British – American Essay

Assess British American Relations in the 1840's The 1840's was a period of American expansion and diplomacy. Throughout these years, tensions grew in British-American relations. By this time, The United States had extended its power and territories throughout the world, and the British Empire had problems in its government. Throughout the 1840's, the two countries disputed over many things. The main things the British and Americans disagreed over in the 1840's were borders and ownership of territory. However, the resolution of these disagreements was the greatest achievement of this period. The issues included the Creole affair in 1841, the Caroline Incident of 1837, and the Oregon territory dispute. These major disputes could have started a third war between the two nations. Because of the Manifest Destiny mentality of the Americans, they thought that all territory to the west belonged to, or would belong to the US. Supporters of the Manifest Destiny argued that more Western land wa s needed to provide space for the new Americans created by a high birth rate and increased immigration.They pointed out that land governed by Mexico and Britain was sparsely populated and mostly unproductive. The supporters argued that the land should be given to American settlers who can put it to better use. British and American relations improved however by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. By the 1840's, commerce between the US and Britain improved compared to prior decades. Some disagreements between merchants of the two nations still ensued. One major argument was the Creole Affair.In the early 1840's, the British were interested in fighting the slave trade. They were against the importation of African slaves into the Americas. In 1841, on the American ship Creole, over 130 enslaved Africans overpowered the crew, murdering one man, while sailing from Virginia to New Orleans. 2 Led by Madison Washington, the slaves sailed the vessel to Nassau, Bahamas, where the British dec lared them free. 3 Americans argued that the property of US slave owners should be protected in foreign ports.US-British relations grew tense from this incident, which was similar to how the war of 1812 was started. The Caroline was an American steamship that had been aiding rebels in Canada. Canadian militia, on orders of the British, seized the Caroline in American waters in 1837. They set the ship on fire, and sent it hurling over Niagara Falls. 4 These actions strained US relations with Great Britain, almost to the point of war, yet again. In 1840, a Canadian man was arrested for allegedly having a role in the attack. The British stated that his execution would mean war.The US decided to release the Canadian prisoner and tensions temporarily subsided. In the 1830's, the American and Canadian boundary was still not settled. It included both Maine and especially the Oregon territory, which is now present day Southern British Columbia and the American Pacific Northwest. Most of the American Canadian border issue was settled after the war of 1812. The British-American Convention of 1818 set most of the border as the 49th parallel. The problem came west of the continental divide in the Oregon territory.The British wanted the area that follows the Columbia river which ran south of the 49th parallel into fur trapping areas owned by the Hudson Bay Company. 5 In 1846, after putting off an agreement for over 20 years due to negotiators being unable to reach an agreement, the Treaty of Washington was signed between the US and Britain. It set the boundary between Canada and the United States at the 49th parallel, from the Rocky Mountains to the coast. 6 The line was later extended southward through the Gulf Islands and then followed the mid-point through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the Pacific Ocean.Navigation through the Gulf Islands and the Strait of Juan de Fuca was to be ensured for both nations. 7 A major turning point in U. S. relations with Great Britain cam e with the signing on August 9, 1842, of the Webster-Ashburton Treaty. This treaty settled several matters between the two nations. The new British Foreign Minister, Lord Aberdeen, sent Lord Ashburton to Washington to meet with Secretary of State Daniel Webster to negotiate some boundary issues. The two were friends so negotiations went smoothly.Together, they developed a treaty that adjusted the Maine-New Brunswick boundary, which had been the cause of the Aroostook War (1838-1839). 8 The U. S. received most of the territory as well as navigational rights on the St. John River. The treaty also settled the question of the US – Canada boundary between Lake Superior and Lake of the Woods. 9 Some movement was made toward addressing extradition concerns between the two nations. This issue became sensitive following the Caroline affair, so a formal extradition treaty was signed later.Also part of the treaty, the US agreed to station ships off the African coast in an effort to dete ct Americans engaging in the slave trade. In conclusion, the British-American relations during the 1840's teetered on the brink of a third war between the two nations. The Manifest Destiny mentality that the Americans had instilled in them played a major role in their conflicts with Britain. They were determined to expand all the way to the Pacific Ocean, and didn't allow any move by the British or any other power to shorten their border, especially in the north with the Oregon treaty.

Who Should Be Responsible for Obesity

Who should be responsible for obesity? When it comes to the topic of America’s social problems, most of us will readily agree that the obesity epidemic is one of the major problems in America’s society now. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of who is responsible for this problem. Whereas some are convinced â€Å"Don’t Blame the Eater†, that the fast-food industry is responsible, other maintains that is a personal responsibility and what you eat is your business.My feeling on the issue are mixed. I do support Radley Balko’s position that it is a personal responsibility â€Å"What you eat is you business†. However I find that Radley Balko has over looked some issue on the corporation’s side and I also agree with David Zinczenko’s argument that it is corporate responsibility. I agree that in the articleâ€Å"What you eat is your business† Radley Balko  states that â€Å"We’re becoming l ess responsible for our own health, and more responsible for everyone else’s.Your heart attack drives up the cost of my premiums and office visits. And if the government is paying for my anti-cholesterol medication, what incentive is there for me to put down the cheeseburger? † More and more insurance companies are making ton of money every day, Americans rather spend all their money to pay for premiums health policies but not take care of their own health. But why bother to spend all the money on those policies, we can just put down the cheeseburger and save.People  argue that they don't have time to eat healthy but this is only an  excuse, if we all use five  minutes to pack our own lunch that can change a lot in the society, I know we all busy with all kind of different things in our daily life but we have an hour to watch TV but do not have five  minutes to pack lunch? Even a sandwich with a juice box is healthier than those fast-foods in the street. Isnâ₠¬â„¢t it a health body is most important to our life?In â€Å"  What you eat is your business† Radley Balko also claim that â€Å" Instead of manipulating or intervening in the array of food available to American consumers, our government ought to be working to foster a sense of responsibility in and ownership of our own health and well-being. But we’re doing just the opposite. † 61% of American is overweight in America, government, president, politicians and school board try so many things to ban the fast foods and sodas from school campuses and vending machines, but I think those are wrong way to fight obesity.Government and school board should foster people to eat health, teach them how to manage their diet and tell them the outcomes of not take care their own health, not intervening in the array of food available to American consumers. But I also agree David Zinczenko, â€Å"Don’t Blame the Eater† insist that† Drive down any thoroughfar e in America, and I guarantee you’ll see one of our country’s more than 13,000 McDonald’s restaurants. Now, drive back up the block and try to find someplace to buy a grapefruit. † Fast-food restaurants are all over the place, how can we avoid it?When we don’t want to cook or on Sunday some families want to eat outside, there is no other choice for them, drive down any thoroughfare fast food restaurant everywhere. It hard to find places where healthier foods are sold; there are inexpensive and convenient compare to fast-food restaurants. There are also a number of convenient stores everywhere, and convenient stores do not just offer chips and sodas, most of them offer fresh fruits, water and other healthy alternatives to â€Å"fast-food†. People can also choose to eat at home, or carry around a healthy snack that they got at home.Eric Schlosser in â€Å"Your Trusted Friend† emphasize that â€Å" Fast food chains annually spend about $ 3 billion on television advertising, their marketing efforts directed at children extend far beyond such conventional ads. The McDonald’s corporation now operates more than eight thousand playgrounds at its restaurants in the United State. A manufacturer of â€Å"Playlands† explains why fast-food operators to build these largely plastic structures:† Playlands bring children, who bring in parents, who bring in money. † Fast food restaurants become gathering spaces for families with young children.Every about 90 percent of American children between the ages of three and nine visit a McDonald’s. Children are the biggest consumer for fast-food restaurants, that’s way fast-food restaurant spend about $3 billion on television advertising and some other promotion, like buy happy meal with free toys. A successful promotions easily double or triple the weekly sales volume of children’s meals. But other side a successful promotions also easily do uble or triple the chance of being obesity. In my opinion I think fast- food over advertise.Even fast food industry influence of the food market is the biggest reason causing us to have obesity, as a consumer we put everything into our mouth, you can blame the fast food industry and the food available to us all day but you actually is responsible for what you eat. You can find all kinds of excuse, but you still have the responsibility to take care of yourself we need to be aware of the problem first, willing to take a step in choosing the right foods, and make an effort to do exercise without this demand at the first place, no one ethical company has the viability to survive in such a cruel demand driven market.

A literature review of disinfectants commonly used

A literature review of disinfectants commonly used The purpose for this literature review was to examine the literature currently available to the general public on the application of a range of disinfectants used within a microbiology laboratory in both the public e.g. hospital laboratories and the private sector e.g. university laboratories. This literature review was carried out on the effectiveness of disinfectants so that previous and current knowledge on the use of these disinfectants can be analysed. This will help give an insight into the subject area and help with the preparation and production of the final report based on the research being carried during the literature review and research project. The main purpose of the research project being conducted was to compare the effectiveness of a variety of disinfectants especially Trigene which has been endorsed for use in the microbiology laboratories of the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board and that of Virkon which is currently used by the microbiology laboratory at the University of the West of Scotland. The literature examined showed that the disinfectants used in clinical laboratories and any other area where microorganisms can cause a problem with cross-contamination, should be evaluated for their effectiveness against the range of organisms which might be encountered. It is an important requirement that the disinfectants being used are able to inhibit or kill the microorganisms quickly and by using the lowest concentration available. (Isenberg, 1985) A study conducted by Kasthjerg et al (2010) which looked at the effects of a range of disinfectants on the expression of virulence genes present in the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. This study showed that effects on the virulence gene in the bacterium could be linked to the chemicals found in the disinfectant with some causing an inhibition of the gene while others showed an induction of the gene Disinfectants A disinfectant is a chemical which is widely used to eradicate a variety of microor ganisms that are currently found in the samples received into a laboratory or are currently used within an educational setting for the teaching of microbiology to students. Disinfectants can have any of the following chemicals as their main active ingredient: halogenated tertiary amines, chlorine containing compounds, phenols, quaternary ammonium compounds and peroxygen’s. (Tyski et al, 2009) Thus the disinfectants can be divided into groups relating to the chemical present as the active ingredient and these groups will be discussed later in the report. It is important that certain criteria are met when classifying a chemical as a disinfectant, these include:- That the chemical components of the disinfectant will not have an adverse effect on the health of the user and if any health issue is realised then appropriate action can be taken to remove this risk i.e. use PPE such as gloves or respiratory mask. (Severs & Lamontagne, 2002) It. is also important that the disinfectant has the ability to render inactive or kill a wide range of microorganisms including viruses, bacteria and fungi. (Severs & Lamontagne, 2002) It is also important that a disinfectant does not have an adverse effect when used on equipment.

