The Technology And Embedded Computing - 1707 Words

Abstract—We present a technique in which we use a credit card sized microcomputer to serve as an access point in a wireless network based entirely on wireless communication and low-cost, robust and responsive detective wireless devices on the network. The wireless devices are basically smartphones that will connect itself to the network which will be generated by a system proposed later in the paper. The paper deals with reviewing the work done by research scholars previously on this area of embedded computing (using Raspberry Pi) and IoT that shall serve as a foundation to the system proposed by the authors. The reliability and the suitability of the system proposed can be advocated by the work done in this field by various authors whose papers have been reviewed here. Index Terms—Wireless networks, Raspberry Pi, IoT, wifi- proximity, ZigBee, Wifi Direct I. 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The Laborious Journey Of Fox s Class - 1245 Words

The Laborious Journey of Fox’s Class College English courses are a nightmare to most college freshmen. To some students, English class is like that monster under the bed that makes children afraid to go to sleep at night. Due to all of the required work, some students may fear entering the classroom. Nonetheless, English seeks to help students become better writers. Because writing well does not come easy for all students, some professors are stern in their teaching. Sternness seems to be synonymous with Mrs. Amy Fox, professor of English 101 at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College (ECTC). Fox’s passion for instilling knowledge definitely shines through with her ‘tough love’ style of teaching. Therefore, some students may caution that Fox’s class is hard because learning how to avoid plagiarism is difficult, poor time management causes students to struggle, and the lack of responsibility can be problematic. An inexperienced student may have complications in learning to avoid plagiarism. In high school, most students learn basic paper and essay writing skills in order to improve written communication skills; however, high school fails to teach students how to cite sources used to aid in writing those essays and papers. â€Å"Plagiarism is the act of presenting ideas, words, or organization of a source, published or not, as if they were one’s own† (Fox 3). For students, this requires the understanding that it is best to write and submit their own work, while notingShow MoreRelatedMonsanto: Better Living Through Genetic Engineering96204 Words   |  385 PagesThe case of Cochlearâ„ ¢ – an Australian C A S E O N E high-technology leader Delta Faucet: Global entrepreneurship in an emerging market C A S E T W O DaimlerChrysler: Corporate governance dynamics in a global company C A S E T H R E E Gunns and the greens: Governance issues in Tasmania C A S E F O U R Succee ding in the Sydney indie music industry C A S E F I V E Nucor in 2005 C A S E S I X News Corp in 2005: Consolidating the DirecTV acquisition C A S E S E V E N Shanghai Volkswagen: Implementing

