Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Mountain West Health Plans Inc Essays

Mountain West Health Plans Inc Essays Mountain West Health Plans Inc Essay Mountain West Health Plans Inc Essay Mountain West Health Plans Inc In every organization, success depends on, among other factors, the leadership exhibited by its management. Leadership may be defined as the behavioral act of creating conducive environment whereby people exploit their full potential with a view of realizing organization’s vision and mission. There are four key leadership styles, commonly referred to as Dimensional Behavioral Model, and illustrated as Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 representing dominant-hostile, submissive-hostile, submissive-warm, and dominant-warm respectively. In the case of mountain west health plans Inc. the leadership styles displayed by Quinn, Rasmussen and Evelyn are very elaborate and reflect directly to the performance of the organization. Evelyn Gustafson’s leadership style reflects Q3 whereby there is low concern for productivity but a very high concern for people. Being experienced and knowledgeable on the tasks, her main objective was to make sure that the whole of her d epartment’s staff was comfortable, happy and gave satisfactory information to subscribers. The latter was achieved through training and the end result was customer satisfaction and a very peaceful working environment. The style is useful in coordinating and harmonizing people in the firm. However, Evelyn’s overfriendliness to subordinates had a negative effect to the firm’s efficiency. She gave them too much freedom and breaks, the end result being few calls being made and complaints of customers hold-up. This style of management tends to be unstructured, decisions are made based on popularity, conflicts resolved on smoothing-over and there is likelihood that someone with, say Q1 behavior, may take advantage of the Q3 submissiveness. Evelyn derived her influence from happiness and comfort of subordinates around her with no complaints whatsoever. Her main desire was to satisfy her social needs. Erik Rasmussen on the other hand had a Q1 style of leadership whereby he preferred productivity over the feelings of people. His main objective was to ensure the number of calls went up, costs went down and efficiency improved, all of which he achieved. Erik was hostile and aggressive, he was a hands-on manager with a mind to win, and his communication was one way – ‘do it my way or leave’. This style focuses predominantly on results and it is well structured. Testimony to this is that Erik managed to raise turnover from 10% to 30%. However, the domineering effect of this style instills fear and insecurity, which leads to low morale and poor quality of output. In the case of Mountain West, although the number of calls increased, the quality of those calls reduced and led to increased complaints from unsatisfied customers due to inaccurate information by pressed staff. This style suppresses development of skills and denies subordinates opportunity to make independent decisions. Erik’s source of influence is the belief that people must be pushed to work and his desire to satisfy his recognition and respect needs. Quinn, as the leader in the firm, should recommendation that Erik reduce the hostility towards workers while at the same time maintaining the dominant effect by adopting the Q4 behavior. Once the workers feel respected, they will get motivated to work and will not be affected by the pressure exerted by Erik. This change will be possible through performance appraisal which will highlight the gains in output and the dwindling quality of work. Quinn will have to reiterate that the consequence of subscribers’ complaints will be loss of their confidence and probably loss of business. Therefore Eric should warm up to people but still be forceful. From the above discussion, the management style adopted by a manager is very crucial on the performance of the firm. The manager should have clarified expectations, be given freedom to perform and held accountable for the results. This will ensure that the best leadership style is followed.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Social Security Disability Lawyers I Disability Attorneys Michigan

Social Security Disability Lawyers I Disability Attorneys Michigan Disability Attorneys of Michigan Help Local Fork-Lift Operator Get The Disability Benefits He Needed John worked as a forklift operator for many years until he got sick and needed heart surgery. He was unable to work for over a year and had mounting medical bills. John applied for social security disability benefits on his own, but was denied twice. He was very discouraged, and didn’t know what he was going to do without income.He made one last attempt at getting Social Security Disability benefits when he called Disability Attorneys of Michigan for help.We explained the entire process to John, reviewed all of his paperwork, made revisions, filled out documents, and secured the necessary medical bills and doctor signatures and documentation. Disability Attorneys of Michigan fought hard and we won John a monthly check.If you have been denied social security disability benefits, don’t give up. Call Disability Attorneys of Michigan at 800-949-2900 for a free confidential consultation. We’ll let you know if we can help you get a monthly check. It is very difficult t rying to get social security disability benefits on your own in Michigan. Don’t worry, just call Disability Attorneys of Michigan for help.If we do not win your disability case, you owe us nothing. We only get paid if we win your disability benefits claim.Disability Attorneys of Michigan works hard every day helping those in Michigan get the disability benefits they need. If you are unable to work, contact Disability Attorneys of Michigan for a free consultation at 800-949-2900.Let Michigan’s Leading Social Security Disability Law Firm Help You Get The Benefits You Deserve.Disability Attorneys of Michigan. Compassionate Excellence. Disability Attorneys, Disability Attorneys of Michigan, Social Security Disability, social security disability attorneys, social security disability law firm, social security disability lawyers

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Has the recent recession around the world hit the international Essay

Has the recent recession around the world hit the international business and trade badly Especially the automotive industry - Essay Example a deal assuring to provide a colossal package to combat the impact of global recession on the automobile industry (EUbusiness Ltd 2010), it still remains to be complex phenomena as to why the recession took such a heavy toll on trade and commerce worldwide. Critically speaking, a set of entropy predicted the probable outcome of a sweeping downward surge in various cross-country economies, eventually leading to discrepancy in the ratio of production and consumption. These factors lay hidden both in the functional as well as the structural aspects of the car industry. The editor of the Dog Lemon Guide Clive Matthew-Wilson notes that the international automobile sector can produce approximately 90 million new units every year, which is well over the estimated 60 million buyers. Drawing on from this statistics, he concludes that in the aftermaths of global recession, the potential consumer market was mobilized independently by respective states – a deal which is not very likely to last forever. Hence, it is notable that the affordability factor in terms of owning personal automobiles will continue to weaken furthermore as the world starts adjusting to the ongoing slump (Dog and Lemon Guide 2010). In the light of this evidence, this paper is going to critically assess the impact of recession on international trade and commerce, particularly the automotive arena. The study will incorporate discussion of the relevant literature duly backed up by empirical evidences, followed by detailed analysis of the methodologies. Lastly, a questionnaire attached at the end of the document will reflect the research findings and provide assistance to conducting interviews for further elaboration of the methodologies. Before elaborating furthermore on the thesis question, it is worth investigating into the period that led up to the recent financial crises around the globe. It may be noted, however, that bulk of the study in this regard will focus on the US trade infrastructures and

