Financial analysis of J Sainsbury PLC and Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC

Financial analysis of J Sainsbury PLC and Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC Introduction The law in most countries requires public companies to publish audited financial statements. These statements are used by various groups in making decisions about their interaction with an entity. Published financial statements provide the potential users with a narrow insight into the financial strengths and weaknesses of a business.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Financial analysis of J Sainsbury PLC and Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Such a comprehensive view of a business is important as it would influence users’ decisions on whether to continue their association with the business. Ratio analysis is an important tool for analyzing the financial position of a company. The results of ratio analysis provide adequate information for evaluating the performance of a company. Choice of company and justification for the choice J Sainsbury PLC and Wm Morrison Supermarke ts PLC, based in the United Kingdom, are public limited companies that trade on the London Stock Exchange. Both companies operate in the United Kingdom’s retail industry. J Sainsbury PLC takes about 17.7 percent of the market share in the UK supermarket. Besides, it is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the industry after Tesco. The company has about 1,106 stores. The company employs about 152,000 employees in their stores (J Sainsbury PLC 2014a). On the other hand, Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC ranks fourth among the top five supermarkets in the UK retail industry with a market share of 11.3%. The company has presence in over 600 locations. The company engages about 132,000 employees (Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC 2014a). Retail industry in the United Kingdom is quite competitive and the top players engage in aggressive competition so as to increase their market share. The table presented below shows the recent statistics of market share of the United Kingdom’s retail industry. Company Market share 1 Tesco 30.1% 2 J Sainsbury PLC 17.7% 3 Asda 16.4% 4 Wm Morrison Supermarketss PLC 11.3% 5 Co-operative group 4.4% Others 20.1% The information on the market share can be presented in a pie chart as shown below. Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The two companies are a suitable choice for analysis because they are among the top five in the UK retail industry. Besides, the companies have operated in the retail industry since 1800s. This implies that they have experienced and survived the swings in the economy over a long period of time. The paper seeks to carry out a comparative financial analysis of Sainsbury and Morrison Supermarkets for a period of five years, that is, between 2008 and 2012. Critical analysis of the ratios Profitability ratios J Sainsbury PLC 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Net Margin % 1.5 3 2.93 3.03 2.68 2.63 Return on Assets % 2.87 5.6 5.75 5.04 4.91 Return on Equity % 6.21 12.52 12.32 10.82 10.81 Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC Net Margin % 3.17 3.88 3.84 3.91 3.57 Return on Assets % 5.8 7.04 7.06 7.26 6.35 Return on Equity % 10.34 12.63 12.19 12.76 12.18 Source of data Morningstar, Inc. 2014b; Morningstar, Inc. 2014a; J Sainsbury PLC 2014b; Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC 2014b The net profit margin of Sainsbury increased by a small percentage during the five years. The net profit margin increased between 2008 and 2010. However, in 2011 and 2012, the company reported a decline in the value of the ratio. The same trend was observed in the values of return on assets and return on equity. In the case of Morrisons, The profitability ratios increased between 2008 and 2011. In 2012, the company reported a decline in the value of profitability ratios. Further, it can be noted that the profitability ratios for Morrisons are higher than those of Sainsbury. This implies that Morrison Supermarket is more efficient in managing pricing and the cost of operations. It also implies that the Morrison Supermarket is more efficient in using assets and shareholders’ fund to generate sales and net profit than Sainsbury (Atrill 2009). Further, both companies reported a decline in profitability in 2012. This may indicate that there was a decline in profitability within the industry. The graph presented below shows the trend of profitability ratio for the two companies. In the graph above and subsequent graphs, ‘J’ represents line graphs for J Sainsbury PLC while ‘Wm’ represented line graphs for Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Financial analysis of J Sainsbury PLC and Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Liquidity ratios J Sainsbury PLC 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Current Ratio 0.55 0.66 0.59 0.65 0.61 Quick Ratio 0.26 0.36 0.27 0.31 0.25 Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC Current Ratio 0.53 0.51 0.55 0.57 0.58 Quick Ratio 0.25 0.19 0.21 0.21 0.2 The liquidity ratios for Sainsbury fluctuated during the five year period. The current and quick ratio for the company increased between 2008 and 2009. However, in 