Analysis of Retail Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Analysis of Retail Management - Assignment Example Thus the company is dedicated to providing high-quality footwear and value for money for the professionals, young and fashionable women who follow the trends according to their lifestyle needs. b) Examine how each of the four (4) components contributes to its retail atmosphere to attract the target market identified with Question 1(a). Retailing is a visible industry and the interface which exists in between the customers and the business provides the retailer with many advantages. Many of the retailers across the globe have become essential to people in day to day living and the retailers are very keen to strengthen the relationship between individuals and stores and gain customer loyalty. A retailer’s most important task is to keep their image favorable in the minds of the target customers. Therefore in the formation of image many components are to be taken into consideration, the environment and the store plays a big role in the formation of the image in the retail outlets (Varley, 2006, p. 169). In other words, the atmosphere plays an important role to attract the customers and develop an image in the customer's mind. The atmosphere is termed as the summation of the physical attributes both in-store and out of the store of the retailer which helps to draw customers and helps in the development of the brand image. Atmosphere affects the customer’s mood, target market, time spent in the store, induces impulse purchase and positioning of the retailer and relates with the strategy chosen by the retail outlet (Evans & Berman, 2003, p. 490). The basic four component of retail atmosphere includes the following, Exterior: The element which comprises of exterior includes the storefronts, entrances, the marquee, visibility of the store, display windows, the design of the stores, the surrounding areas. The exteriors are as important as the interiors which help to define space and the exterior of the space provides with the public interface. The outside s hould reflect the inside as retail stores exterior are a tent to the new and potential customer who tends to judge the sore through its appearance and might not enter if they do not like it or find it attractive enough. The exterior of Charles & Keith, Singapore contains all the elements to attract the target customers. One of the stores of Charles & Keith is located at Anchor point Shopping Mall based on Alexandra Road and provides ample parking areas for visitors (Frasers, 2008). The open entrance is accessible and inviting and helps to break down the barriers in between the stores and exteriors. The lobby increases the proportion of window display and invites the shoppers to enter the retail outlet. Figure 1 shows the mall of Charles & Keith as a part of the exteriors Figure 1: Anchor point Mall General interior: general interiors comprises of elements like flooring, scents, lighting, colors, and others. It should be able to provide the customers with a comfortable and a safe env ironment by applying the perfect color schemes along with the materials, lighting, and others. The interiors of Charles & Keith are well designed with the soothing environment, proper lighting, light color and well display of shoes, accessories, and bags.  

Statistics in Business Essay Example for Free

Statistics in Business Essay The purpose of this essay is to examine the purpose of statistics in business. Our text, Lind (2011) defines statistics as â€Å"The science of collecting, organizing, presenting, analyzing, and interpreting data to assist in making more effective decisions† (p.5). Types and levels of statistics There are two major types of statistics, descriptive and inferential. Descriptive statistics is defined by Lind (2011) as â€Å"methods of organizing, summarizing, and presenting data in an informative way† (p.6). An example of descriptive statistics would be a high school report showing that it had 300 graduates in 1990 and 450 graduates on 1991. The information that they provided described the amount of graduates that they had for each year. Inferential statistics is defined by Lind (2011) as â€Å"the methods used to estimate a property of a population on the basis of a sample† (p.7). If the same high school sent out a report showing the graduate numbers for 1999- the present to estimate the number of graduates that they would have for this school year, those statistics would be inferential because they are used to estimate future outcomes. There are four levels of statistical data: nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio. The nominal level deals with qualitative variables such as colors and blood types that can only be counted and classified. Ordinal data measurement is a variable rating system that ranks data according to predetermined categories that have only relative values such as poor, average, and good. Data can be ranked and ordered using this method. Interval data measurement adds to the ordered level by adding the characteristic of a consistently measured differential. A thermometer is an interval measurement tool. Differences in degrees of temperature are consistent between the level intervals. The last level of statistics is ratio-level data; this is used for quantitative data recording. It builds upon the interval measurement by adding that â€Å"point 0 is meaningful and the ratio between two numbers is meaningful† (p.13). An  example of ratio level data would be weight. A scale is calibrated at â€Å"0† and is measured in increments of one pound or kilogram to determine a person’s weigh or the