Southwest trading company-finance case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Southwest trading company-finance - Case Study Example It is the work of financial experts to analyses this information and establishes the negative side of the information. It is important to understand this side of things because, from there is when financial institutions can decide whether their money is safe or not. On an outward view of proposals, it would be very difficult for financial experts to identify unscrupulous borrowers, which prompt for a deeper look into their financial history. A comprehensive credit analysis by a loan officer should begin with an analysis of prior bank relationships, customers, suppliers, and dealings (Koch and MacDonald 603). All this information can be analyzed using a basic four stages process that checks the overview of firm, size and financial ratios, its cash flow, and finally the borrowers projected financial position. The following analysis is carried out on Southwest trading company’s credit worthiness following the four-part process. Analysis Overview of management, operations, and the firm’s industry An overview of the Mahan’s Southwest trading company reveals three things. ... Furniture and jewelry are luxury goods, and most of them sell during high season. This comes around in summer when there is an influx of tourist and it is portrayed as a time people have more disposable money. Following Steven’s extensive contact base in Dallas and Houston, there is a high possibility of the business being a lucrative especially factoring in the fact that he has already received order prior to opening. Working as both a supplier and a retailer also shows an extended risk. However, it is worth indulging into following the high demand of Jewelry and furniture in Texas where the company will be supplying. The third issue is the quality of data presented by Steve. The data shows a positive trend and the business seem lucrative enough. Steve is a holder of an economics degree, an MBA and has had several years of work experience. His projections can appear substantial enough and following their lump sum investment in the business then the quality of data can be rega rd as significant and worth consideration. Common size and financial ratio analysis A review of Southwest Trading Company’s financial projection statements reveals a number of salient factors. Starting with the income statement it shows a very positive trend I the company’s financial performance for the following five years. Sales are increasing in the first three years after which they stabilize and become consistent. In terms of expenses, the projections are under estimated because considering the business will be involved with exportation to Houston, Texas and Dallas. Delays, transportation costs, warehousing and currency difference ought to be incorporated in costs section of the financial statement.

Genetically Modified Foods Essay Example for Free

Genetically Modified Foods Essay Introduction The world is slowly running out of food. Impoverished people have nowhere to turn. Biotechnology researchers think they have found a way to reverse the world famine. This way is through genetically modified foods which are foods that come from genetically engineered organisms. Examples of such organisms are sheep, cows, and fish. However, since it is a new invention, it is being met with harsh and legitimate concerns. While it may help the world’s food crisis, it may also do that at the expense of human health. Moreover, In the 90’s in the USA, the Food and Drug Administration decided that genetically modified food was safe and did not require special regulation. They stated that is was, â€Å"not inherently dangerous. † (FDA, 1998). This allowed genetically modified food such as soybean oils and tomatoes to enter the market. There are lots of ideas about the GMF. Some scientists say that it is no harmful affects of GMF and it may be a solution for scarcity of food and even it is healthy. However, some others say that GMFs are dangerous for public health. And It can damage biodiversity. Genetically modified foods may be a good solition to increase the amount of food. The problem is there are lots of people go to sleep hungry everyday and the number of hungry people is getting bigger. And International Food Policy Research Institute state there are â€Å"120 devoloping countries† which are very close to limit of hunger and â€Å"57 of which with a serious or worse hunger situation. †(Global Hunger Index, 7) The reason of this hunger is there is not enough food to feed them and because the world population is getting higher but the areas which use in farming are getting smaller. Farmers could not find suitable area to plant their crops. That is why, They have to find a different solution to be productive. Conko argues that biotech agriculture is the method by which we can increase agricultural productivity without resorting to increases in harmful chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. In the Genetic Modification it says that genetic modification provides a means to confer resistance to broad-spectrum herbicides into crops where current weed control is considered difficult. In this way, farmers can be more productive and they can get more product on their fields. â€Å"In the United States, in 2002 about 5. 