L. E. Fouraker & J. M. Stopford †Organizational Structure and the Multinational Strategy Essay

Organizations constitute an important part of society. Parsons (1960) said that with organizations it is possible to â€Å"get things done†, and â€Å"achieve goals beyond the reach of the individual†. However, organizations may face continuous structural change, as A. D. Chandler’s â€Å"Strategy and Structure† (1966) suggest. Lawrence E. Fouraker, a Business Administration lecturer, and John M. Stopford, a research associate at the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration analyze this work in their paper titled â€Å"Organizational Structure and the Multinational Strategy†. The following is a brief synopsis of the same. To begin with, a historical outline is given of how company resources were acquired and used. According to Chandler, there was an â€Å"initial expansion and accumulation of resources† (qtd. in Fouraker and Stopford 1968: 48), then followed by a reduction of these utilized resources, an opening out into new markets, and eventually the development of an entirely new structure. These four stages in time, according to Fouraker and Stopford lead to distinctive organizational structures. The so called Type I – organization is a basic organization that is seen to be the extension of the head of the company, and hence reflects the same â€Å"interests, abilities, and limitations† (qtd. in Fouraker and Stopford 1968: 48) of the chief and/or founder. It is characterized by its focus on the production of a single product only, and furthermore, stresses a single task, leaving little or no flexibility in terms of adaptation to new market developments. The problem solving or decision-making always leads to one individual who carries all burdens. This might also be explained by the philosophy or mind-set of the management (â€Å"command and control†). Having a very basic organizational design, the marketing orientation (as per Kotler and Armstrong 2006) that describes the Type I – organization best, may be the product concept. Although no actual product innovations are implemented, it does apply to a certain extent since this model assumes that the organization’s core business is to target a high sale in volumes of the product that is marked by its quality, and that is manufactured by the smaller-sized company. A simple example for such an organizational type may be a company that produces plain mousetraps. Since a Type I – organization would believe in its single product most intensively, it is important that the organization does not get trapped in marketing myopia, i.e. by thinking that their product (the mousetrap) is the only and best built product, ignoring better solutions (for instance chemical spray or exterminating services) (Kotler and Armstrong 2006: 10). The Type II – organization on the other hand is defined by efficiency and the â€Å"rational use of resources† (qtd. in Fouraker and Stopford 1968: 49). Being based on the structure of a Type I – organization, one still stays within a single functional activity (qtd. in Fouraker and Stopford 1968: 49), but simultaneously expands to a few more related products, or diversified product-lines. This development mainly took place, according to Fouraker and Stopford, in order to avoid risks, ensure that the organization continues to function once the core product has reached its expiration, and to make an efficient use of the equipment and plant (i.e. to use it to its full capacity). One now also has a vertically integrated style of management, which, however, still excludes research and development. It is further highlighted by Fouraker and Stopford, that although various products are being produced efficiently, so far no actual management or professional administratio n is applied. On the contrary, the same type of management philosophy predominates. However, the better co-ordination in functions allows for the move within the marketing framework; One shifted to the production concept. This becomes obvious since, according to Kotler and Armstrong (2006: 9), consumers are in need of affordable and available products, which on the other hand makes more efficiency in the production-process necessary. An historical example is given by Henry Ford and his development of the Model T car. It had been his aim that every family could afford such a car, hence he efficiently reduced the production time from 12 hours to 96 minutes by means of the moving assembly line (Ali and Gomez 2006: 14). The subsequently developing organization, Type III, builds up in its complexity, which also brings about the need for professional management and a general change in management’s approach towards the components within the value chain. It allows for general managers to be trained and tested and also to be instituted in unrelated divisions (which are separated on the basis of the nature of the products). Specifically, one now has a multi-divisional product structure (i.e. the divisions are separated on the product basis) with more functional responsibility being delegated to the division general managers. For the first time, organizations now also carry out research and development to a large degree. Product innovation hence plays a role, and the need for better marketing arises, that means the marketing concept (as per Kotler and Armstrong 2006) is practiced. By focusing on consumer needs, one uses integrated marketing perfectly on both, the external and the internal level, and achieves profits through customer satisfaction (Kotler and Armstrong 2006: 10). Ericsson and Sony might be examples for companies who follow this organizational and marketing design. The authors then go into the fact that from research and development, product innovation, and the new organizational structure, a development of investments into foreign markets emerges. Among others, that is the case because the products produced locally, are unique and will not be found abroad. There are different types however, of how the set-up may look like (i.e. there might be a separate international division, world-wide production divisions, a geographic division, or a mixed form). Lastly, there is an illustration of the modern organization, or â€Å"matrix organization†, where there are many more products and product departments, along with different managers and different geographical registrations. In terms of a three-dimensional design it typically would see the managers on an x-axis, the product range on the y-axis, and the locations on the z-axis (although this may vary). It is also very likely that a manager in such a structure carries responsibility for more th an one product, attached to different regional focuses. This clearly suggests more flexibility (managers are automatically more skilled and can adopt different tasks), but also brings about the problem of a divided responsibility or a weak accountability (for instance difficulties when questioning which manager would be liable for the success or failure of a particular product launch in any region). Both the product as well as the marketing concept can be implemented by a company that has this structure. The product concept may be applicable since product differentiation takes place, and it is the organization’s aim to create higher value added by exploring different product ranges (most likely by the use of R&D). At the same time, relationship marketing might be applied (i.e. satisfying customers for the long-term), when considering that managers will opt for recurring purchases. All in all, the above has been an outline of Chandler’s â€Å"Strategy and Structure† (1966), re-studied by Lawrence E. Fouraker and John M. Stopford. Although the evolution of different organizational designs is illustrated to a great extent, it is evident that virtually all of these are still having importance today as they are wittingly or unwittingly implemented by corporations.