Starbucks Financial Analysis free essay sample

Starbucks Corporation (â€Å"Starbucks†) is one of the leading American global coffee brewers. They are a coffeehouse chain that has over 20,000 brick and mortar stores located throughout the world. They are known for their high end coffee houses that serve a wide array of coffee flavors and types. They also serve various food items that complement their coffee selection. Part of the Starbucks strategy is to welcome their customers with a relaxing environment, rather than the quick take-out style that most of its competitors prefer. The Starbucks environment is generally warm and inviting, whether it is outside on a patio or inside on a comfortable couch. The Starbucks experience also includes the availability of free Wi-Fi so customers may take advantage of wireless computing while they relax and enjoy Starbucks coffee. We will examine the financial statements for Starbucks Corporation over the four most recent years and assess performance. Our primary focus will be on profitability; however we will also explore other key metrics such as liquidity, solvency, and turnovers among other financial statistics. Also, we will compare Starbucks against a major competitor to contrast various metrics and draw conclusions. Through this comparison, we expect to find differing areas of strength and weakness within the financial material. We believe this company would be interesting to analyze due to the overreaching popularity of the product. Most Americans cannot make it through the day without a cup of coffee in the morning. What is also interesting is to compare how two major players in the coffee marketplace operate financially and which entity demonstrates greater financial strength. Industry Overview1 Starbucks operates in the â€Å"Coffee and Snack Shops† industry. According to an October 2013 IBISWorld Industry Report, the Coffee and Snack Shops industry experienced a major slowdown in 2009 due to a struggling economy and, to a lesser extent, changing consumer tastes. Before the recession hit, the industry enjoyed over a decade of strong, consistent growth due to increased consumer spending fueled by rising incomes. However, in 2009, industry revenue declined 6. 6% to $25. 9 billion after consumer confidence tanked and spending dried up. The industry resumed its upward climb from 2010, however, the large decline in 2009 means the industry will record a modest average annual growth rate of 0. 9% over the five years to 2013. In 2013, industry revenue is expected to continue its rebound with an increase of 2. 6%, making the industry worth $29. 0 billion. The Coffee and Snack Shops industry’s recent growth is expected to continue over the five years to 2018. Coffee and snack shops will benefit from the improving economy, the declining unemployment rate and the increasing rate in which consumers spend money on luxuries like eating out. Furthermore, during the five years to 2018, consumer spending is expected to increase. As a result, industry revenue is projected to rise at an average annual rate of 3. 9%, to $35. 1 billion during the period. The industry consists of two major players Starbucks Corporation (36. 7% market share) and Dunkin’ Brands Inc. (24. 6% market share). Other remaining market share is comprised of various smaller brands such as Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation and Einstein Noah Restaurant Group. The industry’s high level of competition is expected to intensify in the next five years. This factor will involve significant price-based competition and an increased emphasis on the regular introduction of new products. Most chains will introduce new, healthy alternatives as well as expand their current product lines. Major operators will also attempt to expand revenue and profit by providing a variety of other menu options, including premium coffees and breakfast items. Starbucks has recently announced plans to open 1,000 Teavana Tea bars, a chain it purchased in 2012. Starbuck’s strategy involves selling tea alongside gourmet food such as mushroom and kale flatbread and lemongrass ginger chicken rice balls for premium prices. Many domestic operators will continue to expand internationally. Although it does not have an impact on the domestic industry, international expansion is anticipated to be the largest source of revenue and profit growth for major players during the five years to 2018. Snack-food brands have not yet saturated the markets of Asia and the Middle East; however, certain industry giants like Starbucks and Dunkin’ Brands are already experiencing strong growth in those regions. The success of these operators is enticing others to try to garner a share of the growing market. Starbucks is the industry leader and plans to keep growing as indicated by its Teavana Tea acquisition. Competition is still stiff and in order for Starbucks to maintain its position in the industry it will need to make key strategic decisions that encourage growth. For that Starbucks will require a strong financial position. In the next section we will conduct a financial analysis of Starbucks. Financial Analysis: Profitability and Productivity A company’s performance can be measured by assessing its profitability with respect to the size of its investment. Return of Asset (â€Å"ROA†) is a good indicator of the return a Company generates for each dollar invested in its assets. The following table shows Starbucks ROA for 2009 to 2012. ROA increased overall from 6. 9% in 2009 to 17. 8% in 2012. The SP 500 gained 13. 4%2 in 2012; as a result Starbucks outperformed the SP 500 by 4. 4 points. We further break down the ROA into profit margin (net income over sales) and asset turnover (sales over average assets) to indicate the profitability and productivity of Starbucks, respectively. Profit margin increased overall from 4.  0% in 2009 to 10. 4% in 2012, whereas, asset turnover decreased overall from 1. 74 in 2009 to 1. 71 in 2012. This indicates that while Starbucks continued to be profitable, its productivity decreased slightly during the observed period. To further analyze the productivity we calculated some efficiency or turnover ratios for Starbucks from 2009 to 2012. The following tables show accounts receivable turnover (â€Å"ART†), inventory turnover (â€Å"INVT†), long term operating assets turnover (â€Å"LTOAT†), accounts payable turnover (â€Å"APT†), and net operating working capital turnover (â€Å"NOWCT†). Typically turnover refers to how many times an asset can be replaced during a financial period. ART has declined from a peak of 37. 3 in 2010 to 30. 5 in 2012. This indicates that Starbucks’ ability to cover accounts receivable has weakened in recent years. INVT indicates a similar trend such that it declined from a peak of 13. 1 in 2010 to 8. 8 in 2012. Starbucks has become less efficient in recent years as it has declined from generating a $13. 1 of cost of goods sold (â€Å"COGS†) for each dollar of inventory to $8. 8 in COGS. Although the short term asset turnover ratios have declined the LTOAT has increased from 2. 9 to 4. 1 during the observed period. This shows that Starbucks has more efficiently managed its longer term operating assets. On the liability side we have the APT, which has declined from a peak of 26. 7 in 2009 to 20. 7 in the latest year. This indicates that Starbucks’ is taking longer to pay its suppliers. Lastly, the NOWCT is negative during the entire period as the operating current liabilities are greater than the operating current assets. This may be an indication that Starbucks may not be able to cover its current liabilities, however, Starbucks has a significant amount of cash and equivalents ($1. 2 billion in 2012) on hand that it can access if need be. Financial Analysis: Operating Return and ROE Disaggregation As we begin to critically examine the financial performance of Starbucks Corporation, we will analyze overall profitability. Return on Equity (â€Å"ROE†) is a broad measure of performance that is ubiquitous. The following table shows the ROE, Net Non-Operating Return, and the Return on Net Operating Assets (â€Å"RNOA†) for Starbucks for 2009-2012. Starbucks’ has managed an increasing ROE from 14. 1% in 2009 to 30. 9% in 2011. ROE decreased slightly in 2012 to 29. 2%. The growth trend indicates that the business is generating increasing returns (net income) on its average equity. As we subdivide ROE into its operating and nonoperating components, we can see that the mix is not uniform. The returns on net operating assets dominate and are moderated by the negative effects of the nonoperating returns. First, as we look at operating return, we see extremely strong results that improve over time – RNOA increased from 14.  1% in 2009 to 49. 2% in 2012. As we look at the RNOA components we can trace and disaggregate this performance. Diving deeper into RNOA, we can examine if this favorable trend is more a function of an increasing numerator in the RNOA calculation (Net Operating Profit After Tax or â€Å"NOPAT†) or more significantly driven by a decreasing change in the denominator (Average Net Operating Assets or â€Å"NOA†). NOPAT has shown strong growth as it has grown by $152M or 12. 8% in the latest year. This is impressive growth by any measure. Over the past four reporting years, NOPAT has grown by $950M or 242% over 2009 performance. As we look at the denominator of the RNOA measure, we can see NOA have increased 26. 8% over the prior reporting year or by $644. 4M. Over the past four reporting years, we can see that overall NOA has grown by $534M or 21. 2%. So in examining the components of RNOA, we see that both elements are changing in similar proportions, however we can see that NOPAT is positively driving this metric by generating increasing operating profit from operating assets. As we further disaggregate RNOA, we can more specifically examine its sub-components, which are Net Operating Profit Margin (â€Å"NOPM†) and Net Operating Asset Turnover (â€Å"NOAT†). The table below shows the NOPM and NOAT for Starbucks from 2009-2012. As we examine NOPM, we can see that this increases significantly in 2009 and 2010, and stabilizes in later years at approximately 10%. Additionally, when we look at NOAT, we see a similar trend where it increases from 3. 5 to 4. 5 between 2009 and 2010, however stabilizes at approximately 5% in recent years. We observe that the positive trend taken by RNOA is a byproduct of both the NOPM and the NOAT but more so of improving profit margins rather than by radical changes in asset turnover. This is especially true as profit margins increased dramatically between 2009 and 2011. As we recognize that the growth trend change in RNOA is more a byproduct of improving operating profit margins over time, we must also recognize that although NOAT has not dramatically changed, it is definitely very high comparative to industry averages. As a comparative, publically traded companies over the past 10 years have shown a median NOAT of 1.40. Since we have isolated one performance driver as NOPM above, we can now look at its components and examine their movement. Since NOPM is defined as NOPAT / Sales, we can look further at those elements of the equation. If we look at the sales trend as well as the changes in NOPAT, we see revenue growth at a rate of roughly $1B per year, and less linear but more dramatic changes in NOPAT. We can clearly see a dramatic increase in NOPAT between the 2009 and 2010 reporting years that is driving the historic performance trend. Looking deeper into the NOPM, we can also examine the Gross Profit Margin (â€Å"GPM†) and Operating Expense Margin (â€Å"OEM†) to determine if the overall profit margin growth is driven by superior expense management or improving gross margins. As we examine the GPM and OEM trend, we can see both growth of gross profit margin as well as a reduction of expenses relative to sales revenue. Both dynamics are improving overall operating profit margin, although the improved expense management appears more significant. Looking over the past four years, we can see that gross profit margin has increased by 6. 1%, however expenses have been reduced by 9. 3%. Both factors in tandem benefit the NOPM. To summarize the operating returns, we can conclude that the favorable growth is driven by strong revenue growth across all years and consistent control over the cost of goods sold, which results in strong gross profit margins. Additionally, it is evident that Starbucks has placed considerable effort into the effective management and control of operating expenses. Financial Analysis: Nonoperating Return As we diagram the components of ROE (see Exhibit 2), we must also examine the impact of nonoperating return and its primary sub-components of financial leverage as well as the spread between RNOA and the after tax cost of debt. The following table shows the net nonoperating return, net nonoperating expense percent (â€Å"NNEP†), Spread , and the financial leverage (â€Å"FLEV†) for Starbucks for 2009 to 2012. Nonoperating return is calculated by multiplying FLEV against spread, so each component works equally to influence the calculation of nonoperating return. As we look at the nonoperating return trend, we can see that this negative return partially negates the favorable ratio generated by operating returns. Historically, we can see that the adverse effects on ROE have increased in the most recent reporting years and Net Nonoperating Return has decreased 6 points from 2009 to 2012. In other words, Starbucks nonoperating return is placing an increasing burden on overall ROE. First, we can look at FLEV and its dependents, Net Nonoperating Obligations (â€Å"NNO†) and Average Equity. FLEV can be seen in the above table as an increasing negative ratio that changes by 30 points from 2009 to 2012. Driving this trend, Net Nonoperating Obligations have shown increasing prominence each year as a negative force. This is due to the greater significance of nonoperating assets versus nonoperating liabilities. Generally, the nonoperating liabilities have remained stable showing a 4 year increase of only $5. 8M, which is primarily a change in minority interest liability. Conversely, nonoperating assets have grown by $1. 5B, driven mostly by increases in short-term investments, but also by cash cash equivalents. The high levels of cash and marketable securities relative to long term debt drives the NNO into a negative territory, which is the numerator of FLEV. As we look at the FLEV denominator, we can examine average stockholder equity. We can see this value increasing through the preceding four years with a net change over this period of $2. 1B that has been steadily increasing each year by roughly $500M. This increasing positive denominator has had the effect of moderating the growing negative numerator that was driven by higher cash and marketable securities relative to debt. Next we can examine the characteristics of the spread as it factors into nonoperating return. The spread is simply the RNOA less the Net Nonoperating Expense Percent. We have previously explored the RNOA dynamics, so we can now investigate NNEP, which is Net Nonoperating Expense divided by Average NNO. As we look at the grid above, we can see that the NNEP varies, however has not exceeded 3. 2% over the past four years. This factor has resulted in correspondingly minor pressure to offset the overall spread which has increased almost 33 points from 14. 7% in 2009 to 47. 