Martha Washington Essays - George Washington, Daniel Parke Custis

Martha Washington Martha Washington lived a life full of love and sacrifice. She was born as a simple little girl Martha Dandridge to her plantation home in New Kent; she was married at 18 to become Martha Dandridge Custis. Still yet she was widowed at the age of twenty-six with two children and a land of over 17,000 acres to run on her own. Then she met a gentleman by the name of George Washington and Martha became the figure we know today as Martha Dandridge Custis Washington or Martha Washington. Martha was born on June 2, 1731 on the plantation near Williamsburg in New Kent, Chestnut Grove, to her father0, John Dandridge, and mother, Frances Jones Dandridge. She was the eldest daughter of the family and the spirited one. She enjoyed horseback riding, working in her gardens, sewing, dancing, she came to enjoy cooking, and it was said she had a great love for playing the spinet. Her father insisted that his children be educated, so he called for a tutor. The Dandridge children had lessons in the mornings before breakfast, Martha always dreaded them, especially spelling. She would much rather be out playing than sitting inside learning how some words were not spelled the same was as they sounded. Although these studies seemed like a waste of time then, later she would find that they would become quite useful. At the age of fifteen her mother was quite sure that she should learn to act like a lady and practice the etiquette of the day, she had began to help her mother with some of the chores around the house. It was also that same year that she was able to attend her first ball at Williamsburg. Young Martha Dandridge was extremely excited until she arrived at Williamsburg to find things quite different than what she expected and entered the ball to be terribly disappointed. She didnt know any of the other young ladies, who seemed to all know each other well, and she hadnt been prepared by the fashion of the day. She had made her dress herself and though it was of fine material it wasnt like that gowns imported from England that the other girls were wearing. She had not had her hair powdered like the rest of the girls, and she was completely miserable until she met Daniel Parke Custis. He seemed like an honest simple man in his thirties. He probably had an attraction to Marthas simple nature and beauty, Martha was about five feet tall with dark eyes and dark hair, so he asked her to dance. Suddenly simple Martha Dandridge had become the belle of the ball; she was dancing with one of the richest bachelors in Virginia. After a few years Martha and Daniel began to see more of each other and there was talk of an engagement, but first Daniel had to send off for his fathers permission to do so. Although Daniel was a man twenty years older than Martha was he was still under the rule of his father who had become bitter by his marriage and was angry with Daniel for refusing to marry the girl that his father had wished him to. Daniel came back to Martha with a grim look and had decided to give up; he thought it no use to argue with his father. His father was determined that he would not marry anyone that he didnt approve of, especially Martha for she wasnt even known; it was just impossible for his son to marry a nobody. Hurt, Martha went home to her mother in tears. She felt as if she wasnt good enough for the old man. She loved Daniel and wanted more than anything to be with him and the only thing that was stopping them was his father. The man who was miserable in his marriage and apparently wanted Daniel to be just as miserable as he was. Martha was scheduled to return back to New Kent that evening, but not if her mother and her cousin had anything to do with it. They had decided that Martha should stay two more weeks with her cousin Nat and his wife Dorthea, a very popular

Akitas essays

Akitas essays The Akita or Akita-inu is the heavy-duty work-dog of Japan. Named for the province of Akita on Honshu Island, this breed was used to hunt bear, boar, and deer and as a protector of life and limb. Inu translates to dog in Japanese. The Akita is the largest of the eight dogs regarded as being indigenous to Japan. The Akita eventually came to be used as cattle herders and seeing eye dogs, sled dogs and as police dogs. They were also used to baby sit children while their mothers worked in the fields. The Akita is very loyal, yet remains independent. This large and powerful dog has a thick short-haired coat and a large, curled bushy tail. They have erect ears. They are faithful and devoted to their family, making an excellent first class guard dog. The Akita can be aggressive towards other canines and should be kept on a tight leash when around strange dogs. This dog should also be supervised with children and other family pets. The Akita is obedient, but sometimes spontaneous. They are careful and very affectionate with their family. They are very intelligent, courageous, and fearless. It is very willful and needs firm training and socialization as a puppy. They are extremely faithful and thrive on companionship. Although it may tolerate and be good with children from its own family, it may bite. Children must be taught to treat them nice. They can be very food-possessive and willful. They are capable of rage, but with firm training can make a good pet. Obedience training requires patience, these dogs get bored quickly. The Akita needs to be with its family. It vocalizes with many interesting sounds, but it is not an excessive barker. The Akitas double coat is thick and warm and is shed twice a year. If your potential Akita is to live in the house, then you must be prepared for the coat loss. Most of the coat loss will only take a few weeks to get out with warm baths and regular raking and brushing of the ...

