Monday, September 30, 2019

Individualism versus Collectivism Essay

The concepts of individualism and collectivism apply to the description of societies and individuals within the society. Cultures vary in their levels of individualism/ collectivism while individuals within these specific cultures vary on the same dimension. Idiocentric and allocentric are constructs that are very important in differentiating consistent variations of an individual’s attitudes, beliefs, self-definition, normative behavior and self-definition. Individualism is termed as the person’s level of idiocentric while collectivism is the person’s level of allocentric (Udehn, 2001). Idiocentric individuals emphasize more on their own goals and needs over those of the group to which they belong. They are much independent and self-reliant. On the other hand, allocentric individuals tend to be more cooperative, interdependent and they also have a stronger desire to partner with others. In addition allocentric and idiocentric individuals differ in their source of intimacy and companionship to satisfy their several needs and to strengthen their self-esteem. For instance, idiocentric obtains their social support from peers and best friends while allocentrics obtain their social support from their parents. Individuals with allocentric tendencies have fewer daily but more in-depth discussions than individuals with idiocentric tendencies. People who express more allocentric or idiocentric tendencies vary in various ways. For instance, the people who tend to be more allocentric have good reliability and inter-correlation thus showing convergent validity. They are characterized with three main aspects which include individual to group goals, in-group as extension of the self and in-group identity. Individuals who are more idiocentric mainly use equity and need in distributing rewards. Individuals who are more allocentric mainly emphasize on the values of cooperation, fairness and honesty while individuals who are more idiocentric put much emphasis on values of comfortable life, competition, pleasure and social recognition. Persons who are allocentric receive much and better quality social support while those who are more idiocentric are usually higher in achievement motivation, alienation and greater loneliness. The difference between collective and individualist cultures is mainly based on self. In collectivist cultures, the self is more linked to in-group memberships while in individualist cultures; self-concept is obtained from independently groups which are based on the varying characteristics and contributions of the individual. In collectivists’ cultures, there is high adherence to the goals of the in-group and to in-group values and also the maintaining of in-group harmony (Lee & Kelly 1996). In individualistic societies, the aims and the goals of a particular individual are more important and less significance is attached to in-group harmony. Nevertheless, individualism is mainly based on Western cultures while collectivism is related with Eastern cultures. Collectivistic cultures have lower rates of suicide, psychopathology and relatively higher marital satisfaction than individualistic cultures. I consider myself to be idiocentric. This is because I always concentrate on my own goals and achievement over those of the other people and I carry out my tasks independently. I normally display a different tendency towards the allocentric. For instance, in making purchase of luxury brands, I purchase goods for my own sake pleasures ad interests while the allocentric purchase the luxury brands only with an aim of seeking social recognition (McCarthy, 2005). As a result of these differences, conflict and misunderstanding emerges. This is because as a personally motivated consumer, I will purchase the luxury brands for self-interests while on the other hand an allocentric individual who is socially motivated will make the purchase of luxury brands with an aim of seeking social recognition.

Kodak Harvard Case

Case preparation memo GROUP NAME _____________________________ YOUR NAME_________Jordan Lewis_______ CASE __Kodak_________________ 1. What is/are the problem(s) in this case? Keep it to a single statement. At most, you may point out a couple of the key questions. The problem in the Kodak case is that Kodak is losing market value because they are reworking their product line, causing doubt in customer mindset. They have created the Funtime film to attempt to regain market value. 2. What are the key issues? This is just a simple list (condensed SWOT).You do not need to analyze in great detail. The key issues are that they are losing market value by remaking their best seller. By attempting to enter the economy brand-pricing tier, they have restructured and rebranded their other films, making their consumer doubt the quality of their original product. They have renamed their superpremium film to correlate with their premium brand, which is a strength, but could lose a few of their custo mers in the transition. By not heavily advertising their new line of Funtime film they run the risk of not reaching their consumer.From a business standpoint, it seems odd to devote so little marketing to a new product, it seems as though they don’t care/believe in the product to begin with. 3. What are the alternatives? Be creative! What are the strategic tradeoffs (pros / cons)? This should be a list of at least 5 alternatives. They do not all have to be wonderful ideas. This is a brainstorming step -Take a percentage of the advertising/marketing dollars designated to the most well known, most purchased film, Gold Plus, and use it to run one campaign for Funtime. -Find a way to package the Gold Plus and the Funtime together. Advertise and market to current consumers of Gold Plus, their most popular film. -Give a free sample to 100 current Kodak users, it’s not incredibly costly and may be able to generate word of mouth advertising. -Sell each roll of Funtime individu ally. Set the price point a little higher than the packaged pricing would be, and market them as a quick solution to those necessary moments when a photo is needed. 4. Present a quantitative analysis of key alternatives (if appropriate). This section may include break even, margin analysis, ROI, LCV, etc.State clearly if you do not find relevant numbers in the case. It is an interesting strategy to sell the Funtime film in â€Å"value packs. † By selling them in packs they are making a relatively similar amount of money, as they would by selling one roll of Gold Plus film. On average consumers spent between $2. 50 and $3. 50 on a roll of film so by bundling Funtime together and selling them for roughly the same price as one roll of Gold Plus, it seems like a higher margin could be made by selling the Funtime rolls individually. If they were to sell them individually they could sell them for 0. 0 less than their Gold Plus and still make a decent margin, while maintaining the l ower price point necessary for the consumer. The case states that Funtime is to be sold at a price 20% less than Gold Plus, which is sold for 20% less than Royal Gold. 5. In your own words, what is your recommendation? First, what reason(s) do you have to choose this alternative? Second, how will it be implemented? Use the marketing mix elements and research components as implementation guidelines. The previous sections can be duplicated within your group, but this part should be individual effort.The best strategy would be to concentrate on the new product line and promote it heavily with a competitive price. Product strategies: I think they need to reevaluate the way they are introducing Funtime into the market. It makes little to no sense to introduce an economy price based item into the market without advertising it. In analyzing their target only 10% were price shoppers, but their manager of general merchandise marketing stated that there is a significant rise in price-sensitiv e shoppers, so it would make sense to dedicate at least a portion of the marketing strategy to the new price point product.Go for market penetration! Pricing: The Funtime film is meant to fit the economy brand pricing tier. The other films in this tier range from $2. 69-$2. 91. The case does not directly state the price of one individual roll of Funtime film. It does however mention that it is only to be sold in packages of two or four. It would make most sense to sell two of the Funtime films for the price of one roll of their premium film. However, they do offer more exposures in the pack of four and could possibly sell it for a larger margin.Especially if they are trying to compete with the private label margin which is higher than Kodak’s margin. To implement this pricing strategy I would advertise a â€Å"2 for 1† or â€Å"more bang for your buck† strategy, emphasizing the quality or genre difference as well. Promotional ideas: As an alternative I would cho ose to offer some form of promotion for the Funtime film. I find it necessary to promote a new product, rather than introduce it twice a year in limited quantities. An economy-based shopper is looking for something easy, cheap, and on the go, so make it easily accessible to them.Promote it around graduation time, wedding season, and holidays so that people remember to pick up an extra roll of film. By releasing it with hardly any advertising and on a limited quantity run it doesn’t show much confidence in the product to begin with, so leave it out there and promote it when necessary. Distribution tactics: Distribute at point of sale, registers, next to picture frames, in the photo developing section of department and drug store. Maybe even convenience stores. It is an economy priced item, sell it where people will make it an add-on sale item.Distribute where current users of Kodak film shop so that they may become acquainted with it and understand its use. Research (goals, me thods, etc. ): Research how other companies marketed and sold their economy brand priced film. Find out which consumer would be interested in the film and target them. Use a survey to ask current consumers what price they would be willing to pay for a less premium film, and what they would expect out of it. Run a trial test in key areas and around peak seasonal times.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Morton Handley Case Study

