Thursday, November 28, 2019

Company Lifecycle in Business

Introduction Company lifecycles are the stages of development through which a business goes through. New businesses are faced with various challenges throughout their lives. Failure to deal with the problems will lead to the downfall of a business due to financial losses. The current paper focuses on the differences between the lifecycle and financial strategies adopted by a company that focuses on domestic expansion and a company that focuses on international expansion.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Company Lifecycle in Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Business Lifecycle Seed stage The first stage of a business is the seed stage. Business ideas and plans are developed at this stage. The challenge of this stage is market acceptance. Many companies concentrate on one market segment to enhance success. Money and resources should be used effectively during this stage. The company stipulates its focus on s uch areas as skills, experience, and passion. Other key elements of this stage include business ownership structure, business planning, and accessing professional advisors. The source of capital for expansion becomes a challenge to many companies since they rely on owners, friends, customers, banks, and government grants. A company that focuses on international expansion draws clear guidelines to attract international investors. It has to invest in a wide range of products to offset the risks of business failure. Start-Up It is the second stage in business establishment. Business exists legally at this stage. The challenges of this stage include lack of money and time for marketing. The business owners have to take time to determine whether or not the business is on the right track (Hitchcock Willard, 2012). A company focusing on domestic expansion will require reduced capital expenditure in such areas as advertising and product promotion compared to a company whose target is inter national expansion. To expand internationally, a company requires increased capital investment. It has to attract shareholders from different parts of the world to support the business (Parker, 2006). Growth At this stage, the business becomes well established. A company focusing on domestic expansion faces the problem of hiring many employees and setting up accounting and management systems. Productivity must be improved to enhance proper management of the business. New products and services must be added, increase the financial strain for a domestic company. For companies aiming to expand internationally, new sources of capital become available. The earnings from the business are passed to shareholders in a company that focuses on domestic expansion. The earnings can also be used in the business as capital to venture into new markets. In a company aiming for international expansion, the earnings are mostly used to increase the market share (Groot, 2010).Advertising Looking fo r essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Maturity At this stage, profits and sales are stabilized. Competition is at its highest, making companies to expand their territories to outdo competitors. Financial resources are diverse. Banks and other investors put all their wealth in the business. In a company focusing on international expansion, products are improved for marketing in other countries. Poor sales, which come with competition, are not witnessed since the products are shifted to countries where demand is high. In contrast, a company that focuses on domestic expansion will have to fight the competition. Competition reduces sales, leading to losses. Dividend payments become a problem for such companies (Stark, 2011). Decline At this final stage, the business becomes liquidated. Profits decline and losses set in. In a company focusing on international expansion, losses made in one market are offset by p rofits made in other countries. Such businesses can borrow finances from various sources since they have a source of security. In contrast, a company that focuses on domestic expansion finds it hard to exist due to high operational costs (Stark, 2007). Conclusion A company that focuses on international expansion enjoys more financial security than the one focusing on domestic expansion. International markets open more grounds for financing, which is a key asset for success of any business. Companies with domestic market are wiped out when competition stiffens. Their sources of finance get limited once the competition sets in since they lack assets for security. References Groot, M. (2010). Managing financial information in the trade lifecycle: A concise atlas of financial instruments and processes. Boston: Boston. Academic Press. Hitchcock, D., Willard, M. (2012). The business guide to sustainability: Practical strategies and tools for organizations. London: Routledge. Parker, S. ( 2006). The life cycle of entrepreneurial ventures. Hong Kong: Springer.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Company Lifecycle in Business specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Stark, J. (2007). Global product: Strategy, product lifecycle management and the billion customer question decision engineering. Hong Kong: Springer. Stark, J. (2011). Product lifecycle management. Hong Kong: Springer. This essay on Company Lifecycle in Business was written and submitted by user Rayden G. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Afro Amer 005 Essays - Christianity And Slavery, Free Essays

