Review of Related Literature and Studies Essay

Parents Portal The Parents Portal gives the parent an opportunity to view their student’s schedules, performance, and statement of accounts. Parents also have access to review current contact information, which may be used to help the school maintain accurate contact data. Online Reporting is the innovative use of media and communication technologies such as emails, blogs, websites and text alerts in order to keep parents informed about their children’s achievements, progress, behaviour and attendance. It is important for teachers and schools to consult parents on how they would like to be kept informed on the progress of their child. Some parents prefer face – to – face contact, whereas others may favour the convenience of tools such as text alerts or online reporting to gain a quick insight of their child’s progress. A website is one of the most effective communication tools that is easily accessible for most schools and parents. It allows access to regular upda tes such as timetables, school trips, and learning tools supporting parents and involving them in school life (Russel, 2009). Web – based system is used in most businesses for better communication. It creates a customer portal that could provide a range of services in a unified, centralized way. Using online – based systems, there is no need for modifications to the applications on the mission – critical mainframes. The Internet offers greater speed and cost-efficiency when compared to manual way. A portal is defined in the Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary (2008) as â€Å"a site serving as a guide or point of entry to the World Wide Web and usually including a search engine or a collection links to other sites arranged especially by topic.† Tatnall (2005) writes that a web portal provides a personalized gateway that aggregates information and allows access to a variety of resources and services that are relevant to the person seeking them. For parents this would include the ability to connect with information and services relevant to their child’s learning and ac tivity at school, through  any computer connected to the World Wide Web (Williamson, R. D., & Johnston, J. H., 1998). Communication between schools and families is essential for building trusting relationships that foster parental involvement. Parental involvement in schools and social institutes is necessary for youngsters to develop successfully and to make decisions that will have positive outcomes for their futures. As society becomes increasingly dependent on technology, schools are investing more time and money in technological means of communication. Access to computer and internet technologies is increasing all over Europe. In work places and schools, both educators and parents are provided with access to electronic communication (Rogers & Wright, 2007). It is proven that regular communication from school to parents is critical to the success of children .It is well established that building home – school partnerships is a powerful avenue for increasing the satisfaction of parents and the community with schooling and for improving schools. Parents’ involvement in their childâ⠂¬â„¢s education is a key factor in the child’s scholastic success. Parental participation ranges from paying little or no attention to overt hovering. As the teacher, he must help manage the parental participation so that students are accountable for their own learning. At lower level parents are more active in school participation. Communicating frequently is essential, but the teacher does not have to meet with parents every month or even contact them at home. Instead, he can be in touch by sending parents a weekly or monthly class newsletter that highlights the activities and events going on in the classroom or sending an e – mail with necessary information when it is needed. He can also send home reports if one of the students does something outstanding. He can use a social network, e – mail, put in on a (secured) website, etc. (Harington, 2008). Additionally, as the discourse between homes and schools increases, understanding improves, suggestions are shared, and positive attitudes are more easily maintained. For instance, in 1984 in Western Europe only 8.2% of the households surveyed had computers, while in 2003, 61.87% of the households had computers and 54.7% had Internet access. In 2008 in the Netherlands, 84% of the families with children between two and 21 years had at least one computer with fast internet. The most of the families are multimedia families nowadays. A recent survey of 4,000 adults in 20 cities in the USA conducted by Opinion Research Corp. and America Online showed  that 41 percent of Americans check e – mail first thing in the morning — and a whopping 61 percent say they check their personal e – mail while at work (eSchoolMedia & eCampus News, 2011). Android Application The Google Android Operating System is used in a lot of major smartphone brands available today. It is one of the most popular platform which is used for developing Android applications. With sufficient knowledge regarding the development, Android leads to milestones of achievement through the development of Android application. Technical knowledge and talent is a pioneering need for developing exceptional applications on the Android Platform. The Linux kernel, Daivik and SQL Lite database are some of the basic tools and techniques to build master Android applications. Using them, the Android application developer and programmer teams can deliver various custom – made Android applications (HiddenBrains InfoTech, 2011). Some typical characteristics of Android development are: Low development cost Rapidly growing platform Provides support for interactive media features Linux core is responsible for stability of the Android applications Vast, comprehensive library for graphics, media and other tools Android SDK helps in formation of rich and unique applications The software for the mobile phones is loaded in the Android. The android foundation is comprised of the operating system (OS), the middleware, main programs, and a Software Development Kit (SDK). The SDK allows the designers with the Application Programming Interface (API) and resources needed for development. The submission platform is of an open character. This permits the designers to develop the programs and easily spread them. One can even sell them through the World Wide Web. The wind turbine is very less because the android is free. There are a number of advantages of this mobile platform. Some of the major advantages of this are as follows: Android is Linux – based. It allows quick collection of details. It also provides the correct details desired. The cycle is greatly reduced. The event resources are simple to use. All the details and solutions are offered to the designers without any biases. It provides affluent internet browser amenities as well. This allows the creator to provide improved solutions. The use of the mobile phones to access the World Wide Web is increasing day by day. There are many mobile phones that have operating systems based on Android. If the business wants its web page to be appropriate with these mobile phones then the web page needs to be designed or altered. This is where Android application development performs an important role. The users of Android mobile phones want the phone to be used not only for telecommunication but also as an office computer. The customer may need some specifications to be added on to the android handsets. This is another situation where the Android Applications becomes necessary (Bryanstrang, 2012). Review of Related Studies Traditional reports can be replaced with regular and up – to – date online reports which parents can access whenever and wherever they happen to be. Being able to access their child’s educational information as and when they wish has already been very successful in many schools with parents gaining greater understanding of day – to – day school life. Research undertaken by the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF), entitled ‘Parental Involvement in Child’s Education 2007’, revealed that 44 percent of parents expressed work commitments as the main barrier to greater involvement in their child’s education. For busy working parents and those whose work necessitates travel, online reporting could hold the key to ensuring that they are kept informed and up to date regarding their child’s progress (Christine Thompson & Jo Lee, n.d.). The AMA Education System (AMAES), a network of universities and colleges in the Philippines offering computer training, has upgraded its Information Technology (IT) infrastructure with Oracle’s PeopleSoft Campus Solutions. The solutions provide a web – based system that enables the institution to manage student administration processes, including prospect management, admissions, student records, enrolment, curriculum, advisement, transfer credit, student financials,  financial aid, graduation and alumni relations. Edwin Santos, Chief Information Officer of the AMAES, said that the deployment of the new IT infrastructure took 12 months to complete for the first 12 campuses. That includes the AMA Computer University and 11 trimestral campuses of the AMA Computer College. The application suite will also be implemented across the rest of AMAES entities, including AMA Computer Learning Center (ACLC), AMA International Institute of Technology (AIIT), ABE Colleges, AMA School of Medicine and AMA International Aviation Academy. Estopace (2012) quoted the statement of Santos that is, â€Å"The primary advantage of the solution for us is it enhances service delivery. That includes service delivery to o ur students, who are our prime customers, and service delivery to the parents, as both would have access to the portals. The second advantage is ease of deployment. Since AMAES is also expanding its business base, it gives us a lot of flexibility in deployment to other campuses since the solution is centrally hosted and in the cloud.† The most important benefits to students and parents, according to Santos, is the real-time access to information about their payments, grades, courses taken, schedules and information on future subjects to be offered. AMAES is also working to include an online payment gateway to allow students to do any transactions at home. â€Å"Mobile integration is something we are looking forward to,† Santos disclosed. â€Å"For now, our concentration will be more on deploying the serve to all our branches and campuses† (Estopace, 2012). Engineer Arnel Hibo, First Vice President of AMAES, added that the management side of AMAES will also have access to real – time information covering academic and administrate functions for all the campuses (Estopace, 2012). Justification of the Present Study The system called, â€Å"Parents Portal with Android Application† for the AMA Computer College – General Santos City, has similar features with that of the Oracle’s Peoplesoft Campus Solutions. Both systems provide a wide avenue of information for parents, which is critical to the success of the students. This avenue does not limit information through the traditional method of query. Instead, it provides and facilitates information accessibility such as updates on grades, fees, and student class schedules. On the other hand, the Parents Portal, is limited to the local campus and is only intended for both the parents and the administrators hence, it is not intricate and is easier to use. Moreover, less internet traffic comes as a result of the non – complexity of the system. It also has the capability of sending and receiving messages regarding student concerns. Most of all, the system can be integrated to mobile phones, smartphones, and tablets through the Android Operating System and can still provide accessibility even if offline because of its own database.

