Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Starbucks Financial Analysis

Starbucks is a strong competitor in the service sector and a leader in the gourmet coffee industry. With a continued growth rate in store openings and maintaining successful profitability of its operations, Starbucks has demonstrated its ability to sustain a reliable and steady growth. Starbucks’ ability to contend with the vulnerability to current financial threats such as economic recession, higher interest rates, and global competition, is constantly proven by its incomparable brand image, its continual product innovations, and its exceptional customer service. This also proves to be its strongest investment strategy.One strategic way to evaluate the vulnerability of Starbucks to current financial threats is to execute a SWOT Analysis. A SWOT analysis is a situation analysis in which the strengths and weaknesses of an organization, and external opportunities and threats it faces are examined to chart a strategy (Business Dictionary, 2012).SWOT is the acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The purpose of the SWOT analysis is to assess what an organization can and cannot do in addition to evaluating the potential opportunities and any financial and economical threats it may face.Over the years, Starbucks have developed much successful strengths. Here are a few of the most recognizable strengths: The quality of their coffee is considered the highest in the world. They engage with customers and the communities to provide better business.Starbucks has over 17,000 stores globally in convenient locations to attract more customers. Starbucks have expanded their product line to sandwiches, pastries, and natural tea-blend drinks. Starbucks have loyal employees who are valued, motivated, and hard-working and are provided a pleasant working environment.They have exceptional relationships with all suppliers which helps them exceed as industry market leaders. Over the past several years, Starbucks has received several award and recognitions such as â€Å"No. 1 Best Coffee† and â€Å"No. 1 Most Popular Quick Refreshment Chain† by Zagat’s Survey of National Chain Restaurants, one of â€Å"The Best 100 Companies to Work For† by Fortune Magazine, one of the â€Å"World’s Most Ethical Compamies† by Ethisphere, and one of the â€Å"World’s 50 most Innovative Companies† by Fast Company. With all companies, where there are strengths there are weaknesses.Starbucks have noted and viable strengths, but they have weaknesses that could overshadow the success of these strengths placing them a step or two behind their competitors. Here are some of their weaknesses: The size of the company is larger than most of their competitors, lack of internal focus because much focus is on expansion and not on the diversification of other sectors, product pricing is overstated because of their premium brand coffee, which demands premium pricing, and excessive dependency on coffee-alone produ cts.Starbucks have willed many opportunities to become the most valuable gourmet coffee leader in the world. They have already succeeded in expanding their product line by introducing the world to cold coffee beverages, flavored herbal drinks, and hot sandwiches and salads for lunch.So, now they have the opportunity to continue to expand in their development overseas, continue their innovation and commitment to product development, and possibly co-brand with other manufacturers of food and drinks to help expand their product line.The competition in gourmet coffee in general has proved to be more advanced than one would imagine. So, it’s no surprise that the competition would be one the most highly doable threats. With coffee sellers ranging from coffee houses to restaurants and fast-food carry-outs such as McDonald’s, Starbucks has to contend with ensuring that they maintain their perfection in coffee and customer service to avoid such threats. Another major threat is the economy. The state of the economy today, particularly in the future depends especially on consumer spending.This would play a key role in Starbucks’ sales growth and profits. Factors such as increased debt service levels resulting from interest rate changes, downturn in the housing market, and the increase in oil and gas prices would affect optional spending.Now that the assessment of the SWOT analysis has been completed, it’s time to determine the financial performance of Starbucks over the past three years and predict how it will perform in the future by using financial ratio analysis. This will be determined by examining the Income Statement and Balance Sheet as of FY 2011.Consolidated Statements Of Earnings (USD $)12 Months EndedIn Millions, except Per Share data Oct. 02, 2011 Oct. 03, 2010 Sep. 27, 2009 Net revenues: Company-operated stores $ 9,632.4 $ 8,963.5 $ 8,180.1 Licensed stores 1,007.50875.2795 CPG, foodservice and other 1,060.50868.7799.5 Total net re venues 11,700.4010,707.409,774.60 Cost of sales including occupancy costs 4,949.304,458.604,324.90 Store operating expenses 3,665.103,551.403,425.10 Other operating expenses 402293.2264.4 Depreciation and amortization expenses 523.3510.4534.7 General and administrative expenses 636.1569.5453 Restructuring charges 053332.4 Total operating expenses 10,175.809,436.109,334.50 Gain on sale of properties 30.200 Income from equity investees 173.7148.1121.9 Operating income 1,728.501,419.40562 Interest income and other, net 115.950.337 Interest expense 33.3-32.7-39.1 Earnings before income taxes 1,811.101,437559.9 Income taxes 563.1488.7168.4 Net earnings including noncontrolling interests 1,248948.3391.5 Net earnings (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests 2.32.70.7 Net earnings attributable to Starbucks $ 1,245.7 $ 945.6 $ 390.8 Earnings per share – basic $ 1.66 $ 1.27 $ 0.53 Earnings per share – diluted $ 1.62 $ 1.24 $ 0.52 Weighted average shares outstanding: Basic 748.3744.4738.7 Diluted 769.7764.2745.9 Cash dividends declared per share $ 0.56 $ 0.36 $ 0In reviewing the Income Statement for Starbucks from 2009 to 2011, it is evident that the company has successfully increased its profitability through performance each year by almost 10%. Its income from operation has almost tripled from 2009. Based on Starbucks’ continued plan of expansion, this financial progression depicts a continuous trend.As noted in the financial statement above and pictured in the chart below, Starbucks obtains the majority of its revenue from its company-operated stores. This proves that if Starbucks continues its expansion of retail stores, the revenue from these sales will continue to rise as it has in the past 10 years. The company’s share earnings have also spiked in the last three years by almost doubling between 2009 and 2010 and up 31% in 2011.The financial ratio analysis will provide an assessment of the stability and profitability of Starbucks and allow investors and shareholders to determine the probability of a profitable future. Below is a chart of different financial ratios used to describe the different criteria for Starbucks and to evaluate the past three years. Profitability – Revenue201120102009Gross Profit 57.7%   58.4%   55.8% EBIT Ratio 15.5%   13.4%   5.7%The first set of ratios measures the profitability of Starbucks. These ratios measure the effectiveness of Starbucks capital. A high profitability could be attributed to effective competency. This chart shows that Starbucks have maintained an elevated profit margin, which indicates its ability to manage its largest assets costs.The other ratio, EBIT measures the overall operating efficiency. The next chart shows the liquidity ratios of the firm which indicates how efficient Starbucks handles its short-term obligations. Short-term liquidity includes items that are to be received or paid in cash within a year.A ratio of 2 is the ideal rate for a good standing company using the current ratio. This indicates that the company can pay its creditors and that it has more current assets than current liabilities. A current ratio below 1 signifies trouble for the company and that they may have problems meeting their creditor obligations. The difference between the current ratio and quick ratio is the use of inventory.Financial Condition 2011-2010Debt/Equity Ratio 20%   25% Current Ratio 1.831.55 Quick Ratio 0.190.17The below chart illustrates what kind of return Starbucks receives on its investments. These ratios give investors a clear mind of how well the investments are performing. The ROE ratio illustrates the returns that stockholders are earning on their investments in Starbucks. In prior years, Starbucks have consistently increased this ratio percentage and continues to rise. The ROA ratio tells investors how much profit Starbucks generated for every dollar in assets.Investment Returns % 2011-2010Return on Equity 28.4% 25.7% Return on Assets 18.1% 13.8%Based on the ratios above, it appears that Starbucks is continuing to progress successfully in profits and its ability to increase leverage and maintain a reasonably stable trend in the future. Starbucks can increase leverage by repurchasing outstanding stock and increasing debt financing. Based on the recent benchmarks over a 12 month period, Starbucks is still in line with the industry. â€Å">

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

History of Culinary Arts Essay

The history of culinary arts started in the early 1800 when the first cooking school in Boston was established to teach the art of American cooking and prepare the students to deliver and forward their knowledge to others. It was in 1896 Fannie Merritt Farmer published the first cook book; the book was written referring the Boston cooking school. In the year 1946 the first cooking show was telecasted on the televised. After thatJames Beard the father of American cuisine conducted regular cooking classes concentrating on the art of American cooking. In 1960s the French cuisine has been entered the American society by Julia Child. Later in the year the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) was founded and established this was the first culinary school that offers career-based courses of course in the art of cooking. The first campus of the CIA was inNew York and was started in 1972 and now there are Different types of cooking schools that offer different kinds of training programs to its candidates and the selection of the appropriate culinary arts and it can be determined by considering the goals and interests and aid to choose the education programaccordingly. The school was begun with the intention of offering education courses in culinary arts. The school offers both long term and short term courses. There are a number of students who enrol in the CIA and each year and the number of applicants increase. Prior to the establishing of the CIA, those who wanted to have a career in culinary arts typically had to go through many tests and challenges like until they become seasoned chefs by gaining on-the-job trainings. Looking at this today internships and recruitments are among the main essentials. â€Å"

How to Raise Leaders at Every Level to Achieve Extraordinary Results?

