The Forgotten Years Of Their Eyes :: essays research papers

Although Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is a widely read novel today, that wasn’t always the case. When her novel was first published, many black readers were enraged. It wasn’t until the early seventies when Hurston’s novel was rediscovered and thus eventually brought back into the literary canon. What aspects of the novel enraged the readers so that it would be forgotten for more than thirty years? One of the most important aspects of the novel that enraged the black readers was Hurston’s portrayal of the white people. Readers complained that Hurston wasn’t harsh enough in her critique of the white people’s treatment towards the black people. Rather than portraying whites as the stereotypical â€Å"Simon Legree† of Uncle Tom’s Cabin—the ideal poor, racist â€Å"white trash†Ã¢â‚¬â€most whites that take part in the novel are contrarily very helpful towards the blacks and show great compassion towards them as well. For example, when Janie begins her story we meet the Washburns. These are the white folks for whom Nanny worked for and they are very helpful towards both Nanny and Janie by treating them as if they are part of the family. Contrary to a lot of whites at the time who treated blacks as if they were still slaves, the Washburns treat both Nanny and Janie as human beings rather than slaves, showing great respect and love. In a way they are portrayed as â€Å"angels† who truly believe in human equality and don’t have one bit of prejudice in them. â€Å"Mah grandma raised me. Mah grandma and de white folks she worked wid†¦They was quality white folks up dere in West Florida. Named Washburn. She had four gran’chillun on de place and all of us played together†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (8). Furthermore, by reading Hurston’s novel, one can clearly see that all blacks place the whites on a pedestal of knowledge. According to the blacks of the novel, whites know everything and are always right; they are superior and since blacks are supposed to be ignorant and stupid, they should believe and do everything the whites say. For example, Mrs. Turner states that she trusts only white doctors because black doctors aren’t as educated and skilled as the white doctors. â€Å"Don’t bring me no nigger doctor tuh hang over mah sick-bed†¦White doctors always gits mah money† (135-136). Another example is when the Indians are evacuating the muck because they foresee a big hurricane coming and the blacks don’t evacuate stating that since the whites aren’t evacuating there’s no reason to. The Forgotten Years Of Their Eyes :: essays research papers Although Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is a widely read novel today, that wasn’t always the case. When her novel was first published, many black readers were enraged. It wasn’t until the early seventies when Hurston’s novel was rediscovered and thus eventually brought back into the literary canon. What aspects of the novel enraged the readers so that it would be forgotten for more than thirty years? One of the most important aspects of the novel that enraged the black readers was Hurston’s portrayal of the white people. Readers complained that Hurston wasn’t harsh enough in her critique of the white people’s treatment towards the black people. Rather than portraying whites as the stereotypical â€Å"Simon Legree† of Uncle Tom’s Cabin—the ideal poor, racist â€Å"white trash†Ã¢â‚¬â€most whites that take part in the novel are contrarily very helpful towards the blacks and show great compassion towards them as well. For example, when Janie begins her story we meet the Washburns. These are the white folks for whom Nanny worked for and they are very helpful towards both Nanny and Janie by treating them as if they are part of the family. Contrary to a lot of whites at the time who treated blacks as if they were still slaves, the Washburns treat both Nanny and Janie as human beings rather than slaves, showing great respect and love. In a way they are portrayed as â€Å"angels† who truly believe in human equality and don’t have one bit of prejudice in them. â€Å"Mah grandma raised me. Mah grandma and de white folks she worked wid†¦They was quality white folks up dere in West Florida. Named Washburn. She had four gran’chillun on de place and all of us played together†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (8). Furthermore, by reading Hurston’s novel, one can clearly see that all blacks place the whites on a pedestal of knowledge. According to the blacks of the novel, whites know everything and are always right; they are superior and since blacks are supposed to be ignorant and stupid, they should believe and do everything the whites say. For example, Mrs. Turner states that she trusts only white doctors because black doctors aren’t as educated and skilled as the white doctors. â€Å"Don’t bring me no nigger doctor tuh hang over mah sick-bed†¦White doctors always gits mah money† (135-136). Another example is when the Indians are evacuating the muck because they foresee a big hurricane coming and the blacks don’t evacuate stating that since the whites aren’t evacuating there’s no reason to.

Health And Social Care Assignment Essay

Below is a free essay on â€Å"Nvq 3 Health and Social Care Assignment 306 C† from Anti Essays, your source for free research papers, essays, and term paper examples. Moving and Handling Moving and handling is the core part of the day for most employees in the social care setting, legislation, policies and procedures that relate to moving and handling help to keep us safe. Legislation Manual Handling Regulations 1992 These regulations define that employers are required to avoid the need for manual handling so far as is reasonably practicable, assess the risk of injury from manual handling and reduce these risks. The employees have a duty to follow instructions, systems and use equipment that relate to safe manual handling. see more:storing information in health and social care Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) 1998 These regulations require that equipment is suitable and safe for its intended use with regular inspections and maintenance. Only used by persons that have received adequate information, instruction and training. All equipment to be supplied with appropriate protective devices, markings and warnings Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) 1998 These regulations require employers to ensure that equipment for the purpose of lifting is strong, stable, positioned and used safely to minimise risks. Employers also have a duty to carry out regular inspections of all lifting equipment to ensure it meets with the regulations. Safety first Not following the correct procedures for manual handling is the one of the most common causes of injuries in the workplace. By following instructions and information given during training, assessing the situation to identify any potential hazards and taking precautions to limit these, the risks of injuring yourself or others during a manual handling operation are greatly reduced. Lifting someone incorrectly can cause serious back injuries resulting in time off work, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) account for over a third of workplace injuries. The individual being manually handled  can sustain injuries or harm from procedures not being followed with regards to the regulations†¦

Rift valley bottlers company limited - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 26 Words: 7703 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? 1.1 Background of the study Rift valley Bottlers Company limited is situated at Eldoret town. The company is the sole producer of soft drinks in the North rift region. As a result it had been performing so well in the industry. Indeed its success has attracted entrepreneurs to venture in activities related to the industry for example; marketing the companys products in supplying raw materials to the company. The tremendous growth of the company has led the company to have a high working capital base. This poses a great challenge to the financial managers as to how the companys current assets ought to be managed in order to ensure company profitability. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Rift valley bottlers company limited" essay for you Create order However the current liberation of the economy poses a competition and this could lead to a major problem if the company is not keen enough to fight competition. Other companies have come up with close substitutes to these soft drinks that the giant coca cola company used to be producing as a monopolist. there are emergence of close substitutes produced by new companies for instance Kabarnet mineral water, softa by Kuguru company and these have substituted to a great extend the consumption of the sodas. Also the fruit juice manufacturers with their variety of fruit flavours have also become substitutes to the coca cola product. It is with this in mind that the measures the company is undertaking in order to maintain its profitability standards includes a review of its working capital management policies and also re-branding their products. 1.2 Statement of the problem For executive development to work the most important thing in my belief is how one can manage cash in order for an organisation to be said to be viable in an economy, therefore I will concentrate on what I will call working capital management. This has achieved great importance over the past. This is because modern businesses are faced with different challenges, one of which is how should the working capital of an entity be managed in order to maximize shareholders equity. The assets of a small firm mainly constitute its working capital. This large investment, which tends to be volatile current assets, ought to be managed with great caution. These problems have made businesses unable to perform to their full potentials, as they are incapable of controlling their working capital appropriately. The problem continues to prevail due to such factors as complex bureaucratic organizational structure and high turnover in key accounting positions in the organization. Despite efforts by most companies to come up with working capital policies to streamline business operations, less has been achieved and therefore likely to continue performing poorly unless proper working capital management practices are in place. To improve performance there is a need to put in place a proper and sound system of managing working capital by investing in areas of great profitability. The research therefore is aimed at establishing the impact of working capital management on the performance of rift valley Bottlers Company limited. 1.3 Research objectives This research is intended to achieve the following objectives. To establish the relationship between management of working capital and profitability of a company To evaluate the adequacy of the existing working capital management system in the company To identify the weaknesses of the existing working capital management system within the company and suggest some tools and methods of improving it 1.4 Research Questions The research hypotheses are that; How can the relationship between the management of working capital and the profitability of the company are established. How is the companies working capital be effective. Does the absence of an effective working capital management system leads to loss. 1.5 Significance of the study The results of the study are intended for the following aspects; The findings of the study will guide any organization in choosing the best policy in managing working capital The study will enable employees understand working capital management ands its benefits It enables the management to identify future needs of working capital management 1.6 Scope of the study The study will focus on the general working capital management employed by rift valley Bottlers Company limited. However, we know there are other variables that may not be covered in this research that determines profitability of a company such as; motivation, training, working environment and also remuneration. 