Women as News Anchors Essay -- Women Feminism Careers Employment Essay

Women as News Anchors   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Women in all careers are striving to gain equality in the work force today, and female television news anchors are definitely part of the fight. The road to television news anchoring is a rocky one, where only a few women survive and many fail. Where progress was once thought to have been made, there aren't many females getting ahead in the world of television news. Today, there is a very slow, if any, gain in the numbers of women who succeed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many questions surrounding the subject of women in television news, and I will attempt to answer relevant ones in this paper. How have the women that actually make it to the top and succeed as anchorwomen, done it? What does it take to make it? Why do those few endure it/enjoy it? Why has it been and still is difficult for women? What are the expectations of women in the field, as opposed to the expectations of men?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I am interested in this topic because I once aspired to become a television broadcaster. I still have inspiration in me, but not quite as much due to the negative and discouraging aspects I have heard about in classes and in the media. I am not sure that I could be happy in a career such as this, and I know there are great difficulties in "making it" in this profession. I have read about the incredible ambition of successful females in television news, and it seems like it takes a special kind of passion to want to keep up in the business.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I kept my questions in mind when gathering research material. While focusing on the key questions, I was able to find information that led me to form answers to them. Christine Craft's biography told of her individual experience of being fired on the basis of her looks and her age. I realized from reading her story that she had a "nose for news", a passion for telling it to the world, and a unique spark that made her a good journalist, yet those qualities weren't enough in her case. She took that passion and spark, filed a sexual discrimination case and won.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hard News: Women in Broadcast Journalism had a few chapters that were relevant to today, and I could draw on some information for my paper. However, much of the information was historical and not helpful to answering my questions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Battling for News concentrated mainly on print journalism. There was material about the fi... ...ays of anchormen, "Old anchors never fade away. And they can't be killed by mortal means" (Katz 1995, p. 164).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sadly, forward movements aren't apparent today by women in television news. Forty years ago, a female gaining the anchor position on the evening news was a leap forward. Today "it feels more like a step backward, an attempt to stuff accomplished, contemporary women into an ill-fitting straightjacket" (Katz 1995, p. 164).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is apparent that women news anchors face many more struggles than men in the field. It takes a unique individual to fight through those struggles and strive for what they want most: to relay news throughout the world. Equality with men is far from being reached, but a few females have stood their ground and hopefully made a difference for others that follow. If people open their eyes and realize there are plenty of women who are just as, if not more, competent than men at holding an anchor position, women could gain respect within the field. For now, the few women who find success and are willing to endure the hardships that come along will likely survive in the business, at least until age hinders their physical appearance.

Hydrophonics: An Agricultural Advancements

From cloned animals to herbicide-resistant seed, science-based technologies have never had a larger influence on agriculture than they are today and will likely continue to have in the future. The technological advancements in agriculture between 1960 and 1990 are often referred to as the Green Revolution. These innovations included the development and commercialization of high-yield seeds, the increased application of chemical pesticides and herbicides, and the widespread use of modern fertilizers and irrigation techniques. Soil Science is the natural resource science devoted to the thin layer of the earth's lithosphere (crust) responsible for supporting life. Soil Science includes the basic biological, chemical geological and physical characteristics of the soils of the world, as well as the management of soils to produce food and protect the environment. Hydroponics from the Latin ‘water working', is simply growing plants without soil. Hydroponics is as old as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Today this technology is widely used to grow lush, healthy indoor plants and premium grade vegetables, fruits and herbs. The physiological requirements of plants can be met without the use of soil or natural sunlight. Plants are rooted (and thus supported) in an inert medium and nutrition is provided by water soluble mineral elements. The corn borer is devastating for the farmer, costing growers more than $1 billion annually in the United States. Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis, which is a naturally occurring soil organism. Bacillus thuringiensis produces a powerful toxin protein that kills the European corn borer when ingested. In response to this observance, researchers modified the Bt gene that produces the protein in the organism. Then, they inserted the modified gene into corn germplasm. Scientists can even choose which part of the corn plant they want to display the Bt trait: in green tissue and pollen, or even corn leaves, sheath, stalk, ear shank, kernels and silks. As a result, the Bt gene-enhanced corn germplasm is able to kill the corn borer just as the Bacillus thuringiensis organism can.