Afro Amer 005 Essays - Christianity And Slavery, Free Essays Afro Amer 005 Dr. Carr 09/28/2017 Response Essay 2 Abstract In discussing framing questions 2, how did Africans preserve and affirm their ways of life use their cultures as a means to resist enslavement, we talk about the experience and contributions of the Africana history and learn about the shaping of the African citizenship. We also discuss The Coming by Daniel Black which explains the fundamentals of the Middle passage and how they were separated but still managed to keep their cultural practices. Critical Review of Scholarship In the text readings done in class, we have found many answers to the questions that ties around framing question 2, How did Africans preserve and affirm their ways of life and use their cultures as a means to resist enslavement? In the text readings, there are many factors pertaining around framing question 2. In The Coming, Daniel black says, "Our body were the trademark, we believed, of a sacred majestic people. Now the ugliness of our situation made us begin to loathe the body we'd once loved. It was a gradual occurrence at first, more a thought that a truth, but we knew that once planted, a seed soon reveals all that it bears." I believe Black was talking about when we became slaves and how we started to lose ourselves becoming what the white people wanted us to be. We began to hate ourselves because of the situation we were put in. Discussion Also in The Coming , Black says, "The pain of what happened next lives in our collective memory. It mauls our souls each day. Yet it must be told. Silence guarantees no healing. It promises that the child's life would be forgotten and that its mission might one day, be thought significant. Silence is the enemy of history, and history is all we have." Another reading we looked at, Ngugi wa Thiong'o's Something torn and New: An African Renaissance talks about the dismemberment of Africa and how it had two stages. In the reading, it also explains how Europeans colonized the culture and created it through time and space. "The result was that everyone in the African diaspora from the tiniest Caribbean and Pacific island to the American mainland lost their names: Their bodies became branded with a European memory" ( Thiong'o . 14) For my essay, I will be introducing several texts from these sources stated above and sources from my notes in class. How did Africans Preserve and affirm their ways of life and Use their cultures as a means to resist enslavement? To answer this question, we can by trying to go back to when we were enslaved. In our history, we have social constructs and cultures we implemented in order to keep the culture alive. In class, we discussed the difference between and anthem and a hymn. "Lift every Voice is the black national anthem. White people have the Star-Spangled Banner which was written by Francis Scott who was a lawyer who housed slaves which he wrote about in the third verse of the national anthem. The anthem was supposed to bring about unity but it did the opposite of that. Why do you think there is a Black National anthem? In class, Dr. Carr discussed that the national anthem discussed the false promises of freedom. The phase of enslavement started when the Europeans colonized our culture and took it from us. To elaborate, our knowledge knows nothing of Africana studies because of the dismemberment of our history. The passage of enslavement happened in 6 stages; 1. Travel from European Country to Africa, which included exchange of goods. The second phase was the initial capture which happened between Africans where they promoted violence by Europeans for forced labor. In The Coming, Black says "We'd all been taught that, in a circle, there is no beginning, no end. Energy flows without ceasing. One can enter and exit without ever disrupting it. Something magical happens when people gather in a circle. Individual identities swirl into a collective self, which wields far more spiritual force than any one person alone." Elaborating back to the framing question, Black explains how we preserved our culture. During the passage, all the Africans were split up

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Simone DeBeauvoir Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Simone DeBeauvoir - Essay Example In fact, "a man never begins by presenting himself as an individual of a certain sex; it goes without saying that he is man "(De Beauvoir 1986, p. 15). Opposite to the men, women are forced to constantly justify their social status as women in which femininity is particularly important. De Beauvoir points to three main arguments in favor of the idea of the existence of gender discrimination against women. Firstly, De Beauvoir regards the stereotypes in relation to biological differences between men and women: a womans body is considered as defective and limited, while the male body is characterized positively. The second argument in favor of this idea lies in the fact that, as part of the opposition "the Self – the Other" men treat women as an object for manipulation and the overwhelming impact, while the women allow such stereotypes in their address. Consideration of a woman as the Other leads to the third argument in favor of the authors idea. It consists in the fact that gender inequality is determined by social norms with respect to the distribution of various resources and social rights. In practice, women have far fewer rights than men, and this injustice is manifested in all areas of their lives. In general, the idea of discrimination against women is confirmed by the disproportion in the significance of masculinity and femininity in society. Their status is determined by the opposition "the Self – the Other" where the role of the Self is given to the man as an active and free subject, while the role of the Other belongs to the woman as a dependent object. As mentioned above, the first factor in favor of discrimination against women is associated with stereotypes about male and female bodies. In fact, men see their bodies as having a perfect set of features for a happy life. In contrast to the man, "woman has ovaries, a uterus: these peculiarities imprison her in her

