Financing the Short Term Obligations of The Business Assignment - 1

Financing the Short Term Obligations of The Business - Assignment Example b. Retained earnings Retained earnings are profits that have been retained within the business for use in the operation of the business instead of being paid out as dividends to its shareholders. One of the operational uses of profits retained in the business is meeting the business short-term obligations. c. Capital Market Sourcing funds through the capital market simply meant getting additional funds through the issuance of new shares of stocks. If a company is unquoted, it simply has to obtain a Stock Exchange quotation to be able to issue shares of stocks to raise funds for the operation of the business (Macdonald and Cheng 1997). d. Financial leases Finance leases are lease agreements between the user of the leased asset (the lessee) and a provider of finance (the lessor) during the leased asset’s useful life (Macdonald and Cheng 1997). This arrangement is usually resorted to in obtaining fixed assets whereby a creditor agrees to act as the lessor by purchasing the asset and lease it to a company. The company will then use the asset and make regular payments to the creditor under the team of the lease (Macdonald and Cheng 1997). II. ... In fiscal year 2009, it experienced a slowdown due to the adverse macroeconomic conditions that includes high unemployment rate caused by the financial crisis in addition to H1N1 pandemic. It still managed to increase its net earnings during the year of comparison (2009). Liquidity Ratio Current Ratio (Current assets/current liability) Current assets (in million) 370.6 Current liabilities 482.3 Current ratio .76 Acid test (Cash + Accounts Receivable + Short-term investment/current liability) Cash 121.7 Accounts Receivable 130 + Total cash and equivalents 251.7 Current liability 482.3 / Acid ratio .52 Efficiency Creditor days 16.78 (see appendix) Debtor days (debt/salesx365 days) 67.5 million/2,537.4 million x 365 days =9.7 days Inventory turnover = 0 (see appendix) McDonalds McDonald's is the leading global foodservice retailer with more than 33,000 local restaurants serving nearly 68 million people in 119 countries each day (McDonalds 2012). It is headquartered in the US and derives its revenue mainly from rent, royalties and fees paid by its franchises in addition to the company sales. McDonalds is also one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Financial Analysis Liquidity Ratios Current Ratio (Current assets/current liability) Current assets(in millions) 3,416 Current liabilities 2,988.70 / Current ratio 1.14 Acid test (Cash + Accounts Receivable + Short-term investment/current liability) Cash 1,796.0 Accounts receivable 1,060.4 + Total 2,856.4 Current liabilities 2,988.70 / Acid test ratio .96 Efficiency Creditor days 18.44 (see appendix) Debtor days (debt/salesx365 days) 181 million/22,744.70 million x 365 days =9.7 days Inventory turnover = 117 Summary 2009 Burger King McDonalds Current Ratio .76 1.14

At the end of the day, marketing communication does not deliver Essay - 1

At the end of the day, marketing communication does not deliver adverts, or direct mail pieces, or PR and corporate identity programs. We deliver results Discuss what you think is meant by this statement - Essay Example Those involved in marketing focus on catching consumers’ attention through catchy slogans, media exposure, redesigning packages and endorsements from celebrities. Marketing includes what is known as the four â€Å"Ps† which are product, people, place and promotion (Kerin, 2012). A result oriented business knows very well that it cannot afford to play around with marketing communication. Marketing communication is a fundamental part of any businesses marketing department. As a key element, communication plays a major part in marketing, as a process it uses words, signs, sounds, images, and behaviors to express ideas, feelings or even thoughts to a recipient. In short, it is conveying information to a recipient with an expectation of a feedback. With that knowledge, marketing communication simply put is the deployment of every media to convey a message to the market. It covers advertisements, branding, printing materials, direct marketing, packaging, online presence, sales presentations, PR activities, sponsorships and many more (MaRS, 2012). In as much as marketing communication has a hand in these activities, its main goal is to deliver results in the form of brand loyalty. Marketing communication is geared towards two major objectives; create a sustainable demand for the product (brand loyalty) and to make the sale cycle shorter (Marsdd.com 2012). Preference creation is often a long term objective as it is aimed at using tools of communication to place the company or product in the mind of the customers targeted. To place or position a product and build a brand is not an overnight adventure, but requires consistency and time in communication, product, pricing and distribution to show degree of commitment by the company. When preference is done through building brands, it helps impact the market share, access to talent and profitability as a means for company’s’ long term value provision. Communication through

