Saturday, November 16, 2019

Benefits of DuPont Analysis

Benefits of DuPont Analysis The dynamic environment of the world today suggests that one should be apt enough to apply his skills immanent to a system and also external with respect to credit management function. These functions include financial planning, plausibility of a defined business strategy or whether a particular merger or acquisition is feasible or not. This has to be done in a rapid yet meaningful way so as to be of immediate need to a particular firm or investor. There are basically four major reasons for an effective financial statement analysis. These have been mentioned as follows: It is useful for long-run business viability so as to determine whether a firm would be able to provide adequate business return when compared to the amount of risks taken. This is essential for outside investors. It is also used by creditors so as to find out whether a potential buyer has the capability to service the loans that are being made or not. Also, the analysts concerned about the internal development of a firm, require financial statement analysis so as to monitor the outcome as a result of applying the policy decisions, to make future predictions with regard to the performance targets, and also make an assessment of the capital needs of a company. The function of DuPont analysis in this is that it is used as a tool to provide an overview of financial statement analysis for the purposes as stated and also provide a focus for such analysis. In order to assess the financial health of a firm from the perspective of an insider or an outsider, there are four major areas that are covered. These have been stated as follows: Liquidity Leverage Operational Efficiency Profitability In this process, the DuPont analysis can be used as a compass so as to help the analysts find out the areas that are of significant strength and weakness (as applicable) from the financial statements. DuPont analysis stands as an appropriate place to commence the financial statement analysis as it measures the Return on Equity (ROE). As this indicates the rate of growth of the ownersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ wealth, it becomes one of the most important ratios. So, DuPont analysis might not be able to provide a detailed description just like a proper financial statement analysis, but it certainly stands places in providing an excellent snapshot an impeccable starting point of financial analysis. It covers the major areas of profitability, operating efficiency and also leverage. It can be seen in the form of equations as follows: ROE = (Net Income/Sales) X (Sales/Average Assets) X (Average Assets/Average Equity) Net Income/ Sales: Profitability Sales/Average Assets: Total Asset Turnover Average Assets/Average Equity: Leverage Multiplier Further, as the requirement of the company stands, one can also calculate the Return on Assets (ROA) by making a DuPont Chart. This can be done in the following manner: ROA = (Profit before Income and Tax/ Total Assets) = (PBIT/Sales) X (Sales/ Total Assets) DuPont Calculations and Analysis (Note: In this case we are making a comparison of two years) Profitability: Net Income/Sales 2008 6,536,358,000/ 17,868,672,000 = 36.5% 2009 3,080,531,000/ 16,015,133,000 = 19% This ratio indicates the rate at which a company uses the sales to generate profits for the company. One can see that it has decreased tremendously over a year. This suggests that the company has been trying to lure the customers with better benefits so as to decrease its profits. As the total sales have increased only marginally, it indicates that the market is in a risky position with companies cutting on profits to maintain previous customers and generate new ones. Total Assets Turnover: Sales/Average Assets: Total Asset Turnover 2008 17,868,672,000/ 54,790,875,000 = 0.32 2009 16,015,133,000/ 60,690,798,000 = 0.27 Return on Total Assets indicates how well a company has been using its assets to generate sales. It is significant as a company might be generating a huge amount of profit out of sales involved, but then it doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t check the efficiency with which it is using the assets for generating the amount of sales involved. In this, case the operating efficiency has decreased which means that the company has either made long-term installations which have not been used to implement sales in the best possible manner or there is a deficiency in the company functioning. Leverage Multiplier: Average Assets/Average Equity 2008 54,790,875,000/ 36,536,040,000 = 1.5 2009 60,690,798,000/ 36,000,753,000 = 1.68 The leverage multiplier is used for determining the debt financing as compared to the equity financing of a company. Generally, if a company increases the debts over equity for financing its requirements, it does it as the cost of debt is less because of tax-deductible interests but then there is a larger risks involved here. A company would have to pay a certain amount for sure before they can make use of the net income. Here, the ratio has increased indicating the fact that Emaar has taken more debt than a year before which means that it requires immediate funding to carry out its operations. Return on Equity The above results can be combined to calculate the DuPont ratio which in this case is ROE. ROE for 2008: 18% ROE for 2009: 8.5% Now, we know that ROE determines the profit as compared to the shareholdersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ equity. This has decreased over a span of one year which signifies the fact that the company would find it difficult to arrange for internal cash as it seems less attractive for shareholders. This is also evident from the fact that leverage multiplier had increased significantly. Gross Profit Margin: EBIT/ Sales 2008 7,053,765,000/ 17,868,672,000 = 0.394 2009 6,811,358,000/ 16,015,133,000 = 0.425 The gross profit margin of the company has increased which is again indicative of the fact that the company is paying too much of interests which decreases the net income. Return on Assets 2008 12.0% 2009 5% The net return on assets of the company has also decreased indicating the fact that the company has so far not made the type of income it has been looking to make with the assets that it has. This shows that the company looks to make long-term benefits out of the assets that it has generated.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Teaching Profession Essay -- careers jobs education educator teach

The Teaching Profession Becoming an educator, especially in recent years has been considered one of the most demanding yet rewarding professions in the work force today. Teaching, with its benefits and intellectual motives has risen to become one of the most sought after jobs in society. But even after taking such rewards into consideration, one might want to analyze how time consuming and emotionally draining teaching young people may turn out to be. Along with its rewards and demands, teaching is not only a potentially prestigious profession but also a very unique and sometimes life long career opportunity. Exploring teaching has become a popular tactic in recent years for people to make a better decision on whether or not teaching is a career for them. Individuals, especially in today’s society, tend to choose their professions based on a variety of different reasons. For many, the opportunity to do something they enjoy in life attracts them to that particular area of work. For many people, young and old, having the skills to teach an individual and being able to properly use these skills has proven to lead to some of the most exhilarating experiences anyone could ever have on any given day. Although some people choose teaching as a career because they want to follow in the footsteps of former admired teachers or family members, the main reason usually is to be able to work with young people. Interaction with children on a day to day basis in or out of the classroom not only helps them, but also gives the teacher that needed sense of accomplishment. It feels good knowing you were able to help and guide someone through not only schoolwork but also life, as is true with young people. Being needed by young people gives teach... ... a career, one can then make the important decision of whether teaching is really for them or not. If being able to communicate with young people and knowing that you are needed on a day to day basis is enjoyable for an individual, then teaching may be something to get involved in. As far as a challenging career is concerned, teaching requires patience, flexibility and knowledge. If way above average salaries and a non-complex profession are what someone is seeking, teaching may not be a career to get too serious about. More or less, teaching is quite the prestigious job and is looked highly upon by many which has over the years, put a very high value on teaching and education. With all of the many good and poor aspects of teaching available to people, now they are able to make a solid judgment on whether or not they are capable or willing to get into such a career.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Learning Experience at Texas

Texas A&M was certainly an experience different from anything I encountered before. I surely have had my share of studying in high school – in fact, it seemed at times that I had had more than I really wanted. The semester at Texas A&M, on the contrary, left me eager for more, seeking new revelations, interesting discoveries, meetings with friends and greater scope. It has also left me with a better understanding of the world so exquisitely made by our Creator and appreciation of its wonders. Education is certainly no small feat, and one needs real inspiration to get through the challening workload of math problems, English essays, and learning new concepts and ideas. The time I spent at Texas A&M not only helped me improve my educational background, equipping me with instruments to approach complex things, but also boosted my inspiration to overcome challenges and move toward my professional goals, step by step, each day making these goals come closer. I know now what I see as my main step: it is the completion of the Bachelor’s program at Texas Christian University. Its program is tailor-made to fit my personal needs and will help me move on in life. Texas A&M was to me a great lesson in the value of education. The time spent there also left me with a more serious attitude toward college studies. Being a Hurricane Katrina student, I for a time lived with the sense that there are more important problems to get over in this world than studies, and my mind was often focused on other things. This naturally affected my performance. As time went by, however, I could not remain indifferent to the intense learning process that was going on around. I learned that getting engrossed in studies was a good way to cope with shock, and that being in possession