Young Entrepreneurs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Young Entrepreneurs - Assignment Example His latest project in the solar-powered (LED) lantern has been described by many as the greatest innovation in recent time to cushion those who cannot afford the electricity. This project also aimed at providing light to school going children from poor families who could not stand the smoke of the local kerosene lamp The idea of developing the solar-powered lantern was originally presented by Wadongo at a local congress of young innovative youth’s forum in Kenya and was picked as a promising one with the potential to solve the problem in their communities. Wadongo did a lot of his research on the design and the sizes that most suited the targeted population. Through his various attempt to design the sustainable product that would not only last for long, but also provide a cleaner source of energy, he came up with something that has been appreciated worldwide. His bright idea that only started in a small village in Kenya has been recognized worldwide in various forums. According to the locals, Wadongo’s project is one that has helped more children go back to their schools and the impact being felt almost immediately. The performances have increased in most schools that have adopted the use of the solar-powered lantern. According to Wadongo, his project has not reached its peak yet w ith several additions intended to be made. He wants to extend the scheme to cover more areas in the country, and the same time sells his solar tapped power to major towns. He said that â€Å"this approach will work best for him due to the frequent power blackouts experienced in those towns’’. His idea was driven by the fact that 90% of the country’s power is generated from hydropower stations and the need for other reliable means of power generation was needed. According to Wadongo, the current power rates in the country are very high, and the consumers will welcome any form of cushioning. With the rates currently at Ksh 75 per Kw unit, he intends

What is mind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

What is mind - Essay Example Mind and body belonged to the ancient dualisms in ancient philosophy, similar to momentary and everlasting, particulars and universals, and materialism and idealism. The mind-body problem is largely attributed to Rene Descartes, who examined how the ‘soul’ or immaterial mind could affect the material body. In contrast, monists view the mind-body dualism as absolute physicalism. This was the more concrete, real-world standpoint of Aristotle. Thus, two of the major philosophical perspectives known today are dualism and physicalism (Stewart et al., 2010). Dualism argues that the mind and the body are two absolutely distinct components, separate from each other. In contrast, physicalism argues that the mind and the body are fundamentally one and the same. This paper argues that dualism is the stronger philosophical standpoint. Dualism, within the philosophy of mind, is the belief that the physical and the mental—or body and mind or brain and mind—are, to a certain extent, totally distinct types of thing. Supporters of dualism state that the physical and mental domains have quite distinct features. Mental occurrences have personal, individual features like what does it smell like, how does it appear, or how does it feel like. Such occurrences cannot be seen as mere physical (Stewart et al., 2010). In Meditation II, Descartes demonstrates his own existence as a ‘thinking being’ or a ‘mind’. By the conclusion of Meditation VI, he demonstrates his body’s existence in his broader evidence of material aspects. The fundamental premise of Cartesian dualism is that body and mind are not the same but somewhat different, independent components (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2003). A vital implication of such belief is that the mind, as an independent component, could be in existence or still exist without the body. In contrast, critics argue

Battleship Potemkin Essay Example for Free

Battleship Potemkin Essay Montage is more than simply a technique. Montage compels you like a book because of what is left to the imagination. Giannetti’s book defines montage as â€Å"Transitional sequence of rapidly edited images, used to suggest the lapse of time or the passing of events.† The entire Battleship Potemkin movie gave the impression of a montage. I would not have been able to pay attention throughout the entire movie if it didn’t move so quickly. I must admit that Eisensteins â€Å"Battleship Potemkin† film is technically brilliant. Eisensteins film; â€Å"Battleship Potemkin† is one of the fundamental landmarks of cinema. The movie is about the crew of a battleship being mistreated. One of the opening scenes illustrates a soldier being hit while sleeping. Then for breakfast soldier are served meat crawling with maggots. When soldiers complain the chief officer inspects the meat and makes it seem as if nothing is wrong with it. When soldiers refuse to eat it officers throw a tarpaulin over the rebellious solders and order them to be shot by the guards amidst their own crew. The crew imploded, the news of the death by its crewmember spread causing chaos. The content of the famous massacre on the Odessa Steps grabbed my attention. The film was once banned in many nations, including its native Soviet Union; governments believed it could provoke audiences to rebel. According to today’s standards the Odessa Steps scene is graphic. Seeing children injured, shot and trampled made me cringe. When the woman stood in front of the soldiers with her bloody son pleading for the soldiers to stop, they shot her without remorse. The repeated close up on the carriage at the top of the steps caused anxiety simply because of the way it was edited. The constant cuts back and forth between the gunfire and the carriage had the viewer thinking are they going to shot the carriage like they did the mother standing in front of it, or is the carriage going to go tumbling down the stair forcing the baby to fly out? â€Å"Battleship Potemkin† is a political drama with the absence of personal drama. No single character is personalized which causes characters to represent or symbolize something greater, group of people with guns vs. a dismal group of unarmed folks. The juxtaposition had the greatest impact. Cutting between the anonymous uniformed gunman and the innocent victims that audiences could easily connect with.

