Faculty of Business Environment and Society Essay - 7

Faculty of Business Environment and Society - Essay Example From this discussion stresses that  workforce engagement is referred to the concept which has become more and more mainstreamed into the management thought. It is observed as an inner state of being i.e. both emotional and mental, and physical; which brings together previous notions of organisational commitment, work effort, and job satisfaction. The definition of workforce/employee engagement gives three scopes to the workforce engagement: intellectual engagement, social engagement, and affective engagement.This study outlines that  managers of human resource department can promote the employees’ engagement within their own company or elsewhere by involving in different practices. Competent and passionate leadership is vital to workforce engagement. Showing an authentic interest in the employees as well as investing time to understand the aspirations and needs of workforce will help them to realise that their contribution in the firm is valued. Engaged workforce should be provided with the opportunity to effectively use their talents and should also be encouraged to expand those skills and talents to show their progress in the company. Managers should involve the workforce in discussions in order to help them to realise that their suggestions are valued and taken by the top management.  The companies should adopt people-focused customs/culture in their operations as employees are the biggest asset of the company.

Mill's Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mill's Ethics - Essay Example She knew, however, just then that it was all wrong for Nick is a married man with two children and Mary is his wife of five years at that point in time. Now, since Chloe is a common link who happens to have witnessed scenarios on both sides and believes to have firsthand knowledge of the moral conflict, she eventually finds herself in a dilemma of choosing which between the two parties ought to be dealt with first. By the established norm, of course, she must opt to stop Jane from proceeding to fall into an adulterous relationship with Nick for the sake of Mary’s family, being the man’s original legal attachment. Nevertheless, in doing so, she would have caused Jane severe pain out of an emotional struggle which she is known to be weak in coping especially when she seems to have put forth in reasoning that her current state of affair was obtained with huge sacrifices that her happiness, as the chief consequence thereof, may not or should not be taken away from her at al l cost. Apparently, Chloe figures the validity of Jane’s argument upon pondering on some relevant aspects of John Stuart Mill’s ethics on utilitarianism, yet reserves an equivalent degree of doubt and philosophical analysis in favor of Mary. By the simple defining principle of utilitarianism in which the consequence is set to determine the moral value of an action or deed, Stuart Mill emerges to draw on a favored unique perspective where such theory ought to be acknowledged in the light of understanding that â€Å"actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness (Mill, Ch. 2).† Equivalently, this is to mean that as long as an act or behavior causes one or many to be happy, then it is to be judged as morally right. One way of gaining discernment of this proposition is by asking ‘is happiness then a measure of justice?’ To what extent should happiness shape the view of morality a s good and scrupulous if there are people like Jane whose case is quite special? What if one’s doings of something make the individual happy yet the ones beyond his or her circle are rather annoyed or hurt as in the probable effect which Jane and Nick’s immoral quest would bear upon Mary? Surely Jane deserves to be happy and possesses the right to act accordingly but how can actions by which happiness is experienced be evaluated as truly ethically conforming if someone else out there as Mary is otherwise bound to be unhappy? Or must a specific area be defined within which only a certain set of actions with all the corresponding outcomes can be permitted to undergo moral justifications? At this stage, Chloe could be found to comprehend Jane on account of Mill’s claim that what promotes happiness at least for Jane’s part should be right but it would similarly suspend her judgment for Mary’s welfare since Jane’s consent of the illegal matter ad vances not in any way the happiness or interest of Mary. While their situation may be felt to require a greater level of moral concern, Mill’s philosophy appears to consist of a pattern or direction where the kind of ‘happiness’ being referred to equates to ‘pleasure’, and this pleasure comes in different forms, quality, and quantity. In this regard, the political economist seems to have chiefly adhered to ‘pleasure’