Organization & Operation of International Investment Bank Essay

Nowadays, banks seem to be springing up in the nooks and corners of every city in every country. The banks are no longer operating globally, in fact most of the big banks have marked their presence in most of the continents and yet they keep on expanding their business. There was a time when banking only meant providing loans to people or keeping their deposits but this is not the case anymore. Many different kinds of banks have sprung up offering diversified financial service that provide clients with investment and insurance products but the major ones are the commercial banks and the investment banks. The banks not only offer services to the customers and make their own money in the process but are in fact a vital part of the economy and its development as well. The purpose of the study is to make an analysis of the role played by investment banks; through their importance will come to light. The study will also be discussed with respect to the working of these bodies internationally. Introduction: The study deals with investment banks it is important to know how these institutions are different from commercial banks. Commercial banks are those institutions which accept deposits, provide business loans, and also offer other relevant services. Besides, they also provide the facility of making a variety of deposits through accounts like checking, time deposits or savings (Harvey, 2004). The purpose of existence of these institutions is to make a profit and the owners are a group of individuals, of whom some may belong to Federal Reserve System. Though the commercial banks provide services to individuals or clients, but their prime concern is to receive deposits and lend to businesses. An investment bank perform a range of tasks including issuance of securities (underwriting), management of portfolios of financial assets, trading securities (stocks and bonds), helping investors in buying securities and providing financial advice and support services; they are also involved in various proprietary functions in the financial markets, where they are their own clients (Lim, 26). It is mainly an intermediary who brings together sellers of stocks and bonds with buyers of the same. It differs mainly from the investment bank in the aspect that it has no inventory of cash deposits unlike a commercial bank. The companies usually use investment banks for achieving the same end as the commercial banks. If capital is required by a company, it may either obtain loan from a commercial bank, or buy equity or debt from investment bank. Commercial banks have availability of funds through depositors unlike an investment bank who, for this reason, have to spend considerable time looking for investors from whom they may obtain capital for clients. Literature Review: In the earlier days, banks were usually restricted to their local place of origin and only a few large ones had their branches in other countries but during the 19th century it was seen that many small banks failed in trying times for the reason that they were dependant on the fluctuations that local trades and industries went through; on the other hand larger banks which had their branches across the border were much secure as the risks were extended across a larger market and a broader range of borrowers. This is what gave rise and added to the popularity of international banking. Banks are involved in a wide range of services including the safe keeping of money and its transmission by different means like checks. At a primarily level, a bank takes the money from the customers and undertakes to repay it when demanded or when a prearranged period expires. But the roles of bank are no longer restricted to taking deposits or providing loans, there has been a great change in the nature of banks and their business has become more complicated over the last 20 years and this can be greatly contributed to the addition of various services pertinent to non-banking areas. This is the reason that major banks have taken control of bodies like merchant banks, estate agencies or hire-purchase companies, and have moved into areas like insurance and leasing (Geoffrey, 38-41). International banks operating overseas often suffer downward rating as seen the course of history that when a country’s creditworthiness is downgraded by international private agencies because of slacking public finances, it is followed by a similar rating of banks issuing shares because they carry large amounts of foreign currency government debt. The reason for this is that debt carries foreign exchange risk since the country is issuing it in a foreign currency thus increasing the probability of default in case the domestic currency depreciates; the countries who issue Eurobonds exercise acceptable sovereign credit ratings which permits them to float, in international markets, foreign currency bonds that have been underwritten by major international investment banks and carry investment grade AAA. Funds from the sale of securities return to banks and then may be invested partly in the provision of loans to the private sector or any other asset which carries a lower risk than that of foreign currency government debt (Shaheen & Achkar, 353). A bank should work profitably but by no means it should turn into an organisation that is not trusted by its customers, employees or shareholders. Most of the customers across the globe consider banks with quiet suspicion and at times even with vocal hostility where they are considered evil and not a valued service industry and there is rarely a day when the tabloid press does not expose some apparent banking bungle or scam. Majority of the banks are bent opon extending their branch network and makreting their products. A customer who is anxious to just perform a simple transaction like cashing a cheque, often find himself/herself in the hands of a bank staff trying to make him go for the product of the week. The banks are no longer focused on creating a customer-oriented environment that may attract customers but are following the policy of ‘indiscriminate sell’ which are driving out customers. Merely, expanding the branch network in different countries is not enough unless the bank succeeds in establishing a reputation for loyalty and trustworthiness with its borrowers. There are occasionally times when conflicts arise between the interests of a bank and its borrowers, but the key is to maintain mutual respect. Like the other organizations in service industries, customer satisfaction should lie at the core of a bank’s culture (John, 27). With respect to working of the investment banks, there is great reliance on analysts. These analysts are essential to the organization and working of investment banks. Because of the servies that they provide and avail, investors depend on analysts to perform a skilled analysis of security valuation, as it is usually the art and science which they are unable to perform themselves. At individual level, these analysts normally give coverage to a group of companies falling within the domain of particular industries. For this reason all major investment banks and even smaller commercial ones have their own teams of analysts who perform essential research on public corporations. These analysts do not contribute directly in generating material revenue for the bank. Instead, their services support two major groups. The first group is of professional and non-professional investors who give commissions to the banks by means of their orders to buy and sell securities. In this domain, what the analyst does is to spend time talking with investors in order to collect orders from them, which are not directly given to them but instead placed through salespeople working in the bank and with whom analysts keep in touch on a daily basis. The other important group in investment bank is the corporate finance department. This department is the vital contributor to revenues and profits earned by banks. The majority of revenue earned by the corporate finance is a result of underwriting and arranging financing (debt and equity) and providing services like mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advice to the clients. The role of analysts in Corporate finance lies where they are seeked for the promottion and sale of capital offerings and M&A deals to investors (Hayward & Boeker, 1-5). In the past, investment banks have earned great benefits because of the high demand for its products and many existing macro trends prevalent in most of the countries. One such example is of disintermediation of traditional capital providers which facilitated the continued developments in the business arena of corporate bond and securitisaties; even on the investment side, there was disintermedation of traditional savings providers like banks or insurance companies, as a result a flood of funds rushed into equity markets which brought the need for execution of advice and transaction; another factor which contributed to the success of investment banks is the globalisation of corporations and investors. Another positive trend was the effort of continued restructuring by corporations and governments so as to achieve global competitiveness and thus requiring advisory services of the investment banks. The reaction of the banking industry to these trends was the decision to organise itself around the organizations that were product-orientated so as to take advantage of the situation. To put it in other words, the former range of services that were offered and product capability was amplified due to increased product demand (Kauffman & Howcroft, 214). The international investment banks expanded their network across many countries as result of opportunities that were offered due to structural changes in the economy during the nineties in the form of privatization and ownership reallocation both in the financial and non-financial sectors (Messori 177). The function of international investment banks in terms of the banks’ own business is not awlays and necessarily the desire to be a major force in the retail mortgage market; but sometimes what they are instead aiming for is the building of their securitisation businesses. By expanding into the mortgage space beyond the local arena, a ready supply of new assets for securitisation become accessible to these banks directly, rather than this that they source loans in the secondary market. The benefit of securitising most of the loans of the bank in the mortgage business originates implies that the investment bank is capable of passing the risk of credit along to investors, and not only this but in turn also earning feed by means of arranging the securitisation transactions(Wood 36). An international investment bank often reaps the benefit of geographical co-location in many of the cases. The concept behind geographical co location can be illustrated by means of a ‘local code’ which promotes the idea that the knowledge which is specific to a certain place can be best acquired and utilized by marking your presence at that place. When talking of investment banks’ services, let’s say, its M&A advisory service, such transaction requires knowledge that is of a non-cosmopolitan nature, meaning, that the availability of such knowledge is limited, which means that it is pertinent to local market besides being related to the professional knowledge of the international M&A community (Schamp et al. 11- 615). Methodology: This research is basic in nature and is done to have a better understanding of the investment banks. The qualitative methodology of research has been used and is based on the use of secondary data, which is one that is gathered from existing data sources and has not been done by the researcher himself. For the purpose of collecting data for this research, articles/journals on the subject have been used. The use of secondary data saves time of doing all the research from a scratch and saves cost due to easily available of databases catering to the need and providing relevant information. The methodology takes effort in identifying the correct data and discarding the irrelevant ones; besides it authenticity may also be questioned at times. Property and validity of data: The data is secondary in nature, and has been obtained through reliable sources like published articles and research journals. The data is valid since it is not obsolete, relevant and authentic. Analysis of findings: Now, we will present an analysis of our findings in light of the literature review. Expansion banking beyond the boundaries:Â  The workings of banks on an international level has not always been the trend, in fact, the banks usually used to be local and work within limited cities and towns but over time, such banks turned out to be unsuccessful and the counted few ones who operated internationally were seen to be making success. thus the banks saw opportunity in expanding their branches and their network as a whole beyond local boundaries. The reason for the success was that when they operated in diverse foreign markets and dealt with diverse borrowers, the risk was no longer linked with a single market only and was thus reduced. Rise of investment banking: The traditional functions of bank were limited to making loans and taking deposits and transferring of funds but this is no longer the case. There are banks now providing non-traditional services like leasing, insurance, mortgages. The investment banks became well versed among the masses as a result of diversification of bank services and of the trends that were prevalent in the economy during the 19th century. These trends among others, included disintermediation of financial services and different restructuring in the economy like privatization or resource allocation among different sectors which facilitated the need for advisory services. Organization of international investment banks: The international investment banks are organized in a manner so as to reap the best benefits from their operation in the international markets. These banks deal with local securities among other things of the countries in which they operate. This provides them with a better understanding of the local market conditions but at the same time, unlike local banks, they are not oblivious of the international markets and can play smartly in both arenas. But the back draw of this international arrangement is often visible in the form of downgraded rating when the foreign country of their operation is going through some sort of economical crisis but even then this downgrading is better than those of the local investment banks who are purely organized around the local financial instruments in their operations. The international investments banks are organized in such a way that only makes them visible in the international domain but also provide them with a supply of new assets thus enabling them to pass the credit risk to investors and also to arrange more transactions. Operation of the international investment banks: In the operation of the international investment banks, trust is a crucial element. Banks seem to be more focused on the expansion of their branch network and sale of their products than on building the customers’ trust. The customers must have the trust that their bank is providing them with the right investment options and that it is equally involved in the risk bore by them; only then can these investment banks operate successfully. The international bank operates through a complicated process but what is important is to know that these banks are dependant to a great degree on their financial analysts. These analysts are not involved in the direct generation of revenue but are in fact the essential elements for providing support to two of the revenue generating bodies, which are the investors and the corporate finance. The analysts spend considerable amount of time with the investors and give them advices regarding the right place to invest in; with respect to the corporate finance department, these analysts support those working with corporate finance department in persuading the clients into letting the bank handle their buying and selling of securities and other needs and in promoting their services by giving the right check and balance. Conclusion:Â  Banking is no longer traditional and the former traditional role lies with the commercial banks; the diverse operations have given rise to the investment banks that have expanded their networks internationally and are making success. By operating globally, the investment banks come to terms with the local market conditions which enable them to have a more in depth insight and thus make wise investment decisions and provide the clients with the right options for decision making; the main personnel involved in their operations are their analysts who provide support to the revenue generating bodies of the bank.

BMW’s Internationalisation Strategy

BMWs Internationalisation Strategy â€Å"Worldwide movement toward economic, financial, trade, and communications integration. Globalization implies opening out beyond local and nationalistic perspectives to a broader outlook of an interconnected and inter-dependent world with free transfer of capital, goods, and services across national frontiers.† Globalization is a process of interface and merger amongst the people, companies, and governments of different states, a process encouraged by international trade and investment and supported by technology. This process has effects on the environment, culture, political structures, economic progress and prosperity. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW), English: Bavarian Motor Works is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company which was founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars also is under the management of BMW AG. BMW manufactures motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands. BMW is known for its performance and luxury vehicles. BMW cars are being assembled in South Africa since 1968, when Praetor Monteerders’ factory was opened in Rosslyn, near Pretoria. To begin with BMW bought shares in the company, before fully buying it out in 1975. As a result the company was named BMW South Africa; this was the first fully owned subsidiary of BMW AG which was established outside Germany. Despite U.S. manufacturers, such as Ford and GM divesting from the country in the 1980s, BMW continued to maintain full ownership of its operations in South Africa. Subsequent to the fall of apartheid in 1994 and the import duties being reduced, BMW South Africa halted manufacturing of the 5-Series and 7-Series. This was done in order to focus on manufacturing of the 3-Series which was to be exported. BMW South Africa’s cars were now being exported to right hand drive countries which included Japan, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, etc.; this also included the African Saha ra. Since 1997 BMW South Africa had started producing vehicles in left hand drive which were to be exported to Taiwan, the United States, etc. Austria In 1978, BMW took a decision to begin a joint venture with the Austrian company Steyr-Daimler-Puch to design, produce and sell diesel engines. When this joint venture ended in 1982, BMW took over the plant in the Austrian city of Steyr under its own group. Over time the Austrian factory had become the back bone for engine production and R&D. United States of America BMWs Spartanburg plant in South Carolina, USA commenced operation and began producing BMW automobiles for the world market in 1994. A huge success of these automobiles soon led to extensive structural enlargements at the Spartanburg plant. Its capacity was enlarged by adding additional shifts, introducing flexible working-hour models and hiring new employees. Today, the Spartanburg plant is open six days a week, with circa 110 hours a week of production. United Kingdom The BMW Group brought its flagship brand MINI into the European market in 2000. The first models to be introduced were the MINI One and MINI Cooper. In 2002, the sporty MINI Cooper S was launched, as did the MINI One D with diesel engine in 2003. In 2004, the MINI convertible was launched. The origin of the MINI is the Oxford plant in the United Kingdom. It is totally incorporated into the BMW Group production network. The plant and Mini brand were acquired in 1994 with purchase of the Rover Group.

