles played by the employees but this strategy requires them to take into consideration the needs of the workers. Individuals in an organization have different needs and aspirations to fulfil hence their efforts have to be catered for by the management (Robbins, 1993). Some situations can emerge within the organization where there will be need to move away from traditional ways of doing

King Kong (1933) and Scarface (1932) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

King Kong (1933) and Scarface (1932) - Essay Example But for film makers to present their stories in an excellent manner there are a couple of factors they need to be considered. These factors may be numerous but are highly interrelated and thus they have to ensure that each of them is well connected to the total make up of the film. Three of these factors are story structure, cinematography and editing. In instances where any of these three pillars is misplaced, there is a very high tendency that the whole story of the film will be misplaced and this would affect the subtext stories used in the film production. The present essay therefore looks at how makers of the two films King Kong (1933) and Scarface (1932) used the elements of story structure, editing and cinematography to bring out the subtext of their films clearly. Story structure of the two films The story structure of King Kong (1933) is set around the theme of love. Indeed, in the plot of the film, the producer is careful in presenting the theme of love in a clear cut manne r without ambiguity right from the start of the film. One of the major strengths in the film’s story structure would perhaps have to do with the fact that the film depicts the theme of love from several angels including love affair that was not built between two human beings. This is because at the beginning of the story structure, there is an indication of love for a person’s job when Carl Denham decided to look for a female actress by himself after Charles Weston refused to do so. The eagerness with which Carl set off in the search gave a strong undertone of a story of love for his work. Consequently, there is another story of love told between Ann and Driscoll, who until meeting Ann had said that a woman had no place on his ship. Indeed, Driscoll would throw his personality of toughness away to embrace love. As if this was enough on the subject of love, the gigantic beast known as Kong is introduced into the movie, only to come and also fall in love with the beautif ul Ann. Indeed, this was a mighty beast, which had the power of destroying the whole world at a go. But the only thing that would make it calm was the love of a beautiful woman. Without any doubt, the subtext in King Kong is the power of love in suppressing human personality. The story structure in the film Scarface (1932), was quite different from that of King Kong. This could greatly be blamed to the story line and the theme selected by the writer. Unlike King Kong, which had a central theme of love, the central theme in Scarface was power and authority. This was contrasting only in terms of how it was presented in the story structure. This is because King Kong also had a theme of power and authority vested in the character and personality of the Kong. However, this was not made to be the major running theme in the story structure of King Kong. Yet again, there was a theme of love in Scarface when Tony’s sister Cesca married Guino, who was Tony’s friend. Indeed, the writer had an option of making that love relationship a central theme in the story structure but that was left to the power and authority struggle that Tony and Lovo was going through. It was not for nothing that in the plot, the marriage ceremony between Cesca and Guino was made to be a secret one (Sanghi, 2007). In all this, the writer made the topic of love to the subtext of Scarface because at a time when Tony had deeply offended his sister and

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Business Law - Essay Example The offer letter was also duly signed by Jennings, further confirming his intention to offer the car for sale to Wheeler. The offer letter, sent by any means like post or through personal delivery, was duly received by Wheeler and this fact is confirmed by his subsequent action, viz., to accept the offer and tendering the sale price of $13,500 on 29 September. Thus Jennings’ letter of September 1 to Wheeler is a valid offer on the date of its acceptance by Wheeler. This offer was not withdrawn or amended by Jennings before Wheeler communicated his acceptance. Wheeler responded to the offer letter by accepting it on 29 September and tendering the sale price. The date of acceptance is well within the validity period of the offer viz., October 9. However, it is seen that till September 15, there was no communication from Wheeler to Jennings and this period of silence can be construed as a fair and reasonable period of waiting for Jennings to decide on his next course of action if he thought that Wheeler may not be interested in the offer. However, since no consideration was exchanged between the two parties, Jennings was free to revoke his offer at any time. The options available for Jennings as on September 15 are a) to wait for Wheeler’s response till the expiry of the validity period of the offer or, b) to withdraw his offer (rescind or revoke) and to sell off the item to another person. Waiting for Wheeler’s response till October 9 would have given unilateral freedom of action to Jennings since the validity of the offer expires on that date. In case Jennings was in a position to make the sale by an earlier date, he could do so but he should have first withdrawn his offer to Wheeler on the grounds that a) he received no consideration and that b) he had waited for a reasonable time period viz. up to September 15 to hear Wheeler’s response. His action to dispose off the car without withdrawing the offer made to Wheeler

High Rise at Malaya. Courtyard and Daylighting Thesis

High Rise at Malaya. Courtyard and Daylighting - Thesis Example The by-product effects of courtyard designs produce the feeling of serenity, calmness and composure upon the surrounding structural forms. Also, significant day lighting is one of the advantages of having courtyard designs in particular structures. The dispersion of natural light from a specific angle from the sun creates the naturalistic feel that is expected from courtyard designs. However in the era of the Modernism Movement in architecture, a new kind of design is inevitably incorporated amongst recent structures. As what the precepts of the movement dictates, modern architects push their designs to the limits while going back to the appearance of the basics – simple but elegant. Courtyard designs are incorporated in such structures as well. In this context, the effectiveness of the courtyard may vary from low rise to high rise structures. The amount of natural light and the feel of serenity can vary in the mentioned cases. Yet, modern architects had already answered this problem through the composition of materials that they had used in their modern structural designs. Hence, the issue of ecological living is a primary concern in modern courtyard designs. As compared to traditional courtyards, surrounding low rise structures provide the aura of naturalism which greatly contributes to the ecological aspect of the entire architectural design. In addition, the idea of replicated ecological feel is an issue attached to modern courtyard designs. The essence of naturalism is reproduced through the advancements of modern architecture. 1.2 Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to show that modern courtyard designs and the surrounding structures accompanying the open space do not fully incorporate the concept of ecological living within the whole structural design. This study aims to present a comparative approach between the modern and traditional courtyards. The advantages and the reliability of traditional courtyards will also be explained in this study. 1.3 Expected Outcomes of the Study A significant outcome that this study wishes to arrive at is the comparative conclusion between the advantages of traditional and modern courtyard designs in terms of ecological living. It is expected that a thorough explanation of terms be achieved. Historicizing the important concepts of traditional and modern courtyards is expected from the review of related literature. Architectural theories which accompany the traditional and modern courtyard designs are expected to be well explained. Through the comparison of designs and the effects of such in the naturalistic feel of respective courtyards, it must be clear that at the end of this study, traditional courtyard design best upholds the notion of ecological living. CHAPTER II: RELATED LITERATURE 2.1 Traditional Chinese Courtyard Spatial Value: the Siheyuan One of the most harmonious examples of courtyard structures and design can be seen in the traditional Chinese courtyards or the Si heyuan. The concept of comfort and leisure are fused into the simple and Oriental layout of these courtyards evidenced through the architectural design of the mentioned. The Siheyuan are usually enclosed within four walls. The sizes vary from the minute to the largest layout in any given space. These structures are usually encircled by north and south main rooms and the accompanying wing rooms on respective sides which contain function areas such as the kitchen, the servants’ quarters, personal libraries and others.1 Even up to the present era, the Siheyuan still retain its traditional look in architectural design. This serves both the purposes of cultural and ecological aspects. In terms of culture, the traditional C