PC Specification Instructions and Requirements Essay

For the specified case study, create a summary of user requirements and a PC Specifications Table in Microsoft Word 2010. A copy of that case study appears at the bottom of this document. This Word 2010 document will include a two-paragraph summary that classifies the user type and identifies the PC category(ies) that will be recommended and Word tables that identify and contain the hardware and software requirements to meet the selected case study requirements. Students are expected to conduct external research to adequately address all aspects of the assignment requirements. Any outside sources should be correctly cited in APA style at the end of the table. Students will need to include specific requirements from the case study to show why each item is being recommended. Each element listed below must be incorporated into the assignment – omissions will result in loss of points. This project is valued at 14 possible points and the final total of points will be adjusted in the rubric after it is graded to reflect 14 possible points for this project. Writing Quality for the Two Page Narrative * Grammar, Verb Tenses, Pronoun Use, Spelling, Punctuation, and Writing Competency. *Remember: spell-check, then proofread. Better yet, have a friend or colleague read it before submitting it. Read it out loud to yourself. * Remember: there is not their, your is not you’re, its is not it’s, too is not to or two, site is not cite, and who should be used after an individual, not that. For example, â€Å"the person WHO made the speech† not â€Å"the person THAT made the speech.† * In a professional paper one does not use contractions (doesn’t, don’t, etc.) and one does not use the personal you or your. Use the impersonal as I have in the previous sentence. It is more business-like than saying, â€Å"Also in a professional paper you don’t use contractions.† * Use the impersonal as in the sentence immediately above. It is more business-like than saying, â€Å"Also in a professional paper you don’t use contractions.† Requirement| Points Allocated| Comments| Set normal text to Arial, 12 point.| 0.25| This is the font in normal paragraphs. Heading and title fonts may be a larger size.| Title Page which shows title and author’s (student’s) name.| 0.25| The title must be, â€Å"PC Specification for_[insert user name]†| Write a brief 2-paragraph narrative that categorizes the user type, identifies the category of PC (s) required, and summarizes your recommendations. | 0.5| Two well-written, concise and organized paragraphs not to exceed one-half a page.| Create a table that shows the various required hardware components. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Input Devices – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met * Output Devices – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met * Communication Devices – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met * Storage Devices – External (including portable) storage devices and show which specific user requirements are met * Other Peripheral Devices – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met| 2.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"Hardware Table.†| Create a table that shows the various required system unit features. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Processor – Include type and clock speed and state how processor type and clock speed meets specific user’s requirements in the mini case * RAM – Include type and amount and state how RAM type and amount meets specific user’s requirements in the mini case * Adapter Cards – Identify each type and show which specific user requirements are met * Ports – Include types, how many of each type, and show which specific user requirements are met * Storage Devices – Identify internal system unit storage devices, size of hard drive, and state how each storage device and the hard drive size recommended meets specific user’s requirements in the mini case| 2.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"System Unit Features Table.†| Create a table that shows the various required Application Software. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Identify types, recommend specific product names, and show which specific user requirements are met| 2.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"Application Software Table.†| Create a table shows that the various required System Software. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Operating System – Identify a specific operating system and version * Utility Programs – Include a comprehensive list and state how each utility program meets specific user’s requirements in the mini case| 2.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"System Software Table.†| Create a table that shows the required Internet connectivity and Web-hosted applications and services. The table should have all the necessary columns, rows, and column headings to show the following: * Identify the specific type of ISP that should be used for Internet connectivity * Identify the specific Web services that should be used * State how the ISP type and Web services that were identified meets specific user’s requirements in the case study| 1.0| The table must be labeled â€Å"Internet Connectivity & Web Services Table.