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Global Corporate Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Corporate Strategy - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the emerging markets of India and China have been recorded as the fastest growing nations in terms of consuming higher rates of oil, gas and petrochemical products. In this context, the global energy companies such as British Petroleum (BP), Shell, Mobil, and Total have been highly recognized to involve competitive pricing strategies in order to gain substantial return from their global subsidiaries especially located in the emerging markets. However, the oil and gas companies have also been witnessing numerous issues not only for their competitive business strategies but also for their radical impact on the global ecosystem. In this context, the organizations associated with global oil and gas manufacturing industry must also contend with changing regulatory requirements involving their corporate governance different environmental issues. Emphasising the unabated challenges and opportunities faced by the dominant marketers in global oil and gas industry, the essay tends to carry out an appropriate analysis of the global corporate strategies adopted by BP and other world-class Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical suppliers such as Shell, Mobil, Chevron and Total since 2010 to date. The essay also tends to demonstrate the corporate strategic measures of BP in terms of creating a high-performance culture in the global business locations that enable it to effectively deal with both challenges and opportunities in the global oil and gas industry as well.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Globalization and Its Effects on Mexico Essay Example for Free

Globalization and Its Effects on Mexico Essay Mexico has the size and assets which could contribute to wealth and prosperity within their borders. The nation has the second longest border with the United States, significant oil resources, and the 11th largest population in the world. Mexico underwent all the necessary free market changes to help support globalization despite initial resistance, but they are yet to complete the interior microeconomic makeover they drastically need. Mexico has many things working for them but continue to underperform when it comes to global power and economy, China out performs Mexico for low-cost manufactured goods and India is often the target for outsourcing jobs and services over Mexico (Biggs, Shiess). After sustained pressure from the United States and the International Monetary Fund, Mexico decided to change their global economic stance to one that supports the free market. They changed their economy to one based upon exports, they eliminated most tariffs while lowering others, attracted foreign direct investment and private state assets, and finally reduced government spending. These steps were taken at an effort for Mexico to join in on the economic benefits of globalization, but Mexico only finished half of the necessary adjustments necessary for economic prosperity. (Biggs, Shiess) Many residents of Mexico may blame their problems on issues such as the drug cartels, the lack of quality jobs, or lack of foreign investment. Although these ideas may contribute to the problems that control Mexico, they are not the true reason. After Mexico completed their globalization efforts by using the ideas of macroeconomics, they had only completed half the necessary adjustments to truly co mpete as an economic superpower in the world today.(BBC News) Mexico has failed in great part due to their stubbornness and interior corruption to evolve their nation from that of an above average Latin American Economic power, to that of one on par with most European nations, China, India, and the United States. The second half of the puzzle that Mexico is missing relies heavily on the ideas of microeconomics. Mexico never created the level playing field for companies within their country and is greatly powered by monopolies which ruins an economy due to lack of competition and innovation. For Mexico to begin to succeed in the free market needs to put resources into banks, education(specifically on technology), mechanisms which will support collaboration between competing companies, and most importantly new laws to disallow the monopolies which control Mexico’s economy. (Biggs, Shiess) Until these steps are taken Mexico remains a country which can be overwhelmingly difficult to do business in, which turns away the majority of investors, and people looking to expand companies into different countries. It is not a good sign when according to the International Finance Corporation Mexico ranks 75 out of 183 countries in the world for â€Å"ease of starting a business†. (IFC) Around the year 2000 when the globalization movement was fully set in motion, Mexico was going through an extreme change in their political stance as well. This was a major problem for Mexico, even though the economic changes which were drastically needed were happening outside Mexico’s borders it is a very difficult task of changing their political institutions at the same time of changing economic institutions. Mexico continues to stand where they are rather than take a step back to allow for future gains, for example Mexico continues to rely on their state owned oil giant Pemex instead of bringing in new companies and investors for an attempt at innovation and competition in their oil industry. (Biggs, Shiess) Until Mexico decides to take a small hit and clean house in regards to their current internal economic stance companies will continue to avoid Mexico at all costs. Startup companies need stability in a political and economic system, and until Mexico is willing to offe r that and put in place fair trade laws, better tax laws, and economic regulations they will continue down the same road. Mexico is greatly reliant on their petroleum exports; this has been called the Resource Curse by many experts. The problem lies in that when they started to nationalize their oil resources, they needed foreign investment to refine petroleum into oil as they lacked the local funds to do so themselves. This results in some economic benefits due to other countries purchasing crude oil for themselves, but the process remains to be quite draining on what could be the road to economic prosperity. Mexico needs to mine the crude oil, export it to outside nations where they can refine it and then re-import it as gasoline. (Biggs, Shiess) The biggest problem that their fossil fuel dependence will bring upon Mexico is that the country is relying on the industry, and because demand and prices are high Mexico has no reason to start new industries. Oil is a fossil fuel and resources are diminishing, and when they are gone Mexico will not be in even rougher shape than they are currently. Mexico is at the crossroads when it comes to their economy and what direction those in power want to take the country in. As of right now the globalization efforts have helped the Mexican economy but due to lack of funds and a change in political scenery at the same time Mexico was unable to fully capitalize on the free market. They may have helped their trading relationships with outside countries, but not enough was done within their own borders to disallow corruption and monopolies. Mexico is stuck in place until they take the necessary short term economic downfall to get the full rewards from globalization. With the constant changing of political motives, problems with drug cartels, and corruption the chances of new businesses starting up is slim. Without new businesses to inspire competition the economy will continue to rely upon oil to sustain the country’s economy, but eventually the oil resources they have will run out and lead to ultimate turmoil within Mexico. Works Cited Biggs, Cate, Ami Shiess, Kelly Korenak, Linda Chang, and Laura Neumeister. World Savvy Monitor. World Savvy Monitor. Ed. Anita Trachte. The World Savvy Board, Aug. 2009. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. . Mexico Country Profile. BBC News. BBC, 09 Apr. 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. . Doing Business in Mexico World Bank Group. Doing Business in Mexico World Bank Group. International Finance Corporation, 2012. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. .

