OHare International Airport :: Chicago Airport

An arrangement to grow O'Hare International Airport has started to look all the more encouraging, yet benefactors of a proposed air terminal close Peotone said a week ago they don't anticipate that the arrangement should change the discussion over a third air terminal. "It's as yet not going to include air limit, and won't tackle their long-go problem," said Wear Goff, executive of the Third Airport Alliance. "I don't consider it to be any setback," he said of the arrangement to manufacture more terminals and entryways. Goff said that regardless of whether O'Hare development defenders later utilize the World Gateway venture to legitimize fabricating more runways, a third air terminal will even now be required. "They're despite everything must form another airport," Goff said. Yet, the individuals who trust designs in an air terminal close to country Peotone will be rejected see the arrangement as an indication of expectation. "I'm cheerful about that," said Jill Holzaepfel of Peotone, who said she trusts the planes furthermore, traffic remain near the city. "I decided to live over here on the farmland," she stated, including that the individuals who are affected by more commotion and contamination at a growing O'Hare decided to live approach the air terminal. Some Peotone adversaries propose growing the air terminal in Gary, Ind., or working at another site. The significant aircrafts that serve O'Hare International Airport and city authorities arrived at a provisional consent to push forward with a $3.2 billion remodel at the world's second busiest air terminal, a city representative said. City hall leader Richard Daley has considered the undertaking the "World Gateway Program." It has included a very long time of exchanges between the city and the two significant bearers that serve O'Hare †United Airlines and American Airlines. "Right now, we have an understanding in principle," Chicago Department of Aviation representative Monique Bond said Friday night. "We feel certain that we're moving forward and we are really hopeful about the irrevocability of the agreement." The remodel, which is relied upon to take eight years to finish, is required to increment the quantity of boarding entryways by in any event 25 percent. It is likewise proposed to build the number of flights and make associations all through the air terminal smoother. "This is fundamentally what we are never helping to utilize the current office with additional efficiency," Bond said. She said the upgrade will help oblige the carriers' expanded utilization of bigger planes, for example, the Boeing 777. While Bond would not affirm the quantity of new doors included, a report showing up in the following week's Crain's Chicago Business refers to sources acquainted with the exchanges saying

Social and Cultural Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Social and Cultural Philosophy - Essay Example The political stakes in the cutting edge split among high and low craftsmanship were never more plainly verbalized than in the discussion between Walter Benjamin and Theodor W. Adorno on mainstream society. When Adorno depicted his barrier ÃŽ ¿f self-ruling craftsmanship and Benjamin's conciliatory sentiment for mass diversion as torn parts ÃŽ ¿f one opportunity, he found their contest inside a theoretical custom that contributes stylish involvement in emancipatory potential. The starting points ÃŽ ¿f this talk can be followed to Romanticism and its appearance on the job ÃŽ ¿f subjectivity in legislative issues and workmanship. Benjamin's discourse with Adorno denoted a significant defining moment in this account by exposing its twin heroes - the self-governing individual and its aggregate other- - as ghosts, illusions ÃŽ ¿f the Romantic creative mind. By investigating the Romantic ghosts that spooky Benjamin's discourse with Adorno, the current paper recommends how basic subjectivit y may be rethought during a time wherein the computer generated experience ÃŽ ¿f the internet has become natural for some people. The discussion on mainstream society is principally archived in two articles - one each by Benjamin on film and Adorno on jazz- - distributed in progressive issues ÃŽ ¿f the Zeitschrift hide Sozialforschung in 1936. (Wiggershaus 191-218) Both companions were living in a state of banishment - Benjamin in Paris and Adorno in Oxford- - and the letters they traded give extra insights to the positions they were expounding. On the off chance that the individual hardships f displacement impacted the tenor f their question, at that point contemporary occasions more likely than not added to its sense f direness. Wherever the new broad communications appeared to be dependent upon control: by extremist systems in Italy, Germany, and the USSR, and hoarding market powers in the USA. During the 1930s, questions f mainstream society became political issues f the primary request. Adorno's essential commitment to the discussion, an article titled Uber Jazz, has a moderately simple literary history. Benjamin's commitment, Das Kunstwerk im Zeitalter seiner technischen Reproduzierbarkeit, is another story. At Benjamin's solicitation, the article was distributed in the Zeitschrift hide Sozialforschung in French interpretation. This interpretation depended on a second, updated form f the exposition. After the French interpretation was distributed, Benjamin finished a second and progressively extreme modification f the German content, in the express expectation that Bertolt Brecht would have it distributed in Moscow. As it turned out, none f the German renditions showed up in print until Adorno and his significant other Gretel incorporated the third form f the exposition in their two-volume version f Benjamin's chosen works, in 1955. This is the form that filled in as the reason for Harry Zohn's interpretation, The Work f Art in the Age f Mechanical Reproduction, th e just a single accessible in English at this date. It is additionally the variant that keeps on filling in as the reason for most scholarly conversation f the paper, regardless of the way that both prior renditions have been made accessible in ongoing decades. (Arendt 217-51) The outcome f this is there exists nobody definitive content f Benjamin's article, but instead three particular reports f a work in progress. The distinctions that recognize the three writings give as much understanding into Benjamin's discussion with Adorno as any one variation read in disengagement. Consequently, each of the three variants will be considered in the conversation that follows. Adorno first recognized the Romantic ghosts frequenting his discourse with Benjamin in a letter from 18 March 1936, written to evaluate an unpublished original copy f Benjamin's paper. While trying to intercede between their dissimilar perspectives, Adorno saw that independent workmanship and mainstream film both bear the scars f industrialist abuse, just as components f change. He didn't, be that as it may, recommend that high craftsmanship be favored over low. Rather, he demanded that nor be yielded to the next, since this would mean losing the basic potential f both. Just assuming high and low craftsmanship are