How to Raise Leaders at Every Level to Achieve Extraordinary Results? Alaa Ahmed MBA Candidate Introduction Leadership is an important concept in every sector, in family, school, organization, company, and in every community. The secret behind the success of any organization is its leadership. Academic analysis has given us more than 850 definitions of leadership (bennis, 1997). All of them have the same factors but in different formulations. After I read many of these definitions, I saw leadership as guiding a group of people toward achieving a specific goal.Scholars researched and studied leadership styles, and leadership patterns, whereas Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner studied leadership from a different perspective. They dealt with leadership as a challenge and the leader who succeeds in facing the challenge and gets extraordinary result is considered exemplary. As a result, Kouzes and Posner started their journey since 1983 looking for how the leader becomes exemplary and achieves extraordinary results. Their study covered leadership in all sectors and on all the continents of the world. They collected data from different people and mangers during 25 years and analyzed them.They found that in order for a leader to be exemplary and able to get extraordinary results, he/she has to be able to transform values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into innovations, separateness into solidarity, and risks into rewards (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). To get all this done, they outlined a mechanism that they called â€Å"The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadershipâ€Å" ; there are two commitments that go along with each practice which are the subject of our research. Model the way Model the way is aligned with two commitments .The first one is find your voice by clarifying your values. A leader must clarify the values that he believes in, look for the common values, and have the ability to transfer these values into actions. A clear guiding principle is necessa ry to follow and to gain the consensus about these principles from to be easily applied. These values must be reflected in the leader’s behavior to emphasize credibility which as Kouzes and Posner said is the foundation of leadership. Leaders’ clear values help them to practice the second commitment which is â€Å"set the example by aligning actions with shared values†.Telling stories helps others think about how to bring values alive. Giving rousing speeches is not enough; a leader has to go first and participate by doing what he asks others to do. Also a leader has to be (dwysywd) which is the acronym of (do what you say you will do). Followers will believe not what they hear from the leader but what they see the leader consistently do. For example, the director general of the company that I work for issued a decision that all employees must wear their ID on their chests as long as they were inside the company during the formal working time.The next day, we sa w him standing at the entrance wearing his ID as an example or a model for us. Undoubtedly, model the way is not enough to complete the picture of the exemplary leadership, consequently; leaders need to follow another practice in order to share the vision. Inspire a shared vision Leaders to inspire a shared vision with their employees, have to practice two commitments. The first one is to envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities. Think for yourself and imagine the future that you wish for your organization.Ask, listen, and adapt mentally and emotionally the employees’ vision, their future imagination, and what they aspire for the organization. The second commitment is to enlist others in a common vision by appealing to a shared aspiration. A leader needs to analyze and discuss both aspirations to create a common aspiration which contributes in strengthening the work relationship and enlisting others to work on achieving the common aspiration. Welc ome any opinion or thoughts and give attention because innovation is created in this way. Francisco Magalhaes gives us an example through a story of his experience.When he had just started his new job at a railway workshop, he thought about something related to his job and concluded that there was a way to reduce the cost by more than half. He told his colleagues about that, but he did not get their attention. His colleagues’ reaction did not stop him; he went to his leader and told him about his idea. The leader immediately began analyzing Francisco’s proposal, discussed it with him and found that what Francisco proposed was correct. This direct leader continued supporting Francisco in order to implement this thought on the ground and he told the director general about Francisco (Magalhes, n. . ). This leader shared Francisco’s thought and gave him more attention. Without his leadership Francisco’s original idea would have failed. Inspiring and supportin g the innovative ideas of employees is what leaders have to do if they want to be exemplary; however, this exemplarity will not be completed without challenging the process. Challenger the process There are two commitments that can be used as strategies by the leader to challenge the process (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). One of these commitments is searching out challenging opportunities to change, grow, innovate, and improve.Leaders, who stay leading in the same way for a long time, will lose their employees’ enthusiasm. The great leader has to look for and create new ways to challenge the routine and encourage the team toward achieving its goals. Chip Perry, a president and CEO of AutoTrader. com, says that one of his powerful leadership techniques is to tell their employees that one of their main responsibilities is to challenge the status quo and work constantly to improve anything that may be used to get the work done (Yaverbaum, 2004)The second commitment is experimenting, t aking risks, and learning from the accompanying mistakes.The employees like to work with a leader who ventures into unfamiliar and uncertain situations and transfers risks into rewards because the best solutions are often found in these cases. Likewise, wisdom is gained through pain and reflection (Bennis, 2003, p. 134). Andy Stanly highlighted that if leaders stop challenging the process, they cease to be leaders and they become managers (Andy, 2006). This pushes us to split between leader and manger by saying that the leader is someone who guides and the manger is someone who drives.Besides, Bennis observed that â€Å"the manager is a copy; the leader is an original, the manager administers, the leader innovates, and the manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust† (Bennis, 2003, p. 45). However; leaders who search out opportunities, step into the unknown, are willing to take risks, and are prepared to meet whatever challenges may face them, are not always consider ed exemplary. The leader needs to empower others and support them, too. Enable others to act For leaders to enable others to act,they need to start with fostering collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust.Create spiritual cooperation between all the organization’s members by emphasizing that you trust them and believe that they can do the best. Donald Evans, Secretary of U. S. Department of Commerce says â€Å"Nothing is important to being and effective leader that having an unshakable trusting relationship with those whom you work with and those you lead† (Yaverbaum, 2004, p. 232). Great work does not occur without active involvement and support. Achieving the purpose of the organizations must be everyone’s responsibility, and good leaders promote teamwork rather than competition as the road to success.Competition, which is trying to beat others, is vastly different in purpose from collaboration which is trying to do well. The cooperative relationships between members are assets of the organization. Leaders must know how to nurture them. In building a strong team out of people with diverse and sometimes conflicting interests, leaders must develop cooperative goals, seek integrative solutions and build trusting relationships. There is a truth that you cannot do it alone. A leader will ever get anything extraordinary done without the talent and support of others.You need others and they need you. Then, the second commitment to fulfill this practice is to strengthen others by sharing power and discretion. When you intend to make a decision, ask employees about their ideas and listen. Involve them in the decision-making process. Zenger and Folkman mention that leaders can find best recourses by asking people in work about their ideas and seeking details. Fell others that you are concerned about their ideas and opinions (Zenger & folkman, 2007). Enable others to act is considered a major forward step to the five practice which is encouraging the heart.Encourage the heart Encouraging the heart is the fifth practice set by Kouzes and Posner. Leaders who want to get extraordinary results should recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence. Thank employees who did a great job, surprise them by giving moral and financial support. Let them feel that what they did is considered something magnificent in order to push them to give more, at the same time, to encourage others who do not have contributions to compete with employees who have contributions. Continue by elebrating the values and victories by creating a spirit of community. Celebrate team success and pride in the accomplishments. There is a strategy to be a good leader is to explore and expect leaders around you (Zenger & folkman, 2007). By looking for leaders around you and giving them the feeling that they might be future leaders; you encourage them to do better. Credibility is the foundation of leadership The five pr actices that we have reviewed paint a partial picture of leadership. These practices are like a body without soul, so there is no benefit from this body.They are like pillars built on the sands which quickly will fall down. According to research done by Kouzes and Posner for more than two decades, they were looking for what people admire in their leaders. Findings were that credibility is the characteristic that employees admire in their leaders, as the research showcase that the top four characteristics that employees look for in their leaders are; honesty, forward-looking, inspiring, and competent, consequently; these four characteristic are the core of the credibility. The research ranged across the world and years .It shows that honesty is the number one trait then forward looking, competent, and inspiring (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). Employees follow you as a leader when they believe and trust you. But without credibility which is the foundation of the leadership, there is an uphil l battle will face you because you will try to pull the employees to your site and as you are the only pulling, soon both sites are being weary and give up (Brown, 2011). Without credibility, you as a leader will fail to transfer your values into actions then you will lose your employees’ trust.Table 1 Characteristics of admired leaders Percentage of Respondents selecting that characteristic Characteristic| 2002 edition | 1995 edition | 1987 edition | Honest | 88| 88| 83| Forward looking | 71| 75| 62| Competent| 66| 63| 67| Inspiring | 65| 68| 58| Intelligent | 47| 40| 43| Fair-minded | 42| 49| 40| Broad-minded | 40| 40| 37| Supportive | 35| 41| 32| Straightforward | 34| 33| 34| Dependable | 33| 32| 33| Cooperative | 28| 28| 25| Determined | 24| 17| 17| Imaginative | 23| 28| 34| Ambitious | 21| 13| 21| Courageous | 20| 29| 27| Caring | 20| 23| 26|Mature | 17| 13| 23| Loyal | 14| 11| 11| Self-controlled | 8| 5| 13| Independent | 6| 5| 10| Source: The Leadership Challenge by Ji m M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner , 2002. The Five practices of exemplary leadership are distinctive When we review all studies and research about leadership, we will find that Kouzes and Posner studies and findings are different. What distinguish their findings are the followings: 1- The length of the study period which more than two decades. 2- Collecting data from different people (employees, managers, CEO’s, leaders). – They made their research more than one time in different periods in order to determine the constants. 4- Their surveys covered the world. (Africa, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, and Australia ) 5- They transferred their findings into clear concepts. The five practices of exemplary leadership Exemplary Leadership Encourage the Heart Enable Others to Act Challenger the Process Inspire a Shared Vision Model the Way Credibility Conclusion: The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership Make Extraordinary ResultsTwo recent research reports confirm the importance of the five practices of exemplary leadership (Kouzes & Posner, 2002). One of those reach was done by Richard Roi (2006). He asked the executives of 94 companies to rate their company’s senior leaders on the five practices of exemplary leadership. He analyzed those leaders with strong consistent application of the five practices; their companies had significant growth in net income and stock price by comparison with companies that has leaders with weak implementation for the five practices.There is a direct proportion between the five practices and the financial performance for the company. The second research consisted over 66,000 survey responses completed over the past two years. The finding is that the organizations that their leaders engaged in the five practices of exemplary leadership have significantly high levels of important employee attitudes (International leadership associates , 2007). The evidence is clear that the main reason behind the success of any organization is the strength of its leadership.Also, the evidence is strong that what make the leadership strong are the five practices of exemplary leadership. By these practices, leaders get extraordinary results and make significant differences in performance of their organizations. References Andy, S. (2006). challenge the process. ministry today magazine . bennis, w. (1997). leaders. new york: harper Business. Bennis, W. (2003). On becoming a leader. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Pub. Brown, M. (2011, 9 23). Credibility: A Critical Foundation of Leadership. Retrieved 2 23, 2012, from http://www. brownassociates. com/Blog/about International leadership associates . (2007). The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership. International leadership associates. Kouzes, J. M. , & Posner, B. Z. (2002). the leadership challenge. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Magalhes, F. B. (n. d. ). Leaders and Followers. Emerging Leader . Yaverbaum, E. (2004). leadership secrets of the world's most successf ul CEOs. chicago: dearborn trade publishing a kaplan proffessional company . Zenger, j. , ; folkman, j. (2007). the handbook for leaders.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Not sure Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Not sure - Research Proposal Example This was a triggering event for me, and I decided to research more. My research gave me a lot of literature about the mechanics of the SLR camera, and its preferred advantages over other forms of camera. I also gained a lot of resource material on the different brands of SLR and digital SLR (DSLR). However, when I was viewing the disadvantages of SLR I found out that one of the disadvantages of the SLR is that the mirror system can cause noise. I researched more on it, but could not get enough information. One of the reasons why noise came into the images was because of the thermal effect. Therefore it struck me if using a sensor cooling system in consumer grade DSLRs can reduce noise. I tried to find more literature if such cooling sensors are being used in consumer grade models. There was some information available on the usage of CCD sensors in DSLR for use in astrophotography; however, there was no literature or trial models in the market which used cooling systems for SLR in consumer grade models. Therefore I decided to base my research on the scope of developing a consumer grade SLR that integrated cooling systems to reduce noise. My research paper reviews the DSLR mechanics, and its merits and demerits over other forms of cameras. In the later part, the paper explores the science behind noise, and how it is overcome. It then goes on to justify that why cooling sensors can decrease noise. The paper outlines an experiment that could be performed in order to assess if cooling sensors can decrease noise. The paper also provides safety precautions that need to be taken and the scope, if the experiment is successful, of such DSLR models in the market for cameras today. As mentioned above, one of the disadvantages of consumer-grade DSLR is that the signal to noise ratio is high. Therefore the experiment is designed to investigate how one a certain type of sensor can reduce this ratio. The first step