Physical Surveillance Essay Example for Free

Physical Surveillance Essay The act of surveillance is designed to observe individuals, areas or objects that are of particular interest to an investigator in order to collect information and evidence that may be associated with a suspect and his related criminal activities. Physical surveillance is a method of examination of a particular area that is linked to a crime scene or a suspect. This may include inspecting the area when the crime took place, as well as the victim’s and suspect’s homes, vehicles and paraphernalia. Examination will cover both the conditions of the places and items, as well as the position of the places and items in the particular areas. Physical surveillance is important in a crime scene investigation because it provides a way for the investigator to reconstruct the scene and make inferences on what actually happened during the incident (Gardner, 2005). Any area that is associated with a crime is identified as soon as a crime has been established or reported. In addition, these particular areas are protected from any type of disruption by putting a crime scene tape along the perimeter of the area concerned. It has been reported that the most complicate part of an investigation is the establishment and protection of the boundaries of a crime scene because the signs related to a scene are often elusive to an investigator. Other investigators employ search dogs to facilitate the establishment and tracking of a crime scene. Photography is commonly employed in the physical surveillance of a crime scene. This visual documentation of an area is very helpful to an investigator because it physically records the features of the area before any other activity is performed to the crime scene. Physical surveillance also involves marking all potential evidences to the crime. In addition to photographs, sketches of the crime scene are also important in physical surveillance of a specific area. Sketches are generally considered as essential information of crime scenes because these serve as detailed notes of the investigation, although the diagrammatic representation is of less quality than a simple photograph. Sketches provide measurements of the crime scene, including distances between two points of interest that are located within the area under investigation. An investigator often starts with a rough sketch and eventually moves on to a final sketch that is drawn to scale. These sketches are commonly employed as models during court hearings and trials because these provide the floor-plan of an area of interest, the elevation of the area and its details and other critical dimensions that may be helpful in the analysis of a crime scene. Physical surveillance serves more purposes in a crime scene investigation than a technical surveillance because it provides the investigator with sufficient evidence that may be important in linking a specific suspect to a particular crime. Technical surveillance does not provide the specific details that physical surveillance provides because it does not provide any associative details that are critical to an investigation. In addition, physical surveillance provides a view of the crime scene through an observer’s eyes and this usually provides a neutral view of the area, removing any biases and discrimination of certain items and areas. Physical surveillance also provides a better understanding of a crime incident through the note-taking that is performed on the area, including any traces of struggle or bullet holes. It also assists the investigator in reconstructing the sequence of events that are related to the crime, including the initial moments of what was said, done or executed by the victim and the suspect.