Morton & Handley Case Study a. What are the four most fundamental factors that affect the cost of money, or the general level of interest rates, in the economy? The four most fundamental factors that affect the cost of money are: production opportunities, time of consumption, risk and inflation. The interest rate given to savers is based on: the rate of return on invested capital, savers time preferences for current versus future consumption, the riskiness of the loan, the expected future rate of inflation. High inflation and high risk will result in high interest rates. b. What is the real risk-free rate of interest (r*) and the nominal risk-free rate (rRF)? How are these two rates measured? The real risk-free rate of interest is the rate that would exist on default-free securities when there is no inflation. The nominal risk-free rate is equal to the real risk-free rate plus an inflation premium. The inflation premium is equal to the average expected inflation rate over the life of the security into the rate they charge. These rates are measured in percentages. . Define the terms inflation premium (IP), default risk premium (DRP), liquidity premium (LP), and maturity risk premium (MRP). Which of these premiums is included when determining the interest rate on (1) short-term U. S. Treasury securities, (2) long-term U. S. Treasury securities, (3) short-term corporate securities, and (4) long-term corporate securities? Explain how the premiums would vary over time and among the different securities listed. Inflation premium is a premium added to the real risk-free rate of interest to compensate for potential inflation. The default risk premium is a premium based on the probability that the person who issues the loan will not follow through; this is measured with the difference between the U. S. interest rate on a Treasury bond and a corp. bond of equal maturity and marketability. A liquid asset can be sold at a predicted price in a short amount of time. A liquidity premium is added to the rate of interest on securities which are not liquid. The maturity risk premium reflects the interest rate risk. Long-term securities have more interest rate risk than short-term securities and the maturity risk premium is added to represent the risk. Short term long term treasury securities include an inflation premium. Long-term treasury securities also contains a maturity risk premium. Short-term rates on corporate securities are equal to the real-risk free rate plus premiums for inflation, liquidity and default risk. Premiums will alter based on the financial strength of the company and the degree of liquidity. Long term rates on corporate securities includes a premium for maturity risk. Corporate securities typically yield the greatest gains out of the four types of securities. . What is the term structure of interest rates? What is a yield curve? The term structure of interest rates is the relationship between interest rates, or yields, and maturities of securities. A yield curve shows the relationship between bond yields and maturities. e. Suppose most investors expect the inflation rate to be 5% next year, 6% the following year, and 8% thereafter. The real risk-free rate is 3%. The maturity risk premium is zero for bonds t hat mature in 1 year or less and 0. 1% for 2-year bonds; then the MRP increases by 0. % per year thereafter for 20 years, after which it is stable. What is the interest rate on 1-, 10-, and 20-year Treasury bonds? Draw a yield curve with these data. What factors can explain why this constructed yield curve is upward sloping? Average expected inflation rate over year 1 to year 20 Yr. 1: Interest Premium= 5% Yr. 10: IP= (5+6+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8)/10= 7. 5% Yr. 20: IP= (5+6+8+8+8+8=8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8+8)/20 =7. 75% Maturity risk premium in each year: Yr. 1: MRP= 0% Yr. 10: MRP= . 1% x 9 = 0. 9% Yr. 20: MRP= . 1% x 19 = 1. 9% Sum the IPs and MRPs, and add real risk-free rate: r*=3% Yr. 1: rRF= 3%+5%+0%= 8% Yr. 10: rRF= 3%+7. 5%+. 9%= 11. 4% Yr. 20: rRF= 3%+7. 75%+1. 9%= 12. 65% The shape of the curve depends on the expectations about future inflation and relative riskiness of securities with different maturities. In this situation the yield curve would be sloping upward which is because of the expected increase in inflation and maturity risk premium. f. At any given time, how would the yield curve facing a AAA-rated company compare with the yield curve for U. S. Treasury securities? At any given time, how would the yield curve facing a BB-rated company compare with the yield curve for U. S. Treasury securities? Draw a graph to illustrate your answer. The AAA rated curve, the BB rated curve and the U. S. treasury curve are all parallel to each other. The BB rated accumulates the most interest rate, then comes the AAA company and then the U. S. treasury. The yield normally slopes upward because short term interest rates are typically lower than long term interest rates. Corporate yield curves will always be above government yield curves. The riskier the corporation the higher the yield curve. The distance between the corporate yield curve and the treasury curve increases as the corporate bond’s rating decreases. g. What is the pure expectations theory? What does the pure expectations theory imply about the term structure of interest rates? The pure expectations theory is the theory that investors establish bond prices and interest rates on the sole basis of expectations for interest rates. The term structure of interest rates describes the relationship between long and short term rates. The investors are indifferent about maturity expectations of short-term and long-term bonds. The investors perceive long-term bonds to be riskier than short-term. h. Suppose you observe the following term structure for Treasury securities: MaturityYield 1 year6% 2 yrs. 6. 2% 3 yrs. 6. 4% 4 yrs. 6. 5% 5 yrs. 6. 5% r on 1 yr. securities one year from now: (1. 062)2= (1. 06)(1 + X) 1. 1278= (1. 06)(1 + X) 1. 1278/1. 06= 1 + X 6. 4%= X **Securities will yield 6. 4% r on 3 yr. securities two years from now: (1. 065)5= (1. 062)2(1 + X)3 (1. 065)5/(1. 062)2= (1 + X)3 1. 3701/1. 1278= (1 + X)3 (1. 2148)1/3 – 1= X 6. 7%= X. **Securities will yield 6. 7%