Conscience or the Competitive Edge Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Conscience or the Competitive Edge - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that a  company such as Nike can run into a variety of problems when it decides to outsource, like what it wants to consider or prioritize when moving certain operations overseas.   First of all, many companies grossly underestimate the time, money, and people that it takes to successfully outsource a portion or all of their operations.   In choosing a location, companies must consider which locations have the cheaper labor prices if they are going to save money by outsourcing in the first place.   Choosing an area with a high standard of living will end up costing the company way more than what it is worth.This essay discusses that there is a tremendously big step that is often overlooked when companies are considering outsourcing.   Before deciding on a country or service provider, first determine the cost of running your business processes and what your objectives are. If your service levels and costs are already competitive, it won't make sen se to farm it out. Study the expertise of each potential partner, considering proximity, costs, cultural and language barriers, telecom infrastructure and tax laws among other factors, before making a decision. India will not always be the right answer.  One of the most controversial problems that a company will run into when considering outsourcing is the laying off of its workers.   New jobs may be created in the foreign country of choice, but that means that jobs are lost at home.  ... When an organization chooses to outsource, the dirty work of huge corporations is sub-contracted to these workers and they are often exploited. At first glance, it may appear that bringing jobs to these developing countries is a good thing, but it is not if these workers are being forced to work in sweatshops and similar conditions (Christensen, 1996). In describing the dilemma, Christensen (1996, pg. 1) wrote, "Nike shoes, like those of most of their competitors in the athletic shoewear industry, are currently manufactured by young women in Indonesia who flock from their village homes to the Nike production factories to be paid 20% less than the "minimum physical need" for a single adult (about $2.25 a day). This means that Nike's factory workers are hardly making enough money to eat. Also, these Nike employees sometimes work over 10 hours a day in poorly-ventilated areas. Overall, the working conditions for these factory workers are lousy and Nike continues to ignore the crisis." At the time of the crisis, the managers and representatives of the company clearly were not concerned about the stakeholder condition overseas such as safety, working conditions, cheap labor, and child labor. They instead only chose to think about maximizing profits and did not care about the welfare of the stakeholder in the foreign country. For a time, the company appeared to try to hide this situation, but before long, things hit the spotlight (Thunderbird, 2004). A company such as Nike can run into a variety of problems when it decides to outsource, like what it wants to consider or prioritize when moving certain operations overseas. First of all, many companies grossly underestimate the time, money, and people that it takes to successfully outsource a portion or all of

The term Baroque Essay Example for Free

The term Baroque Essay The word Baroque, like most period or stylistic designations, was invented by later critics rather than practitioners of the arts in the 17th and early 18th centuries. It is a French translation of the Portuguese word Barroco (meaning an irregular pearl, or false jewel—notably, an ancient similar word, Barlocco or Brillocco, is used in Roman dialect for the same meaning—and natural pearls that deviate from the usual, regular forms so they do not have an axis of rotation are known as baroque pearls). Alternatively, it may derive from the now obsolete Italian Baroco (meaning, in logical Scholastica, a syllogism with weak content). A common definition, before the term Barocco was used, called this genre simply the style of The Flying Forms. The term Baroque was initially used with a derogatory meaning, to underline the excesses of its emphasis, of its eccentric redundancy, its noisy abundance of details, as opposed to the clearer and sober rationality of the Renaissance. It was first rehabilitated by the Swiss-born art historian, Heinrich Wà ¶lfflin (1864–1945) in his Renaissance und Barock (1888); Wà ¶lfflin identified the Baroque as movement imported into mass, an art antithetic to Renaissance art. He did not make the distinctions between Mannerism and Baroque that modern writers do, and he ignored the later phase, the academic Baroque that lasted into the 18th century. Writers in French and English did not begin to treat Baroque as a respectable study until Wà ¶lfflins influence had made German scholarship pre-eminent. In modern usage, the term Baroque may still be used, usually pejoratively, to describe works of art, craft, or design that are thought to have excessive ornamentation or complexity of line, or, as a synonym for Byzantine, to describe literature, computer programs  , contracts, or laws that are thought to be excessively complex, indirect, or obscure in language, to the extent of concealing or confusing their meaning. A Baroque fear is deeply felt, but utterly beyond daily reality. Baroque Baroque visual art A defining statement of what Baroque signifies in painting is provided by the series of paintings executed by Peter Paul Rubens for Marie de Medici at the Luxembourg Palace in Paris (now at the Louvre) [1], in which a Catholic painter satisfied a Catholic patron: Baroque-era conceptions of monarchy, iconography, handling of paint, and compositions as well as the depiction of space and movement. There were highly diverse strands of Italian baroque painting, from Caravaggio to Cortona; both approaching emotive dynamism with different styles. Another frequently cited work of Baroque art is Berninis Saint Theresa in Ecstasy for the Cornaro chapel in S. Maria della Vittoria, which brings together architecture, sculpture, and theater into one grand conceit [2]. The later Baroque style gradually gave way to a more decorative Rococo, which, through contrast, further defines Baroque. Baroque Baroque literature and philosophy Baroque actually expressed new values, which often are summarised in the use of metaphor and allegory, widely found in Baroque literature, and in the research for the maraviglia (wonder, astonishment — as in Marinism), the use of artifices. If Mannerism was a first breach with Renaissance, Baroque was an opposed language. The psychological pain of Man a theme disbanded after the Copernican and the Lutheran revolutions in search of solid anchors, a proof of an ultimate human power was to be found in both the art and architecture of the Baroque period. A relevant part of works was made on religious themes, since the Roman Church was the main customer. Virtuosity was researched by artists (and the virtuoso became a common figure in any art) together with realism and care for details (some talk of a typical intricacy). The privilege given to external forms had to compensate and balance the lack of content that has been observed in many Baroque works: Marinos Maraviglia, for example, is practically made of the pure, mere form. Fantasy and imagination should be evoked in the spectator, in the reader, in the listener. All was focused around the individual Man, as a straight relationship between the artist, or directly the art and its user, its client. Art is then less distant from user, more directly approaching him, solving the cultural gap that used to keep art and user reciprocally far, by Maraviglia. But the increased attention to the individual, also created in these schemes some important genres like the Romanzo (novel) and let popular or local forms of art, especially dialectal literature, to be put into evidence. In Italy this movement toward the single individual (that some define a cultural descent, while others indicate it was a possible cause for the classical opposition to Baroque) caused Latin to be definitely replaced by Italian. In English literature, the metaphysical poets represent a closely related movement; their poetry likewise sought unusual metaphors, which they then examined in often extensive detail. Their verse also manifests a taste for paradox, and deliberately inventive and unusual turns of phrase. Baroque Baroque sculpture In Baroque sculpture, groups of figures assumed new importance, and there was a dynamic movement and energy of human forms— they spiralled around an empty central vortex, or reached outwards into the surrounding space. For the first time, Baroque sculpture often had multiple ideal viewing angles. The characteristic Baroque sculpture added extra-sculptural elements, for example, concealed lighting, or water fountains. The architecture, sculpture and fountains of Bernini (1598–1680) give highly-charged characteristics of Baroque style. Bernini was undoubtedly the most important sculptor of the Baroque period. He approached Michelangelo in his omnicompetence: Bernini sculpted, worked as an architect, painted, wrote plays, and staged spectacles. In the late 20th century Bernini was most valued for his sculpture, both for his virtuosity in carving marble and his ability to create figures that combine the physical and the spiritual. He was also a fine sculptor of bust portraits in high demand among the powerful. Baroque Berninis Cornaro chapel: the complete work of art A good example of Berninis work that helps us understand the Baroque is his St. Theresa in Ecstasy (1645–52), created for the Cornaro Chapel of the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome. Bernini designed the entire chapel, a subsidiary space along the side of the church, for the Cornaro family. He had, in essence, a brick box shaped something like a proscenium stage space with which to work. Saint Theresa, the focal point of the chapel, is a monochromatic marble statue (a soft white) surrounded by a polychromatic marble architectural framing concealing a window to light the statue from above. In shallow relief, sculpted figure-groups of the Cornaro family inhabit in opera boxes along the two side walls of the chapel. The setting places the viewer as a spectator in front of the statue with the Cornaro family leaning out of their box seats and craning forward to see the mystical ecstasy of the saint. St. Theresa is highly idealized in detail and in an imaginary setting. St. Theresa of Avila, a popular saint of the Catholic Reformation, wrote narratives of her mystical experiences aimed at the nuns of her Carmelite Order; these writings had become popular reading among lay people interested in pursuing spirituality. She once described the love of God as piercing her heart like a burning arrow. Bernini literalizes this image by placing St. Theresa on a cloud in a reclining pose; what can only be described as a Cupid figure holds a golden arrow (the arrow is made of metal) and smiles down at her. The angelic figure is not preparing to plunge the arrow into her heart— rather, he has withdrawn it. St. Theresas face reflects not the anticipation of ecstasy, but her current fulfillment, which can only be described as orgasmic. The blending of religious and erotic was intensely offensive to both neoclassical restraint and, later, to Victorian prudishness; it is part of the genius of the Baroque. Bernini, who in life and writing was a devout Catholic, is not attempting to satirize the experience of a chaste nun, but to embody in marble a complex truth about religious experience— that it is an experience that takes place in the body. Theresa described her bodily reaction to spiritual enlightenment in a language of ecstasy used by many mystics, and Berninis depiction is earnest. The Cornaro family promotes itself discreetly in this chapel; they are represented visually, but are placed on the sides of the chapel, witnessing the event from balconies. As in an opera house, the Cornaro have a privileged position in respect to the viewer, in their private reserve, closer to the saint; the viewer, however, has a better view from the front. They attach their name to the chapel, but St. Theresa is the focus. It is a private chapel in the sense that no one could say mass on the altar beneath the statue (in 17th century and probably through the 19th) without permission from the family, but the only thing that divides the viewer from the image is the altar rail. The spectacle functions both as a demonstration of mysticism and as a piece of family pride.

