Overview of the Annual Report and Form 10k and the Balance Sheet free essay sample

I should be able to understand your answer and see what the numerical support is without looking at your tables. For all problem sets, please show tables and calculations with each answer (unsupported answers will be marked wrong), not in separate tables. I should be able to look at your tables or calculations and see what the answer should be without actually reading it. And I should be able to read and understand your interpretation of a table without having to look at it. Clearly show and label any and all calculations. Your output should look professional. 1. Corporate Message: What does Coca Cola’s 2012 Annual Review tell you about the message the company wants to convey to its readers? Point out examples to support your discussion. 2. Describe the three types of Coca Cola’s bottling relationships. Name the significant companies that are accounted for by the equity method. Does Coca Cola have a controlling interest in these companies? Explain and demonstrate why or why not? What would the company’s balance sheet look like if Coke were to account for its publicly traded equity method investments at fair value rather than using the equity method? . We will write a custom essay sample on Overview of the Annual Report and Form 10k and the Balance Sheet or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Except for Property, plant, and equipment, what was Coca Cola’s largest single asset (not asset category) at 12/31/2012? How does it compare to 2011? Why do you think it increased? What was its relative impact on the change in total assets? Which component of Coca Cola’s balance sheet is the primary factor causing the company’s change in total assets from December 31, 2011 to December 31, 2012? How much did this factor change by relative to (i. e. , as a percentage of) the change in total assets? 4. Income Tax: Is Coca Cola’s effective (i. e. , average) tax rate more or less than the U. S. federal (â€Å"statutory†) rate? What is the primary reason(s) that it was more/less in 2012? 5. Look at Coke’s 10K. For 2012, is the amount of dividends declared equal to the amount of dividends paid? What are these amounts? Where did you find them? Did dividends declared increase, decrease, or remain the same – per share and in total, compared to 2011? 6. Prepare a 2011 and 2012 common size balance sheet for Coke. Comment on differences between the two. A common size balance sheet is one for which each item in the balance sheet is divided by total assets. Download Pepsi’s 2012 10-K from Pepsico. com 7. Using the information in Pepsi’s 2012 10-K, calculate the company’s a. Total market value for 2012 and 2011. b. Book value to common shareholders for 2012 and 2011 (Hint: Pepsi does not have dividends in arrears on their preferred shares. Use Pepsi’s call price located in the footnotes for the preferred stock claim. Just subtract the total preferred stock call price amount from total stockholders’ equity. c. Market to book value ratios for 2012 and 2011. d. How do the above ratios for Pepsi compare to those of Coca Cola for the same two years? How do you interpret any differences? 8. Make a common size balance sheet for Pepsi for 2012 (round your percentages to 1 decimal place – i. e. , the same as 0. xxx ) Examine the two companies’ common size balance sheets. What do you notice about a. Cash and cash equivalents b. Net receivables c. Current liabilities d. Long term debt What do you think any significant differences between these ratios might mean? Do you notice any other significant differences between Coke and Pepsi? 9. Working capital: Working capital equals total current assets minus total current liabilities. How much working capital does Pepsi have at 12/31/2012 and 12/31/2011? How much working capital does Coca Cola have at 12/31/2012 and 12/31/2011? Can you directly compare the two companies’ working capital? Why or why not? If not, how could you make them comparable? Are the two companies experiencing similar changes in working capital?

Free Essays on KANT VS MILLS

Immanuel Kant simply stated the creed of the enlightenment: â€Å"Dare to know,† (Kant 1). To thinkers like Kant, to achieve enlightenment was to â€Å"gain release from†¦self-incurred tutelage†¦[the] inability to make use of [one’s] understanding without direction from another,† (Kant 1). Enlightenment thinkers addressed this issue. They present to us the question; why is it so hard to think for oneself? They propose answers to this puzzle, as well as provide solutions that will teach us how to think for ourselves. Through Immanuel Kant’s â€Å"What is Enlightenment† and J.S. Mill’s On Liberty, we can gain a deeper understanding of this question, and its answers. According to Kant, â€Å"laziness and cowardice† (1) are why we don’t think for ourselves. But this also contributes to the difficulty of thinking for ourselves. We get into the habit of letting others think for us thus it gets increasingly difficult to break this pattern. It is simply easier to let others do the thinking for us. Those who do the thinking also contribute to the pattern. They would, of course, like to maintain their control over the masses that do not think for themselves, so, the â€Å"guardians† â€Å"show†¦the danger which threatens if they try to go alone,† (Kant 2). One example of â€Å"failure makes them timid and †¦frightens them away from all further trials,† (Kant 2). This is one way that people were taught not to think for themselves, and were prompted to keep letting others think for them. What is so interesting is that Mills tells us â€Å"the mass do not now take their opinions from books. Their thinking is do ne for them by men much like themselves, addressing them or speaking in their name, on the spur of the moment, through the newspapers,† (63). The media bombards us with ideas and we are, in a sense, forced to take these opinions and make them our own. We only see what the media wants us to see and understand the world through this perc... Free Essays on KANT VS MILLS Free Essays on KANT VS MILLS Immanuel Kant simply stated the creed of the enlightenment: â€Å"Dare to know,† (Kant 1). To thinkers like Kant, to achieve enlightenment was to â€Å"gain release from†¦self-incurred tutelage†¦[the] inability to make use of [one’s] understanding without direction from another,† (Kant 1). Enlightenment thinkers addressed this issue. They present to us the question; why is it so hard to think for oneself? They propose answers to this puzzle, as well as provide solutions that will teach us how to think for ourselves. Through Immanuel Kant’s â€Å"What is Enlightenment† and J.S. Mill’s On Liberty, we can gain a deeper understanding of this question, and its answers. According to Kant, â€Å"laziness and cowardice† (1) are why we don’t think for ourselves. But this also contributes to the difficulty of thinking for ourselves. We get into the habit of letting others think for us thus it gets increasingly difficult to break this pattern. It is simply easier to let others do the thinking for us. Those who do the thinking also contribute to the pattern. They would, of course, like to maintain their control over the masses that do not think for themselves, so, the â€Å"guardians† â€Å"show†¦the danger which threatens if they try to go alone,† (Kant 2). One example of â€Å"failure makes them timid and †¦frightens them away from all further trials,† (Kant 2). This is one way that people were taught not to think for themselves, and were prompted to keep letting others think for them. What is so interesting is that Mills tells us â€Å"the mass do not now take their opinions from books. Their thinking is do ne for them by men much like themselves, addressing them or speaking in their name, on the spur of the moment, through the newspapers,† (63). The media bombards us with ideas and we are, in a sense, forced to take these opinions and make them our own. We only see what the media wants us to see and understand the world through this perc...

