Cat in the Rain Essay

In his frictional story, â€Å"Cat in the Rain,† Ernest Hemingway sets the scene for his fiction in a hotel room in Italy on a rainy day. On the first reading of this short story it can be easily interpreted as a wife nagging her husband, who is lying in bed preoccupied reading a book. The young married American’s being in a foreign country on business or pleasure, (Hemingway does not say) one would expect that the expression of love would be more prominent even more so on a rainy day, however, this is not evident in Hemingway’s story. What Hemingway does illustrate is how an â€Å"American wife† feels starved for attention and love in her failing marriage. He uses a cat as a symbol of compassion an affection to express the woman’s need for these emotions. Her frustration with her husband, whom does not readily allow her to physically share these feelings with him, also becomes very evident in the story. Hemingway uses the heavy rains as a tool to confine the American couple to their room, thereby, allowing him to display the interaction between the couple and further demonstrate their deteriorating marriage. In the story, the â€Å"American girl† sees the cat through her window â€Å"crouched under one of the dripping green tables,† and immediately feels the need to rescue it. Here is where Hemingway begins to use symbols to express the girl’s determination to save her faltering marriage. He shows the girl’s eagerness to go through the heavy rains to save the cat. The cat represents what she wants in her marriage, affection and compassion, and the rain signifies In his frictional story, â€Å"Cat in the Rain,† Ernest Hemingway sets the scene for his fiction in a hotel room in Italy on a rainy day. On the first reading of this short story it can be easily interpreted as a wife nagging her husband, who is lying in bed preoccupied reading a book. The young married American’s being in a foreign country on business or pleasure, (Hemingway does not say) one would expect that the expression of love would be more prominent even more so on a rainy day, however, this is not evident in Hemingway’s story. What Hemingway does illustrate is how an â€Å"American wife† feels starved for attention and love in her failing marriage. He uses a cat as a symbol of compassion an affection to express the woman’s need for these emotions. Her frustration with her husband, whom does not readily allow her to physically share these feelings with him, also becomes very evident in the story. Hemingway uses the heavy rains as a tool to confine the American couple to their room, thereby, allowing him to display the interaction between the couple and further demonstrate their deteriorating marriage. In the story, the â€Å"American girl† sees the cat through her window â€Å"crouched under one of the dripping green tables,† and immediately feels the need to rescue it. Here is where Hemingway begins to use symbols to express the girl’s determination to save her faltering marriage. He shows the girl’s eagerness to go through the heavy rains to save the cat. The cat represents what she wants in her marriage, affection and compassion, and the rain signifies the struggles she is willing to go through to better her marriage, even if it means getting wet in the process. The â€Å"American girl† believes this is a challenge she alone has to endure. Thus, when she announces that she is going to rescue the cat from the rain and her husband George offers to be the hero in the rescue attempt, even though it was a halfhearted offer, she quickly replies â€Å"No, I’ll get it. With the help of the maid she goes through the rain in search of the cat but when she gets to where she saw it last it has disappeared. The â€Å"American wife† becomes even more irritated with herself and her husband when she returns to the room empty handed. She desperately wanted the cat, â€Å"I wanted it so much,† but more so, she wanted change in her marriage and change in her appearance. She was tired of her boyish look and felt she needed to be more feminine, â€Å"I get so tired of looking like a boy. However, George was contented with how things were. He barley even shifted from his book when she began scrutinizing her appearance. The only comment of support he could offer was, â€Å"You look pretty darn nice,† but she required more for herself. The cat, even though symbolic, would have allowed her to express her feelings of affection and compassion, â€Å"I want to have a kitty to sit on my lap and purr when I stroke her. † George, being insensitive to her needs, did not even offer himself as an outlet for her emotions. Instead his remark to her was, â€Å"Oh, shut up and get something to read,† as she continued to utter her discomforts in her appearance and her femininity. Hemingway’s fictional story does have a surprising ending when the maid brings the â€Å"American wife† a â€Å"big tortoise-shell cat†. The â€Å"American wife† receives what she wanted, an outlet to express her affections and compassions, but in fact, it would not help her marriage. The cat was just a symbol of what she wanted from her husband, George. Unless she can convince him to be more open with her and more lovingly expressive with her, her marriage will still falter.

A Beautiful Mind Speech Rhetoric

*â€Å"A Beautiful Mind†:* A Rhetoric Speech Analysis John Nash delivered his acceptance address after receiving the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. In his speech, he aims to inform his audience after his lifetime of pursuits, what he concluded are logic and reason. John Nash began his speech with a personal belief that is common with most scientists saying â€Å"I’ve always believed in numbers and the equations and logics that lead to reason. † By doing so, he establishes common ground with his audience in which they can relate to. Here he captured their attention by saying â€Å"I’ve always†, by using past tense, it implied that what he has found is contrary to that. In his next statement â€Å"But after a lifetime of such pursuits, I ask,† it proves what was disguised in his opening statement, but that only recently he has found his answer. â€Å"What truly is logic? † and â€Å"Who decides reason? † by stating these two questions that have led him to think otherwise, opposite to his original belief, it directs the audience to ponder about what he has found that is opposite to what is commonly believed in logics and reason. The use of â€Å"quest† in his next statement, emphasis a great deal of work and hardship for the conclusion he is about to make. It gives credibility to what he is about to say. â€Å"My quest has taken me through the physical, the metaphysical and the delusional†¦ and back† He further emphasis this work and hardship by the stating not one but three of what can be called three properties of the world or to be exact reality. He used parallelism by the use of the word â€Å"the†, this was important for the audience since it was necessary (as he is speaking to scientist) to show that the three properties were of equal importance. Also the employment of â€Å"Back† in his sentence calls magnitude to his credibility. It establishes ethos. Subsequently, John Nash concludes what he has found. Parallelism was utilized by the usage of â€Å"Most† to give meaning and weight to what he has concluded in his pursuits and that it had uttermost significance to his career and to his life. My† was used to establish that his discovery had equal impact on his career and life. The result of his quest is stated as â€Å"It is only in the mysterious equation of love that any logic or reason can be found† gives prominence that without love nothing can be done. That love is necessary for any logic and reason to be concluded. And here John Nash allows the audience to draw their own conclusion o f what love allows us to do. He appeals to pathos of every individual’s understanding of love. Since it is necessary in an acceptance address to thank a person and furthermore as evidence to his discovery, he thanks his wife without the direct use of wife, but with the repetition of the word â€Å"You† it raises speculation on whom is â€Å"You† maintaining the audience’s attention. â€Å"You† also in his concluding remarks and in conjunction to his earlier statements establishes that indeed without his â€Å"You†, he wouldn’t have a career or a life; she is indeed all his reasons.

History of Chocolate Essay

The first recorded evidence of chocolate as a food product goes back to Pre-Columbian Mexico. The Mayans and Aztecs were known to make a drink called â€Å"Xocoatll from the beans of the cocoa tree. In 1528, the conquering Spaniards returned to Spain with chocolate still consumed as a beverage. A similar chocolate drink was brought to a royal wedding in France in 1615, and England welcomed chocolate in 1662. To this point â€Å"chocolate† as we spell it today, had been spelled variously as â€Å"chocalatall, â€Å"jocolatte†, â€Å"jacolatte†, and â€Å"chockelet. 11. In 1847, Fry & Sons in England introduced the first â€Å"eating chocolate,† but did not attract much attention due to its bitter taste. In 1874, Daniel Peter, a famed Swiss chocolateer, experimented with various mixtures in an effort to balance chocolates rough flavor, and eventually stumbled upon that abundant product — milk. This changed everything and chocolate’s acceptance after that was quick and enthusiastic. GROWING COCOA BEANS Cocoa beans are usually grown on small plantations in suitable land areas 20 degrees north or south of the Equator. One mature cocoa tree can be expected to yield about five pounds of chocolate per year. These are planted in the shade of larger trees such as bananas or mangos, about 1000 trees per hectare (2,471 acres). Cocoa trees take five to eight years to mature. After harvesting from the trees, the pods (which contain the cocoa beans) are split open, beans removed, and the beans are put on trays covered with burlap for about a week until they brown. Then they are sun dried until the moisture content is below 7%. This normally takes another three days. After cleaning, the beans are weighed, selected and blended before roasting at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours. Then shells are removed leaving the â€Å"nib. † Nibs are crushed to create a chocolate â€Å"mass. † This is the base raw material from which all chocolate products are made. KINDS OF CHOCOLATE Milk Chocolate This consists of at least 10% chocolate liquor (â€Å"raw† chocolate pressed from carob nibs) and 12% milk solids combined with sugar, cocoa butter (fat from nibs), and vanilla. Sweet and Semi-Sweet Chocolate Are made from 15-35% chocolate liquor, plus sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla. Imprecision of the two terms causes them to commonly be called â€Å"dark† or â€Å"plain† chocolate. Dark chocolate has a large following among dessert makers, and for this reason is referred to as â€Å"baking† chocolate. Bittersweet and Bitter Chocolate Bittersweet usually contains 50% chocolate liguor and has a distinct â€Å"bite† to the taste. Bitter or unsweetened chocolate liquor also is used in baking and is also referred to as â€Å"bakers† chocolate. Creams and Variations Bite sized and chocolate covered. They are filled with caramels, nuts, creams, jellies, and so forth. White Chocolate Is not really chocolate as it contains no chocolate liquor, Carob This is a brown powder made from the pulverized fruit of a Mediterranean evergreen. It is used by some as a substitute for chocolate because it can be combined with vegetable fat and sugar, and made to approximately the color and consistency of chocolate. HOW CHOCOLATES ARE MADE chocolate pouring There are four basic methods of coating chocolate onto something such as caramel or a nut. They are: Enrobing Least expensive method. Centers are carried by conveyer through a machine that showers them with chocolate. Panning Chocolate is sprayed on the centers as they rotate in revolving pans, then cool air is blown in pan to harden the chocolates. Dipping Generally done by hand by small scale producers. Shell Moldinq Most sophisticated method. Used for most sculptural chocolates. The process consists of many intricate steps, thus causing it to be more expensive than other methods. (Source: Chocolate: The Consuming Passion by Sandra Boynton. Workman Publishing: New York, 1982).

System operation management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

System operation management - Essay Example This is a picture that extends to other sectors of the economy, whether it is the tourism industry, where some tourists get guidance from a digital tour guide, or one that is physically present. In the production sector, the use of computers in the process gets more prominent by the day (Katz & Koutroumpiz 2012). This section of the paper examines the importance of digitization to the manufacturing sector. The manufacturing industry forms the largest source of revenue for many economies in the world, especially first world economies (Friedrich et al. 2011). As mentioned earlier, the production industry has been privy to rapid digitization over the past few decades. This means that there is the use of intelligent machinery in place of human labour. Economists all over the world have had debates on the consequences of this. This is because, even though digitization means a more sophisticated production process, there is the fact that the introduction of intelligent equipment to the pro duction chain implies that there are fewer jobs for human labourers (Karim et al 2013). Despite this negative consequence of digitization, the positive implications of a digitized manufacturing industry are vast. ... This for the manufacturing industry means higher rates of production at lower costs (Sabbagh et al. 2012). In addition, machines can work for longer periods than human labour can; hence, the increased levels of production. Secondly, digitization in the manufacturing industry has revolutionized the method by which companies communicate with customers and stakeholders, and how they create brands (Karim et al. 2013). In the second economy, companies have learnt to rely more and more on social media for service production. One way in which this is made possible in the manufacturing industry is by providing avenues for customers to voice their opinions on certain products on social media, for example, on twitter. This enhances communication with the necessary clients and works towards building a brand. Another way in which the digital economy proves useful for communication is by providing consumers with the option to order custom-made products from manufacturers and, therefore, enhance c ustomer satisfaction (Sabbagh et al. 2012). Another advantage of a digitized economy over a physical economy is the way in which digitization has revolutionized operations. It is said that in America, one in four workers engage in telecommunication while at work (Katz & Koutroumpis 2012). Across the world, members of different companies have a means through which they reach workers in other continents. The effect that this has is that it increases competition between various organizations. In addition, companies are able to outsource some of their functions to companies in far away locations. This enhances efficiency across the manufacturing industry. Digitization is important for each aspect the manufacturing industry. In production, the

Core Competence of Sharp Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Core Competence of Sharp Corporation - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that there were abundant literatures providing theoretical and empirical support justifying that competitive advantage is derived from imperfectly tradable, imperfectly substitutable and valuable assets. The idea of portfolio approach encouraging diversification into unrelated areas that flourished in 1960s and 1970s lost its fervor to RBV approach advocating diversification into related areas. RBV approach also was critical of multi divisonalisation of a large company that led to corporate fragmentation and short-termism undermining the development of core competencies and innovations. Core competency exploitation led to vertical integration in large companies to achieve competitive advantage. But of late vertical disintegration is being attempted in the globalization tendencies which offer wide opportunities to delegate to external suppliers with highly specialized expertise resulting in more pronounced core competency approach for the given company. As the paper highlights Hammel and Prahalad in their book â€Å"Competing for the future†assert that companies should look forward to the share of future opportunity share rather than current market share. They say that successful enterprises will reshape their industries rather than themselves by building upon their unique core competencies without building upon current product lines and that this will lead to creation of new competencies. They advocate new strategy which requires four approaches namelyunderstanding of the shape of future competition; process by which to gauge tomorrow’s opportunities; energizing the company from top-to-bottom to prepare for the future; and   overtaking the competitors and arrive at the future first without assuming undue risks.  