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Ionic Liquid and Multicomponent Reaction Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ionic Liquid and Multicomponent Reaction - Thesis Example Among the many chemical species whose reactions can be catalyzed by variants of this method include ketones, and alcohols. Ionic liquids oxidize alcohols faster than conventional solvents, (7), (14) and are useful for both ÃŽ ±,ÃŽ ²-unsaturated ketones, (15) and diketone derivatives. (16), (17), (18)   , (19)  Ã‚   Of course, multi-component reactions involving these, or aldehydes, amines, carboxylic acids and isocyanides are typical of an Ugi reaction. The isocyanides themselves being critical to the four-component reaction. (20)   As well as being central to Passerini-type reactions. (4)   In addition, ionic liquids are useful for isomerizations, sugar acetylation, (21) the Baylis-Hillman reaction, (22) other high-temperature organic syntheses, given high thermal stability. (When dicationic) (23)   Within Ionic liquids, yields can be relatively high for stereochemistry-retained vinyl chalcogenides, (24) and N-substitution of alkyl halides, and various chlorides. (25)   Just a few of the reactions possible with ionic liquid multi-component processes are listed below: Alkylation, The Michael reaction, Knoevenagel condensation, and at least four others, not to mention both two-step, and multicomponent domino reactions, for a start. (13)   Ionic liquids are superior in the carbonylation of some halides. (26)   Several sources discuss these reactions in terms of efficiency, and the lessening of environmental impact. (16), (13).

Monday, November 18, 2019

Edward Tufte put forward a series of principles for visualisations Essay

Edward Tufte put forward a series of principles for visualisations - Essay Example There is an importance of ensuring that such visual graphics are presented in a way that attracts and not repels the audience. There are various ways in which this might be achieved, and may include ensuring that the graphics are captivating to the eye and proper arrangement of the graphics is attained systematically in the graphical representation. The important aspects of presenting these visual graphics was investigated and presented by Edward Tuft, who presented an influential, approach of presentation of visual graphics through several principles. Tuft argues that graphical excellence in statistical graphics for example, must have complex ideas that are communicated with clarity, efficiency and precision (Seintra, Adriaansen & Liere 2009, 163). Therefore, tuft put forward a few principles that any graphical excellence has to abide with. ... These principles by tuft have to guide the design and presentation of any graphical presentation that effectively serves its purpose as was designed for. According to (Seintra, Adriaansen & Liere 2009, 163), Tuft further considers visualizations that have cluttered graphics, that are incomprehensible as tempting to remove the data. Cluttered information is therefore an aspect of poor design and cannot be considered as being affected by the data presented by such design. (Source: http://www.shadedrelief.com/world/) Fig. 1 example of a well designed geovisualization The geovisualization to be investigated against the Tuft principles of visualization is a man showing the physical features of the globe that is found in the following link (http://www.nacis.org/data/world_map/map1/world1/world_map1.html. ). This geovisualization has been selected due to its unique presentation aspects that the designer of this map incorporated and the different perspectives in which the map can be viewed a t. This geovisualization also portrays contrasting features as presented the designer and offers a good model through which Tuft principles of visualization can be well understood. The geovisualization portrays aw old map with all the important physical features visible and with descriptions well embedded in the map. It is an informative geovisualization that can be used to make decisions concerning this subject. One of the conditions as given by Tuft in designing visualization is that such visualization has to be clear and present the graphics and data with precision (Seintra, Adriaansen & Liere 2009, 163). The geovisualization in question has well portrayed these conditions in that the maps as representing the continents are clear and well visible with precision, it is

