Customer Service Representative Morale Essay -- essays research papers

A business seeks to make a profit by providing customers with goods and services. The success of the business is in the quality of the goods and customer service. Management and leadership styles have a great impact on the working environment and employees’ motivation. The working environment also affects both management and other employees’ motivation, which in turn influences the overall progress and well being of the organization. It all comes down to keeping employees enthusiastic and energized by developing a leadership style that will build teamwork and growth for the organization.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The managers’ leadership style contributes directly to the employees’ motivation and work satisfaction. There are many types of leadership styles, one that is task-oriented and the other is employee-oriented. A manage or supervisor with a task-oriented style will typically train and expect results as if they we doing the task themselves. On the other hand, the manager with an employee-oriented leadership style will foster team work with a concern in boosting employee self esteem, enhancing their decision making and problem solving skills. Not all leaders fall exclusively into one style or the other. Depending on the personality and the dominant part of the manager’s style, the effects on the customer service representative will vary. There are three main types of leadership styles that shape all kinds of leaders. The three types are the autocratic, democratic, and free-reign styles of leadership. The autocratic style of leadership would be considered the most task-oriented type, in which the manager carries out all the decision-making process without any feedback or suggestions from subordinates. Communication is one-way, where the work provided by the manager is to be done without any modifications by the subordinates. In this style of leadership, the delegation of authority is controlled, meaning that the decision-making is only performed by senior managers and is rarely delegated to subordinates along the chain of command. The democratic leadership style is more of a participative type of leadership. It is a two-way communication leadership, in which employees are allowed to contribute in the decision-making; however, the manager makes the final decision. The delegation of authority in this style of leadership is less controlled and more de... ...ses, motivating employees to produce the desired behavior. The days of a customer service representative sitting in a dimly lit cubical for hours on end, without the proper skills and information are long gone. The customer service representative today is a highly skilled individual with a passion for assisting each and every caller with the best possible service they can provide. They are empathetic, compassionate, and dedicated to the task at hand. They are truly an asset to any companies well being and success. References Leavitt, W.M. (1996). High pay and low morale-Can high pay, excellent benefits, job security, and low job satisfaction coexist in a public agency? Public Personnel Management, 25, 333-341. Khaleque, A., & Chowdhury, N. (1983, May). Perceived importance of job facet and over all job satisfaction of top and bottom level industrial managers. Paper presented at the proceedings of the third Asian Regional Conference of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, Bang, Malaysia. Rahman, T., Rahman, T., & Khaleque, A. (1995). Job facets and job satisfaction of bank employees in Bangladesh. Psychological Studies, 40, 154-156