Zoom

Zoom INTRODUCTIONMartin: Hi, Today we are in San Jose in the Zoom office. Hi Eric, who are you and what do you do?Eric: First of all, thank you for visiting us. I am Eric Yuan. I am the founder and CEO of Zoom video communications. We are building the number one best video conferencing service worldwide. And I think our service offers the best quality, is of use in the video conferencing service. And prior to founding Zoom, I worked for Cisco. I was a corporate Vice President at the Cisco systems. And I came to Cisco as part of the WebEx acquisition and I was actually one of the founding engineers and ultimately became vice president of engineering at WebEx. So I worked on real time collaboration technology for more than 18 years. I have a high confidence to share with you, Zoom as the best video conferencing company.Martin: Once youve been exiting WebEx to Cisco, at what point in time did you say, “Hmm, let me start another company?”Eric: So thats a good question. First of all, you k now, I live in Silicon Valley, I would call that a Startup Valley. I feel great if I work for a startup companies. So I do not think, Im proud of that if I tell my friends or neighbours that I worked some other big companies, so this is the culture of Silicon Valley. Another reason is before I left to Cisco, I spend a lot of a time to work with many of our customers, we wanted to get more feedbacks.Essentially, the reason why we started Zoom centered around customers and their needs because quite often customers told us was that there is some new promise, the existing solutions can’t help to fix. Like a conference room solution, like a Zoom room, software defined video conferencing solutions and also how to interact with the existing hardware-based conference solutions. And plus, how to make your solution mobile friendly, like share your iPhone and iPad screen. Last but not least, these days, almost every business, SMB or large enterprise, they have all kinds of solutions, like Sk ype, Google Hangout, WebEx, Google Meeting, you name it. Its totally different user experience, how to interact with those solutions, how to build one solution with the best experience, that is very challenging at the same time. Thats why we decided to build a new solution from scratch, to address all those problems.Martin: So how did you then start? Who was in the founding team? How did you meet? How did you start going to the market?Eric: So after I had that idea, I decided to leave and after I left, all those best engineers who have been at WebEx, they knew I left, they all wanted to follow me, so they join in the Zoom. And also we got some seed funding from all the Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, some ex WebEx senior executives as well. I think quickly we organized our team, we had enough funding. And I think for the first 2 years we were working very hard, we got the product platform done.At that time we reached the A round and the B round we got great traction over the last 2 ye ars and we already had a more than 140,000 business customers who are using our solutions, it is going great.Martin: Great.BUSINESS MODEL OF ZOOMMartin: Eric, let’s talk about the business model of Zoom. So actually who are your target customers and what type of product solutions with what type of value proposition are you offering to them?Eric: Sure. We target business customers, SMB and large enterprise. Also we target education customers as well as healthcare customers like telemedicine, telehealth.Our business model is we have a freemium model, I would call that a true freemium model, meaning we can give you all the features for free, there are no limitations whatsoever. And when it comes to more than two person for a group video conferencing we also give you all the features for free but for every meeting with limited duration to 40 minutes. This is something new, most customers really like that. I even dont need to pay you, but 40 minutes is good enough.Also, we offer our se rvice not only to offer video conferencing but also offer you web conferencing and also we have additional functionalities across the platform. Plus if your company already deployed the hardware conference rooms solutions we also can interact with that. Plus, there are many conference rooms worldwide. Only less than 5% are enabled with the hardware conference room solutions. We have a conference room solution called Zoom Rooms based on commodity hardware with our software and the customer likes it, really like it. Not only for way you do conferencing but also with support of wireless presentation essencially you can get rid off the projectors as well.Martin: Eric, you have somehow a unique business model, because you said, you provide most of the stuff for free and thereby building of a huge platform. Other video conferencing providers are charging from the first customer and so on. What is the reason of building this kind of platform and how can you monetize on that?Eric: So first of all, we truly believe that Zoom has the best video conference platform. So how to reach out to those customers, this is part of your business model, so we have a true freemium model. Customers, they can go to our website, sign up for a free account, you can use that for free for one to one. You can have up to 50 participant, you can use it for free but at every meeting 40 minutes. But for a lot of customers the 40 minutes is not good enough. And so for some important meeting, the meeting with customers is probably 1 hour, then they need to pay. And when it comes to subscribing to our paid services, it is extremely affordable, just $14.99 per host per month. If you look at other service, it is very expensive, even more expensive, less features, quality wise also not as good as us. That’s why after we launched our solutions we did not do any marketing, purely leveraging the word for mouth. We got tractions, customers referred us to other customers, “Finally, I found a good solu tion that works so well, I really enjoy using Zoom”. They spread the word to their friends, their business collegues and so on so forth. That’s why we got traction.Martin: What enables you to produce the value much much cheaper than anybody else?Eric: That’s a good question. First of all, myself and my team, I want to say, we are working on this collaboration technology for more than 18 years. You look at any other company worldwide. At any other company they dont have that expertise. So when we started building up the Zoom technology, from day one, we knew that we should do it differently this time. We knew how to optimize product, optimize architecture, make sure from day one every single thing is fully automated and also make sure we build the technology by ourselves, we do not license some expensive hardware or software. And with that we can build a very optimized model like how to optimize traffic, how to optimize your computer power and so on and so forth, that is why w e can offer great price and at the same time still profit.Martin: And when you developed the product in the first place, did you have some beta customers or a group of potential customers who you involved in the product development process.Eric: I think we are fortunate, after we launched our product through the private beta customers, our first paid customer is Standford University, continuing study department. They found our solution because they were looking for our solution at that time. After they tested our platform, they shared with us: Yes, that’s exactly the platform they were looking for. And even before we launched our product they became our paid customers. After that, we get another customer, another customer, everyday we get a lot of customers and new visitors to our platform.Martin: And how do you acquire the customers is more like though inbound marketing and sales or are you really going out and targeting them?Eric: Well the way it works is like we have visitors to our website by and you sign up for your account. You cannot use Zoom by yourself, this is a collaboration platform. You might be your friends, your customers or partners to use Zoom platform. If this product works well, guess what after the meeting is over, the participant, they would say, Oh this platform is great, where did you find this platform? What is your experience so far?” If you’ve a good experience you might have share it with your other friend and your other friend might sign up for another free account. This word of mouth marketing certainly works very well for us.Also we reach out to those customers who already paid for like 1 account, 2 or 3 accounts. Lets take a company with a special domain like www.abc.com for example, we have a system to track, Oh we have 5 paid accounts from abc.com” and we reach out to them, “Hey, how do you like this solution?” and feedback, “What can we do to help you?” We start very healthy conversations with customers and gu ess what, very soon they begin to buy another 10-20 and very soon the whole department might deploy the solution, and then it is in 2 departments. Later on the CIO will standardize on Zoom Platform. That is one way.Another way is, given that we got some traction already, quite often some large enterprise IT director or CIO, they also directly reach out to us, “Hey we want to have a pilot to try your platform.” And normally after the one month trial, I think they are going to standardize on Zoom platform.Martin: What are the major obstacles over the last years that you needed to overcome to and how did manage them?Eric: I think overall, for scaling phase we need to hire a lot of people. Beef up our customer support, sales and marketing, more engineers. When we started with 50 people it is easy to maintain the culture. If you have a more than 200 people, 250 people it is a relatively hard. How to maintain a culture, that is something that we needed to overcome because our culture is to deliver happiness to our users. As we hire more and more people every week have like 5 or 10 people, how to maintain the culture? That is really something I think that we are thinking about everyday.Martin: And what did you do in order to enforce this kind of culture?Eric: I don’t think I don’t have any secret sauce, we just talk about that and all the leaders, all the employees who are here for a long time, we lead based on example. I think every day, in all hands meeting we just share some good stories, try to show the employees what does that mean for delivering happiness to our customers. I just think this is more like a daily routine in work to share with employees what it means to deliver happiness to your customers.Martin: So when somebody is using Zoom, does he need to sign up so you have contact detail?Eric: If you are a host, you definitely need to sign up for a free account or a paid account and to start a Zoom video conference. For Zoom participant, they do not need to do anything. After you sign up to a free account you can send an email link right to your customers or partners. After they get that email invitation, they click that link, everything will be automatically set up and they can join the Zoom video call.Martin: Okay, great!ADVICE TO ENTREPRENEURS FROM ERIC YUAN In San Jose (CA), we meet Founder CEO of Zoom, Eric Yuan. Eric talks about his story how he came up with the idea and founded Zoom, how the current business model works, as well as he provides some advice for young entrepreneurs.INTRODUCTIONMartin: Hi, Today we are in San Jose in the Zoom office. Hi Eric, who are you and what do you do?Eric: First of all, thank you for visiting us. I am Eric Yuan. I am the founder and CEO of Zoom video communications. We are building the number one best video conferencing service worldwide. And I think our service offers the best quality, is of use in the video conferencing service. And prior to founding Zoom, I worked for Cisco. I was a corporate Vice President at the Cisco systems. And I came to Cisco as part of the WebEx acquisition and I was actually one of the founding engineers and ultimately became vice president of engineering at WebEx. So I worked on real time collaboration technology for more than 18 years. I have a high confidence to shar e with you, Zoom as the best video conferencing company.Martin: Once youve been exiting WebEx to Cisco, at what point in time did you say, “Hmm, let me start another company?”Eric: So thats a good question. First of all, you know, I live in Silicon Valley, I would call that a Startup Valley. I feel great if I work for a startup companies. So I do not think, Im proud of that if I tell my friends or neighbours that I worked some other big companies, so this is the culture of Silicon Valley. Another reason is before I left to Cisco, I spend a lot of a time to work with many of our customers, we wanted to get more feedbacks.Essentially, the reason why we started Zoom centered around customers and their needs because quite often customers told us was that there is some new promise, the existing solutions can’t help to fix. Like a conference room solution, like a Zoom room, software defined video conferencing solutions and also how to interact with the existing hardware-based confer ence solutions. And plus, how to make your solution mobile friendly, like share your iPhone and iPad screen. Last but not least, these days, almost every business, SMB or large enterprise, they have all kinds of solutions, like Skype, Google Hangout, WebEx, Google Meeting, you name it. Its totally different user experience, how to interact with those solutions, how to build one solution with the best experience, that is very challenging at the same time. Thats why we decided to build a new solution from scratch, to address all those problems.Martin: So how did you then start? Who was in the founding team? How did you meet? How did you start going to the market?Eric: So after I had that idea, I decided to leave and after I left, all those best engineers who have been at WebEx, they knew I left, they all wanted to follow me, so they join in the Zoom. And also we got some seed funding from all the Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, some ex WebEx senior executives as well. I think quickly we organized our team, we had enough funding. And I think for the first 2 years we were working very hard, we got the product platform done.At that time we reached the A round and the B round we got great traction over the last 2 years and we already had a more than 140,000 business customers who are using our solutions, it is going great.Martin: Great.BUSINESS MODEL OF ZOOMMartin: Eric, let’s talk about the business model of Zoom. So actually who are your target customers and what type of product solutions with what type of value proposition are you offering to them?Eric: Sure. We target business customers, SMB and large enterprise. Also we target education customers as well as healthcare customers like telemedicine, telehealth.Our business model is we have a freemium model, I would call that a true freemium model, meaning we can give you all the features for free, there are no limitations whatsoever. And when it comes to more than two person for a group video conferencing we also give you all the features for free but for every meeting with limited duration to 40 minutes. This is something new, most customers really like that. I even dont need to pay you, but 40 minutes is good enough.Also, we offer our service not only to offer video conferencing but also offer you web conferencing and also we have additional functionalities across the platform. Plus if your company already deployed the hardware conference rooms solutions we also can interact with that. Plus, there are many conference rooms worldwide. Only less than 5% are enabled with the hardware conference room solutions. We have a conference room solution called Zoom Rooms based on commodity hardware with our software and the customer likes it, really like it. Not only for way you do conferencing but also with support of wireless presentation essencially you can get rid off the projectors as well.Martin: Eric, you have somehow a unique business model, because you said, you provide most of the stuff for free and thereby building of a huge platform. Other video conferencing providers are charging from the first customer and so on. What is the reason of building this kind of platform and how can you monetize on that?Eric: So first of all, we truly believe that Zoom has the best video conference platform. So how to reach out to those customers, this is part of your business model, so we have a true freemium model. Customers, they can go to our website, sign up for a free account, you can use that for free for one to one. You can have up to 50 participant, you can use it for free but at every meeting 40 minutes. But for a lot of customers the 40 minutes is not good enough. And so for some important meeting, the meeting with customers is probably 1 hour, then they need to pay. And when it comes to subscribing to our paid services, it is extremely affordable, just $14.99 per host per month. If you look at other service, it is very expensive, even more expensive, less features, quality wi se also not as good as us. That’s why after we launched our solutions we did not do any marketing, purely leveraging the word for mouth. We got tractions, customers referred us to other customers, “Finally, I found a good solution that works so well, I really enjoy using Zoom”. They spread the word to their friends, their business collegues and so on so forth. That’s why we got traction.Martin: What enables you to produce the value much much cheaper than anybody else?Eric: That’s a good question. First of all, myself and my team, I want to say, we are working on this collaboration technology for more than 18 years. You look at any other company worldwide. At any other company they dont have that expertise. So when we started building up the Zoom technology, from day one, we knew that we should do it differently this time. We knew how to optimize product, optimize architecture, make sure from day one every single thing is fully automated and also make sure we build the tech nology by ourselves, we do not license some expensive hardware or software. And with that we can build a very optimized model like how to optimize traffic, how to optimize your computer power and so on and so forth, that is why we can offer great price and at the same time still profit.Martin: And when you developed the product in the first place, did you have some beta customers or a group of potential customers who you involved in the product development process.Eric: I think we are fortunate, after we launched our product through the private beta customers, our first paid customer is Standford University, continuing study department. They found our solution because they were looking for our solution at that time. After they tested our platform, they shared with us: Yes, that’s exactly the platform they were looking for. And even before we launched our product they became our paid customers. After that, we get another customer, another customer, everyday we get a lot of custome rs and new visitors to our platform.Martin: And how do you acquire the customers is more like though inbound marketing and sales or are you really going out and targeting them?Eric: Well the way it works is like we have visitors to our website by and you sign up for your account. You cannot use Zoom by yourself, this is a collaboration platform. You might be your friends, your customers or partners to use Zoom platform. If this product works well, guess what after the meeting is over, the participant, they would say, Oh this platform is great, where did you find this platform? What is your experience so far?” If you’ve a good experience you might have share it with your other friend and your other friend might sign up for another free account. This word of mouth marketing certainly works very well for us.Also we reach out to those customers who already paid for like 1 account, 2 or 3 accounts. Lets take a company with a special domain like www.abc.com for example, we have a sys tem to track, Oh we have 5 paid accounts from abc.com” and we reach out to them, “Hey, how do you like this solution?” and feedback, “What can we do to help you?” We start very healthy conversations with customers and guess what, very soon they begin to buy another 10-20 and very soon the whole department might deploy the solution, and then it is in 2 departments. Later on the CIO will standardize on Zoom Platform. That is one way.Another way is, given that we got some traction already, quite often some large enterprise IT director or CIO, they also directly reach out to us, “Hey we want to have a pilot to try your platform.” And normally after the one month trial, I think they are going to standardize on Zoom platform.Martin: What are the major obstacles over the last years that you needed to overcome to and how did manage them?Eric: I think overall, for scaling phase we need to hire a lot of people. Beef up our customer support, sales and marketing, more engineers. W hen we started with 50 people it is easy to maintain the culture. If you have a more than 200 people, 250 people it is a relatively hard. How to maintain a culture, that is something that we needed to overcome because our culture is to deliver happiness to our users. As we hire more and more people every week have like 5 or 10 people, how to maintain the culture? That is really something I think that we are thinking about everyday.Martin: And what did you do in order to enforce this kind of culture?Eric: I don’t think I don’t have any secret sauce, we just talk about that and all the leaders, all the employees who are here for a long time, we lead based on example. I think every day, in all hands meeting we just share some good stories, try to show the employees what does that mean for delivering happiness to our customers. I just think this is more like a daily routine in work to share with employees what it means to deliver happiness to your customers.Martin: So when somebody is using Zoom, does he need to sign up so you have contact detail?Eric: If you are a host, you definitely need to sign up for a free account or a paid account and to start a Zoom video conference. For Zoom participant, they do not need to do anything. After you sign up to a free account you can send an email link right to your customers or partners. After they get that email invitation, they click that link, everything will be automatically set up and they can join the Zoom video call.Martin: Okay, great!ADVICE TO ENTREPRENEURS FROM ERIC YUANMartin: Eric, let’s talk about your startup advice in the major learnings over the years. So imagine somebody young comes to you and says, “I would like to start a company”. What type of advice can you provide him?Eric: If any young entrepreneur want to start up a company, my answer is always, “Yes, please do it. This is best time”. Ultimately, I think the start up companies, they are driving economy, driving this society forward. And the one lesson I learned over the past 18 years especially after I came to Silicon Valley I would say, the courage. You have to get the courage to try even if you might have failed, that’s ok try again. If you failed try again and if you are patient, working hard, keep trying, someday you will be successful.Martin: What other advice can you share, with for example running a company?Eric: To run a company is more like to play sports. Number one thing is you want to win, that’s really important. Number two you have got to work hard, organize the best team, work hard every day, deliver happiness to your customers and also have fun and then you will be successful.Martin: Eric thank you so much for sharing your insight. It was a pleasureEric: Thanks you.Martin: And if you want to communicate with your customers and you’re looking for a cheap affordable and really awesome solution check out things and thank you.Eric: Thanks you.