Pros and cons of pornography and why I think it is ethical Essay

Pros and cons of pornography and why I think it is ethical - Essay Example It is made with the purpose of providing them with sexual pleasure. And anything that is joyful and pleasurable comes under the category of ‘Art and Aesthetics’, sexual or otherwise. Since primitive times, art has been allotted a distinct position in our society, always with the sacred aim of entertaining people. But many social thinkers, activists, and feminists will raise their brows in anger and disgust if pornography is considered as an art. Only because it deals with the inhibited and secret sexual desires of men, pornography cannot be considered as art? Obviously the answer lies in the question itself. From childhood, a person is taught to look upon sex as a thing to abhor and not to talk about explicitly. Whatever question or doubt arise in his mind about this primal man-woman relationship, he learns to suppress them out of fear of being marked as ‘perverted’ in his social surroundings. Most of us sometimes grow up with the notion that â€Å"pornography, or any directly arousing material is somehow bad and wrong and that we shouldnt even want to look at it.† (Scarleteen, ‘Looking, Lusting and Learning: A Straightforward Look at P ornography’, n.d.). The Indian culture is very discouraging about sex and anything related to it. The habit of feeling guilty if talked or thought about sex is inculcated from childhood. But if the society teaches a person to develop a healthy attitude towards sex from the early days of his life then sex and pornography will appear to him in a totally different light than what he is made to see. Whether pornography is morally ethical or not depends a lot on the level of sexual behavior of a particular society and age. For example it may be said, that the books of sex education used in many schools nowadays might have been considered as being ‘pornographic’ or ‘obscene’ decades

Comparing Income Statements From Different Industries Essay

Comparing Income Statements From Different Industries - Essay Example erent companies include different factors in their income statements, but on a general node there is basic information and format expressing company’s financial status for a particular business year. There are three major sections of an income statement, one describing incomes, second is cost of goods (expenses) and third projecting depreciations, taxes and interests. Here is a view of income statements taken from four different companies which operate in four different sectors: For the fiscal year 2010-2011, Ford Motors Company progressed to quite a great extent from the year 2009-2010. The income statement projected that the company had 17% gross profit margin out of the total revenue at the end of the business year 2011. Even having intensive liabilities, the company generated more profits with respect to the previous fiscal year (Ford Motor Company, 2012). With 514 stores operating in five different States, Winn-Dixie at the end of year 2010-2011 projected gross profit margin $28.9 million which was unexpectedly less than the fiscal year 2010. The gross profit margin of the company for 2011 was 27 % of the total revenue slightly less than the year 2010, which showed natural sales decrease within entire market segment. For the fiscal year 2010-2011, Johnson and Johnson a leading pharmaceutical company showed potential revenue and profit margins. The company projected net profit margins of 15% with gross profits of 64 % of the total revenue in its annual income statement 2011 (Bloomberg, 2012). According to company’s annual report 2011, Lenovo group expresses the gross profit margin 11% of total revenue. It is one of the leading companies in the technology sector which generates conventional profits in the technology market segment (Buffett & Clark, 2008). By comparing the income statements of all four companies, it can be said that companies differ to a great extent in respect of product and services they offer. An automobile company is totally

Functions of The Foreign Exchange Dealing Room Essay

Functions of The Foreign Exchange Dealing Room - Essay Example Additionally, there is also needs to assess on what are so special in the foreign exchange market, which can simply explains its interesting aspects before reaching to its functions, with referencing attach to Citibank. Before beginning to discuss about the functions of Foreign exchange dealing room, with sighting referencing with Citibank, there is need in a nutshell to know about the history of the bank as far back to its initial take up. It is found that "On June 16, 1812, with $2 million of capital, City Bank of New York (now Citibank) opened for business in New York City. Through many different leaders and economic environments over the course of its rich history, Citibank continues to grow and prosper. In 1998, all Citicorp divisions merged with all divisions of Travelers Group to form Citigroup Inc. Citibank continue as a strong brand under the Citigroup umbrella". (Citibank NA). Today, the Citibank has about 200 million account customers in more than 100 countries globally. It is ranked in the world Market that Citibank is leading globally in the foreign exchange (citiFX) market, as the team of experts in that field always ensures that they meet the customer's needs. While dealing with the Citibank, it is confirmed that you will be able to get feedback constantly about the issue of foreign exchange, which relates to International, regional and the local market. You will also getting details on the position of current financial market, so one can take immediate decision at the exact time needed. Moreover, it is noted that the Citibank (Customer Advantage) is of great good in terms of attaching customer's priority. According the Bank statement, "Citibank's financial market customer proposition is based on fair pricing, rapid execution, 24-hour delivery and innovative solutions. These services are delivered in the context of long-term relationships that pre-empt new customer needs for liability management, yield enhancement and implementation of market views. Citibank offers a diverse portfolio of products

Gaslan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gaslan - Essay Example Therefore, I see that Gasland will continue to bring more profits and jobs in the economy of China. I know the department is wondering about the safety of using coal in China. In regards to safety when using coal, am aware of migration of methane when coal is used for long as seen in places like Colorado, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Methane is a natural gas which migrates to aquifers when there is a combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Therefore, there is a need to avoid driving down natural gas costs and pollution of environment by coal plants. The department should understand about the hydraulic fracturing or fracking. It is a method whereby the chemical fluid is added to earth to free natural gas trapped far underground. The fracking change is actually good news, because it helps in national security and boost the economy of the government. This is achieved since it reduces imports and creates more jobs in the economy and brings about new investment in China. Th e department confirmed that the critics given can be solved it the people take their time to understand that pollution is actually reduced because the amount of coal used in plants is reduced. This clearly shows that boost in fracking increases productivity. Any economist know that without energy China cannot grow economically, therefore, energy is a fundamental service for each and every day living. We know companies like Sinopec and Recon technology which boost the economy of China. Without fuel in the economy, it leads to poverty, although it has effect to the environment, the need of fuel is more important. Meeting the increasing requirements for energy in the entire world is hard to achieve. Therefore, there is a need for fracking even if it has environmental effects. Our choices have to weigh between environmental effects against the economic and social benefits of current supply availability. When fracking is adopted in China, the economy is transformed, it become self-suffic ient than when natural gas is used and could become the biggest exporter this will automatically boost the economy of China. Economists know that a big investment is made through fracking than renewable energy. Therefore, fracking should be encouraged. The shutdown of all fracking will drastically affect the domestic and international markets. In short the oil industry should increase its plans to increase oil production with hydraulic fracturing to increase oil recovery even if it’s threatening the communities’ air and drinking water. Economists should know that the process of hydrofracking is controversial gas and oil extraction methods develop in late 1940s to have access to fossil energy deposits which are inaccessible by drilling machines. The methods actually involve smashing of the rock with a lot of water with sand and a lot of chemicals so that to bring the gas into the surface. The process involve drilling of vertical well bores into the earth, via sediment l ayers, the water table and other rocks to reach oil and gas. (Ralph & Peter 2012) Drilling is done in a horizontally angled and smashed with a lot of water and fracking fluid, chemicals and sand to break the rock and shale. Small explosives are used to open up the bedrock and allow the gas and oil to be removed from the rock formations. Fracking has been there for decades and the process of doing it has been varying from deep fracking to other methods. In conclusion, economists should use fracking approach but try

Evaluation Methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Evaluation Methods - Essay Example The observation has to positively benefit the experiment, though it is also helpful to understand why other methods would not work in that specific experiment. This will aid both the experimenter and the reader into understanding how some methods worked better than others. In regards to non-participation observation and participation observation, it is important to understand the type of experiment that is being done before deciding on which observation method would be the best. Some studies and experiments require participation as it allows the one conducting the experiment to see the different effects and possible results; the experimenter can come to a conclusion based on the results of individuals by interacting with the participants. With non-participation observation, the experimenter does not interact with the participants, so they have to use other methods to come upon their conclusions as they do not allow themselves to experience the thing being studied. Non-participation observation is also known as direct or naturalistic observation, and it is when data and other information are collected by observing behavior without getting involved with the participants. The experimenter sets up the research environment and observes the behavior from outside of that population, watching from the sidelines, and not letting him or herself get involved with that portion of the experiment. They gather the information that they need by being only an observer; oftentimes, the population being observed is not aware of the fact that they are being so, as it may alter the way they behave. There are two types of non-participation observation: overt and covert. Overt is when the participants are aware that they are in an experiment and are being observed. A covert experiment is when the participants are unaware of the fact that they are being observed. The

Sustainable Competitive Advantage Essay Example for Free

Sustainable Competitive Advantage Essay A sustainable competitive advantage occurs when an organization acquires or develops an attribute or combination of attributes that allows it to outperform its competitors. These attributes can include access to natural resources or access to highly trained and skilled personnel human resources. It is an advantage (over the competition), and must have some life; the competition must not be able to do it right away, or it is not sustainable. It is an advantage that is not easily copied and, thus, can be maintained over a long period of time. Competitive advantage is a key determinant of superior performance, and ensures survival and prominent placing in the market. Superior performance is the ultimate, desired goal of a firm; competitive advantage becomes the foundation. It gives firms the ability to stay ahead of present or potential competition and ensure market leadership. Resource-Based View of the firm. In 1991, Jay Barney established four criteria that determine a firms competitive capabilities in the marketplace. These four criteria for judging a firms resources are: 1. Are they valuable? (Do they enable a firm to devise strategies that improve efficiency or effectiveness?) 2. Are they rare? (If many other firms possess it, then it is not rare.) 3. Are they imperfectly imitable (because of unique historical conditions, causally ambiguous, and/or are socially complex)? 4. Are they non-substitutable? (If a ready substitute can be found, then this condition is not met?) When all four of these criteria are met, then a firm can be said to have a sustainable competitive advantage. In other words, the firm will have an advantage in the marketplace which will last until the criteria are no longer met completely. As a result, the firm will be able to earn higher profits than other firms with which it competes. Developing Sustainable Competitive Advantages 1. Customer Loyalty: Customers must be committed to buying merchandise and services from a particular retailer. This can be accomplished through retail branding, positioning, and loyalty programs. A loyalty program is like a Target card. Now, when the customer uses the card as a credit card, Target can track all of their transactions and store it in their data warehouse, which keeps track of the customer’s needs and wants outside of Target. This will entice Target to offer products that they do not have in stock. Target tracks all sales done on their cards. So, Target can track customers who use their card at other retailers and compete by providing that merchandise as well. 2. Location: Location is a critical factor in a consumers selection of a store. Starbucks coffee (shown here Figure 1) is an example. They will conquer one area of a city at a time and then expand in the region. They open stores close to one another to let the storefront promote the company; they do little media advertising due to their location strategy. 3. Distribution and Information Systems: Walmart has killed this part of the retailing strategy. Retailers try to have the most effective and efficient way to get their products at a cheap price and sell them for a reasonable price. Distributing is extremely expensive and timely. 4. Unique Merchandise: Private label brands are products developed and marketed by a retailer and available only from the retailer. For example, if you want Craftsman tools, you must go to Sears to purchase them. 5. Vendor Relations: Developing strong relations with vendors may gain exclusive rights to sell merchandise to a specific region and receive popular merchandise in short supply. 6. Customer Service: This takes time to establish but once its established, it will be hard for a competitor to a develop a comparable reputation. 7. Multiple Source Advantage: Having an advantage over multiple sources is important. For example, McDonalds is known for fast, clean, and hot food. They have cheap meals, nice facilities, and good customer service with a strong reputation for always providing fast, hot food