An Epic Tragedy of History Essay

Both Native American literature and film have been inspired by the oral tradition of passing down stories and cultural folkways, through the spoken word. The personal journey of chronicling these stories in literature and film is very allegorical in that the personal journeys that these writers also parallel their struggle with a literal journey. As such, these stories become full of symbolism for the types of cultural artifacts that cannot be assimilated into mainstream culture; not in the English language, not in the Christian religion, and not in the reservations that hindered spirituality. There is a theme in all of the texts and in the film that depicts the struggle of trying to determine where the individual and the culture fit into the wider world that knows little of their existence. Other texts provide specific insight into how conversion of Native Americans into Christianity was essential for those of European descent to explain this mysterious group. It becomes apparent that the oral tradition sustained these groups for centuries until the loss of land led to the loss of more freedoms, especially that of having the right to shape ideas about the world without the influence of others. The film and the Native American writers reviewed all seek to exert their power and use words and motion pictures to explain all the literary and historical meaning of the stories told to them, predating all these modes of communication. Scott Momady in his book, The Way to Rainy Mountain describes the story of the creation of the Kwuda, which was passed down in the oral tradition. What is interesting is that he notes that the names of the tribe did change and there was a sense of this tribe being divided. â€Å"Later still they took the name Gaigwu, a name which can be taken to indicate something of which two halves differ from each other in appearance† (17). It is not only the way that this group of people came into existence but also the diversity and difference within this particular tribe that is extremely important. When Native Americans were forced onto reservations, it was of the utmost importance for the rest of the world not to see all Native Americans as the same, as they were varied with the many tribes and also within tribes. These oral stories become even more important to dictate into print or film to show how Native Americans viewed the world, themselves, and most importantly to realistically illustrate their heritage with the hopes of changing how many whites viewed them. The allegorical and symbolic divide that came to move all of these authors to write stories that bridged the gap in their own respective lives, also helped to create a film as well. The movie Dreamkeeper, directed by Steve Barron, shows how a family divided will struggle to keep tradition alive despite the death or disappearance of an important figure. In this film the pressing issues between the grandfather, grandson, and absent father serves as a metaphor for the intrusion on the culture of the family’s tribe versus the tradition of passing down lineage and heritage. The metaphor is that the grandfather is rooted in the past, the grandson is heading into an uncertain future, and the father is the only link to the present. These cultural threats are more than just the loss of land or the loss of a father, it is the changing of times into a future that is being mapped out by another group entirely, that being white Americans. These maps, so to speak, or the oral tradition that has mapped out the history of entire tribes and families has been written about by other prominent Native Americans in their journey and tragedy of trying to fill this divide between past and present all the while wondering what the future will hold. These types of worries were normally settled by spiritual means, but loss of land meant loss of the ability for Native Americans to go on their spiritual quests. Charles Alexander Eastman in his passage from â€Å"The Soul of an Indian† writes about the mystical quest undertaken by Native Americans in his native Sioux tribe that required several nights away from camp in meditation. He also writes of the divide of the Native American, a common theme in all the reviewed works. â€Å"The red man is divided into two parts,-the spiritual mind and the physical mind. The first is pure spirit, concerned only with the essence of things, and it was this he sought to strengthen by spiritual prayer† (767). Because of this loss of land, essentially the loss of spirit or at least the ways in which spiritual rituals were conducted came to an end. Also, the fear of the future was replaced by Christian ideals to help Americans of European descent understand how these natives fir into their Bible. In this way the Native Americans, already concerned with loss of identity were split even further in a divide that led them to an uncertain and uncharacteristic future. It was only through the oral tradition of preserving identity that Native Americans could attempt to achieve a personal wholeness while the many tribes and family members within tribes became scattered and disillusioned. It is through the personal journeys of the writers that it becomes apparent how the loss of land impacted not only an entire civilization, but individuals, who lost identity and did whatever was necessary to try to discover, rediscover, and preserve all that was left. Gertrude Bonnin, in passages from â€Å"Impressions of an Indian Childhood† talks about living what could be considered a double life. Gertrude sometimes refers to herself as her Sioux name, Zitkala-Sa, which means Red Bird. She was born on a reservation to a Sioux mother and her white father was absent in her life. She struggled between the old ways that her mother tried to teach her in the oral tradition and the ways that people conducted themselves outside of the reservation. She became torn and decided that the reservation life was not for her and the American way of treating Native Americans was not appealing either. So she began compiling all the information she could gather from what was relayed to her by her mother in the oral tradition and then wrote these stories in English. She abhorred the fact that the language of her ancestors had disappeared and she was just as concerned as Eastman was about the loss of spirituality for all Native Americans under the conversion to Christianity. Bonnin writes, â€Å"I prefer to their dogma my excursions into the natural gardens where the voice of the Great Spirit is heard in the twittering of birds, the rippling of mighty waters, and the sweet breathing of flowers† (939-940). It becomes clear that for the spirituality of Native Americans to thrive, then land uninterrupted by industrialization was needed in order for this group to be who they had always been before they were removed to reservations. So taking their land was not a simple geographic issue, this also took these peoples’ essence and spirituality from them. It is therefore important for these texts and films to exist as reminder of what was lost, not just space, but a place in history for people who had to rely on a few to pass on as many of the stories given to them in the oral tradition and put it in print or in film. All three written pieces reviewed and the film help to show the importance of the land that was taken from the Native Americans, as well as the influence of the oral tradition of passing down stories and spiritual pathways to each ensuing generation. The film and the written works display both a metaphorical divide in the ways of the respective authors and tribes and the bigger community, showing that differences need to be acknowledged as well as the common goal of this group to gather their cultural artifacts that would have disappeared into an assimilated America. Also, the allegorical journey that all these contributors took to discover their part in history is akin to an epic and a tragedy. Scholars, as well, have looked at the impact of the spiritual strivings of Native Americans and the ultimate need for tribes to achieve a new identity in a foreign land to them, a land that was once their own. It was the need for Christian legitimacy on the part of European settlers that led to a need for Native Americans to be stripped of their spiritual roots and forced to resign to religious conversion. The mission of these Christians â€Å"absorbed Native Americans into a Christian world view that made them comprehensible to Euro-Americans, who were otherwise faced with a population whose mysterious origins threatened to call into question the explanatory value of the Bible† (Wyss, 162). So as Euro-Americans sought to explain the discrepancies with Native Americans and their absence from the Bible, Native Americans had to wrestle with their own identities that were being challenged by these settlers for purposes other than just the acquisition of land. What then became an issue was the questioning of creation on the part of settlers and the â€Å"lost tribe theory† (162) that proposed that Native Americans were part of a tribe that was not thoroughly explained in the Bible. All the while many Native Americans asserted their own creation myths while other Natives tried to assert superiority over whites with the reasoning that if Natives were a part of Israel’s lost tribes then, therefore, they were closer descendants of Jacob. This hierarchy of Biblical place did play an important role on the identity of Natives during their assimilation into Euro-American culture, though the oral tradition certainly did support a different idea for the origins of each tribe. Even those Native Americans that did subscribe to a Christian ideal were â€Å"defined by a constant deferral of home, or the constant movement, both geographical and cultural, of a fragmented people† (165). It seems then that the roots of all Native Americans, who were fragmented and spread across the nation, was entrenched in the oral tradition of creation stories and spirituality. However, the many Native American stories that were told and passed down led to they idea the Euro-Americans had as Natives being savage and mythical, making their stories, even true encounters appear to be false. This led to the Natives â€Å"invisibility in the annals of encounter: constructed as tellers of myth and as peoples of myth, they are denied a place in the national story and a voice in recounting it† (Bellin, 99). This created the powerlessness found in Natives attempting to assert their place in the new America that was founded on laws, both the divine and those conceived by Europeans. The fact that Natives had stories, spirituality, and kinship was not enough to place them in a position of asserting their power in any way that seemed rational to Euro-Americans. As well the illiteracy of Native Americans certainly did not assist this group in gaining any type of recognition for having much to offer the Europeans in their stories. â€Å"the oral nature of much Indian narrative has been taken to explain both the Indians’ irrelevance to history-for what could illiterates offer? -and their inability to remember and record it† (102). As well, Native Americans stories were not just told, they were animated through acting, making the stories more meaningful to the Native audience but meaningless to a person outside of a tribe. It is fair to say that the identity of Native Americans was not only in their oral tradition, but in the ways in which stories were acted out. This is something that is lost even if a story is recounted by a Native to as close to the original message as possible. Much is also lost in translation further undermining any attempts that Natives could make when forced on reservations, where their land and language was taken along with the ties of spirituality that sustained them. It also makes the spiritual identity of Native Americans more complicated when they are not only placed in an Anthropological category of uncivilized, the literary category of completely mythical, and finally over romanticized by scholars, who do not understand the deep meaning behind Native American spirituality and ritual. These rites and rituals are meant to cement a community of people together and individual identity can be created within these rituals. Instead, many times, these acts and stories are perceived as more universal and therefore there is the mistaken implication that Native American spirituality can be lumped into a religion that can be used by all. This has placed and continues to place the sense of community outside of the purposes intended and sadly many people use information gleaned from Native spirituality for profit or for writing scholarly articles that do not take into account the private lives of a single Native, but instead combine individuals into a whole. With a fragmented sense of history and culture, it is right to note that there has been and continues to be fragmentation in the Native American communities, but for an individual, a sense of self requires both community identity and a complex set of cultural artifacts to make that individual whole and not a watered down, assimilated version of the Euro-Americans. To be more clear, the text versions of Native Americans stories involving spirituality and rituals many times do not take into account the personal nature of these events. It is not only a matter of entire communities of Native American feeling the need to forge and reclaim their converted or dismissed identities as a whole, but the essence of the individual in a tribe, separate from others that must do the same. â€Å"Nicknames, shadows, and shamanic [sic] visions are tribal stories that are heard and remembered as survivance [sic]. These personal identities and stories are not the same as those translated in the literature† (Grim, 44). This lack of voice to individual Native Americans and stereotyping of all communities and persons being inherently the same in their spirituality and other social activities makes more important the voices, such as the Native authors and filmmakers reviewed all the more important. These artists have shown how gender, tribe, place, and, politics, to name just a few social forces can affect an individual struggling for acceptance within him or herself and in the larger world. All these factors must be considered when looking at film and literature, separating the individual from the group while at the same time seeing the struggle for those individuals as being the best representation available for a group without a strong voice. In conclusion, the film and the literary works of Native Americans highlight the voice of a specific individual, attempting to speak for their community. Taken with scholarly research, it can be seen the effect of colonialism and religious conversion on the vulnerable Native American population. Their history has many gaps in that the myths and traditions were many times dismissed and the absence from the Christian Bible made their existence confusing and unsettling to the settlers. The voices that have been stifled serve to help save the history of the mainstream at their expense, and this powerlessness and absence from history can only be reconstructed in the best way possible. Though even stories passed down in the oral tradition are lacking in the gestures and actions of the storytellers, which is the essence of oral storytelling. Works Cited Joshua David Bellin, The Demon of the Continent: Indians and the Shaping of American Literature, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001. Gertrude Bonnin, â€Å"Impressions of an Indian Childhood† in The Heath Anthology of American Literature Vol. 2. Ed. Paul Lauter, Lexington: D. C. Heath and Company, 1994. Dreamkeeper, Dir by Steve Barron, Hallmark Entertainment Productions, 2003. Charles Alexander Eastman, â€Å"The Soul of an Indian† in The Heath Anthology of American Literature Vol. 2. Ed. Paul Lauter, Lexington: D. C. Heath and Company, 1994. John A. Grim, â€Å"Cultural Identity, Authenticity, and Community Survival: The Politics of Recognition in Native American Religions† in Lee Irwin Native American Spirituality: A Critical Reader, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000. Scott N. Momaday, The Way to Rainy Mountain, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1969. Hilary E. Wyss, Writing Indians: Literacy, Christianity, and Native Community in Early America, Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2000.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Profit Maximization vs Maxing Shareholders Wealth Essay

Shareholder wealth is defined as the present value of the expected forecasting of returns to the owners which are the shareholders of one’s company. These returns can take the form of recurring dividend payments and or proceeds from the sale of the stock. Shareholder wealth is measured by the market value which is the price that the stock trades in the marketplace of a firm’s common stock. (James, Charles & Frederick, 2008) Profit maximization is defined as a more fixed concept than shareholder wealth maximization. The profit maximization objective from economic theory does not normally consider the time dimension or the risk dimension in the measurement of profits. In contrast, the shareholder wealth maximization objective provides a convenient framework for evaluating both the timing and the risks associated with various investment and financing strategies. Some marginal decision rules derived from economic theory are extremely useful to a wealth maximizing firm. Any decision, regardless of the duration short or long inevitably results in marginal revenues exceeding the marginal costs of the decision will be consistent with wealth maximization. When a decision has penalties extending beyond a year in time, the marginal benefits and marginal costs of that decision must be evaluated in a present value framework. The goal of shareholder wealth maximization is a long term goal. Shareholder wealth is a function of all the future returns to the shareholders. Therefore, in making decisions that maximize shareholder wealth, management must consider the lasting impact on the firm and not just focus on immediate ramifications be it negative or positive. For instance, a firm could increase short run earnings and dividends by eliminating all research and development expenses. However, this decision would reduce long run earnings and dividends, and also reduce shareholder wealth, because the firm would be unable to develop new products to produce and sell. (James, Charles & Frederick, 2008) The separation of ownership and control in corporations may result in management pursuing goals other than shareholder wealth maximization, such as maximization of their own personal significance. Concern for their own self-interests may lead management to make decisions that promote their long run survival such as job security, also minimizing and limiting the amount of risk incurred by ones firm. A narrow-minded person lacking such vision or a business solely concerned about short term benefits can be detrimental to the overall goals. A short term run can fulfil objective of earning profit but may not help in creating wealth. It is because wealth creation needs a longer duration to accumulate. Therefore, financial management emphasizes on wealth maximization rather than profit maximization. For a business, it is not necessary that profit should be the only objective; it may concentrate on various other aspects like increasing sales, capturing more market share which will support profitability. (James, Charles & Frederick, 2008) Furthermore, one may think that profit maximization is a compartment of wealth and being a compartment, it will facilitate wealth creation. The better and more accurate evaluation of business as it relates to wealth maximization, focuses more on the importance of cash flows rather than profitability. It is often stated that profit is a relative term and it can be a figure in some currency, while it is a percentage in others. For example, a profit of $20,000 cannot be considered good or bad for a business, until it is compared with investments, sales and other performance measures. Similarly, extent of earning profits is important whether it is earned in short term or long term. In wealth maximization, there is a major emphasis on cash flows rather than profit. That being said, to evaluate various alternatives for decision making, cash flows are taken under consideration. For example to measure the worth of a project, present value of its cash inflow and present value of cash outflows which is the net present value is equated. This approach considers cash flows rather than profits into consideration to find out worth of a project. (James, Charles & Frederick, 2008) Thus, maximization of wealth approach believes that money has time value. In conclusion, profit maximization is directly correlated to profits only, while shareholder wealth encompasses total company equity, debt ratios and many other financial performance measure ratios. One’s company could focus on profit maximization over a longer period of time, while the shareholder would rather see stock values and corporate total value increase immediately also known as getting in and get out. If ones management focused on short-term profit maximization, at the expense of long term sales revenues, then shareholder wealth/stock price could actually decrease because of the loss of market share. What are the differences between the goals of profit driven organizations and not for profit organizations? Both for profit and not for profit entities in general have enterprising owners who open bank accounts, own assets and employ staff. They also try to maximize the income, rationalize expenses and establish and achieve the business objectives of the organization. However, founders of the enterprises start their ventures with different objectives in mind. For instance, the focus of a technology start up may involve manufacturing and marketing an innovative product with the goal of attracting angel investors. The owners may have vision of a multimillion-dollar stock offering at some point in the future. Alternatively, a community minded person might have the goal of starting a not for profit business with the aim of starting a technologically driven Community Center with state of the art computers and other state of the art technology that provides new resources for disenfranchised urban city students. Both types of organizations, when formed as corporation, have board of directors that oversee the business of the organizations and ensure the continuity of the enterprise over time. The board members also may have the responsibilities of approving a chief executive to manage the day to day affairs of the organization. Not for profit board members play a significant role in the development of the enterprise and fundraising activities. For profit business owners and shareholders own the assets of the companies. If the business dissolves for any reason, the property gets distributed among the individuals based on their ownership in the business. Individuals involved with not for profit enterprises cannot have ownership in the assets of the organization. If the entity ceases operation, the law requires distribution of the property to another not for profit with a similar mission. A major difference between for profit and not for profit involves the payment of federal and state taxes. Not for profit corporations have some tax-exempt statuses, which the entity must apply for with the Internal Revenue Service and the state. (â€Å"non profits,†) For profit businesses must pay taxes on the net earnings of the business or the excess income earned over the expenses. In addition not for profits have to report the salaries of the five highest paid employees and contracts more than $50,000.

