Monday, January 27, 2020
Wal Mart organizational change management analysis
Wal Mart organizational change management analysis Organizational Change Management encompasses all activities aimed at helping an organization successfully accept and adopt new technologies and new ways to serve its customers. Effective change management enables the transformation of strategy, processes, technology, and people to enhance performance and ensure continuous improvement in an ever-changing environment. A comprehensive and structured approach to organizational change management is critical to the success of any project that will bring about significant change. Organizational change is a reality of the modern world, and that reality isnt likely to change anytime soon Organizational change is the implementation of new procedures or technologies intended to realign an organization with the changing demands of its business environment or to capitalize on business opportunities. Organizational change typically encompasses the introduction of new and perhaps unfamiliar processes, procedures, and technologies, which represent a departure from what affected individuals generally view as the established, practical, and familiar ways of doing their work. Thus, at the individual level, change can engender emotions and reactions that range from optimism to fear, including anxiety, challenge, resistance, ambiguity, energy, enthusiasm, helplessness, dread, motivation, and pessimism. Organizational change management is the process of recognizing, guiding, and managing these human emotions and reactions in a way that minimizes the inevitable drop in productivity that accompanies change. WAL-MART AT A GLANCE Wal-Mart, founded by Sam Walton in 1962, is one of the world largest companies by market capitalization and number of people employed and touching millions of customers everyday. There are more than 7,800 Wal-Mart stores and Sams Club locations in 16 markets worldwide and there are more than 2 million associates serving more than 100 million customers per year (About Us, n.d.) It is the largest grocery retailer in the United States with an estimated market share of around 20% of the retail grocery and consumables business. To be able to efficiently operate such a complex operation at such a large and do it consistently would only be possible by the huge effort by Wal-Marts associates as its employees are called. Companys Principle Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Wal-Mart) has enjoyed success by adhering to three basic principles since its founding in 1962. The first principle is the concept of providing value and service to our customers by offering quality merchandise at low prices every day. Wal-Mart has built the relationship with its customers on this basis, and we believe it is a fundamental reason for the Companys rapid growth and success. The second principle is corporate dedication to a partnership between the Companys associates (employees), ownership and management. This concept is extended to Wal-Marts Vendor Partners who have increased their business as Wal-Mart has grown. The third principle is a commitment by Wal-Mart to the United States and the communities in which stores and distribution centers are located. Wal-Mart strives to conduct its business in a manner that reflects these three basic principles and the resultant fundamental values. Each of our Vendor Partners, including our Vendor Partners outs ide the United States, are expected to conform to those principles and values and to assure compliance in all contracting, subcontracting or other relationships. Saving people money to help them live better was the goal that Sam Walton envisioned when he opened the doors to the first Walmart more than 40 years ago. Today, this mission is more important than ever to our customers and members around the world. Companys Profile: Wal-Mart: the worlds leading supermarkets. Founded in 1962 by the Walton brothers, former employees of Ben Franklin supermarket, Wal-Mart is now the leading supermarket group in the world. With what has become a real empire of more than 5,300 superstores, supermarkets and stores, Wal-Mart distributes every product we need in life (from food to beauty products, together with clothes, electronics, domestic appliances, sports equipment and so on) whether it be under the Wal-Mart name or under that of SAMs Club, a members-only store dedicated to SMEs and the general public, or that of ASDA in Great Britain. Not to mention its on-line sales service. Originally aiming to set up stores in medium-sized towns in the United States, Wal-Mart has since taken on the international market, from Mexico, Brazil, and Canada to Great Britain, as well as Japan with the 2002 take-over of Seyu, the fifth-placed Japanese supermarket chain, without forgetting Europe with the Great-Britain and the Germany. Companys Mission Through careful search, I have established that Wal-Mart does not officially have a mission statement. In retrospect, the mission statement is its slogan, Always low prices, always! The CEO of the company has said that people are not concerned with their mission statement as much as they are their prices. Companys Structure Sometimes I find myself reading through the court documents for lawsuits filed against Wal-Mart. Usually those documents are filled with a bunch of garbage posing as factual information. Occasionally, though, some interesting information is found. Below is a description of Wal-Marts operating structure which was published in a court document in 2003. The only advantage to reading the text here is that I removed all of the legal cross references and footnotes to make the text readable. The following should be taken with a grain of salt in that this information was produced from an anti-Wal-Mart lawsuit and does not come from the companys official filings. There are a total of 41 regions: 35 Wal-Mart regions and six Sams Club regions. Each region is supervised by a Regional Vice President (RVP), who is based in Bentonville and travels for three weeks out of each month to the region. Because the regional management is based in Bentonville, Wal-Mart has an unusually high concentration of executives and managers based in the Home Office. Each region, in turn, contains approximately eleven districts; each district contains approximately six to eight stores. Each district is run by a District Manager, who lives in the field. The highest level hourly manager at Wal-Mart is Support Manager. The next step up is to management trainee, a four-to-five month program which prepares employees for positions as Assistant Managers. The first salaried management position is Assistant Manager. Each store has several Assistant Managers, varying with the size of the store. The next level is Co-Manager, a position used only in larger stores. The top store p osition is Store Manager, called General Manager in Sams Clubs. The stores contain 40-50 different departments. Companys Vision SAFETY EYEWEAR PROGRAM An estimated 1,000 eye injuries occur in American workplaces every day, caused by employees not wearing eye protection or wearing the wrong kind of eye protection for the