Signification of Professionalism in Nursing Essay Example for Free

Signification of Professionalism in Nursing Essay Historically, one’s perception of a nurse could be represented by mental images of conformity. Dressed in crisp, pallid uniforms; individuals projected a polished and poised appearance lacking the embodiment of unique qualities. Regardless of their disciplined nature, a nurse may have only been considered an altruist servant of to their community or as an assistant to a physician. Rarely were they considered a professional. Modern advancements in academia have secured nurses a respected position within the professional community. What in particular contributes to professionalism? LaSala and Nelson state that: â€Å"appearance, behavior, and communication have a cumulative effect on the professional image† (2005). A professional appearance reflects an impressionable message in which a patient may feel more secure in your ability to care for them, as it appears you are able to care for yourself. Professional behavior is necessary in order to convey a role of influence. In order for a nurse to effectively educate, she herself must model positive health promotional practices and avoid damaging convention. Additionally, â€Å"posture and body language are one influence on others’ perception of competence† (LaSala, Nelson, 2005). Professional communication is vital to a nurse’s credibility. Whether spoken or written, â€Å"An individual who uses language skillfully and appropriately reflects intelligence and knowledge† (Arnold and Boggs, 2004). The significance of professionalism in appearance, behavior, and communication is essential to understand. Positive, professional influence will enable a nurse to develop trusting relationships with their patients, which in turn, will ensure competent care and the ability to maintain the respect earned as professionals. Works Cited LaSala, K. B., Nelson, J. (2005). What contributes to professionalism? Medsurg Nursing, 14(1), 63-7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/230521474?accountid=89121 Arnold, E., Boggs, K.U. (2004). Interpersonal relationships: Professional communication skills for nurses. St. Louis: Saunders

Can We Trust Our Senses? Essay

Can We Trust Our Senses? Essay The absolute truth is a journey that leads to never-before experienced realms. The end of this road could never be reached and even the best man will only go a few steps in the right direction. To determine what the truth is and what it is not, a reliability is placed upon what we identify from our senses. This is the standard approach that we as humans take but, it is not necessarily the correct one. Many problems came up when establishing the truth based on our senses and thus they can rarely be fully trusted, this is what we can say when taking bad decisions. Sense is scientifically defined as any of the faculties by which stimuli from outside or inside the body are received and felt, as the faculties of hearing, sight, smell, touch, taste, and equilibrium.  [1]  Senses are important in our lives. We are born with them and we would not be able to live without them, but we have a problem with them we can not identify whether they are true or not. Whether they tell us the truth. We are able to see, hear, touch, smell but we are not aware how much these senses matter to us, we are not able to use them properly. Our senses work best in trying to prove if something stimulating our knowledge of reality, not if what we know is absolutely true, but rather if a new truth stimulates known truths, and the old ways remain the same way. Experience that has been done with our senses previously lets us know that something is not working quietly good. Our actual senses convey the physical world to the extent they can do it without being tricked they are mechanisms, they do not understand and interpret, they give us complete information. Our sensory areas in the brain immediately start to simplify this information till we can attach meaning to it. From that point on the information is interpreted as truth( not counting the wavelength, certain pitches, because this would make a minor difference to our understanding of truth). There has always been a problem in distinguishing between something that is true and  something that is not true, because how exactly do we know if its true or if its not. In this  essay truth is going to be defined as conformity with fact or reality; verity.  [2]  Truth can be  defined by senses, however it is very hard to say that form the definition. For example lets  have two brothers Andy and Harry. Andy and Harry have the same perfumes and wear the  same clothes. Harrys friend thought he saw and smelled Harry passing by but actually it was  Andy. We can now say that our senses are not right, because as the friend smelled Harrys  perfumes and saw the clothes of Harry his senses were wrong it was Andy which passed by. This example is showing that senses can tell us truth, only on certain grounds. So there are five definite senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch. Going back to the essential question, When should we trust our senses to give us truth? In other words, in what aspects of our life can we trust ourselves to understand the true reality of what we believe is happening? Must we really rely on our sense perception for everything? The functioning of all the senses may give us true, but isnt true based on our perception A good example of the above statement is the belief in God we believe in him but actually we dont see him. So do we really trust our senses if we believe in God. We can not see him we can not hear him we can not touch him and we believe in him, also here is the truth in that. So do we really relay on our senses and do they really tell us the truth? Now what causes that is that the faith and for us that becomes the ultimate truth. Another example would be when you have a cold or you are sick can you still trust your senses? If you have a blocked nose then you can not smell anything, so should you still trust your sense of smell? Or should you just ignore that and trust the other senses. A well known philosopher A.J. Ayer. A.J. Ayer (1910-1989) was only 24 when he wrote the book that made his philosophical name, Language, Truth, and Logic (hereafter LTL), that was published in 1936. This book defines, explains, and argues for the logical positivsm, sometimes referred to as the criterio n of significance or criterion of meaning  [3]  . It explains how problems might be solved by the principle of verifiablity. In these views Ayer saw himself as continuing in the line of British empiricism established by Locke and Hume, whose representative was Russell. Throughout A.J Ayer subsequent career he remained with his traditions rejection of the possibility of synthetic a priori knowledge. He saw philosophy method to be the analysis of the meaning of key terms, such as causality, truth, knowledge, freedom.  [4]  . He has investigated the concept justified true belief. Ayer has argued that existence is not a predicate( what is a predicate? In the sentence. Alex is slow is slow is the predicate) A persons sense of perception isnt exactly true that the object exists. Using the above example is Alex exists or not this does not change the fact that the perceive of Alex is slow. Basically what he was trying to say that for something that has to be known, it has to be beli eved, justified( senses for example) and true. The difficulty is proving if something is true or not for example in science we dont prove something we just support it. There is also the question how to test for accuracy which also can make our true different, so for example if we have a really accurate results for testing truth this can lead us to finding out what is truth actually. There is another theory of knowledge known as justified racialism this thory is about that where in order for a knowledge claim to be knowledge it has to be believed, true and justified according to a reliable cognitive process there is a lot of debate over what constitutes a reliable cognitive process and in particular about whether the senses are trustworthy enough to be this process  [5]  . Summarising your senses are the inner being of our souls and that is what needs to be used fist. Trust can be broken our senses tell us when something is wrong and if we chose to ignore our senses and trust what someone is telling us we can end up being hurt and if we go on emotions boy, children get hurt many times when they feel that bad and trust that a bad person with a sob story will tell them. This is when they do not trust their senses for example if their hand is hurting and their friend tells them to play they ignore their senses and just continue playing then they sib at home, due to the fact that the hand is hurting and they cant play football any more, because their hand is broken. So we do need to trust our senses. But our senses as I said before never give us true they give as data which we can use or ignore as the kid in the story above. Truth is not something we sense, it is something we recognize. The data that our senses give us is pretty accurate, we just have to k now how to use it correctly. On the other hand our interpretation of that data is many times in error. Emotion is the bodys reaction to thought, I will again use the example of the boy playing football he didnt trust his senses he kept playing football and after when he came back home he couldnt lay any more football, his body reacted to his emotion, the hand was hurting. We can trust the information that emotion imparts only as far as we have been able to become aware of how it operates in our lives. All emotion is giving us information about ourselves and the best way of accepting that is to know our way of living. If we know our reaction to emotions we know ourselves. Concluding we can not identify if we should trust our senses or not, sometimes we should trust our senses and sometimes there are situations that we should not trust our senses.

Knowledge Management Strategic Master Plan in Malaysia Essay -- Techn

INTRODUCTION In the new era millennium with the explosion of digital connectivity Malaysian government is using ICT application by launching the Knowledge Management Strategic Master Plan aiming in transform Malaysia to increase productivity, improve accountability, enhance transparency and facilitate public sector. Improved knowledge management is essential to governmental agencies at the national, regional or local rivals, because governmental organizations are basically knowledge-based organizations. Knowledge Management has also become one of the initiatives and trends in public sector from primarily developing countries (Syed Omar Sharifuddin and Fytton Rowland, 2004). Similar view has been expressed by Hafizi Muhamad Ali and Nor Hayati Ahmad (2006) based upon their research describe knowledge management is now becoming an undeniably important component in an organization’s intangible asset. Therefore, based on the authors of their articles, Knowledge Management shall be implementing as it does bring lots of benefit for the Malaysia Public Sector Environment in order to increase productivity, improve accountability and enhance transparency. DEFINING KNOWLEDGE AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT Abdullah (2009) gives an explanation for knowledge as fluid mix of framed between experience, values, contextual information, expert insight and grounded intuition in order to provide an environment and framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information. This study addresses that KM applied in the minds of knowledge management in the simplest terms it means exactly that management of knowledge. Knowledge management incorporates ideas and processes from many different sources and technologies a wide variety of... ...red, and retained. Using structured organizational assessment processes offers public sector organizations an opportunity to examine and improve their operations and to create a workplace culture and climate that facilitates excellence. It challenges employees at all levels to focus on the mission and goals of the agency and to identify ways of working together as an organization rather than as individual processes and programs in order to provide the best possible services to constituents. A part of an organizations culture can provide the critical feedback that not only enables higher levels of performance but that also engages the workforce in a way that uses their knowledge and abilities in accomplishing the mission. The responsibility of agency leaders is to introduce, support, and sustain assessment. At its most fundamental, assessment is not just a process.

Comparing Philosophies of Donnes To His Mistress and Herricks Corrina

Comparing Philosophies of Donne's To His Mistress and Herrick's Corrina Going A-Maying  Ã‚   The seventeenth century in England produced two varying schools of poetic philosophy which included the metaphysical and the cavalier. While the metaphysical poets, comprised of the artists who followed John Donne's use of the metaphysical conceit, tended to reinforce the traditional forms of love and devotion, the cavalier poets, led by Ben Johnson, intellectualized the themes of their poetry. Both metaphysical and cavalier poets such as John Donne and Robert Herrick experimented with poetry of seduction, dramatic verse from a male lover attempting to persuade his beloved. Although both poets attempt to incite their mistresses, the methods of persuasion in Donne's "To His Mistress Going to Bed" and Herrick's "Corrina's Going A-Maying" differ in accordance with their different schools of poetic thought. Whereas Donne employs a lustful attitude, derogatory diction, and metaphysical conceits to harshly command sexual activity; Herrick utilizes a more intellectual and sensitive argument with his religious undertones, persuasive and playful diction, and personification of nature. The variation between metaphysical and cavalier poetry can be seen through differences in Donne's and Herrick's attitudes towards their mistresses represented by varying structure, diction, imagery, and religious language. Although both "To His Mistress Going to Bed" and "Corrina's Going A-Maying" contain many imperative sentences, their structural differences reflect Donne's feeling of superiority in spite of Herrick's admiration for his mistress. Donne's simple aabb rhyme scheme indicates his feeling that his mistress either cannot understand or does not des... ...gently rebuking Corrina for her inactivity. Although both Donne and Herrick employ imperative structures, sensual imagery, religious language and allusions to persuade their respective mistresses, Donne's superiority complex debases his mistress while Herrick's reverent attitude cajoles. Donne cares very little about his mistress evidenced by the lack of her name throughout the poem which resembles an urgent appeal. Conversely, Herrick's five stanzas and elaborate metrical structure indicate a planned appeal. Donne's lustful and solely physical approach contrasts sharply with Herrick's intellectual ploy in a complimenting and gently rebuking manner. The variance in the approaches of the poets is characteristic of their respective schools of poetic thought and illustrates the differences in approaches to poems of seduction by the metaphysical and cavalier writers.