1.7 Limitation of the study During the study the following problems was encountered; The time allocated for the research was limited since the researcher had to concentrate for the studies as well as go out for study. Finances was limited and therefore limited the study to one company Partial co-operation from the staff of the company 1.8 Assumptions of the study From the study conducted, the researcher was able to draw some basic assumptions regarding working capital management. The major assumptions drawn from this study include; The researcher assumed that the information obtained in the company studied was in one way or another applicable in any other company. The researcher also assumed that all the information given by the respondent. The researcher assumed that the information obtained in the company studied was in one way correct 1.9 Definition of terms Working capital- according to Manasseh (2000) it refers to the companys investment in current assets. Economic order quantity- Pandey (2000) it is that inventory level which minimizes the total ordering and holding costs. Working capital gap- it is current assets minus current liabilities excluding bank borrowings. Motives for holding cash- refers to reasons why firms hold cash balances Float- The difference between the total amount of cheques drawn on a bank account and the balance shown on the banks books. Current assets- Used interchangeably with working capital to mean assets that you can readily turn into cash or will do so within 12 months in the course of business. CHAPTER TWO 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1.1 Introduction The main aim of this chapter is to bring out the general theory on working capital in relation to organizational performance and also examine past studies raised by various scholars as far as working capital is concerned. It aims at bringing out clearly why working capital is of importance to the organization, various methods used in managing working capital and the various problems encountered in the organization General theory on the subject 2.1.1 The concept of executive development Pandey (2000) identifies two concepts of working capital. Gross working capital refers to firms investment in current assets which includes cash in hand, short term securities, debtors, bills receivable and inventory. They are assets which can be converted intro cash within an accounting year. Gross working capital focuses on two aspects of current assets management these are; optimum investment in current assets and the financing of current assets. Net working capital refers to the difference between the firms current assets and current liabilities. Net working capital=current assets current liabilities Manasseh (2001) states that financial manager should manage the firms current assets efficiently so as to ensure that the company has sufficient working capital to facilitate its executive development.. Thus the company should avoid situations of excess or inadequate working capital but rather hold an optimum level of working capital neither too little nor too much. Manasseh (2001) further notes that every firm should be in a position to determine its working capital needs so as to facilitate its executive development.. Therefore it is necessary to check the nature of current assets before a company can assume it is safe in its current assets management. 2.1.2 Approaches to working capital According to the article of New Zealand treasury (chapter two) identifies the objective of working capital in relation to organizational performance. Working capital is to maintain the optimum balance of the level of performance. This includes making sure that funds are held as cash in bank deposits for as long as and in the largest amounts possible, thereby maximizing the interest however such cash may be invested more appropriately in other assets or in reducing liabilities. Working capital may take place in two levels; Ratio analysis which can be used to monitor overall trends in working capital and identify areas requiring closer management The individual components of working capital can be managed by using various techniques and strategies. a) Inventory management According to www.planware.org , managing inventory is a juggling act. Expensive stocks can place a heavy burden on the cash recourses of a business. Insufficient stocks can result in loss of sales, delay for customers etc. the key is to know how quickly your overall stock is moving, or put another way how long each item of inventory is sitting on the shelves before it is sold. Obviously average stock holding periods will be influenced by the nature of business. Nowadays many large manufacturing companies operate on a JIT basis in order to minimize manufacturing costs as JIT stocks take up little space, minimize stock holding costs and virtually eliminate the risks of obsolete stocks. Objectives of inventory management Van Horne (1997) indicates that the objective of inventory management is to identify the level of inventory which allows uninterrupted production but reduces the investment in raw materials and minimizes re-ordering costs and hence increases cash flow. According to Pandey (2000) both excessive and inadequate inventory are not desirable, these are two danger points within which the firm should operate. The objective of inventory management is to maintain an optimum level of inventory investment. The optimum level of inventory investment will lie between the two danger points of excessive and inadequate inventories. Manasseh (2001) indicates that a firm should avoid situations of over or under investment in inventories. The excessive level of inventories consumes funds of the firm which cannot be used for any other purpose and thus it involves an opportunity cost. Maintaining also inadequate levels leads to production-hold ups and failure to meet delivery commitments. Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) according to Saleemi (1993) is that inventory level which minimizes the total ordering and carrying costs. One of the major problems to be resolved is to know how much inventory should be added when inventory is replenished. If a firm is buying raw materials it has to decide lots in which it has to be purchased on each replenishment pandey (2000) Van Horne (1997) identifies EOQ as a maximum operating profit, but it is not optimum inventory policy. The value of the firm should be maximized when marginal rate of return in inventory is equal to the marginal cost of funds. a) Management of cash Baumols model in Brealy and Myers (2001) helps in bringing out clear understanding as to why small and medium sized enterprises hold significant amounts of cash balances. But for large firms, the transaction costs of buying or selling securities become trivial compared with opportunity costs of holding idle cash balances. According to Pandey (2000) cash management assumes more importance than other current assets because cash is most significant and is least productive asset that a firm holds. It is significant because it is used to pay firms obligations. Therefore, the aim of cash management is to use excess cash in some profitable way Motives for holding cash Pandey (2000) brings out clearly three motives for holding cash balances (i) Transaction motive The firm needs primarily to make payments for purchases, wages, salaries, other operating expenses taxes dividends etc. For these periods when cash payments exceed cash receipts the firm should maintain some cash balances to be able to make required payments. (ii) Precautionary motive This refers to the need to meet contingencies in future. It provides a cushion or a buffer to withstand unexpected emergencies in future. The precautionary amount of cash depends upon the predictability of cash flow. If the cash flow can be predicted with accuracy, less cash can be maintained for emergency. The amount of precautionary cash is also influenced by the firms ability to borrow money at short notice when need arises. (iii) Speculative motive This refers to holding of cash for investing in profit making opportunities as and when they arise. The opportunity to make profits arises when security prices change. If it is expected that prices will fall, the firm can postpone materials purchase and make purchases in future when prices actually falls. Managing the cash flows According to Pandey (2000) once the cash budget has been prepared and appropriate net cash flow established, the financial manager should ensure that there does not exist a significant deviation between projected cash flow and actual cash flow. Methods of controlling cash flows Accelerating cash collections Pandey (2000) indicates that cash collections can be accelerated by reducing the time lag or gap between the time a customer pays a bill and the time a cheque is colleted and funds become available for firms use. An efficient firms manager will attempt to reduce the firms deposit float by speeding up mailing processing and collection times Decentralized collections A large firm operating over a wide geographical area can speed up collections by following decentralized collection systems of operating through a number of collection centers instead of a single collection center centralized at the head office. It is a useful way to reduce float. Lock-box system In a lock-box system the firm establishes a number of collection centers, considering customer locations and volume of remittances. At each center the firm hires a post office box and instructs its customers to mail their remittances to the box c) Handling debtors (receivables) According to www.planware.org cash flow can significantly be enhanced if the amounts owing to the business are collected faster. Every business needs to know who owes them money, how much is owed and how long it owes, and for what it is owed. Late payments can erode profits and can lead to bad debts. Slowly payments has a crippling effect on business, in particular on small businesses who can least afford it. d) Managing creditors (payables) www.planware.org states that management of creditors and suppliers is just as important as management of debtors. It is important to look after your creditors-slow payment by you may create ill-feeling and can signal your company is inefficient (or is in trouble) Saleemi (1993) indicates that creditors are vital part of effective cash management and should be managed carefully to enhance cash position. According to Manasseh (2000) trade credit constitutes the most significant source of financing current assets. It refers to the credit a buyer obtains fro suppliers of goods and services. The payment is required to be made within a specified period. Suppliers sometimes offer cash discount to buyers for making prompt payments. Buyer should calculate the cost of fore going cash discount to decide whether or not to take cash discounts. 2.1.3 Importance of good working capital management in relation to organizational performance According to the article of New Zealand treasury (chapter one) working capital constitutes part of a companies investment. Associated with this is an opportunity cost to the company. Money invested in one area may cost opportunities for investments in other areas. If a company operating with more working capital than is necessary, this overinvestment represents an unnecessary cost to the company. From the treasurys point of view, excess working capital means operating inefficiencies therefore the managers should be a bit keen in their decisions. Since unnecessary working capital increases the capital charge that a company is required to meet from time to time. Pandey (2000) indicates the management of current assets is similar to that of fixed assets in the sense that in both cases the firm analyses their effects on its return and risk. According to Van Horne (2002) increases and decreases in working capital investment are not confined to beginning and end of a project., they may occur at any time, it is therefore important that incremental working capital needs are treated as cash flows when they occur and that any subsequent reduction in these needs are treated as cash inflows. 