The implications of the previous implementation of the electronic Essay

The implications of the previous implementation of the electronic identification and central database management of sheep in the UK farming industry - Essay Example he various aspects of the economy – referring to the national economy or the economy of a greater region, like the European Union – that create the framework in which a series of activities – mostly the financial ones – is developed. For states that are members to the European Union all economic activities – as most of their activities – need to be evaluated in the context of the relevant European rules, ethics and practices, in other words, European economic environment is also likely to affect the economic activities and initiatives developed in the members of the Union – apart from the national economic environment. Current paper focuses on the examination of the advantages and problems of existing system of identification and tracking of sheep in UK. At the same time reference is made to the benefits and problems of the system that is going to be replaced the existing one by the end of December 2009. The effects of both these syste ms on the British and the European economic environment are also identifying and analysed – at the level that they can offer explanations on the reasons that led to the initial use of information systems for the particular economic activity but also the reasons that led to the need for the replacement of these systems at the specific point of time. The rules that are currently used for the identification of sheep in UK were introduced on the 11th of January 2008; farmers across the country were appropriately informed in order to take the measures required (DEFRA, 2009). Existing system offers a series of advantages – compared to the systems of sheep identification used in the past. These advantages could be summarized as follows: a) In the existing system, different provisions have been introduced regarding the animals with different characteristics in a way that the existing system of identification can be applied on all sheep and goats across UK. As an example, a differentiation is made between the animals born

A qualitative proposal Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

A qualitative - Research Proposal Example Consequently, the organizations face different problems labour turnover cost, decreasing employees morale and productivity. Under this situation, it is highly significant that those causes must be highlighted and evaluated that are directly or indirectly responsible for creating difficulties for assimilation process. Additionally, as the assimilation has always been preferred by organizations because it provides productive contribution to overall organizational performance and productivity besides maintaining and stabilizing the workplace culture and environment, organizations and individuals are always looking for ways to improve their chances of compatibility and adjustment with the workplace culture through the process of assimilation. And this can only be done through evaluating hindrances and supporting factors that facilitate the process of assimilation. Jablin’s organizational assimilation theory is composed of four stages: vocational anticipatory socialization, anticipatory socialization, encounter and metamorphosis (Dainton and Zelley, 2011). In the first stage, newcomers develop certain beliefs and expectations relating to nature and type of work; in the second stage, the newcomers start to learn organizational matters and endeavour to obtain knowledge, skills required to meet job description; in the third stage, which is more related to the organizational culture, the newcomers try to ascertain type of organizational cultures and how communications and understanding among and between employees take place; in the fourth stage, the newcomers experience transition from outsider to insider (Dainton and Zelley, 2011). In other words, each stage has its own boundaries and requirements and they are sequenced as well. For example, in order to undergo this process, every newcomer is required to experience this process from first stage to the fourth stage. This study is

ACADEMIC CULTURE & VALUES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

ACADEMIC CULTURE & VALUES - Essay Example In as much as it remains a common language among various countries English has various advantages and disadvantages. English taking on the role of world language has various advantages, to start with is the uniformity is accords to reference. It is language, which maintains its originality due to stringent rules guiding its usage ( Ammon 2003, p 63). Recently the Australia based organizations acquired it to facilitate free trade among the 13 member countries. English further ensures a free communication among member countries across borders, as it remains a simple language to learn and consequently, a global language known by many people. Technological advancements in the current world get help from English as a world language. Computer advancement for instance has programme software’s in English as other languages seem are difficult to understand and learn. This makes English the only language, which can be beneficial to the whole world and accepted by every country. In as much as English is not a common language for everybody using the internet it has remained a common and unifying language to all people. Further English has an advantage of taking the worlds language from the context that all world media fraternities apart from internet use English. This includes world television networks including CNN and Aljazira. In addition, other field such as medication prints instructions through English as well as giving medication guidelines using English. In the field of business, English still forms a key communication medium at air traffic controls including airports and airplanes. This makes English an international language with many advantages as it forms a common medium of communication (Kirkpatrick 2007, p 16). Apart from facilitating communication around the world, English has done a lot of harm to the world. To start with is the fact that it has made other languages disappear and

