EDLE 639 - Assignment 2 - Take 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

EDLE 639 - Assignment 2 - Take 2 - Essay Example Mary’s and other schools in the diocese adhere to the guiding principles, as well as terms of reference that govern Catholic schools (Duncan & Duncan, 1997). The primary aim behind the examination of the governance model of the school and diocese is to appreciate the inherent difficulties that encounter the organization. Some of the most marked issues, in the diocese, with regard to governance include diminishing numbers of priests; concerns concerning the growing legal obligations of priests, boards and other administrators of Catholic primary schools; and the need for increased accountability on the part of school administrators (Cheney, 2013). This examination also aims at meeting the need for a sound knowledge base regarding the governance model of Catholic primary schools in the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes so as to inform further research and debate concerning the nature of primary school governance in the county of New South Wales and in the entire nation. As a consequen ce, this examination aims at describing, as well as analysing, the present practices and issues concerning governance of St. Mary’s Primary School and the larger Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes (CEO Wilcannia-Forbes, 2013). ... Schools under the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes are united in their reverence for tradition. The schools, including St. Mary’s Primary School endeavour to provide excellent education opportunities for children under their care (Cheney, 2013). This is guaranteed by working collaboratively with all stakeholders, including parents, boards, priests and principals, thereby enabling the education of the entire individual (Duncan & Duncan, 1997). It is through this collaboration that the organization engages with the challenges of modern day, particularly the ethical and moral contradictions of today (Jordan, 2008). Since they are linked in both purpose and mission, Catholic primary schools in the Diocese of Wilcannia-Forbes form authentic communities of faith, which source their inspiration and justification from Jesus Christ. At the centre of the mission of the Catholic Church is the functionality of school education. The successfulness of this mission is largely contingent on key co mponents of effective governance that offer a sense of direction, leadership and authority, which in turn guarantees effective school operations (Hofman, Hofman & Guldemond, 2002) sch. Governance and leadership of Catholic schools can be considered in the context of a mission whose function is to protect and promote the rights and duties of the entire school community. Leadership and governance centred on the practices and principles of excellence play a significant role in advancing the Catholic identity, the school’s operational vitality and overall academic excellence (ACPP, 2005a). While governance models are variable depending on the sponsorship of a school, individuals who serve on the leadership team

The Role of Government in Policy Making Essay Example for Free

The Role of Government in Policy Making Essay In order for an agency or organization to function properly it must have policies and laws put in place. With out these policies the agency or organization would not be able to function at a proper level. Legislative tasks are one of the most important parts of making a policy. There are several different tasks involved. Task one: the group must provide a clear informative issue; they need to clearly describe the problem, and give the reasons why and what they need from legislation. This is a critical step because the general public and individual legislators need to know exactly what the interest group wants if they are to give legislative and public support. (Social Policy and Social Programs) Task two: is to prepare the pros and cons and summarize what the problem is. This will help legislation understand the problem; what is causing it and what may help the situation. Task three: in the legislative process is to create solutions for the social problemof concern, that is, a public policy, program design, or provision (benefit) that will plausiblycorrect the problem. That is not a simple task to do well; actual legislative proposalsvary from excellent to simplistic and all the way to unbelievably simpleminded. (Social Policy and Social Programs) Task four: is to organize public support for their issue. In order to motivatelegislators to identify themselves with an issue and recruit other legislators as well, large scalepublic support is essential. Everything else pales into insignificance without it. (Social Policy and Social Programs) Task five: in the legislative process is to convince a legislator to sign on to the bill in the sense of turning the social problem analysis, prospective social program designfeatures, and position papers into a legislative proposal and officially introducing(sponsoring) it as a legislative bill. Although legislative staff personnel can be very helpfulin crafting the proposed bill, only a legislator can introduce a bill. After the bill is introduced,it will then be referred to a committee of the legislature for study andrecommendation. Committee assignment is critical. Supporters do well to have thosewith influence (usually other legislators) convince leadership making committee assignmentsto send it to  an appropriate committee for study and recommendation. If leadershipis not supportive of the bill, it likely will be assigned to a committee known to be agraveyard for bills. Part of the study for a bill moving successfully through this task areais a legislative hearing on the bill. (Social Policy and Social Programs) Task six: in the legislative process is to organize appearances at the aforementioned committee hearings with regard to the bill. The purpose of the committee hearings is for committee members to ask questions, receive answers, and debate the merits of the bil l. (Social Policy and Social Programs) Seventh task: in the legislative process is to lobby legislators, other than the onewho introduced the bill, for their support when it is finally voted on by the whole (federal,state, or city) legislative body. Supporters need to turn out in strength. Lobbying ismost effective when it is coordinated, timed, and clear in what it wants legislators to votefor. Once again, the agenda is to show legislators why it is in their political interest to vote in a particular way on legislation. (Social Policy and Social Programs) If the bill is passed in to law there is one more task to perform last task: in the legislative process is lobbyingfor money (appropriations) to run the program that is contained in the legislation. (Social Policy and Social Programs)The judicial branch of government has the most important role in deciding what programs can be used to help serve clients. It can also stop programs at any given time. Family and Children Services of Niagara INC., is influenced by the people of the community who may need help in many ways. The court systems play a major role in this organization by recommendations by judges for people to seek counseling, parenting services, seek employment and many other various services that this organization provides. The courts may order a person to seek a certain service that is provided by Family and Children INC, the councilors of the organization will have to report to the courts of the persons progress, and weather or not the program is helping them. If the person does not follow the recommendations, that person can be required to serve jail time. References Family and Children Services of Niagara INC. http://niagarafamily.org/Social Policy and Social Programs (2005) A Method for the Practical Public Policy Analyst

Technological Literacy :: Technology Technological Papers

Technological Literacy Definitions and Rationale What is technology? A definition of technology literacy might well begin with a definition of technology. Technology consists of all the modifications humans have made in the natural environment for their own purposes (Dugger 2001)—inventions, innovations, and changes intended to meet our wants and needs, to live longer, more productive lives. Such a broad definition of technology includes a broad spectrum of artifacts, ranging from the age-old (flint tools, wheels, levers) to the high-tech (computers, multimedia, biotechnologies). In short, if humans thought of it and made it, it’s technology. Two important points need to made about such a broad definition of technology. First, although some writers address only computer and communications technology (e.g., Selfe 1999), technology is usually defined to include far more than instructional or communications technology (Custer 1999). Computers, e-mail, and Web TV are only one part of the array of devices and procedures we encounter in day-to-day life—everything from digitized kitchen appliances to transportation systems and integrated manufacturing. Second, science and technology, although closely related, are different (Sanders 1999). Science generates knowledge for its own sake, proposing and testing explanations. Technology, on the other hand, develops human-made solutions to real-world problems. Of course, science uses technology to generate knowledge and technology uses scientific knowledge to generate solutions, so the two are integrally connected; but they are different fields driven by different concepts and pr ocesses (Bybee 2000). What is technological literacy? Just as technology involves more than computers and the Internet, technological literacy involves more than hands-on skill in using technology (Bugliarello 2000). Certainly, knowing how to use information technology is increasingly important in our knowledge society, whether we are looking for a job, marketing a service, or shopping for a product. We must also be able to use other devices, like microwaves, copying machines, and self-service gas pumps, that have become part of everyday life at home, at work, or in the community. However, the ability to use technology is only one part of technological literacy. What are the other parts? Interpreting a large body of work on technological literacy from a variety of fields, Gagel (1997) suggested common elements of an enduring, inherent technological literacy that can last through the fast, continuous changes in technology. This type of technological literacy would include knowledge about the details of individual technologies and about the process of technology development. It would also include a holistic understanding of the historical and cultural context of technology and adaptability based on initiative and resourceful thinking.