Friday, November 15, 2019

Oppostition To The New Deal :: essays research papers

Why was there opposition to the New Deal? In many ways the New Deal turned out to be a success. It clearly stopped the Depression from getting worse; gave hope and confidence to the American people at the worst tome in their history; and ‘saved’ American democracy. But why did it face so much opposition and criticism. Firstly, many people believed that the New Deal went against the basic principles of the American constitution. Many people, including the Republicans, thought that the government should not interfere with the economy or help the poor, i.e. there should be policy of laissez faire. However, Roosevelt defied this by setting up social welfare systems and by setting up the National Industry Recovery Act. Later on, however, the Supreme Court decided that several of Roosevelt’s laws were unconstitutional and they were subsequently vetoed. Moreover, after Roosevelt’s victory in the 1936 election, Roosevelt grew so confident that he felt he could replace members of the Supreme Court with people chosen by himself. However, this did no go down well with the American public and as a result many people began to oppose Roosevelt and his policies. Secondly, the New Deal meant that the rich were taxed more in order to pay for the schemes to help the poor. Many business leaders also opposed Roosevelt’s support for trade unions and employee rights. Wealthy business organisations, such as the American Liberty League, opposed Roosevelt. As they did not like the way the New Deal ‘interfered’ with business. Thirdly, more serious opposition came from radicals, such as Louisiana state senator Huey Long, who believed the government and the New Deal had not done enough to stop poverty and unemployment. Long called for taxation of the rich and the total confiscation of all fortunes over $5 million. His ‘Share our Wealth’ scheme, Long claimed, would give each American family $6,000 to spend. These ideas became very popular among the poor, with over 7.5 million people joining these schemes. There was also much opposition from the States who believed that the New Deal was undermining their authority. Oppostition To The New Deal :: essays research papers Why was there opposition to the New Deal? In many ways the New Deal turned out to be a success. It clearly stopped the Depression from getting worse; gave hope and confidence to the American people at the worst tome in their history; and ‘saved’ American democracy. But why did it face so much opposition and criticism. Firstly, many people believed that the New Deal went against the basic principles of the American constitution. Many people, including the Republicans, thought that the government should not interfere with the economy or help the poor, i.e. there should be policy of laissez faire. However, Roosevelt defied this by setting up social welfare systems and by setting up the National Industry Recovery Act. Later on, however, the Supreme Court decided that several of Roosevelt’s laws were unconstitutional and they were subsequently vetoed. Moreover, after Roosevelt’s victory in the 1936 election, Roosevelt grew so confident that he felt he could replace members of the Supreme Court with people chosen by himself. However, this did no go down well with the American public and as a result many people began to oppose Roosevelt and his policies. Secondly, the New Deal meant that the rich were taxed more in order to pay for the schemes to help the poor. Many business leaders also opposed Roosevelt’s support for trade unions and employee rights. Wealthy business organisations, such as the American Liberty League, opposed Roosevelt. As they did not like the way the New Deal ‘interfered’ with business. Thirdly, more serious opposition came from radicals, such as Louisiana state senator Huey Long, who believed the government and the New Deal had not done enough to stop poverty and unemployment. Long called for taxation of the rich and the total confiscation of all fortunes over $5 million. His ‘Share our Wealth’ scheme, Long claimed, would give each American family $6,000 to spend. These ideas became very popular among the poor, with over 7.5 million people joining these schemes. There was also much opposition from the States who believed that the New Deal was undermining their authority.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Evaluation of corporate performance Essay