of valuable information makes one better prepared to conquer problems and challenges and take control of life. My strong Christian faith was a continuous source of inspiration in my studies at Texas A&M. It was my Walk with God that gave me the strength to master a new environment, improve my educational potential, and improve my educational performance. My prayers were a source of consolation in times of need and provided inspiration when I had to make another leap forward in my learning. I cannot underestimate the support of my friends. The environment at Texas A&M turned out to be ideal for establishing friendly contacts, and I at once felt encouragement and attention of other students who were willing to help me, given my traumatic background as a Hurricane Katrina student. I see human communication as an inalienable part of the education process. It is one feature that makes it inherently appealing to a sociable person like myself, eager to absorb knowledge through collective learning effort. My studies at Texas A&M were only a springboard for my future academic endeavors. In fact, I strongly believe that from this point on, I am about to embark on a lifelong learning adventure. I trust the words of Robert M. Hutchins who said â€Å"The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.† I hope that college will give me a strong background from which to see and learn new things, quickly putting them in context. Such learning can never stop because a human mind is always receptive to new and new turns of events that swirl around. I believe that education obtained at Texas Christian University will prove to be an ideal foundation from which to begin my professional career. With its powerful Christian focus and impressive academic strength, the university will be an ideal place for me to turn myself into a really educated person. The university is an excellent opportunity to reach my goals and aspirations in life. I hope to get a chance to prove my worthiness of this great academic and Christian tradition receiving a place in TCU’s program.   

Friday, November 8, 2019

Crm in Fast Food Industry Essay Example

Crm in Fast Food Industry Essay Example Crm in Fast Food Industry Essay Crm in Fast Food Industry Essay Institute of Management, Nirma University, Ahmedabad SERVICE MARKETING Project Proposal on â€Å"Customer Relation Management Practices in the Indian Fast Food Industry† Submitted To: Prof. Ashwini Awasthi Submitted by: Meghna Mavani (091227) 1 Project Title: Customer relation management practices in the Indian Fast-Food Industry. Introduction to the topic: Relationship marketing is emerging as the core marketing activity for businesses operating in fiercely competitive environments. On average, businesses spend six times more to acquire customers than they do to keep them. Therefore, many firms are now paying more attention to their relationships with existing customers to retain them and increase their share of customer? s purchases. Customer Relationship Management is a process or methodology used to learn more about customers needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships with them. CRM is a broadly recognized, widely-implemented strategy for managing a company? s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize business processes. The overall goals are to find, attract, and win new clients, nurture and retain those the company already has, entice former clients back into the fold, and reduce the costs of marketing and client service. Customer relationship management describes a company-wide business strategy including customer-interface departments as well as other departments. CRM or customer relationship management is a system of processes which businesses use to rganize and streamline customer service, give sales staff the customer information they need to achieve higher closure rate, optimize marketing and sales efforts, and help to increase the customer base and revenues. Rationale of the project: ? Customer Relationship Management is a process or methodology used to learn more about customers needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships with them. CRM is a broadly recognized, widely-implemented strat egy for managing a company? s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects. Hence a detailed 2 understanding of the various trends of CRM being followed currently would be of great importance to the going-to-be-managers. After all, good customer relationships are at the heart of business success. ? CRM involves all the functions of an organization. The idea of CRM is that it helps businesses use technology and human resources to gain insight into the behavior of customers and the value of those customers. Hence a detailed study of such a widespread initiative carried out by several global organizations would create a deep managerial insight. Moreover the entire reason for taking up the Indian Fast-Food Industry as my project topic is that with the rapidly growing middle class population and changing lifestyle, India is blessed with one of the fastest growing fast food markets in the world. The Indian fast food market is growing at an annual rate of 25-30%. Almost all the world? s big fast food brands have succeeded in making their presence felt in the countr y and most of them are posting appreciable growth. ? Also, all the popular fast food chains have chalked out massive plans for expanding their business and presence throughout the country. Foreign fast food chains are aggressively increasing their presence in the country. ? Another important reason that makes this industry worth studying is that, though this industry has witnessed a robust growth, there is still a huge underpenetrated market in the tier-II and III cities as mostly these fast-food chains are concentrating on the metro cities in India. 