5 Girls in Alabama Church Bombing

Is the Nightmare Over? The 1960s was a severely changing time in the US. The 1960s has shaped the way the US is today. It was a very changing time period because of many reasons, such as the hippie movement, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the creation of children’s toys, but one main event that occurred in the 60s was racism. Racism in the 1960s was a huge problem between whites and colored people for years. Propaganda was the main reason; prejudice commercials, sperate water fountains, restrooms, and buildings. People such as Martin Luther King Jr. a Baptist minister who became a civil rights activist tried to bring black and whites together by broadcasting speeches to the public (â€Å"blogspot. com†). Groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, known as the KKK didn’t care about what Martin Luther King Jr. had to say. The KKK scared blacks into leaving town by burning homes, crosses, buildings, putting up signs, and killing blacks all over the country. Blacks were portrayed as horrible people in the 1960s (â€Å"blogspot. com†). If whites saw blacks somewhere they would call them out their name, and tell their children not to communicate with them and they would ask what’s she or he doing here.The KKK began a new era of violence in the 1960s. They were upset that African Americans were getting all these rights, and members had to do something about it to show their madness. On Sunday September 15, 1963 The Sixteenth Street Baptist Church a black church in Birmingham, Alabama was bombed. Four young girls by the names of Addie Mae Collins 14, Cynthia Wesley 14, Carole Robertson 14, and Denise McNair 11 who decided to attend church that morning were killed by the explosion while attending Sunday school class and twenty-three adults and children were injured (â€Å"Ballad of Birmingham†).Whoever would have thought a good day in church could turn into such a tragedy before service ended? Addie Mae Collins was the daughter of Julius and Alice Collins, born April 18, 1949 becoming one of seven children. She attended Hill Elementary School and was a passionate softball player and budding artist. Her and her family was members of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church (â€Å"findagrave. com†). Cynthia D. Wesley was born April 30, 1949. She was adopted at birth by two teachers, Claude and Gertrude Wesley. She attended Ullman High School where she did well in reading, math, and band.Her and her family was members of the church as well (â€Å"findagrave. com†). Carole R. Robertson was born April 24, 1949. Her father was a band master at an elementary school and her mother was a librarian. In elementary school she sung in the choir and was a straight A student, member of the science club and marching band at Parker High School. She was also a Girl Scout. Her and her family was also members of the church (â€Å"findagrave. com†). Denise McNair was born Carol Denise McNair on November 17, 19 51. Her father owned a photo shop and her mother was a school teacher.She attended Center Street Elementary School where she and Condoleezza Rice were friends. She was a Brownie member; she played baseball, and helped raise money for charities by staging plays, dance routines, and poetry readings. She and her family were also members of the church and she was also the youngest of the girls. The four girls were interred doing a joint funeral which was attended by over 8,000 people (â€Å"findagrave. com†). The investigation of the bombing took almost 40 years before the family of the victims gained victory. In 1965 it was announced that Bobby F. Cherry, Robert E.Chambliss, Herman F. Cash, and Thomas Blanton Jr. had planted the bomb in the basement of the church. The FBI office of Birmingham suggested prosecuting the suspects, but a director of the FBI blocked the prosecution (â€Å"tripod. com†). Three years after that charges wasn’t filed and the FBI closed the case (â€Å"Ballad of Birmingham†). Come to find out there was a Klan meeting the morning of the bombing where the bomb was planned and the bomb was made. It was confessed by Blanton on a tape that was recorded in 1964, secretly hidden by the FBI (â€Å"tripod. com†). In 1971, an Alabama attorney reopened the case.November 18, 1977, Chambliss was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. 1988 and 1997 the case was reopened again after the FBI received a tip. Cash was still a prime suspect, but he died in 1994 before a case could open against him. May 17, 2000, Cherry and Blanton were charged with the murder of the four girls. Blanton was sentenced life in prison on May 1, 2001. Cherry was charged with four counts of murder and was sentenced life in prison on May 22, 2002 (â€Å"tripod. com†). The family and friends of the four girls were happy about the conviction of the Cherry and Blanton.Everyone could finally rest knowing that they would be in pris on all their lives paying for what they did. The Nightmare is over, but the deaths of the four girls are forever alive. The four girls deserve a memorial because not only did it affect the families of the victims, but it affected the people of Birmingham and people from other cities and states; it changed the world drastically. If these young ladies were still alive today they would be in their sixty’s and probably living out their dreams they had once planned, but because of the tragedy they couldn’t fulfill them.I would invest in a Scholarship Foundation under the four girls and name it â€Å"The Second Chance† scholarship foundation. The scholarship will distribute $3,000 to forty young adults who plan to pursue a further education. The memorial would take place at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in the basement in Birmingham, Alabama. The basement of the church would be a great place because this was where the bombing took place killing the four girls. T he basement of the church would be set up like an auditorium with many rows of chairs and a nice round stage in front of the room.Pictures of the girls and the other children will hang on the walls and a picture of the church right after the bombing occurred. Each of the young adults who have qualify for the scholarship and their families would sit down and hear me state a few facts about each of the girl’s lives and talk about the history behind the church. I would like to have the two closet family members of each girl to meet the young people and share information about the girls, and how they spent their days together.After talking for a few hours, some of the family members of the girls and I would present each of the forty young adults with a $3,000 scholarship check in their name founded under â€Å"The Second Chance† scholarship foundation. I think if Addie, Cynthia, Carole, and Denise were still alive they would be excited that I would consider them to have a memorial since no one has for the past couple of decades. Since they didn’t get a chance to live out their own dreams, I think they would be more than happy to let a child under their foundation live out theirs. References . â€Å"Racism In The 1960's. † blogspot. om. Blog Spot, 16 2008. Web. 14 Nov 2012. . â€Å"Newspaper Article on Church Bombing in 1960's. † tripod. com. Tripod. Web. 14 Nov 2012. . . â€Å"Addie Mae, Cynthia, Carole, and Denise. † findagrave. com. Find A Grave. Web. 14 Nov 2012. . â€Å"The 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing. † Ballad of Birmingham. www. balladofbirmingham. com. Web. 14 Nov 2012. .

