Profit and loss account - Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Profit and loss account - - Assignment Example This ratio determines the efficiency, profitability and liquidity level of the company. Profit margin is one of the ratios that is used to determine the amount of profit a company makes over time. Both A and B there is improved performance since the profit margin is seen increase in the year 2012 (Siddiqui, 2005). These two ratios determine the liquidity position of a company. While current ratio includes inventories, acid test ratio does not. They measure the capability of a company to meet up the obligations that are falling due. A ratio of higher than one is considered good. Both A and B there is improved performance since the acid test ratio increased in 2012 while the current ratio remained unchanged. These ratios measure the ability of the company to convert stock to cash. In both A and B there is reduction in debt collection period and this implies increased efficiency since the period it takes for the debts to be cleared is reduced. This in the end shows an improvement in the year

Strategic Financial Management - Marks and Spencer Essay

Strategic Financial Management - Marks and Spencer - Essay Example In other words, the strategy of a company may be just to make money or it may be to provide the customers with socially and environmentally beneficial products the society may demand (Henriques, 2010, p.17). A company may have its focus only on selling its products and generate revenues. However, in that case, the company may never realize how the money is made. On the other hand, focusing on social and environmental objectives of a firm enable the company to consider its responsibilities sincerely towards the society and the environment that may include increasing employments, having no discriminatory measures within the organizational activities, manufacturing products that are pollution free and hence eco-friendly in nature (Henriques, 2010, p.17). These factors enable a company to more effectively satisfy the needs and expectations of the customers which in turn is bound to positively impact the company’s sales and financial performances. Thus the rationale behind a compan y considering non-financial objectives like social and environment issues is primarily the fact that non-financial objectives enable a company to realize the measures it needs to consider along worth selling of products, to successfully and more satisfactorily fulfill the needs of their customer having concern and facilities for the society as a whole and the environment eventually reflecting desired financial results. b. Marks and Spencer: Reporting of its performances reflecting financial and non-financial objectives: The Marks and Spencer company leading in its market in providing its customers with high quality clothing and home products as well high value for the food products it sells. The... The intention of this study is Marks and Spencer as a brand of retailer group in the United Kingdom leading among several companies. The company provides its customers with clothing and other home products that are superior in quality and provide high value for money to the customers. The company is into the businesses of clothing, home products as well as food. It is also presently known for its environmental friendly activities. The Marks and Spencer company leading in its market in providing its customers with high quality clothing and home products as well high value for the food products it sells. The reporting of the company on its performances reflect that the company not only focuses on selling products and generate revenues, but it also has social and environmental objectives that deal with serving the society and the environment as a whole. As the reporting of the company reflects, the company’s turnover has been recorded to be  £8.7 billion in the last year obtain ed from clothing, home and food products. The clothing and home products have been found to gain sales revenues of  £4.2 billion showing an increase of around 3.9 percent from the previous year. Food products have also reflected increase in sales from the previous year generating revenues of  £4.5 billion from sales. The company has around 700 stores that make the products of the company available to its customers (About M&S, 2011). The above mentioned results reflect the financial performances of the company that has shown highly improved and satisfactory results for the company implying the financial objectives of the company to be successful in its implementation.