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Different Rather Complicated Games Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Different Rather Complicated Games - Assignment Example That was when he started to design games of the same nature at the age of about 13.   The writer solemnly believes that the kind of thinking he was doing was the result of the video games and sitcoms that were popular at his time. The writer’s major argument here is that today’s pop culture does not affect the individuals, in fact, it is the other way round. Pop culture is the result of the system. The writer goes on to say that he doesn’t believe that today’s pop culture make it to the bracket of masterpieces but it certainly has more depth and meaning than it appears to have. The writer believes the sleeper curve to be the most important force that is affecting mental development in this age. He believes it to enhance thinking and improved behavior in members of the society rather than the opposite. The opposing position to this argument is that the pop culture enhanced by the popularity of video games knows no boundaries. The sex, violence, and profan ity not just give out a negative image of the society as a whole, it corrupts it. Columnist Suzanne Fields puts it best; it is shameful to think about how many people are exposed to the worst traits within their society. The boundaries of acceptable conduct have become murky because people believe it is okay for them to act in accordance with what the pop culture is showing them. The writer’s major argument is that media doesn’t corrupt society, it is a result of the corrupted society. The pop culture in the form of video games is a reflection of the real world, the world that isn’t the so happy and safe place people want it portrayed like. The author also says that it is not the content of the pop culture that matters but one needs to look at the positive thought process it is responsible for. The writer goes on to acknowledge the benefits of conventional learning forms such as books admitting that they are the best vehicle of learning but argues that video gam es can provide with the same benefits. The only problem people have with them is that they came later on. If video games were the conventional form of learning and books were introduced after them, people would have the same reaction to books. He says that people are just resistant to change and adapting to modes like television and video games as learning sources it just a matter of being better acclimatized with them. Video games benefits are simply not limited to better hand and eye coordination, it offers much more. In retrospect, video gaming is a more effective form of learning for it is more engaging, interactive and generally more enduring. It packages learning with the element of fun delivering lessons without boring people. In fact, many a time when individuals are not playing, they are thinking about how to overcome a particular obstacle in the game. As such, video games encourage and foster personal as well as mental development. The writer of the book comes across as im partial. True he has very strong beliefs about the pop culture especially video games believing them to be a positive driver of the society. However, it cannot be ignored that the writer acknowledges the other point of view and gives it due consideration.

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Will the dental college survive or collapse Essay

Will the dental college survive or collapse - Essay Example In one part of the book, when the alpha dog stands in a forest surrounded by tall pine trees, it comes to a moment of truth. His primitive instincts beckon it to the wild. In a similar way, human beings are facing their moment of truth. Standing on the very land that sustains them, they are being faced by a call from earth (McFadden, 2011). In his book, Jared Diamond talks about how the earth is showing signs and warning of a catastrophe in the making. Diamond is of the perspective that environmental degradation is one of the major reasons for the collapse of societies. The annals of history are rife with such examples. They show that successful societies were able to effectively address environmental concerns. Diamond believes that environmental concerns hold equal importance, if not more, than other factors that contribute to the success of a society. Taking care of the environment before it is too late makes the difference between a failed and a successful society. Diamond devised a formula for explaining how societies collapsed: environmental crisis + failure of a society to address = collapse of society (McFadden, 2011). Taking these factors into consideration, this essay will analyze the various attributes of the corporation that I work in- a dental college. The various aspects of the dental college will be evaluated and it will be discusses whether they are contributing to its success or collapse. Profile The dental college under consideration is a proprietary vocational college. A vocational college is defined as an institution where individuals are taught the skills necessary to become a professional in a certain job. Vocational colleges can operate on non-profit basis or can be proprietary. Since the dental college is proprietary, it does not have key affiliations with any of the popular universities of the country. Since it is private, it has a commercial nature and operates for the benefits of the people who own it. Students are charged fees, which is used to run the college. It was established in 1961. Starting from 42 students and with a faculty of 11 teachers, the building was located in the heart of the city. Over the time the college has expanded the education being offered, with programs being provided for postgraduates now. Training is offered to both students who are pursuing doctoral programs and who have completed their doctoral degree. In the past, the college has produced influential dentists that are practicing in various parts of the country. Along with the education being provided to the students, the college also invests in research (Dim & Cricco, 2001). Analyzing the dental college: failing or succeeding? Daniel Wren is of the perspective that management extends beyond military and politics- a concept that was appreciated by the Greeks hundreds of years ago. The Greeks increasingly considered the importance of management in social reform and patterns of social relations (Chiu, 2010). This entails that manageme nt plays an important role in the routine working of businesses. Most, if not all, of the successful organizations in the US are admired and their wide-ranging managerial skills imitated by businesses all over the world. According to Normand (2004), there are two main traits that distinguish these organizations from other struggling businesses in the world. These two traits are the eagerness for the future and the ability to change. Successful corporations look forward to the future and aim to improve things. They also are willing and keen to change in order to achieve their aims. A general rule that guarantees the success of a business is management. Successful corporations have been associated with the use of effective management skills. Management entails the effective supervision and regulation of the

Friday, July 26, 2019

Impact of organization culture on employee performance Essay

Impact of organization culture on employee performance - Essay Example So organizations working in these two countries are entirely different as far as culture and working environment are concerned. Organizational culture is not a static phenomenon. It is a dynamic phenomenon which undergoes periodic changes because of the advancements in science and technologies and subsequent changes in organizational principles. For example, the introduction of computers, internet and globalization have brought tremendous changes in the functioning of organizations. Majority of the corporate companies are currently operating internationally because of globalization. Outsourcing and offshoring are some of the new business terms brought in to this world by globalization. Instant and enhanced communication were introduced in the organizational world with the help of computers and internet. All these developments caused huge changes in organizational culture. Employee performance is directly connected with organizational culture. All organizations like to derive maximum output from an employee; however, few organizations provide the necessary organizational culture for the employees to perform well. Management styles in different countries and different organizations are entirely different and hence employees in different organizations may perform differently. ... This paper analyses the impact of organizational culture upon employee performances. Right frame of mind is necessary for an employee to maximize his performance. Organizational culture is responsible for cultivating the right frame of mind among employees. An organization which care more on productivity of employees and cares less on dispersing necessary remuneration and benefits to the employees may not cultivate the right frame of mind among the employees. On the other hand, an organization which respects and recognize employee performance may cultivate positive frame of mind among employees. No employee would like to work under autocratic managers. On the other hand, all employees like to work under democratic managers. This is because of the fact that only democratic managers are capable of delivering the needs of the employees whereas autocratic managers will always be interested in safeguarding the interests of the organization. For the better functioning of an organization, t he organization’s needs as well as the employee’s needs should be considered. Only an autocratic manager would be able to do this. Musacco Ph.D (2009) has pointed out that â€Å"harassment, mobbing, bullying, and emotional abuses are common at the workplaces which resulted in increased fear and minimal trust between workers† (p.2). Organizational environment plays a vital role in controlling employee performances. It should be noted that current organizations are forced to keep a diverse workforce because of globalization and internationalization of business. Majority of the modern organization are operating cross culturally and their workforce is extremely diverse. For example, Coca Cola and Pepsi