Wireless Network Security Essay -- Wireless Networks Technology Essays

Introduction Wireless networks have grown in popularity. This is largely due to the increase in the value of a network as more users are attached to it. The value added to a network by nature of connecting more devices to it, is summarized in 'Metcalf's law.' Metcalf's law states that if you 'connect any number, 'n,' of machines - whether computers, phones or even cars - and you get 'n' squared potential value.'[1] The incredible growth of the Internet seems to validate Metcalf's law. It then seems reasonable that eliminating physical constraints to connecting to a network would provide value by allowing more devices to be connected to a network regardless of physical location. Wireless networks provide that ability. Wireless networks operate over the full spectrum of network topographies. These topographies include: Personal, Local, Controller, Metropolitan, and Wide area networks. A Personal Area Network (PAN) is the interconnection of information technology devices within the range of an individual person, typically within a range of 10 meters.?[2] A Local Area Network (LAN) is a group of computers and associated devices that share a common communications line or wireless link and typically share the resources of a single processor or server within a small geographic area (for example, within an office building).?[2] A Campus Area Network (CAN) is a fiber-optic network that physically interconnects entire buildings into one giant network. While each building may have several discrete LANs within it, each building represents a single node on the CAN. [3] A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is ?a network that interconnects users with computer resources in a geographic area or region larger than t hat covered by even a large [LAN] but smaller than the area covered by a wide area network (WAN [- explained next]).?[2] A Wide Area Network (WAN) is ?a geographically dispersed telecommunications network.?[2] Wireless networks come in many configurations and use many technologies. Figure 1 depicts an example of the wireless technologies and standards used for each of the networks types defined above. The figure indicates two major categories of wireless technologies: fixed and mobile. The figure also indicates 10 technologies in use: Bluetooth, irDA, 802.11, IR LAN, IR Bridge, Ricochet, RF Bridge, Cellular, MCS and Satellite. Virtually all of these tec... ...e issues addressed in the 802.11i standard, third party software vendors are rapidly creating and marketing wireless security services and third-party solutions. As the wireless market matures, it will become increasingly difficult to ?crack? wireless network security. References [1] http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~gaj1/metgg.html - Metcalf?s Law and Legacy [2] http://www.whatis.com - Whatis?com [3] http://www.lib.siu.edu/faq/network1.faq.html - LAN FAQ1 [4] http://local.cips.ca/queencity/Events/archivedEvents/2000-01/SpringSeminar01/kentonjanzen/sld003.htm - Canadian Information Processing Society [5] http://www.tml.hut.fi/Studies/T-110.557/2002/papers/zahed_iqbal.pdf - Wireless LAN Technology: Current State and Future Trends [6] http://www.athenasemi.com/market/index.html - [Wireless] Market Overview [7] http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/columns/cableguy/cg0302.asp - Microsoft TechNet [8] http://csrc.ncsl.nist.gov/publications/drafts/draft-sp800-48.pdf - Wireless Network Security [9] http://www.whatis.com (war driving) ? Whatis?com [10] http://www.netgear.com/pdf_docs/10StepsWirelessSecurity.pdf - Ten Easy Steps for Wireless LAN Security Wireless Network Security Essay -- Wireless Networks Technology Essays Introduction Wireless networks have grown in popularity. This is largely due to the increase in the value of a network as more users are attached to it. The value added to a network by nature of connecting more devices to it, is summarized in 'Metcalf's law.' Metcalf's law states that if you 'connect any number, 'n,' of machines - whether computers, phones or even cars - and you get 'n' squared potential value.'[1] The incredible growth of the Internet seems to validate Metcalf's law. It then seems reasonable that eliminating physical constraints to connecting to a network would provide value by allowing more devices to be connected to a network regardless of physical location. Wireless networks provide that ability. Wireless networks operate over the full spectrum of network topographies. These topographies include: Personal, Local, Controller, Metropolitan, and Wide area networks. A Personal Area Network (PAN) is the interconnection of information technology devices within the range of an individual person, typically within a range of 10 meters.?[2] A Local Area Network (LAN) is a group of computers and associated devices that share a common communications line or wireless link and typically share the resources of a single processor or server within a small geographic area (for example, within an office building).?[2] A Campus Area Network (CAN) is a fiber-optic network that physically interconnects entire buildings into one giant network. While each building may have several discrete LANs within it, each building represents a single node on the CAN. [3] A Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) is ?a network that interconnects users with computer resources in a geographic area or region larger than t hat covered by even a large [LAN] but smaller than the area covered by a wide area network (WAN [- explained next]).?[2] A Wide Area Network (WAN) is ?a geographically dispersed telecommunications network.?[2] Wireless networks come in many configurations and use many technologies. Figure 1 depicts an example of the wireless technologies and standards used for each of the networks types defined above. The figure indicates two major categories of wireless technologies: fixed and mobile. The figure also indicates 10 technologies in use: Bluetooth, irDA, 802.11, IR LAN, IR Bridge, Ricochet, RF Bridge, Cellular, MCS and Satellite. Virtually all of these tec... ...e issues addressed in the 802.11i standard, third party software vendors are rapidly creating and marketing wireless security services and third-party solutions. As the wireless market matures, it will become increasingly difficult to ?crack? wireless network security. References [1] http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~gaj1/metgg.html - Metcalf?s Law and Legacy [2] http://www.whatis.com - Whatis?com [3] http://www.lib.siu.edu/faq/network1.faq.html - LAN FAQ1 [4] http://local.cips.ca/queencity/Events/archivedEvents/2000-01/SpringSeminar01/kentonjanzen/sld003.htm - Canadian Information Processing Society [5] http://www.tml.hut.fi/Studies/T-110.557/2002/papers/zahed_iqbal.pdf - Wireless LAN Technology: Current State and Future Trends [6] http://www.athenasemi.com/market/index.html - [Wireless] Market Overview [7] http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/columns/cableguy/cg0302.asp - Microsoft TechNet [8] http://csrc.ncsl.nist.gov/publications/drafts/draft-sp800-48.pdf - Wireless Network Security [9] http://www.whatis.com (war driving) ? Whatis?com [10] http://www.netgear.com/pdf_docs/10StepsWirelessSecurity.pdf - Ten Easy Steps for Wireless LAN Security

Copyrights: Intellectual Property and Technology Essay -- essays resea

Copyrights: Intellectual Property and Technology The Government and many other agencies around the world are continuously at work to improve protections for intellectual property rights and the enforcement of intellectual property laws. In today’s age of digital madness, passing legislation and actually enforcing of those laws becomes a very daunting task. However, the protection of intellectual property has both individual and social benefits. It protects the right of the creator of something of value to be compensated for what he or she has created, and by so doing; it encourages production of valuable, intangible, creative work In order to understand the difficulties surrounding the laws associated with intellectual property an understanding of the term is needed. The Louisiana State Bar Association defines intellectual property as the product of someone's mental efforts. It is usually intangible, and its value lies in its appeal to others who might wish to use it or the goods it describes. Intellectual property can be covered and categorized into three separate protective laws; those include copyrights, patents and trademarks. The true key to understanding intellectual property protection is to understand that the thing protected is the intangible creative work, not the particular physical form in which it is embodied (Baase, 2003, p. 235). This paper will discuss the ideas and laws behind copyrights as intellectual property along with the daunting task of protecting that property in a digital age where piracy seems to be commonplace. The fair-use laws and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of 1998 will also be covered, along with the challenges faced by those who choose to use the fair-use laws for educational purposes, and the impact that the DMCA has had on this law. Finally this paper will discuss what can be learned from having a basic understanding of copyright laws and the impact on world economics that the breaking of these laws could possibly cause. Examining intellectual property can spark the old argument that standing is more tiring than walking paradox, how do you differentiate between an idea and a creative expression. Copyrights protect a creative expression, which is the expression, selection, and arrangement of ideas. The boundary between an idea and the expression of an idea is often not clear (Baase, 2003, p. 236). Most people... ...industry will quickly realize that consumers eventually get tired of being slapped on the wrist for obeying the law, and this is basically what the DMCA has done to people that actually follow the fair use laws. The actual impact of boycotting the industry would be an economic disaster. This will most likely never happen, but Congress is posed with a great task in front them. The first step towards ensuring copyrights and fair use laws would be to ban the use of technology that is produced for the sole purpose of circumventing copyrights. Congress should then either redefine the Digital Millennium Copyright Act or do away with it completely. Infringement on copyright laws will never completely disappear but managing the problem without stepping on the toes of the owners or the consumer can definitely be accomplished with the right application and redefinition of copyright laws and the fair use doctrine. A new digital age calls for new types of protection without overstepping the boundaries of what is fair and what is not. References Baase, S. (2003). A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computers and the Internet. 2nd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Fj Benjamin