Performance of Goldman Sachs and Financial Ratio Analysis

Performance of Goldman Sachs and Financial Ratio Analysis Conventionally the Bank performance is evaluated by analysis of the financial ratios. However, despite of quite a few number of ratios being calculated, a sculpt that completely convinces the analysis of requirements and bank operations efficiency evaluation is yet to be developed. Hence for these reason, the financial ratio analysis is balance with unlike eminence evaluations, with characteristics such as organization quality, equity structure, spirited position and others which are incorporated in the concluding assessment. In this piece of work we are going to evaluate overall performance of Goldman Sachs and critically analyse how financial ratios are used to evaluate banks performance. The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a American investment banking and securities organisation which slot in global investment banking, securities, investment management, and erstwhile financial services principally with institutional clients. Goldman Sachs was founded in the year 1869 and its headquarter is at 200 West Street in the Lower Manhattan area of New York City. It has additional offices in major international financial hubs. The Goldman Sachs offers mergers and acquisitions advice, underwriting services, asset management, and prime brokerage to its clientele, which include corporations, governments and individuals. The Goldman Sachs also engages in proprietary trading and private equity deals, and is a primary dealer in the United States Treasury security market (Goldman Sachs Website). Bank Internal Performance Evaluation Strategic planning Goldman Sachs ability to address and tap into important economic and financial trends through roles such as advisor, financier, market maker and asset manager are critical for fulfilling their mission to help spur growth and perform strongly as a firm. Technology Technology is a core part of GS product offering and client experience. GS ability to respond quickly and effectively to address its clients needs with customized systems, products and services helps differentiate the firm. A technological advantage for GS is that they have only one central risk system, which is partially a byproduct of not having done multiple, major acquisitions that often require merging and retrofitting platforms. Personnel development The success of the GSs efforts are measured by how effectively their people act. Over time, effective training and development have enrich their corporate culture and strengthen the values of client service and focus on reputational risk management. Recognition includes compensation, promotion, assignments and mobility opportunities. They have made it clear the link between the behaviour expected of its people and the recognition used to encourage it. This is critically important because it signals broadly the way GS expects its people to behave and conduct business (Goldman Sachs Annual report 2010). Bank External Performance Evaluation Market share GS has frequently performed above the market despite worsening economic conditions. Since the 2008, the company has outpaced the market enough to draw public admiration. With strong profits and expected strong returns, the company has set aside $500M to invest in small businesses. These efforts are a combination to both improve the economy and their public image. Regulatory compliance The Dodd-Frank legislation and new capital and liquidity requirements under Basel 3 are two of the more significant outcomes from the recent focus on enhancing financial stability. Given regulatory implementation is only just beginning, and unclear on how the new rules will ultimately impact the industry. The broad contours of new regulation, however, are clear: improve the safety and soundness of the global financial system, increase the transparency of derivatives markets, limit certain investing activities and reduce the consequences of a failure of a large financial institution. Public confidence Goldman Sachs announced in May 2010 that it formed a Business Standards Committee to reshape its business practices and mend its reputation. Chief Executive Lloyd Blankfein said at the time that there is a disconnect between how we view the firm and how the broader public perceives our roles and activities. GSs shareholders, BoDs, clients and customers have supported Mr. Blankfein through all the crisis and this shows their faith in bank (Goldman Sachs Annual report 2010). 4.0 Analyzing Bank Performance with Profit Ratios Goldman Sachs financial performance was better in 2009  than 2010 and Q4 2009 was the best quarter since the recession. 4.1 ROE Return on equity (ROE= net income after taxes/total equity) reveal GS capability to produce profits from shareholders equity (further referred as net assets or assets minus liabilities). In other words, ROE shows how effectively a company uses the shareholders money. As seen in graphical representation above, it is clear that Goldman Sachs is tendering a lower return on shareholders equity as compared to year ended in2009. The ROE of GS for the last year was 18.93% as compared to 10.08% this year. There has a been a significant decrease in the ROE which suggests GS is not utilising shareholders money properly. GS return on equity has declined substantially due to deleverage and is only marginally higher than its current cost of capital. 