difference of weigh between two individuals or products. The role of statistics in business Statistics are the lifeline of a business. A business relies on good statistical data to determine its financial standing, projecting future sales and projects, and to provide the management team with information to make sound business decisions. When we look at statistics in the business world we are primarily concerned with their bearing on profits, investments, hours worked, and wages. The decision making process is made easier by analyzing data to determine the best course of action instead of taking uneducated risks. An example of the importance of statistics in business would be forecasting. We recently hired additional personnel based on historical data on first quarter sales and average call handle time of our phone staff. We took the archived data that showed how many calls were taken in our call center, the number of personnel on the phones, and the average time of each call. We used this historical information from the last three years to determine how many people we will need on the phones at any given time during first quarter. This data allowed us to be proactive in staffing and fund allocation to meet the needs of our customers and phone staff. Conclusion Statistics play a vital role in the business world. We are a smarter and more intuitive society of decision makers because of statistics. A business is more stable when the guess work is taken out of the equation and replaced with data analysis that produces sound business decisions and planning. References Lind, D., Marchal, W., Wathen, S. (2011). Basic statistics for business and economics (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Dynamic Systems Theory and Psychodynamic World View

Dynamic Systems Theory and Psychodynamic World View Emma Levey Psychodynamic world view The psychodynamic view focuses on underlying subconscious and unconscious processes, as well as the conscious. Emphasis is placed on stage progression, overcoming conflicts, and emotions (Miller, 2011, p. 106/134) with the most famous psychodynamic theory being that of Freud (Miller, 2011, p.110). Four criteria will be outlined and illustrated with Freudian examples, before considering whether an article fits within the world view. The first criterion is that of human nature, of which humans are passive and active. Humans are passive due to the role underlying forces play in driving humans to act and they are active through coping with these forces and attempting to obtain and maintain equilibrium through reducing conflict. The ego is the most active personality structure as it self-organises through regulating stimulation arising from the self and the environment, actively deciding the behaviour to exhibit and continuously processing information (Miller, 2011, p. 134). The second criteria concerns qualitative or quantitative development, with both being used in this world view. Qualitative development is shown through in two ways, with the first being that the world view advocates stage development, for example the stages of sexual drive dominance in Freud’s theory. The second way is through acquisition of defence mechanisms and new structures, such as the superego (Miller, 2011, p. 134). However, quantitative change is also possible, as the strength of defence mechanisms and of the structures (such as the ego), can differ which results in potential for quantitative change (Miller, 2011, p. 134). With regards to nature and nurture, the psychodynamic view takes an interactionist stance. Nature is evident via a focus on biological maturation through changes in hormones and biological, unconscious and powerful drives. These drives motivate (e.g. via the Id, Ego and Superego structures) children’s development and behaviour to achieve drive satisfaction (Miller, 2011, p. 111-112). However, nurture-based influences (e.g. parents) also play a part by affecting expression of these nature-based drives. This interaction of nature-based drives and nurture-based constraints dictates drive expression within the environment, with interaction at a young age setting the pattern for learning and coping in later life (Miller, 2011, p. 120, 134-135). Nurture effects are seen to be more important in the first five years of life than later life as the child is particularly impressionable at this time (Miller, 2011, p. 135). The final criteria is teleology. Development is seen to have an endpoint (Dixon Lerner, 1999), which in Freud’s theory is maturation, and is unidirectional as it progresses towards this endpoint. Regression through stages is possible and often frequent, occurring when anxieties become too difficult to cope with (Dixon Lerner, 1999; Miller, 2011, p. 115). Finally, causality is multidirectional due to the interactional effects of nature and nurture resulting in a causal effect on development. Salvatore, S., Eleonora, L. P., Marco, L. (2013). Trauma and the Father Image: Fantasies and Complexes in the Rorschach Test. The Open Psychology Journal, 6, 1-5 doi: 10.2174/1874350101306010001. In the interpretation of the Rorschach test, the features of the table IV inkblot evoke a dimension of authority, morals and related emotions. Interestingly, the father figure is related to ego development and also guides towards maturity via more evolved emotions such as feelings of shame and guilt. In some cases these feelings are found to be lacking in adults experiencing depression. The aim of this work is to analyze the relationship between the representational world in relation to the father figure and depressive mood disorders. The group of subjects is composed of 25 