Faculty Evaluation System

A proposed Faculty Performance Evaluation System for university of the Visayas-Dalaguete† Problem Statement The Faculty Performance Evaluation System will seek to answer what enhancement and design the school can adopt for a more effective and efficient automated System. Our project will provide the benefits and help the school to collect the feedback from the students and provide security and privacy respectively. Specifically, it endeavors to answer the following questions: 1 .Why is there a need to replace the manual system with an automated one? . What will be the benefits of having the automated faculty performance evaluation system In the university of the Visayas – Dalaguete? 3. How can automated faculty performance evaluation system help the school? 4. How can we provide security to our system? ED: What are the first steps that SIG schools and districts should take when re- thinking their teacher evaluation systems? CD: First, there needs to be an Intense dialogu e with faculty members about what constitutes good teaching.They need to develop a shared understanding of what is good practice. They can do a book study hat defines good teaching in a coherent way, what it looks like, and what counts as evidence of good teaching. I've worked on a framework for effective teaching. The big Idea that underlines this framework is that students learn from high levels of student intellectual engagement. There's a ton of research on that, but it's hard to do because In general, students aren't taught that way. The challenge Is to get people to understand how to engage students in learning.Second, there needs to be an effort to create a culture in the school around continued learning and professional inquiry. You're not done learning when you start teaching. Teaching is enormously complex work that people work to master over their entire careers. No one should act like it's easy because It's not. Then, teachers can move to on the ground work with students . They can analyze student work for levels of student engagement. If they have money to spend, they can get equipment to videotape themselves teaching to use for self- reflection. tx a powerful technology because teachers can watch their own lesson, observe other teachers, share their practice, and engage in dialogue. ED: Are there t Of2 speclTlc cnallenges In Implementing a tnougntTul evaluatlon system In low- erforming schools? CD: Not really. It's the same challenge, Just harder. One of the problems in low-performing schools is that teacher turnaround is higher, which means they could have more novice teachers. Beginning teachers, because they are inexperienced, need more intensive supervision and coaching than do their more experienced colleagues.It's essential that both the teacher and the district ascertain whether they are a good match. On the flip side, of course, new teachers frequently come with a lot of energy and enthusiasm for the work, and that can make a real contribu tion to a school. But the higher level of supervision by a principal takes time, and that's one of the issues with any evaluation system – finding the time to do it well. I don't think it's helpful or harmful. It's Just the nature of it. There's also the school culture element.Let's say you're my principal and a typical observation is one where you come in, observe my lesson, write it down, and tell me what I did wrong or right. l, as a teacher, have done nothing. If the school culture is one of inspection, then all I would want to do is to â€Å"get through† the evaluation. I'm not going to try anything interesting in my class while you're there. That typical process of where my role as a teacher is passive. There's no learning for me as a teacher. Creating a different type of culture is a leadership challenge.For the new teachers not to be performing at the same level as experienced teachers – that's natural. The culture should be one where professional growth and learning are understood to be part of everyone's Job forever, and learning is not a sign of deficiency. To have an effective teacher evaluation system, you need good, trained evaluators and more time from teachers and administrators to discuss performance and improve teaching and learning. ED: What about the problem of resources, especially in times of budget cuts?How do schools and districts keep their commitment to this type of a teacher evaluation system? CD: I don't think it's a resource problem. It's a prioritization problem and also a training issue for evaluators. When a teacher or union activist says that principals don't know what they are doing when theyre evaluating teachers, they are usually right! One of the things I'm working on is an actual evaluator certification program. The need for credentialing evaluators has been written into state law in a few places including Illinois and New York.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Improving Interactions between Meeting Planners and Hotel Employees Research Paper

Improving Interactions between Meeting Planners and Hotel Employees - Research Paper Example The results of the primary research will be compared with that of the secondary research, in this case, the results of the surveys conducted by Rutherford and Umbreit, as embodied in the literature review. Literature Review Meeting planners can provide hotels with substantial revenue. Yet little empirical research has examined how hotel sales personnel might facilitate generating this business from meeting planners. (Lee et al, 2005) However, some have made these studies, and one of them is the study conducted by Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Berry who developed an instrument for measuring customers' perceptions of service quality. The instrument includes dimensions of assurance, empathy, tangibles, reliability, and responsiveness. The most critical dimension was reliability. There is the performance of promised services. The next most critical was responsiveness, or the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. The SERVQUAL method from Zeithaml, Parasuman, and Berry is a technique that can be used for performing a gap analysis of an organization's service quality performance against customer service quality needs. SERVQUAL is an empirically derived method that may bed used by a services organization to improve service quality. The method involves the development of an understanding of the perceived service needs of target customers (12 Manage Management Communities, 2007). These measured perceptions of service quality for the organization in question, are then compared against an organization that is "excellent". The resulting gap analysis may then be used as a driver for service quality improvement. SERVQUAL takes into account the perceptions of... Meeting planners can provide hotels with substantial revenue. Yet little empirical research has examined how hotel sales personnel might facilitate generating this business from meeting planners. (Lee et al, 2005) However, some have made these studies, and one of them is the study conducted by Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Berry who developed an instrument for measuring customers’ perceptions of service quality. The instrument includes dimensions of assurance, empathy, tangibles, reliability, and responsiveness. The most critical dimension was reliability. There is the performance of promised services. The next most critical were responsiveness, or the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. The SERVQUAL method from Zeithaml, Parahuman, and Berry is a technique that can be used for performing a gap analysis of an organization’s service quality performance against customer service quality needs. SERVQUAL is an empirically derived method that may be used by a services organization to improve service quality. The method involves the development of an understanding of the perceived service needs of target customers (12 Manage Management Communities, 2007). These measured perceptions of service quality for the organization in question, are then compared against an organization that is â€Å"excellent†. The resulting gap analysis may then be used as a driver for service quality improvement. SERVQUAL takes into account the perceptions of customers of the relative importance of service attributes.

Will Paying More Produce Better Quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Will Paying More Produce Better Quality - Essay Example The researcher believes that paying more will not necessarily improve quality because not all health care personnel are motivated by financial rewards alone. Some of them are more inspired to improve their quality of work through having a career route where they are growing professionally and/or socially and when they are working in an organization where there is enough staff for them to not experience burnout and stress. Nonetheless, as Sanjaya Kumar and Peter R. Kongstvedt show, quality care is a complex process and outcome that deserve innovation and development. If pay for performance (P4P) can improve care outcomes for individual doctors and hospitals, then it can be integrated into the rewards scheme for these people and organizations. However, as Kumar notes, a â€Å"bundled payment approach† is better because it can motivate the whole system to work together in improving care. In addition, the researcher agrees with Kongstvedt that quality is more than higher payment, although sufficient payment is necessary to provide ample care. The researcher confirms Kongstvedt’s discussion that quality involves quality in structure, process, and outcome, peer reviews and other evaluation means/systems, including accreditation, and continuous quality improvement measures. Accreditation is important because it follows employer mandates and stated and federal government requirements and shows commitment to quality care.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