Financial Statement Analysis of Pharmaceuticals in Pakistan

Final Project Profitability Ratios’ Analysis of Pharmaceuticals in same industry for FY 2008-10 Sanofi-Aventis Ferozsons Abbott A REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES, VIRTUAL UNIVERSITY OF PAKISTAN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTERS IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION Submitted By Mc080402262 Sheikh Khurum Akram Department of Management Sciences, Virtual University of Pakistan Acknowledgement In the name of ALLAH, the most Gracious, the most Merciful Firstly I am thankful to ALLAH ALMIGHTY, WHO is sprinkling HIS blessings upon me and my family.HE has bestowed me with sound health and determination to perform this task. I really acknowledge guidelines from my course tutor who taught me the techniques of research. This project is my own effort. Executive Summary I will evaluate three leading pharmaceuticals of Pakistan for profitability ratio analysis of Abbott, Ferozsons and Sanofi-Aventis. I will assess them on the basis of facts and figures provided in their financial statements. My objective is to figure out their flaws and potencies. Outcomes of profitability analysis are worthy for management in making effective decisions.My findings will make easy for all related parties to have impartial analysis. This project will also make available a snapshot of pharmaceuticals’ capability in managing their resource for yielding profits. The main purpose behind this analysis is to conduct a quantitative study of raw data. Outcomes of my project will assist the title-holders and decision-makers to keep an eye on improvement in their businesses. I will perform profitability ratio analysis of Abbott, Ferozsons and Sanofi-Aventis. I will cite my sources each time if exact quote is copied of an author or paraphrasing of the same is drafted in my own words.I will provide reference if I copy a table, chart, diagram, or graph wholly or partly. Microsoft word and excel will be used to evaluate ratio analysis. APA styl e of referencing will be used. Ferozsons and Abbott have yielded sufficient net profits to recover all operating, non-operating expenses and taxation charges and to build up reserves after paying all fixed interest charges and dividends. Sanofi-Aventis has yielded very low net profit despite reasonable sales volume due to escalating cost of goods sold, operating and non-operating charges. Abbott laboratory and Ferozsons are efficiently managing its assets to generate profit.Sanofi-Aventis is not utilizing its assets properly to generate profit. Abbott laboratory and Ferozsons have higher generating rate of their wealth. Sanofi-Aventis has lower generating rate of its wealth. Ferozsons has better pricing approach and operating competence. On the contrary Sanofi-Aventis has flaws in pricing tactic. Abbott has shown adequate operating profits to meet its fixed cost. Sanofi-Aventis has shown its efficiency at its best in managing significant assets like Property, Plant & Equipment, Stoc k in Trade and Cash with bank balances.Ferozsons has utilized its revenue producing assets exceptionally well. Abbott has produced bulk sales volume with a relatively small amount of fixed assets. Sanofi-Aventis has shown effective job by producing better sales volume turnover with minute amount of property, plant and equipment. Sanofi-Aventis has produced insufficient returns to satisfy its investors. Ferozsons has generated sufficient gross profit volumes to face unfavorable financial circumstances such as low demanding and price competition. Ferozsons and Abbott need to keep scheming in the same way for curtailing cost of goods sold, operating and on-operating expenses. They need to retain effective management policies by utilizing more assets for the generation of higher profits in future. They need to keep strengthening better pricing approach and operating competence. They need to utilize operating assets more effectively to improve their turnover as per sales volume. Ferozson s needs to downsize overinvested in fixed assets. Abbott and Sanofi-Aventis should improve their turnover of fixed assets in terms of sales volume. They can increase gross profits by implementing more effective management policies.Sanofi-Aventis really needs to look its profit yielding capacity. It should review and improve its products range. Furthermore effective management policies can produce the desirable results. It requires implementing improved pricing tactic to attain better operating proficiency. It needs to watch over its policies for better return on owner’s equity to retain its investor confidence. It has shown better operating assets turnover, it should keep utilizing them in the same manner. It needs to improve its selling and marketing strategies to improve profit margins.Table of contents Acknowledgement Executive Summary Section IPage # 1. Chapter 1) Introduction8 Financial Period Under-Consideration for Analysis:10 Objectives10 Significance11 2. Chapter 2) Data Processing and Analysis 11 * Data Collection Sources:12 * Data Processing and Analysis Tools: 12 3. Chapter 3) Data Analysis12 Profitability Ratio Analysis Project12 †¢ Net Profit Margin 12 †¢ Return on Assets 14 †¢ DuPont Return on Assets 17 †¢ Operating Income Margin 20 †¢ Operating Assets Turnover 23 †¢ Return on Operating Assets 26 †¢ Sales to Fixed Assets 29 Return on Total Equity 31 †¢ Gross Profit Margin 34 4. Chapter 4) Summary, Conclusion, Recommendations & Limitations: 5. 2 Conclusion36 5. 3 Recommendations38 Section II a) Introduction of the student39 b) Bibliography39 Section I Chapter 1) Introduction to the Project: My project is about the financial standings and performance interpretations of three leading pharmaceuticals of Pakistan. I am willing to conduct this project to analyze the potentials and flaws of the same sort of business. My findings will facilitate all related parties to have impartial analysis.This project wi ll also provide a snapshot of pharmaceuticals’ competence in handling their resource for generating profits. Profitability ratio analysis helps to conduct a quantitative scrutiny of raw data. It assists the title-holders and decision-makers to monitor improvement in their businesses and endow with qualified analysis. It also helps to analyze and interpret for future prospects. My project will help all the stakeholders to have impartial comparative performance analysis. Reliable analysis of financial statements has got enormous importance in the current economic scenario.Investors, debtors, creditors and customers demand concrete, credible and result-oriented approach on which they can rely. This sort of project is always needed to have impartial analysis that encourages financier to invest in more profitable venture. It will also help the relevant pharmaceuticals to overcome their loopholes. The pharmaceutical concerns have shown high sales in the current era. It is justifiab le to call it the most developed technological segment in the country's financial system. This business is presently experiencing a phase of considerable transformation in under developed countries.Well-established pharmaceuticals can allow investments in more R ; D that expand their potential drugs range. Abbott Laboratories: They are a global, broad-based health care company devoted to discovering new medicines, new technologies and new ways to manage health. Their products span the continuum of care, from nutritional products and laboratory diagnostics through medical devices and pharmaceutical therapies. Their comprehensive line of products encircles life itself – addressing important health needs from infancy to the golden years.They have over 70,000 employees worldwide and a global presence in more than 130 countries, Abbott Pakistan is part of the global healthcare corporation of Abbott Laboratories, Chicago, USA. Abbott started operations in Pakistan as a marketing af filiate in 1948; the company has steadily expanded to comprise a work force of over 1500 employees. Currently two manufacturing facilities located at Landhi and Korangi in Karachi continue to use innovative technology to produce top quality pharmaceutical products. Abbott Pakistan has leadership in the field of Pain Management, Anesthesia * Medical Nutrition * Anti-Infective Ferozsons Laboratories Limited: It is one of the leading pharmaceuticals in Pakistan. It was incorporated as a Private Limited Company in 1954; Ferozsons Laboratories Limited became Pakistan's first local pharmaceutical company to be listed on the country's stock exchanges (1960). Commencing production in 1956, they made their beginnings primarily as manufacturers of fine chemicals and galenicals, and as toll-manufacturers for multinational pharmaceutical corporations today, heir core strength lies in their own range of branded generics, which cover products in the following segments:   * Anti-infective * Gast rointestinal * Cardiovascular * Dermatology Their marketing force consists of over 230 representatives and managers covering the territories of Pakistan. They have a  consistent prescription growth rate of over 20% per annum  in their promoted products; they provide a solid platform for creating and establishing brands in the Pakistani market. Sanofi-Aventis:Sanofi-Aventis is one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies serving the cause of improving health and wellbeing. It is present in more than  100 countries, with around  11,000 scientists. They have around 100, 000 employees  working to improve health and wellbeing. Their Global headquarters are in Paris, France. Sanofi-Aventis focuses its activities on 7 major therapeutic areas: * Cardiovascular * Thrombosis * Oncology * Central Nervous System * Metabolic Disorders * Internal Medicine * VaccinesI have selected this project to have broad based comparative analysis between pharmaceuticals operating in Pa kistan with different origins. It is desirable for me to know how these pharmaceuticals utilizing their resources to yield high profits effectively. 1. 1 Financial Period Under-Consideration for Analysis: Financial years under consideration for analysis are 2008 to 2010 of Abbott, Ferozsons and Sanofi-Aventis. 1. 2 Objectives: The core objectives of the project will be to observe the operations of pharmaceuticals, their financial emergence and potencies along with flaws. To analyze the ability of selected pharmaceuticals to earn profit over a period of time * To analyze the selected pharmaceuticals efficiency in managing their resource for generating profit * To find out the reasons for generating profit over the years for selected pharmaceuticals * To find out that how effectively selected pharmaceuticals are maximizing their profits by controlling their costs/expenses * Trend Analysis will help to study the financial history of pharmaceuticals for comparison. * I would justify my findings about the financial capability of the pharmaceuticals to satisfy the stakeholders. . 