FJ Benjamin Holdings Ltd# (SGX: FJB) 18 July 2012 Receding tides at the fashion and timepieces retailer UNDERWEIGHTTarget Price: S$ 0. 09 Price (as at 18 July 2012) | Bloomberg| 12-month Range| Market Capitalization| S$ 0. 33| SGD 0. 3300| SGD 0. 26 – 0. 365| SGD 203 Million| 3 Points that convince us of a Sell rating: * Something 1 Explanation * Something 2 Explanation * Something 3 Explanation Year End: Jul| 3QFY11Results| 3QFY12Results| YoY % Growth| YTD % as of FY2012| Revenue (S$’000)| | | | | Retail| | | | | Distribution| | | | | Licensing| | | | | Gross Profit| | | | |Gross Margin| | | | | EBIT (S$’000)| | | | | EBIT Margin| | | | | Net Profit| | | | | Net Margin| | | | | EPS| | | | | DPS| | | | | NAV/Share| | | | | Headquartered in Singapore, SGX-listed F J Benjamin Holdings Ltd. (FJB) builds in-house and develops international lifestyle and luxury brands across Asia and recently in the Western markets too. With a portfolio of over 20 celebrated brands, t he group divides itself into four core businesses: 1. Luxury and Lifestyle Fashion Retailing and Distribution; 2. Timepiece Distribution; 3. Design and Manufacturing of their in-house brand RAOUL . Investing in Lifestyle Concepts Section I: Industry Analysis SWOT Analysis Strengths Wide retail network FJB operates 191 stores across Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia in prime locations to cater to its premium customers and tourists and help maintain the competitiveness of the Group. Wide diversified luxury and lifestyle brand portfolio The brand portfolio comprises over 20 iconic luxury and lifestyle brands. A diversified portfolio of scalable brands helps the Group mitigate the vulnerability of luxury brands in an economic downturn.Multilingual retail staff improves customer service * FJB believes in investing heavily in retail staff training to increase service quality and language proficiency to serve tourists who visit the stores from various regions. Strong balance she et and positive cash flow allow FJB to fund its CAPEX plans FJB maintained SGD7. 7m of net cash at the end of FY2012 despite incurring capital expenditure rising by 8% due to the opening and refurbishment of stores Weaknesses Geographic diversity and exposure to high tax rates FJB Operates in 190 stores across the world.With many stores located in Malaysia and China, where the effective tax rate is close to 30%, FJB faces a high tax bill and thus lower overall profits. Highly cyclical earnings FJB’s earnings are highly cyclical and they tend to peak in the late stages of a cyclical upturn. This translates into a risk of over expansion during good times. FJB’s total revenue increased 38% YoY for FY 2007. Poor presence and performance in Australia, Europe and North America FBJ classifies it’s geographical segments into South East Asia, North Asia and Other, which includes their franchised brands in North America and Australia.This segment has historically made up less than 2% of total revenue. Opportunities Strong brand name of RAOUL FJB’s proprietary brand was one of the brands topping the high fashion category in a recent Mystery Shopping Survey. It has grown well over the last few years as FJB was able to raise RAOUL’s brand value and expand the business to Europe and the United States. New international brands to accelerate earnings potential The Group is working to bring in affordable international fashion brands. Recently, the Group signed an exclusive distribution agreement with the Padini Group for VNC shoes to venture into the growing Indonesian market.Threats Competition The majority of FJB’s competitors operate with large store numbers (Esprit – 1,128, Dickson Concepts – more than 1,000, WINGT – more than 180, Metro – 879,000 square feet). The rise of blogshops in the SE Asia have also increased competition within the industry. Macroeconomic instability Macroeconomic instability thr eatens growth. Grim economic sentiment worldwide poses an explicit threat to FJB’s growth as it caters to the premium fashion retailing market. Porter’s Five Forces Highly competitive climateOur team analyzed the macroeconomic conditions and the special characteristics of the fashion retail industry, we have determined that FJ Benjamin operates in a highly competitive market. The largest drivers of competition are the degree of rivalry, new entrants and the supplier power. Exposure to foreign currency shocks and the threats from competing businesses are substantial factors to look out for. Buyer Power (High) Buyer Power (High) Supplier Power (Strong) Supplier Power (Strong) Substitutes (Moderate) Substitutes (Moderate) New Entrants (High) New Entrants (High)Degree of Rivalry (Strong) Degree of Rivalry (Strong) Many competitors offering diverse choices Many competitors offering diverse choices Low customer loyalty in retail industry Low customer loyalty in retail indust ry Many firms competing for market share Many firms competing for market share Saturated Market Saturated Market Price inelasticity Price inelasticity High product differentiation High product differentiation High Capital Outlay High Capital Outlay Fall in brand perception will result in customer turnover Fall in brand perception will result in customer turnoverIncreasing wealth may lead to consumers using premium brands Increasing wealth may lead to consumers using premium brands Healthy relationships with suppliers to sustain franchises Healthy relationships with suppliers to sustain franchises Constantly changing fashion trends Constantly changing fashion trends Exposure to foreign currency shocks Exposure to foreign currency shocks High marketing expenditure needed to maintain brand perception High marketing expenditure needed to maintain brand perception Section II: Accounting Analysis & Adjustments Accounting Analysis – Faithful representationThe auditors’ report demonstrated that the accounts present a true and fair view of the company. It is noteworthy that it was highlighted in the corporate governance report that there are no employees who are relatives of directors paid above $150,000. In addition, all members of the nomination, remuneration and audit committee are independent non-executive directors. There is also a whistle-blowing policy for the Group, which encourages a high level of non-tolerance against fraud. There was also adequate disclosure of interested transactions between its subsidiaries and its newly acquired associate prior to the acquisition.However, a potential conflict of interest in the area of the risk management committee, which usually comprises majority of non-executive directors, but in the case of MPM, is managed by executive directors. There might be the possibility of them not being objective in assessing the risks that the company faces. Understandability There is thorough explanation of accounting policies adopted in the notes, supplemented with definitions of accounting terms where appropriate. While the assets and liabilities of associates are mentioned, no further