Analysis of Financial Proposal

Analysis of Financial Proposal (1) analyse financial data; evaluate the results and formulate conclusions (2) prepare a budget and explain how it would be negotiated and monitored. (3) produce a financial proposal and present a sound business case to secure the  required financial resources. The figures can be fictitious. Part 1) Technique used: Ratio Analysis Refer to the Appendix Profitability Ratios These ratios help us to judge how good the firm’s profit performance is. The two key ratios to show profitability are: Return on Capital Employed This measures the level of profit of the business compared to the amount of capital that has been invested in it. It is effectively the return the business has made, and investors will want this to be higher than the rate of interest they could have got elsewhere. The budget is showing a healthy 68% return on capital which includes proposed bank borrowings. Profit Margin This measures the level of profit compared to the turnover, it therefore shows the percentage profit on the sales. It can be measured as either a gross or net profit margin. The Gross Profit margin is 66.5% but the Net Profit margin is only 11.3% due to high wages and purchases costs. These could be reduced by bulk buying and negotiating special terms. Liquidity Ratios These are ratios that measure the liquidity of the business. Business has to ensure that they are able to meet their commitments as when they fall due by converting sufficient assets into cash. A business should avoid a situation where a lot of cash or capital is tied up in high levels of stock. Current asset and Acid Test ratio shows that the business has more than enough assets to cover its liabilities and it is very liquid as the stock and debtors can be turned into cash quickly. Current Ratios This ratio compares the current assets and current liabilities. Clearly a business needs to have more current assets than liabilities, and so at a minimum the figure should be more than 1. Here it is 1.54 which is slightly higher and thus ensures sufficient liquidity. Acid Test Ratios This ratio takes a closer look at the business’s liquidity. One of the current assets is stock, and this clearly not always easy to turn into cash. In fact the firm may have high stock levels because they can’t sell all of it. So the acid test ratio takes the current assets and subtracts the stock. This is a test of immediate solvency. If the value of this ratio is much less than 1 the business may have a liquidity problem, as it may have insufficient assets to meet all its liabilities. Debtors and Creditors Payment period The debtors payment period shows how many days it takes on average for the debtors to pay back the owed money. The creditor payment period shows how many days it takes on average for the business to pay its creditors. Ideally the debtor period should be shorter than the creditor period for better efficiency. Here this is not the case and steps should be taken to chase the debtors to pay quickly. Gearing Ratio This concerns the business’ long-term financial stability. It measures how much of the business is financed by debt. The higher the gearing percentage, the less secure it will be. Normal figure is 50%. Part 2) It is imperative that for any business to trade effectively and be able to grow, it needs to build up enough cash reserves. Therefore it is important to ensure cash movements, that is the timing of cash inflow and cash outflow, are managed in such a way that it results in an overall positive cashflow position. The budget would be negotiated on the basis of forecasted sales revenue, expected expenditure and any planned capital expenditure. The Bank manager needs to be pursuaded that the cash forecast is realistic and not over optimistic. The budget would be monitored and reviewed on a regular basis and any material changes would be acted on. The negotiations would be based upon the fact such as reliability of the customer and suppliers, location of the pub. Also the fact that being a public house, the business is all year round and not seasonal and there are going to be peak seasons such as Christmas and other public holdiays. In addition, the pub would increase its takings by having special events and offers. The budget should build a contingency fund for worst case scenario such as cost over-runs or loss of loyalty of its customers. It needs to show clearly that the owner has invested his/her money as a capital in the business and prepared to risk it, and has a strong track record in this field and that the business plan is credible. A bank always demands a copy of current management accounts with a cash flow forecast in order to assess a business’s liquidity and then decides whether to grant the overdraft facility or not. Therefore, they are of utmost importance when negotiating a loan from a bank. Cash budget gives an advance warning of any liquidity problems. It is often a lack of cash that causes most businesses to fail. It will give you an opportunity to decide when and how to increase or decrease your overdraft with the bank. Part 3) The total amount required is  £50,000 but the business does not need to draw down all of the money at once. It should be stressed to the bank manager that you have number of years’ experience in the same business and you know the trade well. Also you have good interpersonal skills and the ability to get on with all types of people This is important for running a successful pub. You also have to stress that you have done your home work, prepared a business plan and have ideas to boost the business by holding special events throughout the year. You need to do some research about the market for a pub in that area. If there are only one or two pubs in the local area and nothing within, say 15 mile radius, then an additional pub in that area is going to stand a very good chance of success. Appendix The following table shows the ratios for the year 2005: Ratio Profitability ROCE68% Gross Profit Margin66.5% Net Profit 11.3% Direct Wages20% Debtor payment days28 days Current Ratio1.54:1 Acid Test1.1:1 Gearing52% Bibliography 1. www.qck.com/business-loans.html 2. Cox, 0 and Farndon, M (1997) Management of Finance (2nd Edition) Worcester: Osborne Books. 3. Dyson, J (1998) Accounting for Non-Accounting Students London: Pitman 4. Http://www/bized.ac.uk Learning resources contain summary notes on main topics. 5. Management and Cost Accounting, 4th Edition, by Colin Drury, Thomson Business Press. 6. Active Accounting by Brammer, Cox, Fardon, Penning. Osborne books.