Bank of Maldives SWOT, Pestle and Porters Five Analysis

Bank of Maldives SWOT, Pestle and Porters Five Analysis Jump to: Mission and Vision of the Bank of Maldives SWOT Analysis PESTLE Analysis Porter’s Five Analysis GAP Analysis Segment Analysis BCG Matrix Porter’s Generic Strategy Ansoff Matrix Human Resources Introduction Bank of Maldives Overview On 23rd May 1982, Bank of Maldives was registered (Company Registry No. C-22/1982) with Ministry of Home Affairs as a company. On 10 November 1982 BML was registered at Maldives Monetary Authority and was given license to provide banking business in the Maldives. http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=mvv=71 Joint venture with IFCI On November 11, 1982 Bank of Maldives Plc was inaugurated and started commercial operation as a joint venture bank with 60% shares held by the Government of the Maldives (including its Agencies and Maldivian Companies) and 40% shares owned by International Finance Investment Company Limited (later IFIC Bank Limited), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Until 31st December 1992, the Bank was managed by the professionals of IFIC Bank Limited and they were paid 10% of the Banks profit. During the tenth year of the Bank, the Government of Maldives decided to re-structure the Bank of Maldives as such requested the IFIC Bank Ltd to reduce the share holding and also the number of representation in the Board. Consequently IFIC Bank Ltd decided to dispose off its entire shares in the Bank of Maldives and terminate its relations with the Bank with the expiry of the Management Contract on December 31, 1992. Bank of Maldives Become Public Limited Company Government of Maldives purchased 40 per cent shares On 14 November 1992, held by IFIC Bank Ltd. As a result, 80 per cent of the share capital of the Bank of Maldives was owned by the Government while the remaining 20 per cent of the share capital was sold equally to the State Trading Organization and Maldives Transport and Contracting Company respectively. Company Shares Government decided and started, to sell Banks shares to the general public In December 1992, by way of a assessment to expand the Banks capital. From January 1, 1993, Bank of Maldives Plc has become, and since then remained, a bank fully owned by the people and the Government of the Maldives. The Bank of Maldives Plc issued shares during 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2007. In 2007, Memorandum and Articles of Association of the bank was revised, shares were split and bonus shares were given to the existing shareholders. As a result the authorised caiptal of the bank was increased from Rf 300 million to Rf 800 million. The face value of BML shares stand at Rf 50/-. Bank of Maldives Branches Bank of Maldives has 25 branches in the country Maldives. Out of 25 three branches are in Male, the capital, and 1 branch in Male International Airport (Hulhule Island) and 01 each in both Villingili ward and Hulhumale. The other branches of Bank of Maldives are distributed amongst the atolls of the country, each with a chosen command area. Therefore, the Bank of Maldives Plc is able to serve the whole nation. Strategies for businesses The main business of Bank of Maldives is retail banking in addition Bank of Maldives handle most of the development banking activities in all the atolls of the Nation, Bank of Maldives PLC covers a variety of modern banking services online in a fully computerized environment and is proud to be serving the nation as the leading bank in the Maldives. http://ebanking.bankofmaldives.com.mv/page/view/n/company/o/introduction Businesses are often so preoccupied with immediate issues that they lose sight of their ultimate objectives. Thats why a business review or preparation of a strategic plan is a virtual necessity. This may not be a recipe for success, but without it a business is much more likely to fail. A business strategy is a pattern of decision and actions that are taken by the business to achieve its objectives. Business planning involves deciding what is to be done, setting objectives and developing polices to achieve them. Strategic process is steps taken to achieve those objectives. Frame Work of Business Strategy In practice, strategic management process has three main components, shown in the figure below. http://courseware.finntrack.eu/institutions/lectur_4.htm There is a number of stages involve in the planning process. These include Identifying the objectives Analalysing the positions of the business Deciding on suitable strategy Implementing a suitable strategy Evaluating its effectiveness Strategic Planning Process C:UsersAroonDesktopthe-strategic-planning-process-thumb.jpg Mission Mission statement includes descriptions of the overall aims of the business and they tend to be aimed at stake holders in the business. Stakeholders are those individuals or groups that affect or have interest in how the business is running and also what it achieves. Mission statement of business will include information for all key stake holders of the business including employees, shareholders, and also customers. Bank of Maldives Mission statement We will lead the way through quality of service and dedication of our staff. We will serve all our communities to the best of our ability, strive always to listen to your needs and so build total customer confidence and satisfaction From BML Mission statement I found that the mission that the company established is based on blending the various interest of range of stakeholder grouping. Example one of the objective mentioned in mission statement is to lead the way through quality of service and dedication of our staffs it will benefits many stakeholders because customers will receive high quality product and services, shareholders will receive high dividends, employee will receive good wages, and so on. Vision A vision statement is sometimes called a picture of your company in the future but its so much more than that. Vision statement is our inspiration, the framework for all our strategic planning. A vision statement may apply to an entire company or to a single division of that company. Whether for all or part of an organization, the vision statement answers the question, Where do we want to go. Vision statement of Bank of Maldives To be the leader in the financial industry in Maldives, spreading its presence in all key economic geographies in Maldives To be the leader in the financial industry in Maldives, inculcating a long term saving culture in the nation and promoting a cashless society To be one of the most Efficient, Profitable and Respected financial institutions in Maldives. Values http://www.bankofmaldives.com.mv/SiteCollectionImages/mission-statement.jpg http://www.bankofmaldives.com.mv/InvestorRelations/Pages/OurCommitments.aspx The bank values lot of things like innovation, giving respect to others and receiving respect from others, also communication, innovation and integrity. Stakeholders of the business Customers Customers are one of the key stakeholders of the business as they are vital to the survival of the business. Bank of Maldives provides excellent services to its customers and has excellent relationship through respects, friendly services and also greeting and so on. Shareholders Bank of Maldives try to give maximum benefits to its shareholders and also have good relationship with them. The Annual General Meeting of the company is used to have an effective discussion with the shareholders on matters and issues which are of relevance and of concern to the general membership. The Banks website also provides information for the shareholders of the business. Employees Employees are other key stake holders of the company. Bank of Maldives has various ways. Bank provides training programs to employees to familiarize them companys policy and working practice. Bank also provides many packages and development opportunity to its employees. Suppliers In todays environment it is very important for good relationship to exist between business and suppliers. Government Government can influence and affect business in number of ways. Bank of Maldives has to follow the rule and regulation that is made by the government. And also government is 51% shareholder of the bank. Therefore provide full support to the company. Hierarchy of Objectives There are two types of objectives, corporate and functional level objectives. At the top level of an organization will often create a vision setting what and where they want to be in long run or in future and also the top level of organization will often create mission setting out the purpose of the organization and also mission statement is a path way to achieve its vision and then Organizations will create a hierarchy of objectives. The hierarchy of objective is a breakdown of Mission Corporate Objective Functional/Departmental Objective Team objective Individual Objective the objectives and presenting in a more understanding and also able to manual to the operational/functional level of employees of the organization. This process is because organizations believe that each and every individual should be clear of what is expected from them in order to accomplish the corporate objective. Strategic analysis Strategic analyses is all about analyzing the strength of businesses position and also analyzing the weakness and understanding the important external factors that may influence and effect the business position. The business strategy of a company provides the big picture that shows how all the individual activities are coordinated in the organization in order to achieve a desired end result. It is through the strategy process that the overall direction of the company is established. This is based on the external opportunities and threats, outside the organization or external environment creates, also the internal strengths and weaknesses of the business. There are many tools for process of