patients who had a psychiatric diagnosis of Depressive episode. The presence of specific phenomena brings out the complexes, the uneasy and conflictual relationship with the father figure submerged in the unconscious thus emerges. Shock is thereby manifested in relation to the black in which the large, dark, and blurred stimulus is perceived as sinister, threatening and dangerous. The trauma emerges in the result of a relationship with a father who has not allowed the child to manage similarities and differences. From the nature of the answers of the Rorschach protocols, it emerges that the symbolic abilities of subjects are not fully developed or have been attacked by an early trauma. Human nature in this article was both active and passive. Passive nature is shown by the example of the unconscious drives as â€Å"The presence of specific phenomena brings out the complexes, the uneasy and conflictual relationship with the father figure submerged in the unconscious thus emerges† (Salvatore, Eleoniora Marco 2013, p. 1); with the â€Å"specific phenomena† in this case being the inkblot used to elicit an underlying response concerning the father. Human nature is active through participants â€Å"subjectively organizing the content and form of the stimuli presented to him† (2013, p. 1). Active self-organization is shown through dealing with the self (e.g. father anxiety) and the external inkblot stimulus which enables participants too actively â€Å"express his feelings and give shapes and meaning to what he sees† (2013, p. 1). The active environment can be seen in the Rorschach test which â€Å"prompts the translation of things and feelin gs into words† and due to the external father’s negative influences on â€Å"space for the imagination† resulting in the statement that â€Å"symbolic abilities of subjects are not fully developed† (2013, p. 1-2). In this retrospective study, neither qualitative nor quantitative change was considered, so speculation into both should be done. Potential evidence for qualitative change concerns the inkblot used, which requires a developed imagination ability due to its intensity. Thus, use of this inkblot is linked with â€Å"the emergence of a new level of mental functioning† and the acquisition of a new qualitative skill, â€Å"the ability to imagine† (Salvatore et al., 2013, p. 1). Other qualitative change could be the development of a new defence mechanism to aid coping with negative father experience. Quantitative change could concern an increase or decrease in ego strength, as a result of the father being â€Å"related to ego development† (2013, p. 2). Thirdly, Salvatore and colleagues (2013) emphasize nurture through their focus on father influence. The inkblot used evokes â€Å"father figure symbolization† with the father’s importance shown as he becomes â€Å"the receptacle holding the feeling of omnipotence† (Salvatore et al., 2013, p. 1). The importance of early nurture experience is shown as the â€Å"compromised paternal representation, formulated in the inner world at an early age† influences adulthood as it exists timelessly in the â€Å"perpetuated unconscious† (2013, p. 5). Also, participants lacked symbolic ability due to â€Å"an early trauma† emerging as â€Å"the result of a relationship with a father† (2013, p. 1). As nature is not directly considered, one potential way in which its effects could be seen concerns the participants with depression and the fathers relation to ego development via more evolved emotions, which are â€Å"lacking in adults experiencing depre ssion† (2013, p. 2). As depression is a chemical imbalance, this could be seen as a mediation effect of nature (via depression), upon evolved emotions influenced by the father (nurture) resulting in less advanced development due to this interaction. Concerning teleology, it can be implied that maturity is considered to be the developmental endpoint as the father figure and his relationship with the ego â€Å"guides towards maturity† (Salvatore et al., 2013, p. 2). This also implies unidirectional development, as development proceeds towards maturity. In contrast with the criterion, the article advocates unidirectional causality as it focuses on early father impact upon progression towards maturity â€Å"as the father figure (†¦) guides towards maturity via more evolved emotions such as feelings of shame and guilt,† and no mention is made of causality derived from the person (2013, p. 1). This may be due to the retrospective nature of the study as participants are purely reflecting on their relationships with their fathers. Also, no explicit mention of regression is made. In conclusion, the article of Salvatore and colleagues (2013) is psychodynamic due to its acknowledgement of various required criteria, such as human nature. However, for it to completely fit in the world view it also should have considered, multidirectional causality, regression and explicitly considered qualitative and quantitative change within the study. Dynamic Systems Theory Dynamic systems theory (DST) is a holistic view due to behaviour only being understood through considering the multiple and mutual interaction of all system levels in self-organizing systems, with the organism-in-context as the unit of analysis (Miller, 2011, p. 414). Four DST criteria will be presented and an article which fits within DST presented and discussed. In DST, human nature is active and inseparable from the active environment, and thus the person and environment should not be considered separate due to their constant interaction within the developmental system. The active individual is shown through its ability to construct behaviour through experience within