2.1.4 Adequacy of Executive Performance According to Pandey (2000) a firm should maintain a sound working capital position. It should have adequate working capital to run its business operations in order to achieve executive objective. Both excessive and inadequate working capital positions are dangerous from the firms point of view. Excessive working capital means idle funds which earns no profits for the firm paucity of working capital not only impairs the firms profitability but also result in production failure and inefficiencies. Pandey (2000) states the dangers of excessive and inadequate executive management in working capital as follows; Dangers of excessive working capital; * it results in unnecessary accumulation of inventories thus chances of inventory mishandling, waste, theft, and losses increases * It is an indication of defective credit policy and slack collection period. Consequently higher increase of bad debts results which adversely affects profits . * Tendencies of accumulating inventories to make speculative profits grow. This may tend to make the dividend policy liberal and difficult to cope with in future when the firm is unable to make profits and slack collection period. Consequently higher increase of bad debts results which adversely affects profits * Excessive working capital makes management complacent, which degenerates into managerial inefficiency. * Tendencies of accumulating inventories to make speculative profits grow. This may tend to make the dividend policy liberal and difficult to cope with in future when the firm is unable to make profits. Dangers of inadequate working capital; * It stagnates growth in that it becomes difficult for the firm to undertake profitable projects for non availability of working capital funds. * It becomes difficult to implement operating plans and achieve the firms profit targets. * Operating inefficiencies creep in when it becomes difficult to meet day to day commitments. * Fixed assets are not efficiently utilized for lack of working capital funds. Thus compromises the firms profitability. * Paucity of working capital funds renders the firm unable to avail attractive credit opportunities. * The firm loses its reputation when it is not in a position to honour its short term obligations as a result the firm faces tight credit terms Thus Pandey (2000) emphasizes that an enlightened management should maintain a right working capital position on a continuous basis, only then, a proper functioning of the business of the business will be ensured. 2.1.5 Working capital cycle www.planware.org illustrates that cash flow in a cycle into and around the business. It is the businesss lifeblood and every managers primary task is to help keep it flowing and to use the cash flow to generate profits. If a business is operating profitably, then it should, in theory generate surpluses. If it doesnt generate surpluses, the business will eventually run out of cash and eventually expire. The faster a business expands the more cash it will be needed for working capital and investments. The cheapest and best source of cash exists as working capital within business. Good executive management of working capital will generate cash which will help improve profits and reduce risks. Bear in mind that the cost of providing credit to customers and holding stocks can represent a substantial proportion of a firms total profits. There are two elements in a business cycle that absorb cash inventory (stock and work in progress) and receivables (debtors owing you money). The main sources of cash are payables (your creditors) and equity loans. Working capital cycle The executive Equity and loans Cash Overheads etc Receivables Inventory payables Sales Source; www.planware.org Each component of working capital namely inventory receivables and payables has two dimensions timeand-money. When it comes to managing working capital time is money. If you get money to move faster around the cycle e.g. collect money from debtors more quickly or reduce the amount of mo0ney tied up e.g. reduce inventory levels relative to sales, the business will generate more cash or will need to borrow less money to fund working capital. As a consequence you could reduce the amount of bank interest or you will have additional money available to support additional; sales growth or investment. Similarly, if you can negotiate improved with suppliers e.g. get longer credit or an increased credit limit you effectively create free finance to help fund future sales. Harvey (1997) states that it can be tempting to pay cash if available for fixed assets e.g. computers plant vehicles etc. if you do pay cash remember that this is no longer available for working capital. Therefore if cash is tight consider other ways of financing capital investments-loans, equity, leasing etc similarly, if you pay dividends or increase drawings these are out flows and like water flowing down a plug hole they remove liquidity from the business. 2.1.6 Determinants of working capital in executive performance Manasseh (2000) states that, there are no set rules or formulae to determine working capital requirements of firms. The factors may vary according to firms. Pandey (2000) indicates that a large number of factors influence working capital needs of firms. All these factors are of different importance, also the importance of fantod s changes for a firm over time. Therefore, an analysis of relevant factors should be made in order to determine total investment in working capital. a) Nature and size of business Trading and financial firms have very small investment in fixed assets, but require a large sum of money to spend in working capita. Retail stores, for example must carry large stocks of a variety of goods to satisfy varied and continuous demand of their customers. Some managers in manufacturing businesses such as tobacco manufacturing and construction firms also have to invest substantially in working capital and a nominal amount in fixed assets. The size of a business also has an impact on working capital needs. A firm should with larger scale operations will needs more working capital than a small scale firm. b) Manufacturing cycle This comprises the purchase and use of raw materials and the production of finished goods. A firm with longer manufacturing cycle will need larger working capital requirements, unlike a firm with shorter manufacturing cycle. An extended manufacturing time span means a larger tie-up of firms funds in inventories. Thus, if there are alternative ways of manufacturing a product, the process with the shorter manufacturing cycle should be chosen. Any delay in manufacturing process will result in accumulation o0f work in progress and a waste of time. c) Sales growth The working capital needs of a firm grow as its sales grow. It is difficult to precisely determine the relationship between volume of sales and working capital needs. In practice, current assets will have to be employed before growth takes place. It is therefore necessary to make advance planning of working capital needs of a growing firm on a continuous basis. A growing firm may need to invest funds in fixed assets in order to sustain its growing production and sales. This will in turn increase investment in current assets to support enlarged scale of operations. d) Demand conditions Most firms experience seasonal and cyclical fluctuations in the demand of their products and services. These business variations affect the working capital requirements, especially temporary working capital requirement of a firm. When there is an upward swing in the economy, sales will increase; correspondingly the firms investments in inventories and book debts will also increase, additional investment in fixed assets may be made by some firms to increase their productive capacity, and this act of firms will require further additions of working capital. On the other hand, when there is a decline in the economy, levels of inventories and book debts will also fall. A firm may thus follow a policy steady production irrespective of seasonal changes in order to utilize resources to the fullest extend. Such a policy will mean accumulation of inventories during off season and their quick disposal during the peak season. e) Production policy A strategy of constant production may be maintained in order to resolve the working capital problems arising due to seasonal changes in demand for a firms product. A steady production policy will cause inventories to accumulate during the off-seasons periods and the firm will be exposed to greater inventory costs and risks. Thus if the costs and risks of maintaining a constant production schedule are high, the firm may adopt a policy of varying its production schedules in accordance with changing demand. Those firms, whose productive capacities can be utilized for manufacturing varied products, can have advantage of diversified activities and solve their working capital problems. f) Firms credit policy in relation to executive performance The credit policy of a firm affects the working capital by influencing the level of book debts. The credit terms to be extended to customers depend upon the norms of the industry to which the firm belongs. But a firm has the flexibility of shaping its credit policy within the constrain of industry norms and practices. The firm should be discretionary in granting credit terms to its customers. Depending on individual case, different terms may be given to different customers. A liberal credit policy without rating the credit worthiness of customers will be detrimental to the firm and will create a problem of collecting funds latter on. Manasseh 2000 states that a firm should be prompt in making collections. A high collection period will mean tie-up of funds in book debts. Slack collection procedures can increase the chance of bad debts. In order to ensure that unnecessary funds are not tied up in book debts, the firm should follow a rationalized credit policy based on the credit standing of customers and other relevant factors. The firm should periodically evaluate the credit standing of new customers and credit worthiness of existing customers. Cases of delayed payments should be thoroughly investigated. g) Availability of credit Pandey 2000 indicates that the working capital requirements of a firm are also affected by the credit terms granted by its creditors. A firm will need less working capital if liberal credit terms are available to it. 2.3 Empirical theory 2.3.1 The Tandom committee recommendations 1974 in pandey 2000 The Tandom committee has made a number of important recommendations regarding the bank lending practices. But it is the recommendations regarding the inventory and receivable practices which have been debated and criticized mostly. The reason could be the immediate and far reaching consequences of the norms. The committee has rightly pointed out that the borrower should be only allowed to hold a reasonable level of current assets particularly inventory and receivables. Only the normal inventory based on the production plan, lead time of suppliers economic ordering and reasonable factor of safety should be maintained by a business. Tandom committee in its final suggests that flabby, profit-making or excessive inventory should not be permitted under any circumstance. This aims at fulfilling the need of ensuring that there is a rational allocation of resources and to avoid undesirable and holding of current assets. The committee further points out that the banker was required to finance only a part of the working capital gap; the other part was to be financed by the borrower from long term sources. Maximum Permissible Bank Finance (MPBF) in view of the above approach to bank lending the committee suggested the following three methods of determining the permissible level of bank borrowings to finance working capital. First method: the borrower should contribute 25% of the working capital gap; the remaining 75% can be financed from bank borrowings. This method will give a minimum ratio of 1:1. Second method; the borrower will contribute 25% of the total current assets; the remaining 75% of the working capital gap can be bridged from the bank borrowings. This method will give a ratio of 1.3:1. Third method; the borrower will contribute 100% of the core assets as defined and 25% of the balance of current assets. The remaining of the working capital gap can be met from the borrowings. 