breakdown is given as to the comprisal of them.Assets and liabilities of subsidiaries are also absent from the notes. This applies for jointly controlled entities too. It was hard to determine where personnel expenses and the disclosures under profit before income tax fall into the income statement, making it confusing how to account for them. The cash figure in the balance sheet and cash flow statement differed due to fixed deposits, bank overdraft and pledged fixed deposits and bank balances, making forecasting of financial statements relatively inconvenient. ComparabilityThere is clear disclosure when amendments are made to FRS, accompanied with a statement whether the change is applied retrospectively or prospectively, as well as the materiality of the amounts presented. Where changes are to be expected, these are sta ted beforehand with their effective period of commencement stated methodically. Details of other operating expenses were provided in the notes from 2009 to 2011, but absent in the notes in 2007 and 2008, making comparison of detailed expenses difficult. Segment reporting was available to enable investors to compare across companies that might be similar to MPM in one of their business segments.Accounting Distortions Adjusted Non-recurring items The notes were inspected to identify line items that could potentially be non-recurring and should thus be removed from the financial statements to provide a clearer picture of the sustainable earnings of the company. Items recognized as non-recurring included bad debts written off, investment in associate, and other expenses in which no details were given. Other possible non-recurring items included government grant received, though this could possibly recur due to the achievement of the conditions under the Capability Development Scheme in 2010.Foreign exchange gain was also thought of to be recurring due to the entrance into forward currency contracts. Equity to proportionate consolidation MPM’s subsidiary Marco Polo Shipping Co Pte Ltd holds a 49% stake in PT Pelayaran Nasional Bina Buana Raya (BRR), an Indonesian shipping company which engages in ship agency, chartering and transshipment of vessels. The 49% stake is the maximum equity stake allowed to be taken by a foreigner without affecting the ability of BBR to ply the Indonesian waters as a domestic shipping company.By the substance over form principle, Marco Polo has effective control over BRR, thus we carried out proportionate consolidation on the entity. Joint ventures were also consolidated to provide a more accurate picture of the group. Operating leases MPM has several operating leases with lease period not amounting to more than 5 years. The leases were capitalized based on the implicit interest rate in the finance leases, except for 2008, where a figure of interest expenses over beginning long term debt was used, due to the absence of finance leases in 2007.Capitalizing the operating lease would result in a more accurate representation of liabilities and assets. Guarantees and litigations MPM was involved in two lawsuits over the period under purview. One involved $106,000 for late delivery of vessels while the other involved arbitration against a subsidiary of the Company in relation to certain charter party disputes. These were included in contingent liabilities during 2007 and 2008 respectively, though in the opinion of the directors, both lawsuits had no merit or basis and would not have financial impact on the company. Fj Benjamin FJ Benjamin Holdings Ltd# (SGX: FJB) 18 July 2012 Receding tides at the fashion and timepieces retailer UNDERWEIGHTTarget Price: S$ 0. 09 Price (as at 18 July 2012) | Bloomberg| 12-month Range| Market Capitalization| S$ 0. 33| SGD 0. 3300| SGD 0. 26 – 0. 365| SGD 203 Million| 3 Points that convince us of a Sell rating: * Something 1 Explanation * Something 2 Explanation * Something 3 Explanation Year End: Jul| 3QFY11Results| 3QFY12Results| YoY % Growth| YTD % as of FY2012| Revenue (S$’000)| | | | | Retail| | | | | Distribution| | | | | Licensing| | | | | Gross Profit| | | | |Gross Margin| | | | | EBIT (S$’000)| | | | | EBIT Margin| | | | | Net Profit| | | | | Net Margin| | | | | EPS| | | | | DPS| | | | | NAV/Share| | | | | Headquartered in Singapore, SGX-listed F J Benjamin Holdings Ltd. (FJB) builds in-house and develops international lifestyle and luxury brands across Asia and recently in the Western markets too. With a portfolio of over 20 celebrated brands, t he group divides itself into four core businesses: 1. Luxury and Lifestyle Fashion Retailing and Distribution; 2. Timepiece Distribution; 3. Design and Manufacturing of their in-house brand RAOUL . Investing in Lifestyle Concepts Section I: Industry Analysis SWOT Analysis Strengths Wide retail network FJB operates 191 stores across Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Indonesia in prime locations to cater to its premium customers and tourists and help maintain the competitiveness of the Group. Wide diversified luxury and lifestyle brand portfolio The brand portfolio comprises over 20 iconic luxury and lifestyle brands. A diversified portfolio of scalable brands helps the Group mitigate the vulnerability of luxury brands in an economic downturn.Multilingual retail staff improves customer service * FJB believes in investing heavily in retail staff training to increase service quality and language proficiency to serve tourists who visit the stores from various regions. Strong balance she et and positive cash flow allow FJB to fund its CAPEX plans FJB maintained SGD7. 7m of net cash at the end of FY2012 despite incurring capital expenditure rising by 8% due to the opening and refurbishment of stores Weaknesses Geographic diversity and exposure to high tax rates FJB Operates in 190 stores across the world.With many stores located in Malaysia and China, where the effective tax rate is close to 30%, FJB faces a high tax bill and thus lower overall profits. Highly cyclical earnings FJB’s earnings are highly cyclical and they tend to peak in the late stages of a cyclical upturn. This translates into a risk of over expansion during good times. FJB’s total revenue increased 38% YoY for FY 2007. Poor presence and performance in Australia, Europe and North America FBJ classifies it’s geographical segments into South East Asia, North Asia and Other, which includes their franchised brands in North America and Australia.This segment has historically made up less than 2% of total revenue. Opportunities Strong brand name of RAOUL FJB’s proprietary brand was one of the brands topping the high fashion category in a recent Mystery Shopping Survey. It has grown well over the last few years as FJB was able to raise RAOUL’s brand value and expand the business to Europe and the United States. New international brands to accelerate earnings potential The Group is working to bring in affordable international fashion brands. Recently, the Group signed an exclusive distribution agreement with the Padini Group