3 Significance of the Project: Profitability ratio analysis would provide thorough information about the credibility and current standings of pharmaceuticals. My project will help creditors to know the liquidity position of pharmaceuticals, its relation with profitability and help to settle their priorities. Liquidity determines a company’s capability to meet up its obligations. If a company is facing troubles in meeting its urgent monetary commitments, it can affect its business functions and profitability.Concisely a pharmaceutical with better profitability will be enjoying improved liquidity position. It can help debtors to assess how pharmaceuticals are extending credits, effectiveness of collecting debts and its impact on profit. I want to carry out this type of project to help the investors for settling their decisions in making investments in such a pharmaceutical that would b est value their wealth. It will assist the customers to select such pharmaceutical that is yielding better profits and more reliable. It would help the management to have an independent analysis in identifying their loopholes.Profitability Ratio Analysis, Trend analysis and comparisons of results with other type of data will be judged against the pharmaceuticals within the industry. In short my analysis will help all stakeholders to have relevant and reliable information to ease their decision making process. Chapter 2) Data Processing and analysis: I will disclose and acknowledge all references for all materials that are used from all sources. I will cite my sources each time if exact quote is copied of an author or paraphrasing of the same is drafted in my own words.I will provide reference if I copy a table, chart, diagram, or graph wholly or partly. APA style of referencing will be used. 2. 1 Data Collection Sources may be: Primary Sources: This first hand data will be the conte nts I am investigating through financial statements of my relevant pharmaceuticals. Study of current data is my primary source. Secondary Sources may be: It will be collected through financial statements of my selected pharmaceuticals and internet. 2. 2 Data Processing and Analysis Tools: Microsoft word and excel will be used to evaluate ratio analysis. Chapter 3) Data AnalysisProfitability Ratio Analysis Project I have taken into consideration three recent Financial Years 2008, 2009 and 2010 for analysis of Abbott, Ferozsons and Sanofi-Aventis. 1- Net profit margin Introduction: The net profit margin formula reveals that how much of a company's revenues are reserved as net income. It is generally expressed as a percentage. It is calculated by dividing net profit with sales revenue for a given year. Formula: Net profit margin= Net Profit / Sales Revenue * 100 Net profit margin= (Answer) %age Calculation: Net profit margin| Year 2008| Year 2009| Year 2010| Abbott| =343,980/7,089,163= 4. 5%| =609,072/8,450,118=7. 21%| =1,176,944/10,995,701=10. 70% | Ferozsons| =217,023. 829/932,297. 994=23. 28%| =182,757. 453/1,085,393. 578=16. 84%| =317,542. 675/1,273,374. 822=24. 94%| Sanofi-Aventis | =38,269/4,346,528=0. 88%| =167,371/6,725,708=2. 49%| =224,024/6,158,295=3. 64%| Note: Numeric Figures are mentioned in ‘000’ Working: No need to provide breakup of net profit (numerator) and sales revenue (denominator) as these figures are mentioned in Profit and loss account. Graphical Representation and Trend Analysis: Interpretation and Comparison Ferozsons has yielded highest net profit ratio (24. 4% in 2010) whereas Abbott laboratory has the maximum sales volume with compare to other two. Ferozsons and Abbott have yielded sufficient net profits to recover all operating, non-operating expenses and taxation charges. They have the tendency to build up reserves after paying all fixed interest charges and dividends. Sanofi-Aventis has yielded very low net profit (0. 8 8% in 2008) despite reasonable sales volume. Abbott has shown increasing trend from FY 2008 to 2010 by producing the highest sales volume and by curtailing cost of goods sold, operating and non-operating expenses.Ferozsons has shown a decreasing trend from FY 2008 to 2009 due to the increase in cost of goods sold. It has revived in FY 2010 by yielding the highest net profit percentage by controlling its cost of goods sold. Sanofi-Aventis has shown an increasing trend from FY 2008 to 2010 but insufficient net profit to keep any reserves. It has shown the lowest profit percentage in FY 2008 due to very high cost of goods sold and operating expenses along with finance charges. Abbott has changed its financial year from November to December in 2010 (13 months) that has also given it edge in producing better sales volume.Ferozsons has been leading and surpassed other pharmaceuticals with high profit margins by curtailing its cost of goods sold and operating expenses as compared to others . On the other hand Abbott has shown the highest volume of sales as compared to others but profit yielding capacity has seemed to be been on the way out. Sanofi-Aventis has yielded very low profits due to escalating cost of goods sold, operating and non-operating charges. 2- Return on Assets Introduction: Return on average total assets is a profitability gauge of a company with relation to its total assets.It is generally expressed as a percentage. It is calculated by dividing net profit with average total assets for a given year. Formula: Return on Assets= Net Profit / Average Total Assets * 100 Return on Assets = (Answer) %age Calculation: Return on Assets= Net Profit / Average Total Assets * 100| | Return on Assets| Year 2008| Year 2009| Year 2010| Abbott| 343980/4865539*100=7. 07%| 609072/5007143*100=12. 16%| 1176944/5377499*100=21. 89%| Ferozsons| 217023. 829/1349994. 951*100=16. 08%| 182757. 453/1530769. 165*100=11. 94%| 317542. 675/1724423. 948*100=18. 41%| | | | | Sanofi-Ave ntis | 38269/2706204*100=1. 1%| 167371/3211724*100=5. 21%| 224024/3393760*100=6. 60%| | | | | Note: Numeric Figures are mentioned in ‘000’ Working: No need to provide breakup of net profit (numerator) as it is mentioned in profit & loss account. | Total Assets| | | | Total Assets| Year 2007| Year 2008| Year 2009| Year 2010| Abbott| 4681368| 5049710| 4964576| 5790421| Ferozsons| 1218361. 366| 1481628. 536| 1579909. 793| 1868938. 102| | | | | | Sanofi-Aventis | 2428053| 2984355| 3439093| 3348427| | | | | | | Average Total Assets=(Current Year + Preceding Year)/2| | Average Total Assets| Year 2008| Year 2009| Year 2010|Abbott| (4681368+5049710)/2=4865539| (5049710+4964576)/2=5007143| (4964576+5790421)/2=5377499| Ferozsons| (1218361. 366+1481628. 536)/2=1349994. 951| (1481628. 536+1579909. 793)/2=1530769. 165| (1579909. 793+1868938. 102)/2=1724423. 948| | | | | Sanofi-Aventis | (2428053+2984355)/2=2706204| (2984355+3439093)/2=3211724| (3439093+3348427)/2=3393760| | | | | Gr aphical Representation and Trend Analysis: Interpretation and Comparison: Abbott Laboratory has yielded better percentage of return on assets due to reasonable net profit.The better ratio of Abbott laboratory depict that the pharmaceutical is able to manage its assets efficiently to generate profit. Ferozsons has also reasonable percentage of ROA that depicts its effective management of assets to generate profit. Sanofi-Aventis has low volumes of net profit with higher size of average total assets that depicts its inability in utilizing its assets properly to generate profit. Abbott has shown increasing trend from FY 2008 to 2010 due to better profit margin as compared to previous years. Ferozsons has shown a decreasing trend from FY 2008 to 2009 due to decline in net rofit volume. It has also revived in FY 2010 by yielding the higher net profit against average total assets. Sanofi-Aventis has shown an increasing trend from FY 2008 to 2010 but inadequate net profit to utilize total assets effectively. It has shown the lowest ROA in FY 2008 due to very low net profit. Ferozsons has the highest ROA on the whole. It has outclassed other pharmaceuticals. In contrast Sanofi-Aventis has shown the lowest volume of net profits but considerable magnitude of average total assets that depict inefficient management policies to utilize total assets.Abbott has shown considerably well managed performance in utilizing total assets for producing profit. 3- Dupont Return on Assets Introduction: Dupont return on total assets is used to evaluate how productively assets are used. It measures the mutual effects of profit margins and asset turnover. It is generally expressed as a percentage. It is calculated by multiplying net profit margin and total asset turnover for a given year. Formula: DuPont Return on Assets= (Net income / Sales) x (Sales / Total Assets) DuPont Return on Assets = Net profit margin x Total asset turnover DuPont Return on Assets = (Answer) %ageCalculation: Dupo nt return on Assets = net profit margin x total asset turnover Dupont return on Assets| Year 2008| Year 2009| Year 2010| Abbott| 4. 85%*1. 41=6. 84%| 7. 22%*1. 70=12. 27%| 10. 70%*1. 90=20. 33%| Ferozsons| 23. 28%*0. 63=14. 65%| 16. 84%*0. 69=11. 57%| 24. 94%*0. 68=16. 99%| Sanofi-Aventis | 0. 88%*1. 46=1. 28%| 2. 49%*1. 96=4. 87%| 3. 64%*1. 84=6. 69%| | | | | Note: Numeric Figures are mentioned in ‘000’ Working: Net profit margin= (Net income / Sales)*100 | Year 2008| Year 2009| Year 2010| Abbott| =343980/7089163*100=4. 85%| =609,072/8,431,080*100=7. 22%| =1,176,944/10,995,701*100=10. 0% | Ferozsons| =217,023. 829/932,297. 994*100=23. 28%| =182,757. 453/1,085,393. 578*100=16. 84%| =317,542. 675/1,273,374. 822*100=24. 94%| Sanofi-Aventis | =38,269/4,346,528*100=0. 88%| =167,371/6,725,708*100=2. 49%| =224,024/6,158,295*100=3. 64%| Total assets Turnover= (Sales / Total Assets) Abbott| 7089163/5049710=1. 41 Times| =8450118/4964576=1. 70 Times| =10995701/5790421=1. 90 Times | Ferozsons| =932297. 994/1481628. 536=0. 63 Times| =1085393. 578/1579909. 793=0. 69 Times| =1273374. 822/1868938. 102=0. 68 Times| Sanofi-Aventis | =4346528/2984355=1. 46 Times| =6725708/3439093=1. 6 Times| =6158295/3348427=1. 84 Times|   | Dupont Return on Assets|   | | Year 2008| Year 2009| Year 2010| Average| Abbott| 6. 84%| 12. 27%| 20. 33%| 13. 15%| Ferozsons| 14. 65%| 11. 57%| 16. 99%| 14. 40%| Sanofi-Aventis | 1. 28%| 4. 87%| 6. 69%| 4. 30%| Graphical Representation and Trend Analysis: Interpretation and Comparison: We can analyze the sales comparisons with net income and assets of Abbott laboratory; it has yielded better volume of profits along with an increase in its total assets and sales volume over the years. Its higher ratio depicts the higher generating rate of its wealth.Ferozsons has yielded higher profit margins by controlling its cost of goods sold but lower total assets turnover rate due to less sales volumes. Sanofi-Aventis has very low net profit margins bu t reasonably well total assets turnover rate that depicts lower generating rate of its wealth. Abbott has shown increasing trend from FY 2008 to 2010 due to better net profit margin and sales volumes. Ferozsons has shown a decreasing trend from FY 2008 to 2009 due to comparatively low profit margin. It has also revived in FY 2010 by yielding higher profit margins, increase in total assets and sales volume.Sanofi-Aventis has shown an increasing trend from FY 2008 to 2010 but insufficient net profit margins has overlooked better total assets turnover rate. Ferozsons has the highest Dupont return on assets. It outshines other pharmaceuticals in better performance on the basis of relevant FY’s average. On the contrary Sanofi-Aventis has shown the lowest volume of Dupont return on assets but reasonable magnitude of total assets and sales volume. Abbott has shown fair performance in utilizing total assets with sales spectrum. Its average is near to Ferozsons’. 4- Operating i ncome margin Introduction:This ratio is used to compute the price policies and operational competence. It is generally expressed as a percentage. It is calculated by dividing operating profit with net sales for a given year. Formula: Operating income margin = Operating Profit / Net Sales*100 Operating income margin = (Answer) %age Calculation: Operating income margin| Year 2008| Year 2009| Year 2010| Abbott| 547526/7089163*100=7. 