a part of the larger system (Miller, 2011, p. 421) and also through self-organisation (change through the organisms own activities) (Thelen Smith, 2006, p. 259 cited in Lerner, Lewin-Bizan Warren, 2011, p. 28). The environment is active through the role of experience and its participation with the organism in mutual interaction. This interaction is important in determining development as the environmental task and the motivations and skills of a person both control and influence the developing factor at a certain time and situation, within the larger system. The second criteria concerns change, which is constant, given and based upon the continuous interaction of the individual and the environment. Change can be on a small or large scale, with smaller scale change having the potential to cause large scale system changes. It is also considered on a moment-to-moment time scale or over a longer period (Miller, 2011, p. 417). Change can be quantitative and qualitative, although qualitative change often results due to an accumulation of underlying quantitative change until a critical threshold is passed, resulting in a novel qualitative skill emerging (Miller, 2011, p. 417, 421). The third criteria concerns the nature nurture distinction, which is redundant due to DST’s interactionist stance (Thelen Smith n.d, cited in Lerner et al., 2011, p. 28; Miller, 2011, p. 418). As such, nature and nurture are equally important in development as change occurs due to the organism-context relation. Developmental diversity is the result of differences in the timing of this interaction (Lerner et al., 2011, p. 29). The final criteria is teleology. Regression is seen as possible because the system can regress to a previous attractor state if required. Multiple possible endpoints exist due to the infinite ways in which system parts can combine and result in developmental paths (Thelen Smith, 1998, 2006 cited in Lerner et al., 2011, p. 30). Both the ability to regress and the concept of multiple end points suggests multidirectional development. Finally, causality is configural as development concerns bidirectional relationships â€Å"within and across fused levels of organisation† which change over time (Lerner et al., 2011, p. 29). Granic, I., O’Hara, A., Pepler, D., Lewis, M. D., (2007). A Dynamic Systems analysis of parent-child changes associated with successful â€Å"real-world† interventions for aggressive children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35, 845-857. doi:10.1007/s10802-007-9133-4. Studies have shown that improved parenting mediates treatment outcomes for aggressive children, but we lack fine-grained descriptions of how parent–child interactions change with treatment. The current study addresses this gap by applying new dynamic systems methods to study parent–child emotional behavior patterns. These methods tap moment-to-moment changes in interaction processes within and across sessions and quantify previously unmeasured processes of change related to treatment success. Aggressive children and their parents were recruited from combined Parent Management Training and Cognitive-behavioral programs in â€Å"real world† clinical settings. Behavioral outcomes were assessed by reports from parents and clinicians. At pre- and post-treatment, home visits were videotaped while parents and children discussed consecutively: a positive topic, a mutually unresolved problem, and another positive topic. Results showed that significant improvements in chil dren’s externalizing behavior were associated with increases in parent–child emotional flexibility during the problem-solving discussion. Also, dyads who improved still expressed negative emotions, but they acquired the skills to repair conflicts, shifting out of their negative interactions to mutually positive patterns. The article fits in with the criteria of human nature as it constantly considers the parent (environmental influence)-child interactions throughout the study, with â€Å"The parent-child interactions of children who showed clinically significant improvements (IMPs) were compared to those of children who did not improve (NIMPs)† (Granic et al., 2007, p. 847). This therefore shows parent and child to be equally important and inseparable as the analysis focuses on their interaction instead of separate effects. Another example of the environment and the child as inseparable and active is flexibility, â€Å"the ability to shift from one emotional state to another according to contextual demands (2007, p. 846). This shows the active child’s role in shifting emotional states and the environment’s role as a trigger. One way in which the article adheres to DST’s concept of change concerns real-time interactions, which are â€Å"the proximal engines of development† (Granic et al., 2007, p. 846), showing this moment-to-moment change to be important. This is further supported by tmeasurement of â€Å"moment-to-moment changes in interaction processes with and across sessions† (2007, p. 845). Granic and colleagues used multiple time scales by also focusing on a longer twelve week period, showing a focus on continuous change (2007). Both qualitative and quantitative change are evident. Quantitative change can be seen in the measurement of increases or decreases in anti-social behaviour across pre- to post- treatment. Qualitative differences were shown as â€Å"children were classified as â€Å"Improvers† (IMPs) or â€Å"Non-Improvers† (NIMPs) based on a combination of the information† from the two quantitative measures (2007, p. 850). Thus, children’s qu alitative improvement status in anti-social behaviour was determined by quantitative changed in