†| TOTAL:| 10| | The final total will be scaled to reflect 14 possible points. PC Specification Mini Case Your office has outgrown its old desktop machines and is in the market for new PCs, but would like some guidance on what to purchase. The Chief Information Officer (CIO) wants to ensure that the office obtains PC machines that meet the requirements stated below. You, as the IT Procurement Officer for your small educational company, have been tasked by the CIO to procure 5 PCs. The CIO has defined some capabilities that the PCs will need to have to ensure optimal performance. These tasks and system needs are collectively the office’s requirements. The requirements are as follows: 1. Create documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and send and receive email 2. Participate in online chat rooms to include video conferences, web courses and forums (the CIO is a part-time professor at a local university) 3. Create and edit audio and video files and share video and audio files via emails, bulletin boards and in chat rooms 4. Create small databases to manage all audio, video and photo data 5. Take high quality digital photos and videos and download them to the PC as well as scan and edit the photos. 6. Print documents to include photo quality color printing 7. Save documents to pdf and other image formats 8. Transfer information (audio, video and photos) between PC machines 9. Manage the CIO’s schedule by using an online calendar and day planner 10. Utilize the internet to make online purchases, conduct banking services and research new audio, video and photo editing methods using a broadband service. 11. Connect all required peripheral devices you deem necessary to the system unit 12. Protect the PC and all components from dirty electrical power including under voltage (brownout or blackout) and overvoltage (power surge or spike) 13. Manage and protect the system, data, and information while working on the Internet including scanning all incoming emails, email attachments, and files downloaded from Web-based sources; firewall, virus and spyware (security) protection; and checking websites for phishing and fraudulent activities

Evaluation of Strenghts and Weaknesses of Morrison Supermarkets

[pic] Evaluation of Strengths and Weaknesses of WM Morrison Supermarkets Complied by: Karolis Petkus Student number: 2903678 Course tutor: Ian Edwards 2009 Contents or page index: †¢ Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. p. 3 †¢ Background †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦p. 3 †¢ Current strategy †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦p. 4 †¢ Strengths †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. p. 5, 6 †¢ Weaknesses †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. p. 6 †¢ Opportunities †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ p. 6, 7 †¢ Threats †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. p. , 8 †¢ Conclusion †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. p. 8 †¢ Appendices †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. p. 9 †¢ References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. p. 10 Introduction Wm Morrison is one of the most popular retailers in UK and it offers a great price and quality of food. For me, as a student and an athlete always looking for fresh, healthy food at good prices it is on of the best options to choose. That is why I have chosen this company to evaluate. Also, I will be able to find some new information about Wm Morrison, which will be useful for me as a customer. The essay includes information about background, current strategy, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and prospects. Background Wm Morrison was founded in 1899 by William Morrison, an egg and butter merchant. Now, it is one of the largest supermarket chains in the UK, offering a vide range of goods including other brands and own label products. The company is headquartered in Bradford, the UK and employs about 124,530 people. And it has assuranced to create about 5000 jobs this year. It operates over 382 stores and 287 petrol stations all over UK. With such a growth Morrison became a member of the â€Å"Big Four† grocery retailers. ttp://www. guardian. co. uk/business/2009/jan/13/morrisons-supermarkets (15/11/09) www. morrisons. co. uk/Corporate/About-Morrisons/Company-history1/ (15/11/09) Current strategy Wm Morrison has a vision called ‘Food Specialist for Everyone’. It has three different brand values: Fresh, Value and Service. Those three values should give them flexibility to react to market changes and customer tendencies. Brand values: Fresh The Company’s aim is to prepare more freshly food than any other retailer. That’s why they have more staff preparing food than others. The company is