job. Flying particles, flying or falling objects, or objects swinging from a fixed or attached position (like tree limbs, ropes, chains or tools) are just some of the hazards that lead to accidents. Most people dont realize that an eye can be destroyed in a fraction of a second. The smartest and most effective safeguard against these risks is always wearing suitable eye protection. Many workplaces today are required by OSHA to ensure their employees wear safety glasses meeting the new ANSI Z87.1-2003 standard for personal protective eyewear. OPTI- DIRECT VISION PROGRAM Discover a simple, cost-effective way for your company to provide vision benefits for your employees without the complexities of an insurance vision plan. The Opti-Direct program can mean an average savings of more than $70 per year, per employee in comparison to a traditional vision insurance plan. Companys Characteristics Wal-Mart is almost certainly not an example of pure competition. Pure competition is characterized by a very large number of sellers each with an almost infinitesimally small market share selling a non-differentiated product. Wal-Marts market share is immense (as you stated) and they differentiate their product through branding measures that include everyday low prices, convenient hours, etc. There can be tough competition in every market structure (except monopoly) but that does not mean that the market meets the definition of pure competition. Company Products Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., like most large retail and grocery chains, offers store brands, commonly referred to as house brands or generic brands, which are low-priced alternatives to name brand products. Wal-Mart has numerous store brands, each catering to a different consumer need or desire. Almost all products offered under Wal-Mart brands are private label products, and can be found in almost every category at Wal-Mart. Major Names: Sams Choice: Sams Choice originally introduced as Sams American Choice in 1991, is premium retail brand in food and selected hard goods. Named for Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, Sams Choice forms the premium tier of Wal-Marts two-tiered core corporate grocery branding strategy that also includes the larger Great Value brand of discount-priced staple items. Most Sams Choice beverage products (excluding Grapette and Orangette) are manufactured for Wal-Mart by Cott Beverages. Other products in the line, including cookies, snack items, frozen meals, and similar grocery items are made by a variety of agricultural and food manufacturers. Great Value: Great Value was launched in 1993 and forms the second tier, or national brand equivalent (NBE), of Wal-Marts grocery branding strategy. Products offered at Walmart through the Great Value brand are claimed to be as good as national brand offerings, but are typically sold at a lower price because of minimal marketing and advertising expense. As a house or generic brand, the Great Value line does not consist of goods produced by Wal-Mart, but is a labeling system for items manufactured and packaged by a number of agricultural and food corporations, such as ConAgra, which, in addition to releasing products under its own brands and for Wal-Mart, also manufactures and brands foodstuffs for a variety of other supermarket chains. As Wal-Marts most extensively developed retail brand, covering hundreds of household consumable items, the Great Value line includes sliced bread, frozen vegetables, frozen dinners, canned foods, light bulbs, trash bags, and many other traditional groc ery store products. The wide range of items marketed under the Great Value banner makes it Wal-Marts top-selling retail brand. The new redesign also includes over 80 new items including thin crust pizza, fat free caramel swirl ice cream, strawberry yogurt, organic cage-free eggs, double stuffed sandwich cookies, and teriyaki beef jerky. Walmart changed the formulas for 750 items including: breakfast cereal, cookies, yogurt, laundry detergent, and paper towels. The new brand was tested by over 2,700 people.[1] Other retailers are following suit with their private label packaging as well. MARKETING ENVIRONMENT The Wal-Mart and all of the other actors operate in a larger macro environment of forces that shape opportunities and pose threats to the company. There are six major forces Demographic Environment Demography is the study of human populations in terms of size, density, location, age, sex, race, occupation, and other statistics. It is of major interest to marketers because it involves people and people make up markets. Demographic trends are constantly changing. Economic Environment The economic environment of Wal-Mart are those factors that affect consumer purchasing power and spending patterns Natural Environment The natural environment involves natural resources that are needed as inputs by marketers or that are affected by marketing activities. During the past two decades environmental concerns have steadily grown. Some trend analysts labeled the specific areas of concern were: Shortages of raw materials. Staples such as air, water, and wood products have been seriously damaged and non-renewable such as oil, coal, and various minerals have been seriously depleted during industrial expansion. Increased pollution is a worldwide problem. Industrial damage to the environment is very serious Government intervention in natural resource management has caused environmental concerns to be more practical and necessary in business and industry. Leadership, not punishment, seems to be the best policy for long-term results. Instead of opposing regulation, marketers should help develop solutions to the material and energy problems facing the world. Technological Environment The technological environment includes forces that create new technologies, creating new product and market opportunities. Political Environment The political environment includes laws, government agencies, and pressure groups that influence and limit various organizations and individuals in a given society. Various forms of legislation regulate business. Marketing Strategy of Wal-Mart Wal-Marts marketing strategies are based upon a set of two main objectives that have guided the firm through their growth years. The customer is featured in the first objective; Customers would be provided what they want, when they want it, all at a value. Team spirit was emphasized in the second objective, Treating each other as we would hope to be treated acknowledging our total dependency on our associate partners to sustain our success. I agree with Wal-Marts two main objectives. The customer objective includes giving the customer what they want at a reasonable value. The second objective covers the foundation of the company; its employees. Employees are the basis for success of the company and drive the day-to-day operations. Wal-Marts employees, feeling like associate partners, gives them a feeling of empowerment and pride that drives the companys culture. Wal-Mart has launched successful marketing strategies that considered factors like social and environmental causes.. CHANGE PROCESS IN THE ORGANIZATION Change is a