Anxiety

Anxiety and anxiety are among the most fundamental emotions shared by all animal species. When faced with danger, it causes a sympathetic battle and a flight reaction so that we can react and defend ourselves. Without anxiety and physiological symptoms such as increased allergy to the environment and increased blood supply to the muscles of the feet, the possibility of a disaster injury or danger will undoubtedly increase dramatically. Moderate anxiety can also motivate individuals for specific events such as exams and presentations that clearly benefit from this behavior. I still feel uneasy from the early days. Stranger, social anxiety, general anxiety, chronic anxiety ... my oldest friend. I am very interested, I think that in the 16 years of education, I have not publicly raised more than five questions. I feel comfortable and safe when arranging private courses. This is getting worse and worse. At university, I have a strong interest in party lifestyle. I found a party for 5 nig hts to avoid anxiety and depression, and the reputation of being drunk. From a very young age I was very interesting and powerful in technology, and at the age of 12 I developed a national football team website. My college has the most powerful and difficult IT degree you can find. I hardly studied, I spent the first year, but I can save only for so long, and I have to quit my favorite university before being kicked out (Rhodes student Because only I can understand). Therefore, I am not a stranger to anxiety. And last month, an article saying that there is a clear link between anxiety and Alzheimer 's disease was published in' Science Alert '. In fact, anxiety may be a sign of Alzheimer 's disease, which is terrible for anxious people. Who is no longer anxious? It is not secure. It is like a Nazi. I am concerned. Russia is uneasy. I am worried about North Korea. Be a woman. I am concerned. Do you know that two-thirds of Alzheimer's disease patients are females? This is because we ar e afraid of all the damn time. These panic attacks are your future self, just intercourse with you and let you know that there is nothing good to happen, it will never get better. Therefore, after 20 to 50 years, we all will be a large group of elderly people with dementia. We all like rats in the maze, meet each other, ask directions and apologize for not knowing anything.

Resume and Cover Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Resume and Cover Letter - Essay Example Here are a few ways that I fit your qualifications: As you can see, I have many of the qualities that you need. Please take a few minutes to look over my resume, then I would like to come in and talk with you about this position at a time mutually convenient. Heres some tips, not necessarily in any order, for resumes. I was a Career Counselor and Ive reviewed and done zillions of resumes, and helped others do the same. Please look this over and tweak it to your liking. I didnt have your major, so I put the marketing/management major in. 1. I rearranged your resume to "fit" the sample that the teacher gave. Now, you can easily take out the internship stuff and use employment things instead. However, this will give you a good basis. The reason I did this was so that we could do the cover letter to match the resume. With more time I might have looked up a "fake" job posting, but I didnt know where you were, and it was much easier to do it this way. 2. The resume must match the job you are applying for and the cover letter must match the job posting and the resume. Employers will be looking at HOW you FIT their position. So, you only want to put on it relevant experience. You dont have to put everything down. 6. Professional strengths should be those things that you do well that are relevant for the job you are applying for. Again, you don’t have to list everything. Just those things that are relevant that will entice them to look at the rest of the resume. 8. I took out the doctors names on two of the jobs -- you could put their names as a reference, or use them when they ask for references. If they ask you who you worked for in the interview, you can tell them then. You don’t want them (necessarily) to call the doctors and ask about you before they interview you. Therefore, dont put the info on there. 10. On the Cover letter, I would list point by point the skills that you have that match the job

Discussion about influences has television had in our society Essay

Discussion about influences has television had in our society - Essay Example Television has both good influences and bad influences on society. The following essay will talk about these in detail. There is no doubt that Television has many good influences. Firstly, Television is an audio/visual medium making it easy for the audience to follow programs. It uses graphics, sound recording and film technology to bring lively and interesting material to the enjoyment of the audience. Many people when they come back from office or school switch on the Television and relax themselves. More importantly, it also provides news bulletins and science programs for gaining knowledge. For school-going children it offers sport programming like live baseball telecast, etc. All this are very useful and perform an important social role. In fact, Television has become such an important part of everyday life that we cannot imagine how life will be without Television. (Bignell, 2004) Television has been used for the purpose of education as well. For example, class-rooms can show s tudents interesting movies that are part of the curriculum. Class-room can also show recorded lectures and science documentaries. With respect to society, Television brings awareness about global issues so that all of us can act together. One example of this is global warming, about which information is provided in Television. With this we can act together and save the planet. Television also has plenty of advertisements. While some ads can be boring, some others provide information about products, which we can use when we go shopping. (Noll, 2011) Television not only performs a social role but also a family role. It brings all members of family together during evenings. In fact, it has become part of family routine at dinner time. Television gives news about weather conditions. We can take precautions against rain and storm by watching weather news. Also, Television is used these days in closed-circuit cameras for security reasons. On the negative side too, there are many points. F irst, watching Television for long time is bad for the eyes. Television can distract students from focussing on studies. It can make young children lazy and keep them away from books and sports. Parents are especially worried that Television has bad effect on society as it shows violence and crime. Young people can get the wrong idea about life watching such programs. For example, a young person watching use of guns on Television might later kill someone with a gun in real life. So it is very dangerous in cases like this. It also gives wrong idea about how to treat women, etc. In other words, Television can show women in stereotype fashion. Hence, not everything about Television is good. (Freedman, 2002) Television can cause problems in society by showing racial discrimination, etc. For example, if black people are not shown in programs, one gets the impression that they are not important people. Television news can also be flawed. For example, we cannot believe everything the news anchor says as truth. Sometimes they give inaccurate information to deceive the viewer. So one has to be careful about the truthfulness of news. Also, the information given in advertisements can be misleading. Many companies are just trying to make quick money and will show any false claims to sell products. So we have to be careful while watching Television. (Bignell, 2004) Finally, Television has many limitations which make it not useful for in-depth analysis. That is, Television can never replace the