Chapter 4 Public Finance Answers

Part 2 – Public Expenditure: Public Goods and Externalities Chapter 4 – Public Goods 1. a. Wilderness area is an impure public good – at some point, consumption becomes nonrival; it is, however, nonexcludable. b. Satellite television is nonrival in consumption, although it is excludable; therefore it is an impure public good. c. Medical school education is a private good. d. Television signals are nonrival in consumption and not excludable (when broadcast over the air). Therefore, they are a public good. e. An automatic teller machine is rival in consumption, at least at peak times.It is also excludable as only those patrons with ATM cards that are accepted by the machine can use the machine. Therefore the ATM is a private good. 2. a. False. Efficient provision of a public good occurs at the level where total willingness to pay for an additional unit equals the marginal cost of producing the additional unit. b. False. Due to the free rider problem, it is unlikely that a private business firm could profitably sell a product that is non-excludable. However, recent research reveals that the free rider problem is an empirical question and that we should not take the answer for granted.Public goods may be privately supported through volunteerism, such as when people who attend a fireworks display voluntarily contribute enough to pay for the show. c. Uncertain. This statement is true if the road is not congested, but when there is heavy traffic, adding another vehicle can interfere with the drivers already using the road. d. False. There will be more users in larger communities, but all users have access to the quantity that has been provided since the good is nonrival, so there is no reasons larger communities would necessarily have to provide a larger quantity of the nonrival good. 3.We assume that Cheetah’s utility does not enter the social welfare function; hence, her allocation of labor supply across activities does not matter. a. The public good is patrol; the private good is fruit. b. Recall that efficiency requires MRSTARZAN + MRSJANE = MRT. MRSTARZAN = MRSJANE = 2. But MRT = 3. Therefore, MRSTARZAN + MRSJANE > MRT. To achieve an efficient allocation, Cheetah should patrol more. Chapter 4 – Public Goods 4. The Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence is a public good because it is nonrival and presumably non-excludable. The government should pay for the research only if the SMB is greater than the SMC. . Aircrafts are both rival and excludable goods, so public sector production of aircrafts is not justified on the basis of public goods. If policymakers erroneously assume that the benefits of the mega-jetliner are public, then they would find the efficient level of production by vertically summing demand curves rather than horizontally summing demand curves. This causes the benefits to be significantly overstated and could be used to justify such high costs. 6. It is unlikely that if Pemex were privati zed that the situation would lead to a monopoly situation. Comparing oil production to telephone service is not a correct comparison.In the case of the telephone company, there was only one provider of telephone service. In the case of oil production, there would be only one producer in Mexico, but many competitors providing oil from which Mexico could buy. The newly privatized company would have to compete to sell its goods. It would likely become more efficient than the state run company because of this competition. 7. This debate is similar to the debate about private versus public education. Public sector production is often associated with higher costs (for both schools and prisons), but there may be other reasons society would prefer public to private provision.These reasons typically relate to equity considerations. For schools, the main argument is to make sure everyone child has the opportunity for a good education. For prisons, there may be a fundamental conflict between f air and humane treatment of prisoners and keeping costs low. For example, equity might require that prisoners be fed nutritious meals, but giving them bread and water for every meal might be less expensive. This question asks students to give personal opinions about privatizing prisons, so there is no single â€Å"right† answer. 8.The experimental results on free-riding suggest that members of the community might voluntarily contribute about half of the required amount. The reason these citizens wanted to use private fundraising was because the state government redistributed tax dollars from wealthy districts to poor districts (the so-called Robin Hood plan), so using private donations was a way to avoid losing tax dollars to other districts. 9. Books are not a public good. They are both rival (two people cannot read a book at the same time) and excludable (you can keep a person from reading a book).But if the goods libraries provide are a sense of community or a better educa ted populace, these would qualify as public goods. If the public good aspect of the library is to produce a better educated populace, then perhaps the classic books are a better choice. 10. Hiring private military firms to provide military support in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Darfur would be similar to the example of airport security in the text. One might argue that a private firm would not provide adequate training, use unethical or especially aggressive methods to shorten the conflict, thus lowering costs to increase profits.Proponents would argue that such things could be stipulated in a well-written contract. However, no Part 2 – Public Expenditure: Public Goods and Externalities contract can specify every possible contingency. In high conflict situations this may be especially true as the opposing side will not be predictable. 11. a. Zach’s marginal benefit schedule shows that the marginal benefit of a lighthouse starts at $90 and declines, and Jacob’s margina l benefit starts at $40 and declines. Neither person values the first lighthouse at its marginal cost of $100, so neither person would be willing to pay for a lighthouse acting alone. . Zach’s marginal benefit is MBZACH=90-Q, and Jacob’s is MBJACOB=40-Q. The marginal benefit for society as a whole is the sum of the two marginal benefits, or MB=130-2Q (for Q? 40), and is equal to Zach’s marginal benefit schedule afterwards (for Q>40). The marginal cost is constant at MC=100, so the intersection of aggregate marginal benefit and marginal cost occurs at a quantity less than 40. Setting MB=MC gives 130-2Q=100, or Q=15. Net benefit can be measured as the area between the demand curve and the marginal benefit of the 15th unit. The net benefit is $112. 5 for each person, for a total of $225. 2. Each day the private decision of each fisherman would equate private cost with private benefit. Therefore, 7 would show up because then each fisherman would catch four fish. If the fishermen catch less than four fish, then they will stay home. The net benefits to society are 0 fish (the benefit to the seven fishermen is 4 fish (7Ãâ€"4=28) and the cost to society is 4 fish per fisherman (7Ãâ€"4=28)). The efficient number of fishermen to show up at the lake is the number that will maximize social net benefits, which happens where the social marginal benefit equals the social marginal cost.This occurs at four fishermen, where the net social benefits equal 12 fish (4Ãâ€"7 – 4Ãâ€"4). Access to the lake is an impure public good. It is rival – if one fisherman has access to the fish, the others have less access. It is, however, non-excludable because it is difficult to keep people from fishing at a lake. 13. Britney’s marginal benefit is MBBRITNEY=12-Z, and Paris’s is MBPARIS=8-2Z. The marginal benefit for society as a whole is the sum of the two marginal benefits, or MB=20-3Z (for Z? 4), and i s equal to Britney’s marginal benefit schedule afterwards (for Z>4).The marginal cost is constant at MC=16. Setting MB=MC along the first segment gives 20-3Z=16, or Z=4/3, which is the efficient level of snowplowing. Note that if either Britney or Paris had to pay for the entire cost herself, no snowplowing would occur since the marginal cost of $16 exceeds either of their individual marginal benefits from the first unit ($12 or $8). Thus, this is clearly a situation when the private market does not work very well. Also note, however, that if the marginal cost were somewhat lower, (e. g. , MC? ), then it is possible that Paris could credibly free ride, and Britney would provide the efficient allocation. This occurs because if Britney believes that Paris will free ride, Britney provides her optimal allocation, which occurs on the second segment of society’s MB curve, which is identical to Britney’s MB curve (note that Paris gets zero marginal benefit for Z>4). Since Paris is completely satiated with this good at Z=4, her threat to free ride is credit if Britney provides Z>4. See the graph below. Chapter 4 – Public Goods MBParis MBBritney