Strategic Management: Business Level and Function Level

Strategic Management: Business Level and Function Level Strategic management deals with important and main initiatives taken by managers on behalf of owners. These initiatives involve resource utilisation so that performance of their firms is enhanced in external environment. Organizations vision, mission and objectives are specified by strategic management. Not only this but also developing plans and policies for organization, projects and programs that are due to fulfill these objectives and also allocating proper resources to implement plan, project, programs and policies is also tasks of strategic management. To evaluate the whole performance of the business and its growth towards objectives, a balanced scorecard is frequently used. Strategy needs to initiate with stakeholders expectations and use a customized balanced scorecard which takes in all stakeholders are also stated by latest studies and foremost management theorists. Strategic management is nothing but a level of managerial activity that is responsible for setting goals and all the necessary strategies. Providing the overall direction toward which the business or the organization vision to move forward is also the responsibility of strategic management. According to Gary Hamel and Michael Porter, the role of strategic management is to figure out the core competencies, and then bring together a set of assets that will offer a competitive advantage and increase value added. It is also stated that to make it happen innovation, organizational structure and reputation, these 3 types of capabilities are essential. Enterprise strategy has its own three levels. It is formulated and implanted in these three levels. These levels are: Corporate level, Business unit level, Functional or departmental level. At the business stage, people are accountable for creating value through their businesses. People do so by managing their portfolio of businesses, which ensures that businesses are winning over the long term, rising business units, and from time to time ensuring that every business is well-matched with others in their portfolio. Business units are the core of product or service development. Products and services are developed by business units. The role of the corporation is to manage its business units, products and services so that each is competitive and so that each contributes to company purposes. Corporate level strategy basically is alarmed with choice of businesses in which company should struggle and with development and harmonization of that portfolio of businesses. Strategies: Corporate level strategy is concerned with: Defining the issues that are corporate everyday jobs. These might include identifying the on the whole vision, mission, and goals of the company, the type of business firm should be concerned, and the way in which businesses will be integrated and managed. Its known as Reach. Defining where in firm competition is to be limited to a small area. Its nothing but Competitive Contact. Business strategy seeks to develop synergies by sharing and bringing together employees and other assets across company units, investing monetary possessions across business units, and using trade units to harmonize other commercial business activities, its Managing Activities and Business Interrelationships. Corporations make a decision, how business units are to be governed: through direct corporate intervention (centralization) or through independent government (decentralization). And it is Management Practices. Business Unit Level Strategy A tactical industry unit may be any profit center that can be designed separately from the other business units of business. At the business unit level, the planned issues are about both realistic management of operating units and about developing and at the bottom of a competitive advantage for the products and services that are produced. Functional Level Strategy The functional level of your organization is the level of the operating divisions and departments. The strategic issues at the functional level are related to functional business processes and value chain. Functional level strategies in RD, operations, manufacturing, marketing, finance, and human resources involve the development and coordination of resources through which business unit level strategies can be executed effectively and efficiently. Functional units of your organization are involved in higher level strategies by providing input into the business unit level and corporate level strategy, such as providing information on customer feedback or on resources and capabilities on which the higher level strategies can be based. Once the higher level strategy or strategic intent is developed, the functional units translate them into discrete action plans that each department or division must accomplish for the strategy to succeed. Whittingtons and Mintzbergs strategy concepts: Now, to perform well, some strategy models are really important. Not necessarily all models are quite good or updated with modern business but they do influence either internal or external or both environments. But to treat an organization properly managers have to think it as a whole being. Measuring different parts can lead to misjudgment and further situation where loss can occur. As Mintzberg, Ahlstrand and Lampel stated, the story of blind men is not new to anyone. To them different parts of the elephant felt totally different. As, one felt the leg as a tree, other one felt the trunk as a big snake. But they got a wrong perception coz they were blind and with touch they only could perceive limited parts. But managers of organizations are not blinds; moreover they are very conscious for everything. But the developed models that are already in market is limited to different parts of the organization. If those models are not updated according to recent times, it would be not only h ard to use them but also less profitable. Now if we consider mintzbergs comparative analysis of ten schools, the n we need to know first about the schools. There are total ten schools, The Design School, The Planning School, The Positioning School, The Entrepreneurial School, The Cognitive School, The Learning School, The Power School, The Cultural School, The Environmental School, and The Configuration School. These schools focus on different aspects of the total business reminding managers that one part remains untreated and the business can fall very quickly. Mintzberg thought of strategic planning thoroughly but he was unable to come to one point. So he drove more deep and then he found out that there may not be only one strategic planning while so many people are using it too differently to match. So, he concluded that there is no one strategy there is five types of strategies. These are listed as: Strategy as plan, Strategy as ploy, Strategy as pattern, Strategy as position, S trategy as perspective. These five types of strategies were actually developed in process of 10 schools of thoughts which are already given above. These ten schools were grouped into three categories. It goes like this prescriptive or normative (informal design and conception school, the formal planning school, and the analytical positioning school), 2nd group (entrepreneurial, visionary, or great leader school, the cognitive or mental process school, the learning, adaptive, or emergent process school, the power or negotiation school, the corporate culture or collective process school, and the business environment or reactive school) it mainly focuses on how strategic management is actually performed rather than how its hypothesized as to be done. The 3rd group (the configuration or transformation school), its more like a hybrid of other schools. According to Mintzberg, strategies are less theoretical and more practical and thats why its more dynamic and flexible than management per ceives it. In 2001, Whittington, categorized the strategy concept in four approaches: Classic approach, evolutionary approach, process approach, systemic approach. There is nothing more to describe about these approaches but what is important that Whittington himself put an end to his perspectives like elaborating strategy is hard enough and there is no one or another way. But when it comes to real life, implication and performance is well influenced by each of these approaches. So we can say that each of these approaches has a place in reality. Strategic management is also not above limitations. When it comes to hard situation that demand instant act, fluidity is much appreciable than rigid methods or direction to do the work. It not only make the performance non-innovative but sometimes it also pay by loosing many opportunities. It also ends up defining the organization narrowly. Now, if it comes to strategic theories, its always not so dependable. Modern business is so dynamic that one or two theories cant possibly cover all the fact or parts equally. It covers some parts but not full. But if we think a business as a being, we cant possibly look at only one or two parts; we have to look for the whole thing. A part or parts may lead to many misconceptions, when the full views can give totally a different view. As a matter of fact like theorists there is more to say about limitation. Gary Hamel in 2000 coined the name strategic convergence to give details of the incomplete range of the strategies being used by competitors very much differing circumstances. He mourned that strategies converge further than they should, because the more flourishing ones are mimicked by businesses that do not recognize that the strategic process involves scheming a modified strategy for the particulars of each circumstances. Ram Charan, arranging in a line with a admired marketing tagline, considers that strategic planning must not lead action. Just do it!, whereas not quite what he intended to mean, is a phrase that on the other hand comes to mind when fighting analysis paralysis. In the real world in which strategies have to be put into practice, the three fundamentals are mutually dependent. Means are as likely to determine ends as ends are to determine means. The objectives that an organization might wish to follow may be limited by the lack of feasible approaches available out. There is typically only a little number of approaches that will not only be technically and administratively achievable, but also acceptable to the full collection of organizational stakeholders. In turn, the choice of feasible implementation approaches is determined by the accessibility of resources. Conclusion: Till now all the factors, analysis, theories has been collected, its quite clear that strategic management is not as much powerful as it seems in theories or when someone is describing it. After all nothing can be in ceteris paribus when its the real business world we are talking about. So, why it has to be different than journals if one might say, its obviously has to be different coz the journal cant be updated in every second but unfortunately the world is changing, creating new opportunities and threats in every second. So many things are happening in one second that its quite unimaginable. So itll be quite awkward and foolish to think that itll be always like as it is said in case of strategic management after all strategic management is not so different than other theories or conceptual works. It must to have its own lacking. Dynamic business world demands process that can be changed so easily that one might be able not to pay the price for time limit. As time restriction is so terrifying that one moment one have an opportunity to grasp the next moment its taken by someone else. So if there is no much flexibility, opportunities are going to be lost in the depth of abyss. So, this statement Strategic Planning makes little or no contribution to the firms prosperity in todays turbulent environment, may not be so wrong a statement if we really consider all of the scenes. At the end its the full matter of means and end. Ways that allow the means to meet the ends is suitable for the dynamic world whether it is so called theories or something new.