strong by having their own factories, production facilities and distribution network. With these facilities they can get food to stores faster so that it is always fresher. Value Value is the key to the vision and is very important in the market conditions. They offer quality and freshness at a price which people like. Their offers are about saving customers money. And their prices are great value across the ranges. Service Because they have their own distribution network, they can be sure that the right products are always available for our customers. The staff is well skilled so they give customers what they want – fresh food served by helpful, friendly, well-trained people. http://lispac. lsbu. ac. uk/record=e1000089 (15/11/09) Strengths Financial performance With high revenues of ? 14. 5 billion, Morrison is UK's fourth largest food retailer. The company operates 382 stores and serves 10 million customers every week. According to TNS market research, it has a market share of 12. 3 % in the grocery market. Morrison has achieved numerous of awards in 2008, including â€Å"Retailer of the Year†, the â€Å"Grocer of the Year† and many others. It develops the brand image of the company and provides a competitive lead. Vertically integrated operations Morrison is unique food retailer because it is the only one which owns and runs fresh food making and processing abilities. This company has 12 manufacturing places in the UK and a vide transport park. This is how the company provides economies of scale at a high level and is solid in its operations. Focus on conscious consumers In response to the recession Morrison has to offer something attractive to their customers. That is why company rolled out offers such as ? family meal deals, 2 for 1 offer on party foods and many others. With such a strategy Morrison can drive sales in a weak economic environment. www. marketlineinfo. com. lispac. lsbu. ac. uk/library/Default. aspx (16/11/09) Weaknesses Lack of taking part in online shopping Online shopping is growing every year in the UK. With such a high speed of growing online shopping, supermarkets start their online sales channel s to increase the revenues. ASDA, Tesco and Sainsbury in the UK have started their channels in the online shopping. However, Morrison has not started this trend which could limit growth opportunities. ww. marketlineinfo. com. lispac. lsbu. ac. uk/library/DisplayContent. aspx? R=A72DB36B-5734-4779-B792-270152CA738A=4294836834=IDA2XUJB#IDA2XUJB (16/11/09) Opportunities Optimization plan Morrison started an optimization plan by 2007 to develop operations by FY2010. As a part of optimization plan, the company completed the re-branding of all its stores and over 3,000 own-brand Morrison products received new packaging. One part has been completed, to re–brand all stores and over 3,000 own-brand Morrison products have new packaging. The Company also installed self-scan checkouts over half stores. Successful optimization plan could develop market share, brand value and success for the company. Growth in private brand markets The private brand market is about a strong growth in sales and is expected to reach about ? 52 billion by 2011. These products have high margin potential. . Morrison offers 18,000 product lines in a typical store, 32% of which are own-brand labels. The growth in private label products could be a major opportunity for the company and could increase its success. www. marketlineinfo. com. lispac. lsbu. ac. uk/library/DisplayContent. aspx? R=A72DB36B-5734-4779-B792-270152CA738A=4294836834=IDA2XUJB#IDA2XUJB (16/11/09) Positive attitude for healthy foods Natural and organic food products sector is one of the fastest growing categories in food selling. Morrison offers a range of organic products, through its own label â€Å"Organic†, including eggs, cheese, potatoes, mushrooms, tea bags and muesli. The growing market for organic products could largely increase revenues. Prospects Recessionary climate Like most economies, the UK is now on recession, as well. Because of recession, unemployment is increasing and consumers have to be more cautious of spending. As a result, the company's sales and margins will be under huge pressure during such difficult economic times. www. marketlineinfo. com. lispac. lsbu. ac. uk/library/DisplayContent. aspx? R=A72DB36B-5734-4779-B792-270152CA738A&N=4294836834&selectedChapter=IDA2XUJB#IDA2XUJB (17/11/09) Rising work costs in the UK Employment costs are on the rise in the UK. Te adult minimum wage has increased from ? 5. 73 in October 2008 to ? 5. 