Friday, November 15, 2019

Investing in property shares

Investing in property shares http://ezinearticles.com/?Pros-and-Cons-of-Indirect-Investingid=1506834: Investing indirectly means purchasing shares of companies that hold large portfolios of securities on behalf of their share holders. Indirect investing is a great opportunity for those who are willing to start investing with a small amount, having no previous knowledge or experience of stock markets ups and downs. You can decide if indirect investing is the right choice for you after examining the following features. The advantages associated with investing in property shares is that investors gain from greater liquidity since property company shares are publicly traded and the time taken to buy and sell these shares is far shorter than the time taken to buy and sell real property. Investors can create diversified property portfolios of property company shares at relatively low costs and in most cases, buying into diversified property portfolios in acquiring those shares. Transaction costs are lower than direct purchase. Finally since the price of publicly traded shares are known at any given time, there are no uncertainties as to the value of them. This is a contrast to direct investment with the buying and selling of real property, whereby it can take a matter of days to establish the values. Possibly the biggest advantage of indirect investment is the expertise and high standard management that comes along with investing in indirect property investment vehicles, as far as someone who knows little about property investment is concerned. Property investment companies have experts specializing in investment analysis and portfolio management and these companies will always stand a better chance for positive yields as compared to a common man who barely knows about financial markets. Furthermore another advantage with indirect investment vehicles is the opportunity for the investor to capitalise on discounts and premiums, especially in the case of close-ended funds. The net asset value of investment companys share keep going up and down based on companys performance and these shares are not always traded on net asset value. If sold at a price lower then net asset value, these are said to be sold at discount and if the price is higher then net asset value, they are selling at premium. This provides an opportunity to earn, even when the Net Asset Value has not changed. Neverthless there are disadvantages to investing in property shares. Firstly, the prices of property shares move up and down with the stock market, as such they are more voliatilie. Between 1970 and 1992 the annualised standard deviation of UK property shares was 27 per cent compared to 11 per cent for direct property as measured by the Jones Lang Wooton Index (Barkham and Gelthbner, 1995). It should be noted that when the impact of gearing was removed form property share prices and when the JLW series desmoothed, the standard deviations were much clooser in magnitude. Since according to finance theory, risk-adjusted returns should equalise, property companies should offer higher average performance to compensate investors with this volatility. Secondly another disadvantage is that since property companies are taxed on their profits , their is no full tax transparency . As such tax-exempt investors such as pension funds are unable to claim back corporation tax. A notable disadvantage of investing in indirect property vehicles is that although mutual funds are managed by qualified professionals and experts, no expert can guarantee a profit on every investment made. There are many uncontrollable variables involved and then there is always a chance of unpredictable happening, normally referred to as the great unknown. Mutual funds can be divided into different categories on basis of risk, for example hybrid fund being less risky while specialized stock funds falling in the high risk high return category. Another disadvantage is the charges involved in buying into property shares, trusts and funds. Investment companies do not provide the high quality portfolio management services for free. This can off putting to the would be investor because they also have to pay additional charges associated with dealing through a broker as most property investment companies do not offer direct purchase plans. Also, most of these companies run excessive marketing and sales campaign because of competition. Some part of this expense is also charged from investors, known as sales load. In addition, another disadvantage is the lack of control that the investor has in guiding their investments. This can be off putting to a investor who wants control and they have to alternatively rely fully on the companys management decisions regarding investment. Another shortcoming is that investing in property shares, trusts and funds are not guaranteed by any government body or authorities nor do they provide any specific protection. The shareholder has little influence over the acquistion and disposal decisions made by the company, nor overfinancing decisons (the amount of borrowing -gearing or leverage and the issuing of new shares which dilute the value of existing shares). Since share prices should reflect judgements about the quality of management, the equity markets provides some form of discipline. The shareholder may also find it difficult to obtain full information on the property assets and development schemes of the company, particularly where there exist complex own ership structures with joint ventures and off balance shet holdings. The advantages of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are alike to that of property shares in terms of lot size, liquidity, public trading and price information, with the added advantage of tax transparency. As many researchers have pointed out, there has been an explosive growth of the REIT market. For example the market capitalisation of the industry has gone from $1.88 billion in 1972 to $44.31 billion in 1994 for the total index with a substaintial amount of that growth in the equity index (without healthcare). Also the breakdown between two types of REITs in the index was as follows: 205 equity REITs with a reported value if $62.06 billion (70.4 per cent of total assest value); 32 mortgage REITs with a reported value of $21.78 billion (24.7 per cent); and 23 hybrid REITs with a reported value of $4.34 billion (4.9 per cent). This boom in the market was a direct result of the 1986 Tax Reform Act that allowed greater management flexibility and established a less restrictive tax environment as such more tax transparency, creating the conditions for growth in the REIT market. However, in common with property company shares, REITs exhibit higher volatility than the