Evaluation of corporate performance Introduction Hershey Company History   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hershey chocolate company was founded in the United States by Milton Hershey in 1909. The Hershey Company is a leading manufacturer of quality non-chocolate and chocolate and other chocolate-related grocery products in North America. The company has in excess of 80 brands around the globe and its annual revenues are about $ 7.1 billion. Some of the famous brands of Hershey Company include Jolly Rancher, Reese’s, Hershey’s, Ice Breakers and Hershey’s kisses (Bozich, 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hershey Company has been focusing on improving its presence in main international markets as well as making sure that they have a competitive edge in North America. In addition, Hershey Company has great plans of expanding its portfolio into other brands other than confectionery, where they will find out new ways of bringing goodness to individuals everywhere. For over 120 years, the company has been committed in carrying out good business through operating sustainably, ethically and fairly thus making a positive influence on the society. In this regard they been contributing towards a better life for its consumers, communities, employees, and eventually making sure that those children who are in need have a bright future (Stansberry, 2012). Strengths and weaknesses of Hershey Strengths   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hershey Company has grown from to a $ 4 billion having various quality chocolates. The company also has a strong brand name which gives the company a strong image. The company has many strengths since they have been in business for a long period of time. The company has got a very good reputation among the shareholders since it pays the dividends always in time to all their shareholders. This has also led to many consumers being loyal to them and to have trust on the company. The company is popular due to their strong customer relations. Another strength of Hershey is that their pricing reasonable thus making them to be affordable to everyone. The Hershey Company enables their customers to make lifestyle choices which are balanced at work, school and also in the community. The company has more than fifty brands in their portfolio and has acquired very many corporations in America (â€Å"The Hershey Company,† 2012).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hershey has a huge share of the market in North America and the sales keeps increasing almost each year. Hershey brands are produced for the health conscious customers to make sure that Hershey chocolates are healthier alternatives. Hershey Company assures their consumers with health issues for instance diabetics that the chocolates they sell to them are safe and healthier alternatives. The key strategy has been reinventing the image of the chocolates from being the way they are deemed as a source of excessive calories and sugar thus making individuals to be obese and/or diabetic, to a more appealing image where the chocolates are regarded to be a significant aid for protecting the customers from the heart disease and also enhancing the metabolism rate through using the flavonoids in their products (Kash, 2012). Weaknesses   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hershey company has however some weaknesses where they are supposed to improve in some areas so as to be more effective and profitable. The company is supposed to try gaining more experience in international market. Also around the world, the company has got very few multinational distributors. The company also has focused their business operations more in United States, where they make more money in United States more than countries around the globe. The company has high borrowing level in order to finance their business operations (Bozich, 2009). Financial analysis of Hershey Company   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hershey earns very high returns on the invested capital than most businesses because of its leading brands and huge market share. Dividing the after-tax operating profit of the company by its average invested capital reveals that Hershey earns a return on invested capital in excess of 15 percent on the average. This shows that for every dollar that the company invests in maintaining or expanding its business, Hershey earns in excess of $ 0.15 in the after-tax profits every year. Therefore, Hershey earns approximately 15 percent of the after-tax return on their stock portfolio every year thus making it a very profitable business (Freedland, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In addition, the company compounds the effect through lowering its share count continually. Although since the financial crisis Hershey Company has been unable to repurchase a huge number of the shares, the continuing trend reveals that the company is committed towards reducing its share account over time. The Hershey’s combination of shareholder-friendly management and high returns on the invested capital has enriched the shareholders of Hershey Company over the last 20 years (Bozich, 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hershey Company has a leading and growing share of the United States chocolate market; its brand’s portfolio is more popular among the Americans compared to other brands of the other companies. This enables the company to charge prices which are higher than those of its competitors, thus enabling it to earn very high returns on the invested capital. Hershey will continue earning super profits as long as the Americans focus more regarding the brand which they are buying compared to the price of sugar-and-cocoa combination (Bozich, 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 2010, the net revenues of the company were 5.67 billion dollar with a net income of 510 million dollars. There was an increase of about 7% from 2009. Financial analysis shows that Hershey has been doing well financially. Hershey Company has for many years remained stable and profitable. The revenues of the Hershey company have been increasing every year. Despite the high revenues the company was highly affected by recession in 2007; however the company was able to recover the recession at a pace which is fairly quick. The net income of the Hershey company in 2007 decreased from 559 million dollars to 214 million dollars (Freedland, 2010). The net income of the company since 2007 has risen and in 2010 was listed at 510 million dollars. The revenues of the Hershey Company from 2006 were as follows: 2006: $4.94 billion2007: $4.95 billion2008: $5.13 billion2009: $5.30 billion2010: $5.70 billion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The EPS and profit margin of Hershey Company from 2006 goes along in the same trend. Hershey’s profit margin went to 4.3% in 2007 from 11.3% in 2006. The profit margin has been increasing steadily and recently was backed up to 8.9 percent. Similarly, the earnings per share of Hershey in 2007 went to $0.93 from $2.34 in 2006. After a constant increase, recently the earnings per share was listed at $ 2.21. The sales of Hershey Company rose by 2.4 percent year- over – year in first quarter of 2014 (â€Å"The Hershey Company,† 2012).