The Pact Essay -- Pact Essays

The Pact With Teacher Comments To say that I have a personal connection with any of the authors of â€Å"The Pact† (Books should be underlined or in italics, but not in quotatations) would be a stretch at best. From the time before my very first breath, my life has been completely different. Throughout the years, my life further diverged, until you examine our (maybe use â€Å"my† instead of â€Å"our† – makes the connection to yourself) college years. Despite the differences, many similarities can be found just by taking a look at events, rather than situations. These situations (events – you said to focus on the events rather than the situations) are my connection to â€Å"The Pact†. The families of the three authors had all been relatively poor, and many of them uneducated, like Sam’s mother. Even their grandparents had started life out poor, and many would end their lives little better than poor. Here I have a connection. It takes going all the way back to grandparents. My grandmother on my father’s side began life as a share cropper, and was very poor. She dropped out of school to help with the family – I moved this up here for a better understanding before she learned to read. Over the years she taught herself to read since she felt it was an essential skill really was a required skill. She later met my grandfather, who I never met since he died from emphysema before I was born before my birth from emphysema. Obviously (Is it obvious? The reader is dumb and only knows what you tell them. It is difficult to assume that the reader will automatically know something) , she had a son before that, my father. He was a smart man, but lik e in The Pact the story, lacked direction. (New Paragraph) He had learned some electronics, a... ...ing special; I think I ended with a 2.8 GPA, and that was only because I excelled in my computer science classes. My time then down at UNT was a terrible experience that like the authors, I don’t think I would have survived without good friends, and a supporting family. My GPA there when I left I think was around 2.3. Again, still basically a ‘C’ student, where our authors were making good grades, and even sitting near the tops of their classes. Now at Penn State, I decided to actually try for a change, and hope to graduate with a 3.5 GPA. Overall, a very nicely done paper. You draw a clear connection between the story and your life. This paper could use some development work, but the main idea is clear. Keep up the good work and revise it with some of the changes I made, as well as changes of your own. By doing so, you will have an awesome paper to publish.