Open Work Space Research Essay

The Study Recently in the work space, there seems to be a shift from this traditional cubicle style to a more open environment for the employees. This shift has me questioning why are innovative companies shifting towards this more open environment? It seems that these companies are looking not only for a change in scenery, but a change in the how there employees utilize the environment.During this study, I will use a variety of sources in order to understand a comma NYSE work space environment and other information pertaining the architectural design of a company. The questions especially want to explore are: How does the open workspace effect the collaboration between employees? How does this work space attempt to foster an environment for creativity and innovation? Informational Sources The sources have used ranged from a variety of places.The information I collected from Kidders Studio and Kramer Design Group was a large group interview which was required for a summer class where we studied cultures of creativity in Detroit, Michigan. These two interviews took place on August 24, 2013. The large group interview also included a tour of both companies to actually see the working environment firsthand. Field notes were also taken to help record detailed descriptions of the environment at both companies. Another source used for this research included an online magazine called 991. . This magazine publishes research in a condensed and easy to understand format for the general public. It described research on how to build a collaborative work space. I read this to help better my understanding of what a collaborative work space might look like and what re some key components for a creative work space. Also watched a video created by Wall Street Journal on Google's New York work space because, have never been there. This video allowed me to visually see the environment where Google employees work.Another source utilized was a prCICS completed from an article called Building Research and Information. It included research done in this area which helped me orient myself with prior research already completed on this topic. Previous Research Completed on Work Space Environment One research prCICS I looked at included the importance of collaboration in the work space. They looked at three behaviors that contribute to effective collaboration: â€Å"awareness, brief interaction, and collaboration (working together)† (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, par. 2).This term awareness means to understand what is going on in the environment around you. You are able to process this through â€Å"spatial features that promote awareness† and organizational factors that allow you to see other employees (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, pars. 4-5). They noted Some benefits to this ‘high awareness' Were rapid information sharing and ability to recognize when other employees were struggling Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, par. 6). However there are some concerns for ‘high awareness' in a collaborative environment also.It can be distracting, noisy from employees talking, and create a loss of privacy for the workers (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, par. 7). Another term discussed was ‘brief interactions' which means unplanned and short discussions you have with other employees. This results in â€Å"spatial features that promote interaction† and organizational factors that allow you to run into other employees (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, pars. 9-10). Some benefits include improved information flow, increased learning, and increased development Of friendships (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, par. 1). There are, however, some drawbacks which include a high potential for stress, an increase in distractions, and the potential for over communicating with employees (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, par. 12). The ot her term discussed in the prCICS was collaboration. Collaboration in the work space can result in organizational factors that allow employees to work in project rooms (Hangmen, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, ears. 18-19). Some benefits from these project rooms are quicker answers, access to other team members, and better project tracking (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, par. 0). Despite these benefits, there are some concerns including the possibility for information overload, a shorter amount of time on certain tasks, and less privacy for employees (Hearing, Compromisers, Powell, and Loftiness, par. 21). Evaluating Google and Two Outside Innovative Companies Google is the company which typifies an open work space concept. However, I needed to use Kidders Studio and Kramer Design Group in Detroit, Michigan because they were local and accessible. Both of these companies were much smaller than Google.However, there are innovative and utilize the open work space con cept. Google is known for their web search engine and try to make information easily accessible to the users. The Google New York campus occupies an entire floor and parts of other floors in a building covering an entire â€Å"city block in Manhattans Chelsea neighborhood† (Alter, par. 7). This campus has grown from around 2,000 employees to nearly 3,000 and hiring in the areas of media and advertising (Jordan). Due to the arrival of additional employees, the newly hired have had to move from floor to floor (Jordan).In this campus as opposed to Silicon Valley, it is less tech focused and gives the employees a more natural working environment (Jordan). Google's competitive and innovative nature attracts many young employees to their company. Despite Google's great benefits, there is still a high turnover rate, which means they have a limited amount of time with their employees. Kidders Studio is an innovative company which is a part Of the creative community in Detroit, Michig an. Since 1 959, Kidders Studio has earned a beatable name for solving problems with designs.They started off solving problems by designing logos for the automotive companies in Detroit. In 201 1, Kidders moved to their new location on Broadway Street near the Detroit Tigers Stadium. Their diverse team of 25 office employees design logos and websites for advertisements, but their goal is to create the extraordinary (Patrick). They started with 16 employees and are looking to expand to 35 employees. Some of their biggest clients are Dave and Buster's, Detroit Tigers, and Andiron Restaurant. At Kramer Design Group in Detroit, they specialize in designing the interiors of buildings.There are about 18 to 28 people that work at the office, because there are only 28 desks available. When they work with their clients, they focus on creating a particular environment in order to invoke a certain feeling (Kramer). They strive for listening to the client. However, sometimes the client does not know what they want until you show it to them. This company provides swatches of materials to help visualize the production or prototype built. They are known for creating traditional architecture, hotels, and presidential lofts. They have completed such projects in Detroit like theMadison Building, Broodier Towers, and Whitney Building (Kramer). Kramer Design Group is starting to pick up some business throughout the state. Kramer Design Group and Kidders Studio Work Space Company ices are redesigning offices in order to get a more spacious working environment for their employees. This open work space is intended to foster creativity and innovation. Designing a place to enhance creativity takes a lot of work not only on the companies half, but on the architects half as well. It is important the architect works in collaboration with their client to create a specific environment.In this case, the architect needs to create an environment that is not only functional to the employees, b ut pleasing to the customer. Open office spaces seem to fuel this creativity through the collaboration of diverse groups of people, the flexibility of the work space, and the atmosphere of the room with numerous examples from Detroit, Machine's Kidders Studio and Kramer Design Group. A key component to this creativity and innovation is allowing the mixture of diverse groups of people to work together in an open area.To define diverse, this word is meant to describe how individuals with various job titles and functions can ark cohesively together. Providing people an open environment encourages informal connections to be made and ideas to be bounced off one another (Patrick). For example, at Kidders Studio, their work place fosters an environment where colleagues can collaborate with each other (Patrick). The studio is set up with no doors on any of the offices, even the Coo's office. Over the years, the company has developed this process to be successful.During their meetings, they encourage administrative workers, designers, marketers, and writers to brainstorm ideas for projects (Patrick). These brainstorming sessions involve everyone in the company to work on a project where titles mean nothing (Patrick). Sometimes, disagreement can be a bad thing. But it has become a useful tool because, it encourages ideas to be explored and defended by the creator (Patrick). The end result is a better thought out solution which provides the customer with an outstanding product.Creating flexibility in the work space seems to be another crucial element which allows this creativity and innovation to flourish. Kramer Design Group utilizes the portability and disability of the room to create an environment where creativity is maximized. The portable chairs in the lunch space allow the user to rearrange the space. The emphasis on designing a flexible work space allows people to freely converse amongst one another (Kramer). It also gives the workers an environment which allows easy access to coworkers (Kramer).Some of the offices have glass walls to give the illusion of a more open space (Kramer). One thing that stands out is there are few private offices. Private offices close workers off from the company and do not allow for ideas to be exchanged while the open spaces help stimulate creativity. In an open space, the atmosphere plays an important role in the minimization of creativity and innovation. Kramer Design Group's office is designed with a level of sophistication and professionalism to illustrate their knowledge in the design field (Kramer).The minute you step into the office, it is meant to create a feeling bigger than meets the eye. There is wall to wall glass to give an expansive feeling to the area and it makes the ceiling appear taller (Kramer). In the hallway, there are columns spaced equal distances apart and a white strip on the carpet to give the illusion of a never ending hall (Kramer). Even the lighting plays into the comfortable ambia nce of the room with their modern looking lights which use some incandescent lighting. Their office provides a creative, yet comfortable environment.It allows their employees to think freely in the office with the respect of their fellow colleagues. Google's Innovative Design Google's New York campus has a similar goal in their office design like Kidders Studio and Kramer Design Group. â€Å"All of the design is meant to encourage interaction between structurally separate teams† (Jordan). By implementing this open work space, it influences the way groups of Google's collaborate. Google's intention by using an open work space is to create an environment specifically for the interaction between the workers.A fun design plan Google's architects implemented is the vertical ladder chutes between floors, because the elevators are never known to be on time. This vertical ladder chute promotes unplanned collaborations (Alter, par. 7). Another touch Google added was giving the employe es a bag to place their laptop in while climbing up the ladder (Jordan). This bag helped Google's minimize the chance of dropping their laptops. When workers causally intermingle, it encourages informal connections to be made among colleagues. Senior software engineer, Mike Labels moved from Google's Silicon Valley to Google's New York campus.At Google's Silicon Valley, their offices are created as an individual place with their own unique perks and specific design, which help the worker relate to their environment Road). Since Labels has transferred to Google's New York office, he feels that coming to work here you will not mistake you are in some room at an ordinary building; you will know you are at Google in New York (Jordan). It seems Google's New York office has created their own city within their building. Even some of their conference rooms are designed as a New York apartment to create a close environment for colleagues to collaborate within.Directly outside these conferenc e rooms, it is setup like city with a fire hydrant, subway grates on the floor, and a narrow hallway with a cityscape on the wall (Jordan). This use of schematics throughout areas of their building makes it seem like the real New York City outside of the building. Collaboration is a good thing, but too much can also be a bad thing sometimes. There are many places to get away from the hustle and bustle of the office area. These areas include a reflecting room, a library, a private hone booth, and more. The library is dotted with Victorian photos from Star Wars hanging on the walls (Jordan).There are also secret door bookcases leading to refection or reading rooms (Jordan). Throughout the library are many books to help employees on coding, programming and working with different types of computers (Jordan). One of the coolest features is the virtual wall of books where employees can download books to their phones (Jordan). Theses rooms are meant to give the workers a place to escape to when they get stressed at work. Google jobs can cause high stress because Of all the work demands. They can stop by the library and pick out a book or even download one from the virtual wall.By creating this comfortable environment, it gives the employees a place to relieve their stress. Regional facilities manager, Laura Gimped mentioned with groups growing in Google how proprieties and juxtaposition effect the workers interactions (loran). Laura understands generally information and ideas are shared with co-workers who are nearby. This is part of the reason that Google has positioned their offices no more than 150 feet away from food to enhance informal interactions between its employees. So at any office location there s a micro-kitchen, a restaurant, or cafeteria nearby.This place encourages fellow Google's to go grab a bite to eat whenever and where ever they may be in the building (Jordan). Their set up enables employees to â€Å"bump into coworkers from different teams with in the† work space (Alter, par. 8). She has taken into account the growth of the company with an eye towards this idea of casual collision in the work space (Jordan). This allows fellow Google's to have the opportunity to discuss an idea with someone they normally do not work with (Jordan). Some of the greatest ideas are inspired from unexpected inventions between people.Findings Coming from an architectural background has enabled me to see rooms differently from other people. However, after this research, I was able to look at a room and see the choices and decisions the architect had to make in designing the room. For example, their placement of furniture, walls, doors and windows in a room plays a critical role in how the work space is used. The way an architect designs a room actually plays an important role for what the customer ultimately wants. Each of the companies I research ultimately had a similar goal through using the open work space concept.Kidder's goals was to create the extraordinary through logos and design. Their office design fostered their employees to be creative. Kramer Design Group specialized in interior designing. Their open work space also did the same by providing their employees with a creative environment. Both of these places were designed, so the employees interacted regularly in order to get their ideas. Through my research even though did not actually visit, Google, the above examples helped me visualize what I could not see at Google. I have come to greater appreciate the open work space concept and its purpose atGoogle is to maximize its employees creativity. Through my research on open work spaces at Google, I have come to understand the choices the architects had to make while designing Google's New York office. They choose to design the environment with many unique features to enhance the collaboration between employees. I have now come to see that through creating an open work space it results in good ideas from em ployees. Essentially, these good ideas are able to be obtained through creating these unexpected conversations and casual collisions. This new understanding can help companies understand ways to obtain ideas from their employees.Through creating this type of environment similar to Google, companies will be able to design an environment to maximize the productivity of workers. Conclusion Google is known as the gold standard for innovation and creativity. Their architects have used the open work space to help them achieve this goal. Through the design of the open work space, Google's from different teams or backgrounds bump into each other casually throughout the day. The intent is for these Google's to discuss an idea with someone they may not work with daily. This chance interaction may be the catalyst for a new and creative idea.This new open work space approach is intended to inspire its employees and support creativity where new ideas can be developed and new discoveries made. Fu rther Questions If another research paper was completed, it may be interesting to see how other innovative companies like Apple, Paxar, and Twitter are set up in regards to their work space design. It would be interesting to see how these companies layout their work space, because there could be similar correlations to how their employee's collaborate like Google. In order to answer this question, you would need to look at the interactions between the errors of the company.Since work spaces are always being remodeled by companies, it would be interesting to track innovative companies over the next five year to see how their work space changed over time. It would be ideal to interview employees throughout the change of the work space to see how it has effected them. It may be interesting to also speak to the management to determine whether there were more ideas generated in the newer work space than in the current type work space. This could help understand the reason behind why comp anies design a creative environment for their workers.