Determine the Empirical Formula of Magnesium Oxide by reacting a known mass of Magnesium with Oxygen Essay Example for Free

Determine the Empirical Formula of Magnesium Oxide by reacting a known mass of Magnesium with Oxygen Essay Safety Risk Assessment: Properly follow lab safety guidelines by wearing lab coats, gloves, and goggles and clear any personal belongings off the experiment area or the apparatus table. Gently handle glassware. Be careful when dealing with Bunsen burners. Make sure the crucible does not break while heating it as it might break due to the immense air pressure inside. Conclusion: Mg10O3 is the empirical formula we found through our experiment. Theoretically, the empirical formula is MgO. This is because Magnesium is a group 2 element so it would lose two electrons to form Mg2+ ion. Oxygen is a group 6 element so it would gain two electrons to form a O2- ion. So in theory, the empirical formula is MgO. Therefore we see were nowhere close obtaining a empirical formula to the theoretical answer though according to our uncertainty for Oxygen which is  ±3 it could be the oxygen we had weighed 5g and so therefore giving us a much accurate result of Mg10O2 which would go to a simplest ratio of Mg2O which would be closer to the theoretical answer. In addition to this according to our huge uncertainty the ratio could have also been 1:1 if the ratio would have led to 6:6. Though we see that the reason behind getting such an inaccurate answer is due to the incomplete combustion and due to not using a much more precise and accurate balance to weigh the apparatus and chemicals used.