Asda Stores Ltd Is A British Supermarket Marketing Essay

Asda Stores Ltd Is A British Supermarket Marketing Essay In the year 1999 ASDA became a subsidiary of the American retail giant Wal-Mark the worlds largest retailer, and is now known to be the second largest chain in the UK. A survey done in December 2010 showed that 16.5% of UK grocery shoppers used ASDA for their main shopping needs, as they were attracted to ASDAs special offers. ASDAs marketing promotions have most of the time been on its price. They have been known as Britains lowest priced supermarket for the past thirteen years. Since ASDA is a fully owned part of Wal-Mart, it does not required to declare quarterly or half-yearly earnings, and submits full accounts to Companies House each October. Organizational Structure and Culture Organizational Structure ASDAs organizational structure is a hierarchical structure. This is because it has a lot of employees working in various departments of the company. Therefore there information has to pass through many people before it can reach the store manager. For an example, a co worker has to report to the supervisor, the supervisor has to report to the assistant manager/manager, the assistant manager/manager reports to the store manager. A hierarchical structure has many levels. Each level is controlled by one person. A hierarchical company tends to be a very big company just like ASDA. ASDA culture ASDAs culture is unique from other organizations in many ways. ASDA has a team of over one hundred and seventy thousand working across the business. All employees wear a name badge, and have daily huddles to keep up to date on their performance. They strictly follow three beliefs that are, service to our customers, respect for the individual, strive for excellence. ASDA believes that their customers are at the heart of everything they do and that their purpose is to make sure that all their goods and services to be as affordable as possible. They strongly believe that it is a culture to work as one team to support their stores, drawing on the strengths and experiences of individuals and sharing them with each other. When it comes to ASDAs attitude, they believe in commitment, where great ideas can be put into action. They like to find out ways to do things, rather than looking for reasons not to do them. ASDA believes in huddles, and uses it to keep everyone informed about the business performance. They use huddles to communicate their key activities for the day and help them remain focused and achieve the set goal for the day. Huddles also give them the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate team and individual success. Every employee working at ASDA group Ltd wears a name badge. They believe that it makes it easier to be approached when wearing a name badge. ASDA holds The Big Bruch which is their quarterly huddle that is held at the ASDA House in Leeds. This gives the employees the opportunity to share important information in a fun and relaxed way. Normally the Big Bruch starts with a performance in the ASDA Houses atrium. Staffs working at ASDA are not pressurized to wear a jacket, as they believe that jackets are a barrier to be approached. ASDA believes in something called the ten foot rule, where if someone is within ten feet from an employee, it can be anyone, either another employee or a customer or a supplier, they should always say hello. They believe that it helps build an atmosphere of friendliness and respect, and after all it only takes a second. Business Model ASDAs business model is quite similar to any other big organizations business model, although the online business can be a little more complex. ASDAs e-commerce platforms support online shopping for both general merchandise (George clothing) and as well as groceries. The grocery business is operates out of one hundred and seventy five stores, and delivers to the local areas within each store, where they use nine-hundred delivery vehicles to cover up to 95% of all UK postcodes. The ASDA Direct business trades around seven hundred and fifty thousand stocked and stockless products in partnership with other third party and carrier specialists. Currently they do home deliveries, but have plans for the future, where the customer will also have the option to place the order online and pick it up from any ASDA store. They launched their first ASDA Direct catalogue in October 2010 and plan to use this to market the proposition ongoing. Global Visibility ASDA Stored Ltd is a huge scale business, but may not be as big as the new Super Stores, where you can find other additional facilities like launderettes etc. But ASDA is known to be a huge scale business as they provide services in many different sectors. While retailing in groceries and general merchandise, they also have a travel and insurance section, pharmacy section, opticians section and also their own mobile network provider. ASDA has two hundred and ninety three stores operating in the UK and has over one hundred and seventeen thousand employees. They also have many stores abroad in different countries but operate under different names, but sell the same products. Business Alliances Major business alliance of ASDA is George Davies partnership. All the clothing section of ASDA is Georges. The partnership was started in 65 stores in February 1989. ASDA became a part of wal-mart group in the year 1999. Business Process ASDAs business process is structured of four types: Customers Operating Model Colleagues Shareholders (i) Customers When it comes to their customers, ASDA believes in Treating the customers happily. Keeping the goods available to the customers at any time. Providing best quality of goods. Providing the products cheaply. (ii) Operational Model Maintain prices lower when compared to other competitors. Maintaining lower prices at any circumstances. (iii) Colleagues Providing good environment at the work place. Willing to work with others in a professional way. (iv) Shareholders Maintaining new formats Enriching return on investment Step 02 SWOT Analysis for ASDA I N T E R N A L Strengths Cost advantage Can afford to lower prices to attract new customers. Innovation Online growth Online shopping becoming a lot more popular and ASDA has a good secure website. Loyal customers Loyal customers coming back again and again purchasing from the business Strong brand equity Strong financial position Supply chain Pricing Affiliation to Wal-Mart Mini Cafes (Restaurants) Weaknesses Quality of food substandard Not having petrol stations(Tesco etc has) No Express stores (Tesco etc has) No stores abroad with same name E X T E R N A L Opportunities Product and services expansion Takeovers Diversity to Petrol stations Opening Express Stores Expansion abroad by opening stores abroad with same name Threats Competition Economic slowdown External changes (government, politics, taxes, etc) Exchange rate fluctuations Price wars Product substitution Porters Five Forces Model POTENTIAL ENTRANTS (Treat of Mobility) SUPPLIERS (Supplier Power) BUYERS (Buyer Power) SUBSTITUTES (Treat of Substitutes) INDUSTRY RIVALRY Industry Rivalry Current Competitors: Tesco, Sainsbury, Marks and Spenser Growing industry possibility of new competitors Customers have low switching costs Fixed cost are high resulting huge production and reduction in prices Exit barriers are high and rivals stay and compete Possible Solution for ASDA to avoid competitive rivalry between their competitors (Tesco etc): They should avoid price competition ASDA should differentiate their products By reducing industry over-capacity They should focus on different segments Also they should communicate with their competitors New Entrants Potential competitors with capital requirements to start a business is less Selling of same/similar products or services Customers can easily switch (low switching costs) Price competition Possible ways that ASDA may reduce the threat of new entrants By increasing sales efficiency Have alliances with other products and services Create a brand image (they do have it) By tying up with their suppliers By typing up with their distributers End users/buyers Buyers purchasing in bulk quantity No differentiation in products Buyers can easily switch to competitors product Price sensitive buyers Very low cost (would think twice) Possible ways for ASDA to reduce the bargaining power of their customers ASDA should increase their customer loyalty Use of customer relationship management By increasing incentives and value added services for their customers Suppliers Suppliers being strong and well organized Suppliers can demand when not many suppliers of that particular product is available Suppliers can demand when they supply an effective or unique product When the switching cost of supplier is high When the supplier has captured the market Possible ways for ASDA to reduce the bargaining power of their suppliers ADSA should create partnerships with their suppliers ASDA should use a supply chain management Providing supply chain training By increasing dependency of supplier on them By building knowledge of their supplier costs and methods By taking of a supplier Substitutes Customers can switch when there are many substitute products available in the market When customers find the same product or service for a cheaper price elsewhere Better quality products found at a competitor Competitor earning high profits can reduce price of the substitute product to the lowest level Possible ways for ASDA to reduce the threats of their substitutes By increasing switching costs Having customer surveys to learn customer preferences Emphasize on differences Alliances with other companies Step 03 Bringing competitive advantage through cloud computing What is cloud computing? Cloud computing is an online form of computing and is closely associated with Web 2.0. It enables users to access applications using a browser, while the application is installed and stored along with the data on a server. This helps companies to reduce their capital costs, by not having the need to purchase software and hardware. Cloud computing has become a whole new form of computing where it allows thousands of users from all parts of the world to access something without the need of having to download and install them on their computers. Advantages of cloud computing Reduced cost. It would help ASDA Stores Ltd to receive secure, managed hosting at a very low cost. Also they are able to access it from any computer and still have the file they require. This also makes it easier for the company as they do not have to reproduce the software and ship out to all its branches. By using cloud computing it would help ASDA to reduce it cost and only pays a rent to the server space required. When ASDAs requirements grow they do not have to purchase any additional hardware in order to upgrade their servers, which may also help them keep the cost down. Cloud computing automatically updates the servers for the owners. Therefore owners no longer have to hire specialists to update their servers. Cloud computing is mobile. It lets its users at ASDA connect with any device, which means they can do their work from any part of the world as far as they have access to the internet. This could save time and also information to be up to date. ASDA users can log onto the network without having to download anything. This saves them time and hard drive space. An important feature of cloud computing is that companies share recourses. This means that they are allowed access to the resources via cloud computing. This also helps ASDA save time and money by placing all their resources in one place which makes it easy for its employees to access. It benefits ASDA to keep their files safe on their servers and less likely to be lost or stolen on a hard drive. The server will have an offsite backup in case something goes wrong. Therefore ASDA does not have to worry about losing any information. Disadvantages of cloud computing Additional cost of data transfer fees Another disadvantage about cloud computing is that you do not have control over the remote servers, their software, or their security The companys data is with a third-party company It may be hard to transfer large amounts of data from the provider. Transforming competitive advantage with social media What is social media? Social media integrates the online technology and methods through which people can share content, give their personal opinions and swap different perspectives. Social media website can be made up of many ways. They may include: Text often used to share opinions or post on blogs Images to share images and photos Audio allows you to create podcasts which users may download Video you may record a video and share it with everyone Nowadays some of the most popular types of social media websites are of: Social networking such websites allow you to create a profile of yourself and chat, discuss and also share information with others. A few examples of popular social networking sites are FaceBook, MySpace, Bebo. Wikis they are websites that lets you create, edit and share information on a particular subject or topic. An example of wikis is Wikipedia. Video Sharing you may upload and share videos with the web community. An example of such website is YouTube. Photo Sharing Users may upload pictures and images from their account and can share them with other users around the world. An example of such website is Flickr. News aggregation Provides a list of the latest news that is published by users from a range of different websites. An example of a news aggregation website is Digg. Social Bookmarking users of such sites are allowed to publicly bookmark web pages that they may find valuable or interesting and share them with other users. Online gaming Lets users do play games online. An example of online gaming is World of Warcraft. Presence apps Such websites lets users to post micro blog-like posts and tell others what they are doing. An example of such website is Twitter. Advantages of Social Media It is said that Asda.com home shopping service