5 million farmers in 145 nations were planting more than 145 million acres worth of GM crops. † (Conko) On the other hand, genetically modified herbicide tolerant crops might have a negative impact on biodiversity. Genetically Modified crops have an impact on birds and insect. A crop plant modified to be toxic to insect pests can have a direct harmful effect on non-target insects if they eat the plant. It can also have an indirect effect by reducing the insects that are a food source for other wildlife, such as farmland birds. Genetically Modified crops that are tolerant to herbicides could also lead to a reduction in weed populations that act as refuges for beneficial insects, and those that are eaten by birds. This process takes time because of this GM crops evaluate as a good solution but it can destroy the biological diversity. And US conservation organization Royal Society,founded in London In 1660 is a learned society for science, support it. They state that the likelihood of the spread of Genetically modified into the wild populations, the risk of superweeds being produced, the impact Genetically modified introductions might have on the colonies of micro organisms living in the soil and how such risks can be assesed and analysed. Also John Innes Centre, Founded in England is an independent centre for research and training in plant and microbial science, state that Monarch butterfly larvae fed only on leaves covered in pollen from Bt corn grew more slowly and suffered higher death rates and pink bollworm fed on cotton producing the Bt toxin. Aphids fed on Genetically Modified potatoes producing a different toxin were also reported to have a harmful effect on ladybirds feeding on the aphids. Genetically Modified crops can be beneficial for health in terms of their food value. Foods include lots of vitamins which are necessary to our body. In early days, our foods were full of vitamins, proteins, carbohydrate and they were occupied with value. However, now there are not enough foods which are full of value. Because there are lots of environmental factors like global warming which causes to summers takes long time, and scarcity of water, and also some pests. These factors effect the crops and farmers have to use pesticide and this cause to decrease food value. And it leads lots of health problems. And the one of the most important health problem is Vitamin A deficiency. This is the cause of at least â€Å"1 million childhood deaths† each year and is â€Å"considered the single most serious cause of blindness amongst children† in the developing countries. â€Å"A possible solution to this problem is the genetic modification of rice. † ( Potrykus, quoted inGenetic Modification) Although GM foods are benefical for the food value, in some circumstances, it can be very harmful for human health. Without too much control eating genetically modified food can be dangerous and it can lead lots of diseases like Eosonophil Myalgia Syndrome. In this debate, the Physicians and Scientists for Responsible Application of Science and Technology, is a website to educate the general public about genetic engineering in general and foods, revealed that After eating a food supplement produced by genetically engineered bacteria, â€Å"37 persons were killed 1500 people were permanently disabled† in the US in a disease called Eosonophil Myalgia Syndrome. It was caused by one or more extremely poisonous substances that unexpectdedly appeared in this food supplement. This accident confirms the predictions of molecular biologists that genetic engineering can cause the appearance of dangerous unexpected substances. As a Conclusion, there are lots of arguments in the GMF. Maybe It can be a solution for lots of problems, maybe it can be invention of the this century. I think, however, without too much researching about GMF we cannot use it to gain profit. Because human health is important than anything. We have to more careful. In the future, After very deep research about the GMF, we can solve the sustanibility problem. Works cited Chapter 8: Genetic Modification. Agricultural Pollution. 193-211. n. p. : Taylor Francis Ltd / Books, 2002. Environment Complete. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. Genetically Modified Plants and the Environment. Royal Society Submission to the Governments GM Science Rewiev. The Royal Society, 1 May 2003. Web. 31 Mar 2013. http://royalsociety. org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/policy/publications/2003/9827-Environment. pdf. New evidence indicate that genetic engineering was the cause. Most important news. PSRAST, 06 Jan 2007. Web. 31 Mar 2013. http://www. psrast. org/demsd. htm. U S Food and Drug Administration Home Page. Web. Conko, G. The benefits of biotech: as the world’s population grows, environmental stewardship will require science to find ways to produce more food on less land. Regulation, 26(1), pp. 20-25. Print. Spring 2003. Ringler, Claudia ,Rosegrant, Mark W. , Olofinbiyi, Tolulope, Wiesmann, Doris, Fritschel, Heidi, Badiane, Ousmane, Torero, Maximo, Yohannes, Yisehac, Thompson, Jennifer, von Oppeln, Constanze, Rahall, Joseph, Von Grebmer, Klaus, Claudia, Ringler Global Hunger Index. International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), 2012. Print. Impact of growing GM crops on biodiversity. John Innes Centre. Norwich Research Park, n. d. Web. 18 Apr 2013.