The Need for a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan Dissertation

The Need for a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan - Dissertation Example 11). While it might be difficult, and sobering, to convince a reluctant boss that consideration must be given to keep all of their employees safe form violence while on the job, it is certainly worth the effort. To begin, it is helpful to point out some real world examples that bring the problem a little bit closer to home. Consider a bank, where tellers are on the frontline of ealing with the public on a daily basis, with thousands (in some cases much more) of dollars in their grasp. Without a violence prevention program in tact, an unsuspecting teller, and the public at large, can quickly become the victim of a violent act of grave proportions. There are many types of businesses that have a propensity towards violence occurring in the workplace. Consider any business that has its primary function being various interactions with the public. By the sheer nature of having unsecured people entering the office or place of business on a daily basis, all employees and an unsuspecting publ ic are put at risk. To not have some type of prevention effort in place to ward off possible attacks, management and owners are simply doing a disservice to the very employees that have devoted their working lives to the company. This is not to mention the customers who have a basic assumption that they are safe during the time that they are in a place of business. The management and owners owe it to the very customers that make them money to keep them relatively safe from harm in every way possible. Owners need to be aware of the risks, and cannot simply adopt a ‘this will not happen us’ mentality. A firm example of this can be seen in a company that utilises armoured trucks to transport money and various precious metals around major cities all across the United States. Such employees literally put their lives on the line to protect that which they are transporting, yet they all too often become victims of violent crimes. Without an adequate plan of workplace violence prevention, the drivers and guards would be left at a loss for which protocols to follow when they are under threat (Bruce & Nowlin, 2011, p. 294). Yet, almost all such companies do have a violence prevention plan in place. Naturally, such a plan does not work in every case, unfortunately, but they have thwarted many a violent attack in the past, and will continue to do so in the future. The owner who simply says that their business is not subject to violent attacks, such as the one described in this example, is missing the point. Any business that has any number of employees is, at some point, vulnerable to an attack. Consider any transportation company. Their drivers would be under the risk of attack from criminals who would seek to rob them of their merchandise. Any employee, working alone or with a partner, that is off site for any part of the work day is in a dangerous position and should have some kind of protection to ward off a possible violent attack that might occur. It is not only businesses that work with the public that are subject to violent attacks either. Consider the recent attacks at post offices, tax agencies, and general office

Managing a multicultural workforce and multicultural customers Essay

Managing a multicultural workforce and multicultural customers - Essay Example Managing a multicultural workforce and multicultural customers The functions of human resource management become more varied and complex when the customers and employees are located around the world. Apart from the factors such as technology, economic systems, legal frameworks and industrial relations, the cultural factors also assume great importance in the managing of a global workforce. And the most prominent manifestation of the cultural challenge is the diversity of modern workforce. Thus the human resource in all transnational business endeavors has become increasingly diverse in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, culture, political views, physical abilities and psychological orientation. This essay aims to explore the thesis that efficient management of a multicultural workforce can serve as a pool of opportunities for businesses that cater to a multicultural customer base. The concept of culture is difficult to define in explicit terms. On a broad and generalized level, culture refers to the set of characteristics and features that defines a group and separates it from other groups. The famous social psychologist Florence Kluckholn has defined culture as â€Å"a patterned way of thinking, feeling, and reacting, acquired and transmitted mainly by symbols, and constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts.† The expert organizational scholar Geert Hofstede has described culture as â€Å"the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes one human group from another†.

Nintendo's Wii Fit Plus Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nintendo's Wii Fit Plus - Research Paper Example The game was design to help the exercise needs of people of all ages. The game is fun and very well designed. Current Marketing Situation – Market Description The product can target various consumer population demographics. The product can be marketed as a tool to fight obesity. In the United States over 33% of the children are overweight (Colucci, 2006). The product can also target active teenagers that like interactive games. Another population demographic that should be targeted by Wii Fit Plus is senior citizens that need more exercise. The overall use of exercise video games that have interactive features such as the Wii Fit Plus is on the rise. The firm must capitalize in this market opportunity. Current Marketing Situation - Product Review The exercise video game offers over 60 activities and exercises including strength training, aerobics, and yoga (Wii, 2011). The game allows its users to develop customized exercise routines. The memory of the game can be used to crea te a log of the exercise routine schedule performed every week. The game is fun and can be played by people of all ages. Needs and Corresponding Features/Benefits Chart Targeted Segment Customer Need Corresponding Feature/ Benefit 1. Exercise enthusiasts 2. Traditional games 1. Need to burn calories 2. Need for interactive features 1. ... ures Perform strength training, aerobic, and Yoga routines Take classes in Yoga, Martial Arts, Tai Chi Features nine dancing styles including salsa, hip hop, and mambo. (Videogameall, 2011). Distribution Review Nintendo should use exclusive distribution for the Wii Fit Plus. The reason the should use exclusive distribution is because this strategy allows the firm to control the advertising and pricing strategy for the product. The channels the firm should include indirect channels to be better able to penetrate the exercise enthusiasts market. Strengths / Weaknesses An A strength of the company is the quality of its managerial staff. An additional strength of the product is the brand value of Wii Fit which has sold millions of copies. A weakness of the product is that it does not include any dancing routines as part of the exercise options. A second weakness of the game is that Wii-Fit Plus is not available to be sold in other console platforms. A third weakness of the game is that i t does include sporting options within the options to perform exercises. Opportunities/Threats Opportunities Threats Achieve growth by targeting non-traditional gamers by focusing on exercise enthusiasts Xbox 360 Kinetic sensor technology Market the Wii-Fit Plus as an exercise simulator Market becoming saturated of exercise video games Increase the Nintendo Wii console sales The current distribution channel strategy might not be able to reach the exercise enthusiasts. First Year Objectives and Issues for Achieving The objective of the Wii Fit Plus was to create an expansion pack that could be sold to a target market of 22 million Wii Fit users (Officialnitendomaganize, 2011). The company also wants to increase its market share to become the best exercise game in the industry. Positioning

Describe and evaluate their overall training and development Assignment

Describe and evaluate their overall training and development initiatives of a locally or internationally renowned organization - Assignment Example Hong Kong Disneyland maintains development of tourism, and establishes new destinations to maintain future sustainability. Through advertising, it has gathered enough funds to add phase II (Chun-on, 2006). Hong Kong Disneyland offers training programs that are unique to its cast members. Instructors, professional teams, and operations coordinate them. Through Disney University, employees are able to access training for an average of 35 hours in one year. Disney University offers classes such as Disney traditions training, effective workplace communications, Disney style of giving and receiving feedback, good shows begins with me programs and influencing members as a role model. All managers are trained on coaching for win-win outcome, problem solving &decision-making skills, time management and attend seminars and conferences hosted by guest speakers. Disney University is equipped with books and Disney feature films based on career development. There are approximately 1000 collections of reading materials available at the pace of the reader (Chun-on, 2006). There are also emerging leaders program aimed at developing leadership roles in the future at the resort. This six months program helps cast members to be competitive in the future. In this program, all cast members work in groups with the help of a guest service manager. Hong Kong Disneyland is committed to training its employees and developing them. The training is concentrated on services for the guests (Chun-on, 2006). Quality staff training displays proper image of the company to the business. Good training of employees increases productivity, performance, and large profits. Traditional teaching methods include classroom teaching, courses offered in every subject. Hong Kong Disneyland has recently made use of HR program as it is contributing much success to the company. Human resource department hires employees,

Any current computer technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Any current computer technology - Research Paper Example fers to a new class of network-based computing involving utility computing that comprises of a collection of networked and integrated software and internet facility known a platform. The technology uses internet for transport and communication. It also provides software, hardware and networking services to clients mainly through internet. According to National Institute of Standards and Technology (2011), cloud computing is a form of computing where groups of remote servers are networked in order to enhance centralized online access to resources or computer services and data storage. Cloud computing is a computing technology that enables large network servers such as large organizations to access various technological infrastructure resources from other companies without purchasing computing infrastructure. Cloud computing exhibits a number of characteristics. Some of these characteristics exhibited by cloud computing include virtualization, advanced security, service orientation, low-cost software, massive scale, resilient computing and wide geographical distribution of computing services. Essential characteristics of cloud computing include broad network access to clients, rapid elasticity, measured services and resource pooling. According to these characteristics, cloud computing is an appropriate technology that is highly beneficial to users through enhancement of access and support of computer infrastructure. In conclusion, cloud computing has a wide range of benefits to users. First, clients or users can reduce their computer cost by using cloud computing. Organizations do not require high-powered or high-priced computers to run cloud computing web-based applications. Secondly, there is improved performance through the use of cloud computing. Improved performance arises from low usage of computers memory since there are few programs and processes loading in the computer memory. Other advantages include improved document format compatibility, reduced

Consumer behaviour, learning and purchase decisions Essay

Consumer behaviour, learning and purchase decisions - Essay Example The basis of learning as it pertains to marketing is drive and motivation. Drive is â€Å"any strong stimulus that impels action†¦relying on a cue in the environment to determine the nature of the consumer’s response to a drive† (Boone & Kurtz, 2007, p.173). Learning and the relevancy of environment are large predictors of motivation once a marketer understands the dynamics of their target market, usually psychographic profiles. There is a concept in psychology related to memory and learning known as the social learning theory. Under this concept, individuals have a tendency to model the behaviours of others when they witness reward for these actions (Neubert, Carlson, Kacmar, Roberts & Chonko, 2009). This type of learning only occurs when the individual being observed is both credible and attractive (Neubert et al). Understanding this concept, marketers will develop a marketing strategy utilizing reputable celebrities or individual actors with similar lifestyle preferences as a means to motivate response or model behaviours under social learning theory. Certain psychographic lifestyle groups will gravitate more to modelling behaviours when the actor or celebrity endorser is credible and attractive, thus making an imprint on memory about the substance of product or the relevancy of the campaign. â€Å"In personal and non-personal communication, the message’s impact on the target audience is affected by how the audience views the communicator† (Kotler, 2009, p.559). ... tyle groups will gravitate more to modelling behaviours when the actor or celebrity endorser is credible and attractive, thus making an imprint on memory about the substance of product or the relevancy of the campaign. â€Å"In personal and non-personal communication, the message’s impact on the target audience is affected by how the audience views the communicator† (Kotler, 2009, p.559). Kotler (2009) again identifies that messages have more persuasive value when stemming from a highly credible source of information. For certain market groups, once these values have been identified, learning about a brand occurs by the credibility and motivational value of the advertising concept or the messages being delivered in an integrated marketing campaign. Under Kolb’s experiential learning theory, adults also learn through reflective observation, a system where an individual learns from experiences and â€Å"articulating why and how they occurred whilst reflecting and critically examining their experience from all perspectives† (Akella, 2010, p.103). In this type of learning, a consumer scans the environment and considers the impact of their own needs in relation to the environment and then develops new strategies in the future based on experience. For marketers, this is important in relation to post-purchase evaluation and the systems in place for handling the by-product of this type of learning. For example, a marketer might develop a world-class customer complaint system or survey system so that consumers have a positive experience once the product has been purchased. It was previously discussed about motivational linkages to learning. Under Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, an individual is motivated by establishment of a sense of social affiliation. â€Å"Individuals