What was architecturally innovative about the Pantheon in Rome Essay

What was architecturally innovative about the Pantheon in Rome - Essay Example The Pantheon is a building in Rome,Italy that whose design and construction was under the directorship of Marcus Agrippa who was a friend and commander during the reign of Augustus. It was constructed as a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome,and it was rebuilt in 117-138 AD by Hadrian after it was razed to the ground during a war. The building is circular with a front entrance portico made up of eight large Corinthian columns made of granite. There are another two groups of four behind that are all under pediment. There is a vestibule, rectangular in shape that links the porch to the cupola that is beneath a coffered concrete auditorium. The dome has a central opening to the sky called the oculus, and it is the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome. Fig 1: Pantheon, Rome. This paper seeks to highlight on what is architecturally about the Pantheon in Rome by discussing various features and aspects of the building. The version of the Pantheon seen today was built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian at around 123AD, which fused the technical, religious and architectural inheritance of the Egyptian, Greek and Roman culture (Baldwin, 2004). The Emperor’s emphasis on perfection of the heavens is reflected in other buildings built by him and in its self-similar use of geometry and proportions. The notion regarding the nature of the universe being spherical is more Greek than it is Roman with the portico and the pediment also being of Greek influence. The coppice of columns leading into the temple is evocative of the hall of columns or hypostyle found in Egyptian temples (Baker, 2008). The interior of the Pantheon called the rotunda is accessed through a pair of bronze doors, with the vertical and horizontal diameter of the interior space being 43.2 meters. This is exemplary of the Romans’ emphasis on the notion of perfection in the sphere but also the heavens, and this sense of geometric perfection permeates the entire structure (MacDonald , 2002). The Pantheon is composed of two compartments namely the rotunda and the portico, with portico comprising of 16 large columns at the opening of the building. The columns are under a pediment with a phrase across it that reads; MÂ ·AGRIPPAÂ ·LÂ ·FÂ ·COSÂ ·TERTIUMÂ ·FECIT. This translates to Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, made this building when consul for the third time. The walls are three storeys high and up to 6.2 meters thick with arches built into the brickwork to distribute the weight and achieve the height and strength required to support the dome (Baldwin, 2004). The thick walls are necessary to support and act as a buttress against the dome’s colossal stress. Inside the pantheon, the perimeter wall opens into seven niches that once contained statures of several deities a reference to the structure’s name, which means many gods. The floors are covered with beautiful tiles, which are an example of opus sectile roman mosaics that are used in the rest of the building enhancing the building’s decoration in amazing colours and patterns (MacDonald, 2002). The floor inside the pantheon is a checkerboard pattern that differs from the coffers in the dome, with each part of the dome’s interior subdivided according to different themes. They reinforce the building’s shape with the modular approach augmenting an individual’s point of reference of self and the size of the building. The dome of the pantheon weighs an approximate 4.5 metric tonnes concentrated on a ring of voussoirs that are 30 feet in diameter that form the oculus (Grasshoff, Heinzelmann & Wafler, 2009). Eight columns that are 21ft thick carry the downward thrust of the dome. The light from the open doorway and the oculus are the two sources of light inside the pantheo

European Union- Treaty of Lisbon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

European Union- Treaty of Lisbon - Essay Example The EU is simply a politico-economic union that comprises of 28 countries, primarily found in the continent of Europe. In its functioning, the union operates via systems that comprise of various supranatural and independent institutions as well as intergovernmental decisions that are negotiated by the member countries. Some of the institutions that facilitate the functioning of the European Union include the union’s parliament, EU council, the Union’s court of justice as well as the union’s central bank among others. It is important to note that the origin of the European can be traced back to the EEC (European Economic Community) and the ECSC (European Coal and Steel Community). These two unions were composed of six countries that were its founding members, between 1951 and 19581. The years that followed saw the union grow and increase in membership; this was also facilitated by the inclusion of several other treaties and policies. The members of the union as at 1993, created the current name of the EU after agreeing to the Maastricht treaty; this treaty was essential in establishment of the concept of European Citizenship2. The union stayed and functioned under the provisions of the Maastricht Treaty until in 2009, when the members states made some major amendments in the legal framework of the treaty. The treaty of Lisbon was signed in order to make amendments to the EU on basis of its constitution. This treaty is also referred to as the treaty of reform, according to the amendments and reforms in brought to the laws that created the European Union3. The treaty can simply be described as the international agreement that played a key role in the amendment of initial treaties that created the EU, forming the basis of its constitution. It is important to note that the Treaty of Lisbon came into effect after the member states signed into it in 2007, but was officially put into active use in 2009. The Lisbon treaty

Marketing Strategies Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Marketing Strategies - Coursework Example Internet selling through websites and portals has broken all limits and definition of a domiciled corporation. Now corporations are not only selling to foreign nationals over the internet but are also actually relocating their production facilities in search of overseas markets. Since 1990s the concept of globalization has brought in revolution in the manner we trade internationally. Retailing is the nearest link to the consumer and has a direct role in accessing various products and services to the final consumer. If the menu of products and services offered to the customer is wide enough to be exhaustive and is offered at competitive prices in convenience settings then the retailer has achieved a major part of his marketing strategy objective. However marketing strategy is not just limited to reaching the consumers their preferred goods and services at a competitive rate; the obverse side of the marketing strategy coin has a distinct profit objective translated in the form of product specific margins at marketing strategy level and which goes on to merge in the overall accounting profit for the retailer once entire operations are counted in. All other objectives are subservient to this objective. In pursuance of this objective a retailer has to reckon in the entire line of distribution that precedes the arrival of products in his store and manage logistics so as to ensure ready availability of all products and services. As some researchers on retailing opine "While coping with the short-term uncertainties, retailers should set their sights on long term prospects to prepare themselves for the opportunities and challenges aheadThe three attributes that mainly rule the retail market are consumer, technology and innovation. It is the prime responsibility of retailers to understand, anticipate and cater to the needs of the consumersThe supply from the retailer should always be according to the demand and expectations of the consumers. Like in Japan, retailers have reacted to rapidly ageing population by offering more products that target middle-aged consumers. Departmental stores, which used to cater exclusively to youths and adults, now carry more products such as body odor-suppressing dress shirts for middle-aged men and conservation fashions for middle-aged women"(Verma,2003) As has been pointed out above globalization has touched most asp ects of business and trade and retailing is no exception. "With the globalization of markets and the growth of competition on a global scale, companies are increasingly expanding the geographic scope of their operations, setting up or acquiring companies in other countries, or entering into alliances across national boundaries. At the same time, with the spread of global and regional media, the development of international retailing, and the movement of people, goods, and organizations across national borders, markets are becoming more integrated. As a result, firms need to pay greater attention to coordinating and integrating their marketing strategy across markets". (Douglas & Craig, 1999). The link between international retailing and globalization has been brought about in clarity by the following statement:" Much

Compare and contrast the processes of democratisation in [country X] Essay

Compare and contrast the processes of democratisation in [country X] and [country Y] - Essay Example emocratization was initiated in both the countries soon after and the cessation of Latvia from the Soviet Union and the voluntary change in the Bulgarian monopolistic Communist party’s ideology. Now, after almost twenty years of the democratic process, both the countries are part of the European Union, a fact indicative of their progress and success in making social and political changes. The current paper aims to analyze the process of democratization in the two countries, Latvia and Bulgaria, and to compare and contrast them on their achievements towards the same. The theoretical frameworks employed by scholars in studying the process of democratization largely fall into two categories. The first approach, called the functionalist approach, proposes that the process of democracy is brought about as a result of economic or cultural development or ushered in simply by the changing times and modernization. Another approach, called the genetic view, that is employed in studying the process of democratization is to assess the involvement of political thinkers and leaders who have contributed in bringing about a change in political thought and practice. (Vanhanen and Pridham, 1994). The present paper aims to combine both the functional as well as the genetic approach in studying and comparing the process of democratization in two Eastern European nations – Latvia and Bulgaria. In order to compare and contrast the process of democratization in the Latvia and Bulgaria, it is necessary to study the historical factors that were responsible for the process to set in as well as understand the structural changes, the social and political struggles and changes that led to the evolution of a democratic electoral system in the two countries. Democratization in the Eastern European nations was influenced by both external and internal factors. (Vanhanen and Pridham, 1994). The external factors like the reforms already started in the Soviet Union by Gorbachev and the