2.3.2 The chore committee report 1979 in pandey 2000 The committee was appointed by the reserve bank of India to review the cash credit system and suggest modifications and/or alternate types of credit facilities to promote greater credit discipline and relate credit limits to production. Recommendations Firms should contribute more funds to finance their working capital requirements and reduce dependence on bank credit to minimize costs associated with credit. In order to ensure that borrowers enhance their contributions to working capital an d to improve their current ratio, it is necessary to place them under second method of lending recommended by Tandom committee. 2.3.3 Pandeys observations (2000) Pandey in his work points out the dangers of inadequate executive development. This represents a defective credit policy especially in managing inventory at the executive level. Increased chances of bad debts, wastes, and losses from inventory mishandling adversely affects profits. Poor management of current assets affects the firms growth in that the firm is unable to undertake profitable opportunities due to non-availability of funds. When a firms fixed asset base grows, the amount of current assets should also be increased proportionately. This ensures efficient utilization of fixed assets hence maximize profits. Measurement of variables Credit policy variables According to Pandey (2000) in establishing an optimum credit policy, the financial manager should consider the important decision variables. These include; Credit standards and analysis Credit terms Collection policy It should however be appreciated that credit policy has important implications for the firms production, marketing and finance functions. To ensure an effective credit policy the financial manager should answer the following questions; o What will be the change in sales when a decision variable is altered? o What will be the cost of altering a decision variable? o How would the level of receivables be affected by altering a decision variable? o How are expected rate of return and cost of funds related? Inventory turnover According to Pandey (2000) the financial manager should see that an optimum amount of funds are invested in inventory. An effective inventory management is depicted by an inventory turnover which is sufficient to maximize the firms returns. It is achieved when an inventory level which minimizes inventory costs both ordering and carrying is maintained. Cash collection rate According to Manasseh (2000) it is anticipated that a firm with effective cash management policy is able to reduce possibility of default of payment by its customers. This must give due attention to the time cheques are collected and funds become available for the firm to use. Pandey (2000) in his work says that if a firm can accelerate its collections and postpone its payments within allowed limits, it will be able to meet its cash budget requirements. The main concerns of collections are to obtain payments from customers within the credit period and minimize the lag between the time a customer pays a bill and the time a cheque is collected. Gaps that need to be filled. Most of the past researches done on working capital (Tandom committee 1974 and chore committee 1979) gives much of their recommendations on the financing of working capital but does not give guidelines on ho wit should be managed after being financed. Pledging as a means of managing debtors is cited by Pandey (2000) as a way of transferring the responsibility to collect money from debtors to agents. Owing to these shortcomings there is a need to develop an internal function within the firm whose primary responsibility is to manage and administer the performance of individual components of working capital. Methods of data analysis used by other authors. a) Ratio analysis In Manasseh (2000) the level of current assets can be measured by relating current assets to fixed assets. Dividing the current assets by fixed assets gives the CA/FA ratio. The ratio between current assets and fixed assets must be reasonable. Assuming a constant level of fixed assets, a higher CA/FA ratio indicates a conservative current assets policy and a lower CA/FA ratio indicates an aggressive current assets policy assuming other factors to be constant. b) Liquidity vs. profitability analysis According to Pandey (2000) the firm should focus on two aspects of working capital management; profitability and solvency. Solvency, is used in technical terms refers to the firms continuous ability to meet maturing obligations. Lenders and creditors expect prompt settlements of their claims as and when due. To ensure solvency, the firm should be very liquid which means larger current assets holdings. To have higher profitability, the firm may sacrifice and maintain relatively low level of current assets. When the firm does so, its profitability will improve as less funds are tied up in idle current assets, but its solvency would be threatened and would be exposed to risk of greater cash shortages and stock outs. c) The cost trade off analysis. According to Pandey (2000) there are two types of costs related to current assets; cost of liquidity and the cost of illiquidity. High levels of current assets means excessive liquidity, return on assets will be low. The cost of illiquidity is the cost of holding insufficient current assets, the firm will not be able to honor its obligations if it carries too little cash, and thus may force the firm to borrow at high rates of interest. Conceptual framework The conceptual framework summarizes the researchers view on the relationship between the dependent variable (profitability) and the independent variable (working capital management). Table 2.1 conceptual framework Independent variable Working capital management o Credit policy o Debtor management Systems o Company investments o Cash management systems Dependent variable Profitability o Operating efficiency o Wealth maximization Share earnings Share value growth o Improved net profits after tax CHAPTER THREE 3.0 Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction This chapter shows the research design, target population, sample size, sampling method, data collection method and fairness of respondents in giving feedback information. 3.2 Research design The research was a case study of Rift Valley Bottlers Company limited. The study aimed at identifying the impacts of working capital management on profitability of a company. The researcher collected information on the cross -section of the company and the information obtained on working capital management was analyzed. Data obtained was summarized for easy analysis and will assist the researcher in completion of the research. 3.3 Target population The studied population included employees from all departments of the company from top management to the lowest functional level. For the study to be successful both departmental heads supervisors and subordinates was essential groups for the study. The management included managers from top management and middle management. The middle level managers included departmental heads and supervisors. It is a convenient layout to obtain information and data from the company. 3.4 Sample size and sample procedures 3.4.1 Sample size A sample of 30 respondents was taken; 6 from accounting department, 4 from production department, 6 from sales and marketing department, 5 from human resource department, 5 from purchasing department, and 4 from stores. 3.4.2 Sampling procedure Stratified sampling procedure was used in this research study. The selection of employees under the above method was to achieve a desired representation from the various departments in the population. The target population was divided 6 strata using departmental criterion, then a number of six employees from accounting department, four from production department, six from sales and marketing department, and five from human resource department, five from purchasing department and four from stores department. They was selected at random making a total sample size of twelve. Table 3.1 sampling procedure Department Number of staff Accounting 6 Production 4 Human resource 5 Sales and marketing 6 Purchasing 5 Stores 4 Total 30 3.5 Methods of data collection Secondary data This involved an analysis of the companys policies and also past financial statements for the past five years. This was to get information regarding the companys policies regarding credit extension and the various levels of working capital and the profits made during the respective years. Primary data The questionnaire A standard questionnaire with objective and structured questions was produced and distributed to the employees in all departments. This was expected to elicit appropriate information since the employees was assumed to have the relevant skills regarding their job hence are able to complete the questionnaire effectively. The questionnaire was designed to seek responses about the system in place for managing working capital, working capital management policies and how this has been implemented in the past and what effect was felt on performance and profitability of the company. 3.6 Data analysis Data collected was reported in the research paper by use of. a) Qualitative analysis b) Quantitative analysis Qualitative analysis This involved analyzing the data collected in terms of findings reported from the research samples. The information included; i. Measuring efficiency of executive part of management ii. Implication of a given executive capital policy Quantitative analysis The data collected had a relationship with impacts of working capital management and profitability at the executive level. Hence the data was analyzed descriptively. Some of the data was tabulated. Percentages and charts were also used to make inference regarding working capital management and profitability. 3.7 Data validity and reliability Content, construct, and predictive validity and reliability of research instruments was ensured by: Pre-research tour to the company The research instrument was pre-tested with similar group of respondents The research supervisor looked at the content and format of research instrument; his suggestions were incorporated in modifying the research tools. Every respondent was important in the provision of vital information on working capital management and profitability. CHAPTER FOUR 4.0 DATA ANALYSIS PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION 4.1 Introduction This chapter shows the data obtained and analyzed from the study using selected techniques and the recording of findings. Data obtained include position of the respondent, employee gender and information relating to the dependent and independent variable. 