SWOT Analysis of Regis Corporation Essay Example for Free

SWOT Analysis of Regis Corporation Essay Section I – Organizational History Regis Corporation, a Fortune 1000 company, specializes in beauty salons, hair restoration centers, and cosmetology education. The Company owns, franchises, or holds ownership interests in approximately 12,700 worldwide locations (Regis Corporation, 2009). Regis corporate and franchise locations operate under concepts such as Supercuts, Sassoon Salon, Regis Salons, MasterCuts, SmartStyle and Hair Club for Men and Women (Regis Corporation, 2009). In addition, Regis maintains an ownership interest in Provalliance, which operates salons primarily in Europe, under the brands of Jean Louis David, Franck Provost and Saint Algue. Regis also maintains ownership interests in Empire Education Group in the U.S. and MY Style concepts in Japan. System-wide, these and other concepts are located in the U.S. and in over 30 other countries in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia (Regis Corporation, 2009). In its nearly 9,500 North American salons, Regis offers a wide range of hair care services including haircuts, styling and coloring, as well as a wide selection of professional hair care products (Regis Corporation, 2009). Through their 96 Hair Club for Men and Women locations, Regis also offers a comprehensive menu of hair restoration products and services (Regis Corporation, 2009). Section II – Strengths and Weaknesses I would consider two of Regis Corporation’s strengths to be their longevity brand recognition and salon geographic locations. Two of Regis Corporation’s weaknesses are poor management and poor management. Strength #1- Longevity Brand Recognition Regis began 88 years ago and since then has grown into a multi-billion dollar company. Regis Corporation owns several well-known brands such as SuperCuts, Master Cuts, Vidal Sassoon, and ProCuts. They also have their own complete hair care line of products called DesignLine. Strength #2- Salon Geographical Locations Regis strategically places all of their salons in locations with high customer traffic flow such as malls, shopping centers, and Wal-Mart Supercenters. Having salons located in these areas allows for customer flexibility as well as a highly visible location for potential walk-in clientele. Regis is also has salons operating in Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as over 400 salons operating internationally in Europe (Regis Corporation, 2009). Weakness #1- Poor Management After reading many Regis employee reviews from glassdoor.com, the majority of cons the employees listed had to do the management. Employees described management as unconcerned with quality of stylists hired, unresponsive to employee’s needs and concerns, and low opportunity for advancement. Upper and lower level management need to be properly trained and incorporate employee empowerment which includes employee recognition, sharing leadership, and providing feedback (Glassdoor.com,). Weakness #2- Poor Customer Service After reviewing many customer reviews, many of the complaints were centered on customer service issues. Some customers complained they were rushed through their service and there were complaints of having to wait over an hour for their service even though they had an appointment. Bad customer service is bad for the hair business because you not only loose that one client; you also lose any future referrals from the client and it can develop a bad reputation for the salon itself (Glassdoor.com,). Section III – Opportunities and Threats Two current opportunities for Regis Corporation’s are their hair restoration businesses and the availability of real estate for new construction. Two of Regis Corporation’s current threats are the downturn of the general economic environment and their current negative same-store sales. Opportunity #1- Hair Restoration Business In December 2004, Regis Corporation acquired the Hair Club for Men and Women (Regis Corporation, 2009). Currently this industry is comprised with numerous locations domestically and internationally. By consolidating and expanding, this industry would generate a great deal of revenue. Growth plans for hair restoration include construction of a modest number of new locations in untapped markets domestically and internationally (Regis Corporation, 2009). Opportunity #2- Availability of Real Estate for New Construction The availability of real estate for new construction is an opportunity for Regis to continue to expand not only the new construction of salons but also the construction of new hair restoration centers. By adding new units in convenient locations with good visibility and customer traffic. The availability of real estate will allow Regis to achieve long-term growth objectives (Regis Corporation, 2009). Threat #1- Downturn of the General Economic Environment Downturn of the economic environment results in customers spending less and waiting longer between returning visits to the salon. General economic factors include interest rates, recession, inflation, deflation, tax rates and policy, energy costs, and unemployment trends (Regis Corporation, 2009). Visits to hair restoration centers would be greatly impacted by increases in unemployment rates and decreases in income levels (Regis Corporation, 2009). Threat #2- Negative Same-Store Sales Same-store sales is taking the amount of revenue generated by stores (open one year or more) over a certain period and then comparing it to an identical period in the past. Many factors affect same-store sales such as fashion trends, competition, or even weather conditions. Regis same-store sales have declined for the eleventh consecutive quarter to 2.3% (Zacks Investment Research, 2011). Continued declines in same-store sales performance may cause us to be in default of certain covenants in their financing arrangements (Zacks Investment Research, 2011). Section IV – Summary Regis is a well-known brand name and had been in business for over 80 years. Regis is one of the largest companies in the hair care industry holding about 2% of the worldwide market. Their salons are conveniently located in malls, shopping centers, and even within Wal-Mart Supercenters. They have salons located all across the United States and have expanded their business to Canada, Puerto Rico, and Europe. Regis needs to improve on their employee satisfaction in regards to management and need to focus on improving customer service relations. Regis’s newly acquired hair restoration line provides a great opportunity to consolidate and expand this industry in turn creating a great deal of revenue. The availability of real estate for new construction is also a great opportunity for Regis to expand in the construction of new salons and new hair restoration centers, which will allow Regis to achieve long-term growth objectives. A threat to Regis is the downturn of the economic environment, which results in consumers spending less and waiting longer between salon visits. If Regis same-store sales do not begin to improve it will have a huge impact on their financing arrangements.