The Lehman Brothers Collapse. Who, Why, How and Its Long-term Effects Term Paper

The Lehman Brothers Collapse. Who, Why, How and Its Long- Effects on Securities Markets - Term Paper Example There are a few terms which need to be defined before proceeding further. Security markets are the markets where securities of different types are bought and sold with reference to demand and supply. Mortgage markets involve dealings of loans on housing, business and industrial real estates. The markets in which corporations raise new capital by issuing common stock are referred to as primary markets. Secondary markets on the other hand are the ones where formerly issued securities are bought and sold among the investors, with no direct involvement of the corporations. Leverage is usually referred to borrowing. Stockholders are those who buy shares of a company, thereby gaining the rights of votes, earning dividends and profits. In a dramatic manner, Lehman Brothers underwent the largest bankruptcy in the history of United States, with its stocks plummeting drastically, customers opting their way out and assets being heavily undervalued by the official credit rating groups of that time. Lehman Brothers was mutually established by the three brothers, Henry Lehman, Emanuel Lehman and Mayer Lehman. Since its foundation, it was considered to be a very reputable institution in which people used to place immense amount of trust. With the passage of time, the popularity of the firm increased tremendously and it became one of the most reliable financial service companies in the United States, with the launch of its various subsidiaries such as Aurora Loan Services, Crossroad Groups, etc. Since 1993, the company was being led by Richard S. Fuld, Jr, who can be construed as a typical traditional leader with a top down command and control approach. He used to be very daunting in his demeanour and often commanded respect and devotion from his employees on the basis of power. He had a large management team along with him comprising of senior managers and board of directors who always aided him in forming corporate level policies, core business strategies and decision making. Up till 2007, the firm did reasonably well as far as the monetary records are concerned. The company even reported a staggering $4.2 billion profit in the year 2007. However, the consequences of following a superficial policy based on narrow sc ope and risky business were soon revealed when the company suffered the biggest financial turmoil of USA’s history which also triggered the late 2000’s recession. The responsibility of this crisis which resulted in the destruction of one of the most established names in the world of international finance lies directly on the management team of Lehman Brothers which consisted of several heavyweights, led by a very impolite and fiery Chairman and CEO, Richard S. Fuld, Jr. Article Summaries Onaran and Scinta (2008) state that the fourth biggest investment bank of the United States surrendered to the subprime mortgage catastrophe it had initially facilitated to develop in the midst of the largest bankruptcy in history. The old and respectable firm, Lehman Brothers Holding Inc, which had even survived the Great Depression, reported a bankruptcy petition in the US Bankruptcy Court. It had to lose 94 percent of its market worth during this tumultuous year. The filing of the b iggest bankruptcy case ever was led by bankruptcy legal representative Harvey Miller. Within hours, the shares of the

House of Tata Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

House of Tata - Case Study Example The license raj along with the dominating factor of the red tapes brought into effect significant amount of impact in regards to the irreparable financial bleeding of the business houses and entities. A lot many barriers also emerged in the business scene because of the tremendous opposition from various political parties. With the opening of the Indian economy, foreign direct investment was allowed to flow into the country. With the removal of various government based restrictions, varying amount of investments by the private and family held organizations was allowed in multiple sectors all over the country. It is of high relevance to highlight that the opening up of the economy in regards to foreign and private investments in various sectors promoted a significant amount of business opportunities. It is of high importance to mention that the diverse range of companies that were held together under the highly efficient leadership of JRD Tata has always moved forward and operated in a decentralized structure in regards to tackling the daily business operations. Because of the power of decentralization promoted by the leader JRD Tata himself, the independent set of companies which are centrally owned by the Tatas focused on capitalizing on the various growth opportunities provided by the opening up of the Indian economy. ... A presence of a single brand would have helped the India’s most popular corporate house to significantly communicate a unified set of value offerings for the company to the markets of India as well as around the world. Talking in regards to the value additions that might have happened in regards to the development of a single corporate brand, it needs to be mentioned that because of the ownership of multiple companies, the Tatas needed a strong and single line of communication that will communicate the brand’s superiority to the others. While in the past, the presence of JRD Tata helped in communicating the values of the group in a central manner, in the recently changing times, a single corporate brand will solve the purpose. Talking in regards to the positives, associated with the formation of a brand, it needs to be highlighted that the single corporate brand based identity will act as a pillar of strength and communication for all the associated companies of the Tat as. Also, it will help in communicating the brand values of the Tatas in the open markets in comparison to other rival brands. Talking in the lines of negativity, it needs to be maintained that the companies will have to stick the code of ethics and values promoted by the entire group. Non failure to address the values promoted will lead to tampering of the entire brand image for the corporate house. 1b. Building of equity interlocks among the Tata companies It is of utmost importance to mention that the Tata group of companies has ownership for multiple companies. Because of the leadership style practiced by JRD Tata, who was credited as the senior most commander of the group before Ratan

Critical Introduction- Documentary Video Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critical Introduction- Documentary Video - Essay Example The music was played by the use of classic genre in order to create the new sounds. Karl Waugh and Chloe Wallace are the subjects behind the documentary and had a rhythmic relationship of the played music, of which they created. It is a passion for the Waugh to play his music. This is especially at the times he speaks, making the audience to have the personal feelings of the music after they view it. This is a norm, especially for the filmmakers in using a style of keeping the people who create the music in the limelight. In this case, they see no importance for any other alternative of this style since it is an understandable style to the audience and the artists. Furthermore, the team producing the documentary wanted to make the audience to distinguish the style of music used in this artwork and classifying it as the real music. In the introduction to the documentary, Bill Nichols explains that the filmmakers structured their film according to the interview of the Waugh since his words were forming the framework of the argument discussed in the documentary. The producers have the tasks of marketing the new music in Brighton as well as avoiding the critical debate of whether the type of the music can be classified as the real music. This aims at giving the audience the chance to have their own opinions on the documentary or their own feelings. The documentary also supports the spoken words and is supported by the images, which are shown in the film as discussed by Bill Nichols. This is because the visuals are traditionally important in the films and they are shown as shots in supporting the discussions of Waugh. The sounds, which were heard as being experimental were produced by the Zero Map and are used to encourage the artists in using shots that corresponds with their ideas. The team also believes that, showing the shots will make the audience to have better understandings of the

The use of Computers at Somerfields Supermarket in Cheadle Essay Example for Free

The use of Computers at Somerfields Supermarket in Cheadle Essay Each store in the Somerfields chain uses a computer to keep track of transactions (purchases) throughout the day. The system uses real time processing so that at any time the manager of the store can check exactly how much stock there is in the shop. For example, when someone purchases something the item is passed over a bar code scanner, which records the items code number. This item is then immediately deducted from the stock held in a database. If real time processing was not used then the manager would not know how much stock he had in until the end of the day. Of course not all stock is sold. Sometimes items are damaged, or wasted (eg. they go past their sell date). In these cases the stock still needs to be deducted from the database but needs to be classified as waste so that a purchase is not recorded. Staff use a portable electronic wand to scan the bar codes of these items. The wand uses radio waves to send its data to the main computer. They also use these wands to do manual stock takes (this is used to verify that the stock held in the computer database is correct). Every night the stores main computer connects to the Somerfield main frame computer. The main frame is a very powerful computer which connects to every computer in each of the Somerfield supermarkets. This computer will check the stock in each store and then automatically order new stock if it is needed. It will also change prices of stock, update the store on special offers and what to do to promote the offers etc. Somerfield also use an Intranet to keep its staff informed about promotions, special deals, changes to policy etc. The supermarket chain uses EFTPOS (electronic funds transfer at point of sale) so that customers can use credit and debit cards. The store prefers this method of payment to cash because there is less need for security, and also most people today shop only with cards and dont use cash. The biggest problem with using all of these systems is user error e.g. not scanning all items on a stock take, forgetting to record wastage etc. Another difficulty is how to monitor short life materials or complex materials like meat (remember meat is cut before it is sold and is not always sold at the same weight). Loyalty card Some large shops such as supermarkets have introduced loyalty cards. Tesco was the first to start the ball rolling in 1995 with its Tesco Clubcard. Customers apply for a card giving their name, address, e-mail and various other personal details. In return, they are issued with a Loyalty card that resembles a credit card in size and appearance. The loyalty card contains the customer membership number. The card is swiped when the customer buys something and details of their purchases are stored on the computer system. The customer is usually rewarded with discounts or vouchers, typically 1p for every à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½1.00 spent. On first glance, this would only seem to benefit the customer as the entire scheme is free of charge. However, supermarkets also benefit in other ways. The loyalty card allows the supermarket to build up a very accurate picture of the owners purchasing habits. Say for example, a new gardening magazine has come on to the market and the store wants to let potential customers know about it. The loyalty card database can be used to identify customers who regularly buy other gardening magazines. A mailing list is generated and hopefully the new magazine finds many new customers. Another way the card can be used is to understand where customers come from in the local area, because the database contains names and addresses. If there appears to be a gap in the locality, then it helps work out if it is worth building a new store to cover that area. So you can see the supermarket also benefits from running the scheme. The use of ICT in supermarkets has brought about many benefits for the company. Some of them are listed below: There is much less chance of human error when performing calculations and handling money. Everything takes place much more quickly and efficiently. The price of an item can be altered at any time simply by entering the new price against its barcode on the computer database. There is no need to price goods individually so some staffing costs are reduced. Less paperwork needs to be stored and information can be retrieved more easily. Better stock control means that the manager knows which products are selling well and those that are doing poorly. The computer system will automatically re-order new stock just in time to prevent the shop selling out. This means that fresher goods are always on display and reduces the amount of money tied up in stock. On the right you can see a photograph of the stores computer system. Note the use of two mini computers for back up. If one fails the other automatically takes over. On the bottom left you can see the back-up power supplies for use in the event of a power failure. The cabinet to the right houses a modem, connecting the store s computer to the head office computer via telephone lines. The centre units are bar code label printers.