complex process, and also included with a time of anxiety and uncertainty for the workforce. Organizations need to clearly articulate the merits of change and present a clear process for achieving change, if they are to win the commitment and enthusiasm of people. Wide involvement in and communication of the change project can assist with employee understanding of the what and how of change. ORGANIZATION LIFE CYCLE Before planning a management strategy is important to carry out organizational life cycle to identified in which stages the organization are. After analyzing it if identified that Wal-Mart are in Elaboration of structure phase because it ensures Managers seek ways to streamline any excess bureaucracy that has cropped up during the previous phase. Decisionmaking becomes de-centralised, allowing individual departments to get organised along specific product/services lines or projects. Often the need at this phase is to revitalise the organisation. Innovation Fig: 1: The Organizational Life Cycle of Wal-Mart BUSINESS PROCESS TRANSFORMATION MODEL Business process modeling is a technology aimed at modelling business processes and analyzing them with the objective of using the analyses to drive process transformations. Business process modeling tools have underlying capabilities such as simulation that helps business analysts to understand and quantify the impact of different process transformations on process Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). Even though business process modeling is widely used, analytic capabilities such as simulation are used to a much lesser degree because developing and running simulation models and interpreting their results is seen as a complicated activity by a majority of business analysts. As a result, many business analysts consider such tools as only suitable for experts in the field and are hampered in unlocking the full potential of business process modelling for identifying and assessing business process transformation options. Hence, there is a need for researching approaches that enable busine ss analysts to use quantitative analysis methods easily towards the overall objective of business process transformation.. Business process transformation is the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service, and speed Business process Transformation is a top-down approach. It is not about projects carried out in isolation to examine a specific activity. Business process transformation is about looking at entire processes, rather than at specific activities or functions. It also needs to be customer-centric and look at the chain of activities leading to the customer output (whether that is service or product). Wal-marts mission statement: Wal-mart mission is to enhance and integrate our supplier diversity programs into all of our procurement practices and to be an advocate for minority- and women-owned businesses. To give ordinary folk the chance to buy the same thing as rich people BEHAVIOURS THAT NEEDED FOR ACHIEVE THE MISSION AND AIM Optimize resource capacities This pattern results in potential reduction of operating costs, by reducing resource capacities in different roles. Optimize resource scheduling policies This pattern results in potential improvement in service and reduction in cost, by refining the scheduling policies governing the allocation of resources to different activities. Combine roles This pattern results in potential reduction in operational costs, by creating new roles in the process, by aggregating multiple existing roles. Change branching probability This pattern results in potential operational improvements, by modifying the probability that a specific branch is chosen by a token. The change in probability may in turn be realized by different means, such as employing improved technologies for managing flows, etc. Introduce business integration solutions, IT (InformationTechnology) systems This pattern results in potential improvement in operating costs, by automating the process using business integration and other information technology STAKE HOLDER ANALYSIS The purpose of stakeholder analysis is to inform the Project Board and Project Manager who should contribute to the project, where barriers might be and the actions that need to be taken before detailed project planning. Key stakeholders of Wal-Mart A Key stakeholder is a stakeholder whose interest in the project must be recognised if the project is to be successful. In particular, those who may be positively or negatively affected during the project or upon successful completion of the project Shareholders The management authority of the BPL Employees Physicians / Doctors Related banks Participants The retailer The distributor Supplier The non key stakeholder A Non-key stakeholder is a stakeholder who does not need to be recognised in order for the project to be successful, but will be identified as s result of the process of identifying all stakeholders Pressure group Taxation authority The Standard testing Institute Local community Political influences International policy SYSTEM MODELING The 7-S-Model The 7-S-Model is better known as McKinsey 7-S. This is because the two persons who developed this model, Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, have been consultants at McKinsey Co at that time. Thy published their 7-S-Model in their article Structure Is Not Organization (1980) and in their books The Art of Japanese Management (1981) and In Search of Excellence (1982). The model starts on the premise that an organization is not just Structure, but consists of seven elements: Strategy Actions a company plans in response to or anticipation of changes in its external environment. Structure Basis for specialization and co-ordination influenced primarily by strategy and by organization size and diversity. Systems Formal and informal procedures that support the strategy and structure. Style / Culture The culture of the organization, consisting of two components: Organizational Culture: the dominant values and beliefs, and norms, which develop over time and become relatively enduring features of organizational life. Staff The people/human resource management processes used to develop managers, socialization processes, ways of shaping basic values of management cadre, ways of introducing young recruits to the company, ways of helping to manage the careers of employees Skills The distinctive competences what the company does best, ways of expanding or shifting competences Super ordinate goals These represent the aspirations of the organisation, the beliefs, the principles and aims which should pull it towards success. A shared view of this within the organisation is a powerful competitive advantage for an organisation to develop Resources: Recourses needed for achieving the new markets Established a new plant for production Ensure better quality Set up new marketing channel specially for the international markets New management and trained staff Finance Political support Marketing environment IMPLEMENTATION Implementing the Change A practical understanding of how people and organizations respond to change. This is received by a exporters to understanding