How Do Imaging Modalities And Detection Of Stem Cells...

This paper attempts to analyze different imaging modalities as they pertain to the targeting and tracking of stem cells within the body. Nuclear medicine modalities, positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), are utilized to image the physiological changes within the body and the migration of stem cells. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to target and track stem cells while maintaining their viability. Although these modalities are effective, their high cost can be somewhat prohibitive. Ultrasound could be a possible technique for targeting the final location of stem cells. Optical imaging modalities- bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and fluorescence imaging (FLI) can be used as a low-cost way of imaging cells in the long term. A combination of any of these modalities can be used to compensate for their disadvantages. In order to produce an effective stem cell therapy, more research should be done in this field. Keywords: Positron emission tomography, single photon emission computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, bioluminescent, fluorescence Utilizing Imaging Modalities to Target and Track Stem Cells Research on stem cells has indicated new possible therapies and treatment for people with conditions that were once considered terminal. Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer s disease, and multiple sclerosis are a few of the many diseases that stem cells might be able to treat. Stem cells have theShow MoreRelatedPsy 244 Essay10464 Words   |  42 Pagesmultiple-choice or true-false style, but they are a good sampling of questions that will be worked into those styles for the examination. If you can answer these questions, you should be well-prepared for the examination. To give you an idea about how they will be changed into multiple-choice or true-false format, a few sample questions are provided. The test will consist of about 75 questions, so obviously they will represent a sampling of those listed in this Guide. Note that many of theRead MoreCase Study148348 Words   |  594 Pagesthat you can download or listen to online †¢ Video cases that show real managers talking about their own organisations †¢ Revision flashcards to help you prepare for your exams †¢ A multi-lingual online glossary to help explain key concepts †¢ Guidance on how to analyse a case study †¢ Links to relevant sites on the web so you can explore more about the organisations featured in the case studies †¢ Classic cases – over 30 case studies from previous editions of the book †¢ The Strategy Experience simulation

The Difference Between Limiting And Strategic Factors

Name: Kavitha Devadoss Due Date: 01 Nov 2016 Assignment #: 03 Q1 - Problem-3: Contrast limiting and strategic factors. Solution: Limiting Factors: Factors that stand in the way of attaining objectives. Failure to follow the limiting factor may lead to poor decisions. Every business or a process model would face lot of limiting factors. For e.g. In a software lifecycle model, starting from planning stage till testing phase, the developers or the process analyst would face issues such as Inadequate process or product knowledge, Unskilled technicians or lack of knowledge expertise, Insufficient time to complete the task assigned, Budget and Financial concerns or issues for the clients, Location constraints (Onshore and offshore model), system or infrastructure dependability or issues, Resource management. Strategic Factors: Factors that can be altered to make progress possible As the definition above states, any factor which can be altered for a successful completion of a task, work or process are strategic factors or enabling factors. Considering the same software lifecycle scenario, for a lack of knowledge about the process and product, training can be provided to individuals to improvise their knowledge on process, therefore a task would be able to get complete in a time assigned Q2 - Problem-6: How do mathematical models directed to decision situations differ from those traditionally used in the physical sciences. Solution: The system being studied usually involvesShow MoreRelatedThe Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy603 Words   |  3 Pagesproduct or service, is emerging or mature, high tech or low tech, regulated or unregulated. 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Protectionism952 Words   |  4 Pageswill establish the differences between the concepts of free trade and protectionism, the benefits of each of the different policies and cases in which such policies are used, as well as conflicts generated by those political decisions. Then, discuss the terms of international competitiveness so, with both approaches, I can establish a conclusion to the question. Free trade vs. Protectionism General Introduction to the concepts The free trade are the existing agreements between various countriesRead MoreThe Boss Of The Team1205 Words   |  5 Pageswhen I thought about what career I wanted to pursue when I got into college. I am not for sure if this is what I definately want to pursue, but let’s give it a go. There is many great things when it comes to being a coach. Yet there is also many limiting factors to being a coach. 2. There are many responsibilities for a coach. A basketball coach must organize practices and gather a team with the knowledge of the basics of basketball[dribbling, catching, passing, and shooting]. Then he must get all the