Purchasing management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Purchasing management - Essay Example tiatives, like the IT thrust by introducing supply chain management softwares to ensure regular deliveries, together with ERP implementations across the globe to support and augment these supply chain policies. There have been some delays and problems on the way but that has not changed the company’s resolves and it firmly believes that having right software in place will eventually strengthen its supply chain and give it a Purchase advantage. For the past 30 years the marketing strategy was dependant on the make to sell model. Products were made in anticipation of sales and cross fingers became a habit as change in tastes was the only constant and could not be planned for. It also left inventories that became a burden. Every manufacturer likes to evolve into make to order market. That is a segment that spells stability and a certain level of recognition in the market. It becomes more pronounced when the market is global, across geographies and cultures. Nike too had this vision. They wanted to cross frontiers with a common approach. It was a huge call and needed people to understand the conglomerate of which they were a part. It required a merger of thought, not just action, and the very vision became their clarion call, Just do it. Nike operates internationally and its Purchases have to be localized for certain items. This leaves a wide gap in demand/supply positions and can lead to delays and hold ups. It needed a strategy to overcome this situation globally. Before a company decides to go â€Å"global,† it must first show â€Å"an ability to appreciate the degree of globalization that exists in a given industry, or sector, and to provide the required strategic response. †Jeannet, Jean-Pierre,2 Centralization is the basic format of Nike’s plan. Not only product designing, but Purchasing, contracting out of manufacturing at different factories and delivery schedules are all carried out at the Head Office. In response to highly chaotic running shoes

Invasive ductal carcinoma Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Invasive ductal carcinoma - Research Paper Example A century and a half ago Rudolf Virchow’s seminal ideas linked inflammation with cancer; and opened avenues for comprehension of the scariest disease mankind continues to face. Virchow suggested the presence of â€Å"lymphoreticular infiltrate†, at the site of inflammation was indicative of cancer initiation. The researches in previous decade have offered support to the ideas of Virchow; that malignant tissues formed during cancers create an inflammatory microenvironment (Balkwill & Mantovani, 2001). Breast cancers arise from the epidermal lining of the terminal duct lobular unit. Cancerous cells either remain confined to the terminal duct lobular unit and the draining duct; or proliferate beyond the basement membrane to the adjacent tissue. While the former is referred to as in situ or non-invasive; the latter is called invasive or infiltrating carcinomas. A misnomer used in the classification of invasive carcinomas was ductal and lobular carcinomas; where the two were believed to arise from ducts and lobules respectively. It is now understood that both of these types of breast cancer have origin in the lobule. The invasive breast cancers are now classified on the basis of specific cellular growth patterns and morphology of cells. Breast cancers with distinct features are called invasive cancers of special type; and the rest referred to as of no special type (figure 1) (Sainsbury et al., 2000). Cancers of breasts are the most common affecting women, with 232,340 new cases of invasive breast cancers reported from USA alone (ACS, 2014). Survival rates for breast cancer for women in the age range of 50-69 years, for five years is estimated to be 80%, for younger women it is slightly lower (Coleman et al., 2004). It is the second most common cause of death in women (first in case of Hispanic women) in USA (CDC, 2013). 72-80% of the cases of breast cancer are those of Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). The

Characteristics of living organism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Characteristics of living organism - Essay Example The genetic material can exist either as double stranded or single stranded DNA/RNA. Those that have RNA, such as HIV and Influenza, are termed retroviruses and are hard to come up with vaccinations for due to the fact that they synthesize their DNA while they are in the host cell (Beckner, Kleinsmith, Hardin, and Bertoni 99-101). Viruses have their own kind of genetic material which can be stored as DNA or as RNA. The biggest reason as to why viruses are not alive is because they cannot reproduce on their own. They are biological machinery which requires a host. They work by injecting their foreign genetic material into the cell and taking over the cells processes. In the lytic cycle, the machinery in the cell is turned over to the control of the virus. It then begins to replicate copies of itself within the cell. After the maximum area in the cell has been taken up, the cell lyses releasing all the new viruses to infect other cells in the organism. In the lysogenic cycle, the virus integrates its own genetic material into that of the host where it replicates with the organisms genetic material until external factors cause it to become active, which after it enters in to the lytic cycle (Sadava, Heller, Hillis, and Berenbaum 343-48). Viruses are even sometimes used in helping with gene therapy.

Stress management - guided imagery Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Stress management - guided imagery - Assignment Example One very effective way is hardiness. This means becoming stronger both physically and emotionally. Techniques of improving hardiness include doing more physical exercises reducing usage of drugs such as alcohol and nicotine, creating a support system by developing close relations with other people, doing activities that you enjoy among many more. Another effective method is development of a positive attitude towards situation. Healthy eating habits alongside with good nutrition increases not only the physical stamina but also the emotional and perhaps mental stamina (Hoffman et al., 46). Relaxing of both the mind and the body improves even the concentration and can be achieved by gaining enough sleep. Proper time management is another stress management skill that helps one to accomplish things that may otherwise cause stress. Proper cash managent is another strategy that reduces stress for college students. Exploring spirituality is also another common effective way of managing stres s since one finds personal meaning to his life. As a student, I adopted a stress management behavior that has worked out perfectly well. It is a strategy that has an acronym â€Å"HOLDUP†. This stands for Hardiness, Outlook, and Listening to my Body, Decreasing stress as much as I can, unburdening myself and Problem solving. I decided to change my outlook of challenges and took them positively. I developed a sense of humor in my problems and found out that they were not as bad as they seemed. More so, I learnt that making mistakes was inevitable as long as it was accompanied by a lesson in it. There was an added solution to taking responsibility over my own feelings, and this made me control all my stressors. By understanding my outlook, I was able to know my strengths that brought me a lot of confidence and my weaknesses too which were the major channels stress came through. Listening to my body always worked out very well for me. I was

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Swot Analysis of Car Company SAAB - Essay Example The company is currently operating in narrow market and therefore has small and limited target market. Another weakness of the company is that, it is offering limited number of vehicles as compared to other large automobile companies in the industry. From the start the company has been owned and overtaken by different organizations (Reuters; Saab Automobile Press Office), therefore there is no stable organizational culture or practices in the company. This shifting have also resulted in negatively affecting the brand image of the company as the company has not been able to build a consistent brand image.  There is high opportunity for the car company if it expands its product portfolio and comes up with fuel efficient and environment friendly vehicles. The company can expand its market share with the help of new ideas and innovative vehicles.There are increasing political and government regulations in the automotive industry. Almost all automobile companies are facing the issue of increase regulations on part of the government. These legal and political regulations are being affecting the status of the automotive industry from the year 1960. Most of the recent regulations and rules have been influenced from the increasing concerns about the environment. Apart from this there are increasing taxes and duties from the government. There are also considerable amount of subsidies offered by the government for the companies operating in automotive industry (Plunkett Research). Like any other industry, the automotive industry is also affected by the recent economic crisis. The economic recession has resulted in decreasing the demand of the vehicles leading to the issue of excessive capacity. The companies are looking for different methods in order to achieve economies of scales. For this purpose, most of the automobile companies are either diversifying into other related businesses or are going for mergers and strategic alliances (Global Foresight). The social and cu ltural preferences are changing rapidly. Car or vehicle is perceived to be the status symbol in the society. Apart from this the consumers are reluctant to spend more money due to the recent economic crisis and are looking for economical cars and vehicles.