72%| 878503/8450118*100=10. 42%| 1744787/10995701*100=15. 87%| Ferozsons| 280330. 464/932297. 994*100=30. 07%| 238019. 515/1085393. 578*100=21. 93%| 330518. 449/1273374. 822*100=25. 6%| Sanofi-Aventis | 171478/4346528*100=3. 95%| 384071/6725708*100=5. 71%| 531682/6158295*100=8. 63%| Note: Numeric Figures are mentioned in ‘000’ Working: Operating Profit (Numerator) = Gross Profit + Other Operating Income – Admin Expenses – Selling & Distribution Expenses – Other Charges Operating Income Break-up GP+OTHER OPERATING INCOME-ADM IN EXP-SELLING & DISTRIBUTION EXP-OTHER CHARGES|   | 2008| | Abbott| 2097653+105545-255737-1334884-65051=547526| | | | | Ferozsons| 540738. 562+20809. 63-60719. 276-199424. 66-21073. 792=280330. 464| | | | | Sanofi- Aventis | 1055823+52809-122627-757135-57392=171478| | | GP+OTHER OPERATING INCOME-ADMIN EXP-SELLING & DISTRIBUTION EXP-OTHER CHARGES|   | 2009| 2010| | Abbott| 2321131+141890-201943-1252810-129765=878503| 3687038+109079-267915-1601101-182314=1744787| | | | | | Ferozsons| 584211. 298+23954. 076-80995. 604-261185. 939-27964. 316=238019. 515| 633242. 518+43434. 507-83262. 197-234076. 533-28819. 846=330518. 449| | | | | | Sanofi- Aventis | 1626599+101126-152707-1048283-142664=384071| 1753544+102220-175580-1094063-54439=531682| | | | | No need to provide breakup of Net Sales (denominator) are mentioned in profit and loss account of respective pharmaceutical.Graphical Representation and Trend Analysis: Interpretation and Comparison: Abbott laboratory has yielded comparativ ely low operating income margins as compared to Ferozsons due to an increase in business cost and its expenses. Abbott has lower volume of operating profit in 2008 with increased net sales. Ferozsons has optimum capacity to pay for its fixed cost. Sanofi-Aventis has low operating income margin that depicts its poor pricing strategy and operating efficiency. It has minimal operating profits over the years but reasonable net sales volumes. Abbott has shown increasing trend from FY 2008 to 2010.The pharmaceutical should manage its expenses to reduce this decline. It has done better in FY 2010 by producing highest operating profit. Ferozsons has shown a decreasing trend from FY 2008 to 2009 due to comparatively low operating profit with comparatively better sales volume. It has also revived in FY 2010 by yielding higher operating profit. Sanofi-Aventis has shown an increasing trend from FY 2008 to 2010 but insufficient operating profit margins has caused inadequate margins to meet its f ixed costs. The aforementioned ratio provides an insight to determine the quality of a company.Ferozsons has the highest operating income margins. It has left behind other pharmaceuticals by yielding sufficient operating income that depicts better pricing approach and operating competence. On the contrary Sanofi-Aventis has shown the lowest volume of operating profit margins that shows its flaws in pricing tactic. Abbott has shown adequate operating profits to meets its fixed costs but comparatively low as compared with Ferozsons. 5- Operating Assets Turnover Introduction: This is a financial ratio that indicates the effectiveness with which a firm's management uses its operating assets to generate sales.It is generally expressed in times. It is calculated by dividing net sales with average operating assets for a given year. Formula: Operating Assets Turnover= Net sales/ Operating assets Operating Assets Turnover = (Answer) Times Calculation: Operating Assets Turnover| Year 2008| Ye ar 2009| Year 2010| Abbott| 7089163/5168443=1. 37 Times| 8431080/4684635=1. 80 Times| 10995701/4740615= 2. 32 Times| | | | | Ferozsons| 932297. 994/1055296. 397=0. 88 Times| 1085393. 578/652061. 759=1. 66 Times| 1273374. 822/865565= 1. 47 Times| | | | | Sanofi- Aventis | 4346528/33338090= 0. 13 Times| 6725708/2785713= 2. 1 Times| 6158295/2399541= 2. 57 Times| | | | | Note: Numeric Figures are mentioned in ‘000’ Working: No need to provide breakup of Net Sales (numerator) are mentioned in profit and loss account of respective pharmaceutical. Operating Assets = Total Assets – (Intangible Assets + Capital work in progress+ Loans and Advances + Investments + other assets) Break-up of operating Assets Operating Assets Turnover| Year 2008| Year 2009| Year 2010| Abbott| 5790421-(0+392954+170071+2801+56152)=5168443 | 4964576-(0+159886+73056+4393+42606)=4684635 | 5049710-(0+202480+23580+44896+4393+33746)=4740615 | Ferozsons| 1868938. 02-(0+141831. 157 +223867. 236+438228. 405+9714. 907)=1055296. 397 | 1579909. 793-(0+171010. 120+215775. 559+205992. 988+35069. 367)=952061. 759 | 1481628. 536-(0+0204216. 826+217372. 560+194474. 564)=865565 | Sanofi- Aventis | 33484287-(339+ 119,808+21381+4669)=33338090 | 3439093-(114+ 618,974+29683+4609)=2785713 | 2984535-(729+550391+30549+3325)=2399541 | Graphical Representation and Trend Analysis: Interpretation and Comparison: Operating assets turnover of Abbott laboratory has improved over the years as operating assets are slightly decreasing with respect to better net sales.Ferozsons has comparatively improved turnover due to substantial increase in net sales with respect to operating assets. Sanofi-Aventis has reasonably well sales volume but operating assets haven’t grown in proportion. Abbott has shown increasing trend from 2008 to 2010 due to improved sales volume and minor change in operating assets. Ferozsons has shown an increasing trend from FY 2008 to 2009 due to comparatively decrease in operatin g assets as compared to net sales. Sanofi-Aventis has shown an increasing trend from FY 2008 to 2010 due to better sales with respect to operating assets.Sanofi-Aventis has represented its efficiency at its best in managing significant assets like Property, Plant ; Equipment, Stock in Trade and Cash with bank balances. It has surpassed others during FY 2009-10. On the other hand Ferozsons has shown comparatively low operating Assets Turnover with respect to other two. Abbott has shown rather better performance on the whole. 6- Return on Operating Assets Introduction: This is a financial ratio that gives an idea  as how efficient  management is  at using its assets to generate earnings. It is generally expressed as a percentage.It is calculated by dividing net profit with average operating assets for a given year. Formula: Return on operating Assets = Net profit / Operating assets*100 Return on operating Assets = (Answer) %age Calculation: Return on operating Assets| Year 2008| Year 2009| Year 2010| Abbott| 343980/5168443=6. 66%| 609072/4684635=13%| 1176944/4740615=24. 83%| | | | | Ferozsons| 217023. 829/1055296. 397=20. 57%| 182757. 453/952061. 759=19. 20%| 317542. 675/865565=36. 69%| | | | | Sanofi-Aventis | 38269/33338090=0. 11%| 167371/2785713=6. 01%| 224024/2399541=9. 34%| | | | |Note: Numeric Figures are mentioned in ‘000’ Working: No need to provide breakup of Net Profit (Numerator) are mentioned in profit and loss account of respective pharmaceutical. Operating Assets = Total Assets – (Intangible Assets + Capital work in progress+ Loans and Advances + Investments + other assets) Break-up of operating Assets Operating Assets Turnover| Year 2008| Year 2009| Year 2010| Abbott| 5790421-(0+392954+170071+2801+56152)=5168443 | 4964576-(0+159886+73056+4393+42606)=4684635 | 5049710-(0+202480+23580+44896+4393+33746)=4740615 | Ferozsons| 1868938. 102-(0+141831. 157 +223867. 36+438228. 405+9714. 907)=1055296. 397 | 1579909. 793-(0+171010. 120+215775. 559+205992. 988+35069. 367)=952061. 759 | 1481628. 536-(0+0204216. 826+217372. 560+194474. 564)=865565 | Sanofi- Aventis | 33484287-(339+ 119,808+21381+4669)=33338090 | 3439093-(114+ 618,974+29683+4609)=2785713 | 2984535-(729+550391+30549+3325)=2399541 | Graphical Representation and Trend Analysis: Interpretation and Comparison: Percentages of return on assets actively used to create profit of Abbott laboratory have been reasonable. Net profit has declined during 2008 that has caused comparatively low ratio.Ferozsons has also utilized its assets actually required to run the business. Its operating assets have improved over the years with reasonable net profit volumes. Sanofi-Aventis has not utilized it’s actively used assets efficiently to create revenue, consequently very low returns. Abbott has shown increasing trend from 2008 to 2010 due to comparatively high net profit. Ferozsons has shown a decreasing trend from FY 2008 to 2009 due to decline in net profit an d increased volume of operating assets. It has the highest percentage of 36. 69% in FY 2010 due to rapid increase in net profit.Sanofi-Aventis has shown increasing trend over the years due to substantial increase in the volumes of net profit but these percentages have been below average. It needs to improve its net profit. Ferozsons has utilized its revenue producing assets exceptionally well. It has been leading other two. On the other hand Sanofi-Aventis has shown very low percentages of return on operating assets and it has been unable to actively use its assets to create revenue. Abbott has shown noticeably improved performance but has not performed better than Sanofi-Aventis. 7- Sales to Fixed AssetsIntroduction: The fixed-asset turnover ratio measures a company's ability to generate net sales from fixed-asset investments –  specifically property, plant and equipment (PP&E) – net  of depreciation. It is generally expressed in times. It is calculated by dividin g net sales with fixed assets for a given year. Formula: Sales to fixed Assets = Net sales / Fixed assets Sales to fixed Assets = (Answer) Times Calculation: Sales to fixed Assets| Year 2008| Year 2009| Year 2010| Abbott| 7089163/1560835= 4. 54 Times| 8450118/1662785=5. 07 Times| 10995701/1877596= 5. 6 Times| Ferozsons| 932297. 994/610987. 413=1. 53 Times| 1085393. 578/735614. 952=1. 48 Times| 1273374. 822/742280. 446=1. 72 Times| Sanofi-Aventis | 4346528/1195978= 3. 63 Times| 6725708/1393461=4. 83 Times| 6158295/1409260=4. 37 Times| Note: Numeric Figures are mentioned in ‘000’ Working: No need to provide breakup of Net Sales (Numerator) are mentioned in profit and loss account of respective pharmaceutical. Fixed assets breakup (Denominator) = Property, Plant and Equipment-net  of depreciation, the said figure has been given in the balance Sheet.Graphical Representation and Trend Analysis: Interpretation and Comparison: Abbott laboratory’s performance is better as it is generating almost more than 5 times (on average) sales turnover as compared to its small amount of property, plant and equipment. Ferozsons seems to be lenient in producing sales as per the volume of Property, plant and equipment. It has overinvested in fixed assets. It needs to revive its sales by introducing new product’s range. Sanofi-Aventis has also done reasonably well to generate sufficient sales volume as compared to its small amounts of fixed assets.Abbott has shown increasing trend from 2008 to 2010 due to increased sales volume and comparatively small amount of fixed assets. Ferozsons has shown a decreasing trend from FY 2008 to 2009 due to overinvestment in property, plant and equipment. It has improved its ratio in FY 2010 by sufficient increase in sales volume. Sanofi-Aventis has shown increasing trend from FY 2008 to 2009 due to adequate increase in sales volume. It has declined in FY 2010 due to decrease in sales. Abbott has surpassed others by produ cing bulk sales volume with a relatively small mount of fixed assets. On the other hand Ferozsons has shown very low turnover that means it has overinvested in fixed assets. Sanofi-Aventis has shown effective job by producing better sales volume with minute amount of property, plant and equipment.. 