Econ Problem Set Essay Example for Free

Econ Problem Set Essay 1) Describe the effects on output and welfare if the government regulates a monopoly so that it may not charge a price above p, which lies between the unregulated monopoly price and the optimally regulate price (determined by the intersection of the firm’s marginal cost and the market demand curve). As usual, the monopoly determines its optimal output on the basis of MR = MC. Here, however, it cannot charge a price in excess of p*. So, for any output less than Q(p*) (where Q(p) is the demand function) its marginal revenue is p*. On the graph below that gives: pm p* MR MC Demand q m q * 2) The inverse demand curve a monopoly faces is p=10Q-1/2. The firm’s cost curve is c(Q) = 10 + 5Q. Find the profit maximizing price and quantity, and economic profit for the monopoly. Revenue = pQ = Q(10Q-1/2) = 10Q1/2 MR = 5Q-1/2 MC = 5 Profit maximization implies MR = MC, so 5Q-1/2 = 5, or Q* = 1; p* = 10. Economic Profit = Revenue – Cost = Q Ãâ€" p – c(Q) = 1(10) – (10 + 5Q) Economic Profit = 10 – 15 = -5. So, the monopoly will not produce at all, and will have a profit of zero. 3) The inverse demand curve a monopoly faces is p = 100 – Q. Find the profit maximizing price and quantity, and economic profit if: a) The total cost curve is c(Q) = 10 + 5Q. p = 100 – Q, R = p Ãâ€" Q = (100 – Q) Ãâ€" Q, so MR = 100 – 2Q. C(Q) = 10 + 5Q, therefore MC = 5. The profit-maximizing rule is MR = MC. 100 – 2Q = 5 ⇒ Q* = 47.5, p* = 100 – Q* = 52.5 So the profit-maximizing quantity is 47.5 units. The firm will charge $52.5 per unit. Economic Profit = Revenue – Cost = Q Ãâ€" p – c(Q) = Q(100 – Q) – (10 + 5Q) Economic Profit = 47.5(52.5) – (10 + 5(47.5)) = $2,246.25 b) The total cost curve is c(Q) = 100 + 5Q. How is this similar/different from that found in part a? The optimal price and quantity are the same, because the marginal cost doesn’t change. The marginal cost is constant at $5 as before. By setting MR = MC, the firm will have the same profit-maximizing solution. The only thing that changes is economic profit. Economic profit here is $90 less than in the previous problem (because of the difference in fixed costs). So, Economic Profit = $2,246.25 – 90 = $2,156.25. c) If the total cost curve is given by c(Q) = 16 + Q2. C(Q) = 16 + Q2, therefore MC = 2Q. The profit-maximizing rule is MR = MC. 100 – 2Q = 2Q ⇒ Q* = 25, p* = 100 – Q* = 75 So the profit-maximizing quantity is 25 units. The firm will charge $75 per unit. Economic Profit = Revenue – Cost = Q Ãâ€" p – c(Q) = 25(75) – (16 + Q2) = $1234. d) If the (total) cost curve is given by c(Q) = 16 + 4Q2, find the monopolist’s profit-maximizing quantity and price. How much economic profit will the monopolist earn? C(Q) = 16 + 4Q2, therefore MC = 8Q. The profit-maximizing rule is MR = MC. 100 – 2Q = 8Q ⇒ Q* = 10, p* = 100 – Q* = 90 So the profit-maximizing quantity is 10 units. The firm will charge $90 per unit. Economic Profit = Revenue – Cost = Q Ãâ€" p – c(Q) = 10(90) – (16 + 4Q2) = $484. e) Suppose (again) that the total cost curve is given by c(Q) = 16 + Q2 and the monopolist has access to a foreign market in which it can sell whatever quantity it chooses at a constant price of 60. How much will it sell in the foreign market? What will its new quantity and price be in the original market? It will sell on the foreign market up to the point where its marginal cost = 60. Since Marginal Cost = 2Q that means total production is 2QT = 60 or QT = 30. Domestic sales are now based on the marginal cost of $60 per unit, so The profit-maximizing rule is MR = MC. 100 – 2Q = 60 ⇒ QD = 20, pD = 100 – QD = 80 It will sell the remainder on the foreign market: QF = 30 – 20 = 10 units. f) Finally suppose the monopolist has a long-run constant marginal cost curve of MC = 20. Find the monopolist’s profit-maximizing quantity and price. Find the efficiency loss from this monopoly. MR = 100 – 2Q. The profit-maximizing rule is MR = MC. 100 – 2Q = 20 ⇒ Q* = 40, p* = 100 – Q* = 60 So the profit-maximizing quantity is 40 units. The firm will charge $60 per unit. Efficient production and price are: pe = 20; Qe = 80. Then Dead-Weight-Loss =  ½ (60 – 20) (80 – 40) = $800. 4) A monopoly sells its good in the United States, where the elasticity of demand is –2, and in Japan, where the elasticity of demand is –5. Its marginal cost is $10. a) At what price does the monopoly sell its good in each country if resales are impossible? The price-discriminating monopoly maximizes its profit by operating where its marginal revenue for each country equals the firm’s marginal cost. Hence, the marginal revenues for the two countries are equal; MRUS = MC = MRJ. MRUS = PUS (1 + 1/ÃŽ µUS) = MC. PUS (1 – 1/2) = 10. Therefore, PUS =20. MRJ = PJ (1 + 1/ÃŽ µJ) = MC. PJ (1 1/5) = 10. Therefore, PJ =12.5. b) What happens to the prices that the monopoly charges in the two countries if retailers can buy the good in Japan and ship it to the United States at a cost of (a) $10 or (b) $0 per unit? If retailers can buy the good in Japan and ship it to the United States at a cost of $10, then it can sell the good in the United States at the price of $22.50. Since it is not profitable, it never happens and nothing changes. However, if the shipping cost is zero, retailers can buy the good in Japan for $12.50 and sell it in the United States for $19 for a profit and undercut the monopolist. This means the monopoly cannot price-discriminate any more. As a result, there will be a single common price which will be somewhere between $12.5 and $ 20. 5) A monopoly sells in two countries, and resales between the countries are impossible. The demand curves in the two countries are p1=100 – Q1, p2=120 – 2Q2. The monopoly’s marginal cost is m = 30. Solve for the equilibrium price in each country. The price-discriminating monopoly maximizes its profit by operating where its marginal revenue for each country equals the firm’s marginal cost. Hence, the marginal revenues for the two countries are equal; MR1 = MC = MR2. P1 = 100 – Q1 MR1 = 100 – 2Q1, MC = 30 Since MR1 = MC, Q1*=35. Therefore, P1* = 65. P2 = 120 – 2Q2 MR2 = 120 – 4Q2, MC = 30. Similarly, MR2 = MC. Therefore, MQ2*=22.5 and P1* = 75.