measure scores passing a threshold (e.g. 20 points reduction in one measure) to determine which group they were classified as. The interaction of nature and nurture, required for the third criteria of DST, is also shown in this article, as it focuses upon â€Å"how parent-child interactions change with treatment† (Granic et al., 2007, p. 845) thus showing an integration of child and environment (in the form of the mother and the effect on the treatment). These interactions were the main focus in the study, showing there to be an interaction between nature and nurture in explaining the behaviour targeted in the article (anti-social behaviour) as the researchers applied â€Å"dynamic systems methods to study parent-child emotional behavioural patterns† (2007, p. 845), as â€Å"parent-child interactions were observed and videotaped† (2007, p. 848). The final criteria is teleology. Despite there being no specific reference to multiple end points, it was suggested that of an infinite number of combinations of system parts is possible, as â€Å"the dyad’s trajectory(†¦) is plotted in real time on a grid representing all possible behavioral combinations†, suggesting multiple developmental paths with different endpoints (Granic et al., 2007, p. 850). Regression was considered as whilst IMPs showed increased flexibility from baseline, NIMPs showed a â€Å"decrease in flexibility†(2007, p. 854). Multidirectionality of development is also seen due to the ability to regress and also because state-space grids â€Å"were constructed separately for each dyad†, showing different trajectories (2007, p. 850). Finally, bidirectional, configural causality was shown as behaviour improvements were â€Å"associated with increases in parent-child emotional flexibility† with the consideration that â€Å"recip rocal parent-child warmth and affection may be a cause of improvements in children’s aggressive behaviour† (2007, p. 845/854). This showed parent (environment) and child to exert an interactional causal effect on externalizing behaviour. In conclusion, the above article fits within the DST world view due to its consideration of the environment and a child as a constant interaction, its focus on multiple change time scales, nature-nurture interaction, and its multidirectional view on causality and development. References Dixon, R. A., Lerner, R. M. (1999). A history of systems in developmental psychology. In M.H. Bornstein, M.E. Lamb (Eds.) Developmental Psychology: An advanced textbook. Fourth Edition. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Granic, I., O’Hara, A., Pepler, D., Lewis, M. D., (2007). A Dynamic Systems analysis of parent-child changes associated with successful â€Å"real-world† interventions for aggressive children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35, 845-857. doi:10.1007/s10802-007-9133-4 Lerner, R.M., Lewin-Bizan, S., Warren, A.E.A. (2011). Concepts and theories of human development. In M.H. Bornstein, M.E. Lamb, (Eds.) Developmental Science: An advanced textbook. Sixth Edition. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers. Miller, P. H. (2011). Theories of Developmental Psychology. New York, NY : Worth. Salvatore, S., Eleonora, L. P., Marco, L. (2013). Trauma and the Father Image: Fantasies and Complexes in the Rorschach Test. The Open Psychology Journal, 6, 1-5 doi:10.2174/1874350101306010001

Free Billy Budd Essays: Innocence in Billy Budd :: Billy Budd Essays

Innocence in Billy Budd There is much to be said about innocence. If one is with innocence than one can do no wrong. But that is not all to be said. Innocence is not always a good thing. It could make one naive or blind to certain evils. Like in the case of Billy Budd. Billy was innocent from evil and therefore could not see the evil of John Claggart approaching him, out to destroy him. It is known Billy's innocence was his down fall by hiding the true evil from his eyes. But why was John Claggart out to destroy Billy?. There are several reasons why John Claggart attempts to destroy Billy Budd. John Claggart wants to destroy Billy because he is extremely wary of Billy's intentions. He has come to believe that Billy is planning a mutiny and wants to take over the ship. Claggart reports this to captain Vere saying," During today's chase and possible encounter I had seen enough to convince him that at least one sailor aboard was dangerous." Meaning that he felt Billy was against them. Claggart felt that Billy's big plan was to get in favor of all the men on the ship and then turn them against the captain. Captain Vere responds by having Billy and Claggart meet in private where Claggart can openly accuse Billy of this crime. Fortunately, Claggarts attempt to destroy Billy for mutiny fails because he is struck down by Billy in one blow, ending the matter, but opening a m uch more serious one. Claggart is also seen as attempting to destroy Billy due to his evil nature in general. Nothing depicts Claggart's evil nature better than the way he looks. His cleanly chiseled chin and cunning violet eyes that can cut lesser sailors with an evil glare. His pale yellow skin and jet black curly hair; they all contrast his character. He is out to destroy Billy because of the constant struggle of good and evil. Billy is innocent and cannot comprehend evil therefore making him good. People calling Billy "baby budd, and handsome sailor" just seem to contrast the good in him even more. Claggart was born evil and therefore is evil. Claggart would naturally be out to destroy Billy because he is what he is against. Just good vs. evil in a battle for control. That is why Claggart is naturally out to bring the downfall of Billy Budd.