direct market. The advantages of investing in Property Unit Trusts and Managed Funds is that they offer relatively low unit costs , allowing investors to acquire an interest in a diversified property portfolio without excessive commitment of capital. However there are potential disadvantages in terms of lack of management control and illiquidity. In theory, there is some liquidity in that units may be redeemed on a monthly basis. In practice, in a poor market or when a when a high proportion of units are attempting to sell, the manager may defer redemption. Furthermore, the spread (gap between unit purchase and redemption prices) tends to increase when there is selling pressure, harming performance. Finally, since selling pressure tends to occur in falling markets, sales take place in poor conditions and are, in effect, forced rather than open market sales. These disadvantages temper the benefits in terms of lot size and diversification. The disadvantages of conventional debt instruments such as mortgages, mortgage debentures and bonds is that the lender as a investor cannot benefit from any growth in rents and capital values: there is downside, but no upside risk. The risk-adjusted return will, therefore, change with conditions in the property market. Innovative forms of debt funding have similar characteristic. Deep discount bonds are sol below par (that is, at less than their face and redemption value) so that the investor obtains capital growth on redemption. A number of hybrid debt-equity instruments have been developed which enable the investor to participate in market performance. Since convertible mortgages are loans secured on a property (or, possibly, a portfolio of properties). The lender has an option to convert some or all of the loan into a direct or indirect equity interest in the property. Thus, the lender can benefit from greater than anticipated growth in the property market. The borrower can benefi t from lower interest rates or from the lender permitting a higher loan to value ratio, thus reducing the borrowers own equity input. Furthermore there are tax and accounting advantages in participating mortgage structures for both the borrower and the lender, whereby the lender receives a premium related to the sale price (or agreed valuation) at redemption. However, a legal problem the fact that the lenders call option acts as a clog the equity of redemption, preventing a borrower from clearing debt and thus owning the asset unencumbered has, at the time of writing, not been decisively resolved and has been the subject of Law Commission deliberations in the UK. The principal advantages of property derivatives relate to their low unit costs , the ability to gear up investment and the ability to gain exposure to the property market without incurring high levels of specific risk (for example, a PIC enabled an investor to track the IPD portfolio then valued at some  £40bn) for just  £250,000. However, there are a number of drawbacks. These include questions about the information content of commercial property indices, lags in the publication of the indices and the fact that the investor is buying into average performance and cannot hope to outperform the market. he key condition for successful development of property derivatives is the establishment of an active secondary market. This requires sufficient market capitalisation, investors prepared to trade actively in the market (as opposed to buying the initial offering and holding it to redemption) and, critically, differences in opinion as to future trajectories of the underlying assets o r index. There must be buyers and sellers. Once established, it is possible that price movements in the derivative market will, as in other capital markets, have implications for pricing in the underlying direct property market. The introduction of UK REITs means small investors are now able to invest indirectly in a truly diversified property portfolio, buying low cost and easily tradable units, instead of having to purchase, say, entire properties. A major advantage of UK REITs is their tax-efficient nature. Investors avoid the double taxation that any investor in property company shares faces, as tax wont be payable on rental or capital gains earned within a REIT (as the REIT organisation is exempt from corporation tax on qualifying property income and gains). Investors will only be liable for the tax due on income received as dividends. Because UK REITs pay out such a large portion (90%) of their profits in dividends, theyre also particularly attractive to small income-seeking investors. Without the challenges associated with the current double taxation regime, UK REITs may differ from existing quoted property companies in that their prime focus may be less about capital growth than maximising shareholder dividends. They are able to meet the needs of the property investment market and the small investor in that they offer regular and potentially high-yielding returns. Also access to property investment for small investors is for minimal outlay as such there is less exposure to their investments. It offers portfolio diversification for investors and as such more leverage against risk. Buying into REITs offers a more attractive form of diversification than by buying into a wider range of bonds or equities simply because they have a higher correlation with diversification than equities and bonds have (reita.org, All about REITs) Liquidity easy to buy/sell Lower transaction costs compared to buying property directly (stamp duty on direct property is up to 4%, whereas buying shares in a UK REIT will only be subject to stamp duty of 0.5%)Access to property investment in a variety of sectors and geographical locations Strong corporate governance. The major concern about investing in REITs as a means of gaining exposure to the commercial property market is their correlation to equities. Because REITs are stock market listed companies, the performance of their shares is inevitably affected by the performance of the market. In the short-term, ie over periods of less than 18 months, the performance of REITs shares is likely to be more closely correlated to that of other shares than it is to that of commercial property. Having said that, commercial property, whether direct or indirect, should be considered for long-term investment rather than short-term speculation. Like any investment, the value of a REIT can go down as well as up and past performance isnt necessarily an indicator of future performance. If you are looking for advice on where to invest, Reita would always recommend seeking independent financial advice from an investment professional.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Transcendentalism :: Literary Analysis, Emerson, Thoreau, Dickinson