Impact of Government Restriction on Tobacco Smoking Essay Example for Free

Impact of Government Restriction on Tobacco Smoking Essay Introduction                      Tobacco smoking is known to be a major health problem among many since the product is known to have up to 60 carcinogens among them nicotine and carbon monoxide (Owing, 2005). Currently the smoking prevalence in the European region is estimated to be about 28.6% with the male having a higher percentage of 40% as compared to the female who rank at 18.2%. Health experts have always pinpointed smoking as one the killer habits contributing to high cases of mortality and many health hazards CITATION WHO07 l 1033 (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2007). In that regard many government have put measures to curb the habit. In this presentation we shall focus on the smoking trends and limitations put by governments within the period 1974-1999 divided in 1974-1984 and 1985-1999. 1974-1984 Tobacco smoking in Britain has been on the decline in the past 50 years. It is believed that in the period beginning 1974 the country experienced the highest decline in smoking. This is compared to 1940s when prevalence was a high as 82%. Prevalence of smoking in the Great Britain for the period 1974-2012 % 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 1998 2002 2006 2010 2012 Men 51 45 38 35 31 28 28 30 27 23 21 22 Women 41 37 33 31 29 26 26 26 25 21 20 19 All 45 40 35 33 30 27 27 28 26 22 20 20 Note: Retrieved from ash.org.uk smoking statistics with information originating the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, 2012. Based on the above statistics it is evident that the period 1974-1984 experienced a slower decline in tobacco smoking as compared to the later period. The fact that this period was the first to experience such huge decline implies there must have been a general change in public attitude towards the habit. In this case the government played the role as a regulatory body to curb a common habit that had become a vice. To control smoking habit among the people the British government used price increase to keep tobacco prices high. This was done through the introduction of taxes. Due to addiction effect of nicotine contained in tobacco the decline in the number of smokers was not very large even the though the habit is concentrated among the low income earners (Ewles, 2005). Despite the low smoking prevalence in the period 1974-1984 as compared to earlier years, rights of non-smokers were not recognized. The government focused more of reducing smoking rates rather than reducing the effects imposed by tobacco smoke on third parties. Smoking in public was not regulated as smoking zones did not exist and not much research had been done of how the smoke can affect non-smokers without their consent. Individuals were free to smoke in public as no law enforced by the government was in place to control them. It is not just smokers who did not recognize that non-smokers have their rights but also non-smokers were not aware that they had rights to a smoke free environment. Generally the number of women smoking had also declined compared to earlier years. The trend continued to later years. Even though there was a decline still the number was high based on the statistics that by 1974, 4 in every 10 women were smokers. This figure dropped and by 1984 it was 3 out of 10. In this period of time smoking among women wasn’t looked from the negative side but it came to be a concern when it was done in pregnancy. Despite lack of much research about the effect of smoking in pregnant women in this period, there was general belief in the public that it was not ideal for a pregnant woman to smoke. A pregnant woman smoking was seen as irresponsible and not caring about the child she was carrying. The concern here was about the wellness of the child whom the woman was carrying since he/she was being exposed to the dangers of tobacco. However, such public concern did not affect the trend because smoking among pregnant women was common with women from low social class. The question whether decline in smoking was to the advantage or a disadvantage of all is an issue of concern. While tobacco industry was a big contributor to the tax revenue of the nation and created jobs, the same industry was linked to health and socio-economic challenges. In the period discussed many of the affected parties were the low class citizens who could otherwise used their funds in the right way rather than smoking. It problem worsened if they got health complications as this rendered them uneconomical. The efforts put by the government in this period to curb tobacco smoking were of great value because they focused on building the future nation rather than gaining tax revenues at the expense of the future. 1985-1999                      In this period of time the trend in tobacco smoking were in decline until 1994 when they remained constant. In general what this statistics imply is that the smoking prevalence in Britain may have begun to be constant at a rate of one smoker in every for individuals among the adults. The trends here show that the number of women smokers was also getting closer to that of their male counterparts of which stand at 28% as compares 29% in men by 1994. Smoking among the young too increased in this period especially among the teenagers. Despite the low prevalence percentage as compared to preceding periods, the worry was about the stability trend. The trend showed that unless action be taken the prevalence rate in Britain would have begun to rise again CITATION Roy00 l 1033 ( Royal College of Physicians of London. Tobacco Advisory Group., 2000)Smoking during pregnancy was an issue of concern especially among the young and unemployed ones. This is because during this time much awareness had been created about the negative effects of smoking especially in pregnant women. Smoking in pregnancy had been known to cause immature birth and the children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy risked â€Å"neo-natal mortality or sudden infant death syndrome, of asthma or wheezing illness in the first years of life CITATION Roy00 l 1033 ( Royal College of Physicians of London. Tobacco Advisory Group., 2000).† On the other hand there was public perception that smoking during pregnancy affected the normal growth of the child both physically and intellectually. With this kind of information within the public a pregnant woman smoking was seen as not caring of the wellness of her child. Although a large number of women continued to smoke during pregnancy, statistics by the Health Education Authority (HBE) in 1999 showed that 10% of women who were smoking before pregnancy stopped the habit. Much awareness was also created of how smoking is likely to affect people who are not smokers but come into contact with the smoke. It was well known that an individual smoking in public is likely to cause more harm to individual who inhale the smoke. In that regard the government came with rules meant to discourage smoking in the public. This was based on acceptance even among the smokers that non-smokers had rights to a clean environment. It is in this period that the government adopted policies that limited places where an individual could smoke. This was aimed at discouraging further increase in the number of smokers who could be easily influenced and also meant to protect the rights of non-smokers. To curb smoking the British government put more efforts in price increase through the use of taxes. However, this did not been seem to work due to various reasons attached to smoking among them being the addictive nature of the product. It is well known that nicotine substance contained in tobacco is addictive and price increase could not prevent individuals from continuing to use the product. On the other hand the legality of tobacco made it is easier for smokers to get it from cheaper sources that taxation didn’t affect.The government also turned to campaigns through the media that targeted the youth to discourage the habit among them being banning of cigarette adverts. However, such campaigns were known to have poor results in terms of outreach among the young people. The hurdle the government was facing here is that in this period the young were affected as compared to the later whereby focus was put more on the adult population. The actions by the government to put restrictions on smoking were of great importance to the society. Within this period of time most firms in the UK were manufacturing their products outside the country unlike in the 1974-1984 when tobacco products were produced locally. This meant that no jobs were created for the locals within the country unless in fields like sales, marketing and distribution. Looking into the retail sector cigarettes were sold as secondary products since retailers had other products they majored in hence low returns from the tobacco products. On the side of the consumer it is known that in UK tobacco products are priced in a way that most of the cost is excise duty. This implied that expenditure on the products did not stimulate the economy high as compared to other goods bought by the consumer (Ewles, 2005). Through the restrictions imposed the society benefited in terms of cost savings and a healthier population. This in turn benefitted both the government and citizens through saving on funds that could otherwise be used for health purposes. On the other hand the efforts to curb smoking were of great help to the future generation which could easily adopt to low smoking rates. Rules on public smoking also played an important role in societal wellbeing as they gave non-smokers their rights of a clean and healthy environment. References Owing, J. H. (2005). Trends in smoking and health research. New York: Nova Biomedical Books. Royal College of Physicians of London. (2000). Nicotine addiction in Britain: A report of the Tobacco Advisory Group of the Royal College of Physicians. London: The College. Ewles, L. (2005). Key topics in public health: Essential briefings on prevention and health promotion. Edinburgh: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone. Source document