Stigmatization Of People With Schizophrenia Social Work Essay

Stigmatization Of People With Schizophrenia Social Work Essay Schizophrenia is a mental illness with symptoms like delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behaviour, and inappropriate emotions (Barlow Durand, 2009). These symptoms would distort an individuals living to a certain extent. For example, the irrational thoughts may result in communication problems. In fact, not only do the symptoms of schizophrenia affect an individual, stigmatization of people with schizophrenia also has profound effects on those people with schizophrenia. Stigma is the general negative attitudes towards a certain group of people (Schneider, 2004). Many scholars suggested that people with schizophrenia are highly stigmatized (Chang Johnson, 2008; Gingerich Mueser, 2006; Prior, 2004). They are generally described as depressed, unpredictable, violent, dangerous and aggressive (Chang Johnson, 2008; Schneider, 2004). Although these may be true for some cases, it is believed that there is overgeneralization of the situation. The situation would also be worsened by the media (Chang Johnson, 2006), which sometimes connect schizophrenia to violent acts. For example, a person with schizophrenia would be more likely to be a murder. These negative views would trigger discrimination on people with schizophrenia. Schneider (2004) suggested the labeling theory to explain why people with mental illness behave in the way that the general public describes as dangerous and violent. He explained that they act as dangerous and violent just because they are stigmatized and play out their assigned roles. Therefore, it can be seen that they may actually be socialized to behave in those ways instead of behaving naturally. It should be noted that people are not only stigmatized while they are suffering from schizophrenia. A research was done by Cheung and Wong (2004) with 193 people in Hong Kong on the perception of stigmatization on people with mental illness. The result shows that the majority agrees with the fact that most people believe that someone with a previous mental illness is untrustworthy and dangerous. Schizophrenia, being one of the mental illnesses, is of no exception. The implication of this research is that stigmatization on people with schizophrenia is a life-long issue, from the onset of the disorder until the end of ones life. Gingerich and Mueser (2006) suggested that stigma on people with schizophrenia may make others feel fear of and avoid interacting with those people. This fear and avoidance would in turn reduce the interaction between people with schizophrenia and the public and there would be less opportunity to change the stigmatizing beliefs (Gingerich and Mueser, 2006). Holmes and River (1998) introduced the concept of social stigma and self-stigma. The aforementioned are social stigma as the general public stigmatizes those with schizophrenia. Chang and Johnson (2008) suggested that there are social messages delivered in the stigma which may lead to self-stigmatization of an individual. This further stigmatization would cause even more negative effects on oneself. Effect of stigmatization on people with schizophrenia As suggested by Tsang, Tam, Chan and Cheung (2009), stigmatization prohibits mentally ill people from recovery. Regarding situations in Hong Kong, Tsang et al. (2009) found from a survey that 80% of respondents thought social stigma has negative consequences towards mentally ill people. Compared with the high percentage, much less respondents considered social stigmatization unacceptable. Which means quite a number of people tolerate or accept stigmatization even though they know the impact brought. Other figures found by Tsang et al. (2009) also revealed the severeness of stigmatization in Hong Kong. For example, one fourth of respondents are hesitate to accept people with mental illness and about 30% of respondents oppose mentally ill elderly into elderly home. These thoughts and stigmatizations contribute to the effects brought by schizophrenia and make it more serious in Hong Kong. There is no doubt that stigmatization poses negative consequences on people with schizophrenia throughout their life. Chan, Mak and Law (2009) confirmed the point above after reviewing a lot of literatures. Firstly, it imposes constraints in daily living on those with schizophrenia. Moreover, it may lead to lower self-esteem, reduced life satisfaction and social adaptation. It also hinders help-seeking behavior. Apart from the above impacts, Corrigan (1998) also suggested that stigmatization would lead to discrimination, followed by loss of social opportunities as members of society withhold the chances related to work or income. Thus lead to poor quality of life. It should be noted that the psychological, social and biological aspects cause the negative consequences and they are interrelated. Socially, negative attitudes towards people with schizophrenia inhibit the employment opportunities (Corrigan, 1998). The claim is also supported by the finding by the Equal Opportunities Commission (1997) in Hong Kong. It stated that the mentally ill peoples employment rate is low (around 30%). The unemployment problems may trigger a lot of other problems. It is obvious that unemployment causes financial problems. It also places burden on clients relatives. Moreover, as stated by Mowbray, Bybee, Harris and McCrohan (1995), employment offers opportunities for social interaction, builds self-esteem and identity, and is the best predictor of recovery and social integration. However, without a job, there may be disappointment and self-blame of being a burden to the family or being incapable to earn a living. The psychological aspect of the people is thus af fected and may reduce life satisfaction. Tsang et al. (2003) also suggested that stigmatization not only affect the individual but also his family or social network. An example illustrated is that a large number of people would change seats in public transport when sitting next to people who appear to have mental illness. When going out with the mentally ill people, their relatives or families would feel embarrassed. Thus their emotions are also affected. And because of the stigmatization of experiences that irritate the mentally ill people, they may isolate themselves. The family is also likely to conceal their illness because they feel ashamed of the schizophrenic people. This is particularly true in Hong Kong as Chinese stresses the importance of collective representation of families (Tsang et al., 2003). This further prohibits the individual from interacting with other people. Because of the isolation, the individual is not quite possible to seek help from other. Without social support and social resources, the schizoph renic people are hard to adapt to the environment. This forms a vicious circle and the situation may become worse. Biological aspects may also increase the seriousness of stigmatization. Age of onset of mental illness may be an important factor. If a person is mentally ill since he/she was young, his/ her social network would narrow down as there may be discrimination and isolation. Thus the support is limited. Moreover, if the person suffers from schizophrenia during college or secondary school, his/her education is not competitive enough in Hong Kong as there are more and more students receiving tertiary education (Census Department, 2005). With the mental illness and lower than average academic achievement, they face a lot more difficulties in employment. Interventions It can be seen that stigmatization causes many negative effects on people with schizophrenia. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the stigma on them. However, there should be some consideration when intervening in the situation. Chiu, Chui, Kelinman, Lee and Tsang (2006) pointed out that those interventions which focus on changing public attitude towards schizophrenia are actually isolating those stigmatized to be a group that deserves special treatments. This in turn reinforces the stigmatization. Chiu et al. (2006) also stressed that there may be the possibility of making those stigmatized more aware of the fact that they are being stigmatized. They may become hopeless about changing the current situation and just conform to the stigmatization. Hong Kong has actually taken some actions to intervene in the stigmatization on people with schizophrenia. However, it seems that the actions taken are not quite effective in reducing the stigma. For example, psychiatrists changed the Chinese term for schizophrenia from splitting of the mind to perceptual disorder (Chiu et al., 2006, p. 1694). However, Chiu et al. argued that the new term was re-stigmatized quickly after a short period of time. Besides changing the name, there have been anti-stigma programmes which promote a sense that schizophrenia is an illness like any other (Davies, Haslam, Read Sayce, 2006). Davies et al. (2006) pointed out that these programmes failed to reduce the stigma as they deliver the message that individuals cannot control themselves when they are suffering from schizophrenia. This makes the public feel that those with schizophrenia become even more unpredictable and thus increasing the stigma. As it has been mentioned, stigma on people with schizophrenia can be divided as social stigma and self-stigma. Therefore, interventions at both community and individual level are needed to reduce the stigma on people with schizophrenia. For the community level, Gingerich and Mueser (2006) suggested letting people understand more about the situation instead of changing how they think about the situation directly. One common but effective way is education (Gingerich Mueser, 2006). Education allows people to develop a better understanding on schizophrenia, for example, the cause, effects and treatments. They may be able to view psychiatric symptoms as understandable psychological or emotional reactions to life events, thus reducing the fear on people with schizophrenia (Davies et al., 2006). A research done by Chan et al. (2009) discovered that it is more effective in reducing stigma on schizophrenia if there is a lecture about schizophrenia followed by a video show which includes real cases of schizophrenia. They explained the effectiveness of the education-video model as allowing participants to get enough information and background before having deeper processing of the video. It is suggested that there was little or no organized advocacy by psychiatric patients to strive for their own interest (Chiu et al., 2006), like legislation and resource allocation on people with schizophrenia. Besides, it is suggested that poor treatment of schizophrenia may intensify the stigmatization of schizophrenia (Prior, 2004) because people may over-generalize those small group who are poorly treated and have adverse symptoms as the majority of people with schizophrenia. Advocating for the improvement of services for people with schizophrenia can thus help to reduce stigma by allowing better recovery. Besides, services like employment assistance can help integrate them in society and allow them to develop a social network (Prior, 2004). For individual level, treatments like medication, psychosocial education (Chang Johnson, 2008). In addition, family cares and supports are important to reduce stigma on an individual with schizophrenia (Chang Johnson, 2008; Gingerich Mueser, 2006) as it is the first system that the individual would situate. If the family is a supportive one, it is more likely that the individual would be less self-stigmatized. In conclusion, stigmatization poses great impacts on individuals with schizophrenia and their families. These impacts included reduced life satisfaction and social adaptation. Unemployment is also an important factor that affects social and psychological functioning of people with schizophrenia. On the other hand, interventions should not focus on changing publics attitude towards people with schizophrenia. Instead, it should focus on letting people understand more about schizophrenia and providing supports to people with schizophrenia. In the community level, there can be education and advocacy. In the individual level, there can be medication, psychosocial education and family support.