Fertilizers Potassium and Compounds Free Essays

Creating a liquid fertilizer Experiment Chemistry 1065 10/09/2012 Introduction The aim of this experiment was to create a liquid fertilizer containing Nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus; each element had to have 8% mass percentage. We were also required to add an additional element, magnesium and it mass percentage had to be 1. 5%. We will write a custom essay sample on Fertilizers: Potassium and Compounds or any similar topic only for you Order Now At the end of the experiment, the pH of our aqueous solution had to be between 6. 0 and 7. 0. As a group we predicted that we could not successfully create the liquid fertilizer with the compounds we were provided with, because some of the compounds would create a precipitate if mixed. As a result we decided that it would be take further experimentation of trying different combination of these compounds on small scale to help us successfully create the required fertilizer. This experiment is important because it is necessary to make a plant fertilizer that is environment friendly and that provides various plants with the nutrients they need to grow. This experiment was interesting because gave us the chance to see get in the perspective of the scientists who constantly keep working towards making the best possible fertilizers for plants. Recent attempts by scientists of making the ‘ideal fertilizer have failed because either the fertilizer is not environment friendly or it increases the birth-rate of agricultural pests. In this lab, we created several compound combinations to try and match the compounds in the required fertilizer. Some of our combinations worked, but some failed. We made adjustments to the original information provided to us in order to meet the standards of the required liquid fertilizer, and as a group we tried our best to indicate such adjustments throughout our lab reports so that the reader can be more informed about the experiment we did. . Experimental Because our prediction was that some of the provided compounds would not for an aqueous solution, we decided to try out some combinations on small scale to see how they reacted. The compounds we needed for these combinations were: Potassium carbonate, trisodium phosphate, potassium nitrate, ammonium carbonate, sodium phosphate, and sodium nitrate. We also needed some water to dissolve these compounds in. In order to perform a solubility test on the provided compounds we obtained a well plate, a spatula to add the solid compounds into the well plate, a beaker full of distilled water, a pipette to add water into the well plates containing two different compounds, and a stirring rod to stir the mixture. First using a spatula we took a small amount of K2CO3 and put in one of the wells on the well plate. Then we took a small sample of Na3PO4 and put it in the same well. Using a pipette we took 3ml of distilled water from the beaker and added it into the well containing K2CO3 and Na3PO4. The using a stirring rod, we continuously stirred the solution for 1 minute and we observed. Then we took small samples of K2Co3 and NH4Co3 and put them in a second well on the well plate. Then we added 3ml of water using a pipette. Using a stirring rod, we mixed the solution continuously for about a minute. Next we took small samples of NaNO3 and NaPO3 and put them in a third well on the well plate. We added some water using a pipette and stirred up the solution. Then we took samples of NaPO3 and KNO3 and put them in a fourth well in the well plate. We added 3 ml of water, stirred the solution and observed. Next we took samples of Na2PO3, K2CO3 and NaNO3 and put them in a fifth well. We added 3ml of water, constantly stirred the solution and observed. We then took samples of Na2PO3, K2CO3 and NaNO3 and put them in a sixth well plate. Then we added 3ml of water and constantly stirred the solution for a minute and observed. Through eliminating solutions that formed a precipitate we chose the solution containing, Na2PO3, K2CO3 and NaNO3 as the solution that could potentially be our liquid fertilizer because it contained nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium ions. Because we needed nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to each have an 8% mass percentage in relation to the total solution, we calculated how much of each compound we needed so that the three required elements could have 8% mass percentage each in 10g of H2O. We calculate the amount of each compound needed by first figuring it in moles and then we converted it to grams. We replaced Na2PO3 with Na3PO4 because Na2PO3 was unavailable. After calculating how much of each compound we needed to make our fertilizer, we decided that we needed a beaker, a scale, weighing paper, pH probe, graduated cylinder, stirring rod, Magnesium and H2SO4 to neutralize our solution at the end. We started by weighing out 4. 23481g of Na3PO4, 0. 707g of K2CO3, and 5. 8221g NaNO3. Then we poured the weighed compounds into a beaker. We then measured 10ml of distilled water using a graduated cylinder. We then poured the 10ml water into the beaker containing our three compounds. Using a stirring rod we stirred the mixture for about three minutes. The compounds did not dissolve in water because the ratio of the compounds to the water could not allow the compounds to completely dissolve in the water. With instructions from our T. A we decided to divide the amount of all the compounds by 10. The new amounts of the compounds were: 0. 423481g of Na3PO4, 0. 0707g of K2CO3, and 0. 58221g NaNO3. We then weighed out these new amounts of compounds. We poured them into a new beaker and added 10 ml water. Using a stirring rod, we continuously stirred the solution until the compounds were completely dissolved. Next we got a pH probe to measure the pH of our solution. The pH of our solution needed to be between 6. 0 and 7. 0. We connected the loggerpro software to a laptop and we the pH collected was 12. 43. Since our fertilizer solution was a base we decided to neutralize it using an acid. The acid we chose to use was H2SO4. Using a pipette we added drops of H2SO4 to our fertilizer solution as we monitored the pH of our solution. It took 2. 4ml of H2SO4 to bring the pH of our liquid fertilizer to 6. 75. To make our liquid fertilizer complete we were required to add an additional element, magnesium such that it had a 5% mass percentage. We chose to use the compound magnesium nitrate because it contains a magnesium ion. We calculated that in order for magnesium to have a 5% mass percentage in the solution we needed 3. 05g of Mg (NO3)2. But because we had divided the other compounds in the solution by ten earlier, we had to divide the amount of Mg (NO3)2 paste to keep the same ratio. So after dividing the amount of magnesium needed by 10 we resulted with 0. 305g of Mg. We then weighed 0. 305g of Mg (NO3)2 on a scale and the poured it into the beaker containing our aqueous solution. Using a stirring rod we stirred up the solution until the Mg (NO3)2 was completely dissolved. We then finished the experiment by measuring the final pH of our solution which was 6. 7. Results Data 1 Compounds added to 10ml of water| Observations| KNO3 NaPO3| When we mixed these two compounds in water, they formed a cloudy solution which turned clear after a while. There was some compound left at the bottom of the beaker and this was due to experimental error. | K2CO3 NH4CO3| When we mixed these two compounds, they formed a cloudy mixture. One of the compounds looked suspended which meant it did not dissolve. | NaNO3 K2CO3| When we mixed these two compounds, they both dissolved in the water although there was some compound particles left at the bottom of the beaker which was due to experimental error. | NaNO3 NaPO3| When we mixed these two compounds, they formed a precipitate. NaPO3 KNO3| When we mixed these two compounds, they did not dissolve in water, they formed a precipitate| Na2PO3, K2CO3 NaNO3| When we mixed these three compounds in water, the completely dissolved| Data 2 Substance added to 10 ml of water| Observation| 4. 234g Na3PO4, 0. 707g K2CO3, and 5. 8221g NaNO3| Did not dissolve in water. The amount ratio of compounds was too big to dissolve. | 0. 423481g Na3PO4, 0. 0707g K2CO3, and 0. 58221g NaNO3| Completely dissolved in wa ter and the pH of the resulting solution was 12. 3| 1 ml H2SO4| pH of solution dropped to 11. 14| 2ml H2SO4| pH of solution dropped to 7. 45| 2. 4ml H2SO4| pH dropped to 6. 7| 0. 03052 g Mg(NO3)2| Completely dissolved in water and the pH stayed at 6. 7| Calculations Amount of compounds needed. Note: We divided the final amount of the compound needed by 10 so that it would dissolve in water. What we need: 10g ? 8%= 0. 8 g N, 0. 8g P, 0. 8g K Element| Calculations| Amount of compound so that element has 8% mass percentage| Amount of compound so that element has 0. 8% mass percentage| Nitrogen| 0. g N3- ? (1 mol N2 / 14. 01g/mol N2)= 0. 057mol N20. 57mol N3- ? (101. 96 g/mol NaNO3) | 5. 8221g NaNo3| 0. 5221g NaNo3 | Potassium| 0. 4g K2+ ? (1 mol K2+ / 78. 2g/mol K)= 0. 005115 mol K2+0. 005115 mol K2+ ? (138. 21 g/mol K2CO3) | . 707 g K2CO3 | 0. 0707g K2CO3| Phosphorus| 0. 8g P3- ? (1 mol P3-/30. 97g/mol P)= 0. 02583mol P3-0. 02583mol P3- ? (163. 94g/mol Na3PO4)| 4. 23481g Na3Po4| 0. 04 23481g Na3Po4| Note: We used 0. 4g of Potassium because there are 2 potassium ions in K2CO3 How to cite Fertilizers: Potassium and Compounds, Essay examples