how change unfolds helps reduce the amount of unproductive behavior that may accompany the implementation of a new technical solution by reducing the amount of uncertainty involved in change. Reduced uncertainty alleviates surprises and better equips people to focus time and energy on the technical solution. The manner in which change unfolds can be broadly grouped into seven key concept areas. These areas are: Nature. The impact of change on the individual. Process. The typical flow of change. Roles. The positions that are central to change. Resistance. The reactions that accompany change. Commitment. The process by which individuals and organizations align with change. Culture. The organizations past and present ways of doing things and the influence of these behaviours on the change. Synergy. The impact of teamwork on the change. Making Good Decisions Decisions are the alignment of an organizations current and planned changes with the resources available for implementing the initiatives. For an organization to be successful in implementing change, it must ensure that the demands created by its change initiatives do not exceed the organizations capacity for executing the changes. When change demands exceed the organizations capacity for change, key resources become overwhelmed by the number of changes competing for their time. The result is an increase in dysfunctional behavior that detracts energy from the implementation effort and, in many cases, impedes its process. Ensuring adequate capacity for existing and planned change demands generally involves: Inventorying current and planned changes and evaluating them to determine their potential value, impact, and resource requirements. Prioritizing changes according to this evaluation. Determining current capacity to implement changes. Trimming current and planned changes as necessary according to capacity limits. Developing and implementing strategies to increase overall change capacity to expand organizational adaptability. Structured Implementation Architecture: The structured plan for achieving the desired goals through implementation of the perceived change solution. Following a structured, yet flexible, implementation framework reduces errors and oversights and allows a team to proactively address issues that are routinely associated with the failure of organizational changes. Such a structured framework consists of seven phases which, when applied as a system, facilitate successful implementation of an initiative. The seven phases are: Clarification. Development of a comprehensive vision and measurable outcomes that are wholly shared by key leaders. Announcement. Development and execution of a detailed communication plan. Diagnosis. Assessment of critical risks and key levers associated with the change. Planning. Development of comprehensive strategies to mitigate risks and use levers identified in the diagnosis phase. Execution. Implementation of developed strategies. Monitoring. Continuous assessment and augmentation of an implementation sequence. Evaluation. Assessment of a complete implementation sequence, and documentation and transfer of key learnings. Recommendations I feel that Wal-Marts most challenging issue involves the publics resentment. Wal-Mart has wiped out numerous retail establishments (too many to count) and will continue to do so unless stopped. So far, some big box opponents have stopped Wal-Mart from specific expansions but Wal-Mart is definitely fighting back. From Wal-Marts point of view, I think more focus should be spent on global expansion. If specific areas are so against having a Wal-Mart that they pass laws to stop Wal-Mart from building in their area, I think Wal-Mart should stay away. For example, Wal-Mart would have a terrible time expanding into Oakland. I would assume that with the laws that were passed, a great deal of negative press also took place. The time and effort to get a Wal-Mart built in Oakland may not be worth the trouble. This is one of the reasons I feel Wal-Mart should focus on international expansion. There were 1,355 international Wal-Marts in 2004. I definitely feel that expanding this number sounds l ike it could be very lucrative. Another issue facing Wal-Mart is the federal lawsuit regarding sex discrimination. From the numbers quoted in the case study, it sounds as though Wal-Mart is clearly discriminating against females. This is somewhat surprising but will hopefully be fixed. Wal-Mart is very thorough in their strategy, maybe they need to be more thorough and/or detailed in their compensation and incentive policies. Wal-Mart definitely needs to end the discrimination. In order to avoid future discrimination, monitoring of wages and salaries should be established. This is especially true for upper management employees, where females are paid significantly less than males in similar positions. Last, I feel that the compensation and benefits offered to Wal-Mart employees are somewhat of an issue. If only about 60 percent of employees have health coverage (compared to 72 percent in the retail industry as a whole), I think their benefit package needs to be revaluated. The case study claims that the reason many employees did not sign up for health coverage is because they obtained it through a member of their household. Im sure that is the case for some, but not all. Furthermore, Wal-Mart does not pay any health care costs for retirees. I feel that both examples are methods Wal-Mart uses to cut costs and both need to be reconsidered. CONCLUSION Management change in the organization is the key to adopting with new technologies. Though it a complex and continuous process but every organization should practice this new techniques to manage and operate he organization successfully.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Great Gatsby :: essays research papers
The Two Faces of Gatsbyââ¬â¢s Parties à à à à à During the 1920ââ¬â¢s, everyone is making easy money off the stock market and lives their lives to the fullest potential. The decade, also known as the Jazz Age, brings a lot of glamour into many households; one of which belongs to Jay Gatsby. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby shows his wealth by arranging humongous parties every so often. At these parties most of the people who are in attendance are uninvited, but at the same time are also very rich. Although Gatsbyââ¬â¢s parties and the wealth they represent are initially portrayed as alluring and glamorous, in Chapter 3 Fitzgerald subtly undercuts the apparent allure and glamour of both through specific words and images he uses to describe the party scene and the behavior of the partygoers. à à à à à The scene appears alluring and glamorous, yet there is a subtext, an undercurrent of negative images and commentary running through much of Fitzgeraldââ¬â¢s description which undercuts the apparent allure and glamour, suggesting the destructive side of wealth. Both, the positive and the negative images are represented when the servants, the setting and the entertainment are being described in the chapter. Behind the scenes of a beautiful party, there are those that do not have much fun; they are the hard working servants. These servants work long before the party starts to get it set up and during the party to keep everyone happy. Before the party starts the servants have the job of driving people over to the Gatsbyââ¬â¢s house, and it is described in a following manner, ââ¬Å"On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the cityâ⬠¦while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains.â⬠From th e impression, it seems like a normal preparation for the party which actually makes it sound very courteous, but a closer look at the description also reveals the hard work that the servants do in order to keep these parties on track. They are like a ââ¬Å"brisk yellow bugâ⬠in a way that they give it their all to get their job done, but at the same time they are unappreciated and can be squashed like a ââ¬Å"bugâ⬠when their services are not required anymore. During the preparations for the party and the clean up from the old one, there is another huge example of the mistreatment of the servants, ââ¬Å"[servants] toiled all day with mops and scrubbing-brushes and hammers and garden shears, repairing the ravages of the night before.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Is Prostitution Deviant? Essay
Prostitution viewed through the social-conflict paradigm, a ââ¬Å"framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and changeâ⬠(Macionis-Society), would be that the act of prostitution is a result of an unequal distribution of money, power, education, and social prominence. Prostitution is deviant, in that it is an action that is outside the norm of the accepted standards of our society. However, whether prostitution is deviant or not is not the starting place of the social-conflict paradigm. The social-conflict theorist would make no judgment but instead ask why. The social-conflict paradigm would analyze the social structure the individual was raised in, such as the education level and thus the opportunities available for the individual to gain skills necessary to accomplish success in society. It would then cast blame on the social factors rather than poor choices or lack of vision of the person. In essence, a prostitute woul d just be a victim of things out of his or her control. Prostitution would be viewed as a necessary bread of inopportunity rather than immorality. A strength of the social-conflict paradigm in viewing conflict is that in order to change the pattern of prostitution or any negative matter of society we must look at what forms the problem in order to prevent it. However one viewpoint gives us a narrow solution for a vast number of problems and other issues besides social inopportunity, like morals, values and a persons character must also be addressed in ordered to wholly fix any problem. Though we live in a world that expresses moral relativism, there is still objective truth and there are still things which are right and wrong. Though prostitution may have been forced upon some as a means of survival, it is still wrong and destructive. The consequences medically are huge for this kind of wide spread behavior. Though we can feel for those who have found themselves in this kind of life style, we must teach them new ways of living as well as helping provide new opportunities.
Friday, January 3, 2020
Financial Statements Industry Comparison - 1557 Words
Financial Statements: Industry Comparison University of Phoenix BSA 500: Business Systems I Instructor: May 28, 2007 Financial Statements: Industry Comparison More often managers are exposed to financial data and the need exists to develop knowledge and understanding of financial accounting concepts and principals. Nearly all companies prepare financial statements of some type and the complexity of those statements will vary. The analysis and interpretations of financial statements is made easier by the preparation of financial reports that can be produced daily, monthly, quarterly, and yearly. The following paper is intended to be a comparative financial analysis of four publicly traded companies within the sameâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦The interest coverage ratio for this company indicates there relatively solvent and will be able to generate future revenues and meet long-term obligations. Gross margin is a good measure of a company s efficiency in producing and distributing its products (1999). The three year measurements indicate that the need to investigate their efficiency in production or distribution as the numbers have decre ased since 2004. The operating margin ratio measures the quality of a company s operations (1999). The three year span of measurement indicates a decreased operating margin and they may be losing out to their competitors. The next analysis is a company in the same industry as Huffman Trucking and the company chosen was Landstar System Incorporated, Table 4. Using the same balance sheet ratios the current ratio shows that there was some fluctuation in the current assets and their current liabilities however this shows a slight overall increase. No acid test ratio was available due to no inventory shown on the balance sheet. The working capital also fluctuated during this time frame but still represents an overall increase from 2004. The leverage over the span indicates that in 2005 they accumulated long-term debt but in 2006 they had an increase of equity or paid down the debt. The income statement inShow MoreRelatedRatio Analysis : Analysis And Interpretation Of Financial Statements1490 Words à |à 6 Pagesbased on line items in financial statements like the balance sheet, profit and loss account, and a budgetary control organization. Ratio analysis is a technique of analysis and interpretation of financial statements. It helps in evaluating the financial position and performance of the firm, ratio analysis also allows firms to compare their operational or financial performance to another firm or the industry standard. 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Thursday, December 26, 2019
Key Events Of The Civil Rights Movement Essay - 2191 Words
The United States Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s was the centerfold of the 1900s. The Movement came about because not all Americans were being treated fairly. In general white Americans were treated better than any other American people, especially black people. There were many events of the Civil Rights Movement some dealt with black people not getting a fair education. Some events came about because people were advocating that people should be able to practice their American rights. The term paper that you are about to read is composed of events that occurred as apart of the Civil Rights Movements. The events are all in chronological order with the brutal murder of Emmett Till first in order. After that is the story ofâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦The men ordered Emmett to strip, then they beat him and gouged his eye out. After that, they shot him in the head and then threw his body into the river. When his body was discovered, he was so badly mangled that his grandfather was only able to recognize Emmett by the ring that he wore, which bore his fathers