Strategic Analysis which we can use to analyze the business such as: SWOT Analysis PEST Analysis Scenario Planning Five Forces Analysis Market Segmentation Directional Policy Matrix Competitor Analysis Critical Success Factor Analysis SWOT Analysis We can use SWOT analysis as a tool to conduct a general or detailed picture of a companys health. SWOT analysis is quick examination of a business current position so that it can identify internal strength and weakness and also external opportunities and threats. (S)trengths Financial stability and bank is well capitalized and this has enabled it to perform relatively well with largest financial network of 25 branches and 37 ATMs in Maldives. Highest market shares/over 260,000 loyal deposit account holders/ Over 53,000 lending relationships Government helps since it has 51% their share power Most effective recruitment and selection process and over 748 dedicated employees Awarded for 3 years about their customer satisfaction methods. Easy transections for its customers Updated technology as leader in electronic banking in card issuance with a wide network of POS terminal Nations most trusted company with the highest transections and strong customer relationship 27 years banking service in the market and well branded in the country Annual report 2009 (W)eaknesses Less number of employees to deal with their daily transections and customers problems. Limited dollar providing Difficult to get loans compare to their competitors Maldives is facing shortage of US dollars these days and most of the Expatriate working in Maldives is paid in Rufiyaa. Even to buy dollars from Bank of Maldives is something impossible these days. Due to the shortage of dollars most of the businesses are facing problems since Maldives import almost everything and businesses need to transfer their money to their suppliers. Also the foreigners those who are working in Maldives are paid in Rufiyaa and they also face problem due to shortage of dollars. I think that the shortages of US dollars are due to the world economy experienced tremendous instability in the year 2009, due consequences were felt in the Maldivian economy as well. The depression in tourism industry and fisheries industry played huge role as it posed numerous effect while the US Dollar liquidity crisis contributed added to the challenges being faced by the Bank. (O)pportunities Since they have got a good financial stability they can expand their business to other islands Sell more shares to the public market. It will increase their customers and also will be able to have a better capital to provide a good service To deal with their daily transections and to get experience from developed banks like Swiss bank they can ask from the government talk about it with them. (T)hreats Recently have stopped providing any types of card to the customers Economic crises Competitors I think the strengths of the company can be assessed as companys resources and also the company capabilities which can be used as a root to achieve its objectives and goals and also for developing a competitive advantage. There are many external threats and opportunities which organization has to face. So that Business can try to maintain the strengths and try to overcome from the weaknesses as internal factors those can be controlled by the business, but external factors cannot be controlled by the business because they are independent. Therefore business can try to take advantages of opportunities so it can be key to be success in future and have to try to manage the threats as well. Or have to try to reduce its negative influences to the organization. PESTLE It is very important that an organization considers its environment before beginning the marketing process. In fact, environmental analysis should be continuous and feed all aspects of planning. http://imagetrail.net/image/5042061/PEST-Analysis.aspx (P)olitical In Maldives government doesnt influence most of the business. But Bank of Maldives is a government company so they take decisions according to their political decisions. Most of the businesses in this country are private business. Government helps to their business to carry it with the highest level they can and to expend it. However they have recently announced that they will make new rules to the tertiary sector business. So its important for them to update the changes and obey the rules and regulation of ministry of trade and industry. The political changes need to be monitored very often especially during these days. As there is changes in political system or due to the implementation of party system in the country and the new laws passed by the government plays a vital role in todays business climate. So, I feel that the management and investors needs to be cooperative with the new system and government in order to keep running in the market. Moreover, Bank of Maldives is one of the biggest service industry in the country and also it is central bank of Maldives so political factors may effect the business for some extent. (E)conomical After the tsunami the country was developing rapidly their business and starting new business. Inflation of country is controlled in recent years. Mixed economy is one of the key features of the country that take account of tourism, fishing and other industry. http://www.indexmundi.com/maldives/inflation_rate_%28consumer_prices%29.html Mixed economy plays huge role in businesses growth and is can be an important aspect of the Maldives economy hence for most of the company government helps and government have shares in most of the leading company such as State trade Organization plc., Bank of Maldives and so on, In 1989, the economic reform program implemented by the government lifted the import quota and encouraged exports to the private sector. Later on, the liberalized conventions allowed more foreign investments. Therefore I feel one of the targeted markets for Bank of Maldives that is foreigners became the customers of the business. http://www.economywatch.com/world_economy/maldives/ On the other hand, GDP reduced in 2007-08, then contracted in 2009 and the reason may be due to the worldwide recession. Falling tourist arrivals and fish exports, combined with high government spending on social needs, subsidies, and civil servant salaries contributed to a balance of payments crisis in 2009. Diversifying the economy beyond tourism and fishing, reforming public finance, and increasing employment opportunities are major challenges facing the government. Maldives GDP- Real growth rate (%) http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=mvv=66 Therefor Bank of Maldives may face economic problems in upcoming years. So it is very important for BML to keep an eye on economic changes that comes every now and then. Taking in this aspect, interest rate and inflation plays a keys role. A very slight change in the interest rate brings a change in the price of product. So I would advise the management to observe the economic changes that comes very often. On the other hand most of the stakeholder of the company believes that in upcoming year economy will be favorable to the business. Moreover, in the market Bank of Maldives have got so many new competitors like HSBC and Bank of Ceylon. Most of the people still trust Bank of Maldives because of being the oldest Bank in the country and also its under the control of government. Most of the transaction are done in the capital city. So economically they will face much trouble from other business, Because HSBC can be a competitor who will be able to get market share. They have the best dollar providing service. When looking in to the people perspective, most of the people have bank accounts. And all most all the people are aware about the modern world (S)ocial Maldives economy is based on about the social could be their spending is higher and less saving. This way happens mostly with the youngsters. Everything for them is fun and enjoying. And each every of them has their own bank account. Thats why it increases the bank transection. Also government employees should have bank account in BML and most of the money transections of government are done through BML. Bank of Maldives caters to customers in unbanking islands through its Dhon services, Also facilitator of infrastructure development to enhance the living standard of local community. BML extends its support to various initiatives in view of the socioeconomic benefits. Among these initiatives BML cosponsored GCE High Achievers Award ceremony and worked alongside the Maldives Police Service to create awareness regarding counterfeit currency. Furthermore BML also extended its support through providing sponsorship for the Democracy Fair held during 2009 and the fishermans day activities. Further efforts to extend our corporate responsibility stance involved daily collection facilitation for state insurance scheme Madhana by all branches of the Bank. BML fully funded the acquiring of an ECG Treadmill for IGM Hospital for the benefit of patients utilizing the services of the hospital. BML is the pioneer and leader of microfinance facilities for rural development and to SME sector projects throughout Maldives. These loans significantly contribute to improving the livelihood of rural communities, alleviating poverty and creating employment opportunities. BML report 2009 (T)echnological Technology is vital to gain competitive advantage, and is a major driver of globalization. Changes in technology have also become mainly weighty in the world. This is for the most part true in terms of modern communication technologies todays environment. The creation of databases and electronic communications help to have easy communications and have enabled huge quantities of information to be shared and quickly distributed all around the world with cost reductions, and often improvements in service and product. Organizations need to be aware of the latest relevant