Barriers to Entrepreneurship Development in Tajikistan

Barriers to Entrepreneurship Development in Tajikistan Introduction The development of the entrepreneurship as an essential component of the economy of Tajikistan is taking place for the past 19 years, in spite of its certain downturn during the civil war in the country in 1991-1997. Within the given period, the legal framework for the regulation of business activities was developed and amendments to the particular conditions of the governmental policy related to the entrepreneurship support were made. The stage of the entrepreneurship establishment required the improvement of its sectoral structure and enhancement of the economic efficiency. It is obvious that the prospects of its development are directly related to the alleviation of particular barriers which business people currently encounter. At the same time the inception of economical growth should initiate the positive influence on the entrepreneurship promotion. The essay will exclusively focus on the analysis of entrepreneurship establishment and development in Tajikistan with the reference to SME sector including the importance of entrepreneurship for the socio-economic development. In addition, the essay will describe main barriers to entrepreneurship development and possible ways to alleviate the difficulties related to its promotion. The rationale for the decision to write about this specific issue is based on following particular reasons: there are very few research works describing problems of entrepreneurship development in Tajikistan. Although, some scholars described these issues in the former Soviet Union countries, in most of their works Tajikistan is only slightly mentioned among the other countries. The objective of this given paper is to define the entrepreneurship situation in Tajikistan, the importance of its development as well as to identify the difficulties for entrepreneurship development and to provide recommendation for the solution of the existing problems. In order to reach the stated objective, the following research questions were raised. First of all it is important to understand, what are the main barriers to entrepreneurship development in Tajikistan? Secondly, what are the possible ways to promote entrepreneurship development? The theoretical and empirical grounds for the given paper are the analytical works of Tajik and foreign scholars, statistical data, as well as surveys and reports of various international institutions. Due to the analysis of both foreign and Tajik experts assessments the reader will be enabled to find the dual opinion on the described issue. Chapter One The role and importance of entrepreneurship in Tajikistan 1.1 Tajikistan at a glance: background information In order to explain the entrepreneurship situation in Tajikistan, it is worth to describe the background information about the country. Being a landlocked country, Tajikistan is located far from the main Eurasian highways. Infrastructure is poorly developed due to the fact that 93% of the all territory is mountains. In fact there are a number of scientific works describing the linkages between the infrastructure and the country development, including development of the entrepreneurship. However, in the framework of present essay the impact of poor infrastructure to the entrepreneurship development will not be discussed. During 1929 1991 Tajikistan was a member of the Soviet Union. After the breakdown of the Soviet Union in 1991, the country gained independence and started the transition to the market economy. After gaining its independence, the country was immediately faced with the economic problems caused by the collapse of the centrally-planned Soviet economy: such as, disruption of guaranteed markets, withdrawal of subsidies and instability of exchange (Middleton, 2007). Due to these facts, economical as well as political transformations of Tajikistan were difficult, primarily due to the holdover of various centrally planned command and control approaches to the national development (Suhir, 2003). According to Johnes, Tajikistan can be considered as the poorest of the countries of the former Soviet Union. At the beginning of its independence the position of the country was undermined by a civil war which lasted from 1991 until 1997. During that time the economy suffered significantly. In addition, the war has seriously disrupted the entire infrastructure of the country and contributed to the emigration of almost one million people, this number was equaled to a sixth of the total population. After the end of the civil war, the government undertook an aggressive program of reforms. As a consequence, by the beginning of 2000, the majority of small sized enterprises had been privatized, and most of the large enterprises were transformed into joint stock companies. Moreover, almost half of all cropland belonged to private people. In addition, being a neighbor of Afghanistan, the country has fallen victim of the drug trade and has been directly affected by drug-related criminal infi ltration (Johnes, 2002). Despite its growth, Tajik economy is not still fully recovered from the effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union and the civil war. The gross domestic product in 2007 was still only 72% of the 1991 level in real terms, which is visually represented in the Chart 1. Chart 1: Real GDP continues to recover but has not reached the level of 1991 Source: Business Environment in Tajikistan as seen by Small and Medium Enterprises, IFC, 2009 1.2 Definition and types of entrepreneurship in Tajikistan The process of society democratization and the implementation of market relations which are taking places in Tajikistan nowadays caused a variety of positive effects. Entrepreneurship which influences all economical spheres can be considered as such effect. In developed countries the role and the importance of entrepreneurship are being evaluated quite high. Our country, which has chosen the path of market economy, is considering the issues of entrepreneurship and strengthening of its role as a matter of paramount importance (Rahmon, 2001, own translation). According to the State program of Protection and support of entrepreneurship in the Republic of Tajikistan for the years 2002-2005, entrepreneurship is described as an activity which independently carried out by the persons registered in an order established by the law; this activity is directed to the earning of profit from use of property, sale of goods, manufacture, performance of works and rendering of services. Entrepreneurship development is one of the priority directions of financial and economic policy in the conditions of market economy and it is directed on increase in production and rendering of services as well as provision of new workplaces (Soliev, 2004). It is quite possible that the reason of such simplified definition of entrepreneurship was to motivate as much as possible people to become entrepreneurs. Tajik scholar Juraboev described entrepreneurship as a search for new spheres of rationalization and a profitable investment of recourses, performance of new combinations in manufacture, movement to the new markets, and creation of new products. It is aimed at making a profit above the average level (Juraboev, 2003, own translation). The tendency of entrepreneurship development in Tajikistan started from the period of 1993 1994. At that time the quantity of enterprises which performed entrepreneurial activity and had a status of legal entity was equaled to 3304 enterprises for the year of 1993 and 3988 enterprises in 1994 (Statistical yearbook , 2006). The entrepreneurship area was dominated by the cooperatives, farmers, private and individual enterprises. However, the crisis in the economy caused by the severance of economic relations between the former Soviet Union countries which had common free market zone before, and the post-war factors with corresponding decrease of nation welfare became the reasons of reduction in the quantity of private enterprises, especially SMEs. Nevertheless, in later years the entrepreneurship in Tajikistan, which for the purposes of this essay is described by the SME sector, started to recover from the consequences of Soviet Union breakup The obvious development of SME sector can be proved by the available data that shows that in October 2006 the amount of small and medium enterprises in Tajikistan was equaled to 12167, including 7578 active enterprises. The structure of the SME sector can be described as follows: the highest amount of 38.4 % is commercial enterprises, the share of trade and catering 17.2%, construction 13.3 %, industry 12.3%. The part of other economic activities is equals to 20% (Nazarov, 2006). In addition to the information provided above it is important to identify the SME sector in Tajikistan. In compliance with the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan ÂÂ «On State Protection and Support of Entrepreneurship in the Republic of TajikistanÂÂ » passed in 2005, the SME sector is composed of three typologies of businesses. The first group is individual entrepreneurs, who is involved in a business activity without forming a legal entity and operate it at their own risk. The second group is dehkah farms enterprises involved in the production and sale of agricultural products. Dehkan farmers operate as individual entrepreneurs according to the State Registration Certificate. Third group includes small and medium sized companies (Law On State Protection and Support of Entrepreneurship, 2005, own translation). Moreover, the special SMEs criteria are also being significant. As consistent with the Tax Code of Tajikistan, small enterprises are individual entrepreneurs and legal entities which perform business activity and their gross revenue (before taxes) is not exceed 150 000 USD. The average quantity of employees should not exceed 50 for agricultural sector and 30 for other sectors. Respectively, medium enterprises are individual entrepreneurs and legal entities whose gross revenue is more than 150 000 USD but does not exceed 3.7 million USD. The average quantity of employees can vary from 50 to 200 for agricultural sector and from 30 to 100 for other sectors (Tax Code, 2009, own translation). In fact the Micro-enterprises are not defined in the Tax Code. 1.3 The importance of the entrepreneurship in the socio-economic development of the country Nowadays private enterprises are functioning almost in all fields and spheres of the economy of Tajikistan. With the presence of necessary support, the entrepreneurship plays an important role: it contributes to the state budget, creates new employment and stimulates the social and economic development of the regions. Furthermore, entrepreneurs play a significant role in the social and political life of society. According to the statistics, in the year of 2007 approximately 1.7% or 19 thousand people of all population working in the private sector belonged to the SMEs. Over the last years, the quantity of employees of small and medium enterprises has increased by 14.5%, while the amount of enterprises has risen by 35%. However, the most interesting fact is that the total quantity of employees in the SME sector in 2007 was lower compare to the 1998 (Statistical Yearbook, 2008). Visually this information is presented in the Chart 2. Chart 2: Dynamics of the quantity of employees in SMEs (in thousands) Source: Tajikistan: 15 Years of Independence. Statistical yearbook, Dushanbe, 2006 It can be assumed that the relatively low quantity of employees in the SME sector is resulted from the tax burden of the employers. In fact, the amount of social tax which the employers have to pay equals to 25% out of the total payroll fund. Moreover, in contrast to the other countries, the existing taxation system in Tajikistan does not have the tax remissions in connection with the increase of the quantity of workers (Nazarov, 2006). Furthermore, the role of entrepreneurship in the market economy is very significant in terms of solving a number of socio-economic problems as well as in the poverty alleviation. Small and medium enterprises create the most favorable opportunities for the entrepreneurship especially at its initial stage. The presence of the substantial amount of SMEs on the market promotes the competition. And by promoting the competition, small and medium enterprises stimulate the increase of production efficiency as well as production growth which in its turn may cause the real growth of the economy. As a short summary of the given section about the importance of entrepreneurship in general and SMEs in particular, it can be stated that it is both the aim and the tool for the development of market economy. The dual role of entrepreneurship is confirmed by the analysis of the functions of SMEs which were classified into two groups. These groups are objective functions and tool functions. The objective functions promote the development of small and medium entrepreneurship and being considered as one of the governmental tasks. These functions include the impact on the unemployment reduction, the acceleration of the technological progress by means of innovations and ensuring the social and political stability in the society. According to the tool functions, small and medium entrepreneurship is being used in order to limit the tendencies of monopolized economy, to support formation of a middle class and to fill the particular market niches which are not attractive for the large enterpr ises (Chapek, 2004. own translation). 1.4 Characteristics of entrepreneurship development in Tajikistan The establishment of entrepreneurship in Tajikistan started at the time when the legislative foundations were absent. The Law On entrepreneurship activity was passed only in December 1991 and up to day it has completely changed. This law had a lot of disadvantages which negatively affected the process of entrepreneurship establishment in the country. Other economic laws which could support and secure the entrepreneurial activity in Tajikistan were passed later. For instance, The law on property (1996), The law on privatization of state property (1997) as well as laws related to taxation, customs and currency circulation (Nazarov, 2006). The formation of the entrepreneurship took place at the period of destabilization of finances and significant level of unemployment, which were caused by the collapse of the centralized control system. Another unique feature of entrepreneurship formation and development in Tajikistan is the limitation of strategic behavior. There are two reasons explaining it. First of all, during the first years of the market economy establishment, the formation of entrepreneurship was influenced by the substantial advantages of short-term transactions in the sphere of circulation and in the financial market. This circumstance created an appropriate attitude, stereotypes of thinking and behaving. Secondly, there is a significant gap between the profitability of long-term investments in manufacture and short-term financial transactions. The conditions for the implementation of long-term investments projects in the production sphere are such that invested funds will be paid off only in 3-5 years; howe ver, in conditions of the transition economy this process may take even longer. Therefore such areas of entrepreneurship as trade and catering remain the most attractive for the entrepreneurs (Soliev, 2004). According to the statistics, at the beginning of 2008 there were 55,8 thousands of enterprises registered in Tajikistan; in fact, 60% of them are private enterprises including both SMEs and large enterprises (Statistical Yearbook, 2008). There is a trend toward positive increase of total amount of enterprises in general as well as private enterprises in particular, as it is demonstrated in the Chart 3. Chart 3: Dynamics of total amount of enterprises, including private enterprises (in thousands) Source: Statistical Yearbook of the Republic of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, 2008 The dynamic development of SME sector is caused by several specific advantages of the latter. According to the Kamarov, the most important fact is that SMEs are able to get their own market share, although they have much less funds for implementation of important strategic researches compare to large enterprises. In addition, small and medium businesses are quite flexible and mobile, which allow them to react fast for the market demand as well as to adapt for the changing conditions. Small entrepreneurship can be characterized as an originative type of economic behavior which at the same time being described as special entrepreneurial spirit and creative action (Kamarov, 2009). Another important fact is that on every 1000 of economically active population in Tajikistan there is in average only one SME; in contrast, in Russia there are 3 enterprises on every 1000 of economically active population (Davgyalo, 2007). Chapter Two Barriers to entrepreneurship development 2.1 General overview of difficulties related to the entrepreneurship development in Tajikistan As it is demonstrated by the world experience, the more opportunities for the widening of the activity by the entrepreneurs, the higher growth rate can be seen for the country. Under the given circumstances, the creation of the favorable conditions for the entrepreneurship development is a crucial factor. The entrepreneurship of Tajikistan faces particular barriers, among the others they are: instability and imperfection of the legislative system related to entrepreneurship, high level of taxes, complexity of tax collection, insufficiency of the start-up capital and current capital, difficulties with the access to bank loans, corruption, shortage of the qualified staff, difficulties with the rent of the production space as and others. In most cases there is no proper social and personal security for owners and employees of the private enterprises (Soliev, 2004). The current institutional mechanism of entrepreneurship promotion demonstrates that although the entrepreneur is secured by the laws and governmental instruments, the level of entrepreneurship development is not correspond to the high taxation level and crediting rates. (Asrorov et al., 2004). Therefore the entrepreneurs are acting in the environment of legal and economical limitation. The barriers faced by entrepreneurs impede the inflow of billions of dollars of potential profit for the country each year and threaten to derail the political and economic transition. These losses take place due to the ill-designed, complicated laws and regulations that unnecessarily raise the cost of doing business in the formal sector. As a result of high costs of doing business, entrepreneurs are using in their operations limited funds in order to survive with presence of low income and consequently they are losing the economic potential. In addition, the costly business regulations encourage potential investors to invest in the more favorable business environments and therefore country faces the lack of the needed investments (Suhir, 2003). The experience of entrepreneurship establishment and development in Tajikistan demonstrates that the majority of business owners are not aimed at the further growth. Their main goal is to ensure the stable existence, to preserve their capital and market position (Urdashev, 2005). The given situation can be explained by two reasons. First of all, there is no effective system for the stimulation of entrepreneurial activity. Secondly, entrepreneurs are experiencing the certain pressure from the tax, custom and law-enforcement authorities. 2.2 Main barriers faced by entrepreneurship in Tajikistan In this section of the paper the main barriers to the entrepreneurship development will be described in details. These barriers are: difficulties related to licensing, access to finance, imperfection of taxation system, poor infrastructure, corruption and lack of sufficient knowledge by entrepreneurs. Licensing IFC defined license as a special permit issued by a state body authorizing a business to carry out a certain activity under specific terms and conditions. When a business is subject to licensing requirements, it must obtain the specific license before starting its activities. Thus licensing happens after business registration, but before a company is allowed to start operations in the activity to be licensed (IFC, 2009). The barriers related to the licensing can be classified as the continuation of the Soviet system of permissions whereby one must obtain approval from the authorities in order to perform even the smallest tasks. The present permissive entrepreneurial climate which characterized by abundant regulation, continues to inflict losses on entrepreneurial activity in all sectors of the economy (Suhir, 2003). According to the world practice, the low-risk activities and those which do not involve any limited resources should not be subject to licensing. In fact, Tajikistan licenses some activities that are not licensed in many other countries; for instance, real estate valuation and tourism (IFC, 2009). The Chart 4 illustrates that in spite of the recent reforms, the number of activities licensed in Tajikistan is still relatively high compare to some other countries. Chart 4 Number of economic activities subject to licensing in selected countries Source: Business Environment in Tajikistan as seen by Small and Medium Enterprises, IFC, 2009 For instance, IFC reports that eight of the 65 licensed economic activities are related to the transport. However, the implementing regulations of the Licensing Laws divide these eight economic activities into 22 sub-activities, each of that in its turn requires a separate license. In addition, the period of validity of licenses as well as their cost still remains a problem. The law foresees that the minimum period of validity for the license is 3 years; however, on practice the licenses are being issued for the period which in average is less than one year (IFC, 2009). The short periods of licenses validity impede the investments and long-term development as well as create the grounds for the extortion by the officials. Access to finance One of the main conditions of the entrepreneurship development is the existence of proper financial infrastructure. In general the Tajik financial system was growing rapidly over the past years, although it still remains small. Recent data shows, that there are twelve commercial banks (including one state-owned bank), seven credit societies, one non-bank financial institution and eighty eight microfinance institutions operating in Tajikistan (IFC, 2009). The banking systems in Central Asia in general and in Tajikistan in particular can be considered as insufficient since they impose impossible demands on entrepreneurs due to the unreasonable time-frames and terms of credit repayments, it is difficult to provide collateral and to find a guarantor for securing a loan (Suhir, 2003). Thus in order to get a loan from some commercial banks the entrepreneur should provide the collateral which values up to 3 times more compare to the actual amount of requested loan. The survey performed by the IFC demonstrates that more than half of rejected loan applications in 2007 were due to the insufficient loan collateral (IFC, 2009). In addition, the process to formalization and registration of the collateral is complicated and expensive at the present time. Besides that, the loans themselves became not very attractive because of the interest rate. Additional factor of distrust to the banking area is the lack of reliable mechanism for the protection of the borrowers interests. In this respect the majority of entrepreneurs actually not able to use services of commercial banks. The Chart 5 demonstrates what kind of problems entrepreneurs encounter in terms of access to the finance. And it is quite clear that the most important issue is high interest rates. Chart 5: Main obstacles as identified by the potential borrowers (in %) Source: Business Environment in Tajikistan as seen by Small and Medium Enterprises, IFC, 2009 In general, in compliance with the Doing business report, Tajikistan is ranked as 167th overall in terms of easiness to getting credit (World Bank, 2010). And firms consistently rate access to credit as among the greatest barriers to their operation and growth. Taxation system The modern tendency for the entrepreneurship development can be described as the one with the lack of unity of economic aims between entrepreneurship and government. On the one hand, the governmental regulations related to the entrepreneurial activity are grounded on the creation of the favorable conditions for the entrepreneurship development; however, on the other hand, they are directed on provision the maximum tax revenues to the state budget. At present there are 18 different taxes in Tajikistan. According to the statistics, forty-eight percent of countrys tax revenues in 2008 came from the value-added tax. Tax code states that the value-added tax is equal to 18%, income tax 30% and social tax 25% (Tax Code, 2009). Such level of taxation does not correspond with the taxation systems used in developed countries. As a rule, developed countries increase tax rates in order to restrain the overproduction (Davgyalo, 2007). In fact there is no problem of overproduction in Tajikistan. On the whole the tax regime in Tajikistan is characterized by high complexity and instability. The Tajik Tax Code, which went into effect in 2004, has been amended 9 times since that time. Unfortunately given amendments neither caused the simplification of tax obligations nor improved tax administration. The World Bank Groups Doing Business 2009 report demonstrates evidence that taxes impose a heavy burden on business taxpayers in the country. This report ranks Tajikistan as 159th out of 181 countries in terms of ease of complying with the tax obligations (World Bank, 2009). Besides, the procedure of preparation the tax forms is complicated, the average Dehkan farmer or individual entrepreneur has spent almost 5 working days on the filing and on payment of taxes in 2007. While the average SME spent more than three weeks on this process. Moreover, there is a lack of effective communication infrastructure for the acceptance of the tax reports by mail. Although the Tax Code states that it is possible for taxpayers to submit their tax declarations in three ways: by certified mail, in person, or electronically; in practice, entrepreneurs submit tax reports in person. In addition, the survey performed by IFC shows that that submission of tax declarations involves a significant period of time spent waiting in lines at the tax office in order to get the appropriate signatures (IFC, 2009). Corruption The harmful nature of corruption between government and business enterprises is a classic conflict of the political economy, which goes back to Adam Smiths The Wealth of Nations. In the socialist period, bribery was widely practiced as a sort of necessary evil among citizens in Soviet Union Countries. It operated as a special social mechanism used to overcome obstacles established by bureaucratic systems as well as chronic shortages of supply which could affect business operations and everyday activities. In contrast, in the transition period, the corruption between entrepreneurs and bureaucrats started to take place more for self-interest rather than as a socially necessary evil like it was in Soviet Union time (Ichiro Iwasaki, 2007). Interesting explanation of the existence of corruption was provided by Clark and Naito in their article. According to them, corruption is endemic in all countries of Central Asia. However, the additional factor which contributes to the level of corruption results from the existing barriers with respect to the cooperation between various Ministries. In fact, nowadays the level of cooperation is relatively small and as a consequence there is a shortage of transparency in the system. The lack of transparency in its turn allows corruption to flourish as there are no checks and bounds on the system (Clark, Naito, 1998). The number of surveys performed by the World Bank confirms the fact that corruption remains a main constraint for entrepreneurship in Tajikistan. This demonstrated by the high frequency of informal gifts requested from enterprises by the government officials, so called Graft Index. The Graft Index shows the proportion of instances in which enterprises were either requested or expected to pay an informal payment for licenses, permits or public services (IFC, 2009). Visually the situation with corruption in Tajikistan in comparison with some other countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia is presented at the Chart 6. Chart 6: Tajikistan has the highest graft index in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) ECA Regional Average Source: Business Environment in Tajikistan as seen by Small and Medium Enterprises, IFC, 2009 However, the survey performed by IFC in 2007 demonstrates that the situation related to the informal payments in Tajikistan has improved over the last years. According to the survey responses, entrepreneurs were asked for or expected to pay bribes or give informal gifts in 2007 fewer compare to previous years. Although this is a positive development, it is too early to conclude that corruption is no longer a problem. Data demonstrate that 21% of enterprises have defined the informal payments as a main obstacle for their business activity. In fact, only high tax rates were defined as a major obstacle more often than corruption (IFC, 2009). Lack of the sufficient knowledge by entrepreneurs Johnes stated that the main resource which is available to Tajikistan is its people. Generally the level of education in the country is high, with a literacy rate about 98% (Johnes, 2002). However, one of the obstacles which may be additionally observed in Tajikistan nowadays is the lack of the sufficient knowledge in the area of entrepreneurship. This fact can be explained by taking a look at the history. In the Soviet era entrepreneurship was considered as a speculation. The Great Soviet Encyclopedia defines speculation as a process of buying up the goods on closed markets and resale those goods on open and deficiency markets in conditions of constraining the freedom of trade, for example, during the war (Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 1978, own translation). This activity was punishable either by high fines or imprisonment and due to this reason was considered as a part of the shadow economy. Based on the above mentioned information, the following conclusion can be drawn the entrepreneurship as an activity as well as entrepreneurs are still being considered as unacceptable or even discreditable activity by the people of older generation. It is obvious that problems related to managerial issues are really crucial for the private entrepreneur due to the reason that the manager should be a specialist with a broad knowledge in the area of management, finance, accounting and marketing. In fact, nowadays the universities of the country are not preparing such versatile managers for the private sector (Urdashev, 2005). The current situation in Tajikistan is such that the majority of entrepreneurs have problems due to the lack of proper knowledge. Thus according to the IFC survey, more than one-third of individual entrepreneurs did not keep any financial or tax records in 2007 (IFC, 2009), despite the existing requirements. The responses presented in the Chart 7 demonstrate the reasons for the absence of necessary records. It is clear that the lack of knowledge is a very significant issue in this respect. Chart 7: Reasons f