Essay --

â€Å"I was crying and all, I don’t know why, but I guess it was because I was feeling so damn depressed and lonesome† (53), Holden says. As humans, we have a hard time belonging in society. This is the same case for Holden Caulfield, the main character from the Catcher in the Rye. The Catcher in the rye, a novel by J.D Salinger, is about Holden, a lost boy in desperate need of help. Throughout the novel, Holden seems to be excluded by the world around him. He continually attempts to try and belong in a world in which he is isolating from. In this novel, Salinger uses symbols such as the red hunting hat, the ducks and Allie’s glove to support the theme, belonging and isolation. In the beginning of the novel, Holden says to Mr. Spencer he feels trapped on the â€Å"other side of life.† This clearly demonstrates how Holden doesn’t feel that he belongs in the world he lives in. Holden has his hunting hat as a source of protection. Holden buys a red hunting hat in New York for a dollar. The hat has a very long peak, and Holden wears it backwards with the peak aiming behind him. â€Å"†¦I swung the old peak way around to the back-very corny, I’ll admit, but I liked it that way† (17), Holden explains. Holden puts his hat on when he’s under a lot of stress. The hunting hat not only symbolizes protection, but it also symbolizes Holden’s uniqueness and individuality. Holden doesn’t wear his hat because it’s fashionable, but only to keep his individuality and to feel safe. In the cab Holden put his hat on and says, â€Å"I’d put my red hunting hat when I was in the cab, just for the hell of it, but I took it off before I checked in† (61). This quote illustrates how Holden thinks it’s necessary to wear the hat in order to feel safe. But at the same time, Holde... ...ing stays frozen and everyone belongs in society. Therefore, during the winter time, the ducks are isolated as once, but they still belong together. Holden is isolated from the people around him and he is more protected within himself. Holden doesn’t know how he is going to make it through his own winter, just like he doesn’t where the ducks will end up during winter. Throughout the end of the novel, Holden isn’t lost anymore. His younger sister, Phoebe helps pick himself right up from isolating. The red hunting helps Holden from isolating. Allies mitt helps Holden bring back all the old memories of his younger brother, Allie. Holden compares himself to the ducks because he feels like he will isolate away from society just like the ducks do during the winter time. Thus, the ducks, Allie’s mitt and the red hunting hat relates to the theme, belonging and isolation.

Promoting Molly’s health and wellbeing Essay

The purpose of this essay will to be to promote Molly’s health and wellbeing through evidence based theory and practice (Refer to appendix 1 for Molly scenario). Molly has various health needs that necessitate the need for health promotion such as the risk of postnatal depression. However, for the purpose of this essay, the focus will be her type 2 diabetes health need. There are several bio-psychosocial factors that contribute to Molly’s health and wellbeing such as genes, stress and low income. The interventions that are designed to promote Molly’s health and wellbeing will include education and empowerment . These will address Molly’s determinants of health by using appropriate models and approaches to provide realistic and practical suggestions to Molly. The rationale upon promoting Molly’s diabetic health need is due to the fact that, type 2 diabetes can cause severe complications such as retinopathy, kidney failure and cardiovascular disease. What is more, type 2 diabetes continues to increase in the United Kingdom and it is estimated to affect more than 5 million people by 2015 (NHS choices 2013) Historic overview of health promotion was first highlighted by Florence Nightingale (1860) who noted the biomedical care given to patients and suggested the need to provide holistic patient centred care to patients (Piper 2010). Notably, she recognized the importance of environmental factors such as cleanliness and nutrition to promote the health of patients (Piper 2009). Health promotion is a plethora of contested definitions. Therefore, over the years there have been considerable attempts to define this concept. For (WHO 1986) Ottawa Charter, health promotion is defined as a process of educating and empowering people to make healthier choices (Hubley et al 2013). This definition implies that, health promotion is a holistic concept that emphasizes on the physical, social and mental wellbeing (Piper 2010) The nurse is the health professional that will be involved in promoting Molly’s health and wellbeing through evidence based theory and practice in addition to using various models and approaches (Piper 2009). This strategy will enable Molly and the nurse to individually and holistically express themselves, develop innovative plans suited to Molly’s health needs and promote effective communication between Molly and  the nurse (Bowden and Manning 2006). Communication is an important principle in health promotion as not only does it underpin the basis of holistic care given to patients but it also builds therapeutic relationships between the nurse and the patient (Bowden 2006). Communication is a fundamental concept in nursing that is defined as a skill of information sharing between the patient and other health professionals (Yulli et al 2011). In these circumstances, the nurse will communicate with Molly through various modes of communication which will include verbal, non-verbal and written communication. She will discuss with Molly on shared values and beliefs that is relevant to Molly’s health needs. Most important, communication in Molly’s case will go beyond information sharing to involving Molly in her own care by supporting her to make positive healthier choices in her life (Hubley 2013). Significantly, the nurse will adhere to ethical principles of autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence and justice (Whitewood 2010). There are several bio bio-psychosocial factors that contribute to the health and wellbeing of Molly. These factors can be well understood by using the bio-psychosocial model. This is holistic model that combines major determinants of health such as social economic status, biological status and psychological status to give a holistic view of an individual mental, physical and social wellbeing (Baxter 2010). The biological factors that contribute to Molly diabetic health need are her genetic susceptibility due to her family history (NHS choices2013). Her unborn child is also at a risk of inheriting the illness from her mother. Type 2 diabetes tends to run in families largely due to similar unhealthy lifestyle (Bowden and Manning 2006). Whereas Molly might have inherited type 2 diabetes from her parents, the development of this illness is also influenced by lifestyle choices (NHS choices 2013). Psychologically, Molly is at the risk of suffering from postnatal depression and stress due t o physical demands of work and taking care of her family. This can consequently lead to mental illnesses (Hobart and Frankel 2009). Psychological illnesses can affect Molly’s ability to self-manage her blood glucose. Apart from this, psychological instability can cause Molly to lose control of her diabetes with fatal consequences (NHS choices 2013). Molly is on a low social economic status as she is only able to work part time. Green  and Tones (2010) contends that, low income limits access to nutritional food and housing which can consequently lead to poor physical health and social exclusion. Furthermore, Hill et al 2013 s proposes that, type 2 diabetes disproportionately affects people with limited resources. Perhaps this is because, low income earners are more likely to indulge in unhealthy damaging behaviours such as eating unhealthy food and lack of physical activity (Hubley 2013). If this were the case, Molly might not able buy healthy food or accesses those activities that address her health needs such as the gym and other social networks in her community. All these factors might hinder positive health outcomes. According to (WHO 1986), health is defined as not only an absence of diseases but also a complete state of physical and mental wellbeing. In order to promote Molly’s health, a holistic approach is needed to address the bio-psychosocial the factors that affect her health and wellbeing. Therefore, various activities need to be undertaken by using appropriate theoretical approaches and models. Initially, the nurse should ensure that, Molly’s basic needs are meet first before moving up to the higher needs. Maslow (1943) proposed that, humans have hierarchies of needs. He believed that, needs such as food and water are meet first before reaching the level of self-actualisation (Hubley2013). Having previously identified that Molly is on a low income which can affect her ability to access healthy food. The health promotion priority will be then to address this need before moving on to the other higher needs. The nurse should advice Molly on the help that is available for her to increase her earnings . For example, Molly would benefit from extended school that offer childcare and family support services (Larkin 2009). The importance of childcare would be that, Molly will be able to work more hours bringing in some extra income for her family. Consequently, she will be able to buy healthy food and engage in activities such as swimming or going to the gym. Significantly, this would reduce her risk of social exclusion and diabetes related complications (NHS choices 2013). However, it is important that Molly believes that, her positive health behaviours will prevent complications and help acquire good quality of life. This will influence  Molly’s willingness to take action (Yulli 2010). According to Health belief model by Rosenstock (1966), Molly will only take positive action if she believes that, she is susceptible to serious illnesses, believes that her type 2 diabetes is serious and believes that her positive actions will avoid the negative consequences of diabetes ( Yulli 2010). For instance, by doing physical activities it reduces her chance of her being obese and consequently reducing her risk the of cardiovascular diseases or even death (Coyle 2013). The Health belief model is useful in promoting Molly’s diabetic health need. This is because it organises the patients health status, views and points out the factors that that determines whether the patient will change their behaviour. Furthermore it provides a useful checklist that points out the issues that need to be addressed and the patient’s motivation to change their health ( Yuill et al 2010). Nevertheless, the Health belief model has not escaped criticism due to its individualistic way and ignores social influences (Hubley 2013). For example, Molly low income status may influence her decision of whether or not she eats healthy food. Furthermore, it does not address psychological factors such as fear and denial that greatly influences human ability to take positive action towards their health (Hubley 2013) . For instance, Molly’s ability to engage in physical activities may be affected her pregnancy, emotions and social influences such as family and friends. Another activity that to be undertaken to promote Molly’s health is encouraging Molly to learn from positive role models that will motivate her to positively regulate her behaviour and reflect on her actions (Green 2010). This can be learning from her family, friends or other people who have type 2diabetes but have successfully managed their diabetes through positive attitudes, behaviours and treatments. According Social learning theory by Bandura (1986), people actions are influenced by observing the behaviour of other people. He argued that, this promotes people self-esteem that in turn drives them to make positive changes (Green 2010). In these circumstances, the social learning theory is equally important in promoting Molly’s diabetic health need because it addresses the concept of self-esteem. This is a key part of resisting negative influences and promotes self-efficacy and locus of control to do what is right by her health (Amdam 2012). Social learning theory importance should not be  underestimated as it recognizes that, individuals do not exist in isolation (Amdam 2012). Despite this, it is criticised by biological theorists for its rejection of biological factors such as genes. Moreover, the biologist model challenges the social learning flawed assumption that, behaviours are learnt by contending that, behaviours are inherited but not learnt (Gyenscuico 2011). Education is another activity that needs to be undertaken in order to promote Molly’s diabetic health need. The aim of education will be to teach Molly on self-management skills and to improve Molly’s knowledge on diabetic care (Bowden and Manning 2006). The nurse will use health educational model to modify Molly’s behaviour and actions through providing value-laden facts and information about type 2 diabetes . This may be done by giving Molly leaflets about type 2 diabetes, teaching Molly on how to control and monitor her glucose levels (Bowden and Manning 2006). According to education approach, if Molly have the necessary knowledge on diabetes, she is more likely to make positive decisions (Lawrence et al 2009). For Instance, by teaching Molly how her blood glucose is affected by food and exercise, she is more likely to eat more healthier food and be active in order to keep her blood glucose stable (NHS 2012). One cannot ignore that education model is evidence based and not only does it educate the patient but it also gives skills to the patient. However, this model fails to consider environmental, psychological and economic constraints which affect individual’s ability to make choices (Lawrence et al 2009). Another limitation of this model is its simplistic view of cost-benefit analysis. It assumes that, if Molly is given the knowledge she will accept it unconditionally, weigh up the cost and then make a positive health choices for her best interest (Bowden and Manning 2006). What is more, its deterministic view point that, education is a must does and its top down approach does not give Molly much free will to make her own choices which the self-empowerment does (Bowden and Manning). The empowerment model gives the patient the free will through it advocacy of the individual concept of locus of control and self-efficacy to take control of their own health (Lawrence et al 2013). Thi s model links to the activity of empowerment which is another activity that needs to be undertaken in in order to promote Molly’s health and well being . This will be through Molly  participating and taking part in all areas of decision making (Piper 2009). This model shifts the balance of power from the health professionals to the patient (Piper 2010). The empowerment model bottom up approach is a vital factor in empowering the patient (Bowden and Manning 2006). The empowerment will mean that , Molly is acknowledged as being a part of her health promotion and she will work alongside the nurse and other multi-agency teams involved in her own care (Yulli et al 2010). Perhaps this might raise her confidence and influence her ability to make healthier choices by taking responsibilities on her type 2 diabetes management (Hanlon et al 2012). The advantage of using the self-empowerment model in Molly’s scenario will be that, Molly will gain more control of her life and confidence to move towards healthier existence (Hanlon 2012). However, it fails to consider influences of power that may prevent Molly from making healthier choices (Hanlon 2012). For example, Molly’s husband might influence her ability to make choices. Moreover, it does not address social economic factors such as low income that can mean that, Molly’s primacies may be at odd with the priorities of the health promoting professionals (Bowden and manning 2006). Finally, its acknowledgment of the self-determination means that, Molly might exercise her free will and choose unhealthy eating behaviours that might place her at risk or even death (Dean and Irvine 2010) One cannot ignore the benefits of health promotion in Molly’s scenario is a useful tool to educate, motivate and empower Molly to make positive changes towards her health. However, health promotion can be problematic at times. This is due to the dangerous assumptions of the health promoters focus on health issues ignoring that, people have various motives to change their behaviours and health might not be one of them (Scrive 2010). For instance, for Molly diabetic health need might not be her prime motivator to change her lifestyle. Another criticism of health promotion is the ever changing health advice for patients due to research that is always finding new evidence (Amdam 2011). In these circumstances, patients have barely enough time try one treatment or advice before th ey can adapt to another. This affects the efficacy of health promotion (Scriven 2010). Evidently, the media contradicts the health promotion advice which is based on facts due to its focus on controversy rather than facts which can be confusing for the patients (Amdam 2011). Furthermore, the health promotion in Molly’s scenario  raises this question. If Molly decides not to change, does it mean that the health promotion in her case has failed? The challenges of effective health promotion require actions at all levels starting at an individual, community and at a government level (Scriven 2011). Therefore, to successfully, promote the health of an individual, it is necessary to have an approach that combines all these levels together as they all influence the effectiveness of health promotion ( Amdam 2011). To conclude, health promotion is defined as a process of educating and empowering people to make healthier choices. Molly’s health is influenced by various determinants of health that are linked to her social, biological and environmental conditions. The health promotion emphasis is to tackle such determinants of health through evidence based practices that combines various theories and approaches. These theories and approaches are tied up with practical activities that are aimed at changing Molly’s lifestyle and behaviour to promote her health. The importance of health promotion should not be underestimated at it educates and empowers the patients to make positive actions towards their health. Nevertheless, health promotion is plagued with challenges such as contradicting health advice that affects the efficacy of health promotion. These challenges affect the most vulnerable people such as Molly. It is therefore important that the health promoters recognizes these difficulties and address them accordingly. Finally, it is recommended that, future health promotion professionals address the deficit of the lack of an approach that tackles health promotion at an individual, community, government level to ensure the effectiveness of health promotion. Referencing Amdam, R. (2011) Planning in health promotion work. Oxfordshire: Routledge. Baxter, M. Health (2010). 2nd ed. Cornwall: Polity press. Bowden, J. and Manning, V. (2006) Health promotion in Midwifery. 2nd ed. London: Edward Arnold Ltd. Ghensucico, B. (2011) Critic on Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory. Dawsonera [Online]. Available at: http://dawsonera.com [Accessed: 25 January 2014] Green, J. and Tones, K. (2010) Health promotion planning and strategies. 2nd ed. London: Sage Publication Ltd. Hanlon, P. Carlisle, S. Hannah, M. and Lyon, A. ((2012) The future public health London: Open University Press. Hobart , C., Frankel. J. (2009) Safeguarding children . 3rd ed. Cheltenham: Thornes Ltd. Hubley, J. Copeman, J. and Woodall, J. (2013) Practical health promotion. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Polity Press. Larkin, M. (2009) Vulnerable groups in health and social care. Dawsonera [Online]. Available at: http://dawsonera.com [Accessed: 30 March 2014] Needle, JJ. Petchey, RP. Benson, J. Scriven, A. Lawrenson, J. and Hilari, K.(2011) The allied health professions and health promotion: [Systematic review] Cochrane