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Cinematic Piracy in China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cinematic Piracy in China - Research Paper Example By mid 2000, global statistics estimated that China was the leading producer and promoter of counterfeit movies, music, and software in the world. Statistically, at least ninety one percent of China’s desktop computers have pirated origins (Pang, 2004). Sequentially, China registers the highest counterfeiting of entertainment products in a wide range. Moreover, the estimated value of these counterfeit goods lied between nineteen and twenty four billion in 2003. In China, the expertise at which piracy occurs presents a challenge in determining the counterfeit and the genuine intellectual property. In essence, intellectual property is the exclusive right and protection given to creations of the mind against duplication of the idea that is becomes ones asset. This paper will discuss why cinematic piracy has become so widely spread in China and present the alarming statistics at which this trend continues to surfice. Background information on cinematic piracy in China Cinematic pi racy involves both the act of production and buying illegal copies (Larkin, 2004). The pirated video compact discs (VCDs) and DVDs enter the distribution channels in China retailing at exceptionally low prices that end up affecting the anticipated profit margins. The sale of these productions is at cheaper prices to which the original film maker may never get a return on their investment. Surprisingly, Hollywood movies appear in fake forms in China streets, before their official launch into theaters. In other cases, the circulation of pirated movies in China begins a few days after the premier entry into theaters. Some cinematic pirates often make use of hand-held video cameras in theaters during a movie premier to capture the entire movie. A camera copy is the name given to the movies produced in this manner. The picture quality is relatively of inferior aspects hence making the product undesirable. Many vendors of these pirated copies dupe the public in to buying them without actu ally communicating on the quality of the copies. However, the buyers of these products serve as equal accomplices in to this crime because they buy cheaply. These offenders then proceed to make copies in Asia, and in a few days, they gain entry into the market. Other copyright offenders rely on quality screeners in order to produce copies of Hollywood movies. Sometimes the copies come out in a quality that is easily confused with the original. The question that lingers on the minds of many innovators of products is whether China will seize from being an imitator or will it be an innovator by itself. In essence, China has embraced both of these traits in that it is an innovator and pirate of intellectual intelligence. Effects of cinematic piracy On the contrary, piracy may serve as deterrence to much needed innovativeness, but has not been the case for China. This is because China does not protect the right to accrue profits from copyrighted material hence diminishing the urge to cre ate and be innovative (Beam, 2012). The secret lies in the ability to toy with the consumers mind for them into believing that a pirated product is the same as the original product. This is irrespective of the name change and minimal alteration to the original name. Ironically, the market tends to think that the product remains same in terms of quality, but they are not because of their counterfeit nature. Funny enough, market

Research methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research methods - Essay Example However, the use of codes and standards not enough to stop unethical research, and the issues surrounding power and responsibility still exist. Procedural ethics need to be combined with personal integrity and virtue to ensure the safety of the participants while allowing the researchers to gather information efficiently (Schienke et al. 2010:4). Therefore, procedural ethics alone does not meet these needs. This can be seen by the fundamental flaws in the design of ethical codes, the failure of such codes to adequately protect the subject and the researcher during a study, and finally in the ways that personal values and beliefs can be combined with procedural methods to arrive at the most ethical solution for a given problem. The fact that ethical codes are often written by those who do not actually participate in research studies leads to many of the fundamental problems with procedural ethics. Codes may written in vague and unscientific language, and sometimes are impractical in a ctual research situations, as ethics in practice may differ from ethics in theory (Roberts and Indermaur 2007). A researcher cannot always stop to consult a code or committee of ethics, and should be able to rely on his or her own moral judgment (Henn, Weinstein, and Foard 2006:73). The focus for improving ethical behaviour among researchers should therefore be on building individual moral virtue and integrity as much as or more so than attempting to perfect standards for behaviour (Devettere 2009:363). Researchers must pay close attention to the wording of their surveys or the nature of an interview, for example, in order to ensure the subject is entirely aware of their choices about participation; the procedural guidelines cannot possibly cover all informed consent situations. Poor research practices are not excused for mistakes or omissions; those practices remain unethical behaviour. (Hoye and Severinsson 2007). None of this, however, should be taken to mean that procedural ethi cs does not have a place in medical or social research. Prior to the existence of ethical codes, researchers often took part in studies that today seem horrifying, and there were very few consequences (McNeil 2010). Study subjects were exposed to dangerous and sometimes deadly situations, and were not always fully informed as to the true nature of the experiment (Henn, Weinstein, and Foard 2006:71). While the data gathered from such studies has been useful in medical science, it is obvious that such unethical practices could not be allowed to continue. Modern procedural ethics began with the Nuremberg Code, written as a result of the Nazi doctors war crimes tribunal. The first internationally accepted standards of behaviour for medical researchers, the Nuremberg Code is a listing of 10 points that should be met in ethical research on human subjects. (Hazelgrove n.d.) Highlights include voluntary informed consent, protection of the subject from harm, and that the risk of the experime nt must be lower than the predicted gain from the study (Mitscherlich and Mielke 1949). Despite this paradigm shift in the acceptability of research, in the years following the adoption of the Nuremberg Code, unethical research continued to occur. This was due in part to the fact that the legal standing of the code was unclear and was never actually cited in the

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Biography on Richard Ashcroft & ExplicationInterpretation of song Essay

Biography on Richard Ashcroft & ExplicationInterpretation of song - Essay Example I'm quite a shy, introverted person and I could easily melt away into the background. But I am driven to write tunes. Creativity for me is almost like therapy, my songs take you into the underbelly of my mind and there's some dark stuff in there. If I lived in LA, I'd be seeing someone three times a day, every day. But I'm a northern Englishman dealing with his shit in his own way." (Ashcroft, 2006). . This song is one of great poetry, and is by the same account, accurately titled 'Sonnet'. This song is a 14 line poem with an octave rhyming of abbaabba. It is almost a country-tinged gentle pop song "that floats in an extraordinary amount of space through which what sounds like echo effects of ping and wobble, but it's heart is the strummed acoustic that opens the song and carries its theme." (The Zine, n.d.). There is a certain subtlety and craft in this song; of which is considered to be one of the band's most respected and poetic songs of all. Sonnet is a yearning mid-tempo love song; a lovely, surprisingly understated ballad. The innate beauty of this song is truly everlasting. When Ashcroft sings in Sonnet, "Like a cat in the bag / waiting to drown / this time I'm coming down," it doesn't take a psychoanalyst to understand what the man is feeling. It was this song, along the Bittersweet Symphony which was considered to make the album worthwhile enough, even without the entire rest of the album included. Bittersweet Symphony Easily one of the Verve's most infamous songs, Bittersweet Symphony is in fact considered to be one of the greatest rock and roll songs of all time. The lyrics are a somber look at the ennui of everyday life: "You're a slave to money, then you die." The lyrics and meanings of these lyrics are obvious and overt in this song; the undying honestly and heartfeltness in this song is made openly clear: "Well I never pray But tonight I'm on my knees, yeah I need to hear some sounds That recognize the pain in me, now I let the melody shine, Let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now But the airways are clean and there's nobody singing to me now" The song expresses much emotion, basically describing someone who feels conformed by society, and who wants to change themselves. The song is incredibly liberating, with an easy sensibility about the person's emotion, excitement, and willingness to changenot for someone else, but rather for himself, "It's a bittersweet symphony, this life," meaning that there is both good and bad in this world, and that, "depending on how you choose to live your life, you may experience its bitterness, sweetness, or both." (Thedaythemusicdied, 2006). From this review, we can see that the band the Verve is an emotional, incredibly talented, and linguistically brilliant group, whose somewhat short period of infamousness will surely never be forgotten. At the height of their fame in 1997, they were easily considered as one of the finest bands from the UK and were one of the most popular groups worldwide before they abruptly called it quits. Despite whatever turmoil the band may have

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Feasibility Analysis For Establishing A Teen Mom Residential Facility Essay

Feasibility Analysis For Establishing A Teen Mom Residential Facility - Essay Example Especially in light of the welfare reform rules which require that all minors reside in supervised settings as a criterion for the receipt of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), these facilities prove to be a viable source for such supervision. Despite this, very little is known about these facilities. To date, there has been a minimal set of empirical studies to indicate their efficacy. As such, this study set out to examine the feasibility of such an implementation by examining seven facilities throughout the United States. This study aims to (1) document the implementation of residential facilities for teenage mother and (2) explore the feasibility of implementing such a facility. This study examines seven residential facilities for teenage mothers within the United States. Since the aim of this study was to asses the feasibility of establishing such a facility, our emphasis lied on programs with the highest potential for inclusion. In conducting the research, the researcher initiated numerous telephone interviews with various employees within the study facilities. The inquiry focused on the following areas: Management. The study facilities were managed utilizing both a networked management topology and an independent management topology. Four of the study facilities were networked and the remaining three were independent facilities. The networked facilities were essentially multi-site facilities operating under a unified management body while the independent facilities were single-site facilities. By virtue of the varying topologies, the managerial structures as well as the size of these facilities were inherently different. Funding Sources. The study facilities were predominantly funded through grants from a variety of governmental funding sources. In fact, these funding sources account for over 70% of the funding necessary for these facilities is garnered from private donations and other fundraising efforts. Eligibility Rules. The fundamental requirements involved specific guidelines with regards to age, pregnancy and motherhood status and the qualification for state-subsidized programs. In general, the programs accepted residents as young as 13 years of age and as old 29 years old. Services Provided. All of the facilities provided a general set of core services. These services include housing, supervision and structure, case management and parenting and life skills. Staffing and Costs The range of monthly per family expenditure ranged from approximately $1,100-$8,500. The lion's share of this cost was realized in the costs associated with the staffing needs and the direct supervision of the residents. In fact benefits and compensation accounted for as much as 70% of the program fee. Within these programs there was intensive supervision which mandated an allocation of staff members who are in direct contact with the residents for a substantial part of the day. The remaining costs were those associated with the provision of housing. CHAPTER I: DEFINITION OF THE