technologies for their business and due to high competition in the market. Bank of Maldives use latest technology to implement business processes, manage risks and provide excellent customer service. Such as Online electronics banking, mobile banking and internet banking, ATM service etc. Also bank is fully computerized and provides almost all the banking services needed for the citizens and business establishments in Maldives. There for I suggest bank of Maldives it is very important to be in touch with new technology as the technology has brought the people together with the best, comfortable and convenient life. Also technology is one of the biggest issues in modern world and also to provide best services to its customer and to create competitive advantage against rivals in the market. Porters Fives Forces Five Force analyses assume that there are five important forces that determine competitive power in a situation. These are:http://www.tutor2u.net/business/images/five_forces.gif Threat of New Entrants The number of business in a market may not be always be a useful guide to completion in that market. New entrants to an industry can raise the level of competition, by this means reducing its attractiveness an also if it is easy for business to enter markets then the competition likely to be greater. The threat of new entrants largely depends on the barriers to entry. High entry barriers exist in some industries. Key barriers to entry include: Economies of scale The need of Capital or investment requirement Customer switching costs Access to industry distribution channels The likelihood of retaliation from existing industry players. Bank of Maldives is the only local bank in Republic of Maldives. There are other banks like State bank of India, Habib Bank, HSBC bank, etc in Maldives, but they do not have more than one branch. I am not sure if there is any restriction to open more than one branch for foreign banks in Maldives. Bank of Maldives has many branches in Male the capital of Maldives as well as in remote islands. In my point of views It is difficult for new entrants to enter in banking industry due to threat of new entrants largely depends on the barriers to entry. To enter in the banking industry in Maldives for local business it will be difficult due to capital requirement they need to invest on the business, and also it is difficult to gain economies of scale. Also Bank of Maldives is one of the highest distributors with 25 branches all over the country. Threat of Substitutes This depends upon the extent to which business can differentiate their products from those of competitors .The substitute products can lower industry attractiveness and profitability because they limit price levels. The threat of substitute products depends on: Buyers willingness to substitute The relative price and performance of substitutes The costs of switching to substitutes Bargaining Power of Suppliers Suppliers are the businesses that supply materials other products into the industry. Powerful suppliers can increase the cost of a business. If suppliers have high bargaining power over a company, then in principle the companys industry is less attractive. The bargaining power of suppliers will be high when there are number of suppliers and also when there are many buyers and also the importance of the product which is supplied or undifferentiated, highly valued products bargaining power of supplier will be high. For BML bargaining power of suppliers will be less due to more dominant supplier like Rainbow, all brothers business and so on. Bargaining Power of Buyers Buyers are the people / organisations who create demand in an industry. The bargaining power of buyers is greater when There are few dominant buyers and many sellers in the industry Products are standardized Buyers threaten to integrate backward into the industry Suppliers do not threaten to integrate forward into the buyers industry The industry is not a key supplying group for buyers For BML I feel bargaining power of buyer is less because BML is only a company that caters the customers all over the country and they have branches in many part of the country and also the other competitors such as HNB is have only one branch in the country which is also is located in capital Male. Intensity of Rivalry The intensity of rivalry between competitors in an industry will depend on: The structure of competition for example, rivalry is more intense where there are many small or equally sized competitors; rivalry is less when an industry has a clear market leader. BML is a market leader of Banks in Maldives. The structure of industry costs for example, industries with high fixed costs encourage competitors to fill unused capacity by price cutting Degree of differentiation industries where products are commodities (e.g. steel, coal) have greater rivalry; industries where competitors can differentiate their products have less rivalry . For BML the degree of differentiation is higher than the other competitors. Switching costs rivalry is reduced where buyers have high switching costs i.e. there is a significant cost associated with the decision to buy a product from an alternative supplier Strategic objectives when competitors are pursuing aggressive growth strategies, rivalry is more intense. Where competitors are milking profits in a mature industry, the degree of rivalry is less Exit barriers when barriers to leaving an industry are high (e.g. the cost of closing down factories) then competitors tend to exhibit greater rivalry. Having a good pricing strategy and a good customer care will enhance Bank of Maldives to catch up the marker easily and maximize the profit. GAP analysis Bench Marking Benchmarking is the process of measuring an organizations internal processes then identifying, understanding, and adapting outstanding practices from other organizations considered to be best-in-class. By Benchmarking the business can discover performances of the business compare to competitors or with the organization which the business is bench marking and also can identify the most compatible for the business to bench mark.. Source: http://www.benchnet.com/wib.html View date: 20 November 2009 Core Competency Core competencies are those strengths or abilities that are critical to a business achieving competitive advantage. Senior management cannot focus on all activities of a business and the competencies required undertaking them. So the goal is for management to focus attention on competencies that really affect competitive advantage. The Core competencies are the most significant value creating skills within Bank of Maldives and key areas of expertise which are distinctive to the business and critical to the Bank of Maldives long term growth. I believe core competencies are the thing that Bank of Maldives can do better than the competitors in the field. So there are competitive advantages in Bank of Maldives that is difficult to imitate by the competitors in the market to gain the core competencies. The loyalty customers had towards the Bank of Maldives is a core competency that business had, compared to the competitors, and is also high. Customer care had a great impact on the business as well since the employees services to the customer of human resource cannot be copied by competitors. Segmentation and Products and services of Bank of Maldives Segment Analysis By Geographical segment- Bank operate only in Maldives By business segment Retail banking Corporate banking Electronic banking Development banking Bank of Maldives Corporate Banking Loans and leasing Working capital facilities Working capital facilities Investment financing Credit card lines, electronic banking and foreign trade services and so on International Banking Electronic Banking Mobile Banking Online Banking ATM Services Development Banking For Bank of Maldives using technology such as ,Automated Teller Machine, online banking and Mobile banking will reduce the amount of transections of bank and customers can acquire services at their offices every day. Also the bank can gain from such services, is reducing their operational costs via decrease in tellers and cashiers, when less number of customers attend the bank to get the services. Right now the bank is charging Rf 2 per any transaction on an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), and Rf 1800 for internet banking services with account to account transfer services. For the Bank implementing such services incur a huge cost. BCG Matrix The BCG matrix technique is based on the product life cycle concept that can be used to determine how much importance should be given in the product portfolio of a business element. To make sure long-term value creation, a company should have a portfolio of products that contains both high growth products in need of cash inputs and low growth products that generate a lot of cash. It has two dimensions. The first one is market share and second dimension is market growth. The basic idea behind it is that the larger the market share a product has or the faster the products market grows the better it is for the company. http://cnx.org/content/m35356/latest/ Last edited by Jared Adler on Oct 6, 2010 1:05 pm GMT-5. The four categories are: Dogs Dogs have low market growth and low market share and do not generate any money or consume a large amount of cash. So they need to be killed Question marks Question marks are also called as problem child and might have future potential as they are in growth market, but the sales are not particularly good. Also with rapid market growth and also consume large amount of cash due to low market share they do not generate much money. Such as Online banking and Mobile banking are question mark products of Bank of Maldives. Stars star products are those who with a large share of high growth Cash cows As leaders in a mature market, cash cows exhibit a return on assets that is greater than the market