initials. The authorities of Mississippi wanted Emmetts body buried quickly in Mississippi, so that the news would just stay in Mississippi. Emmetts mother (Mamie Bradley) did not want her sons body buried in the land that let his killers go free. Emmetts body was shipped to Chicago, where his funeral was held. Emmetts funeral was attended by thousands, at which his mother left the casket open. A picture of Emmetts distended corpse was published in Jet magazine. Mamie Bradley decided to have the funeral delayed because she wanted the world to see what those animals that call themselves men had done to her son. In less than two weeks after the body of Emmett was buried his murderers were put on trial in a segregated court room. The two were acquitted of murder, because the jury claimed the state failed to identify the body. Blacks in other states saw Mississippi as the ultimate symbol of white supremacy for the ignoring the murder of black children. The publics reaction was further fueled when Milam and Bryant were not indicted on charges of kidnapping. TillsShow MoreRelated Key Events in the Civil Rights Movement Essay3697 Words à |à 15 Pages The Civil Rights Movement started with The Montgomery Bus Boycott. The Boycott officially started on December 1, 1955. Rosa Parks was an Educated women and she attended the laboratory school at Alabama State College. Even with that kind of education she decided to become a seamstress because of the fact that she could not find a job to suit her skills. Rosa Parks was arrested December 1955. Rosa Parks Entered a bus with three other blacks and sat on the fifth row. The fifth row was the firstRead MoreThe African-American Civil Rights Movement1295 Words à |à 5 Pages The African-American Civil Rights Movement is arguably the largest and most successful push towards toward change in American history. The movement was influenced by some of the biggest figures in American history as well, led by Martin Luther King Jr. and influenced by others such as president Kennedy and Johnson. Amongst the numerous protests and powerful speeches during the Civil Rights Movement perhaps the most prominent is the series of three marches in 1965 known today as the ââ¬Å"Selma to Montgomeryâ⬠Read MoreWorld War II and Social Equality1441 Words à |à 6 PagesWorld War II and Social Equality World War II was a very important event in American history, but as bad as war is or seems to be there always seems to have better outcomes in the end. By the Japanese bombing Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and bringing America into the war it opened the eyes of all Americans to the problems not only domestically but internationally and the biggest problem that was discovered after the completion of World War II was the level of social equality around the worldRead More Researching the History of the Civil Rights Movement Essay1258 Words à |à 6 PagesWhile there are many histories of the Civil Rights Movement (including books and online sources) that I might have consulted, I deliberately restricted my search to three sources?Facts on File, The New York Times Index, and The Reader?s Guide to Periodical Literature?in order to assess how magazine and newspaper coverage of the time reported events that we now understand as historically significant. One of the first things I disc overed was that ?Civil Rights Movement? wasn?t a heading in the Times Index:Read MoreThree Representations of Effective Peaceful Protests in Securing Civil Rights in the USA1378 Words à |à 6 Pagessecuring civil rights in the USA Representation 2 is the best representation in showing how effective peaceful protest was because it has the best accuracy since itââ¬â¢s a history book, for example ââ¬Å"In 1961, 26 year old African-American teacherâ⬠this is an accurate report, moreover the source has good comprehensiveness and covers most of the events of the civil rights in the USA. However, Representation 1,2 and 3E all represent how effective peaceful protest was in securing civil rights in the USARead MoreMarch on Washington and Selma Compare and Contrasts1110 Words à |à 5 Pages20th Century had many important events during those 100 years. Great progress was made during that time for the Civil Rights of all Americans. The two marches demonstrations involving large groups of people: a March on Washington D.C. and a March from Selma to Montgomery Alabama to gain color equality in the south. There are differences and similarities to consider. In many ways, the March on Washington was one of the mo st important parts of the civil rights movement. The focus of this march was toRead MoreDr. King s Speech913 Words à |à 4 Pagesdelivered a speech on civil rights in the midst of segregated America. Dr. King begins by recounting the historical events surrounding the enslavement of African Americans, which effectively paves the way for his discussion on current events. He states that the African American is still ââ¬Ënot freeââ¬â¢ because of the unequal rights/status given to them. Dr. King instructs the followers of the movement to proceed peacefully. He also contends with those oppose to the movement by letting them know thatRead MoreEssay Music Influence on the Civil Rights Movement1037 Words à |à 5 PagesWorrall Mrs. Stepp 3rd Period 12/11/13 Question: How did music influence/effect the Civil Rights Movement? i. During the Civil Rights era, African Americans changed the way people looked at music by ending the segregation in the music world and by making a well-known ââ¬Å"soundtrackâ⬠and influence during the Civil Rights Movement. ii. Topic Sentence: While music was an impact on the Civil Rights Movement, Motown Records is what gave Blacks the confidence to succeed in the only voice they hadRead MoreThe Segregation Of African American Community1720 Words à |à 7 Pageswith extreme right-wing terrorist groups such as the white supremacist Klu Klux Klan, many among the African American community chose to live in a society of oppression that to actively campaign for equal rights for all humans regardless of the colour of their skin. It wasnââ¬â¢t until the 1950ââ¬â¢s and 60ââ¬â¢s that the people attempted to challenge the established order by engaging in influential protest movements with the help of key activist groups and their leaders. In particular, one key example of aRead MoreThe Era Of Freedom : A Generation After The Emancipation Proclamation1599 Words à |à 7 Pagesevery African Americans across the U.S. The Civil Rights Movement, a movement to sees the cruelty that every African American f aced on a daily bases, was one of the greatest events that took a step into a direction that no one would ve imagined during the 1950s. Many activist made themselves known during the movement, activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, just to name a few, were key players in the advancement of the movement, but who was responsible for the being the
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Its Time to Legalize Slots in the State of Maryland Essay