Keith Haring works and his inspiration'' Research Paper

Keith Haring works and his inspiration'' - Research Paper Example He did great work in exalting the common place just as was a great ideal applied by Warhol in his works. His interests in the world of arts as well as the gay people made him shift for the city of New York in 1980. Among his first works of arts were graffiti along the streets, which were depictions of ‘imaginary’ animals as well as a ‘human on fours’. Nevertheless, his major exhibition would follow when he secured employment with Tony Shafrazi in a gallery in 1982. His journey into celebrity and wealth thrived within the 1980s when even Warhol among others became a staunch fan to his works. Modonna described Haring’s work as one of own kind with great awareness creation especially on world realities while exhibiting lots of innocence. However, his involvement in gay life saw his death through HIV and Aids in the late 20th century. He is celebrated for having practiced artwork even after diagnosis with HIV where he is said to have done it until he coul d no longer hold a brush or pencil firmly but much of his works centered around community awareness and sensitization on Aids as well as the rights to gays within the society1. Problem statement The above introduction reveals that Haring lived a relatively short live but was successful in living a fulfilled live in community awareness and advocacy. He lived to rise into great heights in celebrity world as well as amassing great wealth through his visual artwork. A great collection of the artist’s works is safely recorded and kept by his foundation ‘the Keith Haring foundation’ in collaboration with the ‘Art. Com’. For instance, a representation of a quotable Polaroid as presented by the art.com has one of Haring’s commentaries regarding the art of living where he reasons that one should never imitate life but on the contrary live as it is. He also ran various shops as outlets to his works of art as an attitude of populist attitude was central to his character and living. Besides, through a notable notoriety Haring did many graffiti along the city’s subways, which led him to rise amazingly within the visual art field in and around the city in 1980s. Among his great works of activism was the activism concerning drugs and substance among the young, nuclear weapons as well as the epidemic of Aids2. Haring developed great works of art through the primacy of ‘line’, and carried great determination on public art, which saw him, increase in efforts towards realizing his dreams. Experimentation of his artistic values were often done in the subways which he had adopted to do his drawings through chalk and through this, he received a lot of audience by commuters who would often engage him whenever they would meet him. The 1980’s saw him gain much attention both within the country as well as internationally where he actively participate in arts exhibitions, while in groups as well as a sole exhibitor3. How ever, despite the existence of great works of Haring on artwork, one would be concerned to understand what formed the great inspiration that drove Haring in his works. The foregoing discussion has not touched on the factors or issues that inspired Keith to do his visual art and this presents a problem, which this research intends to evaluate. There exists a lot of literature on the works and life of Haring and thus critical analysis has a potential of revealing the

Philips Versus Matsushita Essay Example for Free

Philips Versus Matsushita Essay How did Philips become the leading consumer electronics company in the world in the postwar era? A key success of Philips in my opinion came from a decision to build the postwar organization on the strengths of the national organizations (NOs). NOs are greatly increased self-sufficiency and became adept at responding to country-specific market conditions. What distinctive competence did they build? Philips had 14 product divisions (PDs), and NOs built their own technical capabilities and product development. This is an adaption to local market’s needs. What were its incompetencies? Philips had many technological innovations, but its ability to bring products to market was falter. Philips also have had problem in reorganizing the company to deal with its growing problems. 2. How did Matsushita succeed in displacing Philips as No. 1? A key success of Matsushita in my opinion is ability to create new products to meet local market’s needs and very quick. Matsushita also adopted the divisional structure, giving each division clearly defined profit responsibility for its products, and using â€Å"one-product-one division† system. The division was acting liked entrepreneur and financed its product development from Matsushita’s banking system liked. Any division that failed over 2 consecutive years would be fixed. If the division could not be fixed, the division team would be replaced. This management strategy gave more effective and speed to react to local market in the competitive environment. In order to manage many divisions across the world, Matsushita has expatriate Japanese managers and technicians on foreign assignment for four to eight years. A few positions that is always almost reserved for them. Those are general managers whose main role was to translate Matsushita philosophy abroad, expatriate accounting managers who provide a truth of financial health, and Japanese technical managers who transfer product and process technologies and provide headquarters with local market information. This strategy helps headquarter to maintain relationship with all satellite divisions. Matsushita moved none of key production assembly to offshore factory in order to reduce the impact of trade war and utilize lower labor cost and low shipping cost. In short, the ability to market new products of Matsushita and ‘Time-To-Market’ or speed were better than Philips. What were its distinctive competencies and incompetencies? Matsushita’s distinctive competency in my opinion was â€Å"one-product-one division† system that created self competition inside the company itself. In addition, the Japanese expatriate in key positions (i. e. general managers, accounting managers and technical managers) helped headquarter to main to relationship, control, and support to other Matsushita’s divisions around the globe. Matsushita’s incompetency was happened when Nakamura announced a program of â€Å"destruction and creation,† in which he disbanded the product division structures that KM had created as Matsushita’s basic organizational building block. Attempting to reorganize the company core structure too quick seems to bring down Matsushita. 3. What recommendations would you make to Geraid Kleisterlee? To Kunio Nakamura? In my opinion, the recommendations that I would make to Geraid Kleisterlee and Kunio Nakamura will base on balancing the method of AAA’s (Adaptation, Aggregation, and Arbitrage). It seems that the large company likes Philips and Matsushita have had issues how to reorganize the company (aggregation). The key that was driven the change came from a lower profit ability of company base on the investor’s demand. In Kunio’s case, he radical changed the core structure of Matsushita to quick. Quickly change a core strategy of big company came with unstable structure in which many people would not be able to adapt in short term and could create a catastrophic. I would recommend him to make a small and slow changes or deviations as needed in core structure. Kunio shall remain individual product divisions to maintain a focus in innovation of new products, but he shall consolidate or integrate the factories to be capable of building multi-product production. The new integrated product production can switch the assembly lines quickly from producing less profit products to high profit products, and eliminate a high cost to maintain less profit product lines in the old way. In Geraid’s case, I would recommend Philips to focus in innovation of new technologies and utilize new or existing technologies to create a value in the new product, maintain outsource of its basic manufacturing. This strategy is similar to iPhone product where Apply added style/art into a mix of MP3 player and cell phone. Apply only focus on designing the new product and allowed outsource manufacturing in China to build the product.

The debate of nature versus nurture

The debate of nature versus nurture Debate on nature versus nurture focuses on individuals innate attributes also known as innatism as compared to personal experiences, also called empiricism, in influencing or determining personal differences in behavior and physical traits. Nature relies on the biological/genetical composition of individuals in determining behavioral as well as physical attributes on an individual. Genes originate from the parents and are unique between persons. The nurture orientation in shaping an individual focuses on the influence on a contextual environment of an individual in determining the attributes and character to be developed (Cummings, 2008). Introduction In context of homosexuality, the nature concept determines the possibility that a certain genetical combination during fusion of sex chromosomes naturally predisposes an individual to homosexuality. The implication is that a homosexual is born so and as such, any form of discrimination directed towards the homosexual is an issue of civil right since one did not choose to be so. On the other hand, the nurture concept displays homosexuality as a behavior instilled by the environment within which a person grows or interacts with. As such the parental, peer and other social environment, may contribute to homosexual attributes exhibited by an individual (Bozett, 1989). It can be easily understood that the physical characteristics are inherent from the parents, but its practically hard to comprehend that the behavior of an individual depends fully on the behavior of the parents such that it is genetically inherited. Studies indicate that a nature-given talent, ability or attribute can be e nhanced or inhibited by the environment in which a person grows in. As such both aspects of nature and nurture are in play in shaping an individual. Discussion Natures influence on homosexuality According to Shaffer (2008), siblings do inherit various physical characteristics directly from the biological parents. The traits may include eye color, height as well as predisposition ailments that are physical. Drawing from this later statement, human beings can as well inherit certain mental traits and attributes from biological parents. Mental characteristics may include susceptibility to attacks by certain mental disorders. Homosexuality, a personality attribute, is a mental state within a person that urges the person to have intimate relationship with individuals of the same sex/gender. As such, the mind of a homosexual houses an acquired composition or an orientation. The orientation to homosexuality may be coined in the autonomy or the divergent thinking characteristics all of which can be inherited from the parents. Indeed what society inculcates to people deprives people of their possible autonomy and divergence in thinking that would have developed them to completely dif ferent people. According to Nardi Schneider (1998), there is a biological relationship between personality of resultant sibling and the parents. For example, extroversion, which is the social and outgoing character in a person and neuroticism, which is the moody and over sensitivity behavior in a person. Furthermore, researches indicate that schizophrenia which is a psychological disorder characterized by confusion, delusions and scattered thoughts is genetically inherited. In fact, if a family member has the disorder, there is a possibility of there being others in the lineage. In addition, major depressions and alcoholism, which are psychological disorders has also been found to be hereditary whether the social environment is changed or not, (Soble, 2002). There is therefore a possibility of a gene that is independent of the larger society and defies the society to manifest itself in homosexuality. It is however important to note that from the Minnesota registry and Australian Registry twin studies, only thirty eight and thirty percent gay and lesbians respectively resulted from their twin brother/ sister being gay or lesbian (Brewer, 1999). From the studies, it can be deduced that the correlation is not perfect since it is not a hundred percent. As such, it may be suggested that g enes influence indirectly, though on average do not account for homosexuality sexual orientation. The aforementioned discussion leads to a conclusion that though the genetical passing over of human attributes contribute to homosexual habits; still there is/are other aspects in play to homosexuality. As such, while dwarfs, supermen and superwomen can blame their physical characteristic wholly on genetical combination, homosexuals cannot. The indication is that homosexuality is partly contributed by a decision and choice for it. Choice and decision comes to play with environment exposure which depicts the larger perspective of nurture. Nurtures influence on homosexuality The environment within which an individual grows and develops in has an influence on the resulting personality of such individuals (Mathew et al, 2003). Indeed, the development of language to be spoken is learnt from the interaction with the environment of an individual. The environment will include the physical as well as the social aspects of an individual. For example, a research conducted by Robinson in fiscal 1982 on the influence of nurture to homosexuality had the following details. Methodology The participants included two hundred and eighty five gay and forty seven lesbians from DIGNITY association, a homosexual association in USA. Each participant received a questionnaire via mail, responded to it and mailed it back to the researchers. The questionnaire assessed the couple status, past family life, demographic information as well as parental relationship with the individual respondents. The respondents were from diverse faith including Catholic, Protestant and atheism whose level of education was between high school and doctorate levels. Findings and discussion Seventy six percent of all respondents expressed their early life as full of care and love from their parents compared to twenty four percent who felt that their early life was unbearable. In addition, more than eighty percent expressed their parents approval of their behavior as they grew up as well as the current behavior as homosexuals. The findings reveal individuals whose family setups availed the care that children require while growing up. Socially, their parents supported them by offering approval of their conduct as they grew up. The implication is that homosexuality does not result from a neglected and unsociably individuals but from people who fit in the societal context. Furthermore, the participants expressed their parents satisfaction on the life and behavior of homosexuality that they had adopted. This further implies that homosexualitys acceptability was evident. The homosexuals who participated in this research indicate that the urge to homosexuality was not as a res ult of a mental force beyond their control but as a choice that they had made. Their level of education indicates that they would have changed their sexual orientation if they wanted but their energy was directed to making their relationship with homosexual partners stronger (Jones Yarhouse, 2000).). The deduction is that since homosexuality is a mental state in an individual and not a physical attribute, learned individuals, if they wish, can change if they suspect the behavior is a vice. The role of the environment comes to play in the sense the homosexuals gain acceptance by the parents and numbers. Moreover the religious faiths that represent a stronghold in many societies upheld homosexuality. Indeed, the support from the parents and the church accounts for a societys support. The aspects that the environment avails to human beings provide experiences for adoption in life (Schein Bernstein, 2008). These experiences shape the behavior of individuals. If the contextual society do not support expression of some behavior, the only possibility that such behaviour would sprout is if the behavior is genetically inherited or if the individuals displaying it are strong enough to accept the deviant labeling from the society. Conclusion In exploring the classification of factors that shape the behavior, many contemporary researches appreciate the role of both nature expressed in inherited genes as well as the nurture expressed as environmental experiences. Inherited mental characteristic need to be exercised and enhanced in the environment for it to be successfully propagated to the future generations. The culture which is the framework within which nurture takes effect definitely has a role to play in shaping up an individuals behavior. It is important for individuals to evaluate themselves and as independent entities compare their behavioral attributes to determine their compatibility with the environment. There may be instances when individuals display behaviour that is ideally unacceptable and hence such individuals would need to conform to the environment. In some other instances, individuals may need to explicitly explain their traits if they are ideally acceptable to fit them into the contextual environment. Either way, the influence of the environment display natural ways of eliminating expression of behaviour that is harmful in the environment. The genesis of homosexuality and indeed its acceptability remains both a nature and nurture contribution until other studies find it different (Boswell, 1981).