4.2 ROA Return on assets (ROA = net income after taxes/total assets) is how resourcefully a firm uses its assets. From the formula it is quite obvious that higher the ratio, the company is performing more efficiently and thus is generating more profits. A low ROA with enormous assets designate that the firm is handling its asset at a poor rate. As seen in graphical representation above, it is seen that Goldman Sachs has provided a lower ROA of 0.91% this year over 1.58% last year. There is one key differentiation between ROE and ROA and it is debt. In absence of debt, the shareholders equity is same as total assets of the firm which means that in this case, ROE and ROA are identical. Now if the firm come to a decision to take a loan, ROE exceeds ROA. A elevated ROE does not always guarantee a extraordinary performance of a firm. Incidentally, ROA is then a healthier pointer of the financial performance of a firm. With a high ROA and manageable debt, if ROE is also high it means that the company is generating decent profits using shareholders money. But if ROA is low and there is huge debt carried by the company, even a high ROE can only be a misleading figure. 4.3 Net Interest Margin 4.4 Leverage ratio Debt to Equity Ratio 4.5 Decomposition of ROE DuPont Analysis As revealed in Appendix B, The ROE of a bank is dependent on a various factors and thus change in any one of these factor can affect the rate of return on shareholders equity of the bank. As Net Income is the main source to calculate ROE in conjunction with the shareholders equity in the bank, every alteration in the Income and Expense of the bank openly affects the net income and thus influence the ROE of a bank. The detailed DuPont analysis of Goldman Sachs for year 2010 is presented in Appendix B. The ROE is decomposed as follows wrt dupont identity. Now assuming that changes are made in Income or Expense levels of the Goldman Sachs, its effect will be seen on ROA and ROE. Let us consider a case where the Interest Expense for Goldman Sachs goes down by 10% and there are no changes in its Interest Income, following are the effects on ROA and ROE of the bank. Scenario 1 : -5% change in interest expense Change Values after change Interest Expense -10% 6125.4 Interest Income 0% 12309 Effect on NI 6680.6 39841.6 Effect on ROA +0.07% 0.99% Effect on ROE +0.88% 11.68% A few other situations with amendment in Total Non-interest Income and expenses and their outcome on the ROA ROE of bank are given away in the chart below. Scenario 2 : -5% change in non-interest expense Change Values after change Total Non-interest Income -5% 31975.1 Effect on NI -1682.9 37478.1 Effect on ROA -0.19% 0.73% Effect on ROE -1.46% 8.62% Scenario 3 : +10% change in non-interest expense Change Values after change Total Non-interest Expenses 10% 27962 Effect on NI -2542 3160 Effect on ROA -0.31% 0.27% Effect on ROE -4.44% 3.78% Bank Performance Evaluation Based on Economic Profit 5.1 Risk-Adjusted Return on Capital (RAROC) In risk- adjusted return on capital the capital is allocated for two vital motives: (1) risk management and (2) performance evaluation. In support of risk-management rationale, the banks most favourable capital structure can be establish by allocation of capital to individual business units. This course of action entails assessing the amount of the risk (volatility) each business unit chip in to the total risk of the bank and hence to its overall capital requirements. Now, for performance-evaluation function, RAROC structure allocate capital to business units as part of a procedure for shaping the risk-adjusted rate of return and, eventually, the economic value added of each business unit. The EVA of every and each business unit is its adjusted net income minus the amount of equity capital allocated to the unit times the required return on equity. The purpose is to compute a business units input to shareholder value and so to provide a source for effective capital budgeting and incentive compensation at the business-unit level. RAROC is calculated by dividing risk-adjusted net income by the total amount of economic capital assigned which is dependent on the risk calculation. Risk-adjusted net income is calculated by taking the financial data allotment to the bank and fine-tuning the income statement for expected loss. A further modification is also required to take into account the effects on the net interest margin because the attention is moved from book profitability to economic profitability. Thus RAROC = Risk adjusted income / Allocated Capital RAROC for 2010 of Goldman Sachs therefore comes to 2.24 %. Let us consider some scenarios where the risk adjusted income for Goldman Sachs are changed by {-2%, +2%, -5% +5%}, The effect on its RAROC is represented as below. Change in Risk Adjusted Income 2 % + 2 % 5 % Effect on RAROC 2.20 % 2.29 % 2.13 % Economic Value Added (EVA) EVA (Economic Valued Added) is a present day financial dimension instrument which concludes whether a business is earning greater than its true cost of capital. EVA stands out apart from ROA ROE which are most accepted measures of bank performance. This is because it includes cost of equity capital employed. On the other hand, net banking income and the efficiency ratio, also, do not consider the cost of equity capital employed. Therefore, these ratios possibly will propose a banks performance as healthy but in fact it could be deteriorating its value to its shareholders. EVA is essentially a tool that focuses on maximizing shareholder wealth. EVA = Adjusted earnings Opportunity cost of capital {Net operating Profit after Taxes} {Cost of Equity X Equity Capital } With an aim of creating values, the return on invested capital (ROIC) for a bank must be greater than cost of capital. So, the EVA can be possibly increased in quite a few ways, by: 1) Increasing Net operating Profit after Taxes; 2) Lowering the Cost of Equity and 3) Reducing Equity Capital Conclusion Year on year Goldman Sachs revenues have descended by 11.04% from $51.67bn to $45.97bn. This along with an increase in the cost of goods sold expense has contributed to a reduction in net income from $13.39bn to $8.35bn, a 37.59% decrease. In 2010, Goldman Sachs did not generate a significant amount of cash. Cash Flow from Financing totalled $7.84bn or 17.05% of revenues. In addition the company used 6.16bn for operations while cash used for investing totalled $185m. Goldman results were also dragged down by a $465 million one-time expense to cover a U.K. payroll tax and a $550 million outlay to settle  SEC  charges that it favoured certain clients over others.