serves 97% in the country. ASDA launched financial services such as providing personal loans, general insurance, life insurance and credit cards. Its aim is to take trouble out of financial planning and insurance and to offer cheap prices. ASDAs thinking about social media: Issues get alerted in a brilliant way. Informing things to head office and as well as store level. Strategy is enough for digital world, no need of digital strategy. Be prepared to face good or bad. Some future ways of ASDA Communication: ASDA may create blogs, in order to get feedback from customers etc. They may promote themselves through social networks such as facebook etc. They also may use multimedia or photography in order to advertise their company. And also could allow their customers to comment on their products. This way they may be able to see what their customers think about their products and services and may change it according to customer requirements. Can mobility bring competitive advantage? What is Mobility? Mobility solutions gives people the opportunity to access the companys information from anywhere in the world at anytime in a flawless and secure manner. By making information accessible from anywhere in the world, it can be guaranteed that employees would not have to wait for the data to reach them in other means when making an important decision. Another use of mobility applications is that it can be used to capture delayed or lost information. In the past mobility once used to refer to notebooks. Although notebooks have a positive side, they have several limitations to what they can do. They can be bulky to carry around, expensive, they require a data connection in order to connect to the internet and also most of the time have a low battery life. Nowadays most of us have replaced the use of notebooks with powerful, with a much longer battery life hand held devices such as PDAs and Smartphones. Users can connect to the internet from their cellular networks signal or may also have the option of connecting via Wi-Fi. In most companies Email is the most important application when it comes to mobility. Therefore in most companies the senior management have been equipped with Blackberry and other similar devices with push email technology, which helps easy access to their emails. Even the middle and junior level management can only benefit in mobility solutions in order to guarantee higher levels of productivity and efficiency. Mobility applications can consist of various functionalities such as Sales force autonation, customer relationship management, logistics tracking and planning, performance tracking, push alerts and much more. Using these types of applications can be as easy as typing SMS or as powerful as hi-tech applications running on Smartphones. Before a company can go ahead with the use of mobility solutions, it first needs to consider several restrictions. The company needs to first evaluate which of its business processes require the access to information (PCs). For an example the sales function where the staff requires the latest and accurate information, while having limited access to the companys IT network. After evaluating what business processes require access to information (PCs), the company then has to decide what form of applications they will consider. For some business processes of the company, plain SMS-based querying might be enough. This means the application may be installed on the existing mobile phone that most of the companys staff are having. But if the mobile phones do not have to complexity to hold such softwares, the company might have to provide complex machines such as PDAs or smartphones in order to be able to use such softwares. But for other business process in the company may need of much high tech equipment than a PDA or smartphone. But mobility can also sometimes have a negative side to it. Some employees would take a long time to get used to using such mobile devices, and some employees may not like using such devices, this may have a negative effect on the company. Since the devices are mobile, there are possibilities of thefts or losing the devices. And since it may contain valuable company information, it may be a huge concern to the company of losing such equipment. But to overcome such incidents and to protect their data, companies may install a password based access into the devices, and also have firewalls to avoid hacking. These are some possible ways of protecting the companys data. Step 04 Our business strategy for ASDA consists of three steps Analysis Integration Implementation (i) Anaysis In the analysis part, in order to develop a business strategy for ASDA, we are going to use the SWOT analysis we did in step 2. Using the SWOT analysis, it will help us gather, analyze and evaluate information and identify strategic options that ASDA is facing. We chose SWOT analysis to help develop a business strategy for ASDA because we believe that SWOT analysis is a very effective way of identifying the strengths and weaknesses, as well as examining the opportunities and treats that ASDA may face. Using the SWOT analysis framework, we have put in place what we believe are the Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of ASDA. Strengths and weaknesses are known to be internal while opportunities and threats are external. I N T E R N A L Strengths Cost advantage Can afford to lower prices to attract new customers. Innovation Online growth Online shopping becoming a lot more popular and ASDA has a good secure website. Loyal customers Loyal customers coming back again and again purchasing from the business Strong brand equity Strong financial position Supply chain Pricing Affiliation to Wal-Mart Mini Cafes (Restaurants) Weaknesses Quality of food substandard Not having petrol stations(Tesco etc has) No Express stores (Tesco etc has) No stores abroad with same name E X T E R N A L Opportunities Product and services expansion Takeovers Diversity to Petrol stations Opening Express Stores Expansion abroad by opening stores abroad with same name Threats Competition Economic slowdown External changes (government, politics, taxes, etc) Exchange rate fluctuations Price wars Product substitution (ii) Intergration Using this knowledge, we can now develop a plan of action by first matching the strengths and weaknesses with the opportunities in the external environment, and also oppose any possible threats that might create a danger to plans. A weakness seen in ASDA is that they do not have any petrol stations or any affiliated petrol stations. Their competitors like Tesco has their petrol stations and also other competitors have affiliated petrol stations where they can use discount coupons to get discounts on petrol. ASDA can use change this weakness into an opportunity. Since they are in a strong financial position, they can start their own petrol stations, or get together with a petrol station and sign a contract with them, where their customers can get discounts on petrol when they shop with ASDA. Another weakness ASDA faces is that