80 which will come into effect in October 2009. An increase in labor costs will increase Sainsbury's in service costs and impact its margins. Intense competition Morrison is facing intense competition in their business from other supermarkets and stores. Tesco drives trough multiple store formats. Marks and Spencer's and Waitrose supermarkets are planning development in the UK. Growing competition could lead to the pricing pressures, which would reduce the company’s turnover. www. marketlineinfo. com. lispac. lsbu. ac. uk/library/DisplayContent. aspx? R=A72DB36B-5734-4779-B792-270152CA738A&N=4294836834&selectedChapter=IDA2XUJB#IDA2XUJB (18/11/09) Conclusion Wm Morrison has a good vision to their further marketing. They put a lot of attention on a fresh and healthy food which becomes more popular between consumers. With a strategy like this, they can stand strong between top 4 retailers in the UK. However, Morrison is not interested in online shopping, which according to the statistics will increase very fast in the next few years. What is more, in such difficult economic times consumers are eating out less and looking for cheaper forms of entertainment. It will be tough to keep high revenues facing recession and intense competition from other supermarkets. Appendices Appendix 1: SWOT analysis overview Strengths |Weaknesses | |Strong market company |Lack of taking part in online shopping | |Vertically integrated operations | | |Focus on conscious consumers | | |Opportunities |Threats | |Optimization plan |Recessionary climate | |Growth in private brand markets |Rising work costs in the UK | |Positive attitude for healthy foods |Intense competition | www. maketlineinfo. com (16/11/09) Referenc es Websites: www. library. lsbu. ac. uk (16/11/09) www. marketlineinfo. com (16/11/09) www. morrisons. co. uk (14/11/09) www. guardian. co. uk (15/11/09)

Corporate Finance AIG Accounting Scandal Essay

On February 9th, 2006, the SEC and the Justice Department settled with AIG for an amount in excess of $1. 6B related to alleged improper accounting, bid rigging (defined by Investopedia as a scheme in which businesses collude so that a competing business can secure a contract for goods or services at a pre-determined price), and practices involving workers compensation funds. Both the CEO and CFO of AIG were replaced amidst the scandal. This closure ended a 5-year period, beginning in 2001, which tarnished the 80-year old institution’s reputation that had become the world’s largest reinsurers, and included Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway as an owner. Several of fraud’s culprits were convicted of Conspiracy, Securities Fraud, False Statements to the SEC, and Mail Fraud. Each offender was handed various degrees of penalties, including jail sentences. AIG’s CEO Hank Greenberg was left unindicted and â€Å"pleading the 5th. What led these executives down a path that would forever change their careers and left many convinced that corporations are willing to go to any extent to satisfy their greed for profits? This paper will examine the intricacies of AIG’s accounting fraud, and discuss the hypothesis that accounting fraud and other unethical decisions focused on short-term profits are positively correlated to long-term value destruction. â€Å"The corporate scandals are getting bigger and bigger. In a speech on Wall Street, President Bush spoke out on corporate responsibility, and he warned executives not to cook the books. Afterwards, Martha Stewart said the correct term was to saute the books. † —Conan O’Brien While there are many techniques to distort the financial condition of a publicly traded company, the most frequent types of improprieties involve revenue recognition, cost or expense recognition, accounting for reserves, and accounting related to business combinations. Below are the laws that Elliot Spitzer’s prosecution based their AIG case on:  §?  §?  §?  §?  §? Using or employing manipulative devices, in connection the purchase or sale of securities Making untrue statement of a material fact or to omit to state that a material fact Engaging in any practice or business which operates or would operate as fraud or deceit Falsification of accounting records and conformity with GAAP Conspiracy of two or more persons to commit offense or to defraud United States What does this mean in layman’s terms? Essentially, AIG improperly accounted for the reinsurance transaction to bolster reserves, and detailed numerous other examples of problematic accounting. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 2009) For example, AIG booked as income $500 million in premium for the loss portfolio transfer and then added $500 million in reserves against future claims to its balance sheet. † AIG counted the transaction as an insurance deal, but later concluded that, â€Å"the Gen Re transaction documentation was improper and, in light of the lack of evidence of risk transfer, the transaction should not have been recorded as insurance. † (Hulburt, Ph. D. , H. , 2005) What turns the deal from mistake to blatant fraud was that no underwriting risk transferred in the deal. Instead, the loss portfolio transfer was effectively a $500 million loan from Gen Re to AIG that AIG would repay through $500 million in claims payments to Gen Re. (Hulburt, Ph. D. , H. , 2005) In the end, AIG’s revised financial statements lowered 2004 net income by $1. 3 billion, or 12%, and reduced 2004 shareholders’ equity by $2. 