Gullivers Travels :: essays research papers

â€Å"GULLIVER’S TRAVELS† a Satire Jonathan Swift, an Anglo-Irish writer, was born in Dublin on the 30th October 1667. he was one of the greatest satirists of the universal literature. His pamphlets have a stinging sarcasm through which he accused moral-political vices or religious ones (ex. â€Å"A Tale of a Tub†, †A Meditation upon a Broomstick†) or pamphlets which defend the Irish cause (â€Å"The Drapiers Letters†). His fame was brought by â€Å"GULLIVER’S TRAVELS†. This is a realistic parody of social dynamic, remarkable for the greatness of its metaphors, consciousness of vision and its style. GULLIVER’S TRAVELS is a satire in four parts as the author himself called it. In the first pages of the book we are told that Gulliver began his voyages as a ship surgeon and afterwards as captain of other ships. The four parts of the book represent four voyages: A Voyage to Lilliput; A Voyage to Brobdingnag; A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg and Japan and A Voyage to the Country of the Houyhnhnms. Each of them represents a different type of society and in each of them the object of the author’s irony is different. The first trip satirises the moral and spiritual pettiness of humanity, revealing to the reader the foolish reasons for starting a war between two countries that were once good friends; the absurd rules of society. This six-inch tall people of Book I reveal themselves to be as small morally as they are physically. The revelation of their pettiness comes gradually to the reader. Gulliver’s hosts gossip meanly about each other; they fight over such trivial things as which end of an egg should be broken first; and their king is angry when Gulliver refuses to help him bring a neighbour country into slavery. In this book, number I, we encounter satire on travel books and travellers. Swift is mainly protesting against the ridiculous travellers who report absolutely everything about his trip. Book II â€Å"A Voyage to Brobdingnag† is a satire on the wickedness and vanity of mankind. Gulliver, just recently big in a land of little people, is now little in a land of giants. Although it might be too much to say that in this way Swift prepared the reader to expect that Gulliver won’t live very well in this country, judged by the moral norms of big people; but that is in fact what happens. When the judgement is made, it appears that Gulliver’s race is one of â€Å"little odious vermin†.

A Summery of the Life and Writings of John Stuart Mill :: essays papers

A Summery of the Life and Writings of John Stuart Mill After reading 100% of the book, New Ideas From Dead Economists, I chose to write a little summery of John Stuart Mill. I did a little outside research on the subject, because his theories and philosophies were intriguing to me. I was impressed by his change in his views as he entered his mid twenties. John Stuart Mill was born in London on May 20, 1806, and was the oldest son of James Mill. His education, as a boy, was carried out by his father, James Mill. John’s discipline was extremely rigid, as a result, he believed it gave him the intellectual advantage of a quarter century on his contemporaries. Later in life Mill recognized that his father’s extreme system of intellectual discipline gave him little time to develop social and emotional relationships with others. He regretted this aspect of his childhood. Mill was considered a leader in thought at the young age of twenty-one. This is when he encountered a mental crisis. The cause of the crisis, extreme mental and physical strain, gave him as he called it, â€Å"a dull state of nerves†. He realized that the goals in his life, that his father had given him, stolen the feelings out of him. After many months of despair, he found that the emotions within him were not dead. One important factor in this emotional realization was a woman by the name of Mrs. Taylor. She was known to help Mill in authoring works of his, and a good friend. While she was married, Mill held a close relationship with her. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Taylor and John Mill were married in 1851. After this he had great success publishing in multiple literary journals. These articles had ranged from those relating to philosophy and social to political and economic. One of his earliest was with The Westminster Review, but were mostly for The London Review. Through these articles, we can trace his gradual development and change in his radical politics. His first real intellectual work appeared in 1843, System of Logic, Ratiocinative and Inductive. This was followed by his, Essays on some Unsettled Questions of Political Economy, in 1844, and, Principles of Political Economy in 1848.