Transcendentalism blossomed during the 1800s with the help of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Emily Dickinson. They were Transcendentalists who expressed their beliefs through writings from poems to essays and they believed that â€Å"the individual was at the center of the universe† (Prentice Hall 384). The idea of Transcendentalism is complex and for this reason, only a number of people understood it. Emerson, Thoreau, and Dickinson, were one of the many people who were Transcendentalist; these writers went out of their way in society to represent their beliefs. Emerson’s beliefs were mainly on â€Å"the human mind [because it] was the most important force in the universe† (Prentice Hall 384). In â€Å"Nature†, Emerson viewed nature as â€Å"[the] plantations of God, a decorum and sanctity reign, [and] a perennial festival dressed† (Emerson 388). God made nature and some view it as just trees, leaves, grass, etc., but Emerson saw the true beauty in nature. He saw it as if lights, tinsel, ornaments, etc. already decorated it. In addition, Emerson compared himself to â€Å"a transparent eyeball† and â€Å"[he] see[‘s] all; the currents of the Universal Being† (Emerson 389). He can see everything and everyone around the world. In â€Å"Self-Reliance†, Emerson conveys that one must follow for what they believe in. They have to accept themselves â€Å"for better [or] for worse† (Emerson 391). Emerson states, â€Å"A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best† (Emerson 391). He implies that one must love their job and loves to work hard because at the end they will be happy. In addition, Emerson viewed the human soul as part of an â€Å"‘Over-Soul,’ a universal spirit to which all beings returned after death† (Prentice Hall 384). The Over-Soul is similar to reincarnation, where after one person dies, that person will come back to life, but in a different form, like, an animal, an insect, or a human. Emerson’s works define being an American because they gave him the freedom to write what he wanted. Also, his works define being a Transcendentalist because they include descriptions of the deep sense of nature, human soul, and individualism. Thoreau, the protà ©gà © of Emerson, went through tough experiences to understand Transcendentalism and to be in â€Å"harmony with nature† (Prentice Hall 385). In Walden, Thoreau spends two years living in a cottage, which he made, next to Walden Pond in the woods.