The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz :: essays research papers

Question #3: Duddy hides his insecurities from himself and others. He is afraid to ask his father if his mother had liked him. What does this reveal about Duddy? Why do we often hide our fears? Two thousand years ago, Jesus had said,"Man does not live by bread alone." This is true, for other than physiological needs, man also has other basic necessities. As outlined in an article written by Professor A. H. Maslow called "A Theory of Human Motivation", these basic necessities include a person’s desire for security, love, esteem and self-actualization. Thus, when Duddy hides his fears from others and himself, he is only pursuing a sense of safety, which is one of the human fundamental needs. A person’s self-projected image is very important. We often hide our own fears because we do not want to acknowledge our dreads. We are afraid that if we show our dreads, our images as great persons will be ruined. People want to feel important, significant and superior; people do not want to feel inferior, subordinate and insignificant. We are afraid that if we concede our fears, others will dismiss us as unimportant. This is even more true for an ambitious young man like Duddy. He springs from humble beginnings, but clearly, he is very eager to become a successful and powerful man. "...his bony cheeks were criss-crossed with scratches as he shaved twice daily in his attempt to encourage a beard." This clearly indicates to the readers that Duddy wants and tries to be someone that he is not. He wants himself and others to think that he is of great significance. The fact that his friends, family and others reject him make his self-projected image even more preponderan t. He must convince himself and others that he is a very important figure and he does this by denying his insecurities. Duddy is not a very well-liked figure in the novel. He arouses readers’ sympathy because his family and friends do not appreciate him. There is much evidence of this throughout the novel. Perhaps the best illustration of this is when Duddy returns from St. Agathe with six expensive sport shirts for Max as a gift, but only to find out that his father is not interested in the gift. Duddy is not loved in his family, yet he needs love desperately. Since his father, uncle and brother do not love him, his desire for love is projected onto his dead mother. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz :: essays research papers Question #3: Duddy hides his insecurities from himself and others. He is afraid to ask his father if his mother had liked him. What does this reveal about Duddy? Why do we often hide our fears? Two thousand years ago, Jesus had said,"Man does not live by bread alone." This is true, for other than physiological needs, man also has other basic necessities. As outlined in an article written by Professor A. H. Maslow called "A Theory of Human Motivation", these basic necessities include a person’s desire for security, love, esteem and self-actualization. Thus, when Duddy hides his fears from others and himself, he is only pursuing a sense of safety, which is one of the human fundamental needs. A person’s self-projected image is very important. We often hide our own fears because we do not want to acknowledge our dreads. We are afraid that if we show our dreads, our images as great persons will be ruined. People want to feel important, significant and superior; people do not want to feel inferior, subordinate and insignificant. We are afraid that if we concede our fears, others will dismiss us as unimportant. This is even more true for an ambitious young man like Duddy. He springs from humble beginnings, but clearly, he is very eager to become a successful and powerful man. "...his bony cheeks were criss-crossed with scratches as he shaved twice daily in his attempt to encourage a beard." This clearly indicates to the readers that Duddy wants and tries to be someone that he is not. He wants himself and others to think that he is of great significance. The fact that his friends, family and others reject him make his self-projected image even more preponderan t. He must convince himself and others that he is a very important figure and he does this by denying his insecurities. Duddy is not a very well-liked figure in the novel. He arouses readers’ sympathy because his family and friends do not appreciate him. There is much evidence of this throughout the novel. Perhaps the best illustration of this is when Duddy returns from St. Agathe with six expensive sport shirts for Max as a gift, but only to find out that his father is not interested in the gift. Duddy is not loved in his family, yet he needs love desperately. Since his father, uncle and brother do not love him, his desire for love is projected onto his dead mother.