Do Curfew Keep Teens Out of Trouble Essay

Even with a curfew teens will do what they want to do. If that means sneaking out, lying or skipping school or etc. sneaking out gives a teen a thrill and like they are invincible. That just makes them more likely to do much more dangerous stuff. Also, having a curfew just adds stress on a teen, because they will freak out about running late and traffic causing them to be late. If anyone says that kids will be too scared to sneak out, well wouldn’t they be to break an actual law? Does curfew really keep teens out of trouble? Curfews give teens the chance to change and it works because they have less time out to cause the trouble and get Pregnant do vandalism, go stealing take drugs, smoke Cigarettes, and have under age sex get involved with the police and Intimidating Behavior. That’s the reason many people believe curfews are a good idea however giving your child a curfew is not going to stop them from doing all this stuff. They may not do it during the night or during their curfew but they may be doing it at day time or even skip school and go get in trouble. Having a curfew does not decrease crimes. Numerous articles by credible sources such as the (National Center for Policy Analysis, the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, and the US Department of Justice) all unanimously agree that curfew, in fact, does NOT lower young crime rates of any kind. Also, I found that the amount of arrests in young for breaking curfew greatly outnumbers the amount of arrests for any other crime in young. All of this goes to show that curfews in fact have no effect, and that teaching young teens to have morals and know what is right and what is wrong is greatly more effective than curfews. I’ve had my share of sneaking out, and staying out WAY past the time my parents set before me. It’s only because if you say I can’t do something, I want to prove everyone wrong and say that I can do that, and you can’t do anything to stop me. Curfew is just a fence that can be climbed and jumped over. It won’t keep teens out of trouble regardless of what people want to belie ve. Its denial and you know it. Just because they have a curfew it doesn’t mean that they aren’t going to get in trouble. It may limit the things they do. Which in turn limits the trouble they get in, but it doesn’t stop them from doing things to get them in trouble. (Wylie Tanton said on April 11, 2012 â€Å"I personally think teens shouldn’t have a curfew because whether or not they have curfew teens still get themselves into trouble, not only during the night. http://www.collegenet.com/elect/app/app?service=external/Forum&sp=42891) Almost never it’s extremely rare that a curfew will keep a teen from what they want to do. Whether they blatantly ignore you and just walk out the front door or sneak out, they’re going to go there either way. If you try to prevent any of that by grounding or forcing them to stay, it just makes them more willing to do it. By making a curfew, you are making the teen more tempted to break it. On (debate.org) 32% of the people said curfews do keep teens out of trouble and 68% of the people disagree curfews keep teens out of trouble. Actually depending on how early a curfew is, the curfew might be no more than a pothole in a teenager’s plan. Most teenagers have no problem finding trouble at any time during the day. If it’s out there, it will be found by someone. As long as you know where your child is, let them go during weekends and the summer. How will your child ever learn to be independent, without ever having an opportunity to be out on their own? Parents are responsible for their children, so if they know where they are and who they are with, no real strict curfew should be needed.