Workplace Strategy Proposal Management †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Questions: What Are The External And Internal Driving And Restraining Forces For Change? How Have You Assessed The Risks? What Are The Weaknesses And Threats Of Your Strategy? What Are The Strengths And Opportunities Presented By Your Strategy? What Specific Strategies Or Actions Will Deal With The Specific Challenges Of Your Plan? What Is Your Time-Line? Do Some Strategies Have To Be Implemented Before Others? What Are The Clear Roles And Responsibilities Of Individuals And Groups? Answers: Introducation Workplace strategies are developed with the view of generating changes in the organization to achieve further success or to counter present failure. Every strategy should have a certain audience or group (Chu et al. 2016). Located in Bunbury region, (WA), Total Chemicals is a chemical company of medium size. Founded by George Smith, this company used to generate strain of vaccination which are proved to be effective in treating whopping cough in cows. George Smith strengthened research and development activities of the company in order to explore suitable and cost effective raw materials for the vaccination. Next leaders failed to maintain the standard George initiated in the company and presently concentrating on chemical products closely associated with agricultural goods and industrial solvents adhesives. Profit margin of this company is falling gradually even with the considerable hike on the sales of the products. 700 employees work in this company, while 52% of this workforce are with the company for more than 15 years of time. Employees of this company are close linked with the two active unions, namely, Australian Workers Union (AWU) and Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia (APESMA). Australia's oldest and largest trade union Australian Workers Union represents workers of different fields and segments, like, manufacturing, agriculture, plastics and chemicals, state public services, local government, construction, health, hospitality, aquaculture, events etc. Manufacturing opportunities are currently moving overseas; hence employment done on the basis of contracts through AWU now-a-days. As the largest non-profit organization of Australia, Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia is representing more than 25000 workers. They play an important role in the employment of middle to high level workers in different industries. Considering the downturn of the company, the current board of directors has chosen Mr Black as the new CEO of the organization by replacing Mr. White. Mr. Black and his management team come up with new radical ideas with an aim to increase the productivity of the organization. Presently, they are running far below than their other competitors in the market. Growing pressure of the environmental authorities is creating obligations of flexible production with huge environment taxes and regulations (Dechezleprtre and Sato, 2017). Their market in Asia is quite more flexible than Australian market due to lack of environmental legislations there. Management, by intervening situations, put their focus on maintaining or increasing company's productivity along with the introduction of cost effective strategies with a view of profit maximization. Productivity plans of Mr. Black and his management team are generating stress among the board of members. In the same way, they are also concerned ab out the future of the organization. They made an effort to analyse the effectiveness of Mr. Black's radical planning strategy in the development of the organization. As per the requirement of this assignment, 'Management-union cooperation in Workplace' perspective has been nominated. Chosen Perspective: Management-union cooperation in Workplace: Mr. Grey, a workplace relations consultant, has been appointed by the board of directors. Board of directors are intending to introduce a plan which not necessarily causes disruption in the organization (Currie et al. 2016). That is why, they are depending on the consultancy of Mr. Grey in helping them to come out of this hazardous situation. Mr. Grey explores several facts and has started analysing facts to prepare an effective strategy for the development of Total Chemicals. Mr. Grey should consider the position of the management, workers and unions in the development of the organization. Background of the organization are closely connected with different social, economic, environmental and political factors of the nation. Mr. Grey should be able interpret the influences of those factors in the development of the organization. History of failure of the organization should be studied to understand how the profit margin of the organization decreased with time (Dobbins and Dundon, 201 6). Strategies of George Smith should also be considered in this regard. Identify your strategys goal and specific outcomes After exploring the performance and background of the organization, Mr. Grey has started to frame strategy proposal for the organization. He identifies the goals of this strategy in regard to the development of the organization. Partially keeping some of the strategies of Mr. Black, Mr. Grey offers a plan with slight modification. He seconded the technological planning of Mr. Black. He emphasizes on developing a inspection unit by engaging numbers of experienced workers of the organization (Grant, 2016). This group will be responsible for the selection of raw materials. He opposed the redundancy program of Mr. Black, as this can cause unrest incidences among the workforce. Instead of cutting jobs, he suggests to reduce the amount of bonus and other production costs. Strategys goal: To achieve 6% profit margin in next 3 years To make Total Chemicals a better workplace for the workers and other stakeholders To encourage joint participation of management and union; take decisions harmoniously To introduce new research and development plan to assess new source of opportunities Outcome of this strategy involves ultimate involvement of the management and unions (McCormack and Johnson, 2016). Organizational workforce should accept the strategy in order to make out desired outcome from it. Appropriate action plan should be framed to utilize the strategy. Outcome is nothing but the product of plans and performances. There are different potential external and internal driving forces influencing changes in the organization. In order to facilitate change, new strategy should be able control the influences of these factors (Leonidou et al. 2017). Industrial relations system: Industrial relations involve the interests and contribution of management, unions, workers, board of directors, competitors, suppliers, customers and etc in the development of the organization (Johnston and Marshall, 2016). Strategy should be able to meet the needs of all. Practice of ethical codes of conduct is necessary in addressing the needs of the stakeholders. Industry: The plastic and chemical industry of Australia has a promising and sustainable future. It employs almost 83000 people across the Australia. Different supply chains, research activities are related with this industry. It supplies their products health care, educational, technological and other organizations. This industry holds 10% share of Australia's manufacturing activities. So, there is potential scope for Total Chemicals if they are implementing properly strategies and planning. Alternative employment: Alternative employment involves the concepts of part time workers, seasonal workers, contractual workers etc ((Leonidou et al. 2016). It also states the overtime arrangements of the organization in increasing the productivity of the organization and decreasing the production costs as well. Workforce of an organization is most important resources. Management should understand their importance in the development of the organization. Community: Australian Workers Union and Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia (APESMA) are two important and effective community connected with the workforces of the organization. Apart from these two, various informal communities come into existence as per the needs and scarcities of the workers. These communities have strong networks and can be utilized in the development of the organization. Different communities work for the interests of their own (Johnston and Marshall, 2016). Government: Total Chemicals should work according to laws and legislations of the nation. Illegal and unethical practices can be detrimental to the development of the organization. Strategies should be match the environmental regulations of the nation (Leonidou et al. 2017). In Australia, local government plays an important role in controlling the activities of the organizations. Management of Total Chemicals should consider the responses of local government in this regard. Risks are assessed through understanding the seriousness of this situation in the organization (Thakor, 2016). Mr. Grey identifies risks while exploring several avenues of his strategy. Grey initiates discussion with management staffs, board of directors, workers to understand different issues and interests present in the organization. Potential risks are as follows- Technological advancements risks Production risks Financial risks Clash between union and management Relevant predictions should be made to counter the influence of risks in the development of the organization. Not cutting the jobs of the employees of the organization, can be considered as biggest weaknesses of this strategy. Redundancy program, though not useful for the employees, is quite beneficial to cut the production costs of the organization in the time of crisis (Torabi et al. 2016). Organization should think about an effective way to maintain the costs of these employees. This strategy fails to provide concrete solutions that how this organization will be able to maintain its product cost. Secondly, this strategy fails to consider the negative influences of union in the production process of the organization. Potential strengths and opportunities associated with this strategy are as follow- Technological advancements can be considered as one of the most potential strengths of this strategy. It can reduce the hazardous incidences of accidents in the organization (Chaves, 2016). It can facilitate smooth and timely production and can achieve both employee and customer satisfaction by earning satisfactory profit margin for the organization. Cancelation of the Redundancy plans can ensure the loyalty of the workers towards the organization. It can reduce the influences of unions among the decisions of the workers. Introduction of research and development activities can be considered another strength of this strategy (Svensson et al. 2016). Research and development activities are closely connected with the foundation of the organization. This special touch may help the organization to reach its previous height. Introduction of Inspection group may prove to beneficial to the development of the organization (Chaves, 2016). Employees may enjoy this new role and become motivated towards the activities of the organization. Technological implementation may cause incidences of unrest in the organization (Al Shobaki et al. 2017). Employees of the organization use outdated machineries in the production process of the organization. These machines are slow and inefficient in production. But employees are well accustomed with the use of those outdated machines. They may oppose this advancement programs by withdrawing their co-operation. Unions may play a manipulating role in influencing the behaviour of the employees in the organization. In this condition, loyalty of the employees may save the situation. The emphasis given on the human resources of the organization can act positively in this regard. Trainings should provided by the organization to help them to adopt new technological advancements (Wieland et al. 2017). Employee counselling tool can be very much effective to mould responses of the employees in a productive way. Harmonious co-operation between management and unions will reduce the cases of grie vances in the organization. Profit target adopted in this strategy will keep the management and employees motivated in imparting best performance in the organization. Strategy covers the period of three years. In these three years, Total Chemicals needs to prepare itself for better achievements. Big target periods can be divided into short term goals to make it goal oriented and effective (Csaszar and Levinthal, 2016). Short term goals and related actions should be assessed and evaluated by responsible authorities. New strategies are born from the ideas of old ones. Strategies of George Smith, Mr. White and Mr. Black have been utilized to develop a new one. Mr. Grey does not discard all the plans of Mr. Black as some of them are effective and beneficial to the development of the organization. Research and development activities, initiated by George Smith led the foundation of the organization. Contribution and strategies of old CEOs helped the organization to survive and sustain in different times. New strategy should consider the relevancies of all in the implementation of new strategy. Resources needed for the implementation of the strategy developed by Mr. Grey are as follows- Human Resources: Different kinds of workforces are required to work according to the strategies of Mr. Grey (Reiche et al. 2016). Inspectors are needed to inspect the quality of the raw materials going to be used in the production process of the organization. Technological resources: New advanced machineries should be there to match the requirement of the strategy. Organization should provide trainings to help the employees to adopt new technologies. Knowledge Resources: Board of directors and management team should explore relevant knowledge to act more effectively with the new strategy of the organization. Financial Resources: Organization should be able to convince their financial partners to rely upon their strategies and to support them with financial aids (Reiche et al. 2016). Agreements with the stakeholders are also crucial in this regard. Community Resources: Organization also require local community resources in the implementation of strategic planning. Support and approval of local government is vital in this regard. Individuals and groups related to the strategic planning of the organization are follows- Board of Directors: Strategic decision making, research and development initiatives, developing networks, providing secure and pleasant working atmosphere to the employees of the organization (Dawson, 2017) Management Team: Planning, organizing, controlling, evaluating, implementing in the organizational context and to facilitate development, providing secure and pleasant working atmosphere to the employees of the organization Unions: Taking care of the interests of the employees and preventing the incidences of discrimination, Generating peaceful working atmosphere (Dawson, 2017) Chemical Engineers: Facilitating technological changes in the organization, providing training to the staff members of the organization Production managers and supervisors: Imparting the roles and responsibilities of strategic planning and Concentrating on self assessment and self development (Dawson, 2017) Inspectors: Inspecting the quality of the raw materials and final goods of the organization Labourers: Following the orders of the production managers and supervisors under the rules and regulation of the organization. References: Al Shobaki, M.J., Amuna, Y.M.A. and Naser, S.S.A., 2017. Strategic and Operational Planning As Approach for Crises Management Field Study on UNRWA. Chaves, M.G.F., 2016. Improving Management Students' Skills in Framing" Thought-Provoking Questions": An Action Research.International Journal of Business and Information,11(1), p.27. Chu, A.H.Y., Ng, S.H.X., Tan, C.S., Win, A.M., Koh, D. and Mller?Riemenschneider, F., 2016. A systematic review and meta?analysis of workplace intervention strategies to reduce sedentary time in white?collar workers.Obesity Reviews,17(5), pp.467-481. Csaszar, F.A. and Levinthal, D.A., 2016. Mental representation and the discovery of new strategies.Strategic Management Journal,37(10), pp.2031-2049. Currie, D., Gormley, T., Roche, B. and Teague, P., 2016. The management of workplace conflict: Contrasting pathways in the HRM literature.International Journal of Management Reviews. Dawson, D., 2017. Measuring Individuals Virtues in Business.Journal of Business Ethics, pp.1-13. Dechezleprtre, A. and Sato, M., 2017. The impacts of environmental regulations on competitiveness.Review of Environmental Economics and Policy,11(2), pp.183-206. Dobbins, T. and Dundon, T., 2016. Workplace Cooperation at Aughinish Alumina. InDeveloping Positive Employment Relations(pp. 229-247). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Grant, R.M., 2016.Contemporary Strategy Analysis Text Only. John Wiley Sons. Johnston, M.W. and Marshall, G.W., 2016.Sales force management: Leadership, innovation, technology. Routledge. Leonidou, L.C., Christodoulides, P. and Thwaites, D., 2016. External Determinants and Financial Outcomes of an Eco?friendly Orientation in Smaller Manufacturing Firms.Journal of Small Business Management,54(1), pp.5-25. Leonidou, L.C., Christodoulides, P., Kyrgidou, L.P. and Palihawadana, D., 2017. Internal drivers and performance consequences of small firm green business strategy: the moderating role of external forces.Journal of Business Ethics,140(3), pp.585-606. McCormack, K.P. and Johnson, W.C., 2016.Supply chain networks and business process orientation: advanced strategies and best practices. CRC Press. Reiche, B.S., Mendenhall, M.E. and Stahl, G.K. eds., 2016.Readings and cases in international human resource management. Taylor Francis. Svensson, G., Hgevold, N.M., Petzer, D., Padin, C., Ferro, C., Klopper, H.B., Sosa Varela, J.C. and Wagner, B., 2016. Framing stakeholder considerations and business sustainability efforts: a construct, its dimensions and items.Journal of Business Industrial Marketing,31(2), pp.287-300. Thakor, A.V., 2016. The highs and the lows: a theory of credit risk assessment and pricing through the business cycle.Journal of Financial Intermediation,25, pp.1-29. Torabi, S.A., Giahi, R. and Sahebjamnia, N., 2016. An enhanced risk assessment framework for business continuity management systems.Safety science,89, pp.201-218. Wieland, H., Hartmann, N.N. and Vargo, S.L., 2017. Business models as service strategy.Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, pp.1-19.