Militant Monks Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Knights Templar, a military order of monks answerable only to the Pope himself, were founded in 1118. Their primary responsibility, at least initially, was to provide protection to Christians making pilgrimages to the Holy Land. They rose in power, both religious and secular, to become one of the richest and most powerful entities in Christendom. By the time of their disbandment in 1307, this highly secretive organization controlled vast wealth, a fleet of merchant ships, and castles and estates spanning the entire Mediterranean area. When the crusaders captured Jerusalem from the Muslims in 1099, the Church encouraged all faithful Christians to visit that holy city in order to affirm their faith. The area, however, was still subject to sporadic attacks from various non-Christian factions. A small group of knights, led by Hugh de Payens, vowed to protect the pilgrims. The group was granted quasi-official status by King Baldwin II of Jerusalem, who allowed them quarters in a wing of the royal palace near the Temple of Solomon. It is from this initial posting that the order derived its name. They took the standard vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and were bound to the rules of the Augustinian order. [Upton-Ward 1] The order languished in near-anonimity for several years, despite generous contributions from various European personages. In 1126, Count Hugh of Champagne, having donated his estates to Bernard of Clairvaux for use in building a monestary for the Cistercian order, arrived in Jerusalem to join the Templars. This action indirectly obligated Bernard to support the newly chosen advocacy of his benefactor. He wrote to the count, "If, for God's work, you have changed yourself from count to knight and from rich to poor, I congratulate you." [Howarth 49] In the year 1126, King Baldwin found two reasons for wanting official recognition of the order. First, he had, perhaps prematurely, bestowed upon Hugh de Payens the title of Master of the Temple. Second, the king had the opportunity to launch an attack on the city of Damascus, but he needed more knights. Papal recognition would allow open recruiting in Europe for the order. King Baldwin sent a letter to Bernard of Clairvaux, the order's primary patron, later known as Saint Bernard, asking him to petition the Pope for official recognition of the order. [Howarth 50-51] The King's letter ... ...ghts Templar. The final blow, however, was probably three-fold: a general unpopularity of the order among the European aristocracy, due in part to jealousy; a chronic shortage in the French treasury, despite heavy taxation; and Master de Molay's refusal to consider a merger of the Templars with the Hospitallers, as suggested by the Pope. The fact remains, however, that no evidence of heresy was ever found. [Burman/Templars 180] An order founded by nine knights in Jerusalem came to amass great wealth and power, which speaks well of their integrity and discretion. They became the "shock troops" of the Holy See. When they lost their original mission of protecting pilgrims upon the fall of Jerusalem, their downfall became inevitable. [Sinclair 37] Works Cited: Burman, Edward. The Inquisition. New York: Dorset, 1984. --. The Templars. Rochester, VT: Destiny, 1986. « Howarth, Stephen. The Knights Templar. New York: Dorset, 1982. Payne, Robert. The History of Islam. New York: Dorset, 1987. Robinson, John J. Born in Blood. New York: Evans, 1989. Sinclair, Andrew. The Sword and the Grail. New York: Crown, 1992. Upton-Ward, J. M. The Rule of the Templars. Suffolk: Boydell, 1992.