they do not have any express stores like their competitor Tesco does. Taking into notice that they are in a strong financial position, having a good supply chain, low cost prices, and also being affiliated to wal-mart, they can use this weakness and change it into an opportunity by opening express stores. This could be a huge gain for ASDA. But by doing so, they should also take into consideration the threats they could face. Because when Tesco started their express stores they faced many issues with other shop owners and the government. Therefore ASDA first look into the external changes (government, politics, taxes etc). Although ASDA has stores abroad with other names with different spellings, that sell the exact same products. Most people would not know that it is a part of ASDA. When you look at ASDAs competitor Tesco, they have many stores in many other countries with the same company name. This helps them build up their company name and brand. Therefore if ASDA can also do the same and open stores abroad with its name they can build a better name recognition. And since they are affiliated to Wal-mart, and also currently having stores abroad with different spellings, they already have a good supply chain and structure active already. So it would be easy for ASDA to start its branches abroad with the same name. Since they already have stores abroad with different spellings which are active, the threats of starting business abroad are to a minimum. The possible threats they could have faced is the exchange rate fluctuations, price wars as other countries would have other local competitors etc. But since they already have stores operating abroad, it would be easier to start stores with their own ASDA name. Another possible opportunity that ASDA may consider is expansion of their products and services. Since they are an affiliation to wal-mart, which is considered to be the worlds largest retail company, this can be a positive thing for ASDA. And since they have much other strength like being in a strong financial position, affordable low cost prices, good supply chain, strong brand equity and loyal customers, it would be a good idea for them to expand the number of stores, and also introduce more services. For an example: a launderette. This would help the customers benefit more, as they can put their clothes to wash while they shop. By doing so, they would first have to look for any possible threats. For an example: Competition. They would have to first see if there is any other company specializing in this sort of business, who are offering low cost laundry services close to their stores and whether they would be any threat to ASDA. Another opportunity for ASDA could be takeovers. Since they are in a strong financial position, and a well reputable company, they should see if they can buy over any possible companies that they see could be a possible threat in the future. (iii ) Implementation After matching up the strengths and weaknesses with the opportunities while taking into consideration the possible threats that can affect the plan, we now move onto the implementation part. In this section, ASDA will have individual teams that will have respective roles in bringing the strategy to succeed, by applying specific tactics that is developed in order to support the strategy. So by appointing different teams to work on different subsections of the business strategy, this could help the implementation stage to be a success. Since ASDA is not sure how the results would turn out to be, it is not wise for ASDA to spend a lot of money and time at once into starting something new. Therefore, as a trial, they should first start it on a small scale, and according to its progress they should then decide whether it is going to benefit the company or not. In order to see the progress of the implementation of the new strategies, ASDA will include a measurement module. This is derived from the overall goals established to accomplish the business mission. The goals are broken down, by the new business and the time estimated to accomplish them. The business strategy will include a module to periodically evaluate the current progress against goals. Based according on how well the business strategy has led to goal achievement, the strategic analysis process is repeated to adjust the strategy as required. Theme we selected In order for ASDA to achieve their goals, we believe that social media will bring the most competitive advantage out of the three themes. This is because; ASDA is already a well established company and has a well balanced infrastructure with all the necessary technology and people to operate them. Although cloud computing and mobility also have their positive sides, for an example, in cloud computing, a company does not have keep buying new servers as their business grows, and do not have to spend a lot of money in updating the software and installing new servers etc, and with the use of mobility, according to the business process they can provide their staff with various mobile devices to carry out their tasks to cut down on time etc. But as said before ASDA is not a new company and has been in operation for many years. Therefore they have already invested in all the necessary technology and people they need. If ASDA was a new company it might have been a good option to consider either cloud computing or mobility as they would not have to spend a lot of money on servers etc and pay for only what they require. Since ASDA already has the necessary technology and people, they have to focus on ways to improve their business. This includes what options are there to improve their business, what their customers think about their current products and services, their competitors etc. So by using social media, they are able to achieve this. They are able to advertise their products in many different ways and also get good feedback from their customers, which will help them to know whether their customers are satisfied with their products and services and change it according to the customer requirements. Some ways they could use social media is by having blogs where customers can write on. This is a good way to know what their customers think about their products. This way issues get alerted in a brilliant way, and they are able to cater according to the customer needs. They also may promote themselves through social networking, which also is a good and effective way. These are some of the ways they can use social media to improve on their business. Then according to their customer feedback, they can start implementing the opportunities which they gathered in the SWOT analysis by converting the weaknesses into opportunities with the help of their strengths while taking into consideration the possible threats they may face. Then they could also move onto having a social network within the organization, where they can have a blog where employees within the company can share their thoughts and ideas on how to improve their products and services to satisfy customer requirements.