3 Literature Review: The innovation decision process model of Rogers (1995) was adopted in this study because CRM is considered an innovative management strategy. Rogers defines innovation as â€Å"ideas, action programs, or objects appealing as new things to individuals or organizations. † The innovation decision process has five stages: knowledge, persuasion, decision, implementation, and confirmation. In the knowledge stage, companies recognize an innovation and its functions. In the persuasion stage, the firm needs to be convinced that an innovation will bring benefits and competitive advantages, so it begins searching for information about the innovation, such as its costs and benefits. Organizational characteristics, such as the size of the firm and its external business environment, are influential. The decision stage occurs when the firm decides to adopt, reject, or postpone the innovation. In the implementation stage, the firm puts the innovation to use to achieve its objectives. In the confirmation stage, the firm decides whether to continue or discontinue adoption of the innovation. Recently, consumers needs and purchase patterns have changed dramatically. To meet various needs, companies tend to adopt differentiated and customer-oriented marketing strategies to gain competitive advantage. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is one specific example, adopted to create and manage relationships with customers more effectively through the detailed and accurate analysis of consumer data using various information technologies. Improved relationships with consumers can lead to greater customer loyalty, retention, and profitability. Although the importance of CRM as a successful strategic approach since the 1990s has been widely recognized, there is no consistent definition of it. According to Swift (2001), CRM is â€Å"an enterprise approach to understanding and influencing customer behavior through meaningful communications in order to improve customer acquisition, customer retention, customer loyalty, and customer profitability. † Kincaid (2003) defines CRM as â€Å"the strategic use of information, processes, technology, and people to manage the customers relationship with the company across the whole customer life cycle. According to Ko et al. (2004), CRM is also defined as the integrated customer management strategy of a firm to efficiently manage customers by providing customized goods and services and maximizing customers lifetime values. 4 The challenge for an organization as also highlighted by Peppard (2000) is to move to a situation where the customer starts buying from you rather than being sold to. This new mantra focuses entirely on the customer, and how to provide customer value in the form of tailoring services or products to meet their requirements. Researchers have identified a variety of technologies related to CRM which include: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? product development through customer DB analysis product development through customer involvement development of customized products customer mileage reward programs real-time customer services managing customer loyalty managing customer complaints developing member-only access to website customer database development customer categorization based on spending The main conclusions to be drawn from the existing literatures are: ? xisting research has a strong focus on the three particular areas of: effects of customer satisfaction of CRM, customer retention and profit management, and effects of CRM technique on performance; ? ? ? ? there remains debate on whether or not relationship marketing can be extended to consumer markets with firms having a relationship orientation then implementing CRM; conceptually, sequential effects from CRM implementation to enhanced financial performance are expected, but have not been explored; the research stream in Japan has focused on techniques of data analysis and data mining aspects of CRM Most systems and processes in this information technology (IT) driven era have some form of hitech interface in transforming inputs to outputs. The restaurant industry is no different, in that IT has played some role in changing a customer? s dining experience over the years- the way in 5 which the meal is prepared, the speed at which it is delivered, the way an order is received, just to name a few. With the advent of new technology and its impact on restaurant operations, one would believe that most firms in the restaurant industry would be IT oriented in the production and delivery of goods and services. Specifically, the study addresses three questions: (1) How do full-service restaurant operators generally view the impact of IT? (2) Is there a difference between full-service chain and independent restaurant firms in the adoption, utilization, and implementation of such technology? (3) What are the reasons some chain and/or independent restaurant firms choose not to invest in IT, while others do and what are the implications? The paper first explores why technology matters and the IT-related trends in the restaurant industry followed by a description of the case study