4.2 Background of respondents A total of 30 company employees were involved in the study most of which was male 60% and female 40%. The study also found out that most of the respondents was clerks 45%, 30% was managers, 20% was supervisors and 5% was support staff. Table 4.1 gender of respondents Gender frequency percentage Male 18 60% Female 12 40% Total 30 100% Table 4.2 position of respondents Position Frequency percentage Clerk 12 40% Manager 9 30% Supervisor 6 20% Support staff 3 10% Total 30 100% The companys working capital management policies Rift valley Bottlers Company limited recognizes the fact that working capital influences the companys profitability. The findings showed that 95% of the respondents strongly agreed that working capital management affects profitability only 5% fairly agreed. Table 4.3 working capital influences company profitability Opinion Number of employees Percentage Strongly agree 27 90% Fairly agree 3 10% Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Total 30 100% 4.4 Setting annual profit targets The study found out that it is a mandatory requirement for the company to set annual profit targets. 100% of the respondents were in agreement with this and in their opinion this had a direct influence on the ratio of working capital to that of fixed assets because to achieve high profits working capital must also be increased proportionately in order to finance the day today operations of the business and hence help meet the profit targets Table 4.4 does the company set annual profit targets Response Frequency Percentage Yes 30 100% No Total 30 100% 4.5 Efficiency of the existing methods of managing working capital The study found out that 40%of the respondents was in agreement that the existing methods of managing working capital was very effective, 50% indicated that it was effective, and 10% said it was fairly effective Opinion frequency Percentage Very effective 14 47% Effective 13 43% Not effective 3 10% Fairly effective Total 30 100% Table 4.5 efficiency of existing methods of managing working capital 4.6 Why companies grant credit The data collected on reasons why the company is granting credit was analyzed based on the responses employees in respect to question 6. It is evident from the table below that a greater proportion of employees indicated that the company grants credit to increase sales. But in case of special offers it is less likely that the companys clients will want credit and will wish to dictate the terms on which they will pay. Other reasons for granting credit was to maintain customer relationships and to attract new customers. Table 4.5.1 reasons for granting credit Reason no of employees percentage To increase sales 15 50% Maintain client relationships 7 23% Attract customers 5 17% Other reasons 3 10% Total 30 100% 4.7 Criteria for selecting customers for credit extension The study found out that the company in trying to choose customers for credit extension looks at the customers past experience or empirical study. The company looks at both financial and non-financial attributes. The financial attributes includes past prompt payment and customers past financial performance, whereas non-financial attributes included customer loyalty and whether a customer has a bank account or not. Table 4.7 selection criteria for credit sales Criteria No of employees Percentage Customer loyalty 15 50% Past financial performance 3 10% Owning bank accounts 3 10% Past prompt payments 9 30% Total 30 100% 4.7 Accelerating cash collections The research found out that cash flow management is about achieving maximum effectiveness of cash receipts and payments. Information on methods of accelerating cash collections was gathered from all departments. It indicates that the company uses various methods to accelerate cash collections. Each variable has a high score of over 50% on the entire sample as shown below. Table 4.8 methods of accelerating cash collections Variable Frequency Percentage Factoring debtors 17 57% Discount facilities 21 70% Negotiating shorter credit terms 24 80% Being selective in granting credit 18 60% Increasing prices for slow payers 15 50% Total sample =30 4.9 problems encountered in managing working capital The research found out that there were various problems encountered in managing working capital. From the employees sampled, 58% said weak credit judgment, 30% said it was high inventory costs, 20% said errors in invoices, 25% said pressure on existing cash and a massive 80% indicated that it was due to poor collection procedures. Table 4.9 problems encountered in managing working capital Problem Number of employees Percentage Weak credit judgments 17 58% High inventory costs 9 30% Errors in invoices 6 20% Pressure on existing cash 8 25% Poor collection procedures 24 80% Total sample= 30 4.10 Improving the existing methods of managing working capital The employees gave their opinions on how to improve the existing program of managing working capital. Among these opinions include; holding optimal inventory levels, decreasing debtor levels, prompt invoicing and having clear credit practices in place. Table 4.10 methods to improve existing cash collection methods. Method Frequency Percentage Holding optimal inventory levels 10 33% Decreasing debtor levels 7 23% Sending invoices promptly 4 14% Clear credit practices 9 30% Total 30 100% CHAPTER FIVE. 5.0 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATION. 5.1 Introduction. This chapter discusses the findings gathered from the analysis of data, as well as the conclusions reached. The chapter incorporates the various suggestions and comments given by the respondents in the questionnaires. Findings have been summarized alongside the objectives of the study, conclusions have been drawn from the study and the recommendations for action are also given. 5.2 Summary of major finding. Basing on the research findings rift valley Bottlers Company limited has a working capital management policy which provides the general guidelines for managing working capital which is clearly understood by the employees. Credit is the major variable which must be controlled. The company is highly sensitive in identifying clients for credit extension and has tools for accelerating cash collections. Various problems are encountered in managing working capital. However, the company has mitigating factors in place. 5.3 Conclusions The research found out that there was a direct relation ship between the management of working capital and profitability. In managing its creditors the company attaches similar attention as management of debtors. There are several shortcomings encountered in managing working capital. The firms decision on the level of investment in current assets involves a trade-off between risk and return. The company goals relating to profits dictate how much the company needs to invest in current assets. When the company holds too much stock it wastes money in that money is tied up in stock when it could be put to better use. Superfluous warehousing and storage costs also compromise profits 5.4 Recommendations Management must have the right mental attitude to the control of credit and make sure that it gets the priority it deserves. This helps in reducing incidences of bed debts. The company must establish clear credit practices as a matter of company policy and ensure that these practices are clearly understood by staff customers and suppliers. This will go hand in hand in ensuring that a strong credit judgment is in place together with efficient collection procedures. Check out each customer thoroughly before you offer credit. Use credit agencies, bank references, industry sources etc. this ensures that acceptance of new customers is handled professionally especially larger ones. Once this has been done, management should establish credit limits for each customer and stick with them. The company should monitor debtor balances and ageing schedules, and dont let any debt get too old. It must be recognized that the longer someone owes you, the greater chance you will never get paid. For better control of inventory in the company, the company must periodically review the existing purchasing and inventory systems. Know how the overall stock is moving and particular attention must be given major items of inventory which falls under the category of high value inventory. The key concern for the company must be to identify the fast and slow stock movers with the objective of establishing optimum inventory levels for each category and thereby minimize the cash tied up in stocks. Planning of cash flows requires the aid of a computer- based model. This reduces the tedium of carrying out numerous repetitive calculations and simplifies the alteration of assumptions and presentation of results. The model can be used to explore the extent to which future sales could be increased whilst holding bank borrowings within predetermined limits, to asses the effects on cash flow of varying sales and cost of credit terms. REFERENCES. Bringhan E.F and Grapenski L.C, (1990). Financial Management Theory and Practice, 6th edition Dryden press Brokington R. (1994). Financial Management, 6th edition ELBS Pitman Publishing LTD London Maclaney E.J, (2000). Business Finance Theory and Practice, Prentice Hall New York Madura J. (1995).International Financial Management, 4th edition, West Publishing House Florida Manasseh P.N, (2000). A text Book of Business Finance, Kijabe printing press Pandey, I.M, (2000). Financial Management, 8th edition, Vicas Publishing House PVT LTD New Delhi Saleemi N.A, (1993).Business Finance Simplified, N.A Saleemi publishers . Van Horne J.C (1990).Fundamentals of Financial Management, 5th edition prentice-hall of India PVT LTD New Delhi Van Horne J.C, (2002).Financial Management and Policy, 11th edition prentice Hall India

Reasons Behind Sore Eyes - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 1 Words: 334 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/09/13 Category Advertising Essay Did you like this example? A sight for sore eyes is one thing, but a sight with sore eyes is another. Sore eyes, or conjunctivitis, can be serious enough to prevent you from getting a clear view of everything around you. If you suffer from an attack of sore eyes, here are things that you can do to relieve the pain and irritation. Conjunctivitis is an infection characterized by irritation of the outer parts of the eye, particularly the inner eyelids. The inflammation may spread itself to parts of the outer eyelids and the corneas. People suffering from sore eyes usually have very red, itchy, irritated eyes. Conjunctivitis is also a contagious illness, and can be passed around through direct contact with a handkerchief, towelette, or a piece of tissue paper. Bacterial conjunctivitis is caused by bacteria that enter the eye, causing redness and irritation. Some cases of bacterial conjunctivitis may cause pus discharge and other complications. Viral conjunctivitis causes the eye to turn very red. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Reasons Behind Sore Eyes" essay for you Create order The disease is also known as â€Å"pink eye†. Chemical conjunctivitis is caused by allergens or other toxic chemicals (like soap, shampoo, or rubbing alcohol) irritating the sensitive areas of the outer eye. The good news is that most cases of viral conjunctivitis will heal themselves through time, although you really have to be quick on your feet for cases of chemical conjunctivitis. Here are some home remedies you can try to cure your sore eyes. Water flush. If your sore eyes are caused by chemical irritation, flush your eyes with clean tap water immediately. Warm compresses can help inhibit the growth and reproduction of viruses that cause viral conjunctivitis. To prevent damage to your eyes, wrap the hot water bottle in thicker towels than what you would usually use for a hot compress. Sore eyes can be irritating, painful, and unsightly. With these tips to help you get rid of your sore eyes, you can see the world and the world can see you with the best look and view possible.