Deutsche Brauerei

QUESTION FOR REPORT/ DISCUSSION 2. What are the characteristics of Fund flow statement and its uses? What do the financial forecast and sources and uses of funds statement of company tell us? Discuss about breakeven analysis. What does the breakeven chart of the company tell us? [pic] Fund Flow Statement Financial statements mainly include profit and loss account and balance sheet. Profit and loss account lists out all the expenses made by the firm and revenue earned over a period of time. Balance sheet depicts the financial position of the firm at a particular point of time. While fund flow statement is complimentary to both balance sheet and profit and loss account, it brings a clear idea about the movement of funds in and out of the firm, during a particular period of time. Meaning of Fund Flow The financial statement of the business indicates assets, liabilities and capital on a  particular date and also the profit or loss during a period. But it is possible that there is enough profit in the business and the financial position is also good and still there may be deficiency of cash or of working capital in business. If the management wants to find out as to where the cash is being utilized, financial statement cannot help. Therefore, a statement is prepared of the sources and applications of funds from where Working Capital comes and it is utilized. This is called Fund Flow statement. Meaning of ‘Fund’ In a popular and generally accepted sense the term ‘fund’ is used to denote the excess of current assets over current liabilities : Working Capital  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   =  Ã‚  Ã‚   Current Assets – Current Liabilities Meaning of ‘Flow’ of Fund Flow of funds means transmigration (coming and going) of funds. In other words, Flow of funds means change in Working capital, as in funds flow statement the words ‘funds’ mean net working capital. Hence Coleman rightly states that, â€Å"The fund statement is statement summarizing the significant financial changes which have occurred between the beginning and the end of a company’s accounting period. † The flow of fund if is represented by changes in working capital, then it can happen, only if a transaction involves changes on both current item and noncurrent item. Every transaction has double entry. Various cases can be that transaction involves Change on current assets and on fixed assets (cash purchase of fixed assets) o Cash being current item and fixed assets are non current ? Change on current assets and on current assets (credit sale of inventory) o Debtors is a current item and inventory is also current in nature ? Change on current assets and change on current liabilities (payment made to creditors) o Cash is current asset and creditor, current liability ? Change on current liabilities and change on current liabilities (short term loan taken to clear overdraft) ? Change on fixed assets and on fixed liabilities (sale of investments to redeem debentures) So, amongst all these combinations, transactions which involve change, on one hand on current item and on other hand on non current item, they would only lead to fund flow. E. g. * Sell investments in cash. * Issue of shares * Raising long term loans, etc. Thus fund flow statement enumerates various sources from which funds come in organization and various applications which lead to usage of funds. It is an important tool to check the efficiency of management in the firm. It can make future projections about working capital requirements and thus firm can arrange for those requirements and can allocate funds in a more efficient manner. Preparation of fund flow statement involves preparation of adjusted profit and loss account which is prepared by excluding the non fund and non operating items from the initial figure of net profit. Different Names of Fund-flow Statement * A Funds Statement * A statement of sources and uses of fund * A statement of sources and application of fund * Where got and where gone statement * Inflow and outflow of fund statement Objectives of Fund Flow Statement The main purposes of Fund Flow Statement are: 1. To help to understand the changes in assets and asset sources which are not readily evident in the income statement or financial statement. 2. To inform as to how the cans to the business have been used. 3. To point out the financial strengths and weaknesses of the business How to Prepare a Fund Flow Statement Fund flow statements are prepared by taking the balance sheets for two dates representing the coverage period. The increases and decreases must then be calculated for each item. Finally, the changes are classified under four categories: (1) Long-term sources, (2) long-term uses, (3) short-term sources, (4) short-term uses. It is also important to zero out the non-fund based adjustments in order to capture only the changes that are accompanies by flow of funds. However, income accrued but received and expenses incurred but not received reckoned in the profit and loss statement should not be excluded from the profit figure for the fund flow statement. Fund flow statements can be used to identify a variety of problems in the way a company operates. For example, companies that are using short-term money to finance long-term investments may run into liquidity problems in the future. Meanwhile, a company that is using long-term money to finance short-term investments may not be efficiently utilizing its capital. Steps in Preparation of Fund Flow Statement: 1) Preparation of schedule changes in working capital (taking current items only). 2) Preparation of adjusted profit and loss account (to know fund from [or] fund lost in operations). 3) Preparation of accounts for non-current items (Ascertain the hidden information). 4) Preparation of the fund flow statement. Importance of funds flow statement: Funds flow statement is an important analytical tool for external as well as internal uses of financial statements. The users of funds flow statement can be listed as under: 1. Managements of various companies are able to review cash budgets with the aid of funds flow statements. They are extensively used by the management in the evaluation of alternative finance & investments. In the evaluation of alternative finance & investment plans, funds flow statement helps the management in the assessment of long-range forecasts of cash requirements & availability of liquid resources. The management can judge the quality of management decisions. 2. Investors are able to measure as how the company has utilized the funds supplied by them & its financial strength with the aid of funds statements. They gauge can the company capacity to generate funds from operations. On the basis of comparative study of the past with the present, investors can locate & identify possible drains on funds in the near future. 3. Funds statement serve as effective tools to the management for economic analysis as it supplies additional information, which cannot be provided by financial statements, based on historical data. . Fund statement explains the relationship between changes in working capital & net profits. Funds statement clearly shows the quantum of funds generated from operations. 5. Funds statement helps in the planning process of a company. They are useful in assessing the resources available and the manner of utilization of resources. 6. Funds statement explains the financial c onsequences of business activities. They provide explicit & clear awareness to questions regarding liquid & solvency positions of the company, distribution of dividend & whether the working capital has been effective or otherwise. 7. Management of companies can forecast in advance the requirements of additional capital & can plan its capital issue accordingly. 8. Fund statement provides clues to the creditors & financial institutions as to the ability of a company to use funds effectively in the best interest of the investors, creditors & the owners of the company. 9. Funds statement indicates the adequacy or inadequacy of working capital. 10. The information contained in fund flow statement is more reliable, dependable & consistent as it is prepared to include funds generated from operations & not net profit after depreciation. 11. Funds flow statement clearly indicate how profits have been invested, whether investments in fixed assets or inventories or ploughed back. Financial forecast: A financial forecast is normally an estimate of future financial outcomes for a company. Using historical internal accounting and sales data, in addition to external market and economic indicators, a financial forecast is an economist's best guess of what will happen to a company in financial terms over a given time period — which is usually one year. In this case, the company has forecasted its data for the years 2001 and 2002. Sources of funds 1. Net Income: Net income  is equal to the  income  that a firm has after subtracting costs and  expenses  from the total  revenue. Net  income can be distributed among holders of common stock as a  dividend  or held by the firm as  retained earnings. The items deducted will typically include  tax expense, financing expense (interest expense), and  minority interest. Net income is informally called the  bottom line  because it is typically found on the last line of a company's  income statement. [pic] The forecasted net income is increasing in the projected year. It has been projected that there would be an increase in the net income of 28% in 2001 and 17% in 2002. This can be credited to their expansion strategy in the coming years. There has been a dip in the net income in the year 1999 owning to the depreciation of Ukrainian currency by 125%. 2. Allowance for doubtful accounts: The allowance for doubtful accounts is a balance sheet account that reduces the reported amount of accounts receivable. Providing an allowance for doubtful accounts presents a more realistic picture of how much of the accounts receivable will be turning to cash. If a firm has made a sufficient provision in its allowance for doubtful accounts, reported earnings will not be penalized by bad debts when the bad debts occur. If uncollectible accounts are larger than expected, however, the firm will have to increase the size of the account and reduce reported income. [pic] There has been a sharp increase in allowance for doubtful accounts in the year 2001 which subsequently reduced. This can be linked to the increase in the credit they plan to give to the distributors owning to their expansion plans for the period and their recovery policy. The increase in doubtful accounts is a bad sign for the financial position for the company. 3. Depreciation: A  noncash expense  that reduces the  value  of an  asset as a  result  of  wear and tear, age, or  obsolescence. Most assets lose their value over time (in other  words, they depreciate), and must be replaced once the end of their useful life  is reached. Because it is a  non-cash expense, depreciation lowers the  company's  reported  earnings  while increasing  free cash flow. Calculated by two methods: 1. Straight Line Depreciation Method 2. Declining Balance Depreciation Method [pic] There has been gradual rise in the depreciation in the projected years. This can be related to increase in their number of assets (they are planning to buy more equipments and properties) which would lead to devaluation eventually. 4. Short-Term Debt: The account which comprises of any debt incurred by a company that is due within one year. The debt in this account is usually made up of short-term bank loans taken out by a company. The value of this account is very important when determining  a company's  financial health. If the account is larger than the company's  cash and cash equivalents, this suggests that the company  may be  in poor financial health and does not have  enough cash to pay off its short-term debts. Although  short-term debts are due within a year, there may be a portion of the long-term debt included in this account. This portion pertains to payments that must be made on  any long-term debt throughout the year. [pic] In initial years they heavily depended on short term debts. Over the years the financial health of the company improved which lead to the reduction in the debts. Owning to their credit policy and increase in investment in fixed assets, the company is not able to recover the money. This could have lead to increase in short term borrowings. 5. Accounts Payable: An accounting entry that represents an entity's obligation to pay  off a short-term debt to  its creditors. The accounts payable entry is found on a balance sheet under the heading current liabilities. Accounts payable are debts that must be paid off within a given period of time in order to avoid default. [pic] Increase in accounts payable shows that the company is making more purchases on credit. It could be due to taking more time to pay bills, buying more products on credit, paying higher prices for credit purchases. 6. Other Current Liabilities: A balance sheet entry used by companies to group together current liabilities that are not assigned to common liabilities such as debt obligations or accounts payable. Companies will group together these other current liabilities into one account on the balance sheet for the sake of simplicity. [pic] Since this category is made up of accruals and similar items, it increases as the company gets larger. It increased in 1999 owning to higher investment in Ukraine. The increase in the other current liabilities has been more or less stable in the projected years. 7. Total sources of cash: It is the sum total of all the components of sources of funds. [pic] Uses of Funds 8. Dividend Payments Dividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members. It is the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business (called retained earnings), or it can be paid to the shareholders as a dividend. Many corporations retain a portion of their earnings and pay the remainder as a dividend. [pic] There is a sharp increase in the dividend payment as the company is projecting a higher increase in their profits. The dividends are paid from the net income from the same year. Increase in dividend payments implies strong commitment to maintain higher level of dividends in the future. 9. Increases in cash balance Amount of available cash that a management decides to maintain in cash planning, to avoid or cover up cash shortfalls resulting from mismatch between cash inflows and outflows during an accounting period. [pic] The company is having optimum cash balance hence maintaining sufficient working capital. 10. & 11. Increases in accounts receivable Accounts receivable (A/R) is one of a series of accounting transactions dealing with the billing of customers who owe money to a person, company or organization for goods and services that have been provided to the customer. In most business entities this is typically done by generating an invoice and mailing or electronically delivering it to the customer, who in turn must pay it within an established timeframe called credit or payment terms. [pic] In Germany, the company has maintained a tight hold on the credit that they supply to the distributors; thus there isn’t a significant change in the accounts receivable as compared to Ukraine. pic] Increases in accounts receivable (Ukraine) that is disproportionate to any growth in revenue may indicate the company is having trouble collecting money from its customers. Depending on the company's cash situation, this could require the company to borrow money to plug the hole from the unpaid money it is owed by its customers. Eventual ly, the company might need to write-off some of these accounts receivable as bad debt, in recognition of the fact that some customers might never pay. In extreme cases, the company might run out of cash and have to shut down. 12. Increases in inventories Inventory is a list for goods and materials, or those goods and materials themselves, held available in stock by a business. An organization's inventory can appear a mixed blessing, since it counts as an asset on the balance sheet, but it also ties up money that could serve for other purposes and requires additional expense for its protection. Inventory may also cause significant tax expenses, depending on particular countries' laws regarding depreciation of inventory. Inventory appears as a current asset on an organization's balance sheet because the organization can, in principle, turn it into cash by selling it. Some organizations hold larger inventories than their operations require in order inflating their apparent asset value and their perceived profitability. [pic] The fragile distribution system in Ukraine pre-2000 lead to increase in the inventories of the company as company is working on improving the distribution channel due to which the product flow has been projected to be smooth in coming years leading to decrease in inventory which is a healthy financial sign. 13. Increases in other assets Assets are economic resources owned by business or company. Two major asset classes are tangible assets and intangible assets. Tangible assets contain various subclasses, including current assets and fixed assets. Current assets include inventory, while fixed assets include such items as buildings and equipment. Intangible assets are nonphysical resources and rights that have a value to the firm because they give the firm some kind of advantage in the market place. Examples of intangible assets are goodwill, copyrights, trademarks, patents and computer programs, and financial assets, including such items as accounts receivable, bonds and stocks. pic] There is a negative growth in the increase in the other assets because of the depreciation of other assets and they are not planning to acquire any new assets in near future. By 2002 they are planning to buy enough assets just to overcome the negative growth. 14. Reductions in long-term debt Long-term debts are loans and financial obligations that last for over one year. For example, debts obliga tions such as bonds and notes, which have maturities greater than one year, would be considered as long-term debts. pic] Reduction in long term debts from 1998 to 1999 could be due to overnight success of the company in Ukraine. The sound financial condition of the company has ensured the stable repayment of long term loans and would continue to do so in future. 