The Messiah as Corruptor in Frank Herbert’s Dune Essay -- Dune

The Messiah as Corruptor in Frank Herbert’s Dune Frank Herbert’s Dune is arguably one of the best science fiction novels ever written. A milestone of the genre, the work incorporates an intricate plot with a unique setting and memorable characters. Dune is rich with thematic material, touching on such varied issues as ecology, economics, religion, and politics; ultimately, it is a novel about control, the consequences of power, and human nature. Any reading of Dune and its sequels inevitably arrives at an analysis of Paul, who begins the novel as the youthful ducal heir to House Atreides. Trained both by his mother, a sister of the enigmatic Bene Gesserit School, and by the mentat Thufir Hawat, the human equivalent of a supercomputer, Paul is obviously quite gifted. Through some combination of his genetic makeup and his education, Paul has exceptional mental clarity, often seeing connections where others would see nothing; sometimes his abilities, especially his prophetic dreams, transcend rational explanation. Early on in Dune, House Atreides is pressured into a change of fief from their ancestral home of Caladan to the unforgiving desert planet Arrakis—the sole source of the spice melange which, among other things, promotes long life and gives the Imperium a means of interstellar transport. The victim of a â€Å"work of art among vendettas,† Paul’s father, Duke Leto Atreides, is soon deposed and assassinated by the Atreides’ hereditary rival, the Baron Harkonnen. Having managed to escape House Harkonnen’s clutches, Paul and his mot her, Lady Jessica, find themselves lost in the desert wilderness and are soon captured by a tribe of the indigenous Fremen. With the guidance of his mother, Paul works himself into the implanted ... ...s character, Herbert asserts that in messiahs we must not look for domination, but for inspiration. Works Cited Herbert, Frank. Dune. Berkley Publishing Company. New York, NY. 1965. Herbert, Frank. Dune Messiah. Berkley Publishing Company. New York, NY. 1969. Kucera, Paul. â€Å"Listening to Ourselves: Herbert’s Dune, â€Å"the Voice† and Performing the Absolute.† Extrapolation. Vol 42, No 3. Fall 2001. 232–45. Mulachy, Kevin. â€Å"The Prince on Arrakis: Frank Herbert’s Dialogue with Machiavelli.† Extrapolation. Vol 37, No 2. Spring 1996. 22–36. O’Reilley, Timothy. Frank Herbert. Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. New York, NY. 1981. Stratton, Susan. â€Å"The Messiah and the Greens: The Shape of Environmental Action in Dune and Pacific Edge.† Extrapolation. Vol 42, No 4. Winter 2001. 301–16. Touponce, William. Frank Herbert. Twayne Publishers. Boston, MA. 1988.

Mass Extinctions On The Earth :: essays research papers

Intro: Sixty-five million years ago, some phenomenon triggered mass extinctions on the lands and in the oceans so profound that they define the geological boundary between the older Mesozoic Era, often called the "Age of Reptiles," and the modern Cenozoic Era, the "Age of Mammals." On a finer scale, the extinctions define the boundary between the Cretaceous (geological symbol, "K"), and Tertiary ("T") periods. This mass extinction is usually referred to as the K-T extinctions. The dinosaurs became extinct during the K-T mass extinction. To examine how the K-T extinctions fit into a broader perspective, please see the The cause of the K-T extinctions is one of the great mysteries in science, and many scientists have proposed theories to account for it. Theories span a vast spectrum of causes including: sea level change, supernova explosions, climate change, and on and on. Beginning in the 1980s, two new theories became the topic of an intense scientific debate. They are the K-T impact extinction theory originated by the Nobelist physicist, Luis Alvarez, and his team, and the K-T Deccan Traps extinction theory, which, for short, is called volcano-greenhouse theory. Details of the Impact Theory In the mid-late 1970s, Luis Alvarez and his impact team began searching for the cause of the K-T extinctions. His evidence of impact was enrichment of the chemical, iridium, in a thin layer of clay a few centimenters thick at the K-T boundary. His original theory held that a giant asteroid struck earth 65 million years ago, blasting so much dust into the atmosphere that it blocked out sunlight, and plunged earth into the blackness and cold of a sudden, short-duration, "impact winter." According to Alvarez theory, the global blackout triggered extinctions among the plant kingdom, and then among herbivores that depended upon plants for food, and then among the carnivores that ate the herbivores. Those smaller animals that could hide and hibernate until the sun came out again must have sruvived and formed the animals that there are today. There is other evidence for this theory : there is a layer of iridium found on top of the fossils which can be found all over the world. this is important becouse there is a lot of iridium on asteroids while on earth it is only deep down inside the crater. Details of the Volcano Theory: Another less popular theory to explain the disappearance of the dinosaurs suggests that a drop in the oxygen levels in the lower atmosphere led to the gradual death of all kinds of species.

Self Managed Teams Essay -- Organization, Environment

A team is a group of people who work in tandem to achieve a common outcome (Chatfield, 2011). A common type of team found in the workplace is self-managed teams (SMT). A self-managed team empowers employees to manage the day to day functions, operations, and tasks of a specific job area with little or no supervisory oversight or intervention. In other words, it is a self-contained unit (Williams, 2011). For example, self-managed teams handle work direction, job assignments, trouble-shoot problems, and handle all of the decision making aspects of the job (Silverman,1996). Moreover, companies that have used SMTs report an increase in productivity and quality, increased employee morale, creativity, job satisfaction, and a decrease in absenteeism (Silverman, 1996). Also, a 1990 study by Cohen (1993) found that forty-seven percent of Fortune 1000 companies used SMTs with some of their workforce. In two years the number of SMTs increased to sixty percent. Thus, the prevalence of SM Ts in organizations can be contributed to its tangible outcomes. In the C&S Wholesale Grocers case... Self Managed Teams Essay -- Organization, Environment A team is a group of people who work in tandem to achieve a common outcome (Chatfield, 2011). A common type of team found in the workplace is self-managed teams (SMT). A self-managed team empowers employees to manage the day to day functions, operations, and tasks of a specific job area with little or no supervisory oversight or intervention. In other words, it is a self-contained unit (Williams, 2011). For example, self-managed teams handle work direction, job assignments, trouble-shoot problems, and handle all of the decision making aspects of the job (Silverman,1996). Moreover, companies that have used SMTs report an increase in productivity and quality, increased employee morale, creativity, job satisfaction, and a decrease in absenteeism (Silverman, 1996). Also, a 1990 study by Cohen (1993) found that forty-seven percent of Fortune 1000 companies used SMTs with some of their workforce. In two years the number of SMTs increased to sixty percent. Thus, the prevalence of SM Ts in organizations can be contributed to its tangible outcomes. In the C&S Wholesale Grocers case...

Leadership qualities of Odysseus throughout the book Essay

Throughout the Odyssey, the lead character, Odysseus, is presented as the ideal Greek leader. He demonstrates this through the treatment of his men and how he deals with problems that are presented to him. Because the Odyssey was first a spoken myth, it took on the shape of the society in which it was told. Including that society’s moral and ethical values, as well as its desires in the traits of a leader. A leader must first be defined, then set apart from other potential leaders, then the leader must be tested through his actions, only then can a definite leader be defined. First, one must define the ideal Greek leader. An ideal Greek leader commands the respect of those being led, but also gives respect. He must be intelligent and cunning, and able to think logically with the intentions of keeping the well being of those under him. Reverence to the gods is mandatory, as they are viewed as the supreme leaders. An ideal leader must have an ability to lead a military victoriously, but also know when military action is not necessary. There are many other traits that the ideal Greek leader must possess, but none are as important as those that have been listed. Another way of proving Odysseus as the ideal leader is by contrasting him with other leaders. Two other characters in the book that could be considered character foils are Antinoos and Alkinoos, two very different leaders. Alkinoos, King of the Phaeacians, is presented as leader who is open to outsiders, another trait that is revered in ancient Greek culture. When he provides the hospitality to Odysseus, he shows his welcoming manner by not only allowing Odysseus to stay as his guest, but also taking him back to Ithaca. â€Å"When you came here to my strong home, Odysseus, under my tall roof, headwinds were left behind you. Clear sailing shall you have now, homeward now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (XIII, 4-7) Alkinoos can be considered a foil that shows  what Homer viewed as a good leader. Antinoos, on the other hand, was almost the opposite. The suitor spent his time unsuccessfully enticing Penelope, one of many things that Homer could have considered to be a bad trait, especially when possess ed by a leader, which is something that Antinoos could be considered in his relationship with the other suitors. He was also the suitor who came up with the scheme to kill Telemachus. Furthermore, Antinoos being the first to die when Odysseus returns, could be presented as Homer’s punishment of the iniquitous suitor of the hero’s wife. These two characters can be considered the two extremes in Homer’s view of a leader. Odysseus’s actions throughout the book demonstrate the traits that make him a good leader. Through his decisions in these specific events, he proves that he is a good, but not perfect, leader. First, his decision to send men to scout out Kirke’s house was one of pleasure, not conquest. Odysseus did not need to send his men probing the unfamiliar island, but still felt it necessary. This decision is one that had to be made, but given past experiences, the reader would expect Odysseus to choose otherwise, especially when his men felt hesitant. â€Å"They were all silent, but their hearts contracted, remembering Antiphates the Laistrygon and that prodigious cannibal, the Kyklopes†¦ But seeing our time for action lost in weeping, I mustered those Akhaians under arms, counting them off in two platoons, myself and my godlike Eurylokhos commanding.† (X, 217-224) It wasn’t until after the first party fell prey to Kirke’s elixir that Odysseus shows his true leadership. With the aid of the gods, he is able to free his men from living as swine. Although he stays long after he has freed his men, nearly a year, he felt the obligation towards his men by undoing Kirke’s acts and freed them from her hold. Another instance when Odysseus demonstrates his leadership ability is when he is faced with the escape from Polyphemus’s cave. His quick thinking and strategic approach gave him victory over the giant, two traits Homer emphasizes in Odysseus. Odysseus is able to lead his men to blind the Kyklops, but shows how no mortal man can be perfect, no matter how heroic, by shouting back at Polyphemus and telling him who had truly blinded him. Finally, Odysseus’s similarity to some of the known leaders of ancient Greece  can be used to express how Odysseus was presented as the ideal Greek leader. The first of whom being the democratic leader of Athens, Pericles, and second being Alexander the Great. Pericles was much like Odysseus in a sense of his ability to manipulate and influence those under him, a necessary skill in any democratic society. He was able to influence the other elected officials into believing what he wanted, and stemmed his success from that ability. Although not an especially admirable trait, the ability to influence men into what is needed to be done in the eyes of the leader is most certainly necessary, especially when it involves military authority. Alexander the Great’s decisiveness is paralleled only by Odysseus, which is another trait that all strong leaders must possess. Another element to a leader that is often present is that of arrogance, as Alexander the Great believed himself to be half immortal, and held himself in comparison with Hercules. Alexander was even known to sleep with copies of Homer’s books under his pillow, and drew heavy influence from Homer’s characters, including Odysseus. Odysseus is considered to be one of the greatest mythological heroic leaders. Not only is he presented as the model for the ideal Greek leader, but has influenced many other leaders throughout history, including Alexander the Great. Odysseus was a model for ancient Greek leaders, and still influences our views of leadership today, although we may not even notice it.