The Effects of the Holocaust on Individual and Society Essay -- Essays

The Effects of the Holocaust on Individual and Society "What the world learned from the Holocaust is that you can kill six million Jews and no one will care."1 The Holocaust occurred because society neglected the individual, allowing six million Jews to be killed before the rest of the world intervened. In the aftermath of the Holocaust, society had to come to terms with the changing needs of the individual, especially the Jewish individual. The effects of the Holocaust caused the Jews to re-identify themselves and develop their loyalty to the Jewish race. Society had to overcome the initial view of the Jews as "the other" and learn to accept them and other minorities. Society also had to implement methods by which to prevent possible future mass genocide. The Holocaust left lasting effects on the relationship between the individual and society, resulting in a greater responsibility of the society for the individual. In the aftermath of the Holocaust, it is the responsibility of society to understand the loss experienced by the Jews to help prevent mass genocide. While the idea of six million Jews killed in the Holocaust may seem like a lot, it is still just an abstract number to those not concerned with the Holocaust directly. What society needs to understand is that the six million is someone’s mother, son, grandparent, or friend. Those who survived the Holocaust must live with this trauma everyday; for them, it is not just a historic event.2 Innocent Jews were persecuted, tortured, and murdered for their faith and only for their faith. The unimaginable actually happened to them. Once society can understand the loss felt by the Jews, it can learn how to prevent the Holocaust from happening again. The Holoc... ... 8. Rappaport, 96 9. Hass, 91 10. Gur-Ze’ev, 161-177 11. Hass, 40. 12. Hass, 183 13. Andrew Nagorski, "A Strange Affair," Newsweek, 15 June 1998, 36-38. 14. Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, "Europe’s Success Story," Newsweek, 15 June 1998, 38. 15. Hass, 193. 16. Rappaport, 47. Bibliography - Goldhagen, Daniel Jonah. "Europe’s Success Story." Newsweek, 15 June 1998, 38. - Gur-Ze’ev, Ilan. "The Morality of acknowledging/not acknowledging the other’s Holocaust/genocide." Journal of Moral Education, June 1998, 161-177. - Hass, Aaron. The Aftermath. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. - Nagorski, Andrew. "A Strange Affair." Newsweek, 15 June 1998, 36-38. - Rappaport, Lynn. Jews in Germany after the Holocaust: Memory, identity and Jewish- German relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.

Customer Segmentation Study for Brazil Market Essay

Early childhood from 0-6 years is under the responsibility of the municipalities , and primary education between sates and municipalities. We could aim our main targets (children) between the age of 6- 25 in schools, colleges, etc. We could promote our innocent smoothy drinks at schools and other places for cheap prices or of no price at all at the beginning when our business would need recognition. We could have different flavours with different kinds of fruits to attract children and make it a more healthier drink for them and as acai berry is high in nutritional value and it contains vitamin a, vitamin e, iron, calcium,etc which is required for a growing The acai berries are found from a palm that has a long thin trunk unto 25m high with a group of branches at the top from which hangs ribbon like leaves. It has a life span of 24 hours (the properties in the juice are active till 24 hours only), so they should be loaded into baskets and onto the boats by the west part of Brazil, Belem’s market. Then they can be crushed and mixed in smoothies, juices, ice creams, etc. Consumers and distributors across the world have recognised the health benefits of Acai juice and sales have confirmed this trend. Acai is taken in liquid juice form. It is safe to say that Acai juice that is cold processed and not dried out will be a superior product over the rest. Another thing to watch for are the ingredient lists on these products. Many companies are producing Acai juice with 20% or less of the actual Acai juice. The remainder is filled with water, sugar, preservatives and other cheaper juices. With the Acai’s great anti-inflammatory properties, adding sugar (and effectively cancelling out Acai juice’s benefits) simply doesn’t make sense. However to the credit of some companies there are juices available that are 80% to 85% Acai juice. 100% Acai juice can seem too strong in taste to many people. Naturally the Acai berry is not sweet. When the pulp of many berries is blended it is easy to see the oils that come to the surface.