2% in 2012. This is clearly driven by the dominant influence of RNOA. Considering the dynamics of nonoperating return, we can see the variable having the greatest significance is the effect of negative NNO, which is driven mostly by high nonoperating assets such as cash equivalents relative to nonoperating liabilities. The nonoperating balance sheet nature of cash equivalents as well as short term investments allows these elements to dominate the adverse effects of nonoperating return on overall ROE. Credit Risk Analysis Analyzing a company’s credit risk is important because companies require credit for their operating, investing and financing activities. An important step in assessing credit risk is performing financial analysis, which requires a coverage analysis and a liquidity analysis. Coverage analysis determines a company’s ability to cover its fixed charges from debt (interest and principal) in the short and long term. Related to that is the liquidity analysis which measures how much cash a company has and how much it can generate on short notice. The following table shows the four ratios used for the coverage analysis of Starbucks. The times interest earned ratio increased significantly from 14. 4 in 2009 to 43. 4 in 2010. It has steadily increased thereafter to 61. 1 in 2012. This trend indicates that Starbucks has been able to cover its interest payments for the past four years and every year its ability to cover the interest payment has gotten stronger. The EBITDA coverage ratio indicates a very similar trend to the interest coverage ratio, as it increased from 28. 0 in 2009 to 77. 9 in 2012. Overall it is clear that Starbucks can easily cover its interest payments, but it is also important to analyze whether Starbucks can cover its principal payments. The cash from operations to total debt ratio measured the company’s ability to repay principal in the short and longer term. As indicated on the table Starbucks’ cash from operations to total debt ranged from 2. 5 to 3. 2 during the observed period with ratio at 3. 2 in the latest year. This indicates that Starbucks has consistently had more than twice the amount of cash from operations to cover total debt. A slightly different take on this ratio is to subtract capital expenditures (â€Å"capex†) from cash, which determines free operating cash flow to total debt. This ratio ranged from 1. 6 to 2. 3 during the observed period, which indicates that even after making capex Starbucks was able to maintain enough cash to cover short and long term principal every year. Liquidity refers to cash availability. The current ratio is a proportional measurement of working capital. As shown in the chart below, the historic current ratio illustrates that cash inflows exceed outflows by an increasing degree from 2009 through 2012. The quick ratio is a variation of the current ratio, however emphasizes assets likely to be converted into cash over a short window of time. As shown above, this metric emulates the trend line of the current ratio and shows an increasing trend that demonstrates an improving ability to meet its current liabilities through the usage of quick assets such as cash and accounts receivable. As the chart above indicates, current assets relative to current liabilities are on the rise and this is driven by relatively high levels of cash and equivalents from approximately 2010 and forward. Solvency refers to the ability of a company to meet its debt obligations. The liabilities to equity ratio will reveal a business’s reliance on creditor financing versus equity financing. The declining trend lines shown above indicate a decreasing reliance on debt financing. The total debt to equity ratio is also declining to a lesser degree and indicates a lower reliance on debt in recent years. In fact Starbucks uses significantly less amount of debt compared to publicly traded companies, which had a liabilities-to-equity ratio of slightly less than 1. 0. Moreover the food industry has a liabilities-to-equity ratio of between 3. 0 and 3. 5. 4 Starbucks’ does not have short-term debt and has its long term debt includes $550M of senior notes issued in 2007 and due in 2017. Overall Starbucks has a strong credit profile as it has the ability to meet its short and long term liabilities. It has significantly low credit risk as indicated by its low debt to equity ratio. Additionally, the presence of large cash reserves alone gives Starbucks’ the flexibility to cover short term liquidity needs. Further, it may ease Starbucks operating, financing and investment decision making. Competition: Starbucks vs. Dunkin In our analysis, we have determined that Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (â€Å"Dunkin†) is Starbucks’ main competitor. Dunkin is a franchisor of quick service restaurants (QSRs) serving hot and cold coffee and baked goods, as well as hard serve ice cream. The Company franchises restaurants under its Dunkin Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands. The Company has over 17,400 points of distribution in 55 countries. The Company operates in four segments: Dunkin Donuts U. S. , Dunkin Donuts International, Baskin-Robbins International and Baskin-Robbins United States. As of December 29, 2012, there were 10,479 Dunkin Donuts points of distribution, of which 7,306 were in the United States and 3,173 were international, and 6,980 Baskin-Robbins points of distribution, of which 4,517 were international and 2,463 were in the United States. In July 2013, the Companys Dunkin Donuts announced the opening of its 500th restaurant in New York City, which will be a combination restaurant with Baskin-Robbins. Dunkin takes a different approach to its business strategy such that it does not create the same atmosphere Starbucks does, rather Dunkin focuses on a quicker customer turnover. They strive to get the customer in and out of the store as quickly as possible. The table on the following page shows various ratios, comparing Starbucks and Dunkin for 2011-2012. Dunkin has a high profit margin. Typically, companies with higher profit margins have lower asset turnover. This is the case with Dunkin. Starbucks, on the other hand, has a much lower profit margin and higher asset turnover. Revenues for Dunkin are much lower than Starbucks. Starbucks revenues are at $13. 3 billion dollars for 2012, whereas, Dunkin is only at $658 million. This could because of all that Starbucks offers a more high-end product. Dunkin Cost of Goods Sold is 18% of Sales, whereas, Starbucks Costs are around 73%. Again, high end products tend to cost and generate more expenses, which is prevalent in Starbucks. ROE between the two companies and our analysis has shown that Starbucks has a 10% better return. This is primarily driven by return on net operating assets (RNOA). Starbucks and Dunkin both had similar net operating assets; however, Starbucks’ net operating profit after taxes was much higher. This is the reason behind the big difference in RNOA. Another big difference between the two companies is their financial leverage. Starbucks has a negative financial leverage (FLEV), whereas, Dunkin is extremely high. Dunkin’s FLEV is high due to their high long-term debt stance. This causes a high net non-operating obligation and drives the FLEV to be 224. 5%. Starbucks’ negative FLEV is due to high amounts of cash and cash equivalents they list in their Balance Sheet. Usually companies with high amounts in this part of the statement, means they are saving up to make a significant acquisition, or have in case of low sales in the future. According to the industry report, both companies are are expected to grow in the future. In the five years to 2013, Dunkin’ Brands’ US-specific sales are expected to grow at an average annual rate of 5. 1% per year to $7. 2 billion. The company’s high-growth franchise model is expected to lead to higher than average growth in the fiv e years to 2018. A similar trend is also expected for Starbucks. Starbucks’ US industry-specific sales are expected to grow at an average rate of 4. 3% per year to $10. 7 billion. Starbucks has continued to grow their product, as well. Known primarily as just a coffee shop, Starbucks has acquired: Evolution Fresh, a natural fruit and vegetable juice maker; Teavana, a tea bar; and La Boulange with the aim of integrating the company’s baked goods into its menu. This is will help compete with the competition in growth strategies. Dunkin Donuts’ is already partnered with Baskin Robbins, a global ice cream parlor. After comparing the two companies it seems that Starbucks is in a better financial position. Dunkin has a high amount of long-term debt and lower revenues than Starbucks. Also, Starbucks has a large amount of money stored up. I am curious as to why, or what they have in store as an acquisition. The return on equity, also, is much better for Starbucks. These numbers show why Starbucks stock position is higher at 81. 35 and Dunkin is 47. 99. Another factor that should be included is the market share between the two companies. According to the US Industry report for Coffee and Snack Shops, Starbucks owns 36. 7% of the market, whereas, Dunkin Brands, owns 24. 6%. Starbucks is also more available nationwide, while Dunkin is primarily in the Northeast region of the United States. Both companies’ stocks are preforming admirably, and both are getting a cautionary optimistic outlook based on analyst’s research. Based off of the numbers we have developed in our paper, I would prefer to invest in Starbucks. I feel that the ROE difference between the two companies cannot be overlooked. I, also, do not like how much long-term debt Dunkin Donuts has on the statements. Though, Starbucks has a negative NOAT, this is because of cash and cash equivalence on the Balance sheet. This is money that they have readily available, and I do not think that it is a major concern. Starbucks 2013 Performance Starbucks’ fiscal year ends at the end of September therefore Starbucks’ 2013 financial statements were available as of the third week of November 2013. Although we had not anticipated including 2013 financial results in our analysis we decided to include a brief discussion to see how Starbucks had performed. The following chart indicates trends in Starbucks ROA, ROE, OEM, and GPM for 2009-2013. The chart clearly indicates decline in performance in 2013. Both ROA and ROE declined significantly in 2013 to 0.1% and 0. 2%, respectively. The decline is a result of a drop in net income to $8. 3 million in 2013 from $1. 4 billion in 2012. The reason for the sharp decline is a payment of a $2. 8 billion litigation charge. This includes approximately $2. 2 billion paid to Kraft Foods Group, Inc. as settlement of litigation for breach of agreement. Exhibit 4 includes a summary of the litigation. We note that this litigation charge was recorded as an operating expense as a result OPM has increased to 102. 2% in 2013. However, GPM indicates a consistent trend with historical results as it increased to 28. 4% in 2013 from 26.8% in 2012. We note that if we add back the litigation charge to the income statement Starbucks had a good 2013 year. The litigation charge is a one-time expense that dents Starbucks’ performance; otherwise Starbucks has performed, as well as, it has been doing in the past years. Conclusion As mentioned earlier, our objective is to analyze the financial performance of Starbucks and evaluate areas where it can improve or maintain its current performance. We analyzed Starbucks’ productivity, profitability and creditworthiness by analyzing its financial performance for the 2009-2012 fiscal years. We observed that productivity was down slightly as indicated by lower sales turnover. Further analysis of productivity indicated that accounts receivable turnover and inventory turnover have also declined in recent years, whereas long term asset turnover has increased. Starbucks is also taking longer to pay back its suppliers as indicated by the lower accounts payable turnover. Additionally net operating working capital is in the negative territory, which may be cause disruption in daily operations; however, high amounts of cash reserves held by Starbucks give it cushion to operate smoothly. Overall, lower productivity and longer time to pay its suppliers has had a slight impact of profitability as ROE declined from 30. 9% in 2011 to 29. 2% in 2012. This decline will not be considered a significant drop in profitability but Starbucks should focus on its operating activities in order to maintain the healthy ROE. Disaggregation of the ROE into operating and non-operating components helped us identify Starbucks’ strong and weak performance areas. On the operating side, we observed that Starbucks has maintained an exceptional RNOA of 51. 2% and 49. 2% in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Starbucks has outperformed its closest competitor, Dunkin (RNOA of 8. 4% and 5. 4% in 2011 and 2012), by over 40 points in each year. Further, Starbucks has maintained healthy margins as indicated by a NOPM of 10. 1%, GPM of 26. 8% and an OEM of 85. 0% in 2012. However, one of our most important observations is that Starbucks’s non-operating performance has dragged down its overall ROE. Non-operating return was negative 20. 1% in 2012. This was largely due to a negative FLEV of -42. 5%, which was driven by negative NNO. The NNO is negative due a large amount of cash and equivalents on hand. Starbucks’ cash and equivalents account of approximately 14% of its total assets whereas Dunkin’s accounts for only 7% of its total assets in 2012. Although, a large amount of cash further strengthens an already strong credit profile and thus reduces credit risk, it also seems that holding high amounts of cash and equivalents is hurting Starbucks’ ROE. Cash and equivalents produce a low rate of return, and by holding a large amount of such assets Starbucks is foregoing its ability to generate higher returns by investing in more productive assets. Starbucks has the option to invest a portion of its cash and equivalents into its business (operating assets) or into non-operating assets such as stocks of other public companies. Investing back into its business is a good option but it is probably something that Starbucks has already done. Investing in stocks of other public companies will generate higher returns but also increase investment risk. Another option for Starbucks is to use the cash to acquire a competitor or make a similar strategic acquisition. This would also increase the investment risk for Starbucks. Lastly, Starbucks can just keep the cash as is and use it as a buffer for future liquidity needs. This may be a good strategy because, even with the high amount of cash on hand, Starbucks’ ROE is still much higher than its closest competitor. Starbuck will have to continue to grow the business in order to maintain the continued growth, they have seen in recent years. The company has continued to add healthy items to the menu, to attract the health conscience consumer, as well as, added free WiFi, to attract more traffic to their stores. Innovation like this must be continued. Also, growing the brand globally to emerging markets, would also help increase the brand equity. I think financially one aspect Starbucks can work on is their high COGS. Competition’s COGS/Revenue rate was 55% lower than Starbucks. One way to help with this would be to partner with the suppliers to negotiate a better price of goods. Another idea to lower the cost would be to either reduce waste or provide more storage warehousing to minimize costs by purchasing larger volumes.