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shares in Hershey Company have increased by over 25 percent in past one year, and now they are trading at 100.38 dollars. Earnings per share for the recent financial year were $ 3.61and in the current financial year Hershey expects the earnings per share (EPS) to be in a range of between $ 4.02 and $ 4.11. This means Hershey Company is currently trading at 27.8 times compared to the earnings of last year and between 24.4 times and 25.0 times anticipated earnings for 2014. However, even if the EPS for 2014 is expected to be $ 4.11, the anticipated EPS growth for 2014 is 13.85 percent. This growth rate in EPS is a bit lower compared to the recent years. The EPS growth from 2008 to 2013 were as follows; 46.24% in 2008, 39.71 in 2009, 16.32 in 2010, 23.98 in 2011, 5.84 in 2012 and 24.48% in 2013 (Bozich, 2009). Despite a growth rate which is lower than usual, Hershey Company is trading a price to earnings ratio which is higher than usual. Shar eholders who invested in the company paid 23.5 times on average of the EPS of the previous year between 2008 and 2013. This level is a bit lower compared to the 27.8 times of the last year’s earnings that Hershey Company is valued at currently. Hershey is currently valued 3.1 times of the last year’s revenues. The financial analysts anticipate that the revenues of the company will be 7.63 billion dollars in the current financial year thus giving Hershey Company a ratio of price to sales of 2.9.This is relatively high ratio compared to that of the last six years (Stansberry, 2012). The Hershey Company pays $ 0.485 as the quarterly dividend. The increase experienced in the price per share made the dividend yield to go down to 1.92 percent. Nevertheless, Hershey’s dividend has been increasing at an increased rate in the recent the recent years. Due to the anticipated growth of EPS of 13.85 percent, the dividend is expected to rise to 0.55 dollars per quarter. This would lead to an increase the dividend yield to about 2.19 percent while the payout ratio will be between a range of between 50% and 55% (â€Å"The Hershey Company,† 2012). Hershey Company has a balance sheet which is excellent with quick ratio of 1.30 and current ratio of 1.77. In addition, Hershey Company has 1.12 billion dollars or 5 dollars per share in regards to cash and cash equivalents. Hershey Company is a great company ideal for investment for those investors who focuses on long-term income growth. Although, the company has high growth in the recent years, at the current valuations the Hershey’s stock seems to be overvalued (â€Å"Why Hershey Is Overvalued,† 2012).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ROE (Return on equity) assesses the rate of return realized on the money invested by the shareholders and retained earnings of a given company emanating from the previous profitable years. This shows the ability of the company in generating profits from the equity of the shareholders (â€Å"Financial management,† 2011).ROE (DuPont formula) = (Net profit / Revenue) X (Revenue / Total assets) X (Total assets / Equity) = Net profit margin X Asset Turnover X Financial leverage X Net Income = $497.170731707million Net profit margin= (Net Income / Revenue) = (497.170731707 / 4666.22320769) = 10.65 %Asset turn over = (Revenue / Total Assets) = (4666.22320769 / 3881.64976454) = 1.2021Financial leverage = (Total assets / Equity) = (3881.64976454 / 1152.32256262) = 3.3685The Hershey Company’s annualized ROE for the quarter ended in Jun. 2014: =10.65 X 1.2021 X 3.3685 ROE (Dupoint system) = 43.15 %   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ROE (Return on equity) shows how efficiently a company is using investment funds in generation of earnings growth. ROEs that are between 15 percent and 20 percent are deemed desirable.Economic Value Added measures the financial performance of the company on basis of the residual wealth. EVA is calculated through deducting the cost of the capital from the company’s operating profit (â€Å"Financial management,† 2011).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Economic Value Added = Net Operating Profit After Taxes (NOPAT) – (Capital x Cost of Capital).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hershey Company focuses on continuous improvement and thus the Company has adopted Economic Value Added concepts in order to help in measuring their performance. The Economic Value Added (EVA) of Hershey Company for a period of 5 years between 1997 and 2002 was 0.87. In 1997, the employees of Hershey realized that these processes and concepts were being adopted so as to get the required information which is needed in utilizing EVA. In 1988, EVA was being implemented fully, and it was part of hershey’s compensation program for the management, as well as free cash flow and earning per share measurements. Hershey also started recognizing the significant contribution by all the employees of Hershey towards the company’s market growth. Hershey’s Board of directors made an approval which oversees their employees increasing their stake in Hershey Company or providing those employees with a chance of becoming owners of the com pany for the first time. The opportunity was a great incentive to the employees in achieving goals of the company and in maintaining and enhancing the leadership position, increasing the company’s profitability and adding value in everything that the company does (Freedland, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hershey’s stock during the past quarter has outperformed the market benchmark thus increasing the investors’ interest in the company. The Hershey company has been using a dividend payout ratio of 63%.The company pays 3 percent solid dividend they have been able to increase the dividend regularly over the past 5 years. Recently, the earnings are reasonably strong, and Hershey has a solid balance sheet and growing free cash flow. Hershey Company has an excellent combination of manageable financial leverage and free cash flow generation which is strong. The cash flow margin in coming years is expected to be 11.6% on average. The return on invested capital of Hershey is expected to expand from 37.9 percent to 41.7% in the next two years (Freedland, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although, Hershey stock seems to be overvalued it is still worth buying which I can recommend to the investors. This is because the Hershey company is incredibly capital efficient. Also, the dividend payout ratio has been increasing every year since 1974. The company in actual fact pays out an extremely huge amount out of the profits produced by the company. For instance, in 2008, Hershey realized profits of about 500 million dollars from its operations but it spent approximately 300 million dollars on share buybacks and dividends (Stansberry, 2012). Hershey has the ability of returning so much capital to the shareholders since it necessitates little capital to grow. The company’s cash profits have increased nearly to 1 billion dollars while the company’s growth is approximately 200%. The company has got a very brand name among the investors since it pays the dividends always in time to all their shareholders. Due to all thes e outstanding factors, I would recommend the purchase of Hershey stock as a good investment decision since it is a no-risk investment. References Bozich, S. L. (2009). Hershey. New York, NY: Channel Lake. Financial management (3rd ed.). (2011). London: BPP Learning Media. Freedland, R. (n.d.). Is Hershey a Sweet Investment?. – The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY). Retrieved April 1, 2010, from http://seekingalpha.com/article/196560-is-hershey-a-sweet-investment Kash, R. (n.d.). The Hershey Company: Aligning inside to win on the outside – Ivey Business Journal. Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved April 5, 2012, from http://iveybusinessjournal.com/topics/strategy/the-hershey-company-aligning-inside-to-win-on-the-outside-2#.VC0wNVcpfIU Stansberry, P (n.d.). One of the Greatest Investments of My Career. Why Hershey (HSY) is a Great No-Risk Opportunity. Retrieved February 16, 2012, from http://www.dailywealth.com/1990/hershey-great-no-risk-opportunity Why Hershey Is Overvalued. (n.d.). – The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY). Retrieved July 24, 2012, from http://seekingalpha.com/article/741961-why-hershey-is-overvalued Source document