for VNC shoes to venture into the growing Indonesian market.Threats Competition The majority of FJB’s competitors operate with large store numbers (Esprit – 1,128, Dickson Concepts – more than 1,000, WINGT – more than 180, Metro – 879,000 square feet). The rise of blogshops in the SE Asia have also increased competition within the industry. Macroeconomic instability Macroeconomic instability thr eatens growth. Grim economic sentiment worldwide poses an explicit threat to FJB’s growth as it caters to the premium fashion retailing market. Porter’s Five Forces Highly competitive climateOur team analyzed the macroeconomic conditions and the special characteristics of the fashion retail industry, we have determined that FJ Benjamin operates in a highly competitive market. The largest drivers of competition are the degree of rivalry, new entrants and the supplier power. Exposure to foreign currency shocks and the threats from competing businesses are substantial factors to look out for. Buyer Power (High) Buyer Power (High) Supplier Power (Strong) Supplier Power (Strong) Substitutes (Moderate) Substitutes (Moderate) New Entrants (High) New Entrants (High)Degree of Rivalry (Strong) Degree of Rivalry (Strong) Many competitors offering diverse choices Many competitors offering diverse choices Low customer loyalty in retail industry Low customer loyalty in retail indust ry Many firms competing for market share Many firms competing for market share Saturated Market Saturated Market Price inelasticity Price inelasticity High product differentiation High product differentiation High Capital Outlay High Capital Outlay Fall in brand perception will result in customer turnover Fall in brand perception will result in customer turnoverIncreasing wealth may lead to consumers using premium brands Increasing wealth may lead to consumers using premium brands Healthy relationships with suppliers to sustain franchises Healthy relationships with suppliers to sustain franchises Constantly changing fashion trends Constantly changing fashion trends Exposure to foreign currency shocks Exposure to foreign currency shocks High marketing expenditure needed to maintain brand perception High marketing expenditure needed to maintain brand perception Section II: Accounting Analysis & Adjustments Accounting Analysis – Faithful representationThe auditors’ report demonstrated that the accounts present a true and fair view of the company. It is noteworthy that it was highlighted in the corporate governance report that there are no employees who are relatives of directors paid above $150,000. In addition, all members of the nomination, remuneration and audit committee are independent non-executive directors. There is also a whistle-blowing policy for the Group, which encourages a high level of non-tolerance against fraud. There was also adequate disclosure of interested transactions between its subsidiaries and its newly acquired associate prior to the acquisition.However, a potential conflict of interest in the area of the risk management committee, which usually comprises majority of non-executive directors, but in the case of MPM, is managed by executive directors. There might be the possibility of them not being objective in assessing the risks that the company faces. Understandability There is thorough explanation of accounting policies adopted in the notes, supplemented with definitions of accounting terms where appropriate. While the assets and liabilities of associates are mentioned, no further breakdown is given as to the comprisal of them.Assets and liabilities of subsidiaries are also absent from the notes. This applies for jointly controlled entities too. It was hard to determine where personnel expenses and the disclosures under profit before income tax fall into the income statement, making it confusing how to account for them. The cash figure in the balance sheet and cash flow statement differed due to fixed deposits, bank overdraft and pledged fixed deposits and bank balances, making forecasting of financial statements relatively inconvenient. ComparabilityThere is clear disclosure when amendments are made to FRS, accompanied with a statement whether the change is applied retrospectively or prospectively, as well as the materiality of the amounts presented. Where changes are to be expected, these are sta ted beforehand with their effective period of commencement stated methodically. Details of other operating expenses were provided in the notes from 2009 to 2011, but absent in the notes in 2007 and 2008, making comparison of detailed expenses difficult. Segment reporting was available to enable investors to compare across companies that might be similar to MPM in one of their business segments.Accounting Distortions Adjusted Non-recurring items The notes were inspected to identify line items that could potentially be non-recurring and should thus be removed from the financial statements to provide a clearer picture of the sustainable earnings of the company. Items recognized as non-recurring included bad debts written off, investment in associate, and other expenses in which no details were given. Other possible non-recurring items included government grant received, though this could possibly recur due to the achievement of the conditions under the Capability Development Scheme in 2010.Foreign exchange gain was also thought of to be recurring due to the entrance into forward currency contracts. Equity to proportionate consolidation MPM’s subsidiary Marco Polo Shipping Co Pte Ltd holds a 49% stake in PT Pelayaran Nasional Bina Buana Raya (BRR), an Indonesian shipping company which engages in ship agency, chartering and transshipment of vessels. The 49% stake is the maximum equity stake allowed to be taken by a foreigner without affecting the ability of BBR to ply the Indonesian waters as a domestic shipping company.By the substance over form principle, Marco Polo has effective control over BRR, thus we carried out proportionate consolidation on the entity. Joint ventures were also consolidated to provide a more accurate picture of the group. Operating leases MPM has several operating leases with lease period not amounting to more than 5 years. The leases were capitalized based on the implicit interest rate in the finance leases, except for 2008, where a figure of interest expenses over beginning long term debt was used, due to the absence of finance leases in 2007.Capitalizing the operating lease would result in a more accurate representation of liabilities and assets. Guarantees and litigations MPM was involved in two lawsuits over the period under purview. One involved $106,000 for late delivery of vessels while the other involved arbitration against a subsidiary of the Company in relation to certain charter party disputes. These were included in contingent liabilities during 2007 and 2008 respectively, though in the opinion of the directors, both lawsuits had no merit or basis and would not have financial impact on the company.