RBC Analysis Essay

Executive Summary In today’s demanding market, it is essential to know how to make good investments. The following is an in depth qualitative and quantitative analysis of the Royal Bank of Canada. First, RBC and its subsidiaries will be introduced including information about its history and current situation. The qualitative analysis will consist of RBC’s general information, history, business segments, and corporate social responsibility. Secondly, ratios and other quantitative information pertaining to RBC’s investment situation will be analyzed. Finally, with respect to the qualitative and quantitative data, an investment recommendation will be made Investment Criteria A company’s ethics and proper management are just as important for their success as their financial data. In order to decide whether or not to invest in a company one must research the company inside and out starting with where the company has come from all the way to their current situation. A company’s history is of the utmost importance because it reveals management trends and past ethical decision making that could reoccur. Another important aspect of a company’s history is their international expansion and the companies they have done past business with. The industries companies choose to merge with are a good indicator of where they will invest their money in the future. More specific to the banking industry, sustainability has become one of the most important criteria for investment. Especially after the financial collapse of 2008, banks with strong sustainability stood out and gained ground on the high-risk high reward banks. From a quantitative perspective, data trends can help predict if a company is on a small skid or headed toward future collapse. Ratios can help determine how quickly a company can pay back their liabilities as well as how efficient they are being with their shareholder’s money. A company’s stock may rise or fall depending on their current situation and how the market is fairing overall. The amount of assets and acquisitions a company makes can lead a potential investor to believe they are expanding. Usually good financial data investment criteria are a current ratio >2:1 and an ROA >5%. Company Introduction The Royal Bank of Canada is Canada’s largest bank by assets and market capitalization. The bank has offices in Canada, United States and 49 other countries. Currently, there are 80,000 full and part time employees at RBC with close to 15 million clients worldwide. The company has a good balance between retail and wholesale banking with over two-thirds of their revenue coming from Canada. The other main geographical markets include U. S. (16%), while all other revenue is distributed internationally (17%). (See Appendix A) Qualitative Analysis History The history of a company, industry it is present in, and prior success are some of the main factors when considering investing in a company. RBC has been a leading Canadian bank since June 22, 1864 when it was incorporated as the Merchants Bank of Halifax. Its name was changed to The Royal Bank of Canada in 1901. Twenty-four year later it merged with the Union Bank of Canada on the basis of 1 share of Royal Bank stock for two shares of Union Bank stock. Since then, RBC has taken advantage of many international joint ventures and foreign acquisitions. Most notably in Cuba, Britain, and West Germany. Post-1980, the bank created joint ventures in China with China International Trust & Investment Corp. and began acquiring financial companies in North America. All of the sudden, RBC found themselves competing with large new international banks. During this time, the bank also made a larger commitment to their corporate social responsibility as their charitable donations reached 25. 5 million in 1999. Most recently, RBC has been striving to become a more broad-based financial services group rather than a traditional commercial bank. Although RBC wanted to keep with it’s main goal of being the #1 banker in Canada, they also wanted to build a stronger overall North American identity. Technology based products took the lead in the bank’s new American market strategy. In going along with this strategy, RBC acquired the world’s first Internet bank in order to take advantage of e-banking services. Finally, the bank has developed a new global brand strategy in response to their growing North American presence, which requires the RBC financial group banner to each business platform and operating subsidiary. Business Segments The Royal Bank of Canada has five main business segments. The largest of these segments is their personal and commercial banking segment, which makes up 56% of their earnings. RBC was named the largest and most profitable retail banking in Canada as well as the 2nd largest bank by assets in English Caribbean (†Corporate Profile†). The bank provides cross-border banking for Canadian clients and U. S. wealth management clients. Their second largest business segment is their capital markets sector. Their capital markets department deals with corporate and investment banking, equity and debt distribution as well as trading. This segment is recognized as the 10th largest global investment bank by net revenue and was also named the best investment bank in Canada across equity, debt, and M&A five years in a row (â€Å"Corporate Profile†). The third business segment of RBC, which makes up 11% of their earnings, is their wealth management division. Investment, trust, credit, and other wealth management and asset management solutions are all included in wealth management. The division was named top six global wealth mangers by assets as well as ranked #1 in Canada in both retail and asset management (â€Å"Corporate Profile†). Finally, their insurance and investor & treasury services make up the last 11% of the bank’s total earnings. The insurance segment deals with life, health, home, auto, travel, and wealth accumulation solutions. Achievements of the insurance segment include