Socrates Essays - Socratic Dialogues, Dialogues Of Plato, Socrates

Socrates While reading Plato's Meno, Euthyphro, apology, and Crito, it became apparent that Socrates held very strong beliefs about the relationship between law and morality. Socrates makes it clear about the reasons laws should be or not be followed. He also clarifies his stand on why laws should be followed and why disobedience to the law is rarely justified. Socrates views humanity in the context that anybody is capable of wrongdoing. He continues with the elaboration that even returning an injury upon oneself is wrong. Socrates then makes a connection between the city and morality. If one is acting without the city's allowance, one is doing wrong toward the city and it's laws. Behaving wrongly towards the people is also doing wrong against the city. The wrongdoing would become a way of destroying the cities laws, and hurting citizens in the process. Socrates compares this relationship to that of how a child should not cause harm to his parents. By doing so you disrespect the laws within the city. Causing harm to your father would lead to conviction; further illustrating the fact that wrong against the law is a wrong against everybody who abides by that law. Socrates follows this by examining what each citizen is taught. From birth you are told to obey laws. You were brought to life from your mother and father and thus you should respect and obey the rules that they do. But the cities laws were there before you mother and father, and are therefor equally if not more important than the laws of your mother and father. The city's law should be respected at least as equally as one's parents should. Socrates then goes on to explain that you do not have the same rights as your parents. Because they have taught what is right and wrong, it is immoral to treat your parents as they treat you. Your parents must have a higher position than you because they taught you. This thought is then extended to the city with the quote ?One must obey the commands of one's city and country, or persuade it as to the nature of justice. It is impious to bring violence to bear against your mother or father, it is much more so to use it against you country.? (Crito, 46) One should obey your parents, but more important is the city. Because the city was that which has taught your ancestors and your parents, it must be superior to them. The cities laws being superior to your mother or father, should be respected and followed. Socrates explains his thoughts of the city and its rules as the nature of life. We were welcomed into the world by the city so it is immoral to fight against it. The laws should be ac cepted and followed. But one should not obey a law just because it is a law. What is moral has been taught to us by our parents, and to them from the city. It is their opinion that will tell us if our actions are moral or not. However, one aspect of the city and its laws is that you are not forced to do as it dictates. As Socrates explains, you have two options, to obey the law or not. But in regards to Socrates opinion, it is not another's opinion to decide what is right and wrong for us. But just as children argue with their parents, one doesn't have to do everything that he is told to. It is an immoral life to follow others opinions about morality. From Euthyphro Socrates opinion on how disobedience can be justified is shown. When Euthyhro accuses his father of murder, he states ?I say that the pious to do what I am doing now, to prosecute the wrongdoer, be it about murder or temple robbery or anything else, whether the wrongdoer is your father or your mother or anyone else; not to prosecute is impious.? (Euthyphro, 22) In this case, Socrates is defending himself. He doesn't believe in all the God's ideas and is justifying his opinion. He has similar thoughts about morality when he states ?I find it hard to accept things like that being said about the