Abortion - Slaughtering the Young :: abortion argumentative persuasive argument

Abortion - Slaughtering the Young Abortion, the easiest way to fix one's mistakes. I mean, if one is going to screw around and accidentally get knocked up, why should they have to be responsible for the outcome of messing around. Why not just murder the unborn child. That is what goes on daily, slaughtering of young, innocent children, that if born, would easily find a home. What did they [the unborn child] do wrong? Oh nothing, it's just that the mother and/or father are just so lazy and irresponsible that they would rather see their child be butchered than have to change it's diaper or feed it. Society today does not respect life and therefore accepts the murdering of unborn children. A major factor that is missing is society in today's world are moral values. If people actually had morals, then abortion might not occur. No matter what anyone argues, abortion is murder, plain and simple. How could one deny that when a doctor grabs his forceps and crushes a child's skull and sucks out what was once a brain, how could they say that is not murder, how could someone get away with doing this. Then again people ask that same question about OJ. There are many abortion-slaughter techniques that are used today. Examples are the Dilatation and Curettage (D&C) where a loop shaped steel knife is inserted and the child is cut into pieces, also there is the Dilatation and Evacuation (D&E) where the doctor uses forceps with sharp metal jaws and tears the child apart, piece by piece. Usually the head is hardened to bone and must be compressed or crushed in order to get it out. Another highly controversial technique that is getting a lot of publicity nowadays is the partial birth method. This procedure in performed in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy or between 20 to 32 weeks, sometimes later. Now according to Abortion: Some medical facts, a book printed by the National Right to Life, the partial birth technique is performed like this: "Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist reaches into the uterus, grabs the unborn baby's leg with forceps, and pulls the baby into the birth canal, except for the head, which is

Psychopathy Essay -- Psychology, Psychopaths

Psychopathy is a topic of extreme interest among the psychological community and stimulates wide debate on its various aspects. There have been many studies attempting to define and measure psychopathy (e.g. Levenson, Kiehl & Fitzpatrick, 1995), but it is commonly thought to be a combination of specific traits and behaviors (Lilienfeld & Arkowitz, 2007). Psychopaths commonly have many socially unattractive traits such as callousness and insincerity (Snowden & Gray, 2011), however the trait that this report will concentrate on is impulsivity. Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist (PCL) (Hare, 1980, as cited in Bartol, 1999) and Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R) (Hare, 1991, as cited in Bartol) are widely recognised as a reliable method of measuring male psychopathy in criminal populations (Bartol). The PCL-R is a twenty-item checklist that is recognised to distinguish three areas of psychopathic traits: interpersonal deficits (how they interact with others); affective deficits (lack of feelings or emotion); and impulsive and criminal behavior (Lilienfeld & Arkowitz, 2007). Arguments have emerged regarding the ability of the PCL-R to differentiate between those who have extreme mental disorders that may be affecting results, and those who don’t (Howard, 1990, as cited in Bartol). Levenson, Kiehl and Fitzpatrick (1995) believed the capability to measure psychopathy in a non-institutionalised population would be of great interest. Using the PCL as a model, Levenson et al created a 26 item, self-report, questionnaire. Karpman (1948, as cited in Levenson et al, 1995) suggested the need for a distinction between primary psychopaths (manipulative and deceitful traits) and secondary psychopaths (extreme impulsivity and anxiety, resulting fro... ...the relationship between impulsivity and psychopathy among a university population. Our hypothesis was that impulsivity would be positively correlated with secondary psychopathy. Drawing from Snowden and Gray’s (2011) study, evidence shows that impulsivity was significantly correlated to secondary psychopaths in a criminal population. Similar results are expected in our study as Snowden and Gray used the PCL-R to measure psychopathy, which was used as a model to form the LSRP we used to measure psychopathy in our population. Furthermore we will also be using the same measure of impulsivity (BIS). We expect that the LSRP and BIS will be successful in measuring the relationship between psychopathy and impulsivity in non-institutionalised populations and in line with Snowden and Gray we expect impulsivity to only slightly, if at all, correlate to primary psychopathy.

Lunatics Taking Over the Asylum: Cultural Chaos in 1960s America :: essays papers

Lunatics Taking Over the Asylum: Cultural Chaos in 1960s America All You Need Is Hate If life in the 1960s was a collective journey to the Underworld, then it is terrifying to notice how many of us have failed to come back. (Marshall Berman, The Sixties) The 1960s formed one of the most culturally complex periods in America’s history, and the analysis of this era is just as problematic. During this time, American society experienced an outpouring of filmic, literary and musical texts that challenged traditional institutions such as the Christian church, the government and the family unit. It would be naà ¯ve to argue that this period witnessed the first or the last instance of subversive propaganda targeted at young people, for the many dissenting voices herein did not emerge by random chance. The formulation of a more politically aware youth culture in America and, to a lesser but still important extent, Great Britain, was a gradual process that had been taking hold for considerable time, not one that exploded into being when Bob Dylan or John Lennon began writing protest songs. However, while it remains a matter of some contention where exactly these anti-authoritarian sentiments originated, it is my opinion that this discontentment gained real momentum during the 1950s and 1960s. Firstly, the group of friends and writers most commonly known as the Beats evolved dramatically in focal points such as Greenwich Village and Columbia University, and subsequently spread their political and cultural views to a wider audience. The three Beat figureheads William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac each perceived an agenda within American society to clamp down on those who were in some way different from the accepted ‘norm’, and in response deliberately flirted with the un-American practices of Buddhism, drug use, homosexuality and the avant-garde. Ginsberg courted danger by lending a voice to the homosexual subculture that had been marginalised by repressive social traditions and cultural patterns within the United States. Homosexuality remained illegal in most parts of America until the 1960s, but Ginsberg refused to equate his Gay identity with criminality. He wrote about his homosexuality in almost every poem that he wrote, most specifically in ‘Many Loves’ (1956) and ‘Please Master’ (1968), his paeans to his errant lover Neal Cassady. Ginsberg’s poems are full of explicit sexual detail and scatological humour, but the inclusion of such details should not be interpreted as a childish attempt to incense the prudish and the square.