HIV Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

HIV - Research Paper Example HIV has not had a cure yet. However, antiretroviral drugs are use to slow down the immune system cells’ destruction. The discussion in this paper focuses on HIV phylogenetic classification and morphology, transmission and replication in the host, virulence and pathogeniciy factors, treatment, epidemiology and public control methods. Phylogenetic classification and morphology According to Fauci and Lane (n.d), HIV virion has a structure that is icosahedra. This virion contains external spikes. The spikes form from two main protein envelopes namely external gp120 and the transmembrane gp 41. On the surface of the infected cell, the viron buds form. These buds comprises of numerous host proteins. The main host proteins are Major Histocompartibility complex (MHC) class I and II antigens, which are incorporate into the host’s lipid bilayer. The strains classified as HIV-1 fall into three distinct groups. These categories are M or Major, Outlier or O and N or New or non M/non O. Group M nearly responsible for global pandemic. Group M forms properly defined clusters on phylogenetic trees. M group subtypes are labeled A-D, F-H, J-K. Other relevant clusters are circulating recombinant forms or CRFs. These recombination events form because of divergent HIV strains within host individuals. Transmission and replication For all persons infected with HIV, there is a variable degree of viruses in genital secretions and blood. This is the case regardless of whether or not the patient has visible symptoms. The transmission of HIV virus occurs when infected blood or secretions are exposed to tissues of the eye, vigina, anal area, and mouth, broken skin such as cuts or needle punctures. The most common transmission modes are sexual contact, needles sharing and infected mothers to newborns during labor pregnancy or breastfeeding. HIV is an RNA virus. The main process associated with HIV RNA is reverse transcription of genomic RNA to DNA. This process is facilitated b y enzyme reverse transcriptase. Replication cycle starts when gp 120 protein binds with high affinity. Once gp120 binds to CD4, it undergoes a conformational change that facilitates binding to one of the co-receptor groups. After the envelope, protein binds to CD4 molecule fusion occurs with the host cell membrane through the exposed gp41 molecule. The virus then penetrates plasma membrane of target cell then coiling upon to combine both the virion and immune system cells (Lama and Planelles, 2007). Virulence and pathogenicity factors HIV buds through the cell membrane. The virus is characterized by a capacity to cause disease. One attribute of HIV is replication and transmission, toxic, adherence and attachment and aggressiveness. For the virus, attachment to host immune system cell membrane is essential for virulence. This provides the opportunity to combine with the cells and cause reduction in protecting the body from diseases. In order to persist in the host, HIV virus has to r eplicate making it contagious. As a result, the virus is infectious. In order to survive, it has to remain aggressive. Aggressiveness comes with the ability to invade, multiply and survive in the tissues of the host. This makes HIV resistance to host defense mechanism. This virus also has high toxicity, which makes it possible to invade as many cells as possible. As a result, host immune

Case analysis of Panera Bread Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Analysis of Panera Bread - Case Study Example Specifically, the company has established 1,625 locations in 44 states and Canada (Panera Bread, â€Å"Company Overview†). The company started in 1981 as Au Bon Pain Company and proceeded to purchase St. Louis Bread Company in 1993, which was operating 20 bakeries in the St. Louis area, Missouri. Thereafter, different events contributed to Au Bon Pain Company selling all its business units although it retained Panera with the company renaming it Panera Bread Company in 1999 (Panera Bread, â€Å"Our History†). In effect, this company operates under the three banners mentioned earlier in this expose. The purpose of this analysis is to inform the reader about the situation at Panera Bread. To achieve this, this analysis will identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in Panera Bread. Finally, the analysis will include the current financial situation in the company. Industry Analysis Before carrying out a SWOT analysis of Panera Bread, it is important to conduct an industrial analysis of the company. In line with this, it is crucial to point out that Panera Bread’s operations are in  the competitive restaurant industry. ... McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King and cafes such as New World Restaurant and Starbucks, Panera Bread ensures that its products are of higher quality than those of all these competitors. In this case, the health conscious nature of the world’s population has made it a necessity for companies to engage in production of healthy products. To underline the strategy of Panera Bread Company’s focus on healthy products, a study conducted this year identified Panera Bread as the fast food of choice for customers who were health conscious. The study by Scarborough revealed, â€Å"Health-conscious consumers who have had fast food in the past 30 days are more than twice as likely to dine at Panera Bread for lunch† (â€Å"Health-Conscious†). In effect, this implies that the company was on the right track towards capturing this important and ever-growing segment of the population that was health conscious. On the other hand, Panera Bread is a company smalle r than McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King, which puts the company at a strategic position since the market leaders’ expansion strategy aims at international markets. Hence, Panera Bread can work on differentiating its products in order to achieve market edge over its competitors. Panera Bread’s Strategy Panera Bread’s strategy involves a number of different approaches in business. Importantly, the company’s menu tries to implement the company’s strategy of providing a diverse menu with an ambience that invites customers. In this case, the company’s deli menu contains a variety of products that range from soup to freshly-ground coffee, sandwiches, and freshly baked bread. In effect, the menu intends to fit the needs of people who did not have time to eat in conventional restaurants with the foundation and

Financial Accounting Reports Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Accounting Reports - Assignment Example This is mostly done by measuring and monitoring the performance of agents. After measuring and monitoring, the results is the then reported to the interested parties. In most cases, financial accountancy is used during the preparation of accounting information for the outsiders of the organization. However, it is not used for the daily operation at the company (Alexander 2008, 76). Financial statement is generally a formal record that defines financial activities of a particular organization, business entity or even a person. In most cases, the relevant financial information is usually presented in an effective manner and in a simple form to enable the user having less difficulty in understanding it (Alexander 2008, 97). The different forms of financial statements include a balance sheet, cash flow statement and an income statement (Alexander 2008, 97). In this case, the balance sheet normally reports on some of the liabilities, assets and ownership equity of the organization while the income statement mostly reports on the organization profits and expenses over a certain time. On the other hand, the cash flows statement mostly reports on some of the organization’s cash flow activities including financial and operating activities (Gray 2006, 49). Financial statements are supposed to be understandable to its readers. Alternatively, different users mostly use the statements for various purposes. Some of the common users of financial statements include; owners and managers, prospective investors, employees, organizations, and financial institutions (Eijffinger 2012, 72).Managers of organizations and owners mostly require financial statements in making crucial decisions regarding the business. These financial statements are mostly used as part of organization’s annual report especially to the stockholders. Additionally, employees may sometimes need these reports while making collective bargaining agreements. Most of these agreements are

Literature Review of Corporate Governance and Dividend Policy Dissertation

Literature Review of Corporate Governance and Dividend Policy - Dissertation Example The global economy is confronting with an earning conflict because of excessive managerial remuneration in major enterprises throughout the world. To investigate on the perpetrators of economic recession, the high managerial pay and extreme risk taking activities were cited as prime suspects. Among the two issues, the managerial pay leads to the primary focus and incited many public as well as political outrages. For instance, the insurance major named AIG was nearly shattered because of bad business performance and abundant remuneration scales. It was seen that AIG had paid almost 165 million USD of bonus amount to 400 employees in London. In Wall Street, the bankers gave themselves almost 20 billion USD as bonus in the year 2008 even when the economy was decelerating down. The government also expended huge money to assist the financial institutions. It was alleged that this type of ignorance for the expenditure and the outcomes of the managers’ actions have generated the eco nomic crisis. The ethnicity, customs, spawned managerial remuneration plan with incentive that promote the unnecessary risk taking had given light to the economic crisis. The laws and regulations along with corporate boards were highly criticized for autonomous management of organizations. (Thompson, 2009). Excessive Managerial Remuneration in the USA Several reports stated that excessive managerial remuneration in the USA has taken overwhelming economic levy in American society and intimidated the control in corporate sector, government and nonprofit area and created volatility in the economy. It has been observed that average employees in the USA need to work hard for a whole year to generate one day’s salary of most of the CEOs listed in the Fortune 500’. The gap between the lowest and maximum salary was extending. This salary inequality has endangered the basis of the USA democracy, management, and produced situation for financial instability. According to the repo rt of ‘United for a Fair Economy’ (UFE), the CEOs in the big companies get almost 10.8 million USD as total remuneration, which is 364 times higher compared to the average American employees. The amount excludes the cost of bonuses and stocks and if included the amount will increase to a

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Operational management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Operational management - Case Study Example In the work of Barnes (2008) operations management entails proper use of the available resources to make effective and quality production successful. McDonalds embraced the operations management strategy, validating the reason for its success in the market. First, Hill (n.d.) argues that McDonalds has spent a great deal of their energy on product planning. This is inclusive of coming up with products that are friendly to the clients in terms of cost and attractiveness. In the case of McDonalds, a lot of clients have indicated their passion for the chicken nuggets by the restaurant (Hill, n.d.). With the schedule manager on board, McDonalds is able to plan a sales chart, which allows production at any given time. The clients, therefore, return as they yearn for more from McDonalds and are rarely disappointed by the organization. New products are constantly added on the menu as seen in Hill’s (n.d.) work since the client’s preferences constantly change. The menu is inclusive of all foods and drinks for all weathers even the cold season (Hill, n.d.). McDonalds is keen to plan a way forward to deal with its high demand. Hill (n.d.) clearly indicates how McDonalds deals with the volume of production and how to deal with the demand of the clients. Planning the capacity in this case has led to the organization deal with the demand variations both on long and short term basis. Hill (n.d.) emphasizes that the McDonald’s managers are quick to respond to the peak hours of the business, for instance lunchtimes, Friday evenings and weekends in the Eastborough restaurant. With adequate stock of ingredients, McDonalds is able to maintain its large clientele base. In the McDonalds world, layout design has been of essence in making the organization a success. Hill (n.d.) quickly explains the arrangement of the organization that allows effective working, service provision, welcoming the clients, administration and

Exam 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Exam 1 - Essay Example The era witnessed the passing of 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments; The Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875; Reconstruction Acts of 1867 and the Enforcement Acts of 1871. The period was also characterized by political terrorism and violence from groups like Ku Klux Klan and the White League. In the end, black equality was not realized as the South and North united at the expense of Black rights. The main Reconstruction question was whether to punish the rebel states or forgive them and whether to grant the Blacks full equality (Foner 60-78). Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation proclamation in 1863 thus freeing the former slaves. A Freedman’s Bureau was established to oversee the welfare of the former slaves such as education. Lincoln’s plans were moderate thus not popular with Radical Republicans. Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew Johnson became president in 1864. Just like Lincoln, his Reconstruction plan was sympathetic to the rebel states. Although he believed in state rights, his hatred for blacks affected his plans (Foner 176-184). He made an amnesty proclamation which set simple terms for rebel states wishing to join union such as taking loyalty oath. The Radical Republicans were not pleased and took over the Reconstruction efforts using their congressional power to pass major legislations which granted legal equality to Blacks. The major legislations included the 1866 Civil Rights Act which granted rights to blacks as citizens of the U. S. They could testify in court, make labor contracts and hold property (Foner 239). The military reconstruction Acts of 1867 steered Reconstruction efforts and were used to police the Southern states. The Acts gave permission to these states to form new constitutions and set conditions for readmission to the union. The 14th Amendment of 1868 followed which stated â€Å"all persons born or naturalized in U.S and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of US