Frankenstein :: essays papers

Frankenstein Mary Shelleyîâ€" ¸ Frankenstein is filled with various underlying themes, the crux being the effect society has on The Creatureîâ€" ¸ personality. In fact, the ethical debate concerning biotechnological exploration into genetic cloning has created a monster in itself. A multitude of ethical questions arises when considering the ramifications of creating a genetically engineered human being. Does man or science have the right to create life through unnatural means? Should morality dictate these technological advancements and their effects on society? The questions and concerns are infinite, but so to are the curiosities, which continue to perpetuate the advancement of biotechnological science. In literature, Mary Shelleyîâ€" ¸ Frankenstein serves as bio-ethical exhortation for today îâ€" ¸ technological advances in genetic cloning. Mary Shelleyîâ€" ¸ Frankenstein provides a clear distinction between the theoretical grandeur of manîâ€" ¸ ability to scientifically author life and the stark reality, which it encompasses. Shelley prophetically illustrates some of the potential hazards of breaking through the barrier that separates man from God. Her insight allows the reader to trace these reputations through Victor Frankenstein, the monster, and eventually society. The character of Victor Frankenstein illustrates the path of destruction scientists can create when ignoring their moral community. Victor was so impassioned with his life îâ€" ¸ work that he has lost all soul or sensation but for this one pursuit. Frankensteinîâ€" ¸ blinding ambition prevented him from seeing the potential consequences of his actions until it was too late. The first sign of Victorîâ€" ¸ fatal flaw of egotism is that he forgets his bond to nature and to the people he loves. î˜ £ new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would own their being to me.? (933). His absence of moral judgement is the catalyst for what becomes the demise of the creature, society and ironically himself. It would be years before Victor fully realized that his neglect of moral obligation to the creature and society had unleashed a hideous monster that would eventually destroy his society as revenge for the monsterîâ€" ¸ sense of abandonment. î˜ « shuddered to think that future ages might curse me as their pest, whose selfishness had not hesitated to buy its own peace at the price, perhaps, of the existence of the whole human race.? Frankenstein led by the desire to widen human knowledge finds that fulfillment of his lofty ambition has brought only a curse to mankind.