Cafr Instructions

ACC 4043/6043 Governmental Accounting CAFR CASES Instructions: Obtain a copy of a recent Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR). You are to answer the attached questions for CAFRs 1 to 5. You do not have to do the other ones. In responding to the questions, recognize that yes and no answers are generally not sufficient. I am allocating significant points to these cases, and I want your answers to indicate that you have read and understood the information presented in your CAFR.For example, in question (d) in Chapter 1, don’t just say yes the CARF does contain an organizational chart, a table of contents, a list of principal officials, and so on, but list them and be descriptive of what you find. If you run into terms that you are not familiar with, check the index at the back of the book to find where it is discussed, or you can ask me. I am available to help if you have questions or run into difficulties. CAFR 1 Obtain a copy of a recent Comprehensive Annual Financial R eport.If I don’t have sufficient numbers for everyone, these may be obtained by writing or calling the director of finance in a city or state of your choice. You will have questions related to the annual report dealing with a number of the chapters in the textbook. Answer the following questions related to your CAFR. a. What are the inclusive dates of the fiscal year? b. Write the name and address of the independent auditor. Is the auditor’s opinion unqualified† If not, describe the qualification.Is the opinion limited to the basic financial statements, or does the opinion include combining and individual fund statements? c. Is the report separated into the three distinct sections: introductory, financial, and statistical? Does the report have a â€Å"single audit† section at the end? (A few CAFRs include their single audit report in the CAFR—see Chapter 13 for more detail of the single audit requirements. ) d. Does the report contain an organizatio n chart? A table of contents?A list of principal officials? A letter of transmittal? Is the letter of transmittal dated and signed by the chief financial officer? List the major items of discussion in the letter of transmittal. e. Does the report include a Management’s Discussion and Analysis? List the major items of discussion. f. Does the report include the government-wide statements (Statement of Net Assets and Statement of Activities)? g. Does the report reflect fund financial statements for governmental, proprietary, and fiduciary funds?List those statements. List the major governmental and proprietary funds (the funds that have separate columns in the governmental and proprietary fund statements. ) CAFR 2 Using your CARF, answer the following questions: a. Compare the items discussed in the MD&A in your CAFR with the list of items in this chapter. Which topics listed in this chapter are not in your CAFR? Which topics are in CAFR that are not listed in this chapter? Do y ou think your CAFR has a reasonably complete discussion? b.From the MD&A in your report, write a short summary of (1) the financial condition of your government, (2) a comparison of revenues compared with the prior year, (3) a comparison of expenses compared with the prior year, and (4) a comparison of budgeted and actual activity. c. From the Statement of Net Assets, write down the following: (1) unrestricted net assets—governmental activities; (2) unrestricted net assets—business-type activities; (3)restricted net assets by restriction—governmental activities; (4) restricted net assets by restriction—business-type activities; and (5) unrestricted and restricted net assets—component units. . From the Statement of Activities, write down the following: (1) net program expense (or revenue)—governmental activities; (2) net program expense (or revenue)—business-type activities; (3) net program expense (or revenue)—component units; (4) change in net assets—governmental activities; (5) change in net assets—business-type activities; and (6) change in net assets—components units. Do the ending net asset figures in this statement agree with the net asset figures in the Statement of Net Assets? e.From the Statement of Revenues, Expenditures, and Changes in Fun Balances for Governmental Funds, identify the names of the major governmental funds. CAFR 3 A. ) Look at the Statement of Revenues, Expenditures, and Changes in Fund Balances for the governmental funds. List the revenue source classes. Do they agree with those sources discussed in this chapter? Are expenditures reported by character? List the functional classifications under the current character classification. Do those classifications agree with those listed in the example shown in this chapter? Are Other Financing Sources and Uses presented separately?Does your report show transfers in? Transfers out? Capital leases? Proceeds of bonds? B. ) Look at the Budgetary Comparison Schedule in the RSI section of your annual Report (or Budgetary Comparison Statement, if that is used by your government) for the General Fund. Is the budgetary format used, or is the schedule in the format used for the Statement of Revenues, Expenditures, and Changes in Fund Balances? Does the report reflect the original budget, revised budget, and actual figures? Are variance columns presented comparing the actual with the revised budget? Comparing the original with the revised budget?Is a reconciliation between the budgetary basis of accounting and GAAP presented on the budgetary comparison schedule or in a separate schedule? What are the major differences, if any? Are budgetary comparison schedules (or statements) presented for special revenue funds? Are all special revenue funds included? C. ) Look at the note that describes the basis of budgeting (usually in the Summary of Significant Accounting Policies). Is the budget prepared on the GA AP basis or some other basis? Are the differences, if any between the budgetary basis and GAAP clearly explained?Do unexpected encumbrances lapse at year-end? If unexpected lapse, are they normally expropriated in the following year? Do the notes describe the budget calendar (a separate note may have this information)? Do the notes describe the legal level of budgetary control and the levels at which certain budget revisions might be made? Were budget revisions necessary during the year? CAFR 4 A. ) Look at the General Fund column of the Balance Sheet for governmental funds. What are the major assets? Liabilities? What reserves have been established for fund balance? Are any designations shown?Are taxes receivable offset by Deferred Revenues? Are the amounts the same? (If so, this would indicate cash accounting for property taxes. ) B. ) Look at the General Fund column of the governmental funds Statement of Revenues, Expenditures, and Changes in Fund Balances. Prepare a schedule sho wing percentages of revenues by source. Prepare a schedule showing percentages of expenditures by function. Does your government have significant transfers in or out? Can you identify the fund that provide or receives these resources? Does your government have any other financing sources or uses?Special and/or extraordinary items? C. ) Does your government report any special revenue funds as major funds in the governmental fund statements? What are they? What are the major revenue sources? Expenditure functions? D. ) Review the notes to the financial statements to determine the measurement focus and basis of accounting used to prepare the governmental fund financial statement. Do the notes describe modified accrual accounting in a manner consistent with this book? Which revenue sources are subject to accrual? Are expenditures generally recognized when goods and services are received?Which specific modifications to accrual accounting are mentioned in the notes? E. ) Look at the Gener al Fund column of the governmental fund statements from the point of view of a financial analyst. Is the Fund Balance as the balance sheet dater larger or smaller than at the beginning of the year? Are reasons for the change apparent from the statements? Compute a ratio of fund balance/general fund revenues and compare it with your class member’s. CAFR 5 A. ) Look at the governmental fund financial statements. Are any major capital projects funds included? If so, list them.Attempt to find out the nature and purpose of the projects from the letter of transmittal, the notes, or MD&A. What are major sources of funding, such as bond sales, intergovernmental grants, and transfers from other funds? Were the projects completed during the year? B. ) Again looking at the governmental fund financial statements, are any major debt service funds included? If so list them. What are the sources of funding for these debt service payments? C. ) Does your report include supplemental informati on including combining statements for nonmajor funds? If so, are any capital projects and debt service funds included?If so, list them. Indicate the major revenue and other financing source categories for these funds. D. ) Look at the governmental fund Statement of Revenues, Expenditures, and Changes in Fund Balances, specifically the expenditure classification. Compute a ratio of capital outlay/total expenditures. Again compute a ratio of debt service/total expenditures. Compare those with your classmates’ ratios. Comment on the possible meaning of these ratios. E. ) Look at the notes to the financial statements, specifically the note (in the summary of significant accounting policies) regarding the definition of modified accrual accounting.Does the note specifically indicate that modified accrual accounting is used for capital projects and debt service funds? Does the note indicate that debt serve payments, both principal and interest, are recorded as an expenditure when du e? F. ) Does your government report capital lease payable in the government-wide Statement of Net Assets? If so, can you determine if new capital leases were initiated during the year? Can you trace the payments related to capital leases? G. ) Does your government report permanent funds, either major or nonmajor? If so, list them.What are the amounts of the permanent resources available for governmental purposes? What is/are the governmental purpose(s)? CAFR 6 A. ) Find the Statement of Net Assets for the proprietary funds. Is the Net Asset or the Balance Sheet format used? List the major enterprise funds from that statement. Is the statement classified between current and noncurrent assets and liabilities? Are net assets broken down into the three classifications shown in your text? Is a separate column shown for internal service funds? B. ) Find the Statement of Revenues, Expenses, and Changes in Net Assets for the proprietary funds.Is the â€Å"all-inclusive† format used? Are revenues reported by source? Are expenses (not expenditures reported by function or by object classification? Is depreciation reported separately? Is operating income, or a similar title, displayed? Are nonoperating revenues and expenses shown separately after operating income? Are capital contributions, extraordinary and special items, and transfers shown separately? List any extraordinary and special items. C. ) Find the Statement of Cash Flows for the proprietary funds. List the four categories of cash flows. Are they the same as shown in the text?Are interest receipts reported as cash flows from investing activities? Are interest payments shown as financing activities? Is the direct method used? Is a reconciliation shown from operating income to net cash provided by operations? Are capital assets acquired from financing activities shown as decreases in cash flows from financing activities? Does the ending cash balance agree with the cash balance shown in the Statement of Net Assets (note that restricted assets may be included)? D. ) If your government has a CAFR, look to any combining statements and list the nonmajor enterprise funds.List the internal service funds. E. ) Look at the financial statements from the point of view of a financial analyst. Write down the unrestricted net assets balances for each of the major enterprise funds, and (if you have a CAFR) the nonmajor enterprise funds and internal service funds. Look at the long-term debt of major enterprise funds. Can you tell from the statements or the notes whether the debt is general obligation or revenue in nature? Write down transfers for each of the funds. Compare these numbers with prior years, if the information is provided in your financial statements.Look at the transfers. Can you tell if the general government is subsidizing or is a subsidized by enterprise funds? CAFR 7 A. ) Look at the Statement of Fiduciary Net Assets. Which fund types are included? Is the Statement prepared in a fo rmat in which Assets – Liabilities = Net Assets? Are net assets shown as being held in trust for employee benefits and other purposes? Look at the Statement of Changes in Fiduciary Net Assets. Has the government refrained from including agency funds in that statement? Are increases and decreases shown as additions and deductions, rather than revenues and expenses?What are the main additions? What are the main deductions? B. ) Are agency funds included in the Statement of Fiduciary Net Assets? If so, look to the notes or combining schedules and list the individual agency funds. Has the government limited itself to agency funds that are held for individuals, organizations, or other governments—not for other government funds? Do agency funds report only assets and liabilities, not net assets? Does the government report a Statement or Schedule of Changes in Assets and Liabilities for agency funds? C. ) Does the government have private-purpose funds?If so, list them. Descri be the purposes for which they exist. Can you tell if any of those funds are endowments, and have resources permanently restricted? How much income was generated by each of the private purpose funds, and how much was released for use? Does the government report escheat property as private-purpose funds? Is so, indicate the nature of the process by which property is released and for what purpose. D. ) Does the government report investment trust funds? If so, describe the nature of the external investment pool. Which other governments are included?Has your government refrained from including its own investments in the investment trust funds? E. ) List the pension funds included in the financial statements. From the notes, list the other pension plans that are available to employees of your governmental unit. Are those plans agent plans or cost-sharing plans? Defined contributions or defined benefit? Are required disclosures made in the notes for all pension plans, whether or not the p lans are included as trust funds? Are the two RSI Schedules included in your report (when defined benefit plans are reported)?Look at the actuarial status of the plans and comment about the potential impact of pensions on the financial condition of the government. F. ) Look at the note disclosures regarding investments. Are investments reported at fair value? Do the notes disclose the realized gains or losses on investments? Do the notes categorize investments based on risk? When the government created internal investment pools for management purposes, does the government report the individual investments and income from those investments in the funds that provided the resources?CAFR 8 A. ) Find the reconciliation between the governmental fund balances and the governmental-type activities net assets. This might be on the governmental fund Balance Sheet or in a separate schedule in the basic financial statements. List the major differences. What is the amount shown for capital assets ? How much is due to the incorporation of internal service funds? Was an adjustment made for deferred property taxes or any other revenue? What is the adjustment due to the inclusion of long-term liabilities? What other adjustments are made?B. ) Find the reconciliation between the governmental fund changes in fund balances and the governmental-type activities changes in net assets. This might be on the governmental Statement of Revenues, Expenditures, and Changes in Fund Balances or in a separate schedule. List the major differences. How much is due to the difference between depreciation reported on the Statement of Activities and the reported expenditures for capital outlays on the Statement of Revenues, Expenditures, and Changes in Fund Balances?How much is due to differences in reporting expenditures versus expenses for debt service? How much is due to the incorporation of internal service funds? How much is due to differences in reporting proceeds versus gains on sale of capital assets? How much is due to additional revenue accruals? How much is due to additional expense accruals? What other items are listed? C. ) Look at the Statement of Net Assets, especially the net asset section. Attempt to prove the Net Assets Invested in Capital Assets, Net of Related Debt figure from the information in the statement or the notes.List the individual items of net assets that are restricted; this might require examination of the notes to the financial statements. D. ) Look at the Statement of Activities. List the net exenses (revenues) for governmental activities, business-type activities, and component units. List the change in net assets for governmental activities, business-type activities, and component units. Attempt to find from the notes the component units that are discretely presented. E. ) Look throughout the annual report for disclosures related to capital assets.This would include the notes to the financial statements, any schedules, and information in the MD&A. Summarize what is included. What depreciation method is used? Are lives of major classes of capital assets disclosed? F. ) Look throughout the annual report for disclosures related to long-term debt. This would include the notes to the financial statements, any schedules in the financial and statistical sections, and the MD&A. Summarize what is included. Are the schedules listed in this chapter included? What is the debt limit and margin? What is the direct debt per capita? The direct and overlapping debt per capita?