Learning Styles: Differences In Children’s Minds Essay -- essays paper

Learning Styles: Differences In Children’s Minds Many Community college students are unable to exit remedial college preparatory programs and advance into credit courses (Rochford 2003). Experts may say it is due to the inability of teachers to teach using methods. Different people may have different learning styles. Student populations have become more diverse, the ability to teach to the needs of different learners has become increasingly important (Haar, Hall, Schoepp, & Smith 2002). Learning styles refer to the way students concentrate on, process, internalize, and recall new and difficult information. Most people have preferences, but individual preferences differ. The stronger the preference, the more important it is to provide compatible instructional strategies (Rochford 2003). The Dunn and Dunn Learning-style model illustrates elements that influence that way people learn new material. Great achievement while introducing new material may be achieved if certain stimuli are considered:  · Environmental - sound, light, temperature, design  · Emotional – motivated, persistent, structure, responsible  · Sociological – alone, pair, peers, team, adult, varied  · Physiological – food, time, mobility  · Psychological – global, analytic (Rochford 2003). Understanding these stimuli is the first step in mastering the art of teaching the correct method to the correct learning style. The three basic learning styles include the visual, the auditory, and the kinesthetic learner. Each type of learner has distinct characteristics and skills. Visual Learning Visual learners need to see the material. Information seen in charts, diagrams, or pictures is remembered... ... http://bcps.org/offices/lis/models/tips/styles/html Miller, S, (2000). The learning styles survey. Retrieved October 16, 2004 from http://www.metamath.com/lsweb/fourls.htm Penn State York University. Auditory learners. Retrieved November 20, 2004 from the world wide web: http://www.yk.psu.edu/learncenter/acskills/auditory.html Rochford, R. (2003). Assessing learning styles to improve the quality of performance of community college students in development writing programs: a pilot study. Community College Journal of Research & Practice, 27.8, 665-677. Sabry, K., & Baldwin, L. (2003). Web-based learning interaction and learning styles. British Journal of Educational Technology, 34.4, 443-454. Svati, C. & Pratibha, M. Visual learners. Retrieve November 20, 2004 from the world wide web: http://www.nalandainstitute.org/aspfiles/visual.asp

History of Mass Communication Essay

On June 19, 1965 Republic Act No. 4379 was passed, providing for the establishment of the University of the Philippines Institute of Mass Communication (UP-IMC). Dr. Gloria Feliciano was appointed director, and later dean, of the Institute. UP-IMC was formally established as an academic unit on August 23, 1966 offering journalism courses leading to the A.B. Journalism degree. In school year 1966-67, the A.B. Broadcast Communication and the M.A. programs were instituted. It was also in May 1967 that the Institute graduated its first batch of students—nine A.B. Journalism majors. By September 9, 1969, the Institute had transferred from the College of Arts and Sciences to Plaridel Hall. The third undergraduate program of IMC, the A.B. Communication Research, was instituted on April 7, 1975. Seven years later, in school year 1982-83, the Ph.D. in Communication program was instituted. It was also during this school year that the merging of the three undergraduate programs into one B.A. Communication program with major in any of the three old programs (journalism, broadcast communication, and communication research) was undertaken. Likewise, the three masteral programs were merged into one M.A. in Communication program and students could major in either broadcast communication, journalism or communication research. In school year 1984-85, the Film and Audiovisual Communication’s program was added to the Institute’s undergraduate course offerings. The following school year, Prof. Georgina R. Encanto was appointed new Dean of the Institute, succeeding Dr. Gloria D. Feliciano. December 1, 1987 marked the reactivation of the DZUP under the management of the institute. On April 28, 1988, almost 23 years after it was established, the UP IMC was elevated by the UP Board of Regents. Dr. Delia R. Barcelona then became the Dean in 1991. Prof. Luis V. Teodoro was dean from 1994 to 2000. During his term, the A.B. Communication program was divided once more into four distinct courses. Construction of the new Mass Media Center began in late 1996 during the term of Dean Teodoro, who conceptualized the Center to prepare the College for the 21st century, and raised the initial funds for its construction. In 1998, the Commission on Higher Education named the Journalism and Communication Research departments as its Centers of Excellence in the study of communication. The Broadcast Communication and the Film departments, meanwhile, are candidates for Centers of Development. In 2002, during the deanship of Prof. Ellen Paglinauan, a new MA Media Studies program was instituted with specializations in Broadcast Communication, Journalism, Film. The latter is considered to be the first (and only) graduate program in film in the Philippines. Dean Nicanor Tiongson, meanwhile, started two new Mass Communication institutions: the Plaridel Journal and the Gawad Plaridel.

Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk essays

Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk essays In the year of our Lord, 1538, Frances Howard, Countess of Surrey, gave birth to her second child. Within the walls of Kenninghall Palace, Thomas Howard was born at precisely thirty-six minutes and seven seconds past two oclock in the morning on October 10th, 1538. In attendance at this occasion was his father, Henry Earl of Surrey, renowned poet and soldier, and his grandfather, Thomas Lord Treasurer and Duke Norfolk. Also present at the earls request was an Italian astrologer, sent for to read Thomas future in the skies. The astrologer would tell of Henrys early death and a difficult and tragic life for Thomas. His prediction would become too true for the Howard family. Thomas Howards parents, having met in London, were married at the age of fifteen. He would come to have three sisters, and older, Jane, and two younger, Katherine and Margaret. A brother, Henry, was born into the family in 1540. The Howards had an extensive family line and many ties to the Crown. His aunt, Catherine Howard, was married to King Henry VIII, until her beheading for adultery at the Howard home in Lambeth when Thomas was only four years old. Another of his aunts, Mary, Duchess of Richmond, was widowed by King Henry VIIIs son, Henry Fitzroy. King Henry VIII himself was Thomas godfather. Thomas lived the first nine years of his life at the place of his birth, Kenninghall Palace. There he was tutored by the scholar Hadrianus Junius, and learned many athletic, as well as, diplomatic skills. As the heir to the dukedom of Norfolk, he was required to learn many more skills than his siblings, and the genius of his sister Jane and brother Henry did not show itself in Thomas. Thomas did, however, become an expert at coursing rabbits during his first years at Kenninghall and wrote a treatise concerning the subject which was still being reprinted a century ago. Thomas father, the Earl of Sur...