3 billion, or 3%. Details of the adjustments required 22 pages in the AIG 2004 10K, which was included into the Annual Report to Shareholders. The restatement reduced net income by more than 10% over the 5-year period. (Verschoor, C. , 2005) Ethics is recognition of the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do. – Potter Stewart AIG’s culture and lack of ethical controls exemplify how the greed of few can impact the value of many. Some have attempted to use this case as an example to SOX’s failure to overhaul corporate accounting practices. However, in AIG’s first report mandated by the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, a number of material weaknesses in control were disclosed, emphasizing that the first and most extensive weakness was in the ethical culture of AIG or its control environment. The report states verbatim â€Å"Certain of AIG’s controls within its control environment were not effective to prevent certain members of senior management, including the former Chief Executive Officer and former Chief Financial Officer, from having the ability, which in certain instances was utilized, to override certain controls and effect certain transactions and accounting entries. In certain of these instances, such transactions and accounting entries appear to have been largely motivated to achieve desired accounting results and were not properly accounted for in accordance with GAAP. (McGee, S. , 2005) Specific overrides noted resulted in (1) creation of a special purpose entity to improperly convert underwriting losses to investment losses, (2) improper recording of reinsurance transactions, (3) improper â€Å"top level† adjustments and covered call transactions, and (4) unsupported â€Å"top level† adjustment of loss reserves. (Knowledge@Wharton, 2005) â€Å"Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence. † – Bernard Montgomery Tom Lin’s article titled â€Å"The corporate governance of iconic executives. explored corporate governance challenges posed by iconic executives such as Hank Greenberg. To better understand the state of AIG, it is beneficial to discuss the iconic executive that led them to water. Hank Greenberg grew up on a New York dairy farm, joined the U. S. Army during World War II, became an Army Ranger, and stormed the beach at Normandy. He attended the University of Miami and New York Law School, where he earned his LLB. As a captain, he received a Bronze Star in the Korean War; Greenberg then entered the insurance business in 1952. He became the youngest person to be appointed vice president at the Continental Casualty Company. As president of AIG’s major subsidiary American Home Assurance Company, Greenberg was credited with developing substantial reinsurance facilities, which allowed insurers who were forced to take unwanted assignments, or â€Å"bad risks,† the opportunity to reinsure those risks. Greenberg’s strategy enabled American Home to write large quantities of major-risks policies and thus control the pricing of those policies. He established a bottom-line philosophy on underwriting only those companies that made profits. Greenberg’s business was successful, aggressive and profitable. Greenberg would acquire companies that were troubled or fighting off takeovers, buying controlling interests in the companies, and ultimately integrating them into the AIG corporate structure. When AIG’s founder and CEO Cornelius van der Starr died, Green was named to head the company. Two years later AIG went public with Greenberg as the CEO where he would reign with an iron fist, terrorizing underlings, intimidating a compliant board and delivering stunningly impressive earnings for the next 40 years. As Tom Lin described, Iconic executives are complex, bittersweet figures in corporate governance narratives. They are alluring, larger-than-life corporate figures who often govern freely. Iconic executives frequently rule like monarchs over their firms, offering lofty promises to shareholders, directors, and managers under their reign. But like many stories of powerful and influential figures, the narratives of iconic executives also contain adversity and danger resulting from excessive deference, overconfidence, and licentiousness. Lin, T. , 2011) â€Å"Money is like a sixth sense- and you can’t make use of the other five without it† – William Maugham Contemporary economic thought presumes that individuals in a society always act according to their self-interest or private economic incentives, while important ethical motivations for action, such as a concern for others and public interest, are largely ignored. (Kulshreshtha, P. , 2005) As is often the case in ac counting cases, the CFO tends to be a central enabler to the fraudulent activities. There are two primary schools of thought when attempting to understand the incentive for CFO’s to become involved in these ethical dilemmas. The first school of thought states that CFOs may instigate accounting manipulations for immediate personal financial gain. There also has been research indicating that CFO equity incentives are more important than CEO equity incentives in explaining earnings management, measured by accruals and frequency of meeting earnings benchmarks (Feing, M. , 2011). Corporate boards have reduced CFOs’ incentive compensation after passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in an effort to undermine this conduct. Bhagat, Sanjai; Romano, Roberta, 2009) Looking at AIG’s share price over the reporting time frame of these actions, the fraudulent accounting did not seem to have significant impact on its market valuation. Analyzing the share price over the months that AIG reported their annual statement in 2002, 2003, and 2004, AIG’s market share price moved approximately -4%, -3% and . 