15. Capital Expenditures Capital expenditures (CAPEX or capex) are expenditures creating future benefits. A capital expenditure is incurred when a business spends money either to buy fixed assets or to add to the value of an existing fixed asset ith a useful life that extends beyond the taxable year. Capex are used by a company to acquire or upgrade physical assets such as equipment, property, or industrial buildings. [pic] The sharp increase in the CAPEX can be explained by the inflow of capital through long term debts and the operating profit the company is planning to achieve in the projected period. 16. Total uses of cas h: It is the sum total of all the use components in the fund flow statement. [pic] Break Even Analysis The break-even point for a product is the point where total revenue received equals the total costs associated with the sale of the product (TR=TC). A break-even point is typically calculated in order for businesses to determine if it would be profitable to sell a proposed product, as opposed to attempting to modify an existing product instead so it can be made lucrative. Break even analysis can also be used to analyse the potential profitability of an expenditure in a sales-based business. Breakeven analysis is a management accounting tool used for profit planning of a firm. Profit planning is a function of the selling price of a unit of product, the variable cost of making and selling the product, the volume of product unit sold and in case of multi-product companies, sales mix and finally, the total fixed costs. Breakeven point (for output) = fixed cost / contribution per unit. Break-even analysis is a technique widely used by production management and management accountants. It is based on categorising production costs between those which are â€Å"variable† (costs that change when the production output changes) and those that are â€Å"fixed† (costs not directly related to the volume of production). Total variable and fixed costs are compared with sales revenue in order to determine the  level of sales volume, sales value or production at which the business makes neither a profit nor a loss (the â€Å"break-even point†). Break even analysis depends on the following variables: 1. The fixed production costs for a product. 2. The variable production costs for a product. 3. The product's unit price. 4. The products expected unit sales. On the surface, break-even analysis is a tool to calculate at which sales volume the variable and fixed costs of producing your product will be recovered. Another way to look at it is that the break-even point is the point at which your product stops costing you money to produce and sell, and starts to generate a profit for your company. Break even analysis solves various managerial problems: †¢   Setting price levels: A price level is a hypothetical measure of overall prices for some set of goods and services, in a given region during a given interval, normalized relative to some base set. Hence with the help of BEP analysis a firm can determine the price level of product and particular sales volume which is necessary to produce an X amount of operating profit.   Targeting optimal variable/ fixed cost combinations †¢   Determining the financial attractiveness of different strategic options for your company. Break even Chart A breakeven chart is a strategic tool used to plot the financial revenue of a business unit against time or sales to determine the point when sales output is equal to revenue generated. This is reco gnised as the breakeven point. The information used to determine and analyse the breakeven point includes fixed, variable and total costs and the associated sales revenues. The analysis of a breakeven chart considers whether a venture runs at a profit or a loss. A sale above the breakeven point indicates continued and profitable growth. The principle of break-even theory is that during the early stages of a business venture, total costs, both fixed and variable, exceed sales. As output increases, sales begin to rise faster than costs and, eventually, they become equal (breakeven point). If sales continue to rise and exceed total costs, the business achieves profitability. The tool assumes that all the goods which are produced will be sold and that costs, namely the price, will remain constant. Likewise, it also relies on the capacity in terms of output to remain unchanged. Breakeven charts are universally applied to simply and graphically illustrate and forecast a company's projected revenue, and to calculate the time for profitability to be reached. It is used by financial and marketing strategists to predict the effect that changes in price will have on the percentage change in sales over time. It is also a useful tool to analyse the relationship between fixed and variable costs and to predict the effect on profitability of changes to those costs. Income Statements | | | | | | | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |Sales: Germany |62032 |62653 |64219 |66216 |68203 |70249 | |Sales: Ukraine |0 |4262 |17559 |25847 |37479 |48722 | |Total Net Sales |62032 |66915 |81778 |92063 |105682 |118971 | |Production Cost & Expenses |32258 |35366 |44271 49827 |61393 |71609 | |Excise duties |9143 |9108 |10486 |11557 |11625 |13087 | |Allowance for doubtful accounts |5 |7 |38 |24 |2 01 |60 | |Total Variable Cost |41406 |44481 |54795 |61408 |73219 |84756 | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |Administrative & Selling Expenses |12481 |13014 |16274 |18505 |18500 |18500 | |Depreciation |3609 |4314 |5844 |6068 |6766 |7448 | |Total Fixed Cost |16090 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |(â‚ ¬ per hectoliters) | | | |Per unit Sales | |9206300/1173000 = | |78. 8508099 | | | |Per unit variable cost | | | | | |61408000/1173000 = | |52. 35123615 | | | |Contribution per unit | | | | | |Per unit Sales – Per unit variable cost = | |26. 3384484 | | | | | | |Breakeven Point = |Fixed cost/Contribution per unit | | | | | | | |24573000/26. 13384 = |940274. 633 | | | | | |Hence Number of units requires to be sold to reach breakeven point=940275 hectoliters | | | | | | | | | |Net Sale in year 2000 = 1173000 hectoliters | | |Revenue calculated from the sale of Breakeven volume sales = |breakeven point volume* per unit sale price |â‚ ¬ 73797559. 3 | | | | | |Total Variable cost at Breakeven Point = Breakeven volume * Per |940275 * 52. 32123615 = |â‚ ¬ 49224558. 57 | |unit variable cost | | | | | | | | Total Fixed Cost = â‚ ¬ 24573000 | | | | | | |Total cost of Production of Beer |Fixed cost + variable cost |â‚ ¬ 73797558. 57 | | | | | This analysis identifies the break-even volume, where revenues just equal total costs and Deutsche Brauerei recovers all its fixed cost at the break-even volume sale. Sales above Break-even Point will bring profits for the company. Margin of Safety (volume) = Total volume Sold – Breakeven volume 1173000 – 940275 = 232725 hectoliters Margin of Safety (Revenue) = per unit sale price * Margin of safety volume = 78. 48508099 * 232725 = â‚ ¬ 18265440. 47 Variable Cost for selling 232725 hectoliters = per unit variable cost * Margin of Safety (volume) = 52. 35123615 * 232725 = â‚ ¬ 12183441. 43 Deutsche Breuerei has already covered up fixed cost expense with break even volume sale hence they will make profit above the sale of break even volume. Net profit = Margin of Safety (Revenue) – Variable Cost for selling 232725 hectoliters = â‚ ¬ 18265440. 47 – â‚ ¬ 12183441. 43 = â‚ ¬ 6081999. 041 From the above analysis it is seen that as the volume increased above the break even volume, the profits rise disproportionately faster. The analysis of a breakeven chart shows that Deutsche Breuerei has to sell more than 940275 hectoliters of beer to start making the profit for the venture. A sale above the breakeven point indicates a continued and profitable growth, and venture makes a profit of â‚ ¬6081999. 041. Hence Deutsche Breuerei should stick to the current price level of beer and profit planning. Break even chart of Venture shows that if they can reduce the Production Cost in coming years through new facility and equipment they can increase the profits in long term. As the company is showing a healthy sales of good they can invest on production facility to reduce the per unit production cost and expenses to increases the overall profits. ———————– DEUTSCHE BRAUEREI Case Analysis- Question 2 MBA PHARM. TECH. (4th year) [pic] [pic] |ROLL NO. |NAME |ROLL NO. NAME | |38 |Devang Mehta |41 |Upasana Nagpal | |39 |Anand Menon |42 |Abhilash Nair | |40 |Manish Mishra |43 |Kadambari Narang | SCHOOL OF PHARMACY AND TECHNOLOGY MANGEMENT †0[pic]? 0[pic]? 0[pic]? 0[pic] 1[pic]†1[pic]x1[pic]|1[pic]? 1[pic]u1 [pic]2[pic]2[pic]2[pic]I2[pic]? 2[pic]N3[pic]l3[pic]A4[pic]A4[pic]? 4[pic]eOA »Ã‚ ­A »A »Ã¢â‚¬Å"| ­h ­Ã‚ »WI8A! h`fJh? *B*[pic]OJQJ^J[? ]ph333h? *B*[pic]CJOJQJph! hNu—h? *B*[pic]CJOJQJNet income =Revenue – Cost of goods sold – Sales discounts – Sales returns and allowances – Expenses – Minority interest – Preferred stock dividends Deutsche Brauerei QUESTION FOR REPORT/ DISCUSSION 2. What are the characteristics of Fund flow statement and its uses? What do the financial forecast and sources and uses of funds statement of company tell us? Discuss about breakeven analysis. What does the breakeven chart of the company tell us? [pic] Fund Flow Statement Financial statements mainly include profit and loss account and balance sheet. Profit and loss account lists out all the expenses made by the firm and revenue earned over a period of time. Balance sheet depicts the financial position of the firm at a particular point of time. While fund flow statement is complimentary to both balance sheet and profit and loss account, it brings a clear idea about the movement of funds in and out of the firm, during a particular period of time. Meaning of Fund Flow The financial statement of the business indicates assets, liabilities and capital on a  particular date and also the profit or loss during a period. But it is possible that there is enough profit in the business and the financial position is also good and still there may be deficiency of cash or of working capital in business. If the management wants to find out as to where the cash is being utilized, financial statement cannot help. Therefore, a statement is prepared of the sources and applications of funds from where Working Capital comes and it is utilized. This is called Fund Flow statement. Meaning of ‘Fund’ In a popular and generally accepted sense the term ‘fund’ is used to denote the excess of current assets over current liabilities : Working Capital  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   =  Ã‚  Ã‚   Current Assets – Current Liabilities Meaning of ‘Flow’ of Fund Flow of funds means transmigration (coming and going) of funds. In other words, Flow of funds means change in Working capital, as in funds flow statement the words ‘funds’ mean net working capital. Hence Coleman rightly states that, â€Å"The fund statement is statement summarizing the significant financial changes which have occurred between the beginning and the end of a company’s accounting period. † The flow of fund if is represented by changes in working capital, then it can happen, only if a transaction involves changes on both current item and noncurrent item. Every transaction has double entry. Various cases can be that transaction involves Change on current assets and on fixed assets (cash purchase of fixed assets) o Cash being current item and fixed assets are non current ? Change on current assets and on current assets (credit sale of inventory) o Debtors is a current item and inventory is also current in nature ? Change on current assets and change on current liabilities (payment made to creditors) o Cash is current asset and creditor, current liability ? Change on current liabilities and change on current liabilities (short term loan taken to clear overdraft) ? Change on fixed assets and on fixed liabilities (sale of investments to redeem debentures) So, amongst all these combinations, transactions which involve change, on one hand on current item and on other hand on non current item, they would only lead to fund flow. E. g. * Sell investments in cash. * Issue of shares * Raising long term loans, etc. Thus fund flow statement enumerates various sources from which funds come in organization and various applications which lead to usage of funds. It is an important tool to check the efficiency of management in the firm. It can make future projections about working capital requirements and thus firm can arrange for those requirements and can allocate funds in a more efficient manner. Preparation of fund flow statement involves preparation of adjusted profit and loss account which is prepared by excluding the non fund and non operating items from the initial figure of net profit. Different Names of Fund-flow Statement * A Funds Statement * A statement of sources and uses of fund * A statement of sources and application of fund * Where got and where gone statement * Inflow and outflow of fund statement Objectives of Fund Flow Statement The main purposes of Fund Flow Statement are: 1. To help to understand the changes in assets and asset sources which are not readily evident in the income statement or financial statement. 2. To inform as to how the cans to the business have been used. 3. To point out the financial strengths and weaknesses of the business How to Prepare a Fund Flow Statement Fund flow statements are prepared by taking the balance sheets for two dates representing the coverage period. The increases and decreases must then be calculated for each item. Finally, the changes are classified under four categories: (1) Long-term sources, (2) long-term uses, (3) short-term sources, (4) short-term uses. It is also important to zero out the non-fund based adjustments in order to capture only the changes that are accompanies by flow of funds. However, income accrued but received and expenses incurred but not received reckoned in the profit and loss statement should not be excluded from the profit figure for the fund flow statement. Fund flow statements can be used to identify a variety of problems in the way a company operates. For example, companies that are using short-term money to finance long-term investments may run into liquidity problems in the future. Meanwhile, a company that is using long-term money to finance short-term investments may not be efficiently utilizing its capital. Steps in Preparation of Fund Flow Statement: 1) Preparation of schedule changes in working capital (taking current items only). 2) Preparation of adjusted profit and loss account (to know fund from [or] fund lost in operations). 3) Preparation of accounts for non-current items (Ascertain the hidden information). 4) Preparation of the fund flow statement. Importance of funds flow statement: Funds flow statement is an important analytical tool for external as well as internal uses of financial statements. The users of funds flow statement can be listed as under: 1. Managements of various companies are able to review cash budgets with the aid of funds flow statements. They are extensively used by the management in the evaluation of alternative finance & investments. In the evaluation of alternative finance & investment plans, funds flow statement helps the management in the assessment of long-range forecasts of cash requirements & availability of liquid resources. The management can judge the quality of management decisions. 2. Investors are able to measure as how the company has utilized the funds supplied by them & its financial strength with the aid of funds statements. They gauge can the company capacity to generate funds from operations. On the basis of comparative study of the past with the present, investors can locate & identify possible drains on funds in the near future. 3. Funds statement serve as effective tools to the management for economic analysis as it supplies additional information, which cannot be provided by financial statements, based on historical data. . Fund statement explains the relationship between changes in working capital & net profits. Funds statement clearly shows the quantum of funds generated from operations. 5. Funds statement helps in the planning process of a company. They are useful in assessing the resources available and the manner of utilization of resources. 6. Funds statement explains the financial c onsequences of business activities. They provide explicit & clear awareness to questions regarding liquid & solvency positions of the company, distribution of dividend & whether the working capital has been effective or otherwise. 7. Management of companies can forecast in advance the requirements of additional capital & can plan its capital issue accordingly. 8. Fund statement provides clues to the creditors & financial institutions as to the ability of a company to use funds effectively in the best interest of the investors, creditors & the owners of the company. 9. Funds statement indicates the adequacy or inadequacy of working capital. 10. The information contained in fund flow statement is more reliable, dependable & consistent as it is prepared to include funds generated from operations & not net profit after depreciation. 11. Funds flow statement clearly indicate how profits have been invested, whether investments in fixed assets or inventories or ploughed back. Financial forecast: A financial forecast is normally an estimate of future financial outcomes for a company. Using historical internal accounting and sales data, in addition to external market and economic indicators, a financial forecast is an economist's best guess of what will happen to a company in financial terms over a given time period — which is usually one year. In this case, the company has forecasted its data for the years 2001 and 2002. Sources of funds 1. Net Income: Net income  is equal to the  income  that a firm has after subtracting costs and  expenses  from the total  revenue. Net  income can be distributed among holders of common stock as a  dividend  or held by the firm as  retained earnings. The items deducted will typically include  tax expense, financing expense (interest expense), and  minority interest. Net income is informally called the  bottom line  because it is typically found on the last line of a company's  income statement. [pic] The forecasted net income is increasing in the projected year. It has been projected that there would be an increase in the net income of 28% in 2001 and 17% in 2002. This can be credited to their expansion strategy in the coming years. There has been a dip in the net income in the year 1999 owning to the depreciation of Ukrainian currency by 125%. 