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Wind Energy in Scotland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Wind Energy in Scotland - Essay Example Wilson further considers the site near Peebles in the Scottish Borders one of the most powerful in the country with 24 wind turbines, each standing 75 metres high. If all planned wind farms go ahead, Wilson notes, the Borders will be the renewable energy capital of Britain, with more jobs for more people and the ability to help the Government meet its own targets of 10% of electricity being produced from sustainable energy by 2010. The optimism expressed by the energy minister, however, is one-sided and does not take into consideration any of the controversy surrounding use of wind power. Nick Goodall (2002) of the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) expresses his belief that the major issues involved in utilising wind resources are not technical but institutional. 'Planning' and 'Connection' are two areas of principal concern. One potential threat to further development of wind energy is the existence of small but vocal anti-wind farm activist groups. BWEA suggests that configuration of smaller-scale wind farms should be considered along with larger on- and offshore projects. Inclusive working groups should be established to consider the interests of all affected parties. Planning, connection and marketing issues require continued attention. Electricity generation accounts for only 20% of Scotland's energy needs according to the Institute of Electrical Engineers (IEE) (Paterson, 2006), and the apparently simple resolution of using wind sources could take away from research into other renewable resources. However, if hydrogen technology increases sufficiently, IEE suggests that an increased electricity component might be necessary. Global considerations should be addressed when developing wind energy policies. Interactions between different policy instruments should be carefully assessed to avoid potential conflicts and inefficiencies. The decline of oil and gas fields of the UK continental shelf will increase Scotland's dependence on non-indigenous sources; in the longer term, global competition for primary energy will grow as global competitors increase along with gradual depletion of global resources. In use of wind, wave and tidal technologies, wind power represents the most feasible option; however the variability of wind power could create considerable technical challenges for the management of the grid and could necessitate substantial thermal back-up capacity (Paterson, Section 4, pp. 2-3). In Scotland, wind is taken for granted, but it definitely is not available at the same degree of power from day to day. A mix of generation technologies that can be connected at every level of the electricity supply chain needs to be developed. Some of the new technologies, particularly wind, introduce new challenges due to the inherent variability of power supply. In Scotland's government report on strategies for developing a renewable energy program (Choosing, 2005), rhetoric throughout the report overwhelms the

Describe the evolution of military technology. What innovations are in Research Paper

Describe the evolution of military technology. What innovations are in store for the future and what will be its impact on war - Research Paper Example The arrow was also made from simple technology often requiring a straight body called shaft with the tip being made from stone while a feather was attached at the rear end of the arrow to create stability. This technology provided human beings with the ability to kill a target from a distance with a relatively higher degree of accuracy. This technology evolved with the discovery of copper, bronze and finally irons with these technologies replacing the stone tip of the arrow heads over time. Archery was military technology for armies in New Egyptian Kingdom and the Shang Dynasty as far back as 2000 BC (Woods and Woods 14-15). Archery was later used by other nations and kingdoms in Europe and Asia as they were used on the battlefields of Asia Minor with Eastern Europe, Egypt China, Japan, Mediterranean basin, Korea and Mesopotamia societies all developed their own adaptations of the composite bow. The domestication of horses was also an important occurrence for the ancient societies as they now had an effective form of transport. Transport by horse led to the discovery of the chariot which further improved transpiration and attack during war with the effectiveness of the chariot in war being one man controlling the movement of the chariot while a bowman shoot arrows at enemy soldiers (Woods and Woods 21). Another military technology that influenced the way wars were fought in the middle ages is the trebuchet. This is a machine used for throwing missiles towards the enemy soldiers or at their fortification. The working concept of a trebuchet involves long pivoted beam with one side being longer than the other. During its functioning, the short side is pulled down with the longer side of the beam being forced to rise rapidly causing the sling that is connected to the end of the long side of the beam to lash over thereby releasing itself and hurling the pellet it held. There are

Monday, September 23, 2019

Housing Finance and Economics Evaluating New Labours Housing Policy Coursework

Housing Finance and Economics Evaluating New Labours Housing Policy - Coursework Example (Williams, 1999) When an estate is not under maintenance and also in a dilapidated condition, the council is more inclined to allocate them to people are socially inadequate or inefficient. Here social residualisation also becomes economically unproductive since the resources in the region are not optimally utilized and the rest of the residents feel entrapped and isolated which keeps them away from participating in the economy. This leads to immediate convenience but short sightedness. For instance, people who claimed ownership houses keeping in view the Right to Buy are deceived and their period of wait goes to vain. At this juncture a social dilemma arises with relation to the exclusion of people through the housing framework or from the same. This is due to residualisation and ‘spatial concentration’ of the system. The paper brings forth the economic evaluation of the housing policies of New Deal after 1997 considering alongside the economic factors influencing the h ousing system after the coalition administration came to power since 2010. Achievements of the New Labour’s Housing Policy When the New Labor came to power, things were against the favor of social housing system. This was especially due to the Thatcher’s Right to Buy system which decreased the number of accommodations available for social housing. In this context, Cooper observes, â€Å"In the last year of the Conservative government which lost to Mr Blair, Great Britain suffered a net loss of 16,257 homes†¦The number of homes built by councils and housing associations plunged from its peak of 110,000 in 1980, the second year of the outgoing Conservative government’s 18-year tenure, to just 34,860 in 1996, its final... The paper brings forth the economic evaluation of the housing policies of New Deal after 1997 and considers alongside the economic factors influencing the housing system after the coalition administration came to power since 2010. The main purpose of providing social housing is to provide houses which are within the range of affordability for the individuals with low income levels. This segment is monitored such that rents are kept at low levels. This sector is different from that of private landlords where the choice of the later dominates. Here, houses are allocated according to needs and the social landlords state in advance the criterion on the basis of which the allocation is done on a rational ground. They might have a policy of alteration at any time as per the decision of the landlord. The New Labor administration brought about the issue of housing within the jurisdiction of social inclusion, as the government announces its goal of providing each citizen â€Å"the opportunity of a decent home and so promote social cohesion, well-being and self-dependence† The Welfare Reform Bill will help in shoving the individuals from benefits towards jobs.In fact the modern coalition government’s scheme supports the people with economic and social priorities instead of medical reasons or problems of homelessness. The programs undertaken by the government was led by financial and economic motives rather than social cause though the existing tenants are promised more fairness and satisfaction.

TAKING BUSINESS ABROAD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

TAKING BUSINESS ABROAD - Essay Example In the year 1991 Shopko got enlisted in New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "SKO". Shopko Inc was purchased by Sun Capital Partners Inc in December 2005, a leading investment firm who focuses on leveraged buyouts, equity, debt, and other investment in the leading companies. Before that in the year 1999, a regional discount chain called Pamida was purchased by Shopko. Pamida was a part of Shopko till the year 2007 as a separate division, but later got separated as an individual company. Now the company has its stores in 13 different states which include Northern California, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Montana, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Nebraska, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Washington. In 2001, Shopko closedown few of its multidepartment stores which where situated in mid sized communities. The present slogan of the Shopko is â€Å"My life†¦my style†¦my store† and the slogan of Shopko Express pharmacy is â€Å"Every day. On the wayâ⠂¬ . Another division of Shopko is Shopko expresses which is a chain of pharmacies. This division offers limited general goods like merchandise, groceries, beer, liquor, health supplies and other medicines through out the country. Shopko in its 1306 stores sells brand merchandise, great values, pharmacy and optical services and in the 6 Shopko Express Rx stores, company offers high quality merchandise, services and values for customers’ house hold need along with family basics, casual apparel and seasonal products. They pays especial emphasis on the retail health sector. Company pay good amount of care toward stores’ cleanliness and interior decoration along with space and light. Thus creates friendly atmosphere in the shops. In the retail stores, list of brands is endless like Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Kitchen Aid, Fisher-Price & Sony any many others (Shopko, n.d.). Recently the Shopko

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Change Quantity Demand Essay Example for Free