Features of Public Health Care Policy for Medicare - myassignmenthelp

Question: Write about theFeatures of Public Health Care Policy for Medicare. Answer: The primary focus of the essay is the different health care policy and the different aspects related to it. It further contains the evidence, stakeholder advocacy and the political choice in the understanding of the public health policy. The emphasis has been laid on the policy triangle to identify the main features of the Australian government`s Medicare Benefits Schedule Review Taskforce`s preliminary report on the after-hours practitioner services. To support the argument the policy triangle model has been taken into account. It identifies the stakeholders and the process of shaping the policy. Finally, the importance of the policy and the procedure of making it better have been mentioned in the essay. By doing a detailed study of the taskforce, it has been noted that in between the years 2010-2011 and 2015-2016, there has been an increase of the number of the urgent after-hours MBS services. The services have increased unto one hundred and fifty percent. Not only this but the benefits paid also has increased by one hundred and seventy percent. In some urban areas of Australia, the use of this urgent after services has increased largely. The growth in the stopping of the urgent after-hours services comes as not be driven by the increasing clinical need for the urgent after-hour services (Glasgow, et al., 2012). It has merged with the entry of new venture into the market with the inclusion of models, which promote the services to the clients and putting the focus on the feasibility of the customers without extra cost. In many cases it has been found that there has been no clear difference between `urgent` and `non-urgent`. It has been highly confused by the medical practitioners. Th e high demand of the use of the items by MDS services merges with the continuing service of care by the patient`s regular GP and MDS services are at times offered less qualified practitioners. This funding should be made available for the after-hour services. The MBS items for the urgent after-hours attendances should not be made available where the patient has made an appointment before the commencement of the after-hours period (Kannan, Rabanal Scott, 2012). There has been efforts taken to understand the policy analysis. Many scholars and practitioners have made the effort. However, less attention has been put forward towards this. The analysis of the health policy issues is the understanding of the interactions between different institutions, interests and the ideas related to the health policy. The health policy environment is the most important thing (Treml Halpin, 2012). Certain specific characteristics of the health sector affect the environment of the policy. The state is both the provider and purchaser of the services. It can run as a partner with the private sectors. In the undertaking of the health care purchase and regulations, the state is almost heavily relies on and it lacks the essential information which can solely be provided by the sectors it is overseeing. Health issues are maximum times of high profile and it demands the attention of the public. The government also has a major role to play (Weimer Vining, 2017). The state government at times indulges in the partnership with the private health care sectors. The policy processes are changing often. It is not fixed and static. It is not constant. The government at times offers the public medical facilities, which add up to the public health care policy systems. Many problems have risen because of this. The private policy systems are costly compared to the public ones. Maximum people cannot afford the private health care sectors (Sorrentino, et al., 2012). There are many problems as well related to the approach. It is obvious that the pre-conditions will be present at the same time. The roles of the higher level of government will be adopted and the roles of the other actors are neglected. It is difficult to apply any kind of approach when there is not a single exclusive policy or any kind of agency involved. The policies keep on changing as they are being implemented. There is one effective approach, which is the bottom up approach, which implies that the people at subordinate levels have the option to change the policy and reshape it according to their convenience. The evaluation of the policy becomes quite difficult (Fainstein DeFilippis, 2015). It becomes difficult enough to separate the impact of the individuals and different levels of government on the results and effects of the policy. There is another important theory, which is known as the principal-agent theory. According to this theory in each situation, there is certain re lationship between the people who define the policy and the people who takes part in the implementation of the policy (Jenkins, et al., 2016). The principal-agent relationship of the policy depends upon the nature of the problems related to the policy. it further includes the scale of the chain required, it also includes the full size of the groups which is being affected. It also includes the positive sensitivity. The formal and informal agencies are taken into account (Turner, 2014). Thus from the above essay it can be concluded that certain health policies needs the political attention. Though politics acts as the decision maker in the formulation of the policy in any nation, the nation needs to pay attention to the formulation of the policies. It should aim at creating a nation free from the health issues. The implementation of the policies should be able to address the obstacles that are addressed due to the failure of the approaches. It should completely focus on the formulation of the policy for the betterment of the nation. it must identify the roles of all the stakeholders including the government and the heads of the private health care sectors. The evidence-based policy should be formed. All the actors in the system must function effectively. The role of all the actors must be analyzed completely as they have an important part to play in the process. It must make sense of how few health issues merged into the government policy agenda. References Fainstein, S. S., DeFilippis, J. (Eds.). (2015).Readings in planning theory. John Wiley Sons. Glasgow, R. E., Green, L. W., Taylor, M. V., Stange, K. C. (2012). An evidence integration triangle for aligning science with policy and practice.American journal of preventive medicine,42(6), 646-654. Jenkins, T. J., Mai, H. T., Burgmeier, R. J., Savage, J. W., Patel, A. A., Hsu, W. K. (2016). The triangle model of congenital cervical stenosis.Spine,41(5), E242-E247. Kannan, P., Rabanal, P., Scott, A. M. (2012). Monetary and macroprudential policy rules in a model with house price booms.The BE Journal of Macroeconomics,12(1). Sorrentino, N., Menniti, D., Esposito, L., Gallina, G. (2012, September). A model to compare supergrid projects using EU policy triangle. InEnergy Conference and Exhibition (ENERGYCON), 2012 IEEE International(pp. 738-742). IEEE. Treml, E. A., Halpin, P. N. (2012). Marine population connectivity identifies ecological neighbors for conservation planning in the Coral Triangle.Conservation Letters,5(6), 441-449. Turner, P. (2014). The global long-term interest rate, financial risks and policy choices in EMEs. Weimer, D. L., Vining, A. R. (2017).Policy analysis: Concepts and practice. Taylor Francis.