2010, the company reported a decline in the liquidity ratios. The values improved in 2011 and later declined in 2012. In the case of Morrison Supermarket, the current and quick ratio declined in 2009, the values later improved in the subsequent years. The liquidity ratios for Sainsbury PLC are higher than those of Morrison Supermarket. This implies that Sainsbury is more efficient in paying current debt than Morrison Supermarket. The information in the table also reveals that the current and quick ratios for both companies are less than one. This implies that the current asset of both companies cannot adequately pay the current liabilities (Brigham Houston 2007; Brigham Ehrhardt 2009). This can be attributed to the industry in which the companies operate. Companies operating in retail industry often have low liquidity ratios due to the nature of their businesses. The graph presented shows the liquidity ratios for the two companies. Gearing ratios J Sainsbury PLC 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Financial Leverage 2.29 2.19 2.1 2.19 2.21 Debt/Equity 0.5 0.47 0.43 0.46 0.46 Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC Financial Leverage 1.82 1.77 1.69 1.83 2.01 Debt/Equity 0.23 0.21 0.19 0.3 0.46 The gearing ratios focus on the amount of debt in the capital structure of a company. A high value of gearing ratio implies that a company has a high amount of debt in the capital structure. The financial leverage for Sainsbury ranged between 2.1 and 2.29 during the five year period while the value of debt to equity ratio ranged between 0.43 and 0.50. It can be observed that there was a general decline in the value of the gearing ratio. In the case of Morrison Supermarket, the financial leverage ranged between 1.69 and 2.01. It can also be observed that the company experienced an increase in the financial leverage over the years. Debt to equity ratio for the company ranged between 0.19 and 0.46. The two companies reported a decline in the value of gearing ratios between 2008 and 2010. However, in 2011 and 2012, the value of the ratios increased. The trend can be attributed to the economic meltdown that was reported in late 2008. The companies required external funding to finance operations (Brigham Houston 2007; Brigham Ehrhardt 2009).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It can also be pointed out that the gearing ratios for Sainsbury are higher than those of Morrison Supermarket. This explains the low profitability of the company. It also increases the risk of the shareholders’ fund (Collier 2009). The graph presented below show the trend of the gearing ratios. Investment ratios J Sainsbury PLC 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Price/Earnings 19.7 11.9 9 10.8 11.6 Price/Book 1.4 1.4 1 1.2 1.2 Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC Price/Earnings - 12.9 13 9.7 10.6 Price/Book - 1.4 1.5 1.2 1.2 The investment ratios are used as a measure of valuation of shares of a company. The ratios compare the price of shares and various attributes such as earnings, book value of assets, cash flow and sales (Haber 2004). The investment ratios for Sainsbury declined between 2008 and 2010. There was a decline in the value of the ratios between 2011 and 2012. In the case of Morrison Supermarkets, the value of the investment ratios increased between 2009 a nd 2010. There was a decline in the value of the ratios in 2011. In the table, it can be noted that the investment ratios for the two companies are relatively equal. Therefore, an investor may be indifferent about which company to invest in based on the investment ratios. The price/earnings ratio measures the market value per share in relation to its earnings while price to book ratio measures the stock price of shares of a company in relation to book value of the assets (Holmes, Sugden Gee 2005). The graph presented below shows the trend of investment ratios over the five years. Weaknesses of ratios There are a number of weaknesses of ratios. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account some of these weaknesses when using ratios as the main tool for comparing the financial performance of two companies. First, it is difficult to use a set of industry average ratios when analyzing large companies that have different business segment which fall in different industries. This creat es a major challenge when using industry average ratios to compare performance of such companies. The second weakness is that inflation distorts the financial statements of companies. Thus, using ratios to analyze the performance of a company or a group of companies in different regions may be a challenge (McLaney Atrill 2008). In such cases, an analyst may need to use personal judgement to evaluate the performance of a business. The third weakness of ratios is that it is highly distorted by seasonal factors. It is quite difficult to incorporate the impact of seasonal factors when analyzing the financial performance of a business using ratios. For instance a company may report a sporadic increase in sales of a certain product during a one season such as winter. This will distort the ratios calculated. Therefore, an analyst may be required to have prior knowledge of the seasonal factors that affects a business before using ratios to analyze the financial