JROTC Leadership and Characterization Essay

Leadership is defined as the process in which an individual influences the group of individuals to attain a common goal. The goal is attained by mutual cooperation and behavior. A leader has a sense of positivity and directs others to reach the specified goal. In The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, (JROTC) the leaders teach us how to become better leaders. They also teach us to build character and leadership by providing guidance and putting us cadets in a position that we are not accustomed to. This helps us adapt to new types of things.We also have to set the example for the school, especially when we wear our uniforms. When we put on that uniform it means we are to be a leader. People watch us because we have the uniform on and they know we are a part of JROTC therefore they expect more out of us. A leader is someone who stands not only for their cause but takes responsibility and motivates other individuals also. There is a difference between being a boss and a leader. A leader is a motivation for others and inspires individuals to aim higher and attain that aim.However, a boss only supervises over his inferiors. Power naturally comes to a leader but power has to be earned by a boss. The best leaders are those who can lead and direct without misuse of their power. They must be able to inspire others in a direction or greater good. They must be strong enough to stand firm in decision making and leading others without a selfish attitude. In order to be a successful leader it is essential to have good character. You must have honesty, confidence, communication, and commitment.You have to have honesty because if someone is doing something wrong you need to be able to have honest feedback. You need communication because you need to be able to command your platoon. You need to have commitment because you need to stick with it and create a relationship with your platoon so you, and they, will feel more comfortable. You need to have confidence because you need to be sure of what you are doing at all times. No one wants or needs a weak leader. I think have confidence is one of the most important traits to be a good leader.One person that I think has all of these characteristics and is a great is leader is President Barack Obama. He sets a great example for the country. He is honest, he has not quit and always looks focused on his work. I think I am a good leader because I have all of those character traits. I also have respect, passion, and am very supportive. JROTC has helps me a lot with my character and my personality. I do not have to be a follower anymore. I am now a leader because of JROTC.

On the legacy of Elliot Liebow and Carol Stack: Context-driven fieldwork and the need for continuous ethnography Essay