External audit on Carnival Corporation

When considering what type of environment analysis to do certain things should be taken into consideration this is do to with the fact that different industries will have different requirement. For example Carnival in a multinational company so it may be more concerned with political issues then local customer perceptions or the customer demographics. Johnson & Scholes (1999), David (2001) and Lynch (2000) all agree that organisations or managers should adjust and change according to an environment analysis. Mullins (1999), Johnson & Scholes (1999) and Lynch (2000) all agree that a good starting point for an external analysis would be the ‘PEST' analysis. ‘PEST' means political, economic, socio-cultural and technological (see appendix 1). The PEST analysis is only a very general analysis of the external environment. This is why another audit should be used to â€Å"inform and guide analysis† (Johnson & Scholes, 1999: 104). If a company wants to plan for the future Johnson & Scholes (1999), Lynch (2000) and Mintzberg, Ahlstrand & Lampel (1998) all agree that the ‘scenario planning' is all about the long term. Johnson & Scholes (1999) and Lynch (2000)' agree it is one way to help companies looking into the future. One thing that companies must understand is that â€Å"scenarios are concerned with peering into the future, not predicting the future† (Lynch, 2000: 111) Scenario planning is about considering factors that could affect the company for example if there was a terrorist attack in the future on one of the Carnival cruise liners. What steps could be taken to prevent the attack or to make sure that the customers are safe? In all industries customers are the ones that buy the product or use the service this may be other companies or the general public. This is why analysing the customers and market segmentation is very important. It is important for organisations to understand that customers â€Å"have different characteristics and needs† (Johnson & Scholes, 1999: 129). Lynch (2000) states that there are three important issues that should be conceded when analysing the organisations customers. The first is to identify the organisation customers and market. The second is its segmentations and its strategic implications. The final one is the role of the customer service and quality. Porter's Five Forces model (see appendix 2) is a more in-depth analysis of an organisation it focuses more on strategy so companies can develop opportunities and protect them self from threats. The five forces are: 1. The bargaining power of suppliers; 2. The bargaining power of buyers; 3. The threat of potential new entry; 4. The threat of substitutes; 5. The extent of competitive rivalry. (Lynch, 2000:125) One of the best ways to describe Porter's Five Forces Model is: â€Å"†¦ a high force can be regarded as a threat because it is likely to reduce profit. A low force, in contrast, can be viewed as an opportunity because it may allow the company to earn greater profits.† (Wheelen & Hunger, 1998: 61) It is argued that customers are the most important part of the business: â€Å"Customers demand satisfaction and expect more. It is no longer sufficient to merely satisfy customers They need to be delighted, both internally and Externally.†(Mullins, 1999: 869) This is why customer analysis is so important to Carnival with out any customers the company would not generate any revenue. One thing that they do know it that the disposable income of young couples and families has increased over the last fifty years. What they are trying to do it tell the target market that cruising is an alternative vacation available for everyone. Carnival believes that 93 percent of North Americans have not taken a cruise at some stage. This gives then a target of almost 100 percent of North Americans that they can attract, to go on one of their cruises. This is due to the fact that they can try and attract the people that have already been on a cruise. Carnival is the first modern Cruise Company and tries to promote its ships as ‘fun ships'. With a price that can compete with land based vacation resorts. This is why they are the leaders and innovators of the cruising industry. They know that the cruising industry have three main market segments. The first is contemporary then premium and finally luxury this is why they have entered into all three market segments. One thing that is very important to Carnival is the customer service that they provide. As well as a high level of service they want to offer a product that will attract the customers. This is why they offer a package that will allow passengers to stop at exotic ports of call as well as a premier restaurant service. What they are trying communicate is that the ship is not just a means of transport but the vacation it self and the ports of calls are bonuses for the customers. This is why they offer such entertainment as live music, dancing, night-clubs, movies as well as a casino this is the entertainment in the evenings. Carnival wants to offer a high level of service this is why their holidays start when you bags are tagged for the ship. After that moment you would not need to pick your bags up because it would be delivered to your cabin. When on board waiter on the ship will offer you drink while they help you to find your way around. With a restaurant service that could rival any top land based restaurant in terms of variety in food and wine. With this sort of service they can keep on attracting the customers that in turn create the profits that the organisation wants.

Descartes’ statement Cogito Ergo Sum Essay

Cogito ergo sum. Scholars would recognize this issue of high debates even today, almost five hundred years after the words were uttered; though in the present most people in the world wouldn’t understand what it refers to. In 1641, Renà © Descartes published his â€Å"Meditations on First Philosophy,† in which his first meditation dismisses everything that he perceives as reality and posits that he is nothing more than a disembodied brain being manipulated by some outside source. In his second meditation, he questions if he is real. And the fact that he is able to ponder his reality leads him to the conclusion that â€Å"I think therefore I am†: Cogito ergo sum. His first meditation came to an end with the realization that there was no way to justify his sensual observations. He proceeds to say that in that case he will regard himself â€Å"as not having hands, eyes, flesh, blood, and senses- but as having the false belief† that he has all those things. However, in his second meditation, he questions his knowledge of everything beyond his sensory perception. He begins to argue with himself about if he actually exists. Does he have a body? But his first meditation dictates that he has no body. But if he has no body or vessel, does that mean he doesn’t exist? He concludes that he must exist because someone is constantly deceiving him. And if he is constantly being deceived, then there must be something that exists which is being deceived. I find that Descartes’ theories and meditations provide a fallacy of information for the student. If one were to watch the movie Abres Los Ojos, a psychiatrist who helps the protagonist to find out the truth about his own reality. In the end, the movie-watcher finds out that the entire movie was a dream. Yet, the psychiatrist tries to tell the protagonist it is not just a simple dream for several reasons, the first being that he exists and is being deceived. Here we have an instance that perfectly demonstrates that erroneous belief of Descartes’, Cogito ergo sum. If this psychiatrist is only figment of the protagonist’s imagination, then is the psychiatrist not being deceived? But if he is only the figment of an imagination, then how can he exist? There are no answers to these questions in Descartes’ second meditation. To further support my inclination, studying the Hindu dogma would lead us to believe that we are all manifestations of Brahma in a dream as he sleeps; as soon as Brahma is to wake up, we would all stop to exist. If we are to still believe Descartes’ theory, then we must discuss the question: What does it mean to have a real existence? To draw on my first example, does the psychiatrist exist? The psychiatrist was a manifestation of some part of the protagonist and existed in his dream, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the psychiatrist has a real existence. The psychiatrist must contemplate Descartes’ belief if he fights so hard for his own existence. In the movie Spider, a man rediscovers his past after spending the last 30-40 years in a mental institution. He relives his past when he is sent to a halfway house in his hometown. We are able to see his spiral into madness as his memories are perverted by himself. He decides that his father has killed his mother and replaced her with a local bar whore. He ends up figuring out that the woman he envisioned (and killed) was in actuality his mother with a mental masque that he projected onto her. In this situation, we must ask Descartes, who exists? The mother or the bar whore? To the protagonist, the bar whore exists and his mother is killed. However, to the protagonist’s father the woman his son sees as a bar whore is the same woman that he has been married to for almost fifteen years. But to the mind of the boy, it is no longer his mother. Furthermore, in another movie, eXistenZ, an entire universe is created for a game by plugging yourself into an organic computer. All the characters and people unique to that organic computer are now in question; do these characters exist? Are these characters real? To the gamer (the one plugged in), these people exist for the moment and only as long as they can be interacted with. This brings into question another philosophical debate of old: If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to here, does it make a sound? How do we know that things beyond our vision exist? Does everything that we can’t perceive with out senses still exist? We breathe air but we can’t see it, or taste it, much less hear or smell it. Thus we come back to Descartes’  first meditation: we don’t truly know what exists and we have no way of justifying our sensory perceptions. Through my own experiences, I posit that I exist because thought I don’t have total control over my surroundings, I can still cause ripples that will change my environment for myself or those who will come there at a later (indeterminate) time. Now to expand this theory, I believe that anything that can cause ripples in an environment exists. Consequently, most anything that we can perceive (and even more that we can’t) exist. Furthermore, just because a thing doesn’t think (for example: rocks, terra, tomatoes, ants) doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, or that it isn’t. My belief also goes for the lack of an existence. For instance, if all the oxygen were to suddenly and instantaneously transport to a different place then a huge vacuum would form in the previous location of all the oxygen. The sudden appearance of oxygen would crowd up the new location and may even force out something else that also exists because that movement also causes a ripple. The initial location of the oxygen would find someway of filling up that space and anything else that exists would be most likely pulled into that area and causing yet more ripples. This system not only provides for existence, it provides a way to check if something exists; simply check if it causes an effect that provides a temporary or continuous change on the environment, and even if it doesn’t provide a change that can be readily registered by your senses that doesn’t necessarily mean that a thing doesn’t exist (see oxygen example in preceding paragraph). The only things that are not included in this definition is brain density; no matter how dense it is, the brain will produce the same thought processes and consequently not exist. Descartes is ultimately wrong in his conclusion that thought and contemplation of existence proves existence. In that case, what is existence? Existence occurs when a ripple is formed to change an environment, and therefore close to everything has existence of some kind, if only primary ripple effects are observed.