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Pran Group Swot Analysis

PRAN  stands for  Program for  Rural  Advancement  Nationally. The largest fruit and vegetable processing industry in Bangladesh with countrywide distribution network AMCL’s  PRAN  is an established brand of Bangladesh with an extensive sales force all over the country. PRAN  have a well-developed infrastructure for production, sales and distribution. PRAN  has proven itself as –  Local product but of international standard. . Goals: †¢ Quality maintenance and improvement. †¢ Satisfied customers. †¢ Hold on to the current customers and again gain customer loyalty. †¢ Gain competitive advantage over all the competitors. To double sales and expand production capacity every 7-8 years. †¢ To become one of the biggest names in international fruit and vegetable processing industry Scope: The market of soft drinks and beverage is very competitive. We may say that as a strong market. This project paper is prepared as a marketing plan of a product of AMCL which brand name is PRAN. Methodology: To prepare this report, standard methods of report writing have been used. For writing this report different types of data were needed to complete, tabulate and analyze. The required data were collected by using secondary sources.For collecting data from secondary sources, go through various web sites. After completion of the data, these were sorted into different categories. Limitation: The study suffered a number of limitations: 1. Lack of the part of experience of the researchers. 2. Unconfirmed accuracy of certain information acquired. 3. Lack of information from the primary source. 4. The comparisons may not be effective enough. 5. Lack of time for preparing the report. Source of data: Our source of data is internet, other company profile, published magazine by other company etc. e also collect information from our experience. Current market analysis: According to the information from different sources â€Å"Pranâ₠¬  is now the market leader in the juice sector of soft drinks market. After Pran, frutika, fruto are in the position. Most market shares are now holding by AMCL (Pran), next frutika and then fruto. Product Review: Among many of their products  PRAN’s  main product is their fruit juice and fruit drinks, which is very popular among the existing market. The product line is: †¢ Fruit juice in glass bottle (returnable): It is hygienically produced by state-of-the-art machinery.Available in  mango flavor, made from fresh local ripe mangoes. †¢ Fruit juice in glass bottle (non-returnable): This category of juice is found in non-returnable glass bottle in flavors of  mango, guava and orange. †¢ Fruit juice in aseptic pack: Available flavors in this category are:  mango, lemon, orange, pineapple, guava and mango-pine. †¢ Fruit juice in can: The fruit juices in cans are hygienically produced by state-of-the-art machine from flavors of  mango, orange an d guava. Review of competitors: Currently there are so many juice companies in our country. Among them pran is the leader of juice sector in Bangladesh.Except pran, Lemu, Mojo, RC cola, Pepsi, URO Cola, Virgin, Fruti, Coca cola, 7up, Tiger. Shezan Juice, Rasna. Review of distribution: Pran primarily use existing distributors for distributing their product  Pran Juice  then; they make some new channels and assign some distributors to promote their product to all over the country. So pran deal with this chain: Manufacturer >   Wholesaler>  Ã‚   Retailer>   Customer Figure: Distribution Channel Company using mobile shop in the shopping malls, offices and crowded areas so that people can purchase the product easily when they like to consume.We will make our consumer by  Value Delivery Network. SWOT Analysis: Strengths: †¢ Government support:  Being the biggest local force in the industry AMCL always had government by its side. Government has been supporting  PRAN  in many ways like subsidies, export subsidies, tariffs on foreign competitors etc. †¢ First mover’s advantage: PRAN  entered the market when the product was still very new to the consumers and there was little or no presence of any other local companies with such investment. Therefore  PRAN  had the first mover’s advantage which they are still enjoying till now. Internal strength:  AMCL has a very powerful management team to guide a strong gigantic workforce. Despite its huge size  PRAN  has been able to maintain labor productivity and increasing sales. Its labor productivity is twice as much as any other local company in the market (Not foreign companies). †¢ Market share: PRAN  AMCL has a great competitive advantage over the other competitors. As mentioned earlier it is the largest fruit and vegetable processing industry in Bangladesh and holds the biggest share in markets in Bangladesh among the local companies.PRAN  has the largest sales in fruit drinks after Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. Weaknesses: †¢ External threats:  Too much competition from international organizations, for example Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, RC-Cola, Virgin Cola, Rasna (India), Shezan (Pakistan) etc. †¢ Internal weaknesses:  Large size of the business and workforce makes it difficult to manage perfectly. As a result it often causes internal conflict. Opportunities †¢ Existing competitor of the current market is not that much strong which the pran company has. †¢ Pran can be export to other countries. †¢ Existing distribution channel is being used. High growth rate in this industry. Threats †¢ Competitor can produce the same product. †¢ Downward pressure on pricing. †¢ Political instability, economy etc. †¢ New innovation from other competitors could be a threat. Marketing Strategy Positioning Pran always try to position their product through image differentiation, because related marketing, and product differ entiation. Pran will use logo and short advertisement so that people can consistently see the advertisement so the product will occupy a clear, distinctive, and desirable place in the mind of the consumer relative to competitors’ product.Pran will use USP (Unique Selling Proposition) for their product. To do brand differences that make a better differentiation or that has the potential to create company costs as well as customer benefits. A difference is worth establishing to the extent that it satisfies the following criteria. †¢ O Important †¢ O Distinctive †¢ O Superior †¢ O Communicable †¢ O Affordable and Profitable Marketing Mix: Our marketing mixes for the product  Pran  are Product Marketing: For launching a product in the market, there is some procedure that should be followed by every marketer to move in the long run.Our product will enable our customers to have a different experience to try our juice. They will be able to differentiate our product in quality which is unique in the soft drinks market. They will not be able to feel the same way for the other soft drinks in the market. Pricing Strategies: We shall charge based on â€Å"Overhead Expenses† and â€Å"Cost Plus†. Overhead Expenses include rent, gas and electricity, business telephone calls, packing and shipping supplies, delivery and freight charges, cleaning, insurance, office supplies, postage, payroll taxes, repairs, and maintenance.The accuracy of our costing will depend on estimating logical amounts for all categories of expenses. We have to list all overhead expense items and total they divide the total overhead figure by the number of items per month (or time period we used above). The answer is our overhead per item: Overhead + Materials + Labor = Total Cost/Item From the market research, we received the following- Company Name  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Price Fruti(250ml)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15 Mojo (250ml)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15 Pran(250 ml)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15 Table: Price of different brands.We want to charge 250 ml Pran soft drinks at the selling price of Tk. 14. On the other hand, the prices for Pran soft drinks are to be charged for 500 ml Tk. 32, for 1000 ml Tk. 60. Place or Distribution: We will primarily use our existing distributors for distributing our new product  Pran Juice  then; we will make some new channels and assign some distributors to promote our product to all over the country. We are using mobile shop in the shopping malls, offices and crowded areas so that people can purchase the product easily when they like to consume.We will make our consumer by  Value Delivery Network. Advertising and Promotion: The most successful advertising will be throu gh  BTV, NTV, Channel I, ATN  Bangla and RTV  which are the most popular television channels in the country. We will also use some bill-boards and leaflets and we will hold a sport event to promote the product. We will also use our experience so that we can create attention to the customers. Target market Our main target market people are the young ages people who like to drink juice very much. Mostly the school going students and the children.Beside that we also focus the young generation people. Although our main target market is young people but we also prefer the people of adult and old ages people. Forecast and Financial analysis: it just a hypothetical forecasting and financial analysis- The brands of â€Å"Pran Juice†Ã‚  will be introduced in September. We make an action program for the next four months. And we believe that, if our four month action programs will run well, then we will achieve our goals easily. June: In June we will arrange meeting with our suppl iers, dealers.And talk about our new product’s quality, product development etc. Our product is low involvement and buyers show habitual buying behavior. Then we will start production new Pran Juice. July: After meeting with the dealers we will provide sample Pran Juice to our customers for getting publicity. On the other hand we will give advertise of our new product in the Television, Radio, Bill Board, Banners, and in the Poster. Then we will launch our product in to the market. In the primary stage we will produce 250ml and 500ml can. August:After doing our successful operations of two month, at the third month we give extra benefits to the dealers and sellers to improve our sales. We will give small toys; arrange game. Observing the situations, at this stage we will produce 250ml can, and 500ml can for the consumers. In this month we will start to produce 1000ml can. And this month our product will be available in almost every shop of the country. September: In our last month of action program, if situation will favorable then we go for Divisional dealers to distribute to the whole country.Observing and analyzing we take necessary actions to develop product sales and increase our profit. In this way we will continue our production and give a particular image to the mind of every customer. Budget: This section will offer a financial overview four company as it relates to our marketing activities. We have shown break-even information. Sales Forecast: The sales forecast is broken down into the three main revenue streams; direct  Ã‚  Ã‚   sales, Web sales, consignment sales. The sale forecast for the upcoming year is based on 30% growth rate.Growth rate for year 2006 to 2010 are based on percentage increases as follows: †¢ Direct sales 20% growth rate per year †¢ Web sales 50% growth rate per year. †¢ Consignment sales 20% growth rate year. [pic] Profit/loss: January 31,2011, AMCL(PRAN) As per un-audited half yearly accounts as on 31. 12. 10 (July’10 to Dec’10), the company has reported net profit after tax of Tk. 19. 44 million with EPS of Tk. 24. 29 as against Tk. 17. 05 million and Tk. 21. 31 respectively for the same period of the previous year. Control: Our control depends on the customer satisfaction.If customer demand different things with which they feel comfortable, then we simply change our controlling techniques. Conclusion: We all know that, today’s fast moving world respect the new, innovative ideas. To keep the same pace with this situation our company had decided to launch a Juice and it has a bright future in its market. As the product is innovative, the consumers are going product will be a strong product mix for our company. And once our  Juice  will reach to the hand of our targeted customers, we will be able to capture the most market shares.