Managerial Skills Consulting

Managerial Skills Consulting Introduction At a time when globalization and consumerism patterns have turned out to be the determining forces in the market, mergers and acquisitions among organizations are very critical in maintaining market capitalization, sustainability and subsequent development.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managerial Skills: Consulting specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Consultants on mergers agree almost unanimously that the merging of companies is an important process that provides organizations with massive benefits. From the study on mergers and acquisitions, Gurkov’s recommendations appear to cohere with those of other authors who indicate that the new entity easily reduces the non-constructive competition.1 This paper presents a critical review of consulting opportunities in mergers and acquisitions with a focus on a Russian energy producer and oil company called Lukoil Oil Company. A brief overview of Lukoil O il Company Lukoil Oil Company is one of the major Russian energy producing companies that generates, explores and markets oil and gas within Russia, the United States and Europe. The company is privately owned and has a significant refining capacity. Its shares are listed in the New York’s OTC market (LUKOY), London (LKOD), Micex (LKOH) and RTS (LKOH) in Russia. It is headquartered in Moscow with operations in over 40 countries across the world. Filippov indicates that the company was founded in 1991 as a result of a merger among Kogalymneftegaz, Urayneftegaz and Langepasneftegaz.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Since its inception, Lukoil has been selling petrol in over forty countries globally and in 59 regions within Russia.2 In 2009, the company had improved its reserves to about 9.3 trillion cubic feet of gas and 14.5 billion barrels of oil. Figure 1: A diagram showing oil product sales by Lukoil Company Lukoil Company has focused its major operations in Russia with several international expansions in zerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Colombia and Saudi Arabia. Its production of oil as well as its sales has been growing since the year 2000. However, it has been faced by stiffer competition from other oil producers such as Exxon-Mobil. A merger is therefore an opportunity that will improve its efficiency, provide it with resources and information systems necessary for competitiveness in the global market arena. Figure 2: A diagram showing oil production by Lukoil Company Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Managerial Skills: Consulting specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Consulting opportunities-mergers and acquisitions Gurkov indicates that consultancy is a very critical aspect that involves acquiring and sharing information and knowledge that is very fundamental for b usiness growth and development.3 Due to the fast-changing business environment in Russia, top-level managers in oil companies with special emphasis on Lukoil are seeking consultancy services with an intention of aiding their businesses devise better strategies of overcoming organizational uncertainties. This clearly indicates the enormous awareness among organizations on the need for change and intervene professional on business matters.4 It is worth noting that identifying consulting opportunities play pivotal role in the contemporary Lukoil business environment as it identifies opportunities for operational improvement services, strategy development, technology implementation, development of coaching skills and management of change. This is because it brings frameworks and proprietary methodologies which aid in identifying problems within a business and which serve as foundations and component parts for recommending efficient and effective methods of carrying out business activiti es. According to Sarah and Day, the need for mergers by Lukoil is based on the holistic need to formulate a common unit which guides its operations through assimilation of common objectives.5 A matrix structure is therefore critical and should be assimilated to harmonize the regional and as well as the functional core commonalities amidst the emerging competitors.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Benefits of forming mergers and acquisitions Since its formation, Gurkov credits the progress of the merger of Kogalymneftegaz, Urayneftegaz and Langepasneftegaz to the strategic management assimilated by the group company after 1991.6 As the role of the committee of its managing directors shifted from planning to orient the future of the company with the different outsets, Gurkov argues that there was need to harmonize Lukoil’s operations to reflect the key objectives of the organization. Merging with other companies will be critical in achieving the harmonization among other factors mentioned below. Diversification and value consideration The effect of merging with other strong companies will give its management a stronger grip and confidence towards approaching the fuel exploration outlook and marketing. There is need for Lukoil to articulate its goals from a common standpoint. Besides, Gurkov indicates that coming together in a merger further creates a room for an expande d visionary orientation for the company.7 A merger can be considered as a critical platform for addressing petroleum exploration and its marketing on a global scale. Therefore, the efficacy of its operations through mergers will be enhanced and this will also provide it with an opportunity to venture into other products such as natural gas, plastics and real estate operations. Resources consolidation One key evident aspect in the operations of Lukoil company is the emphasis on resource consolidation. According to Sarah and Day, the ability of any organization to evaluate and create an avenue for resource consolidation is vital for success to be achieved.8 Though it is clear that Lukoil’s operations can easily flourish due to the highly reduced level of competition, it is possible to view the extra hidden potential that could be harnessed by merging. Through mergers, it will be easier to team up and fully utilize the newly opened markets while increasing its supplies to meet t he different insatiable demands many countries have for oil and gas products. Furthermore, the essence of the resources consolidation is the inherent ability to participate competitively in all countries. According to Sarah and Day, resource consolidation will anchor its easy entry into new markets either through exploration or in marketing its products in Europe and the United States. Stages of consulting Consulting is a process that requires setting up stages which will ensure client satisfaction and success in business endeavors. In pursuing the massive opportunities which are presented by mergers and acquisition, consulting on key facets is important in guaranteeing success. Some of the key consulting phases that should be explored include: Entry and contracting Entry and contracting is an important phase in a project since it largely deals with a client. Filippov indicates that this phase is critical in the sense that it enables an independent business owner or company to deal diametrically and precisely with a potential client.9 Some of the key tasks that entry and contracting encompass include figuring and setting initial starters and specifying expectations. The latter is important for understanding various expectations that a client has. This is imperative since it sets a benchmark for determining the success of the other stages and whether or not one is the right consultant. Besides, entry and contracting is a stage where a consultant explores the problem a business is facing, and which in most cases is diagnosed in the first meeting. One of the advantages of the initial phase is the fact that it builds a working relationship. According to Filippov, the latter is very critical in creating an understanding of a business expectations and needs. It also aids a consultant in clarifying what a business ought to expect.10 Filippov posits that while this is a crucial step, it is affected by lack of good perspectives and mutual willingness by businesses to i nvest and work together. As noted earlier in the case of Lukoil company’s merger plans, it may be impossible to achieve the diverse benefits in the absence of mutual trust. Data collection and diagnosis Sarah and Day indicate that while exploring the problems facing a business is carried out in the first stage, a consultant out to come up with situations relating to a particular sense of problem.11 Gustov concurs with Sarah and Day by noting that creating a sense of problem is critical in adding value. Consultants are therefore charged with the role of determining how to define a problem. This involves collection of data and diagnosing relevant problems. The methods to be used in collecting data as well as the nature and type of data to be collected are very important variables that must be observed keenly. One of the major opportunities of data collection and diagnosis is the ability to gather enough information on various business experiences. This can be through methodolog ies such as impact/effort, brainstorming, SWOT analysis, force field analysis, meta-planning and focus group interviews. One such experience as discussed earlier is on mergers and acquisitions. The information obtained is necessary in making critical analysis and relevant contributions. However, this process is normally affected by the inability of a company to avail, share and discuss information freely. Feedback and decision The data assembled on the opportunities presented by mergers and acquisitions present the diverse views stakeholders have on the issue. A project owner in an organization is presented with the analysis of the information from feedback which seeks to create a deeper understanding of the problem. Filippov indicates that feedback in consultations or any study is critical in identifying the context of an issue, its causes and consequences.12 In terms of forming mergers and acquisitions, feedback is important in determining performance issues and or challenges that the move may have on a business. Mergers and acquisitions have been known to strengthen businesses especially in cases where operation risks are extremely high for a single business entity to withstand. Feedback and diagnosis is normally faced with the challenge of impacting on a business process. Filippov indicates that different managers or teams react to feedback in diverse ways. Besides, instances of rejection or resistance to projects are commonplace. Training on how to handle both negative and positive feedback is critical in ensuring mutual understanding and that various challenges are effectively tackled. Implementation Deciding the way forward after a diagnosis is important in developing problem solving processes and devising possible action strategies. Some of the most common methods include being creative and innovative when dealing with issues and re-contracting responsibilities, roles and actions. As the name suggests, this stage is mainly for organizations to carry ou t. However, consultants may be involved in ensuring the success of efforts. The challenges facing implementation is lack of required resources, commitments and desire for change. Recycle, extension or termination Finally, after evaluating the issues concerned, decisions are made to terminate the project or extend it. According to Filippov, the latter may follow an implementation process whereby the real picture of an issue is seen. The success of an implementation may call for recycling and creation of new projects while moderate to high failure may call for termination.13 This process is important in determining viable and legitimate consultation practices as well as providing learning experiences. Conclusions To sum up, managerial skills are important leadership requirements that are critical in combining capacity, expertise and knowledge in specific areas of operations. As noted in the discussions, consulting is one of the key areas where a business can be able to obtain relevant information and assistance on business projects. The paper explored Lukoil company and noted that it should merge with others in order to improve its overall performance, expand its products and compete favorably in the already competitive global market arena. Bibliography Gurkov, I, Strategy techniques for the times of high uncertainty, Journal for East European Management Studies, vol. 15, no. 2, 2010, pp. 177-186. Filippov, S, Russian companies: the rise of new multinationals, International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. 5, no. 3, 2010, pp. 307-332. Sarah, EAD M, Day, Leadership, administrative heritage and absorptive capacity, Leadership Organization Development Journal, vol. 28, no. 8, 2007, pp. 727- 748. Footnotes 1 I Gurkov, Strategy techniques for the times of high uncertainty, Journal for East European Management Studies, vol. 15, no. 2, 2010, pp. 177-186. 2 S Filippov Russian companies: the rise of new multinationals, International Journal of Emerging Markets, vol. 5 , no. 3, 2010, pp. 307-332. 3 Gurkov p. 177 4 Ibid 5 EAD Sarah M Day Leadership, administrative heritage and absorptive capacity, Leadership Organization Development Journal, vol. 28, no. 8, 2007, pp. 727-748. 6 Gurkov p. 179 7 Ibid 8 Sarah and Day p. 730 9 Filippov p. 310 10 Ibid p. 312 11 Sarah and Day p.740 12 Filippov p. 312 13 Ibid p. 312

Community Health Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Community Health Nursing - Essay Example Parish nurse links faith and health care to advocate ministry and this includes preaching in addition to healing people. School nurses are those who are based in academes who attend to the medical needs of students and school employees. I would ask them to coordinate with their local health professionals and seek to advise on how to properly take care of their health such as practicing good sanitation, eating right, exercising regularly, etc. Young children and senior citizens are typically vulnerable to communicable diseases because their immune system is weak. But with the spread of HIV, perfectly healthy people are also vulnerable. For young people, I would always advise them to practice good hygiene and sanitation not only with their bodies but with their surroundings as well to prevent the transfer of communicable diseases. With regard to HIV, I would advise people to wear protection during sex. Active immunity is the immunity that develops after giving the primary immune response which is the exposure to live pathogen and development of symptoms. The cells that are produced by active immunity is the antibodies themselves. Passive immunity is the form of immunity that a person gets by getting immunization such as folio vaccine whereby the antitoxin or antibodies are injected into the person. Primary prevention involves the avoidance of contraction and/or transmission of diseases. They could be done through a set of preventative measures such as practicing good personal hygiene and sanitation, receiving vaccines etch. Secondary prevention includes the early detection of diseases so that prompt intervention may be administered to control the disease and minimize illness and deaths. This could be done through screening, etch.