Analysis of the UK Confectionery Industry: Thorntons

Analysis of the UK Confectionery Industry: Thorntons Confectionery Industry In The UK Contributes A Major Amount Of Revenue To The Countrys Economy Chapter 1: Introduction Confectionery industry in the UK contributes a major amount of revenue to the countrys economy. Repeated case studies have revealed that the confectionery industry is ever growing and the demand for creativity and innovation in the products in increasingly demanded by the consumers in the UK market. Alongside, the growth in the confectionery industry has also resulted in the stiff competition among the players in the market with many global competitors like Cadbury and Nestle. The growth of more focused and niche market targeting companies have also grown tremendously in the UK, which includes companies like Thorntons, Ferroro UK ltd, etc. The stiff competition in the market and the increased penetration of the big players into various market segments has further disturbed the position of companies like Thorntons. This report is focused on the analysis of the marketing strategies for Thorntons Plc and provides valuable suggestions for future expansion and strategies to gain competiti ve advantage in the UK chocolate market. The report aims to achieve the following objectives To effectively segment the target market for Thorntons and identify those segment(s) here the company can effectively develop its business. To identify the importance of buyer behaviour and establish that the effective deployment of buyer behaviour would help the company understand its target market in detail so as to gain market share. Provide recommendation for an appropriate short-term promotional campaign in the UK for increasing the awareness on the companys products in the target market. Devise a sales or promotion campaign for the company in order to increase its sales through focusing on establishing the brand of Thorntons in the market as a strong competitor. Present a critical analysis of the advertising strategy mentioned in the case study for Thorntons and device a new advertising strategy that would include a creative media based plan in order to increase the awareness among the customers in the target market Also device a critical structure for the direct marketing plans in order to reach the over 50 years segment of customers in the UK market. Chapter Overview Chapter 1: Introduction This is the current chapter that introduces the reader to the objectives of the report and the flow of the report text. Chapter 2: Market Segmentation and buyer behaviour This chapter first presents an analysis on the market segmentation and identifies those segments that the company should target upon for further market expansion. This is then followed by the overview of the buyer behaviour and the use of buyer behaviour by the company in order to gain competitive advantage in its target market. Chapter 3: Advertising and Promotion This chapter first presents a discussion on a short-term promotional campaign for the company in order to increase the awareness of the products in the existing target market. This is then followed by a detailed overview of the advertising plan incorporating creative plans in the media based advertising in order to promote the products of the company. This is then followed by a critical analysis on the direct marketing strategy for over 50 years segment of customers in the UK in order to effectively reach that segment of the market so as to increase the sales as well as the market share. Chapter 4: Conclusion The objectives of the chapter are reviewed against the research and analysis conducted in the previous chapters and then a conclusion is derived based on the results of the analysis. Chapter 2: Market Segmentation and Buyer Behaviour 2.1: Market Segmentation From the case study of the company it is evident that the major segments in the Chocolate market include Count lines Moulded Bars Boxed Chocolates Seasonal Products and Bagged Self lines It is also evident that the company under debate i.e. Thorntons Plc specialize in the manufacture and sale of Boxed continental chocolates in the UK and global market. Hence the market segment that the company primarily operates is under the sub sector of the Boxed chocolates in the Chocolates industry of the UK. A further segmentation of the Boxed Chocolates market in the UK based on the price and quality is presented below The thousand and One Nights: Gender and Power Dynamics The thousand and One Nights: Gender and Power Dynamics GENDER/POWER dynamics as seen in The thousand and one nights The Thousand and one Nights are a collection of stories in the middle