Peoples Obsession With MUDs :: Technology Internet Chat Essays

People's Obsession With MUDs Patik licks Mary. Mary giggles and kicks him in the shin. Krista pirouettes and falls down laughing. Cislynx seduces Missworld. Ralphie shouts, "who wants to tango"?! I am not having a nightmare, and I do not live in a mental institution. I am simply witnessing the typical behavior of a Multi User Dungeon (MUD). MUDs have become all the rage in the rapidly increasing world of computer technology. MUDs put you in a virtual space where you can create an identity and "chat" with other people. In this virtual world, you are represented by a self-composed textual description: if youre fat, you can be thin; if you're beautiful, you can be plain; and if you're nerdy, you can be sophisticated. This anonymity allows you to express unexplored aspects of yourself, to play with your real world identity by trying out new ones (Turkle 12). In addition to creating an identity, your virtual character can converse with others, exchange gestures, express emotions and rise and fall in popularity. You can even die in a MUD (Turkle 183). Essentially, you can be who or whatever you want, and you can say anything because your character exists only in cyberspace, as does everyone else who you encounter. You might ask yourself why do people bother to spend hours, days and weeks interacting with virtual beings? Why don't these people get out more and try living in the real world? The answer is simple. On-line communication in a MUD is a unique form of interaction because it is the only place in the world where you can leave your "real" life, assume the identity of your dreams and behave as you like without leaving any negative impact on your non-virtual existence. People are obsessed with MUDding because it is an escape mechanism which allows you to ignore reality and live out fantasy. This desire to escape reality is an understandable response to an overemphasis on who you are or to the problems of your real-world identity. As a society, we have created an immense pressure upon ourselves to have a "perfect" self-image. This "perfection" can range from wanting flawless skin and pouty lips to desiring a successful career and a happy family. The demands of creating and sustaining this perfect modern identity are becoming increasingly burdensome, and as your life centers more on maintaining this certain image the desire to escape from the image grows greater (Baumeister 2).

Frozen Pizza and Other Slices of Life

â€Å"Frozen Pizza and Other Slices of Life† Frozen pizza and other slices of life, by Antoinette Moses, is a very good book which tells us eight different stories about different people who show us the same country (England) but from their own point of view and tells us eight different stories about their particular lives. In the last four chapters, we can find other new British's point of view and many lessons from each chapter. Here is what we have learned from the last four chapters.To start with ‘Sweetie’, in this chapter, the story represents a student life, whose plot talks about Nikki Apton, a student college, who is not quite good at managing on her life. Her characteristic is the same as other students who are not able to arrange what is the priority thing to do. She is always irresponsible for the negative results that are made by her. Fashionable student ‘Nikki Apton’ leads a fun-loving life, exploiting parents for money and leaning on her friend Sue to cover up for absences at seminars. Her father loses his job and cannot subsidize her; meanwhile the bank stops her cash card.Sue complains to lecturer Mrs. Martins about the way Nikki puts pressure on her. Nikki receives a letter saying she has failed the course. She remains convinced that she has a bright future despite her academic failure. In this story, the author does not give us know the story by the main character narrating. She runs the story by Nikki, the main character, sending E-mails to her friend, her boyfriend, her parents and her lecturer. The language and style that the author uses is just daily-life words. It is easy to understand even though there is some unseen slang found.Nikki’s characteristic is like her sending Emails. She never faces up with the problems directly. She uses E-mail to deal with them. It shows that she is not quite sincere because when writing E-mail, we have to think each word over repeatedly. Sometimes, we may not mean th at as we exactly feel but have to use those sentences just because it sounds better. After finishing this chapter, Nikki reminds me to look at myself. She is the mirror that reflects my life and warns me not to do like her. The lesson that I have got from the chapter is ‘As you sow, so shall you reap. From the story, Nikki does not do her duty by herself, asking someone help and also complaining him or her when it is not what she expects. Finally, She deserves to fail in her academic at the end of the story. Next chapter is ‘The Star Reporter. ’ The plot of this chapter is associated with a student reporter, Mike, who makes the news about a flooded area near his college, and this event changes his life forever. There are three main characters in this chapter; Mike, Angela, and Carol. Mike’s characteristic is curious and sympathetic.Angela is an ambitious editor of the Student News team who does not care what is right or wrong. The last main character is Car ol, a Robbie’s mother who lives in the flooded area. She cannot accept any truth that she did. Mike, a student who was in the Student News Team, made the news about the nearby area, which had flood every year. Angela, the editor, agreed with him and sent him to give the people who lived in the flooded area an interview and also sent Sue with him in order to take the photographs. In the flooded village, Mike met Carol, who was lifting a buggy up to the stairs while carrying her baby, Robbie.While Sue was taking a photo of her, Carol was so frightened that she forgot her baby and things in her arms but covered her face instead. Luckily, Mike was fast enough to catch the baby in time. After talking with Carol, Mike was very pleasant and felt that she was a very good mother. Moreover, he was eager to know why Carol was afraid of journalist. So he returned to find more information about Carol and he discovered that she was headline in the news long ago as a child murderer. When sh e was eleven years old, she usually took care of the children around her neighbor as a babysitter.According to the news, she hit the child to make him stop crying until he died. But Carol said a child had fallen off a slide and smashed hit head. Carol was sent to a prison for young people and she had to stay there until she was sixteen. While Mike was reading the news, Angela came in and saw it. Angela took that news to the publishers and they published the news as â€Å"WE FIND CHILD KILLER’S SECRET HOME! † Carol and Robbie had to be separated from each other. Mike resigned from the college and travel abroad. At last, He gave up the idea of journalist and decided to become a teacher instead.The language and style that the author uses in this chapter is easy to understand. She often uses many dialogues in order to continue the story smoothly. In addition, she also uses metaphors to illustrate the readers. For example, she compares the Tabloids with two years old kids w ho scream when they are hungry or lose their toys because the tabloids get the readers’ attention by using a big headline. For the mood of this story, the narrator, Mike tells the story depressingly and guiltily. ‘Something that you do not intend to do can make others suffer’ is the lesson we have learned from this story.Mike does not mean to let Angela knows about Carol’s background, but Angela knows it accidentally and finally Carol had to separate from her child. Another lesson is ‘Just one mistake can change your life forever. ’ From the story, Mike decided to become a teacher instead of a journalist after this happening. The third account ‘Don’t Miss the Mozart’ is involved with Melanie, a woman who is sent to pick up a pianist, Louise Conte at the train station, but she picks up a wrong woman with misunderstanding, so she is fired from her work.Finally, she takes her revenge by abducted the pianist so that Louise Cont e will miss her concert. There are two main characters in this chapter; Melanie and Nicole Leconte. Melanie is too careless to check that the person she picks up is the real pianist. And Nicole Leconte, a university scientist from France who comes to England to do a seminar, is too innocent to realize that there is something wrong with this hospitality. Melanie was sent to the train station at Norwich, England to pick up French pianist, Louise Conte.She was a soloist who will play Mozart Concerto at festival concert. Melanie misunderstood that a French scientist, Nicole Leconte, was the pianist, so she took her to a luxurious hotel, which surprised Nicole. Nicole thought this was a surprising hospitality, but does not realize there must be something wrong. When arriving at the festival office, they just know the truth. Mel was very angry. Later, Mel took revenge on Louise Conte by disguising herself to be Conte’s driver and taking her to the north, so it made Conte miss the c oncert.The author explains the two main characters’ feeling clearly so that the readers can understand easily that this situation is an accident, Melanie does not want to mix Nicole up with Madame Conte. Moreover, the author uses hyperbole to demonstrate the readers. For example †¦Nicole heard her ask, as if it was the most marvelous surprise to find her there, at the moment†¦. Another device the author uses in this chapter is foreshadowing. According to the middle of the story, Nicole told Melanie not to miss the Mozart concerto hat would be played one evening but at the end of the story, Melanie made Louise Conte miss it.The lesson from this chapter is ‘Carelessness will lead to disaster. ’ From the story, Melanie did not check carefully that the person she met was the true pianist, Louis Conte, so she was fired from her job. The plot of the last chapter â€Å"The Shivering Mountain† is about an Italian school student, Paulo, who expects the ci ty life in England, must be fun. On the other hand, the Fowler family’s activities in their free time, which he stays with, make him annoyed and disappointed. Finally, there has an incident to make him realize why the British family loves doing those activities.There are two main characters: Paulo and Nick. The characteristics of Paulo are stubborn, grumbling and pessimistic while Nick is easy going and a nature lover. Paulo who was an Italian School student had to spend his summer with the Fowler family in England. Paulo enjoyed the city life just in the first week but after that time he found it miserable to join with the family trip to the Peak District and activities that the Fowler planned to do like going walking and bird watching. Moreover, he felt disappointed his friend’s behavior, Nick Fowler, that it was not the same as if Nick became a different person.One morning, Paulo walked alone into the hills without unawareness of the danger. Getting lost into the mi st, he almost stepped off a cliff but fortunately; Nick could help him in time. Finally, the incident brought them closer together. The language and style that author usually uses is common words and informal language. So it is easy to understand. Moreover, the author always describes the story with lots of adjectives and adverbs that make us easily imagine the pictures along with the story. The language device that author usually uses is the metaphor. It also compares two things.You can see two examples in the story: it was like being inside a cloud and you’d look like a sheep. Moreover, author also uses hyperbole as one of the language devices. From the story â€Å"The clothes, for a start, would make them laugh till they were sick†, you can see that it is impossible for someone laughing until he or she is ill. It is the technique to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but not meant to be taken literally. What I have learnt from this story is that we should adapt ourselves to the new environment. Try to learn the new activities in our leisure time of another society.And you will find sometimes the differences are not worse like you think. For example, Paulo whose family, his friends and people in Italy love spending their summer swimming, playing football and sunbathing on the beach, while the Fowler family enjoys spending their holidays living with the nature in the countryside. British family is quite the nature lover. They like looking at many kinds of birds through binoculars, walking up to a hill, sleeping in a tent. Especially, for British family to use guidebooks and maps makes Paulo surprised. It seems that people in Italy do not take an interest in a map.At last, Paulo understood why his friend, Nick, loves coming to the Peak District after he had seen a goshawk flying over his head. The story we dislike the most is ‘Don’t Miss the Mozart’ because the way Melanie solved her problem by abducting t he pianist instead of accepting he mistake is unreasonable and desperate, so we think the story should not end like this. On the other hand, our favorite story is ‘Sweetie’ because this story usually happens in daily life and in every culture. This story also reflects the college society that students have to deal with many problems.Besides the consequence of Nikki’s behavior is what she deserves. There are many reading strategies we have learned from the class can apply to this reading of narrative text. The first technique is to guess meaning from the context. From the entire stories we have read, we barely look up the word in the dictionary for. We usually try to guess the meaning from the context first. Using note-taking technique while reading is so utile that when we want to get the important detail, we can abruptly recall knowledge from the note we take before.Moreover, making an inference is one we usually use to get the implied meaning of something. It i s a crucial skill that must be mastered for us to have real comprehension. When we recall prior experiences that are similar to what we are reading, it helps us much to get the valuable lessons of each chapters. In conclusion, the stories from the fifth chapter to the last chapter reveal us the culture, the ways of life, people attitude, and the media in the United Kingdom’s society including personal thought, opportunity, and problem, media effects, and social adaptation.Because of the easy language, we can enjoy the stories and imagine along with when reading. Moreover, these stories are the common situations that can occur in everyday lives but can be the social problems by not paying attention. Finally, all the valuable lessons in every chapter reflect every aspect of people’s lives and can be applied in our daily lives. Chadaratch Kalyasiri 5311100265 Yanisa Treerat 5311100290 Tharin Rienjongdee 5311100338 Puttamas Limchaisawat 5311100443