Dead Man Walking Book Review :: essays research papers

Dead Man Walking Dead Man Walking, a story by Sister Helen Prejean, is a superb book, presenting most of the aspects regarding capital punishment. According to my opinion the unique thing about this book, is its ability to make people reflect upon and even question their earlier thoughts concerning the death penalty. Many different points of view are presents, but the book doesn’t pick sides. Dead Man Walking manages to remain objective even when we approach the painful end. The book is based on Sister Helen Prejean’s experiences with inmates on death row. Sister Helen receives a letter from prisoner Matthew Poncelet. Due to a horrible murder to which he claims only to have been an observer, he is now on death row, waiting for his execution. He requests her to come visiting him. In the next few days we follow Sister Helens conversations with Matthew, his family and the families of the two teenagers brutally raped and killed. In spite of the fact that Helen meets a lot of anger and sorrow for her being so involved with Matthew she keeps on fighting for his life. But the appeal gets rejected and the execution gets closer There is one statement in the book that I think summarizes the theme. A lawyer observes: â€Å"it is easy to kill a monster, but hard killing a human being.† I think that one of the reasons Sister Helen Prejean wrote this book is to bring more knowledge about the complex death penalty to the public. While the rest of the Western world has abolished this, in my opinion, old-fashioned punishment has become an asset to US politicians in order to gain trust from the American voters. Sister Helen Prejean and the condemned Poncelet are defiantly the main characters of this book. Even though few people can identify themselves with Poncelet, his grief and despair occurs before and during the injection and reminds us that less than few are totally in lack of emotions. Sister Helen is a Nun who spends much of her time doing charity in her poor neighborhood. She is having a hard time not letting her to Poncelet’s actions dominate her spiritual relationship, but manages to remember the Christian message: â€Å"Every man is worth more than his worst actions.

Physical Activity at School Is Important Essay

Physical activity is important in many various ways. Aim for 30 minutes of physical activity a day on most days of the week. Your activity can be spread out through the day. Try for 10 minutes at a time, but even a few minutes’ counts. A big reason physical activity important is having strong bones. Another big reason is having a healthier heart and lungs. Another reason physical activity is important is because everybody needs a lot of energy. All three of these reasons are important in our everyday lives. My first reason is you get stronger bones. Having stronger bones is one of the main reasons of physical activity and its importance. A personal experience that has happened to me is that my uncle never exercised and got osteoporosis. Exercising just a few minutes each day will gain you stronger bones. Every minute counts. Want muscles? Exercise at least 30 minutes’ each day for a long period of time I guarantee you results. My second reason is having a healthier heart and lungs. This is also one of the main reasons of physical activity and its importance. A personal experience I’ve gone through is that my grandpa died from chronic disease. Try keeping your heart and lungs extremely healthy. Avoid heart disease and acute disease. Nobody likes that. Live a long and healthier life. My third and final reason is having more energy. More energy throughout the day is magnificent. A personal experience that I’ve gone through is having no energy. Exercising allows more energy to flow through your body and be more enthusiastic during the day. In conclusion I believe physical is important in various ways. One reason is because you maintain stronger bones. Another reason is because you get a healthier heart and lungs. And the last reason is you get more energy. This content has shown most of the important reasons of why physical activity is important.