8- Return on total equity Introduction: Return on equity  measures a corporation's profitability  by revealing how much  profit a company generates  with the  money  shareholders have invested. It is generally expressed as a percentage. It is calculated by dividing net profit with share holder’s equity for a given year. Formula:Return on total equity = Net profit / Share holder’s equity*100 Return on total equity = (Answer) %age Calculation: Return on total equity| Year 2008| Year 2009| Year 2010| Average| Abbott| 343980/3568512*100=9. 64%| 609072/3238460*100 =18. 81%| 1176944/3912539*100 =30. 08%| 19. 51%| Ferozsons| 217023. 829/826236. 891*100 =26. 27%| 182757. 453/970129. 401*100 =18. 84%| 317542. 675/1275765. 058*100 =24. 89%| 23. 33%| Sanofi- Aventis | 38269/1116612*100=3. 43%| 167371/1292449*100=12. 95%| 224024/1461403*100=15. 33%| 10. 57%| Note: Numeric Figures are mentioned in ‘000’ Working:No need to provide breakup of Net Profit (Numerator) are mentioned in profit and loss account of respective pharmaceutical. Share holder’s Equity breakup (Denominator) = Issued, subscribed ; paid-up capital + Reserves – capital + Reserves – revenue Issued, subscribed ; paid-up capital + (Capital Reserves + Revenue Reserves)|   | 2008| 2009| | Abbott| 979003+154777+2434732=3568512| 979003+173853+2085604=3238460| | | | | | Ferozsons| 144672. 768+321. 843+681242. 280=826236. 891| 173607. 322+321. 843+796200. 236=970129. 401| | | | | | Sanofi- Aventis | 96448+1020164=1116612| 96448+1196001=1292449| | | | Issued, subscribed ; paid-up capital + Reserves – capital + Reserves – revenue|   | 2010| | Abbo tt| 979003+197167+2736369=3912539| | | | | Ferozsons| 208328. 786+321. 843+1067114. 429=1275765. 058| | | | | Sanofi- Aventis | 96448+1364955=1461403| | | | Graphical Representation and Trend Analysis: Interpretation and Comparison: Abbott laboratory has yielded better profits on owner’s equity that is a positive sign for investors and lenders. Its return on owner’s equity falls in FY 2008 due to decline in net profit. Ferozsons has also done considerably better by yielding sufficient returns.It has also decline in returns during FY 2009 due to rapid decrease in net profit. Its owner’s equity has also improved over the years. Sanofi-Aventis has also slightly improved over the years as it has yielded nominal returns on investment in FY 2009 and 2010. It has very low returns in FY 2008 that should be a matter of concern for the management. Abbott has shown increasing trend from 2008 to 2010 due to increase in net profit volume over the years. Ferozsons has shown a decreasing trend from FY 2008 to 2009 due to substantial decrease in net profit.It has improved its ratio in FY 2010 by sufficient increase in net profit. Sanofi-Aventis has shown increasing trend from FY 2008 to 2010 due to slightly noticeable increase in net profit volumes but these are not attractive from investors’ point of view. Ferozsons has surpassed others by producing overall better average return that is 23. 33%. It has generated sufficient net profit volumes. Sanofi-Aventis has produced insufficient returns to satisfy its investors. It needs to watch over its policies for better performance. Abbott has also produced reasonable returns on owner’s equity. 9- Gross Profit Margin Introduction:It is used to assess  a firm's financial health by revealing the  proportion of money left over from revenues after accounting for the cost of goods sold. It is generally expressed as a percentage. It is calculated by dividing gross profit with net sales for a given ye ar. Formula: Gross profit Margin = Gross profit / Net sales*100 Gross profit Margin = (Answer) %age Calculation: Gross profit Margin| Year 2008| Year 2009| Year 2010| Abbott| 2097653/7089163*100= 29. 6%| 2321131/8450118*100=27. 53%| 3687038/10995701*100=33. 53%| Ferozsons| 540738. 562/932297. 994*100=58%| 584211. 298/1085393. 578*100=53. 82%| 633242. 518/1273374. 22*100=49. 73%| Sanofi- Aventis | 1055823/4346528*100=24. 29%| 1626599/6725708*100=24. 18%| 1753544/6158295*100=28. 47%| Note: Numeric Figures are mentioned in ‘000’ Working: No need to provide breakup of Gross Profit (Numerator) and Net Sales (Denominator) as these figures are mentioned in profit and loss account of respective pharmaceutical. Graphical Representation and Trend Analysis: Interpretation and Comparison: Abbott laboratory has reasonable overall gross profit margins. That’s why it has yielded sufficient returns on equity. Its net sale has increased over the years. It has a decline in gross p rofit in FY 2009.Ferozsons has also done exceptionally well by yielding the highest gross profit margins. It has the tendency to face adverse economic condition such as low demanding and price competition. Sanofi-Aventis has undermined overall gross profit margins. Its gross profit margins are not sufficiently enough to bear operating and non-operating expenses. Abbott has shown decreasing trend from 2008 to 2009 due to decrease in gross profit. It has revived in FY 2010 by yielding higher gross profit. Ferozsons has also shown a decreasing trend from FY 2008 to 2009 due to significant decrease in gross profit.It has decreased further in FY 2010 due to bulk net sales volumes. Sanofi-Aventis has shown almost same trend in FY 2008 and 2009 but an increase in FY 2010 due to higher gross profit. Ferozsons has left behind others by producing overall excellent gross profit margins. It has generated sufficient gross profit volumes to face unfavorable financial circumstances such as low dem anding and price competition. Sanofi-Aventis has produced insufficient gross profit returns to satisfy any stakeholder. Abbott has produced adequate gross profit margins to absorb operating and non-operating expenses.Chapter 4) Summary, Conclusion, Recommendations & Limitations: 4. 2) Conclusions * Ferozsons and Abbott have yielded sufficient net profits to recover all operating, non-operating expenses and taxation charges. They have the tendency to build up reserves after paying all fixed interest charges and dividends. Sanofi-Aventis has yielded very low net profit despite reasonable sales volume due to escalating cost of goods sold, operating and non-operating charges. * Abbott laboratory and Ferozsons are efficiently managing its assets to generate profit.Sanofi-Aventis has low volumes of net profit with higher size of total assets that depicts its not utilizing its assets properly to generate profit. * Abbott laboratory and Ferozsons have yielded greater volume of profits along with an increase in its total assets and sales volume over the years. Its higher ratio depicts the higher generating rate of its wealth. Sanofi-Aventis has very low net profit margins but reasonably well total assets turnover rate that depicts lower generating rate of its wealth. * Ferozsons has the highest operating income margins that depict better pricing approach and operating competence.On the contrary Sanofi-Aventis has shown the lowest volume of operating profit margins that shows its flaws in pricing tactic. Abbott has shown adequate operating profits to meets its fixed costs. * Sanofi-Aventis has shown its efficiency at its best in managing significant assets like Property, Plant & Equipment, Stock in Trade and Cash with bank balances. On the other hand Ferozsons and Abbott have shown comparatively low Operating Assets Turnover in utilizing operating assets for generating sales. * Ferozsons has utilized its revenue producing assets exceptionally well.On the other hand Sano fi-Aventis has shown very low percentages of return on operating assets. Abbott has shown noticeably improved performance on the whole. * Abbott has produced bulk sales volume with a relatively small amount of fixed assets. Ferozsons has shown very low turnover that means it has overinvested in fixed assets. Sanofi-Aventis has shown effective job by producing better sales volume turnover with minute amount of property, plant and equipment. * Sanofi-Aventis has produced insufficient returns to satisfy its investors. Ferozsons has produced enough returns on owner’s equity whereas Abbott has also yielded reasonable returns.It is a good sign for prospect investors. * Ferozsons has generated sufficient gross profit volumes to face unfavorable financial circumstances such as low demanding and price competition. Sanofi-Aventis has produced insufficient gross profit returns to satisfy any stakeholder. Abbott has produced adequate gross profit margins to absorb operating and non-opera ting expenses. 4. 3) Recommendations * Ferozsons and Abbott need to keep scheming in the same way to keep curtailing cost of goods sold, operating and non-operating expenses. Sanofi-Aventis really need to look its profit yielding capacity.It should review and improve its product range. Furthermore effective management policies can produce the required results. * Ferozsons and Abbott need to retain effective management policies by utilizing more assets for the generation of higher profits in future. Sanofi-Aventis can yield better profit by utilizing its assets proficiently through effective management role. * Ferozsons and Abbott have reasonable Dupont return on Assets with sales spectrum. Sanofi-Aventis needs to improve it by curtailing its cost of goods sold, operating and non-operating expenses. Better profits always enhance investors’ confidence and it matters in the end. Ferozsons and Abbott have reasonable operating income margin and they need to keep strengthening bett er pricing approach and operating competence. Sanofi-Aventis requires implementing improved pricing tactic to attain better operating proficiency. * Abbott and Ferozsons need to utilize operating assets more effectively to improve their turnover as per sales volume. Sanofi-Aventis has unexpectedly better turnover, it should keep utilizing operating assets in the same manner. * Sanofi-Aventis needs to utilize its revenue producing assets in a better way. Abbott and Ferozsons should retain their current line of action. Ferozsons needs to downsize overinvested in fixed assets. Abbott and Sanofi-Aventis should keep their approach towards utilizing its fixed assets in terms of sales volume. * Sanofi-Aventis needs to watch over its policies for better return on owner’s equity to retain its investor confidence. Ferozsons and Abbott have to retain their pace in retaining current returns on owner’s equity. * Sanofi-Aventis needs to improve their selling strategies to improve pr ofit margins. Abbott and Ferozsons can increase gross profits by implementing more effective management policies. Section II a) Introduction of the student Last degree Obtained: B. ComOrganization’s Name: Wisdomhouse School Designation: Owner/Principal Experience: 7 Years b) Bibliography †¢Vu hand Outs †¢Internet sources †¢www. investopedia. com †¢http://www. accountingtools. com/fixed-asset-turnover-ratio †¢http://www. abbott. com. pk/11_Financial. htm †¢http://www. pakistaneconomist. com/database2/pdffiles/Pharmaceutical/Abbot/Year%202008/ALAnnual-%20Y08. pdf †¢http://www. ferozsons-labs. com/investor. htm †¢http://www. sanofi-aventis. com. pk/l/pk/en/layout. jsp? scat=59A5026C-701D-4C54-B1EC-E7788EA00832 †¢Ross, S. A. , R. W. Westerfield and B. D. Jordan. Essentials of Corporate Finance (1999), 2nd Edition, Irwin/McGraw-Hill.