receiving high marks for â€Å"Likelihood to Recommend† and â€Å"Ease of Doing Business† (â€Å"Corporate Profile†). Their investor & treasury services provide global custody, fund administration, and asset servicing to institutional investors. (See Appendix B) SWOT Analysis Strengths: Leading Market Position: RBC is Canada’s largest bank measured by assets and market capitalization. Leading market position in Canada enables the bank to gain economic economies of scale. Significant Presence in the US and UK RBC is the sixth largest full-service brokerage firm in the US and operates in a network of 42 states. In the UK, RBC is considered a Gilt-edged market maker and actively trades in either conventional or index-linked gilts (â€Å"Welcome to ALADIN†). Strong Balance Sheet RBC has a strong capital ratio and common ratio that are much greater than those required under Canadian standards. Also, the bank’s operating leverage declined between the years 2008 and 2010 showing potential from raising new capital (â€Å"Welcome to ALADIN†). Weaknesses: Asset Quality Deterioration RBC’s asset quality has been deteriorating since 2007. More specifically their gross impaired loans to total loans and acceptances ratio has grown between the years 2008 to 2010. Growth and profitability concerns at US operations Although RBC realized an overall growth in revenue in 2009, they also experienced a loss of net income. The US is RBC’s second largest market and can deeply impact the companies overall growth as a whole. Opportunities: International Expansion RBC has a rich history of international acquisitions over the past 30 years. Continuing with this aggressive strategy paves the way potential increases in revenue and profit expansion. Canada’s Promising Economic Prospects Canadian GDP has shown positive growth within the past two years. Attributing to this growth has been an increasing demand for commodities and improving global financial market conditions. Threats: Increasing Interest Rates As Canadian interest rates rise, so does the potential for a decrease in demand for financial services. High Taxation Banks in Canada are taxed at a much higher rate than other countries. In addition to Canada’s high taxation, the bank also faces high tax rates in the US; it’s second largest market (â€Å"Welcome to ALADIN†). Corporate Social Responsibility RBC has a clearly defined community and sustainability mission as they have been contributing to building a better future since 1864. Emphasis is put mainly on investing in the future by delivering quality products, protecting the environment, and sustaining a productive workplace. In respect to the community, RBC invests millions of dollars in health, sports, and the arts. More specifically they created RBC Play Hockey, which provides hockey gear to under privileged children. RBC believes that the game of hockey can bring a community together and provide a fun, competitive atmosphere among kids. Twenty grants, each of which was $25,000, will be awarded across North America (â€Å"Corporate Profile†). In respect to the environment, climate change, biodiversity, and water are weighed heavily upon. The RBC Blue Water Project helps educate people about the importance of preserving clean water in order to have enough fresh water for the future. The main component of the program is a ten-year, $50 million donations program, which supports not-for-profit organizations that protect watersheds and ensure access to clean drinking water (â€Å"Corporate Profile†). In RBC’s workplace is built upon the notion of shared values, and a sense of responsibility toward others. They look to provide a safe and flexible working environment with career growth opportunities. Also, the bank provides short and long term savings and wealth accumulation programs for their employees. Quantitative Analysis (See Appendix C) Balance Sheet: RBC has realized a 14% increase in assets over the last three years. This growth in assets is an indicator for an increase in stock returns. However, many times a growth in assets leads to sluggish returns as too many assets weigh down the bank (â€Å"Welcome to ALADIN†). Basic accounting procedures require all financial information on the balance sheet to even out. Therefore since RBC’s assets grew by 14%, so did they liabilities and shareholders equity. This increase in the bank’s liabilities can be attributed to inventory being purchased, issuing bonds payable at a discount, retirement costs for current employees etc. Paid-in capital, the year’s net profits, or a new share offering can increase shareholder’s equity. Shareholder’s equity is especially important for banks such as RBC because of the amount of capital they are given to invest. Cash Flow: Net investments cash flow represents the gain or loss in cash flow from investments made in the financial market and operating subsidiaries. In 2009, RBC had a positive cash flow indicating they were not investing heavily at the time. However, in the next two years, huge investments were made which made their net investments cash flow to go far below zero. Having a negative overall cash flow is not necessarily a bad thing, but instead may be a result of heavy investments. Nevertheless, RBC has maintained sustainability and kept their overall cash flow positive despite their large investments. Income Statement/Retained Earnings: RBC’s total revenue has decreased by 5% over the last three years. However looking deeper will reveal a huge increase in the company’s revenue over the past five years. In 2007 and 2008 the total revenue was $22,462 and $21,582 respectively (â€Å"Welcome to ALADIN†). This data revels an overall increase in revenue of 22% between 2007 and 2011, which any company would be proud of. In addition, RBC shows their continued effort toward sustainability as their retained earnings increased by almost 20% in the past three years (â€Å"Welcome to ALADIN†). In effect, this increase shows that a healthy profit exists even after dividends are given out to the shareholders.