Friday, November 8, 2019

My Client Tina is in a Depression Essay

My Client Tina is in a Depression Essay My Client Tina is in a Depression Essay General Psychology Project July 08, 2014 My client Tina is in a Depression. Tina visit my office at least once a week, and she will be advised to remain a client for the next few months. Thursday April 5 Tina knocked on my door at two o’clock for her therapy session. I am therapist Tracy Ford. I greeted Tina at the door with pleasantries, and told her to come in and have a seat on the couch. I ask her to begin by telling me how she feel today. The story of Tina is her parents died in a terrible automobile wreck when she was seven years old. Tina had to live with her grandparents who love her so much. She began expressing disturbing behavior in her childhood. Her grandparents did all they could to help her deal with the loss of her parents. Then at the age of eighteen her grandparents was diagnosis with cancer. Her grandmother had colon cancer and her grandfather had prostate cancer. Tina was twenty-one years old when her grandparents died. She was on her own. She was employed at a restaurant where she was severely burn. Tina begin to fall into a deep depression. She begin to drink large amount of alcohol beverages. Tina also surrounded herself with the company of many men. In a destructing behavior. In Tina unconscious mind her thoughts and behavior frequently involve looking at her childhood experiences. I diagnosis Tina with Psychoanalytic Therapy. This is a form of talk- therapy as Tina and I spend session together. I listen as a therapist at the difficult experiences in her life. The role in her mind of her parents in her life, and the short time they had together. The grandparents dying when she was twenty-one. As a therapist, I set an empathetic and none judgemental environment where Tina can feel safe in revealing her feeling or action that have led to her stress, tension, and depression in life. When she share her burden with me this is beneficial in therapy. I suggested a moderate medication in a prescription; because, Tina is very nervous at times. Working through the treatment process with the client

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Importance of Government Explained