Brandon Gibson Essays (605 words) - Literature, Fiction, Narratology

Brandon Gibson Shana Hirsch English 102 30 October 2017 FICTIONAL SHORT STORIES Fictional short stories have been part of literature for many years. A fictional short story has a couple key points that define them. The term fiction means that the story has to be non-factual or have plenty of deviation from a true story. A dditionally, a short story must be short enough in length so that is can be read in one sitting . S hort stories, must also take their literary devices and use them in very unique manners. A good writer can use these items to create a unique and artistic story, as well as add a level of complexity . Some of the greatest short stories use these devices and leave a cryptic or underlying message , almost like a puzzle . The most important literary devices, which must be used well in order to create a great short story are; creation of a dynamic character, a well thought out theme, and proper use of the setting. "The Yellow Wallpaper" makes great use and creates a very dynamic character. The story follows a young, upper-middle-class woman, newly married and a mother, who is undergoing ca re for depression. The women starts to go crazy about the wallpaper in the house and begins to have creepy thoughts and visions about it. This story makes great use of a dynamic character because it is a story that follows a women with mental problems. Stories that use mentally unstable people create very interesting characters because there is so many hidden clues to discover . Each event in the story, which this women goes through, has to be analyzed deeply because they hold numerous or symbolic meanings. Some of these events, portray clues about the author's life and feelings. Many short stories put their themes to great use. One story that has a very unique and interesting theme is "The Lottery". The story is about a town of only around 300 people, which conduct an annual lottery. This lottery is to determine, who will be sacrificed to death by stoning. This story has a great theme because it is a theme that has to really be evaluated. The story does not leave a lot to tell, why this town conducts a lottery and kills an innocent citizen each year. This makes for a great theme because now, as the reader, you have to evaluate key words and segments in the story in order to find deeper meaning. Many things can be brought to debate such as; culture, tradition, religion, morals, and beliefs. I also feel that, not all themes come with a single meaning. I see the theme of this story as couple things. One being, the sacrifice of one for the benefit of others. And the other is how mankind will blindly follow tradition. Themes provide so much to be left with a reader to ponder over, but the s etting must also be laid out well. The setting in a story has to be perfect or the story will not work in harmony. "Young Goodman Brown" set up the story very well. This story follows a man as he journeys through the gloomy forest of Salem. The man encounters numerous eerie people and strange events in the forest. The setting for this story is a crucial aid for its success. This story must remain in a time period of witches, cloaks, and 17 th century type architecture. The story is based off the Salem Witch Hunt and even takes some of the real names from that event. The description and

Nurse Residency Program essays

Nurse Residency Program essays John P. Kotter (1998) suggests several strategies in order to facilitate change within an organization. The most notable section of his article relates to eight steps that can be taken to implement change and transform an organization. These range from the beginning stages of identifying and establishing the urgency of change, through identifying opposition and obstacles to maintaining existing changes and optimizing future opportunities for change. The medical profession, as a public service provider whose quality can result in life or death, should be subject to continuous change in order to optimize this service. An area that can benefit substantially from optimization is the nursing profession. Residency programs have been required for physicians, but not specifically for nurses. The benefits of these programs for physicians have been obvious. This has however not been the case for the nursing profession. Only recently have residency programs been implemented for them. Obviously, fewer errors with patients will occur when such residency programs are implemented. In general, this will provide the public with greater confidence in hospitals housing such resident nurses. Concomitantly, nurses going through residency programs have reported greater confidence in their own skills and in turn projecting an image of professionalism to the public. In suggesting such a program for an academic medical center, the leaders of such institutions can be addressed according to the eight steps of change offered by Kotter. When following these steps, the necessary changes can be implemented not only with confidence, but also with success. Nurses will become more confident, and the public will have greater trust of their local medical service providers. In general, this system will benefit both the industry and the users relying on it. Specifically, the leaders of medical establishments can offer their services with greater conf...

Choose the right topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Choose the right topic - Essay Example This change shifted focus from machine productivity to employee productivity, which in result developed the organizational management concept. The core of the organizational management concept is to find the best possible way for employees to mange their tasks. This concept is true for both production and service related organizations. Among many different aspects of organizational management, the compelling one is that refers to the art of getting people together on a common platform to make them work towards a common predefined goal (â€Å"Organization Management†). All organizational management aspects refer to four major theories of organizations and management, namely: classical theory, human relation theory, contingency theory, and modern system theory (â€Å"The nature of Organizational Theory’). Each of these theories is based on some assumptions supported by certain elements. The insights of the above selected aspect of organizational management should be view ed through the classifications of these theories. The classical theory is based on the assumptions that scientific analysis of organizational problems brings improvement, and a good worker is who accepts the order. The human relation theory also defined as neoclassical is based on the following assumptions (â€Å"The nature of Organizational Theory†) · The organization can be defined as "a group of persons with a common objective," The psychological and social aspects of the worker as an individual and work group ought to be emphasized, If we fuse the assumptions of classical and neoclassical theories, we get the core philosophical concept of the insight of above-mentioned aspect of organizational management. The concept describes that an organization consists of the group of individuals with a common purpose; the mangers on behalf organization must pay attention to the psychological and social aspects of employees; improvement of organizational problems should be scientifi cally resolved, and good workers accept orders. In the above explanation, we observe, on one hand, organizations’ position toward the employees, on the other hand, employee’s attitude towards the organization in fulfilling the organization’s goal. Once the core philosophical concepts are determined, it then remains to identify the method on how to implement the concept in reality. This perhaps can be achieved through the practical application of the supporting elements of classical and neo classical theories’ assumptions. The neoclassical theory’s supporting elements are individual employee motivation and consideration of social aspects of the employees. The classical theory’s supporting elements are principles of management and functions of management. The principles of management element include numerous parameters, of them important to mention are Division of work, Authority and Responsibility, Discipline, Unity of command, Unity of direc tion, Subordination to general interest, Remuneration, and equality. The functional management element is probably the key element of organizational management. Its parameters are planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. Once fused all parameters of the above described elements we can formulate the procedure required for the implementation of the insights of the compelling aspect of organiz

Evaluating the impact of international environmental laws on oil and Essay

Evaluating the impact of international environmental laws on oil and gas - Essay Example Recommendation(s) †¢ GEP-Oil Company must follow the principles of the International Environment law to the latter. †¢ The Company is bound to look for more advanced technologies to be able to exploit he Oil and Gas in an advanced manner. †¢ Experts in Climatic conditions should be consulted before the commencement of the drilling process. †¢ The company must compensate the inhabitants. 1. Background The main issues in the case study are that the presence of Oil and Gas plays an immense role in the economy of Russia and the welfare of the people as a whole. However, this exploration in the Arctic requires huge investments, which have prompted the Russian oil Companies to enter into an alliance with the international companies to expedite the exploration process. In light of this, the board paper has been organised into four sections. Each section analyses about an issue that pertains to exploration that is free from environmental destruction and one that depicts w hat is expected by the Russian government. The Russian environmental laws are similar to the international environment al laws in a number of ways. The Russian environmental laws also recognize that there is a need for each nation to be able to protect the environmental and at the same time each state should be given the freedom to be able to exploit their natural resources. According to principle one of the Rio Declaration, human beings are the centre of environmental concerns because they need to be able to have high quality life. The Russian environmental laws also recognize these factors and incorporate it in the principles of the law. There are also laws in the region where Russia is that are also invective of the need for the concerned stakeholders to understand the need to protect the natural resources for the sake of human beings. The arctic region in which Russia belongs, there are some environmental laws that need are very similar to international laws. The Arctic Environm ental Protection Strategy is an environmental guidance that helps nations in the arctic region to abide in within the environmental standards. Russian national laws are also similar to the international environmental laws in that they also recognize that there is an importance to protect the local waters (marine). This is in line with MarPol environmental laws and guidance that provide for the ways in which the laws must be able protect the environment. Russia is a member of the artist centre but he laws developed by the arctic centre are not abiding. The arctic centre has developed the laws and guidelines that help member states to abide within the guidelines of international laws. MarPol helps nations around the world to be able to deal with the seal pollution. The Russian environmental policy also recognizes that there is a need to protect the sea and reduce marine pollution. These laws are also in line with the Conventional of Biodiversity guides which emphasize on the need to p rotect the natural resounds especially living things. The other important factor about international law in relation to the Russian environmental law is the recognition of the need for the state to be able to protect the environmental and the need to be able to

Business Activities, Employment and Inflation Term Paper

Business Activities, Employment and Inflation - Term Paper Example If the injections of an economy (J) are not equal to the withdrawals (W), then there is a clear disequilibrium in the economy. The only factors that bring this equilibrium back into line is the change in the national income (GDP) and the levels of employments (Sloman and Sutcliffe). To understand the above figure better, lets consider that the economy is faced with a state of equilibrium, i.e. the levels of withdrawals and the level of injections is the same. If there is an increase in the injections, and the firms aim at investing more into the company, then the aggregate demand, i.e. Cd will also be higher. Hence to meet up with this demand, the firms will also need to increase the labor and other resources which would in turn lead to higher levels of incomes for the households (Y) (Sloman and Sutcliffe). With an increase in the income of the households, there will be an increase in the expenses as well, which in turn will lead the firms to also sell higher. Higher sales will mean the firms need to produce higher which again would mean more labor, and other resources (Mankiw). This is a multiplied affect that will continue to go on within the economy. This effect is referred to as, ‘Multiplier Effect’ and is defined as, ‘an initial increase in aggregate demand of $Xm leads to an eventual rise in national income that is greater than $Xm’ (Sloman and Sutcliffe). This follows the principle of ‘Cumulative Causation’, which can be defined as, ‘An initial event can cause an ultimate effect which is much larger’ (Sloman and Sutcliffe).