Change Quantity Demand Essay A movement along a given demand curve caused by a change in demand price. The only factor that can cause a change in quantity demanded is price. A related, but distinct, concept is a change in demand. A change in quantity demanded is a change in the specific quantity of a good that buyers are willing and able to buy. This change in quantity demanded is caused by a change in the demand price. It is illustrated by a movement along a given demand curve. In fact, the only way to induce a change in quantity demanded is with a change in the price. Anything else, everything else, causes a change in demand. As the demand price induces a change in the quantity demanded and a movement along the demand curve, the five demand determinants (buyers income, buyers preferences, other prices, buyers expectations, and number of buyers) remain unchanged. Demand and Quantity Demanded To set the stage for an understanding of this difference, take note of two related concepts: * Quantity Demanded: Quantity demand is a specific quantity that buyers are willing and able to buy at a specific demand price. It is but ONE point on a demand curve. * Demand: Demand is the range of quantities that buyers are willing and able to buy at a range of demand prices. It is ALL points that make up a demand curve. Making Changes So what happens when the phrase change in is placed in front of each term? * Change in Quantity Demanded: A change in quantity demanded is a change from one price-quantity pair on an existing demand curve to a new price-quantity pair on the SAME demand curve. In other words, this is a movement along the demand curve. A change in quantity demanded is caused by a change in price. * Change in Demand: A change in demand is a change in the ENTIRE demand relation. This means changing, moving, and shifting the entire demand curve. The entire set of prices and quantities is changing. In other words, this is a shift of the demand curve. A change in demand is caused by a change in the five demand determinants. Changing the Quantity A Change in Quantity Demanded| - Top of Form Bottom of Form| A change in quantity demanded is a movement along a given demand curve. A change in demand is a shift of the demand curve. These alternatives can be illustrated with the negatively-sloped demand curve presented in this exhibit. This demand curve captures the specific one-to-one, law of demand relation between demand price and quantity demanded. The five demand determinants are assumed to remain constant with the construction of this demand curve. * A Change in Quantity Demanded: A change in quantity demanded, which is only triggered by a change in demand price, is a movement along the demand curve. Click the [A Price Change] button to demonstrate. A Change in Demand: A change in demand, which is triggered by a change in any of the five demand determinants, is a shift of the demand curve. Click the [A Determinant Change] button to demonstrate. An Important Difference Why is this difference so important? The answer is as simple as cause and effect. The demand curve is used (together with supply) to explain and analyze market exchanges. The sequence of events follows a particular pattern. * First, a demand (or supply) determinant changes. * Second, this determinant change causes the demand curve (orsupply curve) to shift. * Third, the change in demand (or supply) causes either a shortage or a surplus imbalance in the market. The market is in a temporary state of disequilibrium. * Fourth, the shortage and surplus imbalance causes the price of the good to change. * Fifth, the change in price causes a change in quantity demanded (and supplied). * Sixth, the change in quantity demanded (and supplied) eliminates the shortage or surplus and restores market equilibrium. The key conclusion is that demand (and supply) determinants, which induce changes in demand (and supply), are the source of instability in the market. The change in price, which induces a change in quantity demanded (and supplied) is the means of eliminating the instability and restoring equilibrium.