Subcultural Inequality Theory - 921 Words

1-Albert Cohen: Greek-born Romaniote Jewish Swiss who developed theories that represent extensions to the theories of strain, social disorganization, and differential association. He was also a student of Robert Merton and Edwin Southerland. Cohen argues that middle-class children experience strain and status frustration to which they respond to adopting one of three roles: college boy, corner boy, or delinquent boy. Cohen also developed the theory of subcultural delinquency. 2-Diffential Opportunity Theory: Developed by Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin by utilizing Merton’s observation to explain that conventional means to conventional success are not equally distributed among social classes and that criminal behavior is learned and†¦show more content†¦It is considered the most important social bond. The theory of attachment was developed by Psychologist John Bowlby who defined attachment as a â€Å"lasting psychological connectedness between human beings† (Cherry, K.) 8-Reaction formation: It is a defense mechanism that switches unaccepted behavior to its opposite. Ex. Saying I like a band out of fear I will be judged for it. This mechanism relieves anxiety through rejecting what one wants but can’t obtain. 9-Drift: The theory of drift was introduced by Gresham Sykes and David Matza. â€Å"Drift is the motion in and out of delinquency, moving from orthodox and criminal values† (Neutralization and Drift Theory). The theory of Neutralization and Drift propose that the juveniles sense obligation to the law. When this obligation is strained, juveniles might drift into crime. 10-Belief: â€Å"Beliefs are the tenets or convictions that people hold to be true. Individuals in a society have specific beliefs, but they also share collective values† (Learning, L). I believe that money is good because without it I couldn’t pay for tuition at Utica College. I also believe that people’s beliefs vary according to the society believe in. Street gangs believe that fighting other gangs while others rather believe in peace between subcultures. The terms defined above have contributed to the development of new research methods and technics that have continuously been used andShow MoreRelatedExamining Sub-Cultures: The Goth Culture1665 Words   |  7 Pagesare some features of a Goth male who is engaging in the set norms of Gothic subculture. Men and women are said to be seen as equals, Gothic subculture is underpinned by the notion of genderlessness existing within the culture itself. Classical subcultural characteristics are evident here, Goths style of dress and their values are direct deviations from societal norms. 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Business Analysis Case Study Human Resources

Question: Discuss about the Business Analysis Case Study for Human Resources. Answer: Introduction The Griffith University is a large scale university with more than forty five thousand students and more than four thousand administrative staff. The huge number of students includes the local students as well as overseas students. The introduction of the new teaching methods like cloud teaching, BYOD and other systems like the six week teaching periods are some recent changes that have created a different state for the University administration. For a large scale university like the Griffith University the handling of the operations and allotting proper human resources is surely a large scale task. One of the main issues faced while compiling this report is that there is a lack of information and cost specifications that were unavailable while compiling the report. Even though there is a huge number of administrative staff, teachers and guest lecturers, teaching multiple topics in five campuses of the University, there is a need for better management of operations and funds(Charline , 2011). In this report, we shall evaluate the relationship between the operational costs of the University of Griffith and the effective evaluation of the Human Resource of the university. The following report shall the scope and the methods of the relationship of the operational cost and the human resource usage in the context of the new evaluation process. Identification of the Business Problem and Need Problem generation The problem of a large scale university like the Griffith University is that it requires proper guidance to utilize and maintain its operations properly. More than four thousand people are engaged in the operations of the University housing more than forty five thousand students. There are multiple subjects being taught and there is a huge amount of money being used for administrative purposes, which surely brings up the problems of administration. The operational management also includes using the existing human resource management easily and effectively, for which there is a need for cost specific operational management. Human resource management in an Educational institution is an important aspect of its operations. Their job is to maintain the standards of the university improve it and give motivation to students and teachers to motivate themselves. With a huge number of students and the quite large group of administration staff, it becomes a tough task for the Human resource tea m to consider the effective human resource management(Dr.Sharma, 2015). Business Problem and opportunity The BABOK analysis system provides ample techniques to identify and analyses the businesss needs. There is therefore ample scope for the Griffith University to examine and understand the changes and updates. The main techniques mentioned in the V3 of the BABOK guide are Business Capabilities Analysis, Concept Modeling, Decision Analysis, Estimation, Financial Analysis, SWOT analysis, process analyzing and many more. The need for proper human resource management and operational manage is a necessity at the Griffith University(Brennan, 2009). The stakeholder of the Griffith University, the investors, the students, the administrators, the government and the local administrator all play an important part in creating the perfect solution for the pave been problems highlighted in the previous section. Business analysis suggests that students are met with a change in how they study as well as their evaluation. The new introduction of the three semester rule has also made students feel challenged at the university, the changes in the mode and style of study are affecting are affecting students as well as teachers who teach them. Business Goals and Objectives The Business goals and objectives of the Griffith University are varied as their main aim is to create education and disperse them within students. But to effectively create better students and deliver good education there is a need for good educators. The retaining of good educators and the administration process surely can be said as an important part of the goals and objectives of the study. The business goals as observed for the University of Griffith is it create educational opportunities for students in various disciples who are competitive and are employable. The Griffith University ensures that all students are capable and are educationally qualified to enter the university their main aim being to cater to the needs of the students who deserve the education(Mushtaq, 2012). To fulfill the desired goal another one has to be realized, which include as the joining and retaining of qualified educators and staff that are able to handle the needs of the students and offer them great education. The new evaluation scheme and the new system of six week study plan is designed to increase the potential of the students who are usually too much burdened with education. The recent change in the system of education ensures that the students understand the timeframes they are allocated for each session, and also get a good idea of how to prepare themselves within the stipulated time. The best part is that the new system creates a systematic evaluation system, which makes the Griffith University one of the leading Universities in Australia(Khan, 2015). Business Problem The Griffith University also faces a number of business problems and opportunities within itself. The current scheme of education was quite boring and was too much traditional. With the introduction of the new cloud based teaching and learning programs, now students can learn and get education at any time. The new revolution in education at Griffith University, cloud study programs are enabling students to take their learning process a step ahead and create something of the future. But still without the proper use of Human resources there is a lack of people who understand how to use these valuable techniques(Roberts, 2011). Desired Outcome The Human resource team is expected to help solve the problem of poor human resource planning and execution. The human resource team, is required to provide solution to create the best possible plan to make the students find their education shave not been proven helpful for the company who can tem a proper system and help administrators manage the system better. This is the proper method to reduce the operational cost, by letting go of assets and people who have not been found to be beneficial for the company(Ali, 2009). Stakeholder Analysis Attitude The objective of the stakeholder analysis for any company is to find out the effects that are expected to be seen by them following a change in processes of the business or other change. The different concept of education created a truffle between the ideal methods of teaching in Griffith University. The need for the stakeholder analysis is important as it provides the method for businesses to understand and work towards addressing the different needs of the company. The students who were the most affected by the change in the curriculum, examination pattern and the teaching methods are undergoing change, the change in how students study has become an important part of modern study in Griffith University. The new evaluation system challenges the existing methodology of education at the university(MariĆ¡, 2013). Stakeholder Details The new system of six week study periods provide students with ample time to study properly and even make them have a proper planned way of learning. The proper planning and analysis is followed by the proper Requirement management part where the various changes and its effects are weighted and the nest way for fulfilling the required needs is evaluated. Once the analysis is completed the best way to fulfill the needs is documented. Plans are create and evaluated for prospective results. There has been a change of evaluation process as well as the study pattern for students at the Griffith University. This change in evaluation and study process has created many changes in the operational method of the university. There is a change in how teachers teach and how students are expected to be evaluated. The use of cloud based education makes it easy for students to reach out to their study materials, course books, as well as other study information and resources through the internet. The change of education system has been adopted by multiple universities and it is important for the university to understand the different requirements of the students. These include new systems and techniques of teaching, new study materials and evaluation system which will be used(Bryson, 2011). Technique Since the BABOK is a collection of knowledge, as well as activities and tasks that are relevant to the study we shall consider them in our report and use the techniques and systems to evaluate the case