A Homegrown Writing Retreat

A Homegrown Writing Retreat Ah, the writers retreat! A four-star hotel with room service, or maybe just an idyllic cabin in the woods, with meals delivered on tippy-toe so as not to disturb the Muse. What you couldnt get done in such an environment – provided you can afford the fees and travel costs, and make it past the waiting list. If you cant, dont despair. For the last six years my writers group has held three or four retreats a year: spring, summer, fall and sometimes also winter. Its simple, inexpensive, and very, very effective. Most of us who attend the retreats write daily, and professionally. The retreats allow us to kick-start a new project or make major progress on an existing one. Heres what you need for your own retreat: ==At least three writers committed to showing up all three days. Four, five or six reduces the work per person. More than that would probably be unwieldy. ==A space big enough for everyone to write in, with facilities for meals. Ours is the living room in the home of two of our writers. You might also be able to use a church hall or some other community space that has a kitchen. ==A meal plan. Ours is done a week ahead so everyone knows what meals theyll be responsible for. Meals are scheduled: breakfast 8 a.m., lunch 1 p.m., supper 6 p.m. Theyre also simple, and as much as possible, made ahead. The person responsible for the next meal cleans up from the last one, which means you know where you put the cheese grater or the big spoon. We try to keep breakfast and lunch self-serve, and gather for conversation and readings at dinner. ==A project, and whatever research materials, notes or so on you require, plus your writing tools of choice. We list food sensitivities and dislikes on the meal plan. We also ban television, movies, radio, phone calls and music except with headphones. Visitors are discouraged, and any conversation has to be away from the writing area. Alcohol comes out only in moderation with dinner, where we read aloud from the days work and cheer each other on. Three of us are hard-core and attend every day of every retreat. Three or four others regularly show up for a day or two (with a meal and cleanup). The work is minimal – at worst, one meal and one cleanup per day. Its not unusual to have a day on which youre not responsible for any kitchen work. As for cost, I live fifteen miles from the retreat location and usually do two meals and provide some snacks (fruit, nuts or biscotti, plus dark chocolate). My total costs for the weekend are $60-$80 in gas and food. If my friends guest room is available, its less than that. Results? They can be amazing. I regularly get two weeks worth of writing done in three days. Ive polished a manuscript for publication, written 80 percent of a non-fiction book and ploughed through more pages than I can remember. My colleagues have had similar results. While its my daily writing practice that keeps me productive and sharp, the retreats help me remember that there are others out there sharing this creative life. I come out of a retreat refreshed and re- committed. The camaraderie eases the usual loneliness of the writers work, the feedback warms the heart. And the production doesnt hurt, either.

The Values of the Shawshank Redemption Essay Example

The Values of the Shawshank Redemption Essay Example The Values of the Shawshank Redemption Paper The Values of the Shawshank Redemption Paper Essay Topic: The Shawshank Redemption The Shawano Redemption is about a banker, Andy Defense who is wrongly convicted of murdering his wife and his lover, Is sentenced to Shawano Prison for two life sentences. As time passes, Andy becomes friends with Red and other Inmates. Andy brings the guards and other prisoners on his side when he helps them with tax problems. Over the years, he gains reputation and is more respected. More significantly, he never drops hope which makes him wanting to be free. In the end, Andy escapes prison by breaking through the prison wall by using a rock emmer which Red smuggled. The film is narrated by Red because Morgan Freeman (Red) has an incredible smooth voice that makes anything sound nice. Things Fall Apart is a novel about a man called Awoken who is a leader and warrior of his village, one of the Nine Villages and has a high level of respect. He was three wives with many children. Awoken does not show his true feelings as he considers this as not masculine. HIS village is very cultural; It Is very strong in its traditions, gods and beliefs. Awoken breaks one of their beliefs, and Is forced to leave the illegal. Then the missionaries and the white men come In the village and try to brainwash them with Christianity. The use of African terms such as chi Indicates a more strong sense of tradition. Through the two texts, Red and Awoken both show examples of respect. Red does not care about the amount of prison work he does and he helps other peoples wants and needs. Awoken respects his villages beliefs, religion, customs and heritage. When the missionary wanted him to convert to Christianity he refused and rebelled. In life, people often follow the rules, regulations and traditions of their local community because that Is what they know within their knowledge. People would not want to shatter the tradition because they dont want to create chaos In the community. In Things Fall Apart, Awoken respectfully obeys the villages beliefs, religion and customs. When Awoken kills his son, he is told to that his family must De put Into exile Ana must erelong special Items to ten g sees. Nils snows respect towards his own (and the villages) belief. In the film, The Shawano Redemption, Red is a hard worker and respects the prison guards. He will obey anything they say and do anything they say. He gives advice to others and silently keeps out of trouble. The other value is hope. In The Shawano Redemption, Andy believes that hope gives a sense of freedom. This is because he knows he is innocent. As he gets used to the prison, Andy thinks he is so free that puts Mozart on the PA system. This is hope gone too far. Later on, Andy put in enough effort and determination to plan a successful escape. In Things Fall Apart, Awoken gains hope when things start to get out of hand. He also hopes to generate wealth from the yams. However, he is not capable of change because he has always been the same person. When Awoken is protesting against the new religion, no one was on his side so his only choice was to kill himself by hanging. The values I have researched has affected my personal values and attitudes by releasing the harshness in a prison or being forced to be taught a religion can be negated with the right determination by believing in your values.