Learning from LeapFrog Essay

1. What was the Leapfrog business model at the time that the company launched its first products and services? How did the business model change over time? 2. Who are LeapFrog’s key stakeholders? How does LeapFrog deliver value to each of these stakeholder groups? 3. At the time of the case, Leapfrog had become the #3 consumer toy company in the U.S. behind #1 and #2, Mattell and Hasbro respectively. What factors contributed to Leapfrog’s success? Do you expect the success to continue in the future? 4. What challenges and opportunities does the company face in early 2003? Would you buy stock in Leapfrog? Why or why not? As an independent member of the company’s board of directors, what would you expect of management in the short-term and long-term? How would you fulfill your fiduciary duties to the company’s shareholders? Canyon Ranch 1. What is the value of customer information to Canyon Ranch? 2. As CIO, how would you make the case for customer relationship management (CRM) and business intelligence (BI) systems at Canyon Ranch? 3. What impact would you anticipate these systems to have on the Canyon Ranch strategy and capabilities? 4. What advice do you have for Canyon Ranch executives? Business Intelligence Software at SYSCO 1. What will be the biggest obstacles faced by the business intelligence implementation as it expands throughout SYSCO? 2. Why did SYSCO decide to initially address only two questions with its new BI software, rather than using it as a more general analysis tool in the operating companies? Why did Business Objects recommend this approach? What are its strengths and weaknesses? 3. Will effective use of BI software ever be a competitive differentiator for SYSCO? Wouldn’t it be straightforward for another food service company to also purchase and implement similar software? 4. How much software should Day purchase at this time? Boeing’s e-Enabled Advantage 1. What challenges and opportunities did Boeing face in the late 1990s? 2. What is the e-Enabled Advantage? How did it link to the company’s strategy? 3. What advantages would such an approach give Boeing? 4. What challenges did Boeing face in executing such a radical new strategy? CareGroup 1. Describe the health care context in which the case occurs. 2. List several strengths of the IT environment at CareGroup. 3. On the other hand, list several weaknesses that led to the collapse. 4. Evaluate carefully the 10 lessons that John Halamka learned from the experience. What are the pros and cons of each of these lessons? Are there other learnings that come from this situation? The IPremier Company: Denial of Service Attack 1. How well did the IPremier Company perform during the seventy-five minute attack? If you were Bob Turley, what might have you done differently during the attack? 2. The IPremier Company CEO, Jack Samuelson, had already expressed to Bob Turley his concern that the company might eventually suffer from a â€Å"deficit in operating procedures.† Were the company’s operating procedures deficient in responding to this attack? What additional procedures might have been in place to better handle the attack? 3. Now that the attack has ended, what can the IPremier Company do to prepare for another such attack? 4. Describe the ethical implications of not being sure if credit card numbers had been stolen. What options do you have in the struggle to be an ethical vendor, yet to stay in business? What actions would you take? 5. In the aftermath of the attack, what would you be worried about? What actions would you recommend? Strategic Outsourcing at Bharti Airtel Limited 1. What must Bharti do well to succeed in the Indian mobile phone market? What are Bharti’s core competencies? 2. Do you think Bharti should enter the outsourcing agreements outlined by Gupta? What do you see as advantages and disadvantages of such agreements? How do the different outsourcing agreements work towards building these core competencies? 3. If you were Bharti, what major concerns would you have about entering an outsourcing agreement with IBM? With Ericsson, Nokia, or Siemens? 4. How would you structure the agreements to address your concerns and capture any advantages you have identified? What governance mechanisms would you design for the agreements? 5. Assume the role of IBM or Nokia. What major concerns would you have about entering an agreement with Bharti? How would you structure the agreement and the governance mechanisms? VW of America: Managing IT Priorities 1. What is your assessment of the new process for managing priorities at Volkswagen of America? Are the criticisms justified? Is it an improvement over the old process? 2. Who controls the budgets from which IT projects are funded at Volkswagen of America? Who should control these budgets? Should the IT department have its own budget? 3. How should Matulovic respond to his fellow executives who are calling to ask him for special treatment outside the new priority management system? 4. What should Matulovic do about the unfunded Supply Flow project? The ITC eChoupal Initiative 1. What was ITC’s motivation for creating the eChoupal? 2. What were the old and new physical flows and information flows in the channel? 3. What principles did it employ as it built the newly-fashioned supply chain? 4. What barriers did ITC face in embarking on this project? 5. How should ITC develop this platform for the future?

An Introduction to Socioeconomic Status

An Introduction to Socioeconomic Status Socioeconomic status (SES) is a term used by sociologists, economists, and other social scientists to describe the class standing of an individual  or group. It is measured by a number of factors, including income, occupation, and education, and it can have either a positive or negative impact on a persons life.   Who Uses SES? Socioeconomic data is gathered and analyzed by a wide range of organizations and institutions. Federal, state, and local governments all use such data to determine everything from tax rates to political representation. The U.S. Census is one of the best-known means of collecting SES data. Nongovernmental organizations and institutions like the Pew Research Center also collect and analyze such data, as do private companies like Google. But in general, when SES is discussed, its in the context of social science. Primary Factors There are three main factors that social scientists use to calculate socioeconomic status: Income: This is how much a person earns, including wages and salaries, as well as other forms of income such as investments and savings. The definition of income is sometimes expanded to include inherited wealth and intangible assets as well.Education: A persons level of education has a direct impact on their earning ability, with higher earning power leading to more educational opportunities that in turn increase future income potential.Occupation: This factor is more difficult to assess because of its subjective nature. White-collar professions that require a high degree of skilled training, such as physicians or lawyers, tend to require more education and thus return more income than many blue-collar jobs. This data is used to determine the level of ones SES, usually classified as low, middle, and high. But a persons true socioeconomic status doesnt necessarily reflect how a person sees him or herself. Although most Americans would describe themselves as middle class, regardless of their actual income, data from the Pew Research Center shows that only about half of all Americans are truly middle class. Impact The SES of an individual or group can have a profound influence on peoples lives. Researchers have pinpointed several factors that can be affected, including: Physical health: Communities with low socioeconomic status in the U.S. have higher rates of infant mortality, obesity, and cardiovascular health issues.  Mental health: Along with poor physical health, communities with low SES report more cases of depression, suicide, drug abuse, behavioral and developmental issues.General health and welfare: Along with the impact on an individuals well being, socioeconomic status can also have an impact on communities, including rates of crime and poverty. Oftentimes, communities of racial and ethnic minorities in the U.S. feel the effects of low socioeconomic status most directly. People who have physical or mental disabilities, as well as the elderly, are also particularly vulnerable populations. Resources and Further Reading Children, Youth, Families and Socioeconomic Status.  American Psychological Association. Accessed 22 Nov. 2017. Fry, Richard, and Kochhar, Rakesh. Are You in the American Middle Class? Find Out with Our Income Calculator. PewResearch.org. 11 May 2016. Tepper, Fabien. What is Your Social Class? Take Our Quiz to Find Out! The Christian Science Monitor. 17 Oct. 2013.