Status Of English Language Education In China English Language Essay

Status Of English Language Education In China English Language Essay In today world, English language is widely used and the status of the language can viewed differently according to where it is utilized in several parts of the world. In some nations like the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland and Australia, English is considered a native language. However, Singapore, Philippine, India, and Malaysia regard English as a second language whereas other countries including Greece, Russia, Poland, Thailand, Vietnam, and others view English a foreign language (Bray Kashrus, 1985, 1992 as cited in Zhang, Zhang 2008). As the language of communication in numerous fields, both developing and developed countries have adopted and used English language accordingly. China, one of those countries, has accepted and utilized English in diverse domains, so that they may properly develop their country and build more relationships with outside world or vice versa. According to Ford, 1988 Bickers, 1999 as cited in Zhang (2008), English language has entered into China in nineteenth century through trading between China and western nations, and the first country in western nations, which did the trading with China, was Portugal and then British. After China lost in the Opium war to British, Hong Kong was abandoned, and other territories were open for foreigners and traders. During the period, a number of foreigners, especially English people and British mission schools flew into China. Since then, English teaching/learning has gradually become popular for Chinese people. As stated previously, the object of topic of this literature review is to find out how status of English language is in fields of education, business and economy, and international relationship from 2000 to Present. II. Literature Review Status of English language in education in China Hui (2001, p. 128) expresses that English is the most widely taught foreign language in China. In some cities, English is taught from grade 5 and some from grade 3 while in rural places, children in junior and senior high schools are allowed to have English class. In the junior and senior, two types of English books are used in which the first one is called Band 1 and the second is Band 2. According to English Syllabus for Jonior High School, 2000 as cited in Hui (2001), in Band 1, students are encouraged to be familiar with vocabulary, reading, listening, writing, and speaking. In colleges and universities, English is compulsory subject, and students are asked to study through Band 1 to Band 6, and they should complete six specific requirements; for example, familiar 4000 words, acceptable pronunciation and intonation, reading, listening, writing, and speaking (intermediate level). Similarly, according to Zhongshi Yu (2003), English language is considered one of the needed languages in Chinese educational system. In 2001, the ministry of education of China announced that English shoud be taught from lower level to higher one. In the lower class, all children from grade three are instructed English language so that they may develop their English ability before they go to higher education. The ministry further declared that for universities and collegues, English has to be used as a medium of instruction for several subjects such as information technology, biotechnology, finance, foreign trade, economics and law because these subjects have interrelation with English language. Due to this plan, provincial education commissions accordingly start to set up schedules for teaching English in many universties and collegues in cities (South China Morning Post, 2001 as cited in Zhongshi Yu, 2003). To facilitate English teaching/learning, the materials including textboo ks, classroom facilities, and testing centers are gradually developed in order that both teachers and students may find it easy to use them in their study because they are created locally (Peoples Daily Online as cited in Zhongshi Yu, 2003). Additionally, in the period, not only publish schools promote English but private schools also help encourage Chinese students to study English. Equally, according to a study by Zhiwei (2007), in order to help modernize the country, ministry of Education of China has strenghtened the English language teaching/learning through primary school to university level. In primary level, English is taught since third grade; in middle school, it is instructed as a main subject as other subjects such as Chinese language and mathematics while at university level, all students are required to learn English. To build up Chinese teachers ability in English, the ministry of Education has sent them to English speaking countries like the United States and the United Kingdom to have more trainings in English as well as to invite the native English teachers to share their knowledge and experiences to Chinese teachers and students. In addition, the ministry has as well promoted researchers to conduct more studies to explore more effective language teaching/learning strategies. Zhiwei (2007) states that to help make easy English teaching/learning, the ministry have established some textbooks and materials, so that the students can use and self-study; for example, English 1-4 volume, Functional English 1-4 volume, and Practical English Grammar. Zhiwei claims that before sending to next class or admitting to enter a course, students are asked to take different types of tests based on their levels; for instance, (1) basic grade tests, and higher grade test are done for students who are in English department, (2) 4-6 grade English test, a test for university students, (3) PETS, a co-operative item between Chinese and British, a test for publish, and (4) English Self-study text is conducted two times per year (in April and in October) for those students who want to test their English ability. Similarly, Zhang (2008) states that English teaching/learning becomes more and more popular in China; hence, a number of Chinese learners start to acquire English, and most of them want to be near-like English speakers. Based on ELIC website, an organization of English Language Institute in China as cited in Zhang (2008), numerous native-English instructors, especially from the United States, are hired to teach English in Chinese universities across the country. The organization adds that the reasons China rent those teachers because they are viewed as good models, and are considered effective trainers who probably provide better English knowledge to Chinese students in terms of pronunciation and accent, effective strategies and techniques, teaching styles, and others. Pennycook, 1998 as cited in Zhang (2008) also emphasizes that English teaching in China is constructed as a superior language since knowing English is believed to have a better understanding of the world making English speakers not only to be better teachers but also to gain superior knowledge of world. Likewise, based on Zhang (2008), English language is the most-studied foreign language in many educational institutions in China. From primary schools to universities, English classes are given and every student is required to attend English class from middle school to unversity level. In middle schools, English is tutored as a basic course which is similar to mathematics, sciences and Chinese language while in university level, English language is a compulory subject. Zhang (2008) emphasizes that university students has to successfully finish English course before graduating from the universities since they will use it in their workplace. So, if their ability in English cannot be qualified, they may not be employed. On the contrary, if their English ability is strong enough, they may be given a priority to work, especially in foreign companies. By the same token, according a study by Aimin Yan (2011), college English (CE) is highly recommended subject for undergraduate students in China. Their study was conducted with 20 graduates, from universtiy of Jinan in China, who have already possesed jobs for one or two years. The study shows that CE curriculum is a needed program in colleges because it provides a lot advantages to undergraduate students in their studies such as English for special purpose and billingual course as well as to gain advantages in workplace. The study also shows that graduate candicats need to have enough competence in English in order to be qualified for various positions in job market. In China, the most common jobs available are in businesses and in government organizations, and to be qualified for the job market, applicants need to make sure that they can use English in locating information, translating documents, and creating and editing English, especially in oral communication. As a result, CE program in colleges needs to be strenghtened to instill students ability in English to fulfill the schools requirement and to meet job market. Status of English language in business and economy Zhongshi Yu (2003) raise that in China, English plays a very important role in doing business, particularly in international business. In international business, business men and women need to use English to communicate with other foreign business people. Most documents including non-formal and formal are written in English. According to a survey study by Pang Jixian et al, 2002 as cited in Zhongshi Yu (2003), he found that a number of business people in China mainly use English throught faxes and emails to contact their business partners instead of using Chinese language. More importantly, English is officially used in joint venture contracts and in other agreements. The study also found that Chinese people work in the international companies are given English names, so that their managers can easily address them. Furthermore, English names are not only given to employees but they are also written on logoes of many international business; for example, Mcdonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, Cr oss Pizza, China Telecom, China Mobile, bank of China, agricultural bank of China, and commercail and industrial bank of China (Pang Jixian et al, 2002 as cited in Zhongshi Yu, 2003). Zhu (2008) asserts that due to development in a number of fields in China, business English is designed for higher educational institutions. Business English is a language used by people who work in business field, so selected words, expressions, grammatical structures are utilized in only business purposes. In China, English for business has its own characteristics, and English for business program allows the learners to build up English language skill and business management skill. According to Zhu (2008), English for business becomes an interest for a number of Chinese learners since it benefits a lot for their future. For that reason, business English program for undergraduate students was first run at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. In the program, the learners who complete all requirement subjects are awarded to get BA degree in foreign language or in business management. Based on Zhu (2008), another reason that English for business gain more interest is due to an incr ease of globalization economy. Thus, National Education Department has designed English for business in most universities in China so that when the students graduate, they may easily get a job in business companies. Johnson, (2010) illustrates that to expand trade inside the country and with the world, China may need to adopt English language because it could serve such purposes. After registering as a member of WTO, numerous foreign investments-western nations and the United Stated-come to China to do businesses, and more Chinese investments oversea are, as well increased noticeably. Johnson (2010) asserts that trading within a location or with local people is not enough, so Chinese traders begin to trade with foreigners, especially with the United Stated because most famous and large manufacturers are under the control of the United Stated. In other words, the United Stated is a central part in which all products and goods from different parts of the world could traffic under their power. So, the official language for both speaking and written form is English. For this reason, Chinese traders need to improve their knowledge to English language because they might enlarge their trading either with Chinese people or with foreigners. Johnson, (2010) further raises that knowing English bring Chinese people to have better job and benefit. In other words, English is probably a bridge to well-paid job or gate to reach working world. A big example raised by Johnson (2010) is 2008 Beijing Olympic Game which could be considered a great opportunity for Chinese people. Considerable Chinese people who have English knowledge would make much money, even taxi drivers because a number of foreign visitors entered China. Since then, more and more Chinese people are interested in English because they may earn a lot of money for daily job as well as in the next consequent famous events (China daily as cited in Johnson, 2010). Wang (2011) emphasizes that English is regarded as a demanded foreign language by a lot of Chinese people because fo the current need in working fields. As known that China has attracted many foreign investments-companies, factories, restaurants, shops and others-to come to do business, particularly from the United States, and the United Kingdom. Hence, many Chinese people who have English knowledge are given priority to have job opportunity since in daily operation, Egnlish is used to communicate between employees and employers. Besides oral communication, written form in English through faxes, and emails are commonly used to contact one another within workplace or to other workplaces. More importantly, the legal documents such as contracts and other agreements are officially written in English, particularly in joint ventures, and agreements of exhanging products and services. According to Rugman and Collinson, 2006 as cited in Wang (2011), most management teams in international bus inesses use English to communicate with their employees within the company as well as with other companies. Rugman and Collinson, 2006 as cited in Wang (2011) also point out that there are two different levels in communications in international businesses in which first one refers to a communincation between two independent business whereas the second one refers to a communication occurs in multinational business. Status of English international relationship Hui (2001) points out that after setting up opening door policy, Chinese government has reinforced English so that the country could probably understand and communicate with the world. Since Chinese citizen has adopted and used English, it has helped bring China to world. Probably due to the policy with integration of English in Chinese policy system, China gets involved with the world through numerous works with the United States. In addition, many foreign tourists visit China creating stronger relationship with the world. Hui (2001) further states that Chinese civil service and ministers go oversea to further their education in English as the time as more and more students get scholarship to continue their study at English speaking countries like the United State and Australia. Also, Gil Adamson (2004) state that China has become more and more popular in the world; therefore, more connections between China and other countries have to be built up gradually. And to help build up the connections and to make those nations understand China or vice versa, Chinese government possibly need to use English because it is an international language. Most Chinese documents, especially official documents from political leaders need to translate into English in order that other goverments find it easily to communicate. Based on Hung, 2002 as cited in Gil Adamson (2004), Chinese government has established Foreign Language Bureau and Foreign Language Press to help facilitate English language and translate the governments view to the rest of the world in which China has a connection with. Sun, 1999 as cited in Zhang (2008) raises that because of arrival of English, Chinese government could build up its prestige in international events which lift up China to the world. Zhang (2008) emphasizes that English becomes Chinese students passports for a better life. Chinese people who have English knowledge may find it easier to in foreign events or countries rather that those who do not know it. Bakhtin, 1984 as cited in Zhang (2008) demonstrates that to develop its connections through the world, Chinese government encourage all ministries to improve its own ability in English. Bakhtin, 1984 as cited in Zhang (2008) further explains that knowing English might provide Chinese people with good way to obtain benefits, social position and image. According to Zhang Zhang (2008), English teaching in China was reduced due to a cold war in 1950s and 1960s between American and Soviet. On the other hand, English returns to China with high speed due to an open-door policy created by Deng Xiaoping who wants China to be modernized with the world. Virtue of this, Chinese government has rebuilt a diplomatic relationship with the United States. For this reason, a number of American teachers, students, and scholars travel to China as well as other foreigners come to visit and reside in China. Because of better connections between China and the United States, China government has sent a few politicians to the United States or vice versa in order that they could exchange their concepts and learn each other. Lam, 1999 as cited in Zhang (2008) states that China government rents considerable English experts to help instill Chinese officials so that they may work effectively in jobs because they works as the countrys representatives Similarly, Song (2009) indicates that due to its open-up policy, China becomes an interesting nation attracted by the world. From time to time, China plays more important role in the world in fields of politics, economy, culture, and diplomatic. A few famous events; for example, 2008 Olympic Games, Shanghai World exhibition, and Boao Foru are consequently held in China impressing millions of people around the globe. Hence, to make China easily connect the rest of world or vice versa, Chinese people, particularly the ones who work in the government need to have English knowledge. Thus, English teaching/learning in China starts from low level (elementary) up to higher one (university level). Song (2009) reveals that due to department of English of Nanjing University, western cultures and ideas, and Chinese cultures and ideas are promoted in teaching/learning English courses. In other words, Chinese learners are encouraged to acquire both westerns and Chinas philosophy and culture at the same time so that the learners can use English expressions to substitute Chinese ones when there are not any equivalence to English or vice versa. Likewise, based on Jiang (2011), English is considered a golden award for Chinese people which could promote Chinas prestige and image in many international connections after China is registered to be a member of Word Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. The international connection between China and the world is gradually accelerating as soon as appearance of English language in China. Through the connection, a few famous events such as international exhibitions, and Olympic Games celebrating in China, attract millions of people around the world to visit China. According to Li Li, a vice president of New Orient as cited in Jiang (2011) declares that the influence of those events can give China more power as well as prestige to develop the country faster. Onec again, because more and more Chinese people gain more English competence, their connections with the rest of world is getting better and better. In the same way, Su (2011) indicates that as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), China tries its best to take adantages of this chance to meet challenges. China has promoted and accelerated both products and human resources in order to compete with other nations. To export more products to the world, more companies and factories have been established, and run the companies and factories, human resources has been improved by sending them to well-known nations such as the United States, and the United Kingdom, so that they can develop their technological and English skills. Furthermore, to help build up their students knowledge in English, China has to reinforce billingual education. Student are requiresd to accomplish English since they have to face a plenty of international situations. Another benefit that China obtain after being WTOs member is international relation. English not only brings China to compete with other nations in terms enonomy but it also allows China to have closely relationship with the world, specially with the United States. Su (2011) explain that as English serves as a variety of benefits for Chinese people and its society, China is having more willingness and power to push better national image in internationa l arena and to encourage their students to step forward on ladder to reach the world of prestige. III. Conclusion According to mentioned above, status of English language may plays important roles in education, business and economy, and international connection. To some extent, arrival of English may also be one of the reasons that help develop and improve in China. It is non-avoidable thing for Chinese people to associate with others and to adopt the age of technology; as a result, it needs to accept English since it is a language of technology. Therefore, Chinese governments has emerged English education to help build up Chinese students ability in English from lower levels up to higher levels. Besides the importance of English in education, it also plays as a main role in doing business, especially in international businesses and international relationship. However, Jiang (2011) states that while English may profit Chinese people and its society, the negative impact probably come to Chinese people and its language, too. Professor Ma and professor Pen as cited in Jiang (2011, p. 198) emphasizes that there is a important connection between language and national security and English fashion in china is not a good phenomenon for the development of national language security, which is the component of national sovereignty. The fast spread of English language in China will more or less ruin Chinese language since many Chinese students pay less attention on their own language. According to my understanding, I would say that what China does to its country is properly right because it brings the development, prestige as well as status to the country. However, it may not be an appropriate idea to highly promote English without seeing the bad influence to the society. The more China tries to give value to English for their development; the bad impact will come to damage Chinese Language. As we know that, Chinese language is widely spoken and used if comparing to English. A number of Chinese people are around the world doing business, so its language is used accordingly. Nonetheless, if English is supported Chinese citizen, a number of next generations will more or less forget his or her own language (Chinese language) from time to time. Based on my point of view, Chinese government should reduce the image of English by emerging Chinese language wherever English is. Chinese language should be promoted to write in research articles and publish in international journals, Chinese governments should raise awareness that Chinese language needed to be preserved in order to defend its reputation, and last but not least, Chinese government should limit the number of English learning at all educational system.