approach and the methodology used in this study. Findings from the restaurants used in the case study ensue, followed by propositions, implications and recommendations while ending with limitations and conclusions. Before exploring each topic, it is essential to state that technology in this paper is referred to as IT, which is defined as „„the development, installation, and implementation of computer systems and applications ? Customer feed-back mechanisms. Industry trends indicate that specific areas being targeted by some restaurants firms include aggressive solicitation of feedback from customers regarding perception of restaurant performance. To some extent, „„comment cards and „„mystery shoppers are being slowly replaced by customer tracking tools which measure the needs of all customers (Hayes, 2002). Such a process includes analysis of online surveys completed by restaurant customers (Liddle, 2001). ? Management of repeat business. Another area targeted by restaurants for innovation through IT is the attempt to increase repeat business. One such area is the use of online reservation systems (Ruggless, 2003). 6 ? Management of marketing and service. Closely connected to frequent diner programs are advances in IT that allow restaurants to gather and store specific information about its customers, which comes mostly from comment cards/online surveys and POS data (Prewitt, 1997). By knowing customers? likes and dislikes and their consumption patterns, firms are able to position their product/service offerings more effectively while being able to offer them special deals. Another area that restaurants look at when trying to improve performance is the speed of service. Restaurant firms, both chains and independents, have started to use handheld devices that allow servers to remotely notify management of a dirty table, so that it can be cleaned and re-set faster for another set of patrons as well as place orders in the kitchen. ? IT and restaurant operations management. The use of technology to improve performance can be seen in use of integrated business solution software to help run restaurants operations. A process refers to a collection of tasks or activities that together result in a desired business outcome. Stated differently, a business process refers to a group of activities that convert organizational inputs (e. g. , human resources) into desired outputs (e. g. , successful new products). Given that groups of tasks can be subdivided or aggregated into lower and higher level processes, the specific nature (i. e. , inputs and outputs) of a business process depends on the level of aggregation used to define it. For instance, define CRM as a macrolevel (i. e. , highly aggregated) process that subsumes numerous subprocesses, such as prospect identification and customer knowledge creation.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Free Essays on John Wilks Booth

John Wilkes Booth, born May 10, 1838, was an actor who performed throughout the country in many plays. He was the lead in some of William Shakespeare's most famous works. Additionally, he was a racist and Southern sympathizer during the Civil War. He hated Abraham Lincoln who represented everything Booth was against. Booth blamed Lincoln for all the South's ills. He wanted revenge. In late summer of 1864 Booth began developing plans to kidnap Lincoln, take him to Richmond (the Confederate capital), and hold him in return for Confederate prisoners of war. By January, 1865, Booth had organized a group of co-conspirators that included Samuel Arnold, Michael O'Laughlen, John Surratt, Lewis Powell (also called Lewis Paine or Payne), George Atzerodt, and David Herold. Additionally, Booth met with Dr. Samuel Mudd both in Maryland (where Mudd lived) and Washington, and he began using Mary Surratt's boardinghouse to meet with his co-conspirators. On March 17, 1865, the group planned to capture Lincoln who was scheduled to attend a play at a hospital located on the outskirts of Washington. However, the President changed plans and remained in the capital. Thus, Booth's plot to kidnap Lincoln failed. On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox. Two days later Lincoln spoke from the White House to a crowd gathered outside. Booth was present as Lincoln suggested in his speech that voting rights be granted to certain blacks. Infuriated, Booth's plans now turned in the direction of assassination. On the morning of Friday, April 14, Booth dropped by Ford’s Theater and learned that the President and General Grant were planning to attend the evening performance of Our American Cousin. He held one final meeting with his co-conspirators. He said he would kill Lincoln at the theatre (he had since learned that Grant had left town). Atzerodt was to kill Vice-President Andrew Johnson at the Kirkwood Ho... Free Essays on John Wilks Booth Free Essays on John Wilks Booth John Wilkes Booth, born May 10, 1838, was an actor who performed throughout the country in many plays. He was the lead in some of William Shakespeare's most famous works. Additionally, he was a racist and Southern sympathizer during the Civil War. He hated Abraham Lincoln who represented everything Booth was against. Booth blamed Lincoln for all the South's ills. He wanted revenge. In late summer of 1864 Booth began developing plans to kidnap Lincoln, take him to Richmond (the Confederate capital), and hold him in return for Confederate prisoners of war. By January, 1865, Booth had organized a group of