The Service Technician :: Jobs Work Essays

The Service Technician At 5:15 am the alarm goes off, and your body stirs. The normal workday begins for millions of people with everyday jobs. Your get up take a quick shower and throw on something to wear. The company shirt goes on with some jeans or comfortable kakis. The stains of calk and putty are found all over the pants. Stuff even the best washer cant take out. The teeth get brushed and the hair gets combed. The coffee is already brewing and the smell reaches you in the bathroom. Walking out to the kitchen, coffee half way done you sit down and grab all the things you will need to start the day. The keys are taken, some pens are put in your shirt pocket, and the everyday lunch is packet and ready. The coffee machines light blinks showing it’s done with your favorite coffee cup awaiting the warm liquid to fill it up.Taking a few sips of the warm coffee opens your eyes wide with the first blast of warmth within your mouth. You look at the clock as you pour the rest into your coffee mug, putti ng the lid on. You walk out the door, into your work van and looking at the map as you sit for the routine you planned for that day. The normal day in a Billy Bobs services techs world. Can everyone walk in and do, what Billy Bobs service Techs do The answer is more or less in the person being trained but over all the answer is no. No because not everyone has the tools needed to be able to work with customers, tools, and the Billy Bobs product. Arriving at Work†¦ Pulling into works parking lot finding the dumpster to throw away the boxes in which the Windows and doors are packaged within. Throwing those away makes room the weeks load. The after all of that you would pull up to the service area and park. Stepping out of your work van and walking into the Service department the look of â€Å" it’s a new week† on the service receptionists faces grabs your attention. Grabbing your paper work out of the bin with your name labeled on white tape in bold black magic marker. You look through it quick and say to yourself, â€Å" well its another Load day.†Looking around you would see a window where customers place either there concerns or orders.

Naglo Saxson Burial Customs :: essays research papers

Anglo-Saxon Burial Techniques: Early Anglo-Saxon burials are traditionally based on cremation on a pyre, with the deposition of corpses in the ground in a pottery container. The Anglo-Saxons were experts at cremations, with their pyres being at least as efficient as today's pyres, reaching temperatures of up to 9000C. Cremation burials were never found with weapons - it is possible, of course, that these were a part of the cremation, but melted in the flames, but many are found with miniature weapons and miniature combs. In the fourth and fifth centuries, inhumation burials came into common use, where the unburned body is deposited in a rectangular grave. It was probably copied from the late Roman technique, although it is suggested that it was introduced from Denmark. Inhumation burials typically were accompanied by weapons, and grave goods according to status. In the seventh century, Anglo-Saxon burials abruptly changed, as a direct result of Christianity. The most obvious indicator is the lack of pagan objects, such as weapons- a practice encouraged by the Church. Many cemeteries were abandoned that had been used in the fifth and sixth centuries, and the double cemetery also became common -that is, a cemetery was abandoned and a new one was setup beside it. There were a number of new types of burial present after the Church arrived. The first of these is the 'Final Phase' burial, which is basically a transition between a pagan inhumation, with the corpse being accompanied typically by clothes, jewelry, weapons and other personal belongings, and a Christian inhumation, where the corpse is unclothed and unfurnished, except for a shroud. On the whole, these burials have very few grave goods when compared to the previous pagan period, and some have no grave goods at all. The graves are aligned east-west, after the Christian fashion, and all except a very small number are inhumation - after the sixth century, cremations become almost redundant. Another type of burial identified, is that of the 'Princely' burial, normally located under a mound, with a high number of quality grave goods. They contain either a cremation or an inhumation. Anglo-Saxon standards is that burial mounds usually cover inhumations, rather than cremations. One such burial is that of Sutton Hoo, in Suffolk, on the River Deben. There were a number of burials here, all of them under mounds. An interesting reflection of Anglo-Saxon society was the graves surrounding - the so-called 'sand-men', which appear to have been human sacrifices.