The Competitors :: Creative Writing Essays

Creative Writing: The Competitors As thousands of people poured into the rectangular shaped stadium for what was being called, "the event of the century" , the participants readied themselves for the hardships they would surely suffer from the games. After a long grueling season of intense bodily torture this would by the final chapter of confrontations. Out of the 275 original members of the DFS leagues infant year, only 20 remained. These men and women were not only hardened on the outside, but on the inside as well for they had long since learned the weaknesses that emotions bring. Everyone one present in the cubical that was called a dressing room knew that as soon as the capacity crowd of 300,000 had settled, they would no longer be comrades brought together by the common bond that friendship makes but enemies of the battle field each one jockeying for the upper hand. As the referee announced there was half an hour left before game time, a few players huddled together to say a quick prayer while others gathered around the head coach for a final word of advice. One of the competitors listening to this advice was Matt Williams or "The Destroyer", as he was known by the crowd. He was a powerfully built young man who was in the possession of deep opaline eyes, nightmarish black hair, and a ruddy complexion. Feared by all for his ruthless behavior, Matt had joined the DFS league after being courtmarshaled by the army for striking the commanding officer of his platoon. Why he was even near the coach was a mystery to him because most of the coaches words fell on unhearing ears. Matt guessed he was just nervous. Who wouldn't be. Looking up, Matt saw that the coach had left and it was time to enter the field. Strapping on his helmet and the rest of his gear, he took a deep breath, focused his thoughts, and ran out onto the field joining the rest of the players. The roar of the crowd sounded as if a tsunami was breaking on the beach and the ground felt as if it were pulsating with a life of its own. He never remembered these feelings before but he simply shrugged off the thought as he faintly heard the sound of the referee's whistle. Suddenly, the sound of the crowd was replaced by e reverberating silence that was deafening in Matt's ears.