Brave New World,different look essays

Brave New World,different look essays The youth of Brave New World draw a startling conclusion when compared to that of todays; However the programming used was much more direct then the techniques used in present day society. At a very young age, the children of Brave New World are taught to not only accept and embrace death but eventually become indifferent towards it. They have death conditioning where they are rewarded, with chocolate or various other treats, for watching people die. While certainly nothing of this sort happens in today's culture, the effects seen on the youth are still the same. Currently, the young minds of the world are compounded with scenes of violence, that will eventually numb them to the savage images of human tragedy. By showing violent images constantly, the children become distant to it; Indeed, the concept is foreign. A perfect example are the attacks on the World Trade Center. Many youths have said, I dont feel thats its real, or It feels like a TV show. The days of massacres or unspeak able crimes have gone. The entertainment industry has raised the public's shock value to an unprecedented level. The result is a feeling of apathy. It seems twisted, but to them, it is simply reality. Nevertheless, a warped reality. However, the twisted illusion doesn't stop there. In Brave New World, the children are programmed to believe that no one belongs to anyone else. Consequently, everyone is shared with everyone else. Every one works for every one else ... (136) The biggest lesson, however, is the teaching that no person is different from any other. By training them to focus on this, the government denies them a very human right, the right to be an individual. While the individual is certainly understood here in today's society, it is far from accepted. By spending time alone, a young man obtains the title of a loner or a freak among his peers. It is...

BSBOHS503B Assist in the design and devlopment of OHS participative Essay

BSBOHS503B Assist in the design and devlopment of OHS participative arrangements - Essay Example In this paper the conduct of a health committee is evaluated in terms of building a committee that is functional and effective. A constitution to govern the working of the committee is proposed, and dispute resolution in the committee in terms of the work, health and safety (WHS) management model is discussed. In the case study given, a health and safety committee has been operational for six months but has been ineffective due to a clash of personalities. As the workplace safety officer, there are various steps I can take to improve the efficiency of the committee. The first step will be reviewing the committee’s constitution to ensure that it is aligned with the organization’s vision. The committee members will be educated on the purpose of the committee. The junior workers in the committee will be taught that the health and safety committee is not another avenue for them to voice their wishes to the management. Rather, it is a forum to generate solutions for the health and safety problems at the workplace. The second step will be improving the cohesiveness of the committee through team building exercises. Team building and workplace cohesiveness reduces workplace bullying incidences which are impact negatively on workplace health and safety (Chan-Mok, Janet, Carlo and Chr is 3; Keashly and Branda 423). The agenda of the committee meetings will be clearly communicated to the members. This will avoid deviation from the relevant issues during the meetings and preempt the witnessed personality crash. Finally, the committee will be setting practical goals and steps to achieve these goals. An evaluation procedure will be available in order to determine if the goals are being met in a timely manner. The health and safety committee is tasked with coordination of health and safety related activities in an organization. The committee should be representative of all stake holders who are affected by the health and safety systems implemented by

The Somali Profile in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Somali Profile in UK - Essay Example The paper also analysis the unemployment issue of the Somalis and the causes of the unemployment in London. The map below shows the location of Somalia in the African continent. Somalis in the UK, Migration and History Trends The Somali migrated to UK due to civic problems in Somalia. Somalia has had many problems since the ousting of formal government in 1991. Most of the Somali natives have escaped the worn-torn country to various destination including Kenya, Ethiopia and UK. The Somalis started their migration to England in notable figures in the early 1990s and formed the biggest group of refugees in the land then (Griffiths 2004, p25). The Somalis who fled to UK are a mixture of various clans most of whom are Muslims. Some of the Somalis migrated to Diaspora to join others who were living there (Werbner 2002, p126). Previous researches indicate that the Somali population has been in UK since the early 1980s (Grifiths 2002, p20). Most of the Somalis living in England are found in London. The number of Somalis living in London is approximately 70,000 people while the large proportion of them is found in Tower Hamlets. These are approximately 13,000 people (IOM 2006, p5). The map below shows the distribution of the community in UK. ... Some of the barriers causing the unemployment of the Somali people in London include invalid pre-migration qualifications and improper or inappropriate contacts in the land in addition to loss of significant skills due to the migrations. The unemployment problem is enhanced by the fact that most of Somalis prefer similar job to those they held in Somalia. Only a few of them about 15% have the required skills and training to acquire jobs in London. In 2006, more than 70% of the Somali living in London were jobless (Adfam 2009, p20). Lack of employment opportunities has led to desperation among many Somali people. They have in turn resulted to chewing khat as a means of passing time (Baafuo-Awuah 2005, p20). This has been a major problem and has been blamed for rising in crime and impotence among the males (James 2006, p44). Men 35years and above Women 35 years and above Young people 35 years and below With Jobs 900 400 450 Jobless 1100 2800 2350 Total 2000 3200 2800 Source:Adfam2009,p 20 Discrimination and racial issues Part of the unemployment problem of the Somalis in London is based on the issue of education. This is because compared to other ethnic groups in London in issues such as levels of wages and retaining of jobs, the Somalis perform worst. The issue of unemployment thus cannot be justified based on discrimination of black minority groups Harris 2006, p54). The Somalis are discriminated on the first impression created by nomadic settlers that they are poorly educated. Most of the women are poorly educated while the only educated people are the young individuals who have been able to enroll in the UK education system (Harris 2006,