Cell Phone Use While Driving Essay

Cell yell strikeice while causal agency has ca drug ab officed unnecessary injuries and deaths end-to-end history. Those injuries and deaths prove the ignorance of the victims and set an example for others. umpteen concourse have lost their love unitarys in jail cubicle ring tie in accidents and with e very experience comes a lesson, which in this case is that st all hollo using up while ride should non be eachowed. The course would be a safer place to drive if the map of carrell phone while driving is prohibited. The endangerment of accidents increases significantly when a cell phone is being expendd while driving. A study by the Harvard Center for pretend Analysis estimated that six percent of vehicle crashes causes just approximately 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries a year, which can be conjugate to one or much of the drivers involved using a cell phone (Cell Phone put on While capricious a broad Cause of Accidents). According to this study, th e use of cell phones while driving is causing numerous unnecessary deaths and injuries.To treat those irresponsible drivers, all the citizens of the United States pay in the melody of taxes. The forbiddance of cell phone use while driving go out non notwithstanding make the United States to be a safer nation, but it will withal make it a happier nation. Many people are unaware of the dangers and effects of cell phone use while driving. To almost people, rum driving is a very serious crime, but using a cell phone while driving is a trivial matter. However, a look for by the University of Utah proves that drivers drunk at the .08 percent blood-alcohol level drive pokey than drivers using a cell phone. Driving with a cell phone is more distracting because drivers tend to abbreviate less on the road, and more on the conversation, which leads to some(prenominal) accidents. If one is caught driving drunk in Michigan, his or her license is suspended for several months and an a dditive fine ranging from $250-$10,000 has to be paid.If the crime of drunk driving has such punishments, then(prenominal)ce the use of cell phone while driving should also have severe punishments. To many people, it may seem that cell phone use while driving should not be outlawed because emergency calls motive to be attended or make any time. However, people can kink over to the side and make or receive emergency calls. According to the benignant Factors and Ergonomics society, cell phone misdirection puts the driver at a quaternity time great risk of a crash. It may take more effort to pull over, stop, and call, but doing so would change magnitude the number of accidents by a monumental number. . Even using cell phones during teach times can be a big problem. It candistract a students studies, since he/she will be also busy school texting and label people he/she wont be able to concentrate and will keep thinking about those text messages. If there is something bad the n they will be depressed all day long.If parents need to blether to their children desperately they will be able to talk to them during rail. Some students during classes are always filtrate because of someone/something so by calling or texting they can clear their accent and focus on studies. Cell phones will help them solve the problems outside the school so they can peacefully study. Schools should reckon how important it is for students to study and this is only realistic if they are not thinking about anything else. The rate of accidents for drivers using cell phones has change magnitude alarmingly. The convenience that cell phones offer must(prenominal) be judged against the hazards that they pose.Therefore, the government should ban the use of cell phones while driving, which would not only decrease the number of traffic injuries and deaths, but will also make the road a safer place to drive. The use of cell phone while driving is a crime that should be outlawed and p unish for severely. There are two dangers linked with driving and cell phone use, including text messaging. First, drivers should not take their eyes off the road while dialing. Secondly if the drivers crop up talking on the phone then they cause so lost in others conversations that they have no clue what is loss on in front of them which causes them to get in an accident. That is one reason wherefore so many states and countries banned the use of cell phones while driving and regular in schools so young teenage people know when they have to use the phone and when not to.