Financial Analysis Of British American Tobacco Plc Finance Essay

Financial Analysis Of British American Tobacco Plc Finance Essay Introduction The purpose of this report is to provide information Interpretation of British American Tobacco plc (BAT) in terms of historical record, comparative financial indicators, and position in the market along with key value drivers for the company and performance indicators. This is done by analysing the information provided in the historical and present financial statements. About British American Tobacco Revenue Analysis British American Tobacco is a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange, which has direct and indirect stakes in several companies together constituting to be the British American Tobacco Group of companies. The group achieved gross turnover of GBP 40,713 million with revenues amounting to GBP 14,208 Million in the year 2009. There are more than 250 brands in their portfolio with Dunhill, Kent, Lucky Strike Paul Mall being their flagship cigarette brands which are together sold in more than 120 countries with total sales constituting 196 Billion cigarette units (Annual Report, 2009). The company follows the accounting cycle starting 1st January of the calendar year ending on 31st December of the same calendar year. The company currently has 95,710 employees on its payrolls. It sold 724 Billion cigarette units in the same year and has production capabilities in 50 cigarette factories based in 41 countries. British American Tobacco is the second largest tobacco company in the world (Excluding China), while it has 6.4% share of the UK market, dominant players being Imperial Tobacco Japan Tobacco International (Nielsen Data, Feb 2010). 74% of BATs sales come from the developing countries emerging economies (Annual Report, 2009). Revenue by Geography BATs largest market lies in Western Europe which accounted for 27.3% of its total revenues in FY 2009. BAT saw an increase of 20.7% from the revenues it had registered in the FY 2008. Asia Pacific accounted for 23% of its total revenues while Americas accounted for 22.2%. Eastern Europe accounted for 11.5% o the total revenues while the highest performed for BAT turns out to be Africa and Middle east which accounted for 22.2% but it saw an increase of 31.2% in terms of revenue over last year. Historical Performance Analysis British American Tobacco was established as a joint venture between the Imperial tobacco group of the United Kingdom the American Tobacco Group of the United States in the year 1902. Subsequently, In the year 1911 the company was listed on the London Stock Exchange. In 1913, the company looked overseas for expansion and entered the Argentinean markets. In the 1920s, British American Tobaccos capitalization had quadrupled since 1902 and sales grew by nearly a factor of 40. In 1923, The Companys worldwide sales had grown to 50 billion cigarettes per year. By 1962, British American Tobaccos capitalization allowed it to move towards diversification. It grew consistently, however, and was achieving turnover at the rate of 15% per annum by 1970. Diversifying and expanding at a rapid pace, British American Tobacco became a well known brand globally. With uncertainty about a long term market in tobacco, steps were taken to reduce BATs dependence on the tobacco industry. In 1986, only half o f its total pre tax profit came from tobacco group which was down from 57% pre tax profit BAT achieved in the year 1985. The 1990s were not a good time of the decade for tobacco sales as companies in the industry faced several lawsuits and litigations. The U.S. courts awarded verdicts which cost the tobacco companies millions of dollars as the consumer claimed tobacco related illness and relatives of smokers who claimed heavy compensation. The company continued with its strategy to take over small to midsized companies as it acquired Canadas dominant tobacco company, Imasco in the year 2000. The company has been consistently achieving Year on Year growth in the range of 8-12% in terms of revenue since 2005. While it has consistently maintained the operating margin percentage in the range of 26%-29% from 2005 to 2009, the Adjusted Diluted earnings per share has been rising from 56.9p in 2000 to 153p in the year 2009 (Annual Report, 2005-2009). Annual Report Analysis The goal of accounting information is to provide economic decision makers with useful information, according to Williams, Haka, Bettne Carcello (2006, p. 670). Financial statements analysis is not just important for the shareholders but various stakeholders as well. The Group has prepared its annual consolidated financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), as endorsed by the European Union. Some of the highlights of the Annual Report include revenue increase of 10% at constant rates of exchange 17% at current rate, when compared to the financials for the year 2008. Adjusted profits from operations too increased by 10% at constant rates and 20% at current rates. The total benefit of the result amounted to GBP 355 Million, which resulted in adjusted diluted earnings per share grow by 19% to 153 pence. Over the past 5 years, BAT has achieved a compounded annual growth rate of 15% in earnings per share and 19 % in dividends per share. The total shareholder returns over the same 5 year has been 175% compared to the FTSE 100 index which gave 35% returns to the investors. The financial analysis views the group as a strong player in the global tobacco industry. The resilience in achieving profits wealth generation along with geographical diversification has positioned the group as a multi national company with strong fundamentals which makes it more susceptible to face risks and unforeseen events in the future. In the first half of the financial year 2009, Sales volumes had increased by 4% or declined by 2% when the benefit derived from acquisition was excluded. BATs free cash flow remained strong and resilient during the year 2009 and looks set to remain the same in the year 2010 despite volume pressures. Price increases sales improvements continue to offset the volume pressure faced by the company in the broad range of other markets. In the financial year 2009, FFO was 31% of fully adjusted debt which was 3% points higher than the FFO in the year 2008. The reason for the same was marginal decrease in debt along with the increase in earnings due to acquisitions. The absorption of operating cash flow in to discretionary spending has slowed due to the company suspending the offer to buy back shares until further notice given. BAT is likely to generate free cash flows despite various expenses like restructuring dividend payments to the shareholders as it has ample internal liquidity, cash flow characteristics access to capital markets. The liquidity of BAT was supported by a) USD 1.75 Billion revolving credit facility for a five year period which along with the cash balance of USD 1.3 billion exceeded gross debt maturing on June 2010; b) Bond maturities; Bond worth USD 2.5 billion were issued to extend the groups debt portfolio c) Finance accessibilities; It has ready access to credit facilities on offer by the financial institutions; d) Significant cash position in excess of USD 1billion. Based on analysis, BATs profitability margins are on par with its global peers. BAT intends to improve its sales by 2 % year on year by price increases and product mixes. Market share reached by BAT in specific markets determined its profitability. Operating margin in developing countries can be compared with the margins achieved in matured markets as shown by the margin achieved in excess of 30% in regions like Latin America, Africa and Middle East. EBIDTA margins for BAT in the year 2009 figured 36%, has had a significant rise of 2.5% percentage point from 33.5% margin it achieved in 2008 and 32.5% in 2007. One widely accepted method of assessing financial statements is ratio analysis which uses data from balance sheet and income statement to produce interpretation which have financial meaning to it. Assessment of the financial health of a business is quick and relatively simple when information is derived using the relevant financial ratios. Ratio Analysis A ratio is a simple mathematical expression of the relationship of one item to another, according to Williams, Haka, Bettner, and Carcello (2005, p. 674). Ratios can provide diverse information to diverse financial information users. The analysis of annual report suggests the following ratio analysis of the group. The relevant ratios have been grouped and presented in this paper under various heads. Profitability Assessment: Operating Margin: BAT achieved an operating margin of 31.12% in the year 2009 mainly due to savings it achieved in supply chain, general overheads and indirect costs. The impact of higher leaf prices and input costs were offset due to these savings. It allowed the overall operating margin to increase from 30.7% to 31.4% in the year which was much greater than the industry and sector average of 22.01% and 10.10% respectively. BAT also, had much better margins when compared to Japan tobacco which could achieve operating margin of 4.76%. Return on Equity: BAT has been a fundamentally sound company demonstrating consistency in giving return on equity to its shareholders. In the FY 2009, BATs Return on Equity was standing at 37.05% which was considerably higher than the industry and sector average of 11.57% and 8.01% respectively. While Japan Tobacco could manage to achieve little less than 10% Return on Equity, BAT has been since the past able to maintain consistent returns. In the past four years starting 2005 2008, BAT gave returns of 26.12%, 27.70%, 28.95% 30.44% respectively. These numbers give confidence to investors and allow BAT to be looked upon as a good company to place ones bet on. Return on Capital Employed (ROCE): Corporate Profitability can be determined by assessing the trading profit that the company has achieved over the capital employed by it to achieve the same. BAT achieved an ROCE of 20.82% in the FY 2009 which is slightly better than the Industry average and sector average. BAT fared approximately twice as better when compared to Japan Tobacco. Asset Utilisation: Asset Turnover: BAT was able to main asset utilisation which was on par with the industry average. The industry average for the FY 2009 was 0.58, while BAT registered an asset utlisation ratio of 0.73. The company is expected to register even better numbers in the near future as FY 2009 saw some acquisitions which resulted in BATs performance on par with the market in terms of making its asset sweat. Closure of the Soeborg factory in Denmark, Downsizing of manufacturing plant in Australia and impairment charges for certain software assets resulted in these assets having minimum and limited future economic benefit. But with consolidation resulting in greater savings and better utlisation of the assets of the companies acquired in the emerging markets, the asset turnover ratio is expected to fare better in the next financial year. Interest Cover: BATs interest cover remains steady at 8.6x in the FY 2009 compared to 8.5x which was reported in the FY 2008. It was offset as a result of the financial arrangements carried out for the acquisitions. Pre-Tax impact on adjusting item distorts the interest cover. Risk Tolerance By analysing the financial statements, BATs policy seems to be moderate as it focuses on maintaining EBIDTA coverage of gross interest payments between 5x and 9x at the same time maintaining cash balance exceeding USD 1 billion and five year maturity on its debt profile. BAT needs to strike a fine balance between acquisitions and share buy backs to avoid over stretching its debt capacity over a short time frame due its commitments to a 65% annual dividend payout ratio. In the year 2008, BAT reduced its annual buy back commitment from USD 750 Million to USD 400 Million to accommodate acquisitions. BAT also suspended its buy back program in 2009 until further notice. Cash Flow Adequacy Growing profitability would benefit the companies debt protection metrics to a greater extent. Strong conversion of profits into cash supports BATs financial metrics. The groups future working capital requirements will remain stable in proportion to its annual sales unless there are any significant large scale acquisitions. BATs capital expenditure of its net operating cash flows is very low when compared with the averages in food, beverage tobacco industries. In the year 2009, BATs capital expenditure accounted for 15%-20% of net operating cash flows. BATs future capital expenditure is most likely to grow giving the compounded annual growth rate of the company along with the industry. Key Performance Indicators The key performance indicators for BAT has been its consistent ability to maintain growth in its core competency. Revenue for the FY 2009 grew by 17% which is 3 4 per annum greater than the target growing revenue for the medium and long term. This was possible due to acquisitions it made and favourable exchange rate movements. One of the key strengths of the company in terms of its performance is its diversified global drive brands which constitute majority of the sales for the company. Though growth of 16% was achieved in the FY 2008 in this segment, FY 2009 volumes grew by 4% which is coherent with the companys strategy to achieved single digit growth over the long run. The adjust profit from operations achieved by the firm was well above the company target to achieve 6% profit from operations. BAT registered a growth of 20%. The net cash from operating activities in the FY 2009 was up by  £26 million to  £ 2630 million. Free cash flow per share increased by 2%, the ratio of free cash flow to adjusted diluted earnings was 86%. Adjusted Earnings Per Share (EPS) had grown at an average of 11% over the last ten years. This exceeds the companys target of growing at a single digit figure per annum on an average. Adjusted diluted EPS grew by 19% in the year 2009. S.W.O.T. Analysis Strengths: Diversified Global Brand Drive (GBD) portfolio One of the keys strengths of the group is its diversified portfolio of cigarette brands. In the FY 2009, overall volume of the GBD grew by 4%. Emerging Economies Currently, 74% of BATs revenues come from the emerging economies. Enhanced Internal Operations BAT saved GBP 239 Million in the FY 2009 by improving its supply chain, overheads and indirect costs. Weaknesses: Legal Issues Recoupment actions and Class actions are filed against the company and its subsidiaries which in turn impacts not only the brand image but also its cost structure. Poor Asset Utlization The companys Return on Assets (ROA) and Return on Equity (ROE) has been poor when compared to its competitors. Philip Morris International and Altria Group recorded an ROA of 29.7% and 20% respectively with BAT recorded an ROA of 15.1% only. Similarly, ROE for BAT was lower than Philip Morris International which recorded 99.2% while BAT could achieve 40.6% only. Opportunities Acquisitions BAT completed an acquisition of a Turkish state owned tobacco company in the year 2008 which elevated its market share from 7% to 36%. In the same year, BAT Bought Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni (ST) which allowed it to increase annual sales of approximately 30,000 million cigarettes. Recently BAT acquired PT Bentoel Internasional Investama, Indonesias fourth largest cigarette maker which had sales of around 250 million cigarettes a year. These acquisitions would increase the global presence of BAT across the globe and in turn enhance its topline and profitability. Growth of Tobacco Industry The tobacco industry is forecasted to witness growth. It is estimated that there would be 1.3 billion smokers in the world by 2020 up from 1.3 billion currently. According to the Datamonitor estimates, the global tobacco market generated total revenues of $429.3 billion in 2009, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.1% for the period spanning 2005-2009. Cigarette sales generated total revenues of $394.2 billion in the FY 2009, equivalent to 91.8% of the markets overall value. The global tobacco market is forecasted to have a value of $490.2 billion, an increase of 14.2% since 2009. BAT is the second-largest global cigarette player. It tends to benefit from this positive outlook. Threats Illicit Trade Illicit trade is estimated up to 660 million cigarettes a year which represents 12% of world cigarette consumption. This results in losses upto GBP 4 Billion to GBP 7 billion a year. Increase in illicit trade would reduce revenues of the company. Advertising restrictions Brand Building, advertising and promotion are facing hindrances globally. The absence of marketing would effect introduction and promotion of new products in the markets. It could have a negative impact on BATs sales. Consumer focus and awareness on health issues Increasing health consciousness and introduction of substitutes to cigarettes into the market has led to decline of sales for the company. Pharma products and nicotine replacement patches along with chewing gums are the new source of harmless alternatives. What makes British American Tobacco work? The year 2009 was a challenging year for the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) segment. Total market volumes declined by 2% for the BAT products. The overall performance for BAT was firm . It continued to invest in its marketing initiatives which resulted in it maintaining its market share in key markets. The Global Drive brands (GDB) grew by combined 4% in terms of volume. These accounted for 27% of the global volume sales for BAT. The overall brand mix for BAT is balanced between premium, mid-price low-price. Managing business to business relationships makes up for a large part of BATs trade marketing activities. BAT co-ordinate its business with its trading partners to ensure that it is able to meet the demands of the customer at the right place and at the right time. This has worked out well for the company as it helps it maintain the market share in a highly competitive tobacco industry. Understanding customer and their needs is of the core non financial activities of BAT. BAT regularly surveys their customer base internationally against its peers in the FMCG industry and particularly against its competitiors in the tobacco industry. Their efforts made them be recognised as the leading business in the tobacco category for customer relationship management by Dow Jones sustainability index for the third successive year in 2009. Apart from its own marketing initiatives, BAT makes efforts to develop marketing programmes jointly with its retail partners, who engage with consumers in market channels like Global Travel Retail and Global Convenience Retail. For BAT, the Direct Store Sales in the most preferred way of selling cigarettes to customers. It fecilitates greater access to consumer information and market. It has also helped them with a direct commericla link to their most strategic retail accounts. In the FY 2009, total sales volumes distributed through DSS reached 50%. Integrated Global Enterprise Apart from the key revenue generators for the company, BAT has been able to achieve growth by savings. BAT was successful in turning a multinational business operations in over 180 markets into an integrated global enterprise which take better advantage of its scale. It led to savings in supply chain, overheads and indirect costs amounting to  £239 million. The company has a target achieve  £800 million savings by 2012.