The issue of legalizing slots and/or legalized gambling in the State of Maryland is a complex one, and one of great consequence to both the Stateââ¬â¢s residents, and the future of the State itself. Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlichââ¬â¢s slots bill proposes that the State place a total of 15,500 slot machines or video poker machines in six different locations, three of which would be chosen from a pool of four Maryland racetracks. The racetracks that would be eligible to install slots or video poker machines are Laurel Park racecourse in Laurel, Rosecroft Raceway in Prince Georgeââ¬â¢s county, a track that would be built at a later date in Allegheny county, and the Preakness Stakes host Pimlico in Baltimore; In effect turning those racetracks intoâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Naturally, tourists that are vacationing in or around a gambling community typically have a larger than average amount of cash on-hand with them, which in turn makes them profitable robbery victims. If an out-of-town guest at the Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut were to be robbed at gunpoint outside of the resort, would that crime be attributed to the fact that Connecticut had legalizing gambling, or the tourism that said legalization resulted in? Conversely, if an individual has squandered their vacation or gambling budget in the casino, are they now viewed as potential criminal offenders? Again, it is nearly impossible to conclude whether or not these types of robberies are due to the casino that is attracting the tourism, or the fact that the community itself has now become a tourist attraction? A study conducted by the University of Nevada-Reno states that ââ¬Å"when comparing the before and after crime rates utilizing the population at risk, the data reveals few consistent trends in crimeâ⬠. In short, it cannot be proven that by merely constructing a casino or venue where any type of gambling is legal that it would create these spikes in the crime rate that those who are opposed to legalized gambling insist would occur as a result, and to believe anything otherwise would be a hasty generalization. Another benefit of legalizing slots in the State of Maryland would be the restoration of the Stateââ¬â¢s horse industry. Our tradition of horse racing in MarylandShow MoreRelatedIllegal Gambling3493 Words à |à 14 Pagescost of running state governments, Here are facts you should know: ââ¬Å"The gambling craze has swept the country with the avariciousness of a prairie fire . . The flames are out of control.â⬠ââ¬âColumnist Arthur Daley, in the New York Times. In 1984 alone, Americans wagered $177 billion on gambling. That is twice as much as was spent that year on education and fifteen times as much as was donated to all the churches and religious organizations in the nation. The July 10, 1989, issue of Time magazine reported
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Gambiling Australia Economic Perspectives ââ¬Myassignmenthelp.Com
Question: Discuss About The Gambiling Australia Economic Perspectives? Answer: Introduction The study highlights on the economic analysis of the over consumption of gambling. Gambling takes in various forms that include lotteries, table games, poker machines and scratchies (Bilancini and D'Alessandro, 2012). Recent statistic reflects that Australians has participated in theses different forms of gambling in the previous year. It has been noted that electronic gambling machines are considered as the superseding source of revenue from gambling. In the year 2009, it has been estimated that there were more than 198,300 gaming machines in this nation and the revenue earned from them was near about $59,700. In addition, duties of gambling and taxes are an important funding source to the Australias government and hence directly employs for about 35,000 people (Delfabbro and King, 2012). The economic as well as social cost of gambling in Australia is discussed in this report. It also reflects on the gambling effects on economic efficiency. The study also focuses on the three polici es that aids in reducing gambling in relation with the use of poker machines. Economic and social cost of gambling in Australia Gambling is recreational pursuit for the people of this nation. The stakeholders of this industry argue that gambling provides social benefits to the Australians (Gainsbury et al., 2014). They also squabble that gambling offers indirect range or intangible advantage to the local communities. These advantages include improving life quality for elderly, securing environments a high social cohesion. Social cost refers to the section of internal benefits as well as cost that the person does take into account while undertaking this activity. It relates to the externalities that influence the activity that are inflicted involuntarily on the society. The social and economic cost of gambling fall into nine categories that includes: Crime cost in relation to police, apprehension and incarceration spending. The direct as well as indirect cost may amount to 152 million and 174 million respectively. Business as well as employment cost that includes lost job productivity, work time and employer cost in relation to unemployment. Social service cost relating to job loss and treatment that seeks in minimizing gambling behavioral problems. The indirect cost relating to this might amount to 174 million. Bankruptcy also inflicts society cost in legal form and other expended resources. Direct regulatory cost that relates with oversight of Australian oversight on gambling and its industry Cost related to family such as domestic violence and separation Abused dollars that are obtained in improper way but is not considered as crime. Industry lobbying cost refers to the opportunity cost and utilization of resources in more productive manner. Suicide cases of youth owing to gambling Gambling has adverse consequences to every aspects of society. From societal perspective, the main issue of gambling is stemming from poverty, poor condition of individuals health, low social as well as human capital and rundown of community resources. The economic policy solution regarding this issue is inserting caps on the machine numbers in area of highest socioeconomic disadvantage. Another sol;ution is ban on advertisement on gambling machines. Effects of gambling on economic efficiency Addiction of gambling relates to pathological gambling consumption. It develops into addiction when this leads to obsession and adversely affects the life of the individual. Overconsumption of gambling invests much time as well as money of the Australians (Becchetti et al., 2016). It also loses social contract with self-esteem and self confidence. The above case study shows that around 1.4 million Australians are directly affected by gambling. Overexpansion of gambling leads to deterioration in Australias terms of trade that adversely affects the real income of the economy. The gambling dominant nation directs to balanced growth path and hence it becomes less vulnerable to nations business cycles. Gambling affects the Australian economy in direct as well as indirect way. The direct impact of gambling expenditures represents net addition to the resources of the community. For example, casino directly or indirectly affects on the Australians income