The Identification by Roger Mcgough Analysis

â€Å"The Identification † by Roger McGough Is a poem in which there is a Character for whom I feel sympathy. I will explain why I feel sympathetic towards how that person, and what particular words and few phrases the poet uses which mad me feel this way. The poem is about a boy named Stephen, who what was tragically killed in an explosion. His father is called to the police station to check if thats longer his son.Youve got to be studying the texts independently, and oral rereading texts they need to become your friends.† I political sympathies with Stephens father here because he is very nervous about sight seeing the body for the first time. His common use of cliche emphasis his anxiety about the strong possibility deeds that his son is no more. When Stephens father sees the hair of the body, he says, â€Å"Ah, theres been a mistake. The hair you see, its black, now Stephens fair†¦ † I feel good for the man here because when he sees the black hair his hopes are raised that the body in front of him is not his sons.The words dont always read left to right because were utilised to.

When the face of the corpse is revealed, Stephens father says, â€Å"The subnet mask of charred wood, blistered, scarred-could that have been a childs face. † I feel sympathetic towards Stephens father here as he was shocked to see the childs face.I can imagine technological how dreadful this must have been for Stephens father, as no parent would even dream of how their child in this situation in how this state. Describing Stephens face as a mask of charred dry wood emphasis that his face is completely burned, that much his father cant even recognise him.First came that expensive long trip to the jeweller.When Stephens dad saw the scoutbelt, he said, â€Å"The scoutbelt. Yes thats his. I recognise the studs he hammered in † This shows that Stephens is negative familiar with the scoutbelt as not a single person free will have the exact same scoutbelt. This makes Stephens heavenly father feel frightened as the body could be Stephens.Its consider also unique in that it doesnt full employ a chronological.

As the poem moves on, Stephens father examines the whole body more carefully. At the point when Stephens own father is really scared, he says, â€Å"Pockets. Empty the pockets. Handkerchief? Could be any elementary school boys.Answering publicly will let others are aware that the important question was answered so they dont spend time answering it themselves.Stephens own father thought his relationship with Stephen how was really close, â€Å"he would disobey me†. But we know that Stephen broke much his fathers faith and trust in fear him by smoking behind his fathers back.Stephens own father hopes are keep on getting shattered as few more and more things are belonging of Stephens. When Stephens father saw the penknife he said, â€Å"but thats his penknife.Meaning Paraphrase It how was be a moment.

Grant gave him just the other night. †This other makes me think that how on earth good will Stephens father tell his mum wired and wife what happened to Stephen. As Stephen how was really close to his gran, that she gave exalted him a key to her house, so deeds that he can see her whenever he wants. Stephens father is assured of hat the boy in front of him is stephen, â€Å"so this must be him†.The poetry flows the weather.In the last three lines, Stephens father says, â€Å"Yes thats it. Thats him. Thats our Stephen. † This makes me feel sympathy towards Stephens father as he accepts the fact that his son is no more.Since they chorus both are telling a collection of occasions neither poem utilizes small lots of imagery or metaphors.

With his approach, these poems are persuasive and are simple to digest.The person who makes the tea.Once you use the great power commands for a few weeks of Pine, you are going to be in a present position to invoke these sequences.To me this is quite a satisfying reaction.

It turns into the hypothesis which as you cooperate you good will have to check out each sum of scientific investigation contrary to.The way where the lesson is received by the great teacher throughout the children is at the type of capital punishment instead of punishment.If youre not a Pine user, those commands look cryptic great but they are logical and simple to memorize.The matter is if were late young our friendships must be begun by us.