An analysis of macroeconomic and industry conditions of woolworths Essay

An analysis of macroeconomic and industry conditions of woolworths - Essay Example ASX reveals the details of Woolworths and Wesfarmers in the competitive market. It is a financial market exchange that offers services such as listings clearing, settlement, and trading across a wide range of asset classes. Woolworths is a retail chain store that deals with food merchandise. On the other hand, Wesfarmers is a company that deals with retail operations covering food merchandise, supermarkets, specialty department stores, liquor and fuel outlets, office and home supplies etc (Mankiw, 2003). A set of factors largely influence how companies, for instance Woolworths and Wesfarmers, will operate. These factors determine whether or not a particular company will meet its mission as well as realise its vision. The Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement (ANZCERTA) is a pact that combines Australia and New Zealand. Woolworths strives to meet the needs of its large market of customers in both countries. This is made simpler due to the fact that political stability is experienced in both countries. Political stability is a crucial factor in development. Economic factors are quite advantageous to Woolworths considering that Australia and New Zealand show economic stability. Based on gross domestic product, Australia and New Zealand are ranked 10th and 30th respectively the by International Monetary Fund (Mankiw, 2003). Customers are loyal to companies that meet their individual desires. These desires include preference for organic products over inorganic ones. These socio-cultural factors influence the companies’ strategies as they also desire to fully tap into the market. The purchasing power of the customers is good due to the economic stability that fuels the high standard of living. In addition, legal and regulatory factors such as policies favour the retail industry in Australia. It is these factors that make Woolworths a huge beneficiary. However,

Ways Of Raising Finance For A Business Finance Essay

Ways Of Raising Finance For A Business Finance Essay There are a number of ways of raising finance for a business. The type of finance chosen depends on the nature of the business. Large organisations are able to use a wider variety of finance sources than are smaller ones. Savings are an obvious way of putting money into a business. A small business can also borrow from families and friends. In contrast, companies raise finance by issuing shares. Large companies often have thousands of different shareholders. Sources of finance  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Uses of finance Shareholders  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finance to set up and expand a business Bank  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Loans to finance capital projects.   Overdrafts to manage cashflow Creditors  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Short term credit until goods have been sold To gain extra finance, a business can take out a loan from a bank or other or other financial institution. A loan is a sum of money lent for a given period of time. Repayment is made with interest. The lender of money needs to know all the business opportunities and risks involved and will therefore want to see a detailed business plan. The lender may also want some form of security should the business run into financial difficulty, and may therefore prefer to provide a secured loan. Another way of raising short-term finance is through an overdraft facility with a bank. The borrower is given permission to take out more from their account than they have put in. The bank fixes a maximum limit for the overdraft. Interest is charged on the overdraft daily. A further way of raising funds that has become popular is through venture capital. Merchant banks and investment specialists may be willing to provide finance for a promising and fast-growing smaller business. This usually involves a package that is a mix of share and loan capital. Businesses may also qualify for grants. Government (or EU) assistance and funding is sometimes made available to businesses that meet certain conditions. For example, grants and loans may be available to firms setting up in rural areas or where there is high unemployment. Once a business is up and running there are various ways of financing its expenditures. Expensive items of equipment can be leased. Rather than buying the equipment the business hires it from a leasing company. This saves having to lay out sums of money and the business does not have to worry about having to carry out major repairs itself. Motor vehicles, machines and office equipment are often leased. Hire Purchase is an alternative way of purchasing items of equipment. With a leased item you use and pay for the item but never own it. With hire-purchase you put down a deposit on an item and then pay off the rest in instalments. When the last instalment has been paid you become the owner of the item. Another common way in which firms can finance their business in the short term is through trade credit. In business it is common practice to purchase items and pay for them later. The supplier will normally send the purchaser a statement at the end of each month saying how much is owed. The buyer is then given a period of time in which to pay. Advantages and disadvantages of equity finance Equity finance can sometimes be more appropriate than other sources of finance, eg bank loans, but it can place different demands on you and your business. The main advantages of equity finance are: The funding is committed to your business and your intended projects. Investors only realise their investment if the business is doing well, eg through stock market flotation or a sale to new investors. The right business angels and venture capitalists can bring valuable skills, contacts and experience to your business. They can also assist with strategy and key decision making. In common with you, investors have a vested interest in the business success, ie its growth, profitability and increase in value. Investors are often prepared to provide follow-up funding as the business grows. The principal disadvantages of equity finance are: Raising equity finance is demanding, costly and time consuming. Your business may suffer as you devote time to the deal. Potential investors will seek background information on you and your business they will closely scrutinise past results and forecasts and will probe the management team. However, many businesses find this discipline useful regardless of whether or not they actually receive any funding. Depending on the investor, you will lose a certain amount of your power to make management decisions. You will have to invest management time to provide regular information for the investor to monitor. At first you will have a smaller share in the business both as a percentage and in absolute monetary terms. However, your reduced share may become worth a lot more in absolute monetary terms if the investment leads to your business becoming more successful. There can be legal and regulatory issues to comply with when raising finance, eg when promoting investments.   http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1073789573type=RESOURCES TASK (2) a,b c A financial plan consists of sets of financial statements that forecast the resource implications of making business decisions. For example, a company that is deciding to expand e.g. by buying and fitting out a new factory will create a financial plan which considers the resources required and the financial performance that will justify their use. You can see from this statement that the financial plan will need to take into account sources of finance, costs of finance, costs of developing the project, as well as the revenues and likely profits to justify the expansion programme. Planning models may consist of thousands of calculations. Typically these plans will be constructed with the aid of forecasting models and spreadsheets that can calculate and recalculate figures such as profit, cash flows and balance sheets simply by changing the assumptions. For example, the business may want to do one set of calculations for low, medium, and high demand figures for its products. Long and short term plans Financial plans are typically made out for a given time period, e.g. one, three or five years. The length of the time considered depends on the importance of projecting into the future and the reliability of estimates the further we consider the future. Long-term plans are created for major strategic decisions made by a business such as: take over and merger activity expansion of capacity development of new products overseas expansion. In addition financial planning will be carried out for shorter time spans. For example, annual budgets will be created which can be analysed by month and by cost centre. Short term financial plans then provide targets for junior and middle management, and a measure against which actual performance can be monitored and controlled. In addition it is normal practice for a business to prepare a three- or five-year plan in less detail, which is updated annually. A budget is a short term financial plan. It is sometimes referred to as a plan expressed in money but it is more accurately described as a plan involving numbers. A cost centre is defined by CIMA as a production or service location, function, activity or item of equipment whose costs may be attributed to cost units. http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/theory/theoryfinancial-planning300.php The profit and loss account (P  Ã‚  L), called the income statement in the US, shows the profit or loss a company has made over a period of time. The ratios investors look at most often, such as the PE and yield, are calculated using numbers from the P  Ã‚  L Sales Also called revenues. Not always synonymous with turnover. Revenue recognition is not always simple. Cost of sales The direct costs of things sold Gross profit Sales minus cost of sales Other operating expenses Depreciation, admin, marketing etc. Operating profit Gross profit less other expenses Interest costs Interest payable less receivable Pre-tax profit Operating profit less interest Tax Profit after tax Pre tax profit less tax Dividends Retained profit Profit after tax less dividends Earnings per share The most detailed profit and loss account is given in the annual report, but UK listed companies are required to make annual and half year results announcements as well. The full year results announcement is shorter and covers the same period as the annual report, but it is released earlier. Many companies make quarterly announcements, as companies in the US and many other countries are required to. Unsurprisingly, UK listed companies that also have a secondary or dual listing in a country that requires quarterly announcements. As can be seen, the P  Ã‚  L contains several profit numbers. Each of these gives us different, and useful, information. In addition, the P  Ã‚  L (perhaps together with other information) usually gives us enough information to calculate several other profit numbers such as EBITDA and EBITA Many companies will show exceptionals separately. If there were any discontinued business, or plans to dispose of a business within a short period, these are also shown separately. These can give investors a better idea of the underlying business (the justification for doing it). For example, if the company has decided to sell a particular operation and the price has been agreed, shareholders do not really need to worry too much about that operations performance. A group balance sheet will need to be consolidated, which requires extra lines such as those for share or profit in associates and joint ventures, and the deduction of minority interests. As well as the valuation ratios, the P  Ã‚  L provides the numbers for measures of the performance and efficiency of the business, such as margins, ROCE, and some measures of financial stability such as interest cover. The P  Ã‚  L is backward looking and investors will need to consider correcting some items such as amortisation that are not useful for modelling future cash flows. From an investors point of view the P  Ã‚  L is essential, but can be misleading and should not be looked at in isolation. Related pages: Accrual principle | Accruals | Consolidated accounts | Deferred income | Depreciation | Impairment | Minority interests | Post balance sheet events | Prepayments | Pro-forma | Purchase method | Revenue recognition | Cashflow statement | Statement of total recognised gains and losses The balance sheet is one of the most important statements in a companys accounts. It shows what assets and liabilities a company has, and how the business is funded (by shareholders and by debt: the financial structure of the company). Book values are usually historical cost or fair value. The balance sheet provides information that is useful when assessing the financial stability of a company. A number of financial ratios use numbers from the balance sheet including gearing, the current assets ratio and the quick assets ratio. However, ratios based on profits and cash flow are at least as important for assessing financial stability: the most important of these are interest cover and cash interest cover. If any assets or (more commonly) liabilities that belong to the company in their economic effect do not appear on the balance sheet because accounting standards do not require it, they are referred to as off-balance sheet. Image 1 of 50