2. Allowance for doubtful accounts: The allowance for doubtful accounts is a balance sheet account that reduces the reported amount of accounts receivable. Providing an allowance for doubtful accounts presents a more realistic picture of how much of the accounts receivable will be turning to cash. If a firm has made a sufficient provision in its allowance for doubtful accounts, reported earnings will not be penalized by bad debts when the bad debts occur. If uncollectible accounts are larger than expected, however, the firm will have to increase the size of the account and reduce reported income. [pic] There has been a sharp increase in allowance for doubtful accounts in the year 2001 which subsequently reduced. This can be linked to the increase in the credit they plan to give to the distributors owning to their expansion plans for the period and their recovery policy. The increase in doubtful accounts is a bad sign for the financial position for the company. 3. Depreciation: A  noncash expense  that reduces the  value  of an  asset as a  result  of  wear and tear, age, or  obsolescence. Most assets lose their value over time (in other  words, they depreciate), and must be replaced once the end of their useful life  is reached. Because it is a  non-cash expense, depreciation lowers the  company's  reported  earnings  while increasing  free cash flow. Calculated by two methods: 1. Straight Line Depreciation Method 2. Declining Balance Depreciation Method [pic] There has been gradual rise in the depreciation in the projected years. This can be related to increase in their number of assets (they are planning to buy more equipments and properties) which would lead to devaluation eventually. 4. Short-Term Debt: The account which comprises of any debt incurred by a company that is due within one year. The debt in this account is usually made up of short-term bank loans taken out by a company. The value of this account is very important when determining  a company's  financial health. If the account is larger than the company's  cash and cash equivalents, this suggests that the company  may be  in poor financial health and does not have  enough cash to pay off its short-term debts. Although  short-term debts are due within a year, there may be a portion of the long-term debt included in this account. This portion pertains to payments that must be made on  any long-term debt throughout the year. [pic] In initial years they heavily depended on short term debts. Over the years the financial health of the company improved which lead to the reduction in the debts. Owning to their credit policy and increase in investment in fixed assets, the company is not able to recover the money. This could have lead to increase in short term borrowings. 5. Accounts Payable: An accounting entry that represents an entity's obligation to pay  off a short-term debt to  its creditors. The accounts payable entry is found on a balance sheet under the heading current liabilities. Accounts payable are debts that must be paid off within a given period of time in order to avoid default. [pic] Increase in accounts payable shows that the company is making more purchases on credit. It could be due to taking more time to pay bills, buying more products on credit, paying higher prices for credit purchases. 6. Other Current Liabilities: A balance sheet entry used by companies to group together current liabilities that are not assigned to common liabilities such as debt obligations or accounts payable. Companies will group together these other current liabilities into one account on the balance sheet for the sake of simplicity. [pic] Since this category is made up of accruals and similar items, it increases as the company gets larger. It increased in 1999 owning to higher investment in Ukraine. The increase in the other current liabilities has been more or less stable in the projected years. 7. Total sources of cash: It is the sum total of all the components of sources of funds. [pic] Uses of Funds 8. Dividend Payments Dividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members. It is the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business (called retained earnings), or it can be paid to the shareholders as a dividend. Many corporations retain a portion of their earnings and pay the remainder as a dividend. [pic] There is a sharp increase in the dividend payment as the company is projecting a higher increase in their profits. The dividends are paid from the net income from the same year. Increase in dividend payments implies strong commitment to maintain higher level of dividends in the future. 9. Increases in cash balance Amount of available cash that a management decides to maintain in cash planning, to avoid or cover up cash shortfalls resulting from mismatch between cash inflows and outflows during an accounting period. [pic] The company is having optimum cash balance hence maintaining sufficient working capital. 10. & 11. Increases in accounts receivable Accounts receivable (A/R) is one of a series of accounting transactions dealing with the billing of customers who owe money to a person, company or organization for goods and services that have been provided to the customer. In most business entities this is typically done by generating an invoice and mailing or electronically delivering it to the customer, who in turn must pay it within an established timeframe called credit or payment terms. [pic] In Germany, the company has maintained a tight hold on the credit that they supply to the distributors; thus there isn’t a significant change in the accounts receivable as compared to Ukraine. pic] Increases in accounts receivable (Ukraine) that is disproportionate to any growth in revenue may indicate the company is having trouble collecting money from its customers. Depending on the company's cash situation, this could require the company to borrow money to plug the hole from the unpaid money it is owed by its customers. Eventual ly, the company might need to write-off some of these accounts receivable as bad debt, in recognition of the fact that some customers might never pay. In extreme cases, the company might run out of cash and have to shut down. 12. Increases in inventories Inventory is a list for goods and materials, or those goods and materials themselves, held available in stock by a business. An organization's inventory can appear a mixed blessing, since it counts as an asset on the balance sheet, but it also ties up money that could serve for other purposes and requires additional expense for its protection. Inventory may also cause significant tax expenses, depending on particular countries' laws regarding depreciation of inventory. Inventory appears as a current asset on an organization's balance sheet because the organization can, in principle, turn it into cash by selling it. Some organizations hold larger inventories than their operations require in order inflating their apparent asset value and their perceived profitability. [pic] The fragile distribution system in Ukraine pre-2000 lead to increase in the inventories of the company as company is working on improving the distribution channel due to which the product flow has been projected to be smooth in coming years leading to decrease in inventory which is a healthy financial sign. 13. Increases in other assets Assets are economic resources owned by business or company. Two major asset classes are tangible assets and intangible assets. Tangible assets contain various subclasses, including current assets and fixed assets. Current assets include inventory, while fixed assets include such items as buildings and equipment. Intangible assets are nonphysical resources and rights that have a value to the firm because they give the firm some kind of advantage in the market place. Examples of intangible assets are goodwill, copyrights, trademarks, patents and computer programs, and financial assets, including such items as accounts receivable, bonds and stocks. pic] There is a negative growth in the increase in the other assets because of the depreciation of other assets and they are not planning to acquire any new assets in near future. By 2002 they are planning to buy enough assets just to overcome the negative growth. 14. Reductions in long-term debt Long-term debts are loans and financial obligations that last for over one year. For example, debts obliga tions such as bonds and notes, which have maturities greater than one year, would be considered as long-term debts. pic] Reduction in long term debts from 1998 to 1999 could be due to overnight success of the company in Ukraine. The sound financial condition of the company has ensured the stable repayment of long term loans and would continue to do so in future. 15. Capital Expenditures Capital expenditures (CAPEX or capex) are expenditures creating future benefits. A capital expenditure is incurred when a business spends money either to buy fixed assets or to add to the value of an existing fixed asset ith a useful life that extends beyond the taxable year. Capex are used by a company to acquire or upgrade physical assets such as equipment, property, or industrial buildings. [pic] The sharp increase in the CAPEX can be explained by the inflow of capital through long term debts and the operating profit the company is planning to achieve in the projected period. 16. Total uses of cas h: It is the sum total of all the use components in the fund flow statement. [pic] Break Even Analysis The break-even point for a product is the point where total revenue received equals the total costs associated with the sale of the product (TR=TC). A break-even point is typically calculated in order for businesses to determine if it would be profitable to sell a proposed product, as opposed to attempting to modify an existing product instead so it can be made lucrative. Break even analysis can also be used to analyse the potential profitability of an expenditure in a sales-based business. Breakeven analysis is a management accounting tool used for profit planning of a firm. Profit planning is a function of the selling price of a unit of product, the variable cost of making and selling the product, the volume of product unit sold and in case of multi-product companies, sales mix and finally, the total fixed costs. Breakeven point (for output) = fixed cost / contribution per unit. Break-even analysis is a technique widely used by production management and management accountants. It is based on categorising production costs between those which are â€Å"variable† (costs that change when the production output changes) and those that are â€Å"fixed† (costs not directly related to the volume of production). Total variable and fixed costs are compared with sales revenue in order to determine the  level of sales volume, sales value or production at which the business makes neither a profit nor a loss (the â€Å"break-even point†). Break even analysis depends on the following variables: 1. The fixed production costs for a product. 2. The variable production costs for a product. 3. The product's unit price. 4. The products expected unit sales. On the surface, break-even analysis is a tool to calculate at which sales volume the variable and fixed costs of producing your product will be recovered. Another way to look at it is that the break-even point is the point at which your product stops costing you money to produce and sell, and starts to generate a profit for your company. Break even analysis solves various managerial problems: †¢   Setting price levels: A price level is a hypothetical measure of overall prices for some set of goods and services, in a given region during a given interval, normalized relative to some base set. Hence with the help of BEP analysis a firm can determine the price level of product and particular sales volume which is necessary to produce an X amount of operating profit.   Targeting optimal variable/ fixed cost combinations †¢   Determining the financial attractiveness of different strategic options for your company. Break even Chart A breakeven chart is a strategic tool used to plot the financial revenue of a business unit against time or sales to determine the point when sales output is equal to revenue generated. This is reco gnised as the breakeven point. The information used to determine and analyse the breakeven point includes fixed, variable and total costs and the associated sales revenues. The analysis of a breakeven chart considers whether a venture runs at a profit or a loss. A sale above the breakeven point indicates continued and profitable growth. The principle of break-even theory is that during the early stages of a business venture, total costs, both fixed and variable, exceed sales. As output increases, sales begin to rise faster than costs and, eventually, they become equal (breakeven point). If sales continue to rise and exceed total costs, the business achieves profitability. The tool assumes that all the goods which are produced will be sold and that costs, namely the price, will remain constant. Likewise, it also relies on the capacity in terms of output to remain unchanged. Breakeven charts are universally applied to simply and graphically illustrate and forecast a company's projected revenue, and to calculate the time for profitability to be reached. It is used by financial and marketing strategists to predict the effect that changes in price will have on the percentage change in sales over time. It is also a useful tool to analyse the relationship between fixed and variable costs and to predict the effect on profitability of changes to those costs. Income Statements | | | | | | | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |Sales: Germany |62032 |62653 |64219 |66216 |68203 |70249 | |Sales: Ukraine |0 |4262 |17559 |25847 |37479 |48722 | |Total Net Sales |62032 |66915 |81778 |92063 |105682 |118971 | |Production Cost & Expenses |32258 |35366 |44271 49827 |61393 |71609 | |Excise duties |9143 |9108 |10486 |11557 |11625 |13087 | |Allowance for doubtful accounts |5 |7 |38 |24 |2 01 |60 | |Total Variable Cost |41406 |44481 |54795 |61408 |73219 |84756 | |   |   |   |   |   |   |   | |Administrative & Selling Expenses |12481 |13014 |16274 |18505 |18500 |18500 | |Depreciation |3609 |4314 |5844 |6068 |6766 |7448 | |Total Fixed Cost |16090 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |(â‚ ¬ per hectoliters) | | | |Per unit Sales | |9206300/1173000 = | |78. 8508099 | | | |Per unit variable cost | | | | | |61408000/1173000 = | |52. 35123615 | | | |Contribution per unit | | | | | |Per unit Sales – Per unit variable cost = | |26. 3384484 | | | | | | |Breakeven Point = |Fixed cost/Contribution per unit | | | | | | | |24573000/26. 13384 = |940274. 633 | | | | | |Hence Number of units requires to be sold to reach breakeven point=940275 hectoliters | | | | | | | | | |Net Sale in year 2000 = 1173000 hectoliters | | |Revenue calculated from the sale of Breakeven volume sales = |breakeven point volume* per unit sale price |â‚ ¬ 73797559. 3 | | | | | |Total Variable cost at Breakeven Point = Breakeven volume * Per |940275 * 52. 32123615 = |â‚ ¬ 49224558. 57 | |unit variable cost | | | | | | | | Total Fixed Cost = â‚ ¬ 24573000 | | | | | | |Total cost of Production of Beer |Fixed cost + variable cost |â‚ ¬ 73797558. 57 | | | | | This analysis identifies the break-even volume, where revenues just equal total costs and Deutsche Brauerei recovers all its fixed cost at the break-even volume sale. Sales above Break-even Point will bring profits for the company. Margin of Safety (volume) = Total volume Sold – Breakeven volume 1173000 – 940275 = 232725 hectoliters Margin of Safety (Revenue) = per unit sale price * Margin of safety volume = 78. 48508099 * 232725 = â‚ ¬ 18265440. 47 Variable Cost for selling 232725 hectoliters = per unit variable cost * Margin of Safety (volume) = 52. 35123615 * 232725 = â‚ ¬ 12183441. 43 Deutsche Breuerei has already covered up fixed cost expense with break even volume sale hence they will make profit above the sale of break even volume. Net profit = Margin of Safety (Revenue) – Variable Cost for selling 232725 hectoliters = â‚ ¬ 18265440. 47 – â‚ ¬ 12183441. 43 = â‚ ¬ 6081999. 041 From the above analysis it is seen that as the volume increased above the break even volume, the profits rise disproportionately faster. The analysis of a breakeven chart shows that Deutsche Breuerei has to sell more than 940275 hectoliters of beer to start making the profit for the venture. A sale above the breakeven point indicates a continued and profitable growth, and venture makes a profit of â‚ ¬6081999. 041. Hence Deutsche Breuerei should stick to the current price level of beer and profit planning. Break even chart of Venture shows that if they can reduce the Production Cost in coming years through new facility and equipment they can increase the profits in long term. As the company is showing a healthy sales of good they can invest on production facility to reduce the per unit production cost and expenses to increases the overall profits. ———————– DEUTSCHE BRAUEREI Case Analysis- Question 2 MBA PHARM. TECH. (4th year) [pic] [pic] |ROLL NO. |NAME |ROLL NO. NAME | |38 |Devang Mehta |41 |Upasana Nagpal | |39 |Anand Menon |42 |Abhilash Nair | |40 |Manish Mishra |43 |Kadambari Narang | SCHOOL OF PHARMACY AND TECHNOLOGY MANGEMENT †0[pic]? 0[pic]? 0[pic]? 0[pic] 1[pic]†1[pic]x1[pic]|1[pic]? 1[pic]u1 [pic]2[pic]2[pic]2[pic]I2[pic]? 2[pic]N3[pic]l3[pic]A4[pic]A4[pic]? 4[pic]eOA »Ã‚ ­A »A »Ã¢â‚¬Å"| ­h ­Ã‚ »WI8A! h`fJh? *B*[pic]OJQJ^J[? ]ph333h? *B*[pic]CJOJQJph! hNu—h? *B*[pic]CJOJQJNet income =Revenue – Cost of goods sold – Sales discounts – Sales returns and allowances – Expenses – Minority interest – Preferred stock dividends