Everything You Need to Know About Commas for the ACT

Everything You Need to Know About Commas for the ACT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Nobody likes commas: they're weird and confusing and possibly pointless. My brother decided to boycott them entirely in his senior year of high school, leaving his lists running together and his appositives undefined. Even veteran copy editors sometimes struggle with where exactly to place these reviled punctuation marks. Even so,if you want to succeedon the ACT English, you'll have to learn how to expertly employ commas. The good news is that there is a fairly limited set of comma rulesyou'llneed to know for the ACT. But before we get into the nitty-gritty technical stuff, let's establish one very important principle. Here's an overview of what we're going to cover: The Single Most Important Rule About Commas 4 Key Rules for Comma Use on the ACT When NOT to Use a Comma Practice Questions When in Doubt, Leave It Out! This is the single most important rule to keep in mind when dealing with commas on the ACT: if you aren't sure if you need a comma, you probably don't need a comma. In fact, you're far more likely to miss a question because youadd inan unnecessarycomma than you are to miss one because you left an important comma out. Take a look at the following ACT questions: Though it may be tempting to leavea comma after "value" or put one after "officials," the sentence is perfectly clear without either: Nevertheless, these tests convinced the officials of the value of using the Navajo language in a code. (H is thus the correct choice.) This principle holds forthe next example as well: Write this sentence out with no commas and you get "Perhaps this legacy of letters explains what she meant when she said that her friends were her 'estate.'" Again, it makes sense without either comma, so D is the correct choice. Unfortunately as much as we may wish that we could just stop using commas altogether, there are certain times that they're necessary. The following four rules will help you determine when and where you need to place commas. An example of an extremely vital comma. 4 Key Rules for Comma Use on the ACT The basic purpose of commas is to clarify relationships between phrases and clauses. That's a pretty broad goal, and there are a lot of different uses for commas. Luckily, you only really need to focus on a few main rules in order to do well on the ACT. The four rules you absolutely have to know deal with modifying phrases and clauses, introductory phrases and clauses, connecting independent clauses with a conjunction, and separating items in a list. Don't worry if that all sounds like gibberish: we'll go over each case with examples! Appositives, RelativeClauses, and Interjections As a general rule, any part of a sentence that can be removed without changing the sentence's fundamental meaning must be bracketed by commas. Take, for example, the following sentence: Timmywho loves Supermanis excited for the upcoming movie. The point of the sentence is that Timmy is excited about the movie- his love of Superman is just helpful background info. Since taking out "who loves Superman"wouldn't affect the main idea of the sentence, that clause needs to be separated from the rest of the sentence by commas, like so: Timmy, who loves Superman, is excited for the upcoming movie. If you aren't sure whether a part of a sentence needs to be surrounded by commas, try crossing it out. If the sentence still makes sense, then the commas are needed; if it doesn't, then they aren't. Let's try it out with an example: The student who forgot her homework got detention. "Who forgot her homework" seems like it might need to be set off with commas, so let's cross it out and try reading the sentence again: The student who forgot her homework got detention. With that clause crossed out, it's no longer clearwhichstudent got detention, so by removing it we have changed the meaning of the sentence. This means that it shouldn't be surrounded by commas. With these general principles in mind, let's examine the three main cases, which- as you may have guessed from the title of this section- are relativeclauses, appositive phrases, and general interjections. RelativeClauses: Non-Restrictive vs. Restrictive Relativeclauses are dependentclauses that describe a noun and start with a relative pronoun or adverb like "which," "that," or "where." If you're not sure exactly what those terms mean, don't worry about it too much but consider checking out our guide to clauses. The rule for using commas with relativeclauses is that you don't use commas around a clause if it's restrictive, i.e. it clarifies the specific thing you're talking about, butyou do usecommas if the clause isnon-restrictive, i.e. it merely comments on a clearly defined noun. This may seem confusing, but it's much clearer in practice, so let's look at the two types of clauses individually. Restrictive: These areclauses that are necessary to the meaning of a sentence- they clarify exactly who or what you're talking about. You can't take a restrictive clause out of asentence without fundamentally altering its meaning. Take a look at the example below. People who dislike kale won’t enjoy green smoothies. In this sentence, if you take out the clause â€Å"who dislike kale,† you’re left with â€Å"People won’t enjoy green smoothies,† which is not making the same point as the original sentence. Because this kind of clause can't be removed without changingthe meaning of the sentence, it should not be marked off with commas. Non-Restrictive:These are clauses that provide additional information and are therefore not integral to the meaning of the sentence. My sister, who dislikes kale, doesn’t enjoy green smoothies. The point of this sentence is that my sister doesn’t enjoy green smoothies; even if you remove the underlined portion, that point is still made.Unlike in the example of a restrictive clause above, the underlined portion is not vital to meaning of the sentence. As such, it needs to be separated from the main thought of the sentence with commas. An important point for the ACT: clauses starting with "which" are always non-restrictive, while those starting with "that" are always restrictive. This means that "which" ALWAYS takes a comma and "that" NEVER does: I love reading books that are full of adventure because they take me away from my boring life. I loveHarry Potter and the Sorcerer'sStone, which is full of adventure, because it takes me away from my boring life. The lovely comma butterfly ( ©Michael Palmer) Appositive Phrases Appositive phrases are basically the grammatical younger sibling of descriptive clauses: they serve the same purpose, describing a noun or pronoun, but they don't include a verb. Nonetheless, the basic rule for comma use isidentical. If a phrase can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence, it needs to be surrounded with commas.Consider the following examples. Where do you think they need commas? Her mother a doctor was often late.→Her mother, a doctor, was often late. Jonah a fifth-grader jumps rope on the playground everyday.→Jonah, a fifth-grader, jumps rope on the playground everyday. The nouns "a doctor" and "a fifth-grader" modify"her mother" and "Jonah," respectively, but they aren't necessary to main gist of the sentences. The one slightly confusing spin on this rule is that when the order of appositives are reversed, they usually don't require commas anymore. Ernest Hemingway, an author, wrote nine novels. Ernest Hemingway an author wrote nine novels. In the above example, we employ our strikethrough strategy anddetermine that the commas are appropriately placed. However, when we reverse the word order below, you'll notice a change. Author Ernest Hemingway wrote nine novels. Author Ernest Hemingway wrote nine novels. Even though "author" now comes first, it's still modifying "Ernest Hemingway." This means that"Ernest Hemingway" shouldn't be set off with commas; as you can see, the sentence wouldn't make sense with his name removed. Moreover, tempting as it may be to put a comma after "author," it's actually serving as an adjective in this context. Just like you wouldn't put comma in the middle of "President Barack Obama," you shouldn't stick one in "Author Ernest Hemingway." Interjections The last case we'll discuss is interjections, which are words or short phrasesthat disruptthe flow of a sentence like "of course." We tend to use these a lot more when we speak than when we write, but they do pop up on the ACT occasionally. What you are more likely to see is therelated construction that occurs when a transition word is moved into asentence, like in the following example. Version 1: However, my sister refused to help me move the couch. Version 2: My sister, however, refused to help me move the couch. The second type of sentencestructure appears relatively frequently on the ACT- just know that if you see a transition word interrupting a clause, it needs to be set off with commas. We've covered alot of information and it may seem reallycomplicated, butthe important thing is to rememberthe fundamental principle: if something is surrounded by commas, thenit isn't important to the main point of the sentence. ACT Applications ACT questions about appositives and relative clauses usually require you to determine whether you need a comma to complete a pair and, if so, where it needs to go. Let's go through the question step by step.As written, this sentence doesn’t have a main verb- it’s just a subject, â€Å"Houdini,† followed by a long non-restrictive clause- so F can't be correct. J doesn’t solve this problem. G and H both place a comma after spiritualism, which gives you the non-restrictive clause â€Å"who devoted considerable effort to exposing hoaxes involving spiritualism.† If you cross that out, you’re left with either: G)Houdini, who devoted considerable effort to exposing hoaxes involving spiritualism,being skeptical about the existence of spiritualism. or H)Houdini, who devoted considerable effort to exposing hoaxes involving spiritualism, was skeptical about the existence of supernatural beings. His clearly correct, since "being" isn't a correctly conjugated verb. (In fact, answers with "being" are almost always wrong: see our post on quick tips for the ACT Englishfor a more in depth explanation and other helpful tips.) The key to this question is determining what belongsin the relative clause and then making sure that what's outside of that adds up to a complete sentence. Just like you shake hands to mark an introduction in person, you use a comma to mark an introduction in a sentence Introductions Now that we'vecoveredwhen to use commas to with phrases and clauses inside the main clause ofa sentence, let's discuss when you need commas to separate clauses and phrases that come at the beginning of a sentence. The short answer? Always.The basic rule for using commas with introductions is that any time a sentence starts with a dependent clause or modifying phrase, itmust be followed by a comma: Even though I was tired, Jenny convinced me to go to the strawberry festival. In the library, she found the books she needed. Weird-looking as it was, the lizard was sort of cute. In each of these examples, the underlined portion serves to introduce an independent clause. Weirdly, if you reverse the order of the sentence, you usually don't need the comma any more: Jenny convinced me to go to the strawberry festival even though I was tired. She found the books she needed in the library. The third example sentence is a slightly different case, since you can't actually put the underlined clauseat the end of the sentence- it's a modifier and thus needs to be next to what it's describing, which in this case is the lizard. You can, however, move it into the sentence: The lizard weird-looking as it was was sort of cute. Any idea what this version of the sentence is missing? That's right: a comma on either side of "weird-looking as it was," which could be removed without fundamentally altering the meaning of the sentence. The correctly punctuated version looks like this: The lizard, weird-looking as it was, was sort of cute. ACT Applications The ACTrarely teststhe introduction rule directly; instead, you'll usually see it come up in questions that have multiplephrases or clauses strung together. Take a look at the following example: "The next morning" is an introductory phrase, so it must be followed by a comma- this rules out answer D. Answer choice C has an improperly placed semi-colon, so wecan eliminate it as well. (For more info on semicolon rules, check out our post on other punctuation!) Now we just have to decide whether the commas should surround "using twigs" or "using twigs for kindling." Let's try each version with our strikethrough strategy from the last section. A. The next morning, using twigs, for kindling she starts a small blaze B. The next morning, using twigs for kindling, she starts a small blaze Answer B is clearly the correct choice, since it correctly punctuates both "the next morning" and "using twigs for kindling." When dealing with commas, alwaysremember that whenyou surround something withcommas, you're telling the reader that it can be removed without altering the main point of the sentence. Connecting Independent Clauses (with a Conjunction) The other main case where you need commas to separate clauses is when you use a coordinating conjunction to connect independent clauses. If you have two independent clauses and want to combine them into one sentence, you can use a comma and a coordinating conjunction, or FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), instead of a semicolon. You probably use this construction correctly all the time without even thinking about it! I wanted to go hiking, but it was pouring rain all day. The important thing to remember is that using just a comma (no FANBOYS) to connect two independent clauses is absolutely always incorrect. A comma isn't interchangeable with a semicolon. This mistake is called a comma splice, and it's one of the most common errors students make on the ACT English. Incorrect: I had a terrible case of the flu, my mom brought me chicken noodle soup in bed. Correct:I had a terrible case of the flu, so my mom brought me chicken noodle soup in bed. Correct: Ihad a terrible case of the flu; my mom brought me chicken noodle soup in bed. ACT Applications On the ACT, this comma rule is usually tested in the context of other types of punctuation or in terms of identifyingindependent and dependent clauses. For more information on this, see our post on correctly connecting independent clauses. Lists The last comma rule is likelythe one you're most familiar with: in lists of three or more items, you must place a comma after every item except the last.It's really as simple as that, as you can see in the examples below. The pirate loves going toBarbados because there's so much to do, including shopping for eye patches, sharpening his sword, and visiting the pub. Today, I'm going to skip school, go to the movies, and eat a giant bag of popcorn. Note that on the ACT you must use the oxford, or series, comma, whichgoes before the "and." You may not like the Oxford comma, but you still have to use it. Lists of Two Items The ACT writers won't give you a bunch of lists with no commas in them- instead they'll try to trick you in subtler ways. After looking at the last two rules, you might assume that you need to put a comma anywhere you see "and," but that's not the case! If "and" (or any other coordinating conjunction) is connecting two things that are not independent clauses, then you DON'T use a comma. Jamesandhis brothertraveledto Oregon and Washington. The ACT writers' other favorite trick is to give you lists that don't look like lists because each item is so long. Yesterday, Talia went on a boring first date that she left early and plotted to take over the world using nothing but duct tape and string. You don't need commas in eitherof these cases because they are lists of only two items. Lists of Adjectives This is a slightly different type of list, but it does come up on the ACT occasionally. If you have more than one adjective in front of a noun or pronoun and their order doesn't matter, then you need to put a comma between them. Let's look at two examples, one where you need a comma and one where you don't: The hot dry desert Thefirst female astronaut Which one do you think needs a comma?If you're not sure, checkwhether the examples make sense with the order of the adjectives reversed: The dry hot desert Thefemale first astronaut The first example makes perfect sense with the new word order, so it does need a comma: the hot, dry desert. The second, however, doesn't work when the order of the adjectives is switched, so no comma is needed: the first female astronaut. ACT Applications As I mentioned above, ACT questions about lists tend to try to throw you off by adding in complicating factors like lots of extra words or commas being used for another purpose. Let's take a look at an example of this: It may seem like you need a comma after "labor," but this sentence is actually correct as written. It is a list of two things: "of her labor" and "of the fire's magic." A, no change, is the correct choice; the other answers only complicate the sentence. (This question also deals with parallelism, which you can learn more about here.) Remember the fundamental rule of commas: when in doubt, leave it out! WhenNOT to Use a Comma We just spent a long time going over when you do need commas, so let's circle back to that first principle byexamining someplaces where you should NEVER put commas. Between a Subject and a Verb Commas exist to clarify the relationships between clauses and phrases, so it is NEVER correct to stick one in the middle of a single thought. Any sentence where there is a lone comma between a subject and its verb is incorrect: Incorrect:She, ate a lot of cookies. Correct: She ate a lot of cookies. In the above example, the comma is pretty clearly out of place, but that isn't always the case: Incorrect:Walking to the store, was a chore. Correct: Walking to the store was a chore. Once again, the comma is unnecessary and should be removed: "walking" is the subject and "was" is the verb. But it's much less obvious, since it seems like"walking to the store" is an introductory phrase, which would require a comma. Before or After a Preposition Another place you may think you need commas is at the beginning of prepositional phrases; after all, I just said that commas should only be used to seperate clauses and phrases. However, on the ACT,it is NEVERcorrect to place a comma after a preposition and veryrarely correct to place one before a preposition.Let's look at some example of incorrect comma placement: Lucy enjoys reading aloud, fromHarry Potter every night. Jim watched the terrifying horror movie, in the new theater on, 2nd Avenue. Though these commas may seem correct, they are unnecessary and just add clutter to the sentences. The correctly punctuated versions have no commas: Lucy enjoys reading aloud fromHarry Potter every night. Jim watched the terrifying horror movie in the new theater on 2nd Avenue. The one,very rare, exception to this rule is when a preposition introduces a non-restrictive clause. For example: Julie, for whom I was waiting, got to the restaurant very late. Because "for whom I was waiting" is actually non-restrictive clause, you do need the comma before "for." However, this only rarely comes up on the test- you are much more likely to make a mistake by putting a comma in front of a preposition than by leaving oneout. Around an Emphatic Pronoun What on earth, you're wondering, is an emphatic pronoun? The emphatic pronouns aremyself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves,yourselves, and themselves when they are used immediately after a noun or other other pronoun: I myself The book itself These constructionssound like they need commas, but emphatic pronouns should never be surrounded by commas. Incorrect: The pope, himself, will be at the party. Correct: The pope himself will be at the party. This may seem like a fairlyobscure rule: it is! However, it shows up on the ACT fairly often, so it's worth studying anyways. To comma or not to comma? That is the question ( ©Placbo) Try Your New Knowledge Out! We've covered a lot of material and hopefully armed you with some helpful new strategies for tackling commas on the ACT English, but it's one thing to read about comma rules and another to put them in practice. With that in mind, I've created some practice ACT questions for you test out what you've learned. The soft,blue cloth slid through her fingers easily. NO CHANGE blue, cloth slid through blue cloth slid, through blue cloth, slid through After hearing good things about it, I wanted to readCrime and Punishment,but the book, itself, turned out to be super boring. NO CHANGE the book itself, the book itself itself Talking to my friends, on the phone, is one of my favorite things to do. NO CHANGE friends on the phone friends on the phone, friends on, the phone I wasn't planning on going to the wedding, however you've convinced me that it's a good idea. NO CHANGE wedding, however, wedding. However, wedding, Answers: 1. A, 2. C, 3. B, 4. C What's Next? If you're confused about what exactly is tested on ACT English, take a look at our guide to what's actually on the test. You might be surprised by how much of it we've just covered! Looking to score a 36 on ACT English? Check out 9 strategiesfrom someone who achieveda perfect score on the ACT. Maybe you're now feeling okay about punctuation, but are worrying about vocab questions. In that case, have I got the guide for you! BecauseACT English recycles the same types of questions over and over, it's especially important to understand why you missed a given question. Make sure you're reviewing your practice tests effectively. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Free Essays on In The End