Religion’s Effect on American Policies

America is a country that is characterized as being a nation with multiple cultures, multiple ethnicities, and multiple religions. Plurality in all aspects of American society’s classifications is something that is espoused by most Americans. Numerous individuals with different backgrounds come together on American soil to form and make up the nation that is established on equality and democracy. Inclusion of all the diverse backgrounds present within this democratic society is the main goal of most American social institutions. Religion is one of the main aspects of an individual’s background that influences his or her behavior and analysis about life. Religion in America goes beyond an individual’s everyday life. (Minkenberg, 2) In fact, religion even affects the numerous American policies conceptualized by the government. Religion is such a potent force that its effect on American policies is not even dependent on the rate of citizens that attend churches for the different religions present in the United States. Minkenberg, 2) This means that religion is able to affect change in US government policies despite possible increases or decreases in religious Americans over given periods of time. The effects on American policies are not a result of the country becoming more religious as a whole but rather on the strength of religion itself as an entity enforcing change in political systems. (Minkenber, 5) There are many who emphasize their disagreement with religion’s effect on American pol icy. These individuals believe that religion should not be allowed to affect government policies so strongly or at all. However, it is this paper’s argument that religion should is not a necessary aspect of policy-making and that religion affecting American foreign policy should not be acceptable or encouraged. A presentation of the valid arguments with regard to this thesis will be made. Counter arguments will also be presented and refuted in order to provide a clear view into the fact that religion is indeed one of the crucial factors to be considered by America’s policy-making bodies. Before establishing why religion is not an important aspect of American policies, it should first be established that religion is in fact affecting the said policies.A Study on Religion and the Role of It on People and Media†¦. One clear example is given by the policies made during the administration of President George W. Bush. Despite the fact that America is experiencing a decrease in church-goers, it is measured to be more religious than equivalent Western countries in Europe. This is evidenced by its housing of more than 200 television channels for evangelism. (God and American diplomacy, 33) Religion is seen to take a role in the government’s policy-making decisions through the highly religious character of the President, himself. The United States’ stand on Israel is a clear case of Christianity becoming the driving force behind foreign policies. Instead of considering the interests of America, as a whole, the drive is largely to expand Christianity and to establish its hold on a nation like Israel. (God and American diplomacy, 33) Sam Harris in his book The End of Faith stresses that religion, specifically Christianity, has affected America in terms of sex and drug policies. Policies such as those against abortion are clear examples of the effects of religion on American policies. Harris goes on to critique such policies as being the main factors behind America’s moving towards a formation of a theocratic society, a society believing that its course is determined by a divine being. Religions role in America must not be equated to its role in a theocratic society. (God and American diplomacy, 33) This is a clear inability to separate church from state, one of the most essential aspects of American society. This is also a clear argument against religion’s evident role in American policy-making. Another clear argument against religion affecting American policies is based on the fact that America is a multi-cultural nation. It houses numerous different religions. Not all religions have the same positions and beliefs regarding policies. (God and American diplomacy, 33) As a result, when religion is allowed to affect US national and international policies, only a few of the total number of religions in the country are represented. It is only those religions with the loudest voices in America or those with members in the upper echelons of power that are able to affect changes in policies. This is no longer democracy or equality at work. However, there are those who posit that religion is in fact necessary in the development and implementation of American policies. One of the arguments for religion to be considered in policy-making lies on the fact that America’s relationship with other nations may be based on such religious foundations. A number of the international conflicts occurring today are largely religious in nature or are motivated by religious traditions. (Minkenberg, 4) One clear example is the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11. Miles, 23) Although there are many reasons behind the said attack, there is no doubt that religion played a role. Miles (35-37), indicates that a strengthening of American foreign policy towards a confirmation of US religious freedom would show countries, such as those the September 11 terrorists were associated to, that America does not pose a religious threat on anyone. Protection of the country through a portr ayal of its acceptance of all religions with equal regard via the mechanisms of American policies is said to be very much a necessity in a world that is largely classified by religious traditions and belief system. However, espousal of religious freedom does not equate to allowing religion to dominate American policies. Also, this logic assumes that if other nations are shown that religion is widely accepted in America, other points of conflict will be foregone. Religion may be one of the motivations behind international conflicts but it is not a primary factor behind the said conflicts. Addressing economic and political factors would be more prudent as opposed to simply allowing religion to take free reign. Also, religion is shown to only be useful to policies when taken at this angle: America has numerous religions. We accept them all. This is not the true form of religion’s effects on American policy and does not even begin to address the numerous global implications of the weightier religion-based policies of America such as those made regarding Israel. Another argument states that religion is actually a very potent source of adaptive social change. Patrick Fagan states some of the social benefits that are derived from religion in his article Why religion matters even more: the impact of religious practice on social stability. He indicates that through religion, marital happiness and stability are increased, parent-child relationships are strengthened, educational aspirations and achievement are increased, physical health is improved, well-being and happiness are increased, crime rates are lowered, and community-cohesion is strengthened. In Why religion matters even more: the impact of religious practice on social stability, Fagan indicates that the separation of church and state simply meant that a single state-approved church could not be allowed to exist. He imposes his ideas that the government, especially Congress, should educate themselves with regards to the benefits to be derived from religion and its practice. He also stresses that policies should be made with religion in mind and that data on religion’s potency should be included and considered in debates and discussions regarding American policy. Because religion is effective in creating social change in empirical studies conducted in the community-level, it should thus be considered for policies whose implementation will involve an entire nation’s population. The main problem with Fagan’s account of religion and then his recommendations for its use in policy-making is that the success of religion’s success on marginal issues will not equate to its success in essential issues. (God and American diplomacy, 33) Just because religion was shown to have a high value in practices and regulations set for smaller populations doesn’t mean that it will be able to give an equal value for policies and rules set for the entire nation of America. Read also Analyze the Ways in Which British Imperial Policies Also, because it was able to generate positive feedback for areas such as marriage, crime, and community cohesion, it does not mean that religion will be able to generate adaptive ideas for the more complex issues of the same area. These issues may include homosexual marriages, death penalty imposition, and community governance. For more complex matters as the latter, religion is no longer relevant and allowing it to become a factor in such policies would not only be foolhardy but would even be dangerous in the long run. Also, religion’s application on a small scale with individuals practicing only one type of religion does not indicate that it will have equal applicability in a nation that has numerous different religions. The separation of church and state does include that no specific state-ordained church must exist. However, the reasons and thinking behind such a separation are deeper than simply allowing for religious freedom. Considerations such as oppression of the minority and inability to account for all the beliefs and principles of the collection of religions in America were also made. It is clear that religion is indeed affecting American policies. This change is not warranted and should not be condoned. Policy-makers should take an active stand for the separation of church and state. Policies with religion as one of its factors will, in the end, prove to be biased and geared towards the betterment of only one part of American society. Government decisions should be based on more economic, political, and democratic norms. America is a country that is characterized as being a nation with multiple cultures, multiple ethnicities, and multiple religions. Plurality in all aspects of American society’s classifications is something that