5% respectively. Although a hypothesis could be made that the fraud occurred as a defense against stock devaluation rather than an enabler of increased valuation. The second thought states that CFOs may become involved in accounting manipulations because of pressure from CEOs. As CFOs’ superiors, CEOs can exert pressure on financial reporting decisions through their influence on CFO’s future opportunities and compensation (Feing, M. , 2011). This aligns to what we understand of Hank Greenberg’s style of management. When the judge handed out sentencing to Elizabeth Monrad, the CFO of Gen Re, he made the following statements.  §?  §?  §? The fact that she did not benefit personally from the scheme, does not excuse her conduct. Her involvement in the fraudulent scheme was â€Å"central to its success. † There were many opportunities for her to shake this shady deal, but she never did†¦ Although these two schools of thought help one to better understand the drivers behind the accounting fraud in AIG and other cases academically, they are not mutually independent. In practice, pressure grows like a virus when it attaches to personal gain. Without personal gain, there is hardly a sustainable environment for pressure, which indicates some level of correlation to realizing a self-centered objective. Some of the best lessons are learned from past mistakes. The error of the past is the wisdom of the future. – Dale Turner One may never be able to understand the full extent of the motivations at AIG that resulted in over $1. 6B in penalties, $2. 3B in reduction of shareholder equity, and the destruction of lives and careers. There appeared to be a significant amount of both pressure and personal gain involved. In the end, the AIG case became another brick in the wall for opponents of capitalism pointing to the greed of executives and their boards. With the benefit of writing this in 2012, we know this was merely a minor speed bump in comparison to what would come for AIG in the future global financial crisis of 2008. We now live in a world where greed, profit, share price, and financial institutions are synonymous to each other. However tarnished the reputation of corporations are, there are glimmers of hope in the details. The numbers and results of these actions begin to illustrate a telling story that greed, fraud, and deception are destroyers of value rather than enablers. Cases such as AIG can be reference points to dissuade future decisions of unethical nature. In AIG’s case, their share price fell more than 30% from the period of 1/2/2001 to 5/22/2006 further strengthening our initial hypothesis. The announcement also caused Standard & Poor’s (MHP) to downgrade AIG’s debt rating from AAA to AA+, leading to higher funding costs and decreased long-term value. We may not be able to prove that all of the AIG’s value destruction is directly related to the case beyond a reasonable doubt, it can be arguably assumed that a significant portion is directly related. Even if that destruction is associated to confidence over financial health. (McGee, S. , 2005) In the time since this case, AIG has made considerable steps to prevent future occurrences of financial misrepresentation. The AIG management report on internal control related remediation efforts emphasizing the need for higher integrity and a culture of ethical values throughout the organization. The report notes: â€Å"AIG has taken, and is developing further plans to take, significant actions to improve its control environment, starting with a clear statement of the tone and philosophy set by its current senior management. The Corporate Governance Committee Report in the 2005 AIG Proxy Statement gives further details: â€Å"AIG enhanced its Code of Conduct for employees, mandated that all employees complete formal ethics training, and implemented a Director, Executive Officer, and Senior Financial Officer Code of Business Conduct and Ethics to provide reasonable assurance that all members of the Board of Directors, executive officers, and senior financial officers adhere to the stated principles and procedures set forth in that Code.  At the Committee’s recommendation, AIG is developing a corporate level compliance framework, including implementation of compliance programs at AIG’s major business areas. â€Å"

Critically discuss the key issues involved in studying children and Essay