Monday, July 22, 2019

African American Religion Essay Example for Free

African American Religion Essay Before Africans were brought to America during the slave trade, they had their own culture and society. They had their own language and dance. They also had their own religion. History tells us that the Europeans justified their abuse toward the Africans as helping them become more civilized because the Africans lifestyle appeared primal to them and not as developed and industrialized as theirs. What is often overlooked is that even though Africans were taken from Africa and Americanized and have been stripped of their religion, culture, language and even their name, the very essence of the African as a people did not go away. Some African American slaves rejected Christianity’s religion because they saw it as the â€Å"white man’s religion†. History tells us American Slave Masters abused the Africans by whipping them like animals and by treating them inhumane. The fact that these slave masters wanted the African American to worship their god was unacceptable for some because they could not fathom why they should worship a god who allowed people to be so badly treated. Some Africans accepted Christianity’s religion and faith by identifying with Jesus Christ, the son of God who according to the Bible was innocent of sin and yet he was beaten, bruised and crucified for the sins of the world. Some African Americans wanted to remain faithful to their heritage yet did not agree with the conjure practices. Seth Holly’s character is a good example of conforming to the economic prosperity of America which was founded by Christians. White Christians enforced Christian beliefs, values, and some practices based on the Euro American Christian interpretation of Christian text. Seth developed a kind of hatred for his own people proving that he has adopted the practices of white America in the early 1900s. â€Å"Niggers coming up here from that old backwoods†¦ coming up here from the country carrying Bibles and guitars looking for freedom. † Seth says. â€Å"They got a rude awakening† (6). Seth signifies the African American who resents assimilation to the white American culture. But, at the same time, he too attempts to connect with his heritage by simply allowing Bynum to live in his home and bless it with his conjures rituals. Seth also participates in an African dance ritual called the Juba. Bynum’s character is introduced by practicing conjure rituals. He cuts open pigeons and spreads its blood onto him as a type of cleansing to communicate with spirits. Bynum represents the African American who chose to remain faithful to the religion of his heritage. Others who have chosen the faith of Christianity view conjure rituals as evil, witchcraft, or demonic. Some African Americans wanted to remain faithful to their heritage yet did not agree with conjure practices anymore. Loomis walks in on the juba dance and goes into a trance after dinner at the boarding house. He had a vision of skeletons emerge from a body of water. â€Å"Loomis: I done seen bones rise up out the water. Rise up and walk across the water. Bones walking on top of the water† (53). Loomis recognizes through the vision, his state of ignorance to the knowledge that will lead him to the new way of thinking. Bynum serves as a supporting character reacting to Loomis’s trance. â€Å"Bynum: They walking around here now. Mens. Just like you and me. Come right up out the water† (56). Loomis’s trance and Bynum’s interpretation of it is a turning point in the story. The skeletons coming from the bottom of the sea in Loomis’s vision represent the slave ships, the disorientation experienced by the slaves during emancipation, and the confusion of his release from Joe Turner. Both Loomis and Bynum have tapped into their ancestral religion. The difference between the two is that Bynum represents the African who never renounced his religion and Loomis is the African-American who turned from conjure religion and converted to the faith of Christianity. After Joe turner took his life away from him, Loomis questioned his Christian faith and his identity. By walking in on the ancestral ritual of the Juba dance, Loomis literally walked into what he had actually been looking for, his religion, consequently, his ancestral identity and this is why he fell into the trance. Throughout the play conjures is encompasses four generations; Bynum’s father, Bynum, Loomis, and the neighbor boy Reuben. Reuben’s vision is of Seth’s mother by the pigeon coop, she encourages Reuben to release the caged pigeons. Wilson writes in a way that leads the reader to believe that Loomis needs to find his missing wife. Martha Pentecost is not the one who was lost; Loomis was the one who was lost, wondering around from town to town, searching. Loomis came into the state of belief when Bynum helped him translate his vision. That vision represented Loomis going back to his ancestral conjure religion. Loomis needed to find Martha Pentecost simply to say good-bye to her and their life former together. Up until this point of the story, I believed that Loomis needed to find his wife so they could live out the rest of their lives as a happy free family with their daughter. However, it is made pretty obvious this was never Loomis’s intentions. â€Å"That goodbye kept me out on the road searching,† Loomis says, â€Å"now that I see your face I can say my goodbye and make my own world† (90). Martha Pentecost, a woman of Christian faith, represents the African who assimilated into white America’s culture and Loomis needed to find her to say good-bye to her and the Christian faith. Martha stands by her Christian faith by accusing Loomis â€Å"you done gone over to the devil† (91). White man’s religion believed that conjure was evil or the way of the devil. Loomis finds it easier to reject her for her Christian beliefs. â€Å"Loomis: Great big old white man†¦your Mr. Jesus Christ. Standing there with a whip in one hand and a tote board in another, them niggers swimming in a sea of cotton† (92). Loomis proves with his statement, his version of a bible story that differed from other African Americans but was similar to that of the white man who believed that they were on a level below God and the African’s were beneath them, African’s were one third of a person. Loomis now believes that if African’s are going to be free then they have to take charge of their own destiny. Martha Pentecost represents the African American’s religion, she identifies that Loomis needs to â€Å"be washed in the blood of the lamb† (92) and â€Å"you done gone over to the devil. (91) Through class lessons I learned that African American slaves compared themselves with stories in the bible to instill hope of a life free from oppression, violence, and bondage. Jesus according to the bible was innocent of sin and yet he was beaten, bruised and crucified for the sins of the world. The hope of reigning in heave with Jesus is considered the ultimate reward for suffering life’s trials and tribulations. It is the faith of the African Americans who accepted Christianity religion. Blacks trusted in the Lord instead of man. America was Egypt in the exodus story and as long as the enslaving and oppressing took place America would face the same wrath as Egypt. â€Å"Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. † The bible was depended on in justifying and motivation rebellion for the blacks and used as a tool to keep blacks enslaved by the whites. African Americans used sermons, song, and prayer to convey and teach their message of travail and triumph of Israel. Some African Americans could not get past the treatment from the white people that called themselves Christians and as a result they rejected Christianity. Selig’s role suggests that the link between characters is the acquisition of material goods. Selig admits that his ancestors have always made their living pursuing African Americas; his great grandfather transported slaves from Africa, his father captured runaway slaves and returned them to their masters for a reward, and Selig locates displaced people for a fee. Selig attains his ecstasy through consumer capitalism, through the selling of material goods. African Americans are objects for exploitation and exchange in the new economy. He binds African Americans to the economic system, demanding payment of his services and products which necessitates subsistence labor by taking them from one construction site or work site to another, similar to a temporary employment agency today. You pay for an employee to work for some time, but Selig is getting paid by the person looking for work or a ride to a chance of freedom. Selig cannot find a person that has not purchased a dustpan from him because he keeps the names of his customers. Seth is determined to achieve material success, he has very little patience for African Americans migrating north looking for the same prosperity that he desires. Seth is very demanding of his patrons, insisting on advance payment in full, and is preoccupied with maintaining a respectable house. â€Å"It’s hard enough now without all that ignorant kind of acting. Ever since slavery got over with there ain’t been nothing but foolish-acting niggers. Word get out they need men to work in the mill and put in these roads†¦ and niggers drop everything and head north looking for freedom. (5, 6) Seth wants to blend in with the white man’s world; therefore he keeps a link with Selig by negotiating the manufacturing and sale of dustpans. Seth does not have any idea of what it would be like to be a slave, as he was born free in the North and was educated. He demonstrates his education with his math calculation when dealing with the boarding house patrons and the quick notation of him letting Selig know that he is trying to overcharge him for the dust pan materials. Educational differences played a role in tension with Southern blacks, most of who were forbidden from learning to read, saw religion as a matter of oral tradition nd immediate experience and emotion. Northerner blacks, stressed that one could not truly be Christian unless they was able to read the Bible and understand it. This play denies individual worth and identity for some of Wilson’s characters. To be defrauded of the products of one’s labor or to see that creation diminished, like with Jeremy and the guitar contest, is to be denied a reflection of individual worth and identity. If people have been separated from this truth of individual worth and identity through oppression their capacity to bond with one another, form friendships, or couples, families are undermined. Social alienation in Wilson’s characters are expressed in their stores of broken relationships, uncertainty, or suspicion that they feel toward one another. â€Å"Seth: Something ain’t setting right with that fellow, Bynum. He’s one of them mean-looking niggers look like he done killed somebody gambling over a quarter. †(20) Connection between oppression, alienation from self and inability to form bonds with others is displayed in the character of Loomis. Joe Turner’s ability to oppress Loomis carried a judgment of non-worth. â€Å"Loomis: He told me I was worthless. Worthless is something you throw away. Something you don’t bother with† (73) Turners judgment of worthlessness forced Loomis to accept the reality of the white man’s power; he was marked as â€Å"one of Joe Turners niggers and forced to forget his song. †(71) Being alienated from himself and displaced with his relation to the world, Loomis is unable to establish bonds with people around him. The oppression encountered by Wilson’s characters is material or economic, that oppression is spiritual as well in the capacity to deprive the individual of a sense of himself or his unique song. The reawakening of Loomis after his encounter with cultural wisdom is not the self discovery of an average African American but creation of a new source of cultural wisdom, a new African holy man. Wilson uses many metaphors throughout the play. The song is a metaphor for Loomis’s identity and the African American cultural identity. Music is a large part of African American identity, so it makes since that in search of one’s identity they are searching for their song. The boarding house serves as an inn for traveling folk, but the tenants actually receive a form of healing during their stay. Tenants get direction and guidance from Bertha and Bynum. The shiny man that Bynum is in search for signifies African American independence. The man that Bynum met on the road was an independent African American, just as Loomis was freed by his past when he cleansed himself in his own blood. â€Å"Bynum: Herald Loomis, you shining! You shining like new money! †(94) Loomis has dismissed that the blood of Christ can wash away his sins and make him the man he used to be, but by washing himself in his own blood he has sacrificed the old life to begin his new journey on his terms. Bynum’s shining man has been found, meaning his work is complete; he has passed his powers on to the next generation, Loomis. â€Å"They tell me Joe Turner’s come and Gone† is a song that is sung by Bynum, when I first read the story I thought that the meaning was came and now he is dead however, the second time I read the play I realized that it meant that Joe Turner has come and snatched the men and now he is now gone. August Wilson uses symbolism in the play as a very important part in conveying the meaning of the story. Wilsons use of symbolism is demonstrated through Mr.  Wilsons use of the road, Martha Pentecost, and Herald Loomis. Symbolic importance is give to the word freedom. The word freedom has instilled hope into the lives of African Americans: during slavery, hope for the release from bondage; after emancipation, the right to be educated, employed, and to move about freely; twentieth century, social, political, and economic justice. Freedom has always stood for the absence of any restraint, because God made all men from his image. There are a number of characters that travel around searching for their place in the world. Mattie, mentions that she keeps on looking, seems like she just keeps starting over, I ain’t never found no place for me to fit. † (76) Reuben tells Zonia, when he finds out that she is leaving the boarding house in search of her mom, â€Å"when I get grown, I come looking for you. †(84) Jeremy does not seem to care much when he loses his job because, â€Å"don’t make me no difference. There’s a big road out there, I can always get my guitar and find me a place to stay. I ain’t planning on staying in one place for too long noway. (64) Martha Reverend Tolliver moved the Church up north because of the trouble the church was having. When the Civil War finally brought freedom to previously enslaved African Americans, the task of organizing religious communities was only one element of the larger need to create new lives, to reunite families, to find jobs, and to figure out what it would mean to live in the United States as citizens rather than property. August Wilson’s play, Joe Turner’s come and Gone, examines African Americans search for their cultural identity following slavery.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Food Policy in Malaysia