as well as their jobs. The direct impact of casino is on the nations income as well as employment that is associated with offering of commodities to its patrons. On the contrary, casino indirectly affects on the communities as employees expend their paychecks in their community and thus leading to more employment (M et al., 2014). Input-output model are used to estimate indirect effects of gambling. These models help in evaluating the effects of gambling on economic development and efficiency of Australia. It also helps in recognizing one industry output that are used as inputs in another industry. Thus, variation in one industrys activities affects both the suppliers as well as customers associated with gambling. Moreover, these mode ls also work through multipliers development that helps in concluding ripple effects on the economy. However, this model aids in explaining negative externalities that result in overconsumption of gambling and inefficient equilibrium above the socially optimum equilibrium (Arifo?lu et al., 2012). Thus, it throws spillover effect on other individuals as marginal private benefit (MPB) exceeds marginal social benefit (MSB). This is shown with the help of the diagram given below: Figure 1: Negative Externality of Gambling Source: (Authors creation) As it is an addictive commodity, the demand becomes inelastic. Thus, taxation does not reduce the demand for quantity enough for MPB=MSB. It can also lead to gambling under black market and adds risk of violence, thus making inefficient solution. The above figure shows that MPB MSB. Australian government has introduced wagering tax for directing fund to gambling rehabilitation centre and offer service to the Australians. Tax reforms the externality as it intends to make both the consumers as well as producers pay social cost of products. However, this helps in reducing bad consumption and creates socially efficient outcome. If tax is not implemented then it leads to overconsumption or addition of gambling. Three effective policies for reducing gambling The three effective policies that facilitates in reducing gambling in relation to use of poker machines are: Pigouvian tax- Pigouvian tax refers to the tax levied on the activity of the market that creates negative externality. This tax is proposed in order to correct outcome of inefficient market and is set equivalent to social cost of negative externalities (Philander, 2012). Pigouvian tax is imposed on activities of gambling in order to attenuate its external cost. It also helps in mitigating unbalanced growth biased by gaming via resource reallocation. Therefore, sin tax is noted for rising economic welfare of Australia. Australian government creates deadweight loss in order to restrict gambling supply in the market. Figure 2: Pigouvian tax on poker machine (Source: As created by author) The SACOSS MODEL This model helps in promoting gambling tax regime that includes gambling taxes imposed for covering the costs associated with it and problem gambling in specific differential rate of tax and concessions that is used to provide incentives for minimization of measures; the remaining taxes directed into wealth fund in which the earnings of that fund move to merged revenue as well as in current expenditure. Quota on poker machines- Poker machines relates to games of chance that requires no skill in playing (Williams et al., 2012). Poker machines of Australia have return to player (RTP) by about 90%. Recent reports of productivity commission reflect that the people of Australia lose $12 billion each year with the help of poker machines. In essence, this poker machines has been introduced for replacing income constraint in respect of time constraint. Non-price policy-The non price policies imposed by the Australian government for reducing gambling includes: Strategizes of family intervention- Strategies are implemented in such a way that the members of family have the capacity in initiating third party gambler (Ross et al., 2012). Education as well as awareness program adopted by the government of Australia The program adopted by the government includes- dispelling myths about gambling and educating Australians Establishing Research of National Gambling- This program is funded by the all state program in order to reduce national gambling. Staff intervention strategies- Australian government as well as industry collaborates for introducing senior staff for identifying problems with patrons. Conclusion It can be concluded from the above report that gambling consequence in negative health effect of the Australians. As Australians are considered as the productive gamblers in the globe, it is necessary to develop national strategy in order to recognize and reduce gambling problem. Problem gambling is noteworthy public health problems in this nation that affects Australians, medical practitioners and governments. Gambling activities in Australia have increased and diversified in recent years. Increase in gambling behavior increases prevalence of gambling problem as well as entrenched dependence of government upon its taxation. Therefore, as overconsumption of gambling causes negative externalities, Australian government adopts effective policies in order to curb gambling from the nation. References Arifo?lu, K., Deo, S., Iravani, S. M. (2012). Consumption externality and yield uncertainty in the influenza vaccine supply chain: Interventions in demand and supply sides.Management Science,58(6), 1072-1091. Becchetti, L., Solferino, N., Tessitore, M. E. (2016). A dynamic model of Gambling addiction with social costs: theory and policy solutions. Bilancini, E., D'Alessandro, S. (2012). Long-run welfare under externalities in consumption, leisure, and production: A case for happy degrowth vs. unhappy growth.Ecological Economics,84, 194-205. Delfabbro, P., King, D. (2012). Gambling in Australia: Experiences, problems, research and policy.Addiction,107(9), 1556-1561. Gainsbury, S. M., Russell, A., Hing, N., Wood, R., Lubman, D. I., Blaszczynski, A. (2014). The prevalence and determinants of problem gambling in Australia: assessing the impact of interactive gambling and new technologies.Psychology of Addictive Behaviors,28(3), 769. Gainsbury, S., Sadeque, S., Mizerski, D., Blaszczynski, A. (2012). Wagering in Australia: A retrospective behavioural analysis of betting patterns based on player account data.Journal of Gambling Business Economics,6(2). Gainsbury, S., Hing, N., Delfabbro, P. H., King, D. L. (2014). A taxonomy of gambling and casino games via social media and online technologies.International Gambling Studies,14(2), 196-213. Philander, K. S. (2013). A normative analysis of gambling tax policy.UNLV Gaming Research Review Journal,17(2), 2. Ross, D., Sharp, C., Vuchinich, R. E., Spurrett, D. (2012).Midbrain mutiny: The picoeconomics and neuroeconomics of disordered gambling: Economic theory and cognitive science. MIT press. Williams, R. J., West, B. L., Simpson, R. I. (2012).Prevention of problem gambling: A comprehensive review of the evidence and identified best practices. Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care.
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