What is the meaning of share value maximization?

The shareholder value represents the interest of stakeholders in a business. Shareholders experiences or seems to see an increase in the value of their shares through dividends or gains at stock exchange. Share value maximization is one of the principles used by management to prioritize the interests of shareholders through projects that will increase profits and ultimately the share dividends. Stock price maximization involves adoption of low cost and efficient processes so as to manufacture goods and services of high quality at the lowest cost possible.Thus, by adopting new technology to produce required goods and services by consumers, is beneficial to the society both in the short and long term basis. In addition, it facilitates courteous and efficient services as well as adequate stocks of merchandise (Kellison, 1991). Discuss the time value of money concept. What is discounting and how is it related to compounding? What is compounding? Explain why earning interest on interest i s called compound interest?Time value of money is concept used in financial management to compare alternatives in investment as well as solving problems that involve mortgages, savings, loans, annuities, and leases. Time value of value of money is based on the idea that the amount of money one holds today is worth more than the expectation that he/she the same amount in future. The currently held money has high value in future as it can be invested and earn interest after some time.Discounting involves calculating or converting specific future amount/value of money at certain discount rate to establish its present value. Thus, a person is able to make judgment on whether to invest such amount of money and reap rewards in future. On the other hand, compounding refers to adding interest earned to the principal amount so that it can go on earning higher interests in its own right. The reason that initial interest earns additional interest i. e. compounded is why it is called compound i nterest (Kellison, 1991).Explain the following statement: While the balance sheet can be thought of as a snapshot of the firm’s financial position as of a point in time, the income statements reports on operations over a period of time? The balance sheet shows the financial position of an enterprise in terms of net assets, capital (stockholder’s or owner’s equity), and liabilities as at the end of a specific fiscal period. At any moment in time, assets are equal to the owner’s equity plus liabilities. Liabilities represent creditor’s claims against the assets of an enterprise.Thus, a balance sheet facilitates a business owner to quickly assess the financial capability and of his/her business. Income statement shows all the business transactions in terms of sales and purchases made, revenue collected, and expenses incurred in given period of time. Therefore, the primary use of income statements is to testify if a company is making profit or loss for a given period of time to the shareholders or potential investors (Frank, 2004). Why is it sometimes misleading to compare a company’s financial ratios with those of other firms that operate in the same industry?First, it is in doubt that different companies apply or use different accounting policies to govern their financial operations. Therefore, a specific accounting policy applied by a certain company may not be similar to another’s policy. For instance, a company may apply accrual basis concept whereas another doest not recognize accruals until they are paid. Secondly, companies operate differently in terms of business activity and management for instance, companies may be in the same industrial sector but they engage in different activities such as production of raw materials and processing.In such a case a production company may be affected by adverse conditions like weather whereas the other is favored by industrial-processing subsidies offered by the governme nt which translates to healthier financial ratios. In addition, some financial managers of certain companies are unscrupulous and such individuals can calculate unprofessionally to lure potential investors. Proper comparison can only be achieved if there are established industrial standards within which all companies can draft their financial ratios (Ibid, 2004).