Critically discuss the key issues involved in studying children and young people - Essay Example This paper takes a keen look at the way education brings a renewed confidence and adaptability within the ranks of the young people and the children in meticulous. Young people and children are always studied from a number of angles and perspectives. This is because they are hard to understand at the best of times. There is so much going on within their lives that it is difficult to comprehend all of this. It is a matter of fact that the children who attend schools are better off than the ones who study within the four walls of their homes. The reasons could be manifolds for the same however what is important is to ascertain what forces these children to remain within their homes and not go to schools at all (Guha, 2008). The reasons are immensely different from one another. These could include their parents’ financial conditions, their lack of access to proper schooling regimes, absence of any schools whatsoever or non-granting of admission to schools to name a few. The kids start learning from a very young age and it is understandable that no parent would want his child to lag far behind the other children in the society or city for that matter. The school ensures that the kids learn the basics of schooling right from the very beginning and they are taught the most basic of activities, habits and manners right from the start (Guichard, 2011). This also guarantees that the parents are lessened of their responsibilities, though to a small extent since they have to look after the chores of their homes as well. It is a fact that the schools act as significant role-playing instruments within the growth and developmental regimes of the young people and children. The manner in which the difference is brought to the fore is another pertinent consideration, and one that has a lot of bearing on the way these students conduct themselves within the global dynamics. On the part of the child who is being looked after and taught at the school, it is made sure that he starts interacting with the young ones of his age and friends are created all this while, which when seen in the proper perspectives, is something of a healthy exercise (Strong, 1998). The school makes sure that the young ones get to learn easily and in a quick manner without any such hiccups happening at a very young age. At school, he is provided mentoring as well as training on different subjects while at home, there are serious issues as regards to a student’s timely coaching and getting acquainted with the educational norms (Cotugna, 2005). Mentoring helps in understanding what the psyche of the student is and how he will cope up with pressure in the form of projects, assignments and exams. The same is however a missing link within the home schooling domains. Young people and children need help from different quarters of the society and more specifically from the domains of their own parents and guardians. This is because they have little knowledge about the world that they live in, and need guidance from all and sundry (Jenkinson, 1995). Children need to be given the support and confidence from their elders so that they can develop into better human beings in the future. It is for their own good if they comprehend the true essence of life and

Figurative Language versus Literal Language Essay - 10

Figurative Language versus Literal Language - Essay Example Problem solving becomes easier when the analogy of an event is understood. Metaphor is a figure of speech. Direct comparison is usually a metaphor, for instance he was a lion in the battlefield is a metaphor, it goes to show that the man fought like a lion in the battlefield but the word like would not be used in a metaphor. Hyperbole is another figure of speech which means over exaggeration, when someone or something normal is presented in a grand manner it is called hyperbole. The following is an example of a hyperbole "I was helpless. I did not know what in the world to do. I was quaking from head to foot, and could have hung my hat on my eyes, they stuck out so far." (Hyperbole) Simile refers to indirect comparison, it is different from metaphor, words like like and as are used in a simile, for instance her house is like a jail is a simile. You are not as good as he is, this is another example of a simile. Euphemism is another very important figure of speech, it means putting things more subtly. When an offensive word or phrase is substituted with a less offensive word or phrase it is called euphemism, for instance a prostitute is not called a prostitute by some people, they say lady of easy virtue or a painted lady, this is euphemism. They do not say they want to go to the toilet, rather they say we would like to go to the powder room or they would ask where the facilities are, this is euphemism. Colloquialism is â€Å"an informal expression that is more often used in casual  conversation  than in formal speech or writing.† (Colloquialism) He was dumped by her is an example of colloquialism, these were some very important figure of