Shiseido in China

Case- Shiseido: Channeling Cosmetics in China 1. Marketing and distribution channels for cosmetics products performed mainly transactional and logistical function. Distribution channels such as the voluntary specialty chain stores perform transactional function when they buy these cosmetic products from the manufacturer and sell them in their individual stores. They share risk with the producer (Shiseido) as they stock merchandises in anticipation for sales.On the other hand, counters at departmental stores and door-to-door selling perform logistical function, whereby they gather, sort and disperse these cosmetic products at these specific counters. For example, some departmental stores may place all the cosmetics counters together on a single level/ specified area in order to serve its customers better. They can also store these products together at a single venue. Door-to-door selling brings the products directly to the consumers.Facilitating function can sometimes be performed in departmental stores as well, where they highlight the bestselling cosmetic brands/products through their own advertisements. Transactional function is generally more important than logistical function, as the former involves the exchange of value (transaction) of products and money, as well as the potential risk the intermediaries are taking up when they chose to sell these products. If the stock the intermediaries purchased is unsold, they suffer the loss and not the producer.Hence, this function involves tangible gains and losses of the intermediaries, which usually tend to value these aspects more. 2. Channel Length Channel Intensity Creation of the Aupres brand which was sold in 350 departmental stores in 2004 shows the approach of intensive distribution Shiseido undertook, Shiseido in China continued on this approach as it attempted to open specialty model stores for its own brands of cosmetic products (some imported from Japan- Shiseido UV White, and some locally produced bran ds such as WHITIA, ASPLIR) in China.This started in March 2004, which expanded to 800 stores by August 2005, and over 5000 stores by end-March in 2011 due to its success. Channel Type There are various channel types adopted by Shiseido in China. Generally, Shiseido in China is specialised and it initially focused on an exclusive group of consumers through the Aupres brand, which targeted top one percent of Chinese population. Additionally, Shiseido started to expand into medium-priced brands (Za, Pure Mild China, UNO, ASPLIR) and lower-priced brand, DQ, in 2010.It has now changed its target group towards the mass Chinese women and seeks to enhance their beauty and health. It generally segmented its range of products to suit the needs of the different consumer groups (looks for different price range of products). Under store retailing, Shiseido focuses on specialty stores through its voluntary specialty chain stores concept and selling its products through counters in departmental st ores. In 2011, Shiseido has plans to commerce in e-commerce initiatives (non-store retailing) to expand existing points of contact with customers.In 2010, Shiseido also launched a website for Chinese Mail-Order market. Factors influencing channel design and strategy †¢Customer Number/Dispersion The wide range of customers’ purchasing power in China results in the dispersion of consumer segments. -> More brands to target different marketing segments. †¢Market Practices/ Availability of Channels Large number of channels available in China – departmental stores and voluntary speciality stores. †¢Market Penetration and Coverage Initially selective (only in departmental stores) for high end products -> Intensive distribution through specialty stores. Service Quality and Response †¢Resources and Profits Improvements to be made to channel design Current channel design: Indirect channels Marketer/ Producer -> Retailers -> Consumers Shiseido can implement ot her channel designs to broaden its availability to consumers -> Implementing the multichannel marketing Shiseido can start a transactional website to increase sales and target a different consumer group from those who buy its products from retail stores. Eg. Males who find it difficult to purchase cosmetics good from retail stores. Promotional website to provide information about Shiseido’s vast range of products will also be helpful in targeting cross-channel shoppers. 3. What retail strategy does Shiseido in China adopt? How is this strategy related to its segmentation, targeting and branding strategies? Shiseido in China adopted a voluntary specialty chain stores concept and departmental stores promotion as well as drugstores recently for its in-store retailing. This uses indirect channels to distribute its products to consumers.This relates to segmentation as departmental stores and specialty chain stores cater to different groups of consumers because of the different bra nds of products they carry. More high-end and exclusive products are available in departmental stores and specialty chain stores. Medium-priced products specially designed for the China consumer market can also be found in these stores. Lower-priced brand such as DQ, can be found in drugstores instead. Evidently, different brands cater to consumer groups with diverse affluence. Shiseido is using multi-branding strategy to reach out to its consumer market.