Consumer product safety Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumer product safety - Research Paper Example l injury and defense of negligence Duty of care and breach of duty care This is a legal obligation of a person or organization to avoid omission, which can be, reasonably foreseen consequently causing harm to others. In this context, the duty of care of manufacturers of garlic slicer is fundamental to avoid potential risks to users. In actual sense, manufacturers have a responsibility of care to prevent damage or injury arising from failure or fault of their products (Consumer Product Safety division). It is noteworthy that, the model of the duty of care should be proved before proceeding with an action in negligence. Conversely, an individual who without any element of personal fault sustains an injury caused by a defect in the design or manufacture of a product rendering it unreasonably dangerous to normal use, may recover from the product’s manufacturer without proof of negligence. Standard of care This refers to manufacturer’s obligation of ensuring proper descripti on of product usage. It involves a provision of proper usage guidelines and associated cautions (Consumer Product Safety division). This may include package inserts, which describes all forms of information related to the prescribing data. The package inserts refers to the specific product information, which includes the medication itself. It is worth noting that, the product inserts do not define the standard of care for the use of the prescription medications however, the key concern is how the courts rule on the matter. The fundamental aspects attributed to the insert information include the possibility of establishing the applicable standard of care, which can be used as evidence in the determination of the applicable standard of care. In addition, whether this information can be used to in the... Consumer product safety Consumer protection statute refers to the laws that regulate relationships between individual consumers and manufacturers. This study examines the product liability statute. This statute governs the liability of the manufacturers, wholesalers, distributor and vendors for damages caused by faulty products. The fundamental role of the product liability statute is to enhance consumer protection from dangerous products. This law holds the manufacturers, wholesalers, and vendors responsible for such product faultiness. Manufactures have a fundamental role in ensuring the consumer safety is assured. However, restriction on negligence actions implies that, while damages may be recompensed for individual damages or injuries caused, damages will not be awarded for economic losses. Consumer protection statute refers to the laws that regulate relationships between individual consumers and manufacturers. This study examines the product liability statute. This statute governs the liability of the manufacturers, wholesalers, distributor and vendors for damages caused by faulty products. The fundamental role of the product liability statute is to enhance consumer protection from dangerous products. This law holds the manufacturers, wholesalers and vendors responsible for such product faultiness. In conclusion, manufactures have a fundamental role in ensuring the consumer safety is assured. However, restriction on negligence actions implies that, while damages may be recompensed for individual damages or injuries caused, damages will not be awarded for economic losses.

Financial Statement Fraud Schemes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Statement Fraud Schemes - Essay Example This case involves several characters, namely; Mr. Karina Ramirez, the director internal auditor at Apollo Shoes Company, the engagement manager Mr. -Darlene Ward law, Mr. Arnold Anderson the engagement partner and the intern Bradley Crumpler (Timothy, Loretta, & Kenneth, 2011). The communication in this company entails the use of email messages because physical interaction is limited between the employees (Timothy, Loretta, & Kenneth, 2011). Based on this case it can be scrutinized that the company accountants has not been ensuring that all items are properly recorded for easy audit. Additionally, the company does not have enough experts to carry out audit work (Timothy, Loretta, & Kenneth, 2011). This can be scrutinized with a scenario where an intern was incapable of making necessary entries in the books of accounts as other members were busy doing other duties (Timothy, Loretta, & Kenneth, 2011). Poor financial management has subjected customers to financial difficulties and this has made the company fail to accomplish goals and objectives. This can be substantiated by in the director statement when he asserted that the company sales was not strong and therefore there was a need to relook on the marketing plan(Timothy, Loretta, & Kenneth, 2011). 1. Identify potential financial statement fraud schemes would likely be present in Apollo Shoes Company The financial statements fraud schemes has been presented in the Apollo’s Company case in numerous ways. There have been some underlying discrepancies between the figures in the financial statement and director’s reports (Timothy, Loretta, & Kenneth, 2011). For example the audited financial statement indicated that Inventories were valued at $18,825,205.24 while unaudited financial statements indicated that inventories were valued at $$67,424,527.50 (Timothy, Loretta, & Kenneth, 2011). This shows that there was a discrepancy of $48599322.26 obtained by finding the difference between the unaudited and audited financial figure which is a clear indication that fraud was taking place (Timothy, Loretta, & Kenneth, 2011). Additionally, inventories were valued at $18,825,205 in the year 2010 while reserves were valued at $3,000,000 (Timothy, Loretta, & Kenneth, 2011). This shows that there was an approximate of fifteen percent reserves in the company. On the contrary, inventories were valued at $67,424,527 in the year 2011 while company reserves were valued at $867,000 indicating that there were only 1.2% reserves (Timothy, Loretta, & Kenneth, 2011). The above discrepancy was so wide and therefore it is a clear sign that fraudulent acts were taking place in Apollo’s company (Timothy, Loretta, & Kenneth, 2011). In above connection, it can be scrutinized that the company did not established measures to safe guard shareholders interest. For instance; between 2009 and 2010, revenues were reported to increase from 10% to 15 % respectively and that customers were allotted a fair shar e according to the directors’ report (Timothy, Loretta, & Kenneth, 2011). However, this was not the case because the figures could not be reflected in the books of accounts. Additionally, it has been reported that customers were undergoing via financial difficulties (Timothy, Loretta, & Kenneth, 2011). 2. Describe the types of evidence you would look for to