co-conspirators that included Samuel Arnold, Michael O'Laughlen, John Surratt, Lewis Powell (also called Lewis Paine or Payne), George Atzerodt, and David Herold. Additionally, Booth met with Dr. Samuel Mudd both in Maryland (where Mudd lived) and Washington, and he began using Mary Surratt's boardinghouse to meet with his co-conspirators. On March 17, 1865, the group planned to capture Lincoln who was scheduled to attend a play at a hospital located on the outskirts of Washington. However, the President changed plans and remained in the capital. Thus, Booth's plot to kidnap Lincoln failed. On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox. Two days later Lincoln spoke from the White House to a crowd gathered outside. Booth was present as Lincoln suggested in his speech that voting rights be granted to certain blacks. Infuriated, Booth's plans now turned in the direction of assassination. On the morning of Friday, April 14, Booth dropped by Ford’s Theater and learned that the President and General Grant were planning to attend the evening performance of Our American Cousin. He held one final meeting with his co-conspirators. He said he would kill Lincoln at the theatre (he had since learned that Grant had left town). Atzerodt was to kill Vice-President Andrew Johnson at the Kirkwood Ho...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Digital watches Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Digital watches - Assignment Example The designed watch is reliable, portable and fully functional with a 10-segment LCD display unit. The watch start with the hour, minute and second counters set to zero. After every, minute or hour the respective counter increments while continuously checking the sum. When it hits fifty-nine, both the second and minute counters reset to zero whereas the hour counter resets at counter sum of twenty-four. Time is a basic physical quantity measured by use of instrument like a watch. In simple terms, time requires a specified physical process that proceeds at a known rate (Abayomi-Alli et al 3), and a method to measure the continuity of the process. Several categories and sizes of watches are in use. On of the determinant factor in classification of watches is how time is displayed (Abayomi-Alli et al 5). There are four different classes of watches. These include analog watches, digital watches and auditory watches. Digital watches usually display numeric time version. The most common numeric display formats are the 24-hour and the 12-hour notations. The 24- hour notation has hours counter running from 00 to 23 whereas the 12 hour notation uses the symbols AM indicating time from midnight to one minute to noon. The PM symbol runs from noon to one minute to midnight. Digital watches employ the use of an LCD or LED for displaying the time (Abayomi-Alli et al 2). In the making of digital watch, microcontrollers are used as the main control of the entire circuit. For effectiveness, the microcontrollers are interfaced with other components to complete the digital watch circuit. Such a component includes a counter which is mainly one of the Real Time Watch IC (Abayomi-Alli et al 3). This is â€Å"a low-voltage, high-performance CMOS 8-bit microcontroller† (Abayomi-Alli et al 5). It has a 4 kilobytes (KB) of Flash erasable and programmable read-only memory (FEPROM). The 8-bit microcontroller

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Unemployment and the economy Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Unemployment and the economy - Coursework Example This has been shown to be as a result of three major reasons which are, the aging population, cyclical decline as a result of historical patterns in the past recession and other factors including the consequences of the Great Recession. In the run-up to 2008, it was discovered that the participation rate decline was conditional on age. However, the decline rate for prime-age men and women was offset by the increase in the participation rate for older workers. According to discoveries, there have been disruptions in the labor market due to the impacts of the 2007-2009 recession. Population growth has slowed coupled with declines in the labor force participation rates. It has been projected that the decade, that follows, will bring forth an aging workforce that grows slowly and declining overall labor force participation. After the decline in the 2001 recession, the Labor has maintained a steady rate of 66.0 percent from 2004-2008. As a result of shifts in the labor due to the baby balloon generation, it is seen that these shifts do not have an injurious influence on the unemployment rates. Labor force participation rate is a measure of the proportion of non-institutional civilian population either employment or looking for employment. By the year 2011, 85.2 percent of college graduates participated in the labor force which exceeded the previous year by 1.9%. The participation rate of those with advanced degrees by that time was measured to be at 91.0 percent. This rate was found to be the same for both women and men, disregarding the types of degrees received (Anderson et al., 2009). Since the year 2005, US population and labor force trends have shown that out of the total population estimates, half of it has always been an active labor force. The rapid growth in the labor force in the US over the past decades has been attributed to the growth in the size of population as well as the increased rates of participation of women in the labor force