Ethnographic Research Introduction Reading response            The study reveals that ethnographic research is used to study people’s culture in different geographical locations and or occupations. Most research are concerned with the studies of people in either schools or communities. Hence, it can be concluded that ethnographic research are the major approach to the study groups of people. The studies also revealed that ethnographic studies obtain data using two main research methodologies, which include observations and interviews. Some studies combine both interviews and observations as the tools of data collection for example Duener, (2007). Few studies rely on only one type of data collection tool where interviews dominate. However, the two data collection tools are inseparable in most studies.            Ethnographic research involves studying a group of people or their cultures that can be done in schools or other fields. For example, it can involve studying of the performance of students in school and how they interact during their studies or communities interactions (Valenzuela, 2005; Fine, Centrie, & Roberts, 2000).The study is one of the most preferred research approaches since it allows observe and record data in an interactive session with participants (Gilmore, & McDermott, 2006). As a result, the study generates detailed and accurate data about the study subjects. The research approach is simple and cheap and thus it is suitable to study wide variety of populations and geographical locations.            Ethnographic research involves interactions between participants and researchers. During these interactions, the researchers use various methodologies to obtain data from the participants. Observations and interviews forms the major methodologies used to carry ethnographic research. For example, Heath, (1983) Flowers, (2000) and Fine et al., (2000) uses interviews to obtain information from the study populations. Interviews help the researcher to obtain data from the participant through question and answer session. Duneier, (2007) used observations to obtain data about how kinsmen are brought up during their childhood. According to the observations, the study revealed that family members and not their mothers kept at least one-third of the target subjects, kinsmen. Reflection            The data collected from ethnographic studies may give descriptions of how people lived in the past or in day-to-day life and how explains their behavioural interactions. Hence, it makes it easier to study people in the different communities and their behaviour. The results obtained from these studies gives insight or deeper understanding of the people of a given community. For example, ethnographic study carried out by Duneier, (2007) gave insight on how families and parents relates with their kinsmen. This helps to give broader understanding how the society brings up their relatives. In addition, the data obtained from ethnographic studies can be used to give insights on various social processes in a given field. For example, a number of studies involved data collection from schools and helped the research to understand how various performances are related to other factors that children interacts with for example repeating of classes.            In addition, the ethnographic studies help one to have a deeper understanding of the societies in terms of what they do, how they behave, and how they interact socially. Understanding of such issues is an important factor in developing an area of interest in any field of study. For example, since most ethnographic studies involve groups of people in either school and out of schools field, it would be appropriate adopt ethnographic studies in the field of education and study how children interacts and perform in school. In addition, the interactions between teachers and children may be studied to understand whether there is relationship with their performances. This is because, in a group of people, it would be easier to carry out observations when they are interacting together. Moreover, it would be appropriate to carry out interviews. Description of the final topic            The topic of the final paper will be how children’ behaviour impacts on their academic performance in local schools. The study will involve studying children’s behaviour at school and home and then relating it to the academic performances. Some studies argue that bad behaviour detracts children from academic activities and thus affecting their performances negatively. On the other hand, studies argue that children behaviour has no impact on their academic performance in schools. Hence, the study will try to establish whether there is a correlation of behaviour and academic performance.            The study will involve observations of children in school and homes and their behaviours recorded as good or bad. Some features such as how they interact with other children in schools and homes, obedience, and respect to adults and their teachers will be used as major observational characteristics. In addition, interviews will be conducted to both parents and teachers top evaluate the behaviour of their children. Academic performance will be retrieved from the schools’ achieve databases. This will then be related with the performance of the children and conclusion reached.            The study will help to prove the current contentious findings on the impacts of children’s behaviour on the academic performance. The information obtained from this study will help parents and teachers to understand whether children’s behaviour affects their performances in school. As a result, they will be able to make appropriate decisions and implement appropriate measures. Reference Duneier, M. (2007). On the legacy of Elliot Liebow and Carol Stack: Context-driven fieldwork and the need for continuous ethnography. Focus, 25(1), 33-38. Fine, M., Weis, L., Centrie, C., & Roberts, R. (2000). Educating beyond the borders of schooling. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 31(2), 131-151. Flowers, D. A. (2000). Codeswitching and Ebonics in Urban Adult Basic Education Classrooms. Education and Urban Society, 32(2), 221-36.Gilmore, P., & McDermott, R. (2006). † And This Is How You Shall Ask†: Linguistics, Anthropology, and Education in the Work of David Smith. Anthropology & education quarterly, 37(2), 199-211.Heath, S. B. (1983). Ways with words: Language, life and work in communities and classrooms. cambridge university Press. Valenzuela, A. (2005). Subtractive schooling, caring relations, and social capital in the schooling of US-Mexican youth. Beyond silenced voices: Class, race, and gender in United States schools, 83-94. Source document

What is an American essays

What is an American essays American is a word that we use almost everyday to express what we are. But exactly what does that word mean? Does it mean that we work a standard 40 hour week? Does it mean that we have exactly 2.5 children and half of our parents are divorced? The word American entails more than those trivial facts about the United States of America. Is an American one who will run into burning builds to save another? Someone who believes in all that America does criticizing nothing at all? A true American means that a person is entrenched into America's culture, takes advantage of all our freedoms, and has a sense of their history. First of all, an American knows full and well the culture of the country that they are living in. They should know what sports is known as our national pastime as well as other small facts that make our country special. They should know who our president is as well as being entrenched in the music and movies of the times. However, culture is more than just knowing the famous and well known aspects of our country. Culture is just the environment that every American lives in. For example, how many Americans could go through an entire day without watching TV? Things like TV, coffee, and the internet are staples of the American culture that we all are involved in, in some way, shape, or form. Yet and still it's easy for Americans to not be into the culture even though they wake up in it every morning. Case in point, the two biggest issues in the last few months have been the presidential election and the war over in the Middle East. A true American is abreast of all the issues that will directly affect their and their families' lives. They watch the news every few days and participate in elections if they are able to. Americans now want to be more culturally conscience of other cultures. Even fifty years ago, W.E.B Duboise saw the need for all people to live in a harmonious society. In his Credo, he writes, "I BELIEVE in Go...