The sky was dark and plain. The wind didn't stir even the smallest strand of hair on the bodies lining the ground. Flies buzzed through the air on their gossamer wings, feasting on the rotting smorgasbord that lay beneath them. The bomb had not reached our family, for my father had heard of the threat and we had prepared an accommodating shelter for him, my older sister, mother my boyfriend and myself. We had made it into the shelter merely minuets before the first impact. The 3rd, 4th, and5th impacts creped closer and the following fell away from us. We have been locked down in our shelter for about a month now, and we must stay here for about 3 years to save ourselves from radiation. We have enough fresh water, food, clothes, and even toys and games to survive quite comfortably the whole time. We have clothes in larger sizes to accommodate for the growth. Our shelter is quite large, and we each have our own rooms that are replicas of our own in the houses we used to live in. Time p asses quite well. We have allot of recreational activities. Cory and I spend most of or time watching movies (Via the generator) and swimming. My sister, Jackie, spends her time reading and drawing. I know her activities prove more Constructive, but mine are much more fun. Especially with an attractive male who is thinks I'm attractive. Lets just say we also have some other "athletic" pass-times.... Free Essays on In The End Free Essays on In The End The sky was dark and plain. The wind didn't stir even the smallest strand of hair on the bodies lining the ground. Flies buzzed through the air on their gossamer wings, feasting on the rotting smorgasbord that lay beneath them. The bomb had not reached our family, for my father had heard of the threat and we had prepared an accommodating shelter for him, my older sister, mother my boyfriend and myself. We had made it into the shelter merely minuets before the first impact. The 3rd, 4th, and5th impacts creped closer and the following fell away from us. We have been locked down in our shelter for about a month now, and we must stay here for about 3 years to save ourselves from radiation. We have enough fresh water, food, clothes, and even toys and games to survive quite comfortably the whole time. We have clothes in larger sizes to accommodate for the growth. Our shelter is quite large, and we each have our own rooms that are replicas of our own in the houses we used to live in. Time p asses quite well. We have allot of recreational activities. Cory and I spend most of or time watching movies (Via the generator) and swimming. My sister, Jackie, spends her time reading and drawing. I know her activities prove more Constructive, but mine are much more fun. Especially with an attractive male who is thinks I'm attractive. Lets just say we also have some other "athletic" pass-times....

GCSE Geography Coursework Help

GCSE Geography Coursework Help GCSE Geography Coursework Help Practically, the whole geography coursework writingis based on argumentation. Arguments which we put for or against coursework thesis statement partly depend for their credibility on the value or significance of the evidence you integrate. To know how significant evidence is, you need a very thorough grasp of the context in which it is presented. Geography coursework writing starts with examination of the topic; this is why you should take so much trouble to establish a context for your coursework at the beginning of writing process. There are, however, two ways in which you should establish the context. One is obviously within a coursework paragraph: the meaning of words should be clear; the coursework paragraph must contain related ideas and it becomes the context for your main points. The other is the context of your primary or secondary sources used for college coursework writing. A simple example is if we cited the work of a researcher (we will call her Wilkinson) and referenced it as follows: (Wilkinson 1989). If we refer to Wilkinson, we are also referring to the context in which her work took place. In other words, we bring a whole package of questionable issues about reliability, relevance and validity of evidence with each reference we use in the process of writing a coursework: Coursework Writing Help Clearly, we cannot question everything forever, but coursework arguments nevertheless depend on the relevance and significance of their supporting evidence. It is determined with the help of asking questions about the reliability of the original coursework context as well as with the analysis of the context appropriateness in which we decide to use the gathered evidence. Did Wilkinson use a valid research method? Were there questionnaires mentioned? If so, what percentage was returned? What were the biases in the questions asked or answers given? Most importantly, does Wilkinson's work really support or deny the point you are trying to make? Who else has produced evidence which conflicts with Wilkinson's research or arguments? Coursework Help offers you an opportunity to order professional GCSE geography coursework help.We are educated and possess years of coursework writing experience. We are never late with delivery and we can help you with writing on any topic. You will not regret using our coursework writing help because you will receive custom written coursework of the highest academic quality. Moreover, we will never deceive you! If you are not satisfied with the final draft of your geography coursework, you may request free and unlimited revisions. Read also: Womens Rights Essay Saving Private Ryan Essay Master Essay Lord of the Flies Essay Literary Essay Hamlet

International Marketing models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Marketing models - Essay Example The three models can however not be applied independently. There is an overlap in their application with the business organizations currently leaning towards the polycentric model. International Business Part One Legal Issues Relating To Global Commerce International business involves trading within and without national boundaries. The fact that business spreads across different jurisdictions gives rise to legal issues especially because many times the laws across countries are not the same. There is therefore, the need to harmonize the laws. Some of the legal considerations in international trade include the following: Tariffs (Customs) and Quotas A tariff is a tax imposed on imports and exports within a jurisdiction. The amounts of tariffs charged by the government in-charge determine whether the investors would be able to invest in a particular jurisdiction or not. Many jurisdictions use the tariff rates as the bait to either attract or chase away investors. Charging high rates wo uld effectively discourage investment (Schaffer, Agusti, & Earle, 2010). Quotas refer to the restriction of quantities to be imported or exported in a particular jurisdiction. Governments impose maximum limits of imports to protect their domestic industry mainly from inflation caused by unfavorable balance of trade. The governments may impose exports to caution the country from scarcity of commodities which would shoot demand high and consequently occasion inflation within the economies. The use of tariffs and quotas affect businesses as they have to toil within the agenda of a particular jurisdiction (Schaffer, Agusti, & Earle, 2010). Antidumping and Transfer Pricing Laws Antidumping refers to rules against dumping. Dumping essentially refers to a situation where multinationals import goods of lesser quality and value into foreign jurisdictions. Governments have come out strongly against dumping as it defeats the ideals of trade and erodes the standards by perpetuating mediocrity ( Schaffer, Agusti, & Earle, 2010). Transfer pricing is a concept of taxation that concerns multinationals. Owing to the different taxation rates by different jurisdictions, multinationals exploit transfer pricing so as to tax their products within the lower taxation rates jurisdictions. Governments have come up with laws to prevent cases of tax avoidance and evasion under the guise of transfer pricing. Intellectual Property Rights International business recognizes intellectual property rights although the rights are granted within individual jurisdictions. These include copyrights, patents and trade secrets. Governments have been considerate enough to provide laws to enable innovators enjoy the fruits of their work through the intellectual property rights (Schaffer, Agusti, & Earle, 2010). Sources and Forms of Political Risks Political risks refer to the effects the politics of the day in a particular jurisdiction has on the businesses within that jurisdiction. Political risks could be caused by the government, the people or the activities of competitors and non-governmental organizations. Governments mainly expropriate or nationalize companies in effect taking over the share ownership of the companies. The people may be at war creating un-conducive environments detrimental for business. Activists in the guise of protection of the environment or societal interests may render the business working environment

Two and a Half Men Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Two and a Half Men Analysis - Assignment Example It provides the perfect opportunity to study two opposite forms of modern masculinity. â€Å"Literature on gender and hegemonic masculinity frames this research project, offering both a historical perspective and a critical understanding of media representations. I argue that the performances of hegemonic and subordinated masculinity on Two and a Half Men reconstruct and reinforce the dominance of hegemonic masculinity within our society as the only acceptable performance of manhood. Effeminate masculinity, an alternative masculinity, fails to find legitimate cultural articulation within the show.† â€Å"In an important sense there is only one complete unblushing male in America: a young, married, white, urban, northern, heterosexual, Protestant, father, of college education, fully employed, of good complexion, weight, and height, and a recent record in sports†¦ Any male who fails to qualify in any one of these ways is likely to view himself–during moments at leas t– as unworthy, incomplete and inferior† (Sex and Gender, nd). If this then is what our society expects from the â€Å"perfect† man and the main character Charlie Harper has literally none of these other than white fully employed and good looking, could we assume that these then are the historical attributes alone that attract us and especially female viewers to him? Technical Perspective The technical aspect of media may be summed in Lasswell’s model. According to Lassswell, this aspect encompasses who says what, to whom it is being said and effect it that the â€Å"saying† has (Aect, 2011). Two and a Half Men as a comedy has been starred by John Cryer, Jones Angus and Charlie Sheen, individuals who have proven beyond doubt to the audience that they are capable of... Two and a Half Men has been a captivating hit since it started gracing the airwaves in 2003. The program basically compares the character of one individual in the show with the same character in his real life. The story portrays a family that is clearly dysfunctional from every point of standing and yet one that has remained a story of great interest to an audience consisting of people across different ages and gender. Two and a Half Men has interested various people, age and gender being no barrier, there are various elements that have led to this captivation as can be seen based on the various perspectives discussed above. This is an amazing thing with Kutcher replacing Charlie Sheen because now we will know so much about ourselves. Did we watch the show primarily because Charlie Sheen was the lead or did we watch the show because we deep down expect the male role to be that of a hard drinking women getting misogynist who contrasts the respectable but boring brother. We will find out if the show was drawing audiences with the clichà © of the dumb child and cold aloof mother or whether or not the world finds the dysfunctioning of someone else’s family is like that train wreck we don’t want to turn away from. Various spectators have aired their disrespect for Charlie Sheen’s actions in respect of boasting about his supernatural abilities. Whereas some feel that CBS took the right direction in stopping the production of the shows for his utterances, others feel that Sheen’s actions related to the abuse of several women is the greater sin. I personally thought Charlie Sheen was made for this role and vice versa considering the spring board from when he replaced Michael J Fox in Spin City. I was sad to see Michael Fox leave but became quickly sold on the very first episode with Charlie Sheen as was most of America. You saw it there in his Spin City Charlie Crawford role which developed into his Charlie Harper role which just maybe was the real life problem of Charlie Sheen trying to live up to his on screen persona. Wholesome and naà ¯ve TV sitcoms themselves from Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver have grown and matured and even festered over the many years since the 19 50s and we can see that same festering path in Charlie Sheen’s life.