Food Policy in Malaysia Introduction Malaysia is a multilingual and multicultural society. The original culture of Malaysia is come from the indigenous tribes that is been staying in the peninsular and east of Malaysia since century ago. Not long after, the Malays were moved to Malaysia from Indonesia and followed by the Chinese and Indian due to the substantial influence. Dating back to old days Malaysia used to be a colonization of British. Due to that, Peninsular Malaysia has become a foreign trading port for the British and cultural influences start to gather. The culture include Persian, Arabic and British and etc. Due to being part of the ancient spice route in Asia and becoming a foreign trading port for the British, Malaysia’s cuisine reflects on the multi-ethnic makeup of its population. Besides that, the cuisine also is greatly influenced within itself or by the surrounding countries. For example the influences are from the Malays, Chinese, Indian, Thai and etc. In addition, it is very common to find a similar versions of the dish within Singapore or across Malaysia regardless of place of origin because Singapore used to be part of Malaysia. What is Food Policy? According to Wikipedia, food policy are the area of publics concerning how the food is produced, processed, distributed and what kind of chemical ingredient are used when processing the food. Food policies system is designed to guide producer in operating of food and agriculture related product. This commonly include in decision-making of production and processing techniques of food, marketing of food, utilizing and consuming of food in the interest of meeting or furthering social objectives. Food policies can be develop in any level, such as from local to global, by government agency, business cooperation or food related organization. Makers of food policy are often engage in activities such as setting regulation related to food industries and establishing food standards for assistance programs for the poor and ensuring safety of food supplies, food labeling and even the qualification of a specific product to be considered as organic or not. Most of the food pol icy is initiated at the domestic level for the purpose of ensuring a safe and satisfactory level of food supply to the citizenry. Food Policy in Malaysia Malaysia is a multilingual and multicultural society country that mainly consists of the Malays, which is the biggest community group in Malaysia and followed by the Chinese, Indian, and the indigenous tribe. Even though Malaysia has many different cultures and races, it is consider as a Muslim Country due to the Parliament is govern by mainly the Malays followed by the Chinese and Indian. Due to this, Malaysia is very strict when comes to thing such as laws and etc. Food policy is one of it, for example the food that found within the country is mainly Halal even though there is consumers who are Non-Muslim. In Malaysia, Food policy decision and food related law is made between the Ministry of Health Department Malaysia and Ministry of Agriculture Malaysia. Both of the departments worked closely together for public health safety and to provide awareness of what kind of food the consumer are eating. The Ministry of Health Department is the one who has a higher authority when comes to food related because the areas that they involved in are wider such as nutrition assistance, food safety, dietary guidance, and labeling of consumable product. As for Agriculture side such as plantation of corn and etc are govern by the Ministry of Agriculture Malaysia. Most of the food policies are increasingly developing and changed due to the needs of citizens, political climates and circumstances changes. Halal According to Halal Malaysia, Halal are define as a lawful, permitted, pure, wholesome and recommended under Islamic Law. As in food service terms, Halal will affect the quality and hygiene policy in food manufacturing practices as well as food services in restaurant. With the growing of population around the world, the production, food safety, trade and consumption in food chained restaurant are increasingly demanding for Halal Food. Due to this, Halal food in Malaysia is coming from both Muslim and Non-Muslims country or producer because the local Halal food manufacturer did not have the ability to follow up the increasing of local community anymore. Based on Islamic Dietary Laws in the Trade Description Order 1975 of Malaysia, there are three main food categories for Muslims which are Halal, Haram, and Syubba. Halal is a word used for describing food that is lawful for Muslims to consume according to the Al-Quran. As for Haram, it is a term used to describe a subject that is unlawful and prohibited for the Muslims to do or consume. For example, Muslims are not allowed to consume pork and alcohol. The third and the last one is Syubba, it means the ingredient or the process of the food is made are questionable and therefore should be avoided for the Muslims if it is possible. In addition, The Al-Quran stresses that Muslims must eat food that is pure and clean as stated in the Islamic Dietary laws. The trust that is build-in among Muslim customers on Halal Certification is potentially increasing when it comes to deciding to visit an eating premise or a specific product. Malaysia Halal Certification Since the 1970s, JAKIM also known as the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, has been emphasizing its structures to ensure the Halal certification process in Malaysia provide Muslims Community with quality assurance of the products and services which is purchased or used by them.(JAKIM,2010). On the other hand, Malaysia Halal Certification also remarked as â€Å"a total quality health and sanitary system that involve in adopting the procedure for killing, processing and other related operations as drafted by Islamic rules†. Besides that, JAKIM also certifies raw materials, ingredients and products based on the quality of the product, hygiene perspectives and consideration of consumption safety of a specific product. (JAKIM,2008) There are few agencies that develop the standard of Halal food in Malaysia which as JAKIM is one of them and followed by Department of Standards Malaysia, Malaysia Institute of Industrial Research and standard which also known as SIRIM, and Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia. As a result, the four departments developed a comprehensive guideline in Halal food standard called MS1500 in 2004. The general guideline of Malaysian Standard MS1500 is focus on the production, preparation, handling and storing of Halal food. MS1500 also act as a manual for the food industry on preparing and handling halal food. In the other hand, it served as a basic food trade in Malaysia. (Mohd Daud,2004) The practice of Halal system should apply to all processing stages which from farm to table. Halal certification provide consumer a greater confidence and informed choice on what they have purchased (Wan Hassan Hall,2003). According to the Muslim Council of Britain, a statistic of up to 90% of meat and poultry that are sold in the United Kingdom as Halal are illegally sold to consumer and it is not slaughtered based on Shariah Law. In addition, this proved that Halal certification is clearly a potentially useful marketing and branding tools to attract customer to dine in a restaurant or to buy a product. This is an important examples for the Malaysian government to strengthen the Halal Certification in order to prevent the malpractice in the supply of meat to consumers and restaurant. The Demand of Halal Food In Malaysia Based on the research done by Muhammad in 2007, the needs for Halal foods and product within the countries itself and around the world has remarkable increasing. Majority of the Muslim Countries in the world which include Malaysia used to get their Halal product with the local suppliers or imported from other Muslim Countries. Due to the increasing of population and standard of living, it has drives the Muslim Countries to import Halal food from Non-Muslims countries such as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Singapore. These countries with comparatively small or even don’t have Muslim Population has became a valid contributors to the world Halal Trade. (Trade Mart,2006) According to Wan Omar, Muhammad, Che Omar (2008), the world has a total of 1.8billion of estimated Muslim Population and the market for Halal product is worth over US$560 billion annually. With the increasing interested in Halal food, this shows that there is a very huge market segment for food manufacturer. On the other hand, due to the increasing of international trade, cultural globalization and tourism, the â€Å"Halal† label has progressively recognized by non-Muslim and countries such as Europe and America also in demand for it which they don’t really needed it at old times. It also initiate further pressure on emphasizing importance of goods certification and has become the core in food industry. (Al-harrn Low, 2008). Based on Riaz Chaudry(2004), Malaysia was the leader in implementing Halal Laws in the early 1980s and remains in force globally when comes to Halal Certification circumstances. On the other hand, according to Chang(2006), Muslim population of 60% in Malaysia has increased their interest for Halal foods and products over the years. Due to this, Halal standard in food related goods has been widen from meat item to item such as confectionery, bakery and dairy goods. Chang also said that Halal Certification is become known as a standard criteria for food quality, safety and hygiene. It also helped to increase the market value of the product that has Halal label on it. Restaurant In Malaysia Based on the research done by Chang,2006, Malaysia is consider as one of the most advance nations in Southeast Asia after Singapore. As a result, Malaysian lifestyle has been dramatically evolving due to increasing of income and education levels. Besides that, majority of the restaurant that is located within the country have a clear halal logo in front of the restaurant entrance. With the logo sticked at the restaurant, it proves that the restaurant not only the food is halal but also the entire process of processing food is halal. In addition to that, the halal restaurant in Malaysia is not allowed to sell pork and alcohol related product. Based on the survey that made by Shamsudin Selamat 2005, they found that Malaysians are regarded as adventurous espeiclally the young peers in their consuming manner. Malaysian whose median age of 22 years old love to explore new eating places as suggested by friends and relatives because eating out in nowadays is very common and is somewhat not expensive compare to other country in the world. Based on Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia in 2008, Malaysian students who came back after staying abroad also devote to the demand for various food styles as well as eating in a restaurant. According to research done by Chang,2006, Malaysian regularly choose to dine in an open air dining area or street stalls. In addition to that, International cuisines such as Japanese and Korean cuisine were exceptionally demanding awfully over the years. Research done by Shamsudin and Selamat(2005), 172,252 food service matters including stalls and restaurants exited in Malaysia in 2001. In overall, the food service industry in Malaysia can be divided into five main section which is dine-in restaurant (including hotel coffee houses), coffee shops, hawker centers, fast food stalls, food courts and roadside stalls. As for Kueh and Voon(2007), they give a bit different categories and said that foodservice premises in Malaysia consists of Pubs/bars , street hawkers, and dine-in restaurant. According to undertaken by Josiam, Sohail and Monteiro(2007) on curry cuisine and perceptions of Indian Restaurnt in Malaysia, they found that restaurant in Malaysia serve standard and actual food that suit the local customers and tourists taste bud. They also proposed that consumers are keen in term of accepting new foods and explore new tastes. The findings that done by them also shows that general hygiene such as cleanliness of restaurant and restroom and the quality of foods will determine the restaurant weather is value for money or not. The main interest of foods for Malaysian are spiciness of the food, appearance of the food, the taste of the food and last by not least the availability of vegetarian choices and followed by the food with Halal Certification. Conclusion Food served as one of the basic needs for humans needs in the hierarchy of Mashlow. It just that some people religions view and beliefs in regarding food consumption and has dietary constraint. As an example, the most familiar one is the Muslims with Halal, Hindus and a minority of Chinese population constraint themselves from eating beef and some of them being as a vegetarian, and lastly the Jews people with Kosher restriction. As a conclusion, Halal food in Malaysia is not just constraint to the surrounding of the way the animal is killed, it goes deeper than that. It started from the first steps of preparing to handling, distributing, storing, displaying, packaging, labeling, preparation and serving it. In another words, the whole food supply chain must follow the Islamic dietary laws in order it to be Halal. The practice of Islamic dietary laws in Malaysia has educated Muslim and non-Muslims community to eat food that is pure and good based on the Quran and Haditb. As a addition to it, Halal certification that is provided by Malaysia organization is seen as a source of potential to create trust among the Muslims that the foods with the certification are safe to be consume or used. Bibliography (Jakim), T. M. G. a. t. D. o. I. D. M., 2011. Halal Malaysia. [Online] Available at: http://www.halal.gov.my/v3/index.php/en/about-halal-certification/halal-definition [Accessed 1 November 2014]. Abdul Latif, M., 2006. afmaasia Malaysia. [Online] Available at: http://www.afmaasia.org/malaysia_2006/Annex-4.pdf [Accessed 5 11 2014]. Abdul Manaf Bohari, C. W. H. N. F., 2014. The competitiveness of Halal food industry in Malaysia: A SWOT ICT Analysis. Malaysia Journal of Society and Space, 9(1), pp. 1-8. Abdul Talib, H. M. A. K. . J., 2008. Quality assurance in halal food manufacturing in Malaysia. Johor Bahru, Malaysia: ICME. Anon., 2004. Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department. [Online] Available at: http://www.fao.org/docrep/MEETING/006/AD698E.HTM [Accessed 20 November 2014]. Anon., 2013. A Food Labelling Guide. [Online] Available at: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/GuidanceRegulation/UCM265446.pdf [Accessed 19 November 2014]. Bonne, K. . V., 2008. Religious values informing halal meat production and the control and delivery of halal credence quality. Agriculture and Human Values, Volume 25, pp. 35-47. Chang, 2008. Malaysia Exporter guide annual 2006. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. JAKIM, 2010. Pengurusan pensijilan halal Malaysia [The management of Malaysia halal certification]. Putrajaya: JAKIM. Josiam, B. S. S. . M., 2007. Curry cuisine: Perceptions of Indian restaurants in Malaysia. Tourismos:An International Multidisciplinary Journal Of Tourism, 2(2), pp. 25-37. Loong, C., 2013. Information on Food Labelling in Malaysia. [Online] Available at: http://www.mfca.org.my/articles/Information on Food Labeling Requirements in Malaysia.pdf [Accessed 19 November 2014]. Malaysia, D. o. S., 2008. [Online] Available at: http://www.statistics.gov.my/portal/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=54:population-updated-31072009catid=35:key-statisticsItemid=53lang=en [Accessed 2 November 2014]. Malaysia, M. o. H. E., 2008. Statiscs of Malaysian students studying abroad. [Online] Available at: http://www.mohe.gov.my/web_statistik/statistik_pdf_2008_05/msd_5-1.pdf [Accessed 30 October 2014]. Mart, T., 2006. Export opportunities: Processed food beverages. 2006 ed. Kuala Lumpur: Trade mart. Muhammad, R., 2007. Re-Branding halal. The Halal Journal, pp. 32-34. Riaz, M. . C. M., 2004. Halal food production. Florida, CRC Press. Saeed, M. ,. J. B. . I., 2000. Marketing Malaysia to International Tourists. Journal of International Business and Entrepreneurship, Issue 8(1), pp. 41-61. Sharifah Zannierah Syed Marzuki, M. H. P. W., 2012. Restaurant Manager and Halal Certificate, Malaysia: academia.edu. Toh, P. F. ., 2008. Hawker food industry. Food safety Public health strategies in Malaysia, Issue 38(1), pp. 41-51. Voon, K. K. ., 2007. Culture and service quality expectations: Evidence from generation Y consumers in Malaysia. Managing Service Quality, Issue 17(6), pp. 656-680. 1