Celine Dion :: essays research papers

Celine Dion, the youngest of 14 children, was born on March 30th, 1968 in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada. Charlemagne is on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, on the east end of the Montreal Island. She has Hazel eyes and is 5 feet 7.5 inches tall. Her qualities are self-determination, professionalism and discipline. She is so disciplined that she has actually spent three weeks without making any sound to give her vocal cords a rest. She does have her failings though. She is sometimes impatient, especially in the mornings. Her lucky number is five. She even keeps a five-cent coin that was minted in 1968, that she found on the ground. Her favorite perfume is Channel #5, and her favorite colors are black, white and red. Celine collects miniature cups and crystal objects. She also collects shoes, having over 400 pairs! She enjoys snow and water skiing, and roller blading. Her second career choice would be to be a professional model, and her favorite musical instrument is a piano. C eline’s favorite female singers are Natalie Cole, Barbara Streisand, and Ginette Reno, and her favorite male singers are Stevie Wonder and Micheal Jackson. Micheal Jackson even sent her a signed photo stating “To Celine with love.';, (Http://www.celineonline.com/bio1.html.) and the hat he wore in the Billy Jean clip, which was also signed. Her first name comes from a song (Celine, sang by Hugues Aufray and written in 1966 by Vline Buggy) that her mother was singing while she was pregnant. Celine has a large family. Her mother is Therese Tanguay Dion, and her father is Adhemar Dion. She also has eight sisters: Denise, Claudette, Liette, Louise, Ghislaine, Linda, Manon, and Pauline. Her five brothers are Clement, Michel, Jacques, Daniel, and Paul. Paul and Pauline are twins. Celine’s family is very musical. Claudette, and Michel have both recorded albums, and Michel is part of a band named Le Show. Celine’s parents own Le vieux Baril (The Old Barrel), a piano-bar restaurant in their hometown. The children did waitressing and singing for the customers. Adhemar played the accordion and Therese played violin, while the children sang. Celine first stood on top of a table and sang a Ginette Reno song when she was only five! She also sang a song at her brother Michel’s wedding. The town’s people called her “la p’tite Quebecoise';, or “the little Quebecer';. When Celine was 12, she and her mother wrote the song Ce n’etait qu̵ 7;un reve (It was only a dream).

Erics Wacky World of Words :: Free Essays Online

Eric's Wacky World of Words I don't work with small children with any frequency, nor have I been related to any for some years now. I am focusing instead on my own linguistic development, which is in fact rather complicated. I was born in the United States, but raised speaking French. French was my first language, and by all accounts I was a precociously fluent speaker. I learned English more or less in parallel because I needed it to talk to my father, but I used French more often in conversing with my mother. Back in the States for pre-school, I suddenly made the decision, according to my mother, that speaking French wasn't "normal" and so I wouldn't do it anymore. I would listen to her speak in French, but I spoke only in English, and she soon gave up. I became one more monolingual American child, and so discouraged my mother that by the time my brother was born, when I was 5, she didn't even bother to teach him French. I unfortunately remember nothing of my brother's language learning process, however. On a trip to France when I was 7, I by and large picked the language back up, making a conscientious effort to do so. I found, however, that while I had a fairly good intuitive grasp (being able to simply "hear" whether or not something is correct), I had lost the proper usage of such details as pronouns and less common verb conjugations. This, to me, seems like it might be consistent with the order in which languages are learned, function morphemes coming towards the end of the process: having had less time to practice and internalize these particular features of the language, they were the first to be forgotten when I quit speaking. Sadly, I can report little further progress in French. My practice has been brief and infrequent, and while I am able to communicate fairly effectively, I can only read moderately well and am almost entirely unable to write. However, in 9th grade, I began taking Spanish courses, and have done so more or less constantly for the past 4 years. Consistent with the view that adult language learning is very different (much more based in explicit memorization) than that of children, I am much more able to explicitly cite and explain rules of grammar, and to list memorized vocabulary and other words such as pronouns, than I am in French.