Power Point Presentation (Submitted separately) Essay Example for Free

Power Point Presentation (Submitted separately) Essay Introduction Insolvency arises from a situation whereby a business organization has too many liabilities than its assets. This makes the business organization unable to pay its debts hence resulting to closure of the business and all its assets auctioned to pay its debts. Insolvency affects the economic growth rate of a country. Insolvency mostly arises from poor organizational performance in terms of profitability and poor cash management and leadership. Due to increased insolvencies, the economic growth of a country is reduced. The economic growth rate has effects on the population of a country (Ackelsberg and Arlow, 2005). If the economy of a country is down, it population is low due to lack of necessary resources to meet needs of its citizens satisfactorily and vice versa. Therefore, the management of business organization should ensure that their organizations are performing exceptionally well in order to contribute significantly to the economy of the country, directly and indirectly to the population growth in the country or region. 1.1 Statement identified in the case scenario and the main research questions For business organization to operate smoothly, they need sufficient resources. For the organization to acquire all the necessary resources it requires to meet its goals and objectives, it has source funds from different available sources of funds. Apart from the capital owned by the  business, a business organization borrows finance from banks and other financial creditors in order to finance its business operations effectively (Ackoff, 2003). The funds borrows are recorded as long term or short term loans depending on the repayment period. Insolvency arises whereby the business organization fails to pay its financial obligations with its lenders due to lack of sufficient funds to do so. Insolvency mostly arises from poor cash management within the organization, reduced forecasted cash inflow, increased cash expenses, continuous losses being made by the business organization and much more. In a country where its business organizations continuously become insolvent, the economy declines. A decline in the economy of such a country affects the population of the country significantly due to lack of employment leading to poor living standards and hygiene hence increasing death rates (Andersen, 2004). The rise of crimes also results from lack of employment opportunities and the high rate of crimes affects the population of the country indirectly. Therefore my main research question for this research project is, â€Å"Has there been a decrease in population in North Scotland in the past 12 months as a result of insolvencies?† This gave me a variety of research topics to choose from and they are: 1. The causes and effects of insolvency in a country. 2. Ways in which businesses become insolvent and how business insolvency can be avoided in future. 3. Population decrease as a result of insolvencies within a country. From the above three possible research topic, I chose, â€Å"Population decrease as a result of insolvencies within a country†, as the main research question. 1.2 Factors that contributed to the process of research project selection Importance of business organizations in a country Business organization performances affect the economy of a country either positively or negatively. Once the organizations are doing exceptionally well and achieving its goals and objectives, the economy of a country is raised. However, when the business organizations are continuously going bankrupt and insolvent due to insufficient funds, continuous losses and poor overall management, can affect the economy of a country negatively, and its decreases in terms of growth. The economy growth rate trend of a country has  effects on the population growth of the country (Andersen, 2005). If the economy growth rate decreases, the population rate of a country also decreases and vice versa. Social and economical factors are to be considered when writing up this research project as this will be dealing with the general public of Scotland and their economical status. Ethical issues I am fully aware of any ethical issues that may be involved in carrying out a research project. Privacy of the participants is of the utmost importance and is not to be disclosed to maintain the highest level of ethical integrity in regards to the research. Evans, G., Naim, M. and Towill, D. (1993, pp. 15-25), stated that when most people think of ethics (or morality), they think of rules to distinguish between good and evil, such as the Golden Rule (Do unto others as we would have them do unto you), Code of Ethics, such as the Hippocratic Oath (First, do no harm), a religious belief as the Ten Commandments (Thou shall not kill ), or the wise words of Confucius aphorisms. This is the most common way to define ethical standards of operation that separates acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Most people learn the ethical standards at home, school, church or social settings. The same principle applies to research and enforces the highest level of ethical conduct in all phases of the research, including the interaction and confidentiality of the respondents. However I am not bound to such ethical issues as I have used only secondary data. Significance of the study This research study will enable the management of business organizations to understand the causes of business insolvency and ways to avoid going insolvent. This will assist in avoiding business organizations in a country from going insolvent since the management is aware of the appropriate methods to avoid such a scenario. The government of a country will be aware of the effects of business insolvencies on the population growth rate of the country. This will make the government to support business organizations within the country so that the economy of the country is not affected negatively leading to a stable population in the country. 1.3 Critical review of key references Insolvency Insolvency arises when business organizations fail to pay their debts (Covin, Slevin and Schulz, 2004). Business organizations have to raise sufficient funds necessary to carry out their operation smoothly by availing all the necessary resources and also to meet the business expansion requirements. The capital raised by the owners of large businesses is not enough to run the organization as expected towards its mission and vision since the business organization needs more and more funds as it grows (Ackoff, 2003). This forces the business organizations to borrow loans from creditors and they are expected to re-pay back the loans on the agreed time by both parties. These organization may incur continuous losses, experience increased cash expenses or poor management of cash thus making it difficult for them to repay the loans advanced to them. This leads to insolvency of the business organizations which in some cases may give rise to legal disputes. Population growth rate As the economy of a country keeps on growing, its population growth rate increases. Availability of employment opportunities raises the standards of living within a country and this decreases death rates that could have arisen from poor hygiene (Armstrong, 2004). Increased per capita incomes also improve the population growth rate of a country since there are available resources to feed citizens of a country and this causes families to multiply hence increasing the population growth. However, business insolvencies affect the economy of a country negatively. The economy growth rate increases due to lack of sufficient income in the economy hence affecting the population growth of a country (Chakravarthy, 2006). Lack of enough resources to feed citizens of a country limits the number of family members since there is lack of enough resources to feed large families. Poor living standards also arise and this increases the death rate within a country (Ackoff, 2003). The quality of services offered in local hospitals is also affected by the decline in economy of the country. 1.4 Research project specification Research objectives The main question of this study is to investigate if a decrease in population  has been experienced in North Scotland due to business insolvencies. Therefore the objectives of this study are; 1. To identify the trend in Scottish population in the past 2 years 2. To describe or explain the effects of population trend in relation to the decline of Scottish businesses 3. To determine the influence of population trend and Scottish business 4. To give recommendations according to the research findings Significance of the study 1. From the study, the management of business organizations may understand the reasons for insolvency and ways to avoid going insolvent. 2. The study may help the government of a county understand the importance of supporting business organizations in the country effectively. 3. The research study may be of great help to future researchers when conducting their own research studies. Research methodology Naturally, the research study that will be done will be descriptive. Descriptive research cannot fit in the description of quantitative or qualitative research methodologies but it can utilize both of them (Balestra, 2006). By being able to utilize both methodologies, I have a chance of achieving the objectives of this research exceptionally well by acquisition of necessary evidence for answering all the research questions appropriately. Research design The design of this research study will be descriptive in nature. It entails the process of gathering data so as to answer questions concerning the present status of the research study by answering such questions as who, where, what, when, why and how. Data analysis techniques Secondary data is sourced from textbooks, research journals, media sources and then vital information in relevance to the study is extracted. Raw data from primary sources is then collected and edited. The information is analyzed and interpreted using appropriate analytical tool to reveal the characteristics, nature and realtionship and then presented in form of pie charts and tables. 2.1 Matching resources to research questions of the study Data Collection Methods A data collection procedure was developed which checked the value of the ideas behind the research by using the internet search engine Google and available literature relevant to this topic. Snopes is an online source of information that is mostly assessed by researchers to obtain secondary data (Beard and Dess, 2009). Snopes was used in this study since it has been recommended by most researchers as the most reliable source. It was accessed in order to define the meaning of insolvencies and population growth rate. I obtained the population trend in North Scotland in the past two years from  journals. The relationship between the population growth of a country and business insolvencies will be obtained from primary data collected by other researchers. For example questionnaires distributed to 1,000 respondents in North Scotland and their feedback will be clearly and carefully analyzed through the appropriate analytical tools for reliable and valid conclusions and recommendations. These are data collected by previous researchers which seem to have some knowledge regarding the impact of decline of Scottish businesses. Data was collected from documents such as company annual reports and media reports, and government statistics data. Although primary information collected via interviews and questionnaires myself personally would have been more appropriate and help shape the findings into an authentic conclusion. But due to the time and financial limitations I only used secondary data sources for my research project. 2.2 Research methods that was used in the study The research was conducted as outlined in the time table above and all deadlines met on time. The type of research conducted is descriptive in nature. Secondary data was obtained from online sites such as Snopes, journals, books and magazines and Governmental records of statistics. 2.3 Recording data acquired in the process of the research study Response rate Previously researcher’s targeted one thousand respondents in North Scotland and all of them were given questionnaires to fill. From the 1,000 respondents, only 900 respondents filled the forms as required and returned them on the specified time. Figure 1: Actual response Source: Research data Personal details a. Gender Out of the 900 respondents who participated in the research study, 40% (360) were women and 60% (540) were men. Figure 2: Gender details Source: Research data b. Level of education From the study, 99 percent of the respondents who participated in the  research studies were literate and had certificates, diplomas, degrees and masters. Only one percent of the lacked documents to support their academic credentials since they never finished school due to family and financial problems. Figure 3: Illiteracy or literacy percentage Source: Research data Effects of insolvencies on population 90% percent of the respondents argued that business insolvencies decrease the population growth rate of a country. Business organizations need to perform exceptionally well for them to improve the economy of a country since they are the main players in the economic development of a country. Once a large number of business organizations, go insolvent, the economic growth of a country declines. Lack of employment opportunities, poor lining standards and high crime rates increase leading to decreased population growth rate in a country. This is due to the fact that the number of family members is limited due to lack of sufficient resources to feed large numbers and increased death rates arising from poor living standards (Barney, 2008). The remaining 9 percent of the respondents thought that business insolvencies have nothing to do with the population of a country. Figure 4: Business insolvency Vs. Population growth Source: Research data The population trend in North Scotland for the past two years The population in North Scotland in the year 2010 was approximately 1, 800, 000 million according to online reliable sources. However in the year 2012, the total population of North Scotland decreased significantly by 100,000 due to increased death rates according to research conducted in the same year. Figure 5: Population trend in North Scotland in 2010 and 2012 3.1 Evaluation method Both qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods of evaluation were carried out throughout the process of this project. Data were collected and interpreted in the form of numbers as statistics were involved. This project also investigated certain behavior and lifestyle of people in order to find out the cause and effect process, which led to answering my main research question about decrease in population and insolvencies. 3.2 Research findings Businesses need adequate finances for them to operate smoothly. There are various sources of funds that a business organization can access to acquire the required finances to avail all necessary resources needed in the organization. the mostly accessed sources of funds is the selling of shares to the general public and potential investors and loans that are borrowed from banks and other financial institutions that offer loans to individuals and business organizations. The loans that are advanced to a business organization have to be repaid back in the specified period of time and amount. Once an organization fails to meet its debts in the agreed period of time, the organization is said to be going bankrupt and insolvent. The major reasons why businesses go insolvent is due to poor cash management, continuous losses, poor investments and poor overall management of the business organization. The population growth rate of Scotland generally in the pas t years has been improving signific antly. The approximate population of Scotland as per now is 5.3 million. This number is less due to the size of the country and although it much more than before. This shows that the economic development in the country is encouraging since the economy of a population plays a huge role in its population growth. Once the economy of a country is decreasing in its growth, the population of a country decreases  due to lack of sufficient resources to meet the needs of all the country’s citizens satisfactorily. Poor living standards are also experienced due to lack of sufficient resources to promote high quality health care, education and general living standards. This leads to increased deaths and reduced birth rates hence decreasing the size of the country as discovered from the research. From the research study, we can see that, the population of North Scotland was 1.8 million in the year 2010. According to available statistics, the insolvency rate in the country at that time was very low and businesses were running smoothly hence the economy of the country was steady. The population had increased by 200, 000 people in the same year compared to year 2009. This was due to the availability of sufficient resources to cater for all the needs of the residents of North Scotland satisfactorily. However, in the year 2011, the insolvency level in North Scotland started to increase. The number of businesses that were being closed down increased significantly and in the year 2012, a total of eighty two businesses had been closed down. This insolvency level lead to poor economic growth in the region since business organizations that were contributing effectively in the generation of income within the region were no more. This led to high unemployment level within the region, poor living standards, increased death rates and reduced birth rates. Some people migrated to other paths of the country to look for greener pasture. All this resulted to a decrease in population in the North region part of Scotland. 3.3 Recommendations Business organizations play an instrumental role in the economic growth of a country. The income generated by these organizations is what grows the economy of a country. Therefore, organizational managers should ensure that all the organization’s resources are effectively managed and the organization is meeting its goals and objectives in order to be in a good state of repaying back debts. This will make business organizations avoid becoming insolvent and instead contribute significantly towards the economic growth of a region or country. The government of a country should assist business operations within the country for them to continue improving the economy of a country. In this case the population growth of a country will not be affected since there will be sufficient resources to cater for  residents in the country. Health standards will be encouraging and crime rates will be low hence promoting the population growth in the country. This investigation has recognized fiv e drivers: Enterprise Investment Skills Innovation Competition This audit acknowledges the first of these, endeavour. The investigation draws on existing research and frameworks what is implied by big business, why it is a critical driver of development, what the potential measures/indicators of big business are and how the UK and Scottish economies perform. Where accessible, execution is contrasted with the Curve of Prosperity and other little European nations sketched out in the Government Economic Strategy Venture is an essential driver of investment development and profit, and additionally impacts levels of enhancement and rivalry. Undertaking includes the formation of little organizations and the advancement of new thoughts (business endeavor) and additionally the development of existing organizations. The entrepreneurial environment in Scotland is generally favorable, and contrasts well and different nations. Nonetheless, Scotland confronts a testing in exploiting this and making an entrepreneurial society and new organizations. Start-up rates slack most other UK areas and numerous different nations, and in spite of the fact that Scottish mentality towards enterprise are sure and match those of the UK, Scots are more averse to change over this without hesitation. Access to back and an apprehension of disappointment may be purposes behind this. Various years of low rates of business development have left Scotland with a low business stock. Assuming that Scotland had the same number of organizations in respect to the population, GVA could be in the district of 30% higher. A low extent of organizations in Scotland show critical development – just about 5.5% expansion their turnover by more than  £400,000 over a three year period. Then again, there is little proof that Scotlands execution is any more terrible than the UK overall – and Scotland may perform somewhat better. Access to additional powerful information however is obliged to completely evaluate the execution of organizations in Scotland contrasted  with different zones. Impediments to development recognized by organizations incorporate the impacts of rivalry in the business sector, business regulations and the general monetary atmosphere. Market disappointments incorporate data lacks and data asymmetries that can influence access to general data about business start-up and development and access money for a few organizations and new begins. All in all, Scotlands issue in connection to big business does not have all the earmarks of being that our organizations are less development orientated than those in whatever is left of the UK, its that we dont have enough organizations regard. Conclusion The rate of business insolvency affects the economic growth of a country. Business organizations have the right to select their preferred sources of capital. The most preferred sources are bank loans, selling of shares to the public and ploughing back earned [profits. Loans advanced to business organizations have to be repaid in the agreed period of time and amount. Once organizations fail to repay their debts due to lack of sufficient cash arising from poor cash management and continuous losses, they are said to be insolvent. Insolvency affects the economy of a country due to reduced number of business organizations to generate the required income. In North Scotland, a high number of business organizations became insolvent and this led to decline in economic growth in the population. Poor economic growth resulted to decline in the population growth of the region. This is due to high unemployment levels, increased crimes, poor living standards, reduced birth rates and increased death rates within the region. References Ackelsberg, R. and Arlow, P. 2005. â€Å"Contribution of small businesses to population growth†, long Range Planning, Vol. 18 No. 5, pp. 61-7. Ackoff, R.L. 2003. A comparison of population growth in Wales, Scotland and England:, New York, NY. Andersen, T.J. 2004. â€Å"The performance of Scotland Firms and contribution to its population growth, Vol. 33, pp. 184-200. Andersen, T.J. 2005. â€Å"the effects of business insolvencies on population growth in a region†, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 41 No. 8, pp. 1271-99. Armstrong, J.S. 2004 â€Å"The value of formal planning for strategic decisions: review of empirical research†, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 197-211. Balestra, P. 2006 â€Å"The concept of insolvency in business organizations†, J., Milgate, M. and Newman, P. (Eds), The New Palgrave: Econometrics, Macmillan, Basingstoke, pp. 70-4. Barney, J.B. 2008. â€Å"Firm financial position and sustained competitive advantage†, Journal of Management, Vol. 17, pp. 99-120. Beard, D.W. and Dess, G.G. 2009. â€Å"Industry profitability and firm performance: a preliminary analysis on the business insolvency question†, Academy of Management Proceedings, pp. 123-7. Chakravarthy, B.S. 2006 â€Å"Measuring financial performance†, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 7, pp. 437-58. Covin, J.G., Slevin, D.P. and Schulz, R.L. 2004. â€Å"Implementing strategic mission to avoid insolvency†, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 31, pp. 481-505.