Chicken Run Essay

The implications if a major customers had gone into is level, it will affect the company cash flow because every payment received the company may have to use it to cover its operating expenses apart from getting profit. Accumulated debtors will show the collection department performance. Low cash flow will affect many areas in an organization. The company may have to make another loan to run it business. Other than that it may have problem to run the business if the cash flow is low. For example, if the company unable to pay the suppliers on time. The supplier may stop to supply product to the company. If the suppliers really stop supplying product, the company may face problem to produce product. This will directly affect the company sales because its fail to produce product to its customers. If the company do not work hard to reduce this important area they may be looking at legal remedies, or even write off debts and that means spending money to get money. The other implication is that, the company will have a very unhealthy debtor’s aging. Where it is supposed to be a guidelines to the company. For example when a debtor reach it limit, the company should be alerted to chase payment based on the debtors aging. But in this case, Encik Selamat has been giving authority to the marketing department to continue supply products to Cold Gold Sdn Bhd because of the closed relationship. Indirectly, it shows that Encik Selamat does not performing his duty rationally. Which effect his image as a manager. He is supposed to show his leadership by having a very good judgement. For example to stop supply products to Cold Gold Sdn Bhd until they settle their debts. Refer to the case Chicken Run; i) How would you assess the financial health of the company? I would assess the financial health of the company based on the gross profit of the company. The higher the gross profit the healthier it is. Of course we have to consider the operating expenses of the company but operating expenses are still under the company control and discretion before we can get the net profit. Other than that, I would assess the financial health of the company by obtaining a history of your company’s financial statements. Five years’ worth is usually a good base. Next, convert the financial statements to common size. Common size financial statements are simply a company’s financials expressed in the form of percentages rather than dollars. A common size format readily identifies trends and growth patterns. Additionally, since industry benchmark data is often produced in this format, it makes it easier to compare the results with the competition. Industry benchmark information can be obtained from a commercial vendor, accountant, or depending upon the industry, from trade associations. Next, financial ratios are calculated. There are a number of ratios to choose from. Some of the more common measure liquidity, debt coverage, leverage, and operating and profit performance. Their relevance is dependent upon your company, its operating characteristics and the industry. Bankers and accountants can be especially useful in identifying the more pertinent ratios. The information gathered thus far is analyzed and compiled on a trended, composite and industry basis. The results of this analysis, when performed  regularly, help you to monitor and recognize the vital statistics necessary for the success and growth of your business. The benefits of this assessment include: Competitive Advantages & Disadvantages An industry assessment enables you to identify your company’s strengths and weaknesses and acquire valuable information on the competition. Budgeting & Forecasting Studying trends and growth patterns is a very effective preliminary step in preparing internal budgets and forecasts. Strategic Planning Recognizing specific performance measurements (company and industry) will help to set goals and objectives for the future (e.g., increasing sales, gross profit margins, and net income). Acquisition Opportunities Knowledge of key performance measurements assists in the evaluation of a proposed sale, merger or acquisition. Focus Greater awareness of the interrelationship of the financial statements and a complete understanding of financial operations allows you to focus on the areas important to the growth and success of your business. ii) What would you suggest as appropriate course of actions? As an appropriate course of actions, I would suggest the directors to refer the â€Å"Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance 2012† as a guidelines to take action against Encik Selamat which involves in unethical activities such as conflict of interest and lack of integrity. Other than that, the internal control of the company should be revised. For example the debtor collection procedures. It has to follow proper standard operating procedures such as when invoices issue to a customers, the payment terms must follow the credit period. Any payment overdue must be chase every month. If it reach the 120 days amount overdue, warning letter should be  issue to the debtors, then stop supplying product to the debtors until payment made. Besides that, Internal Audit must be done regularly. This is to audit the operation run based on the standard operating procedures. Any discrepancy found must be rectify immediately to avoid any unwanted issue to happen. For example, Ms Choy has discovered that the credit limit of Cold Gold Sdn Bhd, one of its major customers had gone into its level and yet the marketing department continued to supply products to the company. If the company do internal audit regularly, this issue may not happen because the internal auditor will detect the problem while it is still under early stage. Other than that, this will avoid Encik Selamat from making unethical activities due to his awareness from the internal auditor. Monthly meeting also can help in this case. Where, Encik Selamat required to report the company performance monthly. In this case, the company should have monthly credit meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to make sure all debtors are monitored closely. Any amount hanging in the debtors aging should have remarks or the status should have been identified. For example, if the debts is not paid within the 30 days period, it should state the reason why? At least we know that chasing of debts run actively by the collection department. If the debtors do not pay according to their credit period, the management at least can give suggestion and acknowledge about that issue.