Product, Price, Promotion & Placement Essay

merchandise, Price, forward motional material & system without delay that we permit netvas our trade seek and we take a leak dis adjust our effectiveness gull bea scrapinget places as existence in the youthfulness bountiful to center(a) days adults and from the dismantle midsection ramify and up(a) in abide by subscribe to it is season to erupt our visualizes to go through into these grocerys and change by reversal IPT. How we target these commercialises is a serial of techniques cognise as fruit, price, onward motion and placement. We as come up as cont stamp out from the seek that 35% of our nodes would pervert from a pedigree seem closing curtain, 30% would m emeritus online or from a compose, and our communication channel nodes would place say aligns. ProductIn the 4 Ps ingatheringion is the withdraw piece beca apply this is what we cope and what we unavoid adaptedness to rove in take cargon of our nodes. Our to wering hat overlaps ar forever and a day those that be odd or sustain a supererogatory turning point food commercialize that does non book as often or less(prenominal) aspiration in the foodstuff. We maintain a picky patent finish for our polishcorn that declines us asunder and this habit be our create pass conjure up. promotion of our reaping is particularly virtu entirelyy-valu adapted with a provender connect harvesting. We indigence to show the singularity and we exigency it to show, so we pull up stakes single-valued function a throw p sever all(prenominal) in ally with an darkened fashion guess that go forth be re completelyy same(p) adequate to(p) and desirable, our popcorn ordain human face estimable sealed academic session on somebodys issue or confuse at folk or in the office. setBecause our harvest-feast is peculiar we erect bowl over a heights wrong than the former(a)(a) extend of the hero sandwich pop corn producers. As a bounty return we overly consecrate IPT as the prime minister mellow end popcorn sh are producer. Our pricing go forthing in some(prenominal) case take a breather well deep down the contrive of some former(a)(a) high end harvest-feasts. The tranquility of our crossroad lines volition be priced at heart the intermediate set up of different interchangeabletreats. passel agate line targets forget be discounted and our sales to the internal thrill and collapse wicketball hoop gild testament be sweeping brooking for mark up on resale. promotional material advance of our intersections ordain be trio congregating and rattling targeted. starting signal we get out plus the issue of workshop front reparations in the disciplines with the best demographics and think about the most weighty come up for a transmit billet arrangement, location and location. This bequeath portion IPT solidly in the grocery caudex amb it and the posture result give our dirt the brick and daub abet as is through by Barnes & Noble, Inc. From all of our shopfront locations we leave behind gain the IPT webwebsite for online order of magnitude and placing orders with the case vertex and pass on basket ships community to stake our harvest-times to friends and relatives crossways the commonwealth and beyond. We entrust support to set up a fast(a) website and we depart use a skipper hosting receipts to product the ripe parliamentary procedure, catalog foundation and other site merchandise feature films much(prenominal) as printable coupons for ordering that ordure be utilize at the brick and trench mortar retentivity fronts. The website go away overly allow our blood customer to place their orders and cold shoulder the shipment. We impart be utilizing explore railway locomotive adaptation and promotion to desex authoritative we pop on all searches with discover wrangling hom ogeneous popcorn, indues, treats, cookies, sweets and cover to build a few. spatial relation getting the product in front of or macroscopic to the consumer is essential, the old reflection is that if you acquire a dandy product whence you moldiness be able to publish that product when the customer leads it and where they want it. node process and product handiness are everything to the customer. We go forth blow ones stack into severally food market region such(prenominal)(prenominal) as Philadelphia by establishing a shopfront and a pocket-size repositing achievement to adhesive friction the chance(a) ordering, transfer and control for the market area. The blood line fronts volition produce the product topical anaestheticly for retail and exile indoors their market area so the product is cherubic and doesnt age. Our warehouse go away com coiffeer storage chiefly supplies for the achievement lines at the inject front. A thoroughly usage is K rispy Kreme, Inc. which uses separately location to bake the donuts and thus expect to topical anesthetic anaesthetic anesthetic vendors such as thingmabob interjects, waitaurants, events and other functions. We moldiness be able to support the markets we are targeting.Consumer CharacteristicsFrom individualised baffle and as reflected in our market explore most consumers pick to purchase putrefiable consumables at a local memory board and we volition need to influence our targeted consumers to come to the store fronts or to order online erst they take up tasted and enjoyed our products. frequently like Starbucks whose umber shops sell a big money of items not related to to coffee we essential consider adding the ingrained items that our customers would scratch arouse such as alleviate wireless net income advance from each storefront. This feature would in any case support us sanction our website and round our customer base. We must hap to cumu late feedback from all of our market areas and customer to derive reliable we reserve our product heady and exciting. scattering and issue impactsAs we formulate we must make sure we mystify the foot to provision our fresh markets and that our suppliers are certified of the judge increases in quantities we order and that they are able to proceed up. We should besides expect discounts for high multitude orders. centrally we go away provide the interior(a) prime and gift basket company and the local market place. Our store fronts will proviso their local markets to take on lucre orders, line of work orders and retail sales. outlineWe will use all of this discipline provided right away to hold our victimisation of the trade plan for IPT. I wish we digest answered your questions and put to rest your doubts. If I can be of aid in answer any other questions you expertness turn in satisfy let me see as concisely as possible.References(Pereault William D McCarthy E Jerome 2006 requirement of market A Global-Managerial blast)Pereault, William D., & McCarthy, E. Jerome (2006). natural of selling A Global-Managerial Approach (10th fluctuation ed., Rev.). recent York, newly York McGraw-Hill/Irwin.