performance of such a busine ss (Siddiqui 2005). The fourth weakness of ratio analysis is that the use of different accounting practices hinders the ability to use ratios to analyze the performance of a company using ratios. For instance, when carrying out inventory valuation one company may decide to use FIFO while another company may use weighted average. This may make it difficult to use ratios to compare the two companies. The fifth weakness is that different ratios under the same category may give differing positions on the performance of a company. Thus, it may be difficult to give a generalized view of the performance of a company. For instance, under profitability ratios, net profit margin may indicate that the profitability of a company is declining over time while return on assets may indicate that the profitability of a company is increasing over time. This makes it difficult to give a conclusive decision on the performance of a company. Finally, some ratios may be difficult to interpret some ratios as to whether they are good or bad. For instance, high liquidity ratios may be interpreted as good or bad (Vance 2003). Conclusion and recommendation The paper carried out a comparative financial analysis of J Sainsbury PLC and Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC for a period of five years, that is, between 2008 and 2012. Analysis of market share indicates that Sainsbury has a larger market share than Morrison Supermarkets in the UK retail industry. Further, analysis of profitability indicates that Morrison Supermarket is more profitable than Sainsbury. Based on liquidity, it can be noted that Sainsbury has a better liquidity position than Morrison. Further, the gearing level of Morrison Supermarkets is lower than that of Sainsbury. Finally, the investment ratios for the two companies are fairly equal. Thus, analysis of the two companies shows that they have a fairly equal financial standing. In terms of market share and liquidity, Sainsbury is superior to Morrison Supermarket. However, in terms of profitability and gearing, it can be pointed out that Morrison Supermarket is superior to Sainsbury. An investor is likely to base his decision on profitability, gearing level and investment ratios. Thus, Morrison Supermarket will be the most suitable company to invest in. The paper also discussed the various shortcomings of use of ratio analysis. Even though it is a suitable for comparing the financial performance of various companies, a lot of personal judgment is required when using the tool. References Atrill, P 2009, Financial management for decision makers, Prentice Hall, USA. Brigham, E Ehrhardt, M 2009, Financial management theory and practice, Cengage Learning, USA. Brigham, E Houston, J 2007, Fundamentals of financial management, Cengage Learning, USA. Collier, P 2009, Accounting for managers, John Wiley Sons Ltd, USA. Haber, R 2004, Accounting demystified, American Management Association, New York. Holmes, G, Sugden, A Gee, P 2005, Interpreting company repor ts, Prentice Hall, USA. J Sainsbury PLC 2014a, About us, j-sainsbury.co.uk/about-us/. J Sainsbury PLC 2014b, Annual report and financial statements 2013, j-sainsbury.co.uk/media/1616189/sainsburys_ara.pdf. McLaney, E Atrill, P 2008, Financial accounting for decision makers, Prentice Hall, USA. Morningstar, Inc. 2014a, Sainsbury (J) PLC, http://financials.morningstar.com/income-statement/is.html?t=SBRYregion=gbrculture=en-USownerCountry=USA. Morningstar, Inc. 2014b, Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC, http://financials.morningstar.com/income-statement/is.html?t=MRWSFregion=usaculture=en-USownerCountry=USA. Siddiqui, A 2005, Managerial economics and financial analysis, New Age International (P) Limited, New Delhi. Vance, D 2003, Financial analysis and decision making: Tools and techniques to solve, McGraw-Hill books, United States. Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC 2014a, About us, morrisons-corporate.com/About-us/. Wm Morrison Supermarkets PLC 2014b, Financial reports, morrisons-corporate.com/ Investor-centre/Financial-reports/.

Definition and Examples of Agreement in English Grammar

Definition and Examples of Agreement in English Grammar In grammar, agreement is the correspondence of a verb with its subject in person and number, and of a pronoun with its antecedent in person, number, and gender.  Another term for grammatical agreement is concord. Basic Principles In English, agreement is relatively limited. It occurs between the subject of a clause and a present tense verb, so that, for instance, with a third-person singular subject (e.g. John), the verb must have the -s suffix ending. That is, the verb agrees with its subject by having the appropriate ending. Thus, John drinks a lot is grammatical, but John drink a lot isnt grammatical as a sentence on its own, because the verb doesnt agree. Agreement also occurs in English between demonstratives and nouns. A demonstrative has to agree in number with its noun. So with a plural noun such as books, you have to use a plural these or those, giving these books or those books. With a singular noun, such as book, you use a singular this or that, giving this book or that book. This books or those book would be ungrammatical because the demonstrative doesnt agree with the