I Hope You Dance

I hope you dance â€Å"And when you get the chance to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance. † (Sillers,2010, ll. 8. &9. ) If you had the chance to sit it out or dance, would you dance? This amazingly, inspirational song was written by Tia Sillers when she was at her breaking point, sitting on the beach just after going through a heart wrenching divorce. It really is peculiar that such an inspirational and beautiful song such as â€Å"I hope you dance† was written at such a devastating time.As she sat beside the ocean, pondering on all that she been through, she realized, things aren’t so bad. She interprets this in her lyrics by saying â€Å"I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean. † (Sillers,2010, l. 5) â€Å"I hope you dance† is unmistakabley pulled from deep within Siller’s soul. Anyone who hears this song, and truly takes these lyrics to heart could undoubtedly pull themselves out of whatever strife they may be go ing through at any given time. With Mrs.Siller’s inspirational words, she truly has created the most breath taking song of our time. I have a very deep understanding of this song because â€Å"I hope you dance† has helped me through some extremely difficult times. I was homeless at the age of sixteen and ready to give up on the world when I first heard this song playing over the radio. With the help of Sillers words I was able to find the inspiration inside myself and keep going to school even if it meant sacrificing a day of pay from missing work.I knew that although things would be extremely difficult to attempt to be able to work enough hours to get my own place and attend high school on a regular basis, but with the help of her words I found the motivation within myself to give it my all. After three months I had saved enough money for the deposit and first month’s rent and my grades we’re decent enough for me to graduate on time with the rest of my p eer’s. Now that I am more stable things have become less difficult, but whenever I am having a hard time, I simply go to you tube and listen to Siller’s song. I hope you dance† has undoubtedly shed light on an endless number of suffering souls.â€Å"Don’t let some Hellbent heart leave you bitter, when you come close to selling out reconsider. † (Sillers, 2010, ll. 15. 16. )Those lyrics convey the struggle life can throw at a person, but they are also telling them to never give up. Tia was trying to reach into the hearts of all the suffering souls out there, and try to get them to look at the bigger picture. â€Å"May you never take one single breath for granted. (Sillers, 2010, l. 3) Tia was trying to get the point across that life is a gift, and to simply sit it out and let it pass you by could be a tremendous mistake that no one can ever take back. She also indicates this in like thirteen: â€Å"Livin might mean takin chances, but they’re worth takin. † (Sillers, 2010, l. 13. ) Throughout life there are many obstacles to overcome, and not every road you take will be a smooth one, but the bumpiest road, will often lead you to the greenest field.Siller’s showed an understanding for this by writing â€Å"I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance. Never settle for the path of least resistance. † (Sillers, 2010, ll. 11. 12. ) Every successful person has had to struggle in life, but with struggle, comes satisfaction. If every person was able to listen to this song, but not just listen, understand this song, I feel as though statistics such as the high school drop-out rate, or the college drop-out rate would decrease.Giving up would simply not be an option. Sometimes we all need a little inspiration, something to get us motivated and focused on the bigger picture. Life is about making mistakes, Siller’s portrays this perfectly by saying â€Å"Whenever one door closes I hope one more opens. † (Sillers, 2010, l. 6. ) Although doors may close, and devastation may take a toll on a person’s life, one needs to be able to pick themselves back up, and open another door, but not just for the sake of moving, but for their own satisfaction.If â€Å"I hope you dance† was listened by everyone at least once a day, people would be able to find it in themselves to pick themselves up and keep moving forward, for with every step one takes forward is another step closer to their ultimate goal of success. No one would drown themselves in their own self-pity, for they could find the inspiration in themselves through the understanding of the lyrics of â€Å"I hope you dance. †References Kawashima, D (2010) â€Å"I hope you dance† Retrieved August 28, 2012 from Song Writer Universe: http://www. songwriteruniverse. com/sillers. htm

Intervention A plan for intervention deals with theories of strain labeling association social control essays

Intervention A plan for intervention deals with theories of strain labeling association social control essays Take-home Midterm Exam Part Two In order to prevent children from growing up in environments that produce deviant behavior we can take certain crucial steps while they are still receptive to social molding. Through the plan of intervention that I propose, we are assured that the next generation of our societys children will not be plagued by the problems described by the theories of Labeling, Differential Association, Social Control, and Strain. The program I propose involves inserting highly-trained mentors into our elementary, junior high, and high schools. The objective is to have these mentors, or role models, develop a personal relationship with their students, and through that relationship they will provide the guidance, support, and counseling that each student requires. As there are no funding limitations, it is possible to have the abundant amount of mentors that is necessary. With each mentor dedicated to his group of about 10 students, an ample amount of time and attention is guaranteed to each student. The mentor, who must first pursue a college education in the areas of psychology, sociology, and child development, as well as specialized mentor training will be well-suited and educated to help guide the children into good social standing. Each mentor will first be introduced to their group of children at the beginning of each educational institution (i.e. elementary school, junior high, high school), and then stay dedicated to that group for the remainder of their stay at the institution. The point of this aspect of the program is to provide time for the mentor and group to develop a trusting and respectful relationship; hopefully, a bond will develop between each member of the group, as well as between each member and the mentor. From the theory of Differential Association, we learn that people are often pushed into d ...

The Awakening essays

The Awakening essays One interesting thing about Edna's suicide is that it was very impromptu. It wasnt as if she had been contemplating it for a while. She just started swimming. Her emotions just swept her away, as did the tide. I dont recall the book ever talking about divorce, though. If this story had taken place in todays society, Edna would have simply divorced her husband, instead of committing suicide. Although the story does state that she loved and respected her husband, by todays standards her staccato and temporal relationship with Robert, in my opinion, would have been enough to make her divorce her husband and try to marry Robert. The divorce rates these days are skyrocketing. With all of the womens rights movements and everything, this story takes on a new meaning in this day and age. The story also shows that divorce was not common during the time that it was written, as it was not mentioned. I'm sure people who got divorced in that time were looked down upon and shunned. Chopin did not want that to happen to her character because you need to have sympathy for Edna in order for her suicide to move you. Also, the character Alcee would have taken on a slightly different role in present times. His audacious behavior towards Edna would be displayed differently, had Edna been a present day woman. She would have probably taken the flirtatious comments and gestures more easily, as present day society is more open than it used to be. But I think the most interesting thing about Ednas suicide was the fact that right before she swam off into oblivion, she felt totally free, which raises an interesting point. Maybe all she wanted to be was free. Divorce, like her suicide, would have freed her from everything. She could have done whatever she wanted after the divorce. So I guess it would have been to her benefit to get a divorce had this been a true to life story. She could have had innoc...

Research method of business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Research method of business - Essay Example To demonstrate credential towards its stakeholders (society, consumers, and investors), that is concerned about ethical and environmental issues. Ongore & K’Obonoye (2011) defines corporate social responsibility as, ‘the idea of triple bottom line –people, planet and profit which aims to evaluate the social, environmental and financial performance of business enterprise (Ongore & KObonoye, 2011)’. The idea emphasizes that the organizations should not be focused to maximize its profit but also act responsibly towards environment and society. The increasing advancement in the social media has amplified the consumer to raise concerns regarding business practices of an organization. It has increase accountability of the organization toward society, consumers and stakeholder by undertaking ethical and environmental practices in its operations. However, Corporate Social Responsibilities remains to be debatable phenomena with respect to competitiveness, sustainabi lity, and globalization. Until now no particular definition for Corporate Social Responsibility is prose. Some of the researchers claim that CSR is the combination of approach towards social performance, social responsiveness, corporate governance, sustainable development, etc. However, the organization inclined to attain sustainable business practices to improve its positioning in the market for a longer period. Corporate Social responsibility is becoming and important phenomena for the business entities to benefit its stakeholders nu involving in social and environmental activities. Also, it is also argued that the CSR activities allow improving product quality, attaining customer loyalty and service quality. Corporate Social Responsibility associated with the internal production, distribution regulation, employment, and environmental protection/regulation and wages level. A report highlights that the retail sector accounts for one fifth of nonfinancial business enterprises in European Union