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Exploration of Mortality, Sexuality, and Humanity in Ferris Beach :: McCorkle Ferris Beach Essays

Exploration of Mortality, Sexuality, and Humanity  in Ferris Beach  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the journey of life, each person experiences events, emotions, and consequences that cannot be explained. Situations do not always turn out for the best, and it is human nature to attempt to come to some type of understanding or answer as to why things are the way they are. In Ferris Beach, a bildingsroman, or the story of a girl's coming of age, Kate Burns grapples with questions of life and death as she seeks some sort of explanation for her problems. Her fight to comprehend the events in her life are shown in her exploration of mortality, sexuality, and humanity. Death is always a hard concept with which one must deal at some point in life. Kate wonders what is loose in the world and why people close to her are taken away forever in the deaths of Mo Rhodes and her father Fred. On Independence Day, the fateful beginning of the catastrophe unfolding, Kate experiences her first adult troubles. Similar to Jem and Scout Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, Kate moves through her innocence into experience with some obvious and some inconspicuous brushes with the adult world. As she sits with Misty observing the fireworks, she senses the troubles in her best friend. I turned to Misty, ready to ask her why her parents had left, but she was sitting there hugging her knees with her head dropped back as she stared up at the sky...there was something in her silence that made me hold my question, and instead I inched over closer to her, hugged my knees, and stared up just as she was doing (McCorkle 81-82). Kate is aware that something has gone awry but she does not accurately know what the situation is. Despite the distractions of the fireworks, her father's comments, the boys fighting on the beach, and Mrs. Poole's endless chatter, Kate focuses on the most important (though silent) thing going on with Misty. The faint hint of disarray in Misty precedes Kate's reaction to Mo's death. Kate, throughout the novel, "watches" different people and, from her house, she can see into the Rhodes's and Hucks's houses. She "watches" Misty's house after Mo's car accident and comments that Misty "...looked so pale" and that the whole family "...froze like the end of a play"(McCorkle 91).

Friday, July 19, 2019

WORKPLACE CO-OPERATIVE PROJECT REPORT :: Education

WORKPLACE CO-OPERATIVE PROJECT REPORT As part of the Workplace Co-operative Project (WPCP) I was expected to participate in sixty hours worth of classroom experience and this report provides a summary of this time. Throughout the duration of the WPCP I kept a journal of my feelings and thoughts, which I make reference to in highlighting what I feel to be the key aspects of my placement in the commentary. Firstly I provide a concise report of my participation in the Workplace Co-operative Project, stating the aims, approaches, methods and outcomes of my placement. AIMS The aim of my placement was to introduce the Geography Department at Lawnswood High School to the Internet as a geographical resource, specifically to:  · Locate and review topic based sites for classroom use  · Create specific Internet based exercises  · Display the benefits of the internet as a geographical resource for both pupils and staff APPROACH The approach was deductive in nature, assuming that the Internet is indeed a valuable geographical resource and that achieving the aims specified above would prove this. My approach was also pragmatic consisting of a basic process of trial and error in investigating websites that could potentially be used as part of learning and teaching geography. Due to the nature of the WPCP the approach was interactive, meaning that I tackled the challenge of the aforementioned aims by having continuous interaction with pupils and staff. METHOD I identified a series of useful topic based websites, which I explored with different age groups in order to collect data on different topics for classroom projects. In addition I collated and reviewed a selection of sites that can be used in teaching and learning each and every one of the twenty four units that make up the Key Stage 3 syllabus In respect to the second aim I created a number of worksheets that asked pupils to explore the website of the Meteorological office. These can be seen in the appendix of the pack of materials. The bulk of the method was to produce this pack that also displays the benefits and methods of Internet use for younger students, older students and staff, as well as covering elements of each aim. OUTCOMES The main outcome of my placement was the creation of a pack that allows staff and students alike to make better use of the Internet. It introduces them to the idea of the Internet as a geographical resource and demonstrates how easily it can be incorporated into classroom teaching and how essential it can be to various elements of the education/learning system. In producing this pack and the work carried out at the school I feel I have successfully achieved the aims that were established at the

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Self Discovery in Breakfast of Champions :: Breakfast of Champions Essays

Self Discovery in Breakfast of Champions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     In Brandon Boyd’s Make Yourself he states that â€Å" if [he] hadn’t assembled [himself] than [he] would’ve fallen apart,† implying that if one does not take the time to understand and build his or her own values and morals then one will live in confusion and falter. Throughout Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions, Kilgore Trout goes through the process of realizing who he is and then learns to remain true to himself. At first Trout is a pessimist who strives to be heard. Trout then begins to question human ways and while doing so finds a few answers about not only them but him as well.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the beginning Trout comes off as a pessimistic unknown writer. One of his most popular works, Plague on Wheels was sold for twelve dollars for the pictures alone. Later people would pay only a dollar for it, but this time â€Å"for the words†. Trout is in awe about the way that people work. In Plague on Wheels he expresses the ideas and ways of humans and then refers to them as â€Å" cuckoo†. He cannot understand why people do such ridiculous things such as, â€Å"[agree] with friends to express friendliness† and everyone else follows. He sees that people feel the need to conform for acceptance and this annoys him. In his story he also cites the time of which â€Å"Earthlings discovered tools†, referring to guns. Trout points out that the â€Å"tools† only purpose is â€Å"to make holes in human beings†, this seeming extremely ridiculous to him. Realizing all of this bothers Trout immensely and puts him in a bitter state.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kilgore Trout proceeds in watching the actions of humans. He realizes that he is no longer innocent, â€Å" his head is no longer just sheltered ideas.† Trout sees things for what they are and knows that he has deal with that. He must learn to form his own opinions and ideas. When Trout actually looks back and realizes how sheltered people are at the beginning of life it â€Å"scares the bejesus† out of him. He realizes that when we are so protected that it leaves us extremely vulnerable. Trout begins to question certain human ideas, one being the â€Å"creator of the universe.† Trout takes interest in trying to figure out who in fact is the creator.