study in question. The main method of the analysis of a business is currently the different methods mentioned in the BABOK. There are different methods mentioned. For an educational institute such as the Griffith University it is necessary(Reed, 2011) It will be analyzed throughout the report that the new evaluation and study system of Six week Study period and the introduction of the new and developed system of study like cloud computing etc. have had a distinct impact on the operation and human resource management of the Griffith University. The University has created methods that can implement the new techniques of studying in an era that is connected digitally throughout the world. The open connectedness has created ample scope for the University of Griffith to use it to their potential. The requirement is to use financial analysis and brainstorming new ideas to implement the cloud computing better into the curriculum. The use of proper organizational modeling will allow the Griffith University to create an organizational model that can handle these changes in methods and evaluation systems. The main stakeholders in the case study of the Griffith University are the teachers, administrative staff and the students who create the better evaluation process for the universitys proper setup. The BABOK is a technical system which provides analytical processes and techniques by which a business can analyses its activities and position and help themselves find a dedicated solution(Graves, 2014). Complexity The main hindrances in the implementation of proper techniques of the BABOK system is definitely the complexity of stakeholder group which creates the possibilities of different proposals and different outcomes. Not all stakeholders hold the same value or importance but for most stakeholders, they are the source of new ideas and are to be protected through proper planning and management. The attitude and influence of the stakeholders also matter in the education system and large scale education industry like Griffith University. The classified and extended knowledge of the stakeholders are necessary for the proper evaluation of the stakeholder details. There are a number of relationships between the stakeholders and their attributes which include the following- The role of the stakeholder in the company, the status of the stakeholder in the company, the interest and influence level of a stakeholder is also an important aspect to consider while creating solutions. The main aim is to c reate a Stakeholder management which ensures that no stakeholders interests are hampered. Here the stakeholders being the administrators and the students, there is a need for creating a management plan that does not endanger the interest of both the sections. The stakeholders are to be evaluated using the BABOK techniques which include the proper document analysis., Brainstorming for new ideas is also a new technique through which businesses like the Griffith university can attain a status of equilibrium. The demands of the stakeholders and the proposed action from the university can be properly evaluated using better Stakeholder Analysis method mentioned under BABOK(Dandy, 2009). The Griffith University has a varied number of courses to offer these include business and government studies. There are other interesting topics as well, for example studies and course which deal with criminology. This is included with various degrees like law. There are many coursed on education industry. Engineering and information technology remains as one of the most popular courses at the Griffith University. Other courses that are significant include- studies related to environment, the courses of planning and architecture. A few of the popular course are humanities and languages health, aviation and many more(Posthumus, 2010). There are various documents that illustrate the new model of evaluation as well as the new six week study plans applicable for students on their website. The various techniques of analysis and thinking of proper solutions which include document analysis, the process of brainstorming, interviewing prospective candidates for administrative, educational purposes as well as evaluate the potential of students toy understand the requirements and solutions required for a proper evaluation of the case study(Morris, 2010). Approach to Requirements Management The students of the Griffith University require proper guidance and a proper requirement analysis and proper management of the requirements. The main issue here is definitely the lack of proper business analysis. The Griffith University has ample number of administrative staff and an even larger fleet of tech savvy students but the lack of creating a bridge between the requirement and the solutions, valuable time, efforts and resources are being used up. The new six week study plans as well as the new evaluation models are all new changes to existing system of education, evaluation and management. The process of Requirement Management ensures that the management is able to trace the requirements and make possible changes in the existing system or software for creating and tracing the changes in the management system. The requirement is also to understand the scope or opportunity of the system, viz., the new evaluation system and six week study plans. Also another need is required to be fulfilled for successful management facilities and the ease of communication among peers, administration and students. This makes it essential for the new cloud based education system to be a successful venture since students will use it to access and retrieve information on the go, throughout the day(Heijer, 2011). Solution Scope and Business Case Solution Scope There are multiple solutions for the problems faced by students and administrators as well as human resource management team. The main reason for this is that there is very poor panning for management of different sections of the university operations. The management team is hardly effective in creating a proper and working plan to manage the administrators. The main problem as explained by the teachers and staff at the University of Griffith is the lack of proper processes and also a lack of proper knowledge among students, stakeholders, teacher and administrative staff. The lack of communication within two systems is also an important aspect to judge. The BABOK suggests the different processes to ensure that all stakeholders can see their requirements being handled with care and that the requirements are illustrated to stakeholders individually(Oakley, 2015). Business Case Students are requiring special focus on study due to the change of their study plans. With the six week old study plan, students now can complete a section of their study without being pressurized by the other parts. The integration of modules and systems are easier with the cloud based study and the six week long evaluation. The new study plan also provides ample scope for the teachers to evaluate whether a student has really grasped a subject. Since the new evaluation process focuses on the depth of knowledge, the ease of use. The operational cost for the Griffith University is a major factor in how the new system of evaluation is created and implemented. Students are required to study six weeks and attend the workshops, seminars, and lectures, classes to be able to complete their assessment and get their credits(Felder, 2011). The technology savvy teachers and students are making the education system easy with the use of cloud computing facilities. This is a reason why it can now be said that even though the students still have to study religiously and have to come up with the pressure of assignment submissions, the process has been made easier. The management is now able to make use of proper human resources, earlier when the human resources section ere underdeveloped, it was not possible for students to find their study pattern easy, it used to be monotonous, now it has been turned dynamic(Brent, 2004). The Griffith University being the home to about 40000 students needs proper management and human resource planning to effectively create a better educational institute. Since the institute has already established itself as a renowned institute, the next step for the management and the Human resource management team would be to revise and re construct the operational methods, revise the operational cost an d reduce excessive costs. These can be illustrated as handing out paper notes, for which cloud based library or learning system can be introduced. Also to reduce the amount of examinations and also reduce the amount of resources spent on examinations and evaluation process, the six week long learning period is the ideal solution. This system is beneficial, since it reduces the amount of examinations being conducted and also provided the students with time to prepare(Elhajj, 2004). Requirements Analysis There are multiple reasons why there is a need for the Business requirements evaluation in the case of Griffith University. The business requirements as illustrated in the earlier section of this report states that the University has a large number of students, as well as a growing number of administrative people, even though there are a lack of proper guidance . The University surely lags in the implications and starting of new and modern teaching and evaluation systems. The major business requirements of the University of Griffith are the availability of proper methods of teaching. When the world is adopting the cloud based learning, Griffith University should start their own cloud based learning service. In A vital part of the Business Capabilities Analysis is done during the BABOK, where the company analyses the capabilities and the business prospects of a company ; Another step is the Concept Modeling step, when the people finalizing they create the concept and strive towards fu lfilling them. Another step is the financial analysis. Where the proper financial estimation for the project is estimated the process analysis step analyses the various steps or the process required to improve students education as well as implement the new techniques of evaluation and teaching. Other significant part in the business requirement solution includes, making estimation, creating and evaluating SWOT analysis and more. The financial decisions of the University of Griffith should only be taken by proper authority(Topno, 2012). Stakeholders are considered to be an important part of the Existence and the operation of any business entity. BABOK describes the Stakeholder Concerns and describes how the stakeholders assuming and their ease of creating a unique case of business affects the effective way. Stakeholder concerns are quite a few and it would be tough it simply make a jest of them. The most common and the most Important of the one are the organizational cultures as well as the employees and workers readiness to accept any challenge. They also concern is the assumptions which have already made an important over the way the organization works. The risks are also to be carefully evaluated on all sectors which contain the number and percentage of risks and problems that might occur. Also the need of the hour is to segregate the whole project into small parts for quickly accessing the information, getting better protection, since taking small sections also reduce the scope for errors. The requirements and a ssessing the requirement is a tough job which requires the careful evaluation of the processes(Firesmith, 2005).that the Stakeholders, students and administrators do not feel