is espoused by most Americans. Numerous individuals with different backgrounds come together on American soil to form and make up the nation that is established on equality and democracy. Inclusion of all the diverse backgrounds present within this democratic society is the main goal of most American social institutions. Religion is one of the main aspects of an individual’s background that influences his or her behavior and analysis about life. Religion in America goes beyond an individual’s everyday life. (Minkenberg, 2) In fact, religion even affects the numerous American policies conceptualized by the government. Religion is such a potent force that its effect on American policies is not even dependent on the rate of citizens that attend churches for the different religions present in the United States. (Minkenberg, 2) This means that religion is able to affect change in US government policies despite possible increases or decreases in religious Americans over given periods of time. The effects on American policies are not a result of the country becoming more religious as a whole but rather on the strength of religion itself as an entity enforcing change in political systems. (Minkenber, 5) There are many who emphasize their disagreement with religion’s effect on American policy. These individuals believe that religion should not be allowed to affect government policies so strongly or at all. However, it is this paper’s argument that religion should is not a necessary aspect of policy-making and that religion affecting American foreign policy should not be acceptable or encouraged. A presentation of the valid arguments with regard to this thesis will be made. Counter arguments will also be presented and refuted in order to provide a clear view into the fact that religion is indeed one of the crucial factors to be considered by America’s policy-making bodies. Before establishing why religion is not an important aspect of American policies, it should first be established that religion is in fact affecting the said policies. One clear example is given by the policies made during the administration of President George W. Bush. Despite the fact that America is experiencing a decrease in church-goers, it is measured to be more religious than equivalent Western countries in Europe. This is evidenced by its housing of more than 200 television channels for evangelism. (God and American diplomacy, 33) Religion is seen to take a role in the government’s policy-making decisions through the highly religious character of the President, himself. The United States’ stand on Israel is a clear case of Christianity becoming the driving force behind foreign policies. Instead of considering the interests of America, as a whole, the drive is largely to expand Christianity and to establish its hold on a nation like Israel. (God and American diplo macy, 33) Sam Harris in his book The End of Faith stresses that religion, specifically Christianity, has affected America in terms of sex and drug policies. Policies such as those against abortion are clear examples of the effects of religion on American policies. Harris goes on to critique such policies as being the main factors behind America’s moving towards a formation of a theocratic society, a society believing that its course is determined by a divine being. Religions role in America must not be equated to its role in a theocratic society. (God and American diplomacy, 33) This is a clear inability to separate church from state, one of the most essential aspects of American society. This is also a clear argument against religion’s evident role in American policy-making. Another clear argument against religion affecting American policies is based on the fact that America is a multi-cultural nation. It houses numerous different religions. Not all religions have the same positions and beliefs regarding policies. (God and American diplomacy, 33) As a result, when religion is allowed to affect US national and international policies, only a few of the total number of religions in the country are represented. It is only those religions with the loudest voices in America or those with members in the upper echelons of power that are able to affect changes in policies. This is no longer democracy or equality at work. However, there are those who posit that religion is in fact necessary in the development and implementation of American policies. One of the arguments for religion to be considered in policy-making lies on the fact that America’s relationship with other nations may be based on such religious foundations. A number of the international conflicts occurring today are largely religious in nature or are motivated by religious traditions. (Minkenberg, 4) One clear example is the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11. (Miles, 23) Although there are many reasons behind the said attack, there is no doubt that religion played a role. Miles (35-37), indicates that a strengthening of American foreign policy towards a confirmation of US religious freedom would show countries, such as those the September 11 terrorists were associated to, that America does not pose a religious threat on anyone. Protection of the country through a portrayal of its acceptance of all religions with equ al regard via the mechanisms of American policies is said to be very much a necessity in a world that is largely classified by religious traditions and belief system. However, espousal of religious freedom does not equate to allowing religion to dominate American policies. Also, this logic assumes that if other nations are shown that religion is widely accepted in America, other points of conflict will be foregone. Religion may be one of the motivations behind international conflicts but it is not a primary factor behind the said conflicts. Addressing economic and political factors would be more prudent as opposed to simply allowing religion to take free reign. Also, religion is shown to only be useful to policies when taken at this angle: America has numerous religions. We accept them all. This is not the true form of religion’s effects on American policy and does not even begin to address the numerous global implications of the weightier religion-based policies of America such as those made regarding Israel. Another argument states that religion is actually a very potent source of adaptive social change. Patrick Fagan states some of the social benefits that are derived from religion in his article Why religion matters even more: the impact of religious practice on social stability. He indicates that through religion, marital happiness and stability are increased, parent-child relationships are strengthened, educational aspirations and achievement are increased, physical health is improved, well-being and happiness are increased, crime rates are lowered, and community-cohesion is strengthened. In Why religion matters even more: the impact of religious practice on social stability, Fagan indicates that the separation of church and state simply meant that a single state-approved church could not be allowed to exist. He imposes his ideas that the government, especially Congress, should educate themselves with regards to the benefits to be derived from religion and its practice. He also stresses that policies should be made with religion in mind and that data on religion’s potency should be included and considered in debates and discussions regarding American policy. Because religion is effective in creating social change in empirical studies conducted in the community-level, it should thus be considered for policies whose implementation will involve an entire nation’s population. The main problem with Fagan’s account of religion and then his recommendations for its use in policy-making is that the success of religion’s success on marginal issues will not equate to its success in essential issues. (God and American diplomacy, 33) Just because religion was shown to have a high value in practices and regulations set for smaller populations doesn’t mean that it will be able to give an equal value for policies and rules set for the entire nation of America. Also, because it was able to generate positive feedback for areas such as marriage, crime, and community cohesion, it does not mean that religion will be able to generate adaptive ideas for the more complex issues of the same area. These issues may include homosexual marriages, death penalty imposition, and community governance. For more complex matters as the latter, religion is no longer relevant and allowing it to become a factor in such policies would not only be foolhardy but would eve n be dangerous in the long run. Also, religion’s application on a small scale with individuals practicing only one type of religion does not indicate that it will have equal applicability in a nation that has numerous different religions. The separation of church and state does include that no specific state-ordained church must exist. However, the reasons and thinking behind such a separation are deeper than simply allowing for religious freedom. Considerations such as oppression of the minority and inability to account for all the beliefs and principles of the collection of religions in America were also made. It is clear that religion is indeed affecting American policies. This change is not warranted and should not be condoned. Policy-makers should take an active stand for the separation of church and state. Policies with religion as one of its factors will, in the end, prove to be biased and geared towards the betterment of only one part of American society. Government decisions should be based on more economic, political, and democratic norms. References Anonymous. â€Å"God and American diplomacy.† Economist, 366(2003): 33 Business Source Premier. EBSCO. 18 April 2008 Fagan, Patrick F. â€Å"Why religion matters even more: the impact of religious practice on social stability.† 18 December 2006 Heritage Foundation. 18 April 2008 Harris, Sam. The End of Faith. New York: W. W. Norton, 2005. Miles, Jack. â€Å"Religion and American foreign policy.† Survival, 46(2004): 23-37 Minkenberg, Michael. â€Å"Religious effects on immigration policies.† Paper presented at the ECPR 32nd Joint Session of Workshops, Uppsala, March 2004.