east/south asia in the golden Islamic age. The tales are centered around the people Shahrayar and Shahrazad. Sharazad uses her power of storytelling to King sharayar to keep her and others protected from being executed. Throughout the story we see that women are only seen as objects of pleasure as women only can hold onto their power through sex,desire and beauty. Women in the stories in the thousand and one nights The thousand and one nights uses Sharazad to represent feminism as with her wisdom and her way of storytelling we see how she overpowers herself and change Shahrayar.This juxtaposing idea of womens role in society and Shahrazad shows us the actual value that women possess as they are just equal to men. There is also an interesting correlation with gender/power dynamic and with class that is present in the thousand and one nights. There is this common theme in the stories Shahrazad tells sharayar the stories can be labeled as misogynistic as some of the stories told feature men who cause the downfall of women. An example being the short story The merchant and his wife. When reading this story readers might be quite surprised on the message the story is trying to convey that men should be able to beat their wives in order to control them. At first I was quite confused on why Shahrazad tells this specific story in order to change shahrayar but then I found that she tells this story in order to show a reflection of him and his actions. The actual intended message was to show that beating women wont force obedience. Telling this story surprisingly actually worked as she didnt get killed by the king the day after. In the Fisherman and the Jinni we are introduced to a Jinni and Fisherman as this story concerns on this idea of this power dynamic. In the story we are first introduced to this fisherman who we see that this fisherman is near the shores trying to catch fish for his family. We then see the fisherman reels in a golden jar which then a Jinni comes out of. The Jinni then tries to kill the fisherman but fails to do so as the fisherman is then tricked to go back into the jar. We see this idea embedded in the quote Since I must die, he said, before I choose the manner of my death, I conjure you on your honour to tell me if you really were in that vase?' This quote itself makes readers question the validity of status in society as this reveals us how a fisherman is trying/planning to outsmart a Jinni. The fisherman is considered as a person of such low status and him being able to outsmart such a powerful creature must mean something . Status is just a social construct created by society an d Shahrazad telling this story shows this.There is also this strong relation with Allah the story revolves around this idea that if you trust and believe in allah good will always come to you. In one of the stories The Woman Whose Hands Were Cut Off For that She Gave Alms to the Poorwe see an interesting point regarding the gender dynamic commonly seen in the thousand and one nights. We see here a clear portrayal of how women can hold on their power other than things like sex,beauty and desire. Instead we see the women holding onto her power with her generosity. In the story we see here that a womans hand is cut off after giving food to a poor man. Later in the story this act of generosity is what saves her as the scene when she tries to save a baby from drowning the food that she gave to the old man comes and restores her hands. Seen in the story the power of generosity helps her retain her power as a woman. We see this similar concept in another story in the thousand and one nights named The Miller and his Wife . Where the wife used her intelligence to retain her power. The wife in the story after finding out the millers dream about the treasure uses this to try to attra ct the attention of her real lover which is their neighbor. Having this attribute helps her both gain her actual lover and getting rid of her husband. But the exact thing women were valued during this time overcomes her and she fails to get what she wants. Instead of holding onto her power with her intelligence she lets her love and sexual desire for the neighbor get the best of her thus leading her both to lose her love and the treasure. In the Tale of Ala-al din and the wonderful lamp we see this aspect of gender/Power dynamic. Women are rarely given voices and are only to be desired by men. We are introduced to this character named Ala-al-din even is considered the protagonist is actually a character that is filled with greed. When Ala-al-din first meets with the genie and turns ala-al-din who is considered a low-life into a well-respected man only for