uneasy. There are a variety of functional requirements that are relevant to the aforementioned case. A few of these are highlighted as authorization of information and levels of information, rules of business, auditing , requirements for the certification purpose, even authentication for students who are enrolling into the various courses are a necessity. All of these register as functional requirements. The Griffith University has a large scale requirement of the functional part. Since being an educational institute, there is a process already in effect to authorize and authenticate the students. Also the reporting status and requirements are also measured and controlled for safety. The way the University handles legal regularities is also an important part of the Functional Requirements of the University. Wit h a large group of students to handle, it is important that ideal processes are in action and proper reports are created for the same reason of authentication and authorization. The functional section handles how a certain section or process should work or have certain features. This section can include the necessary features that need to be included in the new Cloud based learning system and hold the key to the development of the external interface for learning(Staaden, 2012). Nonfunctional requirements are simpler to understand, they simply provide the information on how certain systems and processes should perform their designated function. Also the limitations and bindings of a process are illustrated through the nonfunctional part. The nonfunctional section of the process of providing cloud based all day long education will be required to be evaluated on many different grounds. These grounds are the capacity of the system to provide the students with the information or knowledge they require. The system will also be evaluated, based on the ability to recover and maintain its database. The security of data and ease of the service will also be a deciding factor. The students should also be able to recover a good volume of information and get the information they need at their fingertips, so a system of good volume is required with good capacity to perform in the right way. Regulations and integrity are important aspects of the Nonfunctional requirements. The evaluation system should also have certain qualities that help the user create better connection with the correction process. The best way to achieve this is to create a system that would be readily available but should be able to complete necessary functions. The system should be easy to handle pressure, be easy environment for the students(Hojaji, 2012). Process analysis and financial planning is an aspect of the management of the Griffith University. With many stakeholders suggesting a variety of solutions it is quite impossible for a person to compare each and every factor of the case. The BABOK suggests a systematic plan for the development of a great business process. The first step mentioned requires, planning as well as monitoring by the businesss representatives and analysts. The next step is to include the stakeholders who would also be a part of the journey. The following steps for the business process analysis includes the collaborations, creation of the life cycle of the requirement and the proper management processes, creating strategies for the requirements at hand- viz. the requirement of a cloud based education system as well as the development of the new evaluation system. The other steps are the following: The step to analyze requirements and the specifications of designs that are necessary. After the designs are cre ated there are scope for creating solutions for different challenges in design, strategies etc. Finally it would be easy to say that development of the requirements is the most important step in the process analysis. The process of providing cloud based information and study material should be made easy so that even technologically challenged students and teachers can access it(Ashman, 2008). Conclusion The most important points discussed in the above report for the University of Griffith are the different aspects of the business management and student administrative staff management. Through the use of better and effective human resource plans, that is possible and easy to achieve. Throughout the report the need for the necessary planning and the solutions for these problems have been highlighted. We also have explored possible reasons for conflict in interest and solutions to their problems. Finding the right way to effectively reduce the problems in implementing the new study plans and examination are important. References Ali, N. (2009). The Factors Influencing Students Performance at Universiti Teknologi MARA Kedah. Canadian Research Development Center of Sciences and Cultures. Ashman, K. K. (2008). Understanding Generalist Practice. Cengage Learning. Brennan, K. (2009). A Guide to the Business Analysis Body of Knowledger. International Institute of Business Analysis. Brent, R. (2004). Turning Student Groups into Effective Teams. Education Designs, Inc. Bryson, J. M. (2011). Stakeholder Identification and Analysis Techniques. University of Minnesota. Charline, A. (2011). Griffith University. Onym Press. Dandy, N. (2009). Whos in and why? A typology of stakeholder analysis methods for natural. Journal of Environmental Management. Dr.Sharma, P. (2015). The Future of Business Education Post the GFC. Journal of Business Ethics Education, 5-10. Elhajj, I. (2004). Turning Student Groups into Effective Teams. Oakland University. Felder, R. M. (2011). Turning Student Groups into Effective Teams. Journal of Education Management. Firesmith, D. (2005). Quality Requirements Checklist . JOURNAL OF OBJECT TECHNOLOGY, 1-8. Graves, A. (2014). Stakeholder analysis in college. Journal of Environmental Management, 5-30. Heijer, A. C. (2011). Managing the University Campus: Information to Support Real Estate Decisions. Eburon Uitgeverij B.V. Hojaji, F. (2012). Five Aspects of Application Integration Requirements. ARPN Journal of Systems and Software, 1-7. Khan, S. N. (2015). Factors Affecting Students Academic Performance . Global Journal of Management and Business Research, 99-105. MariĆ¡, I. (2013). STAKEHOLDER ANALISYS OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS. Interdisciplinary Description of Complex Systems, 217-226. Morris, J. (2010). stakeholder analysis methods. Journal of Environmental Management. Mushtaq, I. (2012). Factors Affecting Students Academic Performance . Global Journal of Management and Business Research, 1-7. Oakley, B. (2015). Turning Student Groups into Effective Teams. New Forums Press. Posthumus, H. (2010). A typology of stakeholder analysis. Journal of Environmental Management, 8-156. Reed, M. S. (2011). Whos in and why? A typology of stakeholder analysis methods for natural resource management. Journal of Environmental Management, 19331949. Roberts, K. (2011). School board member professional development and effect on student achievement. International Journal of Educational Management, 701-713. Staaden, P. v. (2012). A Case Study on the Selection and Evaluation of Software for an Internet Organisation. University of KwaZulu-Natal. Topno, H. (2012). Evaluation of Training and Development: An Analysis of Various Models. Journal of Business and Management , 16-22.

Vaccine Could Protect Against Stroke And Epilepsy Essays

Vaccine Could Protect Against Stroke And Epilepsy Vaccine Could Protect Against Stroke And Epilepsy Damage February 25, 2000 A new oral vaccine has offered new hope because of its effectiveness in protecting laboratory rats against brain damage from epilepsy and stroke, and might one day be used to help humans with the same conditions. The vaccine blocks a protein in the brain called NMDA, but does so only when epilepsy or stroke occur. The vaccine is released in the brain as needed and is protected from any side effects. During and colleagues immunized another group of rats and after five months induced stroke in them by blocking an artery in the brain. The rats still experienced strokes, but the size of the brain damage was 70 percent less in immunized rats compared with animals that didn't receive the treatment. This concept could be useful in treating other neurological disorders as well. NMDA is a receptor that responds to the chemical glutamate in the brain, the glutamate/NMDA complex is responsible for many normal brain functions like the development of neurons, learning and memory. Blocking the NMD A receptor in general could have damaging effects. However, the NMDA receptor is also involved in a chain of events that contribute to neurological damage from epilepsy, stroke and head injuries. To create the vaccine, the researchers added the gene that codes for the NMDA receptor to a virus. When this gene and virus combination enter the animal's bloodstream, the immune system creates antibodies to both the virus and NMDA. These antibodies circulate in the blood, but are prevented from entering the brain by the blood brain barrier, a tightly packed group of cells that line blood vessels in the brain. The blood brain barrier is a protective mechanism that prevents many large molecules, such as these antibodies, from entering the brain. Yet during times of neurological insult, like epilepsy and stroke, the blood brain barrier is compromised, and the antibodies do enter the brain. They then seek out and block the NMDA receptor, preventing some brain damage from occurring. Soon afterw ards, the blood brain barrier is restored, and the antibodies no longer have an effect on the brain. The biotechnological aspect of this article is evident because of the lengthy research and use of lab rats to secure the validity of this new approach to reduce the risk of brain damage after seizures or strokes. The scientists involved first isolated a receptor in the brain, understood its functions, and then found a way to block its effects that can be detrimental to the brain after a stroke. Although this new form of treatment has not been tested on humans, I believe that this will lead to some very helpful discoveries. The potential this treatment has is immense and usefulness unknowable. If one of my family members were to have a stroke and come out nothing like his/her former self I would certainly wish that there had been something to prevent the brain damage from occurring. Vaccine Could Protect Against Stroke And Epilepsy Damage February 25, 2000 An oral vaccine has proven to be effective in protecting laboratory rats against brain damage from epilepsy and stroke, and might one day be used to help humans with the same conditions. The vaccine blocks a protein in the brain called NMDA, but does so only when epilepsy or strokes occur. Therefore, the brain is helped by the vaccine in times of need, yet is protected from any side effects like deficits in movement, learning and memory that could result from blocking NMDA during normal brain functioning. ``We've known for a long time about the mind-body connection how the brain talks to the immune system,'' said Dr. Matthew During, professor of neurosurgery at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia. ``Here, we're saying the opposite the immune system talks to the brain and that can be used as a very powerful tool, almost a scalpel, to target specific receptors in the brain.'' The researchers, led by During, began by giving the vaccine to 100 rats, and a month later, induced epile ptic-like seizures in them with a drug called kainate. Although normally 70 percent of rats given kainate would have seizures, only 20 percent of the rats that were