Account Receivable and Dealer Information System

Chapter 1 Introduction I- Project Context Andi’s Fashion Boutique is a small shop that sells Fashionable clothes and retail shop. The Andi’s Fashion Boutique located at Sitio Tampoco Barangay Matatalaib in Tarlac City. The Area of Andi’s Fashion Boutique was in a public place at the front of the Magic Star grocery in Matatalaib Based. It was also a lots of different Business located near the Andi’s Fashion Boutique like Drugstore, Beauty Salon and Food House. It was the only boutique in the area. The Andi’s Fashion Boutique started in year of 2010 at month of May. When the Business started, they only sell products of Sundance, Avon and Natasha. The business arises in one year, and earn some Capital, from that Capital they maintain and add different kinds of apparel until they selling Shoes, Bags, Cosmetic and became a distributor of Avon, Boardwalk, Natasha, Sundance, MSE, FX, Hang-ten, Tupper Ware and personal collection. The Andi’s Fashion Boutique came from the Names of a married couples namely Mary Anne Arciaga as registered business owner. Mary Anne Arciaga has the idea to be independent is business. He’s lovable husband named Dennis Marcelo was her business partner for the reason that they have the knowledge and idea to start a small business as well as their service of income. The company needs to standardize certain rules and regulation regarding business. How they wished they could manage every single task a company must do for the sake of their dues business became complicated with large number of works to monitor on sales, collection, reports, and accounts. Such problem affected the company’s customer service commitments and caused low productivity and profit levels. The need to increase manpower certainly will affect income and complicate the company’s operation. Updating reports have wasted time and effort with the use of personnel’s operation. The Company’s need to keep certain information about dealers they must monitor due and overdue accounts and minimize payments delinquencies in order to maintain good customer service and management to personnel relationship. The delays incurred by the company in processing overdue accounts in the conventional way affecting accomplishment of other task like concentrating on increased production. Computers have been around for many decades, but few companies realize what computers are capable of doing. The only things they know about computers is that, they can store and retrieve data on its faster than a secretary can. They never realize that it can perform a lot of things more than savings and open files. They never knew what with it; they could develop a system exclusive for a certain task and may be customized in accordance to their preferences. With these in mind, the company indeed needs a totally reliable computerized system to backup its personnel in order to facilitate smooth flow of transaction faster than they may ever imagined and capable of performing delicate task. A system greatly diminishes delays in monitoring company progress An Account Receivable system to specify. II- Purpose and Description The company needs to develop their transaction processing system, when it comes to their accounts receivable how they wish they could manage every single task a company must do for the sake of their dues business became complicated with large number of works to monitor on sales, collection, reports, and accounts, such problems affected the company’s customer service commitments and caused low, productivity and profit levels. The need to increase manpower certainly will affect income and complicate the company’s operation. The company’s need to keep creation information about dealers they must monitor due and overdue accounts and minimize payments delinquencies in order to maintain good customer service and management to personal relationship. The delay incurred by the company in processing overdue account in the conventional way affecting accomplishment of other task like concentrating on increase production. Computers nowadays have been around for many decades, but few companies realize what computers are capable of doing the only things they never realize that it can perform a lot of things more than saving and opening files. They never know what with it; they could develop a system exclusive. With these in mind the company indeed needs a totally reliable computerized Accounts Receivable System in order to facilitate smooth flow of transaction faster that they may ever imagine and capable to performing delicate task. A system gently diminishes delays in monitoring company progress and Accounts Receivable System to specify. III- Objectives The study aim to provide a system concerning the company problem regarding preparation of on Account Receivable, reducing in collectible accounts, which in turn minimize company losses Moreover, it specifically aims to: 1. 1 Implement a system that can help minimize bad debts or uncollectible accounts considered as losses for the company. 1. 2 Provide a system that will generate reports in a timely manner. . 3 Implement a system that can analyze aspiring dealers and helps decision making of initial credit limit. 1. 4 Implement an Accounts Receivable System that can monitor user login for security purpose. IV- Scope and Delimitations The proposed system is concentrated on the account receivable processing of Andi’s fashion boutique. It will provide automatic computation for rebates, penalties, credits and balances; also it will automatically update due dat es and overdue, and it can generate reports in a timely manner. The proposed system will not cover the Inventory, Accounts Payable, Sales cover, Sales information, and Networking setup for networking purposes. Chapter 2 Related Studies and Literature This chapter presents a brief overview of related literature and studies, and information from electronic resources that were gathered by the researcher that found relevant of this study. After some reading made by the researchers, the following literature and related studies were found related to the study. 2. 1 Related Studies Every business will have an entry on its balance sheet labeled ‘accounts receivable’. This entry is the sum of money owed to the business by individuals or other businesses in return for goods or services supplied. On the whole, in the retail sector, the financial transaction is completed at the point of purchase and accounts receivable are not created. There are exceptions to this general rule, of course. However, in the business world it is usual to extend credit to customers – and it is these credit accounts that form the basis of the accounts receivable figure shown on the balance sheet for the supplier. Credit terms should be clearly defined so both customer and supplier can budget and comply but it is when these credit terms are exceeded by customers that the accounts receivable turn into bad debts and problems arise. Aging receivables are great consumers of resource. They steal time away from other functions, as telephone calls need to be made and letters written to chase payment. They can destroy the supplying company’s credit rating if it becomes unable to meet its own financial obligations because of a lack of positive cash flow caused by aging receivables. The best possible way to avoid problems with debtors is to have clear credit control policies in place. Checks need to be made on potential clients before credit is extended and debts need to be chased, politely but persistently, before they become bad debts. In many cases these two simple actions can minimize the potential for bad debt problems. Despite the best efforts of the most rigorous of credit controllers, there will always be the persistent late or nonpayer’s non payers hem stronger tactics are needed. This is where a relationship with one of the account receivable collection companies comes in useful. West Asset Management offers collection services for both commercial and consumer debts. Working with account receivable collection companies is viewed in different ways by different organizations. For some it is the first step in the credit enforcement process. These businesses take a no-nonsense approach to collections and will send in what are effectively the Big Guns straight away. Others will not engage professional collection services until they have exhausted all possibilities of collecting the outstanding debt with their own resources. The services of a debt collection agency are usually required to extract funds from those who have never had any intention of paying for the goods and services they have received. In the cases of a genuine inability to pay, utilizing such tactics tends to be self-defeating and the likelihood of a successful conclusion to such cases is increased if things can remain amicable. There can be reluctance on the part of organizations to call in collection services for a commercial debt as this action usual ends the trading relationship for good. But, in truth, a non-paying trading relationship really is not worth having. Reputable collection services act within the law governing debt collection. They are persistent and determined to retrieve funds for their clients and manage to achieve this whilst leaving their client’s reputation intact A connotation of quality control of accounts receivable Quality refers to the accounts receivable into the quality of the currency that is a manifestation of accounts receivable liquidity. Quality monitoring accounts receivable, accounts receivable are the right company to evaluate the quality of control, so that their accounts receivable maintained at a reasonable level, which for the enterprises to expand business scale, increase sales and market share have great facilitating role. Monitoring the quality of the implementation of accounts receivable and establish a sound internal control system that is able to monitor and restrict scientific and effective accounts receivable in all aspects so as to ensure full and timely recovery of accounts receivable. Quality control of the content of accounts receivable, including credit policy formulation, the occurrence of credit, collections, risk early warning and other. Accounts Receivable Establishment of Quality Control System   1. 1 The accounts receivable system for quality control of the organization     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1. 1. 1 Production Department to continuously carry out product, competitive advantage to produce products on the market for sales departments to pursue the initiative. In order to build their products a competitive advantage, the production sector in the technical specifications, design, performance, use, etc. to make vigorous efforts to make the company's products over other similar products on the market is more advanced and economy, so as to better to meet customer needs. 1. 1. 2 Sales General sales to go through to accept customer orders for credit approval of credit, according to sales of single-supply, according to sales of a single shipment of goods to the customer billing record to accept customer orders, recording sales and recovery of such processes. The one hand, sales to the corporate credit department to ensure that a reasonable solutions to meet customer demand, the other hand, the internal assessment mechanism should be established to change the past, a single evaluation method, so that recovery of accounts receivable as sales assessment is an important indicator, so that to complete the sale of receivables and personal income tied up, and personal income-related, strengthen, awareness. 1. 1. 3 Credit department Credit management department sales department and finance department of the bridge, its basic functions include the establishment of customer credit files, managing customer credit, conduct  analysis, customer’s credit limit, the implementation of accounts receivable supervision. 1. 1. 4 Financial sector is mainly responsible for the daily management of accounts receivable, accounts receivable ledger by customer set up, establish accounts receivable on a regular basis reporting system to form a regular basis with the occasional reconciliation system. Finance Department to change after the account of the situation, change from passive to active, full play to their accounting and oversight functions; and accountants should strengthen vocational study to understand the operation of the enterprise business processes. The management of the company set the appropriate service control points. department should take the initiative to communicate with the business sector, an accurate picture of the situation and then carry out the accounting and ensure accounts are, for the accounts receivable management. 1. . 5 audit department Audit departments in the accounts receivable management, the supervisory role is mainly reflected in two aspects: first is to continuously improve the monitoring system to improve the accounts receivable control system; the second is to check the accounts receivable monitoring implementation of the system to check whether the abnormal phenomenon of accounts receivable, with or without a significant error, negligen ce, internal fraud, intentionally fails to recover the accounts and so on, to ensure the recovery of accounts receivable. . 2 The accounts receivable system of quality control methods     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2. 2. 1 Quantitative Methods Primarily used for quality control of accounts receivable. These indicators include: solvency indicators, operational capacity indicators, profitability indicators, cash flow targets. The use of these indicators, companies can monitor the  situation, to understand and monitor the quality of accounts receivable. 2. 2. 2 Non-quantitative methods Accounts receivable of non-quantitative method of quality control is mainly the work of law PDCA cycle. PDCA cycle in accordance with  methods of the overall management of accounts receivable should be controlled in advance (Plan), to control the things (Do), after the control (Check) and feedback control (Action) 4 links to dynamically conduct accounts receivable management, and comprehensively improve the quality of accounts receivable management. 2. 2 Related Literature The following section present the different studies and actual application related to the research project being conducted by the researchers. Various innovations have been in existence, all for getting along with the trends of modern technology as a viable means to increase profit and to improve customer service. 2. 2. 1 Foreign studies Accounts Receivable System Published: 2010. 03. 04 As the central financial receivable system for the campus, Billing and Accounts Receivable (BAR) is available to all departments that have accounts in the UCLA accounting system. (BAR)Billing and Accounts Receivable allows campus departments to post charges for services or merchandise provided to both student and non-student customers. All charges and related payments are recorded in the BAR system, and BAR performs the accounting for all transactions using the accrual accounting method. Payments are applied to delinquent fees and collection cost charges first, then to the oldest unpaid charge. Student BAR Bills Students receive a monthly BAR bill, which is a statement of account that provides charge and payment details posted to their account during the prior month. Charges include the quarterly registration fee assessments and various other charges such as Instructional Enhancement Initiative (IEI) fees, residence hall telephone usage, College Library Instructional Computing Commons (CLICC) charges, and Student Health charges among others. Student statements are presented electronically as a bill online through the University Records System Access (URSA). In addition to fees, BAR reflects credits posted to a student's account, such as financial aid, waivers, and cash, credit card payments. Non-Student BAR Bills Non-students receive a paper invoice each month. The BAR invoice provides charge and payment detail posted to their account during the prior month. Charges represent services rendered or merchandise provided on credit. BAR does not provide non-students with an electronic version of the invoice Performance evaluation and ratio analysis of Pharmaceutical Company in Bangladesh University essay from Hogskolan Vast/Institutionen for ekonomi och informatik; Hogskolan Vast/Institutionen for ekonomi och informatik Author: Hossan Faruk, Ahsan Habib [2010] The thesis applies performance evaluation of pharmaceutical company in Bangladesh. It means evaluate how well the company performs. The main aim is achieved through ratio analysis of two pharmaceutical (Beximco and Square pharmaceutical) companies in Bangladesh. The main data collection from the annual financial reports on Beximco and square pharmaceutical companies in 2007 to 2008. Different financial ratio are evaluated such liquidity ratios, asset management ratios, profitability ratios, market value ratios, debt management ratios and finally measure the best performance between two companies. The mathematical calculation was establish for ratio analysis between two companies from 2007-2008. It is most important factors for performance evaluation. The graphical analysis and comparisons are applies between two companies for measurement of all types of financial ratio analysis. Liquidity ratio is conveying the ability to repay short-term creditors and it total cash. It determines perform of short term creditor of both pharmaceutical