The Importance of Government Explained John Lennons  Imagine is a beautiful song, but when he tallies up the  things he can imagine us living without - possessions, religion and so on - he never asks us to imagine a world without government. The closest he comes is when he asks us to imagine that there are no countries, but thats not exactly the same thing. This is probably because Lennon was a student of human nature. He knew that government might be one thing we cant do without. Governments are important structures. Lets imagine a world with no government. A World Without Laws   Im typing this on my MacBook right now. Lets imagine that a very large man - well call him Biff - has decided that he doesnt  especially like my writing. He walks in, throws the MacBook to the floor, stomps it into little pieces, and leaves. But before leaving, Biff tells me that if I write anything else he doesnt like, hell do to me what he did to my MacBook.Biff just established something very much like his own government. It has become against Biffs law for me to write things that Biff doesnt like. The penalty is severe and enforcement is fairly certain. Whos going to stop him? Certainly not me. Im smaller and less violent than he is.But Biff isnt really the biggest problem in this no-government world. The real problem is a greedy, heavily armed guy - well call him Frank - who has learned that if he steals money then hires enough muscle with his ill-gotten gains, he can demand goods and services from every business in town. He can take anything he wants and make almost anybo dy do whatever he demands. Theres no authority higher than Frank that can make him stop what hes doing, so this jerk has literally created his own government - what political theorists refer to as a despotism, a government ruled by a despot, which is essentially another word for tyrant. A World of Despotic Governments   Some governments arent much different from the despotism I just described. Kim Jong-il technically inherited his army instead of hiring it in North Korea, but the principle is the same. What Kim Jong-il wants, Kim Jong-il gets. Its the same system Frank used, but on a larger scale. If we dont want Frank or Kim Jong-il in charge, we must all get together and agree to do something to prevent them from taking over. And that agreement itself is a government. We need governments to protect us from other, worse power structures that would otherwise form in our midst and deprive us of our rights. As Thomas Jefferson said  the Declaration of Independence:   We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That ​to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Business Tourism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Tourism - Assignment Example This is a sector that has been found to be substantial, both in terms of profitability and long-term economic growth. The report will detail the effect on the economy of the preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games. The planning that is required to assist in the smooth operation of the Games is considered in detail as are the specific tactical objectives needed in order to realise an effective timetable for project management. The report looks firstly at the value to Britain of Business Tourism, given the history and future potential of this sector. There will be emphasis on the economic contributions of various tourism sectors on the British economy as well as detailed statistical data from various government ministries. The information and quantitative data for the report has been compiled with the use of detailed research obtained from various notable authorities including Michael Hirst (Chairman of Business Tourism Partnership); online travel publications (Incentive Travel; Visit London; Visit Britain); The Secretary of State, the honourable James Purnell; the UK Skills Passport Initiative; Review of the Impact of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games on the South East Region through their Web Site Seeda and Ian Whiteling of Oxford University Quoting Michael Hirst - the Chairman of Business Tourism Partnership: "Business tour... o exceed 100 billion a year." The Press Release of 20 November 2006 further highlighted that, "Over the past 10 years there has been a growth of 53% in all business trips exceeding the overall tourism growth rate. Over 8 million visits are made to the UK each year for business purposes, contributing some 4 billion to the British economy. The sector generates 28% of all overseas visitors and 29% of inbound tourism earnings. British tourism opportunities create high quality, year-round employment for some 530 000 jobs, directly and indirectly." (Business Tourism Partnership.BusinessTourismpartnership) 2.2 Factors to consider The key to creating a sustainable and profitable business tourism market as the major beneficiary of the 2012 Olympic Games is dependent on several factors namely: The conference, sporting and leisure facilities available for delegates and business tourists alike; the hospitality sector and the quality of its personnel; the public safety; transport and telecommunications networks and of course the ability to provide high quality service through hospitality, tourism and communications networks. London as the centrepiece for the 2012 Olympics has a myriad of arts and cultural interest venues. The metropolis is renowned not only as one of the fashion capitals of the world, but also as a major economic powerhouse. As such, the city's infrastructure is highly developed along with its transport, communications and hospitality establishments. The business tourist, as an individual with a discerning taste and a larger budget, is more likely to partake in the accoutrements of London's noted fanfare. These include dining out; theatre; merchandise; sporting events and of course luxury accommodation. The peripheral expenses include car-hires; taxis and

Friday, November 1, 2019

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Environmental Toxicology Essay

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Environmental Toxicology - Essay Example According to studies it has been found that certain POPs such as chlordane, toxaphene and mirex have the ability to induce hepatotoxicity-related genes. These genes were induced in the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line and were evaluated by using microarray and gene ontology studies. It was observed that certain pathways which were associated with hepatotoxicity such as metabolism of xenobiotics by apoptosis complement and coagulation cascades and cell cycle regulation, were up-regulated or down-regulated by POPs. POPs have the ability to express different genes and also help in understanding the hepatotoxic mechanism of POPs (Choi, Song, Lee, & Ryu, 2013). POPs are an important aspect of environmental toxicology and have been increasingly associated with increased risk of cancer and tumor pathogenesis. POPs belong to environmental endocrine disruptors or are an important part of aquatic ecosystem. It has been difficult to assess the toxinogenomic effects of POPs however an important mechanism is by their action on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor pathway in the fish. Through this pathway they induce cytosolic complex formation, translocation of the receptor and induction of the CYP1A (Zhou, et al., 2010). These effects are a step forward in understanding the toxicology of the POPs, however, stll further research is required in this challenging aspect of the POP mechanism. Zhou, H., Wu, H., Liao, C., Diao, X., Zhen, J., Chen, L., & Xue, Q. (January 01, 2010). Toxicology mechanism of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in fish through AhR pathway.  Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods,  20,  6,