Case 12-05

memoranda LabCo must determine if their bill indemnity for the receipts treatment of its grammatical construction twitchs is reasonable, if it is attach for LabCo to transplant its mode of be for the holibut bid from the percentage-of- shutting order to the terminatedd- swerve order and how the assortment should be treated on the priming of the focal point provided within ASC 250, and how LabCos account form _or_ system of government and be for the holibut ingest may convert low IFRS if choose in the coming year.This memorandum get out provide support for how the over wholly conclusion, base on the issues above, was reached. Facts Accounting Policy for tax income enhancement Treatment LabCo is a large construction turn outing firm, and negotiates all of its pushs with its customers on each a fixed-price or cost-plus basis. LabCo has positive an report indemnity for tax taxation cognition related to its customized construction contracts, as foll ows The ships company practises to a lower place a variety of contracts, well-nigh of which provide for reimbursement of cost plus fees, and others that atomic number 18 fixed-price-type contracts.grosss and fees on these contracts are primarily acknowledge on a contract-by-contract basis apply the percentage-of- uttermost rule of score, which is most often found on contract cost incurred to consider compared with do estimated costs at completion (cost-to-cost method). The completed-contract method of accounting is single-valued turn taild in instances in which reliably reliable estimates of the agree costs to be incurred under a specific contract cannot be do. alter in Method of Accounting for taxation TreatmentLabCo has entered into a contract with halibut to shew a six-axis laser cutting machine. The contract entered into was for a fixed-price and requires detailed and involved instruction execution specifications. Even though this was a unique(p) arrang ement that required a ample deal of customer specification, LabCo believed that with its extensive witness performing under similar contracts, including old contract with Halibut, the percentage-of-completion method of accounting for this contract was appropriate.After LabCo began experiencing significant difficulties in the design and reconcile of the six-axis laser cutting machine, (including design revisions, genuine engineering costs needing to be outsourced, and the cost of steel accustomd in the labor of the frame of the machine rising unexpectly) they placed that their estimate of the overall cost to complete the contract needed to be revised. LabCo expect that the overall forcing out would incur total costs that would be in excessiveness of the total fixed-fee contract price negotiated with Halibut.As a result, management updated its estimates phthisisd in percentage-of-completion accounting to reflect both the cost overruns incurred as well as the cost overruns judge to be incurred, and also recorded a provision for the entire loss on the contract in the period in which it became aware that the contract costs would travel by the total contract value. After six-months, LabCo delivered the six-axis laser cutting machine to Halibut. Yet, when final canvas were ran development the six-axis, the machine failed to perform up to Halibuts specifications as defined in the contract.LabCo then had to redesign, fix, and remedy the miscellaneous issues with the machine. Upon notification of these continued problems, LabCos CAO firm that total estimates of the contract costs to be incurred for the Halibut contract were no overnight able to be reliably determined. Therefore, the use of the percentage-of-completion method of accounting was deemed no protracted an appropriate method of revenue comprehension for this particular contract.As a result, the determination was gather in that LabCo would switch to a completed-contract method of revenue experience for the duration of its contract with Halibut. abbreviation Percentage-of-Completion Method Based upon review of ASC 605-35-25-56, the use of the percentage-of-completion method depends on the ability to require moderately dependable estimates, which, for purposes of this Subtopic, relates to estimates of the limit of arm toward completion, contract revenues, and contract costs.Furthermore, according to ASC 605-35-25-57, the percentage-of-completion method is considered preferable as an accounting policy in component in which fair dependable estimates can be made and in which all the following conditions dwell a. Contracts executed by the parties normally hold provisions that clearly specify the enforceable rights regarding goods or ser unrighteousnesss to be provided and authorized by the parties, the consideration to be ex substituted, and the means and terms of settlement. . The buyer can be expected to satisfy all obligations under the contract. c. The cont ractor can be expected to perform all contractual obligations. ASC 605-35-25-61 states, an entity using the percentage-of-completion method as its grassroots accounting policy shall use the completed-contract method for a single contract or a group of contracts for which evenhandedly dependable estimates cannot be made or for which inherent hazards make estimates probationary. Completed-Contract MethodBased on review of ASC 605-35-25-90, when lack of dependable estimates or inherent hazards cause forecasts to be doubtful, the completed-contract method is preferable. Inherent hazards relate to contract conditions or external factors that raise questions just about contract estimates and about the ability of both the contractor or the customer to perform all obligations under the contract. Inherent hazards that may cause contract estimates to be doubtful usually differ from inherent lineage risks.Business entities engaged in contracting, like all business entities, are exposed t o many business risks that vary from contract to contract. The reliableness of the estimating process in contract accounting does not depend on the absence seizure of such risks. Assessing business risks is a function of users of financial statements. jibe to ASC 630-35-25-97, Circumstances to be considered in determining when a project is substantially completed include, for example, delivery of the product, espousal by the customer, blendure from the site, and compliance with performance specifications. careens to and from Percentage-of-Completion and Completed-Contract Methods Based on review of ASC 605-35-25-94, the completed-contract method is preferable in dower in which estimates cannot meet the criteria for reasonable dependability discussed in paragraph 605-35-25-57 or in which at that place are inherent hazards of the nature of those discussed in paragraphs 605-35-25-65 through 25-66.An entity using the percentage-of-completion method as its basic accounting policy shall depart from that policy and use the completed-contract method for a single contract or a group of contracts merely in the circumstances draw in paragraph 605-35-25-61. In addition, 605-35-25-95 states, an entity using the completed-contract method as its basic accounting policy shall depart from that policy for a single contract or a group of contracts not having the features described in paragraphs 605-35-25-92 through 25-93 and use the percentage-of-completion method on one of the bases described in paragraphs 605-35-25-60 through 25-61.Accounting Changes and Error corrections jibe to ASC 980-250-55-3, if a regulated entity varietys accounting methods and the transfigure does not affect costs that are allowable for rate-making purposes, the regulated entity would apply the kind in the equivalent manner as would an unregulated entity. If a regulated entity changes accounting methods and the change affects allowable costs for rate-making purposes, the change generally would be implemented in the way that it is implemented for restrictive purposes.A change in the method of accounting for question and development costs, either from a policy of capitalization and amortization to one of charging those costs to expense as incurred or vice versa, is an example of that type of change. Adopting IFRS Based on review of IAS 18 Revenue, the recognition of revenue by reference to the stage of completion of a transaction is often referred to as the percentage-of-completion method.Under this method, revenue is recognized in the accounting periods in which the emoluments are rendered. The recognition of revenue on this basis provides utilitarian information on the extent of service activity and performance during a period. When the import of the transaction involving the rendering of services cannot be estimated reliably, revenue shall be recognized only to the extent of the expenses recognized that are recoverable. conclusion Accounting Policy for Reven ue TreatmentBased on the facts presented and the analysis performed, LabCos accounting policy for the revenue treatment of its construction contracts appears reasonable. On the other hand, while it makes sense to use the percentage-of-completion method for contracts that can be reasonably estimated, the completed-contract method of accounting appears to be the like method, due to the specific criteria that must be met in order to qualify for such reasonableness under the percentage-of-completion method of accounting. Change in Method of Accounting for Revenue TreatmentBased on the facts provided and the analysis performed, it is appropriate for LabCo to change is method of accounting for the Halibut contract from the percentage-of-completion method to the completed contract method. According to the guidance (stated above), An entity using the percentage-of-completion method as its basic accounting policy shall depart from that policy and use the completed-contract method for a sing le contract or a group of contracts only in the circumstances described in paragraph 605-35-25-61. The Halibut contract adheres to this policy, and because there were unexpected issues that caused for the contract to no longer be reasonably estimated, they are correct in their logical thinking for changing to the completed-contract method. On the basis of the guidance provided within ASC 250, Accounting Changes and Error Corrections (provided above), this change should be treated in one of two ways (1) If a regulated entitys change in accounting methods does not affect rate-making costs, the change would be applied in the same manner as an unregulated entity. 2) If a regulated entitys change in accounting methods does affect rate-making costs, the change would be implemented based on regulatory purposes. Adopting IFRS If LabCo decides to adopt IFRS in the upcoming year, there testament be a clear change in the Companys accounting policy, as well as their accounting for the Halibut contract. The use of the percentage-of-completion method when contracts can be reasonably estimated will remain consistent with IFRS.However, whenever these costs cannot be reasonably estimated, instead of using the completed-contract method, IFRS states that revenue shall be recognized only to the extent of the expenses recognized that are recoverable. Therefore, the accounting for the Halibut contract will change under IFRS in the same way. In this instance, kinda than switching from percentage-of-completion to the completed-contract method, LabCos contract change would consist of altering the percentage-of-completion method in order to adapt to the recognition of revenue as stated by IFRS in the paragraph above.