companies under the three categories such as current ratio, quick ratio and cash ratio. Asset management ratio is measurement how to effectively a company to use and controls its assets. It’s also quantify into seven categories for both pharmaceutical companies such as account receivable turnover, average collection period, inventory turnover, account payable turnover ,account payable turnover in days ,fixed asset turnover ,total asset turnover. Profitability ratio is evaluate how well a company is performing by analyzing and how profit was earned relative to sales, total assets and net worth for both pharmaceutical companies. Debt coverage ratio is performing that the property insufficient to collect their mortgage for both companies and market value is perform the stockholder to analysis their future market value of the stock market. Overall analyses are measurement the best one between Beximco and Square pharmaceutical companies. Relationship between the profitability and working capital policy of Swedish companies University essay from Umea universitet/Handelshogskolan vid Umea universitet; Umea universitet/Handelshogskolan vid Umea universitet Author: Ali Wajahat, Syed Hammad Ul Hassan {2010} Over the years there has been a big debate on the effect of working capital policy on the profitability. Few researchers argue that working capital is just an idle resource with high cost and low benefit associated with it so, companies should follow zero working capital policy but such a policy is very risky because it reduces the liquidity and it might leads to a default. Other researchers support companies to have a working capital policy because they believe that proper management of components of working capital can balance cost and benefits of the company and it will reduce the risk of default by raising the level of liquidity. Companies can choose among three different types of working capital. aggressive, conservative and moderate but their choice depends on their desire level of liquidity and risk. Researchers realize the importance of the topic and lot of research has been carried out all over the world especially in developing countries like Pakistan, India, and Taiwan. Despite the importance of topic we were unable to find any research carried out in Sweden or in any other Scandinavian country. So, this study is conducted with the purpose to explore the relationship between working capital policy and profitability of Swedish firms. Furthermore this study also investigates the nature of relationship between working capital policy and component of cash conversion cycle. For the purpose of our study we used the sample of 37 listed companies in the OMX Stockholm stock exchange over the period of five years (2004-2008). The study has been conducted in a natural environment and it follows the explanatory research strategy. Moreover it is a quantitative study which follows the deductive approach and it is longitudinal in nature. We used GOP as a measure to profitability and CCC is used as a gauge to measure the aggressiveness of working capital policy. We used the secondary data, which has been extracted from the annual financial reports of the companies, to calculate the GOP, financial debt, firm size, fixed financial asset, component of CCC and CCC. In this study, six regressions were run on 185 observations in SPSS software. In each regression analysis dependent variable (GOP), independent variable firm size, financial debt ratio, and fixed financial asset ratio remains the same but independent variable CCCS, CCCA, CCCD, day’s inventory held, days account receivable and days account payable replace each other. The reason for this replacement of independent variables is to find out that how CCC and component of CCC affects the GOP. The result of regression analysis shows that managers can’t change the level of profitability by adopting any of the working capital policy i. e. there exist no relationship between working capital policy and profitability. Furthermore profitability is directly associated with days inventory held and days account payable but it is in inverse relation with days account receivables. 2. 2. 2 Local studies Notably, student information system or SIS incurs such application software designed for educational establishments to manage student data. Student information systems provide capabilities for entering student test and other assessment scores, building student schedules, tracking student attendance as well as managing many other student-related data needs within the institution university. Thus, many of these systems applied in the Philippines can be scaled to different levels of activity and can be configured by their home institutions to meet local needs. Moreover, before universities have created their own bespoke student record systems, but with growing complexity in the business of educational establishments, organizations now choose to buy customizable within the shelf software. It can be that, modern student information systems are usually server-based, with the application residing on central computer erver and are being accessed by client applications at various places within and even outside the school. During the year 1990s, student information systems have been changing and are fast adopted through the presence of a web medium as a channel for accessing SIS without any hassle upon viewing student details and information. Ideally, educational institutions are under constant pressure to demonstrate both willingness and capacity to incorporate the latest devel opments in student information systems along with communications technology supporting various teaching ways. As Liao et al. , (2007) asserts that SIS process within such technological sophistication does create precise knowledge edge, that such SIS application can be appealing to students and to the academic faculty as well as the parents. Thus, believing that technology is the repository of the bulk of the information that underpins society’s major enterprises and concerns and the medium of communication through which SIS interact with one another. Furthermore, SIS is transforming educational tactics understandings and school practices in relation to system information and to be able to assist better communication ground through SIS execution, as found within the heart of learning mechanisms (Liao et al. , 2007). SIS as of today is changing what people is learning upon such as with the burgeoning of the Internet, the control exercised in the past by the Philippines from various departments of education and by individual teachers over pedagogical content may have diminished significantly. Through this new informative medium, resources of varying quality and provenance on virtually diverse subject matter are now available to the students. The amount of material available from unaccredited sources is cause of considerable concern to many educators, brought up them into a more integrated student information system such as those found and applied in the University of the Philippines as well as those within the grounds of Ateneo Integrated school wherein SIS processes of were truly understood and realized by the institutions’ education system. Even within academic disciplines there has already been a shift in the importance accorded to the traditional forms of published knowledge, refereed and refined through well accepted but often painfully attenuated process. In such cases there has been movement towards the more rapid electronic dissemination of findings and opinions albeit in a less polished form, depending more on the judgment of the individual reader han on the processes of SIS effectiveness as implied for validation and verification of student resources (Fyffe and Walter, 2005)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The strong implication for education is that skills in effective online searching should occupy more value and more important place within the education curriculum at all levels wherein the adaptation of SIS is most valued for academe effectiveness. From the perspective of the individual student, SIS incorporates enormously increased potential for representing and manipulating information in range of structured education paradigms and strategic study forms as appropriate for a justifiable application of diverse learning styles. Furthermore, the student information systems do provides greater range of ways through which learners can express their knowledge, including the publication of multimedia presentations to the world at large through the Internet. Aside, some of the information system know-how needs that certain students must grapple with inclusion to discovering how to complete comprehensive reviews of the such research studies, learning how to evaluate sources within the context of their projects, and properly citing and including these sources within their theses or dissertations (Perrett, 2004). Then, because the SIS process is typically completed early into students’ school career and encapsulates each of the facets of knowledge built up and literacy value, including learning what type of SIS is available, finding and accessing system sequence, evaluating tools for the information and then synthesizing the student information system into certain end product for a better career patterns as it seemed like the ideal project to focus SIS and relate it to ample literacy instruction around. While the students had all performed database searches before, they were less likely to have taken advantage of the search management tools available to them through educational databases, how to set up automatic searches to help streamline the research process (Fyffe and Walter, 2005). Like for example, there discusses the benefits of using such bibliographic management software system in order to help illustrate more sophisticated ways of organizing their research. Before the students came to the workshop, they were asked them to fill out brief pre-assessment surveys designed to provide acceptable profile details including their year in school, whether or not they were pursuing their college degree and possible departmental affiliation. Thus, pointing towards SIS within the knowledge of education services as utilized that include databases used and whether or not students were familiar with curriculum software packages (Perrett, 2004). Truly, it is crucial for the advancement of informative research within composed disciplines and the continued successful integration of SIS as applied in the Philippine setting with resources to higher education systems determining that certain group of students can acquire and gain effective knowledge literacy skills through the SIS process and understanding the value of education services crafted to provide best teachings as possible (Belle and Boote, 2004). Then, for SIS assumption, there is a need to engage students with academic assessment such as upon helping students start thinking about what they would like to learn with regards to a better research investigation and knowing what the gaps in students’ understanding might be. Also, encourage the use of SIS in parallel to active learning style which allows students to interact with their classmates and does help the instructor facilitate an enhanced learning experience through SIS application mode and to finally emphasize the value of making   student information connection with a subject teacher for instance geared upon for in-depth education success (Ewald, 2006). (2001) pointed out that the Philippines employed a unique strategy in carrying out the work in audiovisual (AV) archiving. In the absence of an operational AV archives in the country, most of the activities of institutions with AV archive holdings such as the Philippine Information Agency, the UP Film Center, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Mowelfund, etc. , are informally being coordinated by a professional body composed of â€Å"archivists† working in the different institutions involved in archiving. It should be noted though that during the early 1980’s, the Philippines had a national film archive that was fully operational in the real sense of the word. After the 1986 Edsa Revolution, the archive received the least priority and was transferred to the Censors Body. No archiving activity was carried out by this unit since then. The various tasks involved in AV archiving rested on the shoulders of related agencies, not by their own chose but by necessity required of their work. AV archiving activities were separately being undertaken. The turning point came when the Cultural Center of the Philippines, which wanted to organize a Lino Brocka Retrospective, discovered that many of the Brocka films, particularly those hat were significant, were already destroyed. Some of the surviving prints were brought to the Philippine Information Agency for restoration. With no previous experience on cases of this nature, PIA had to turn to other agencies for materials that could be used as reference for the work. The UP Film Center, with its contacts with international organizations and as a recipient of several fellowship awards from UNESCO, provided PIA a copy of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) Manual. This was the first inter-institutional contact in the country that proved to be significant as it eventually led to a formal partnership among the archivists from these institutions in what was to become later as the Society of Film Archivists (SOFIA). The Society of Film Archivists (SOFIA) was formally organized in July, 1993 out of need and in compliance with the recommendation of the ASEAN Planning Workshop Meeting on Film Retrieval, Restoration and Archiving, which the Philippines organized in February, 1996. SOFIA’s membership is made up of individual AV archivists working in cultural organizations, information agencies, broadcasting and academic institutions, film production companies, and film critics. The role of SOFIA in the development of the AV archiving profession in the country is one that has been evolving over time. At the beginning, SOFIA served as a venue for exchanging knowledge and skills. As such, the kinds of projects undertaken during this stage were mostly training programs. Later, SOFIA became an informal coordinating body for activities undertaken by the different institutions involved in archiving. These projects were implemented by institutions as part of their in-house programs and according to what these institutions can do best. This enabled the different institutions to avoid duplication of efforts and therefore saved on scarce national resources. Presently, SOFIA’s role has evolved into that of a mobilize and an advocate for the setting up of a central body that would formally be recognized by the government and supported by the public sector. The effectiveness of this model in the Philippines could be better appreciated in the context of the prevailing situation operating at the time SOFIA was born and the commitment of the members to pursue the work. Prevailing conditions that were considered important that helped bring about the results were the following: a) a clear vision of what was needed. These involved knowing where we were, where we want to go and how to get there; b) the emergence of a Steering Group at the initial stage. This role was assumed by the Philippine Information Agency. Through its work requirement and involvement in ASEAN, PIA initiated projects on the national and regional levels that brought critical agencies together, identified local partners such as the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the UP Film Center, etc. , to assist in implementing the program, and identify succeeding steps to build on previous accomplishments; c) empowerment of the identified partners. This involved getting the partners committed to assume the responsibility of carrying out the work when the agencies involved in AV archiving decided to bond together through SOFIA and initiated and sustained programs and projects for AV archiving as a group or individually in coordination with each other, empowerment of the identified partners had set in; and d) utilization of advocacy techniques that were found effective. Apart from the traditional tools for promotion such as the media, SOFIA used techniques such as requesting the President of the Republic of the Philippines to issue an executive order declaring a week in a year as AV Archiving Week, among others. Organizing international conferences also helped generate interest on the issues. Chapter 3 Methods of Research oing this research is kind of like being a treasure-hunter, researching out clues here and there that finally leads to the treasure –the needed to information. This chapter presents the different research methods, which will be use to design and develop the system. The nature of the research problem and the purpose of the study help determine the research methods to be used. It shows the different data gathering techniques to supplement the research methods. 3. 1 Research Method The research methods that could be used in developing the Account Receivable and Dealer Information System may vary from one study to another because of the integration of hardware materials and programming skills. To achieve the desired and necessary output, research models and methods must carefully design. This helps conceive and practically analyze how the project will look like. In some aspects, combination of various methods could be made in order to grasp the purpose of the study. 3. 1. 1 Descripted Method