his riches. When Ala-al din was transformed into this new man we see his undeniable greed as he only wanted to flaunt with what he wanted. His main desire was getting the sultans daughter despite her already being married he makes a plan to her. This idea shows one of the framings of women in the thousand and one nights as in this case we see the daughter acting as a desirable object. At the end of the story we are given this closing which states Aladdin had won the hearts of the people by his gentle bearing. He was made captain of the Sultans armies, and won several battles for him, but remained as courteous as before, and lived thus in peace and content for several years. When reading this quote readers get a sense of this feeling of greed. The theme of Aladdin seems to focus on this idea that the whole rag to riches theme can be only achieved by the feeling of greed. That if you want a better life for yourself you will have to be greedy. Ala Al-Din also shows his power by outsmarting the genie Before meeting the genie Ala al din is seen as a low life as he is very poor but we see this quickly turn around when he meets the genie and is then transformed into a wealthy respectable man. We see this interesting connection also within The fisherman and the Jinni how a person with low status is able to outsmart a being who is considered powerful. This shows how this idea of status is imaginary and means nothing. Ala-al din is actually powerful in his own terms and doesnt need society labelling him of such low status. Conclusively The thousand and one nights in a larger frame actually shows us the power and value that women possess regardless of the fact that the stories were labelled as misogynistic by many and the morals and virtues believed when the stories were made.. Women possess this power of intelligence that helps them retain their power which is clearly seen in numerous stories in the thousand and one nights. The thousand and one nights clearly act as a symbol of feministic literature pieces from many years to come.

Essay --

China has many traditions that they follow very closely. Not much of the Chinese culture has been forgotten or not practiced anymore. But there is one tradition that China does not practice, and for good reason too. Chinese foot binding was first used to show superiority and power. Over the years women started to foot bind their daughters to show beauty and class. Chinese foot binding started in 1700-1027 B.C., during the Shang Dynasty. Foot binding started with the royal family. The Shang Empress had a clubfoot, so she demanded that foot binding be required in the court. Over the years foot binding spread throughout China. The wealthy did it to show wealth and power and eventually even farmers started to bind their feet, making it easier for them to marry into wealth. 40 percent to 50 percent of Chinese women had bound feet in the 19th century. For the upper classes, the figure was almost 100 percent. â€Å"Some estimate that as many as 2 billion Chinese women broke and bound their feet to attain this agonizing ideal of physical perfection†. Farm girls were able to marry into wealth and all was wonderful. People were happy and you were considered beautiful if you had bound feet. Although people were starting to realize that foot binding was making them suffer they continued to do it. They had to be carried around because they couldn’t walk on their prized "three-inch golden lotuses.† Geishas started foot binding before most people except for royalty. The Geishas would bind their feet to show beauty. They were extremely proud of their three-inch prized golden lotuses. "The bandages that women used for foot binding were about 10 feet long, so it was difficult for them to wash their feet," Yang, an old woman now, who grew up in... ...oupe which toured the region. Such public display is a far cry from their youth, when their bound feet limited their freedom, keeping them close to their homes. But the local press criticized the dance troupe, talking of abuse and freak shows. These women yet again are victims of history in a society that finds their dilemma an uncomfortable reminder of its own recent cruelty towards women. Overall, foot binding was a practice that will forever be remembered. Many women have suffered from this horrific practice but they don’t let it hold them back. They strive to overcome being shunned and today, they are respected for surviving the foot binding epidemic. All over China there are old women with bound feet and many stories about growing up with three inch golden lotuses. Many of these women live in the village of Liuyicun. We will never forget the foot binding era .

Csr Framework

Theoretical Framework: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Definition CSR is a much broader concept than business ethics. Business ethics is the application of ethics and ethical theory to the decision of business. CSR claims that businesses are more than just profit-seeking entities and, therefore, also have any obligation to benefit society. CSR is about business and other organizations going beyond the legal obligation to manage the impact they have on the environment and society. In particular, this could include how organizations interact with their employees, suppliers, customers and the community in which they operate, as well as the extent they attempt to protect the environment. Nature According to Carroll’s four-part model, corporate social responsibility encompasses the economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic expectations [placed on organizations by society at a given point in time. Motivation To be corporate social responsible, businesses must go beyond profit-making to be responsible for a variety of stakeholder groups other than focusing exclusively on investors. It is applicable to both large corporations and SMEs. The firm goes beyond compliance and engages in ‘actions that appear to further some social good, belongs to the interests of the firm and that which is required by law’. Outcome The outcome of CSR includes financial performance, corporate reputation – brand & image, employee commitment, cost saving, customers, government, and competitiveness. Components There are six stakeholder groups considered as the most important influence factors in terms of corporations’ social responsibility. They are shown as followings: Customer responsibility practices It demonstrates customer commitment by providing high quality service that includes complete information, responding to customer complaints, and adapting products and services to enhance customer satisfaction. Employee responsibility practices This element includes equitable employee selection, promotion, and compensation practices, supporting employee educational development, and helping employees attain work-family life balance. Investor responsibility practices It encompasses the factors related to seeking investor input on strategic decisions, responding to investor needs and requests, and providing all investors with a competitive return on their investment. Supplier responsibility practices It focuses on developing long-term collaborative supplier relationships founded on open communication and information sharing, cooperative goal- and decision-making, and offering suppliers price guarantees for the future. Community responsibility practices It demonstrates voluntary commitment to improve the quality of life in their local communities by giving resources to local charities, and sponsoring cultural, sports, and education programs. Environmental responsibilities It integrates environmental sustainability goals and objectives in organizational operations. It is typified by voluntarily exceeding government environmental regulations, implementing environmental management systems. Influence Factors There are two types of Influence Factors in CSR, which are Macro Factors and Micro Factors. Macro Factors are the external elements affecting CSR strategy development of the company whereas Micro Factors are those internal elements having effect on CSR strategy decision making of the company. Macro Factors can be the environmental factors such as Political, Economical, Social and Technological elements. On the other hand, Micro factors can be Firm size, Budget, Top management commitment, Decision maker morality and Company culture.

The Giant Panda essays

The Giant Panda essays In the Earth ¡Ã‚ ¯s ecosystem, many species of animals live with mutual cooperation and influence on each other. For example, mankind benefits as much 2.9 trillion dollars from biological diversity. Despite this benefit, however, because of the paucity of awareness of environmental importance, many species are endangered. According to the statistics, the problems of the ecosystem are serious; three species per hour and 20-40 thousands species per year become endangered. China, well known for its variety of climate conditions and its abundant topography, is also faced with the problem of endangered species. Especially, in the case of the giant panda, the emblem of China, China makes an effort to protect pandas. For many reasons, the panda is endangered. First of all, the most important problem of the panda is its copulation habit. Actually, the female and male panda have a different estrous cycle. The female panda ruts from April to May; however, the male panda ruts two or three months later. Therefore, pandas have low ability to copulate. In addition, the panda usually reproduces its kind with two babies per three years. Second, the other important problem is the reduction and destruction of the panda ¡Ã‚ ¯s habitat. The panda lives in a forest and marshy place. However, the panda ¡Ã‚ ¯s habitats fall behind in quality due to the large scale forest clearing and the inordinate grazing. For example, Hyenam, one of the panda ¡Ã‚ ¯s habitats in China, showed the decline of the panda ¡Ã‚ ¯s habitat from 25.7% to 7.2% during 27 years. Indeed, the environmental pollution of land, water, and air makes the panda leave its habitat to find its new suitable places for living. Finally, excessive capturing caused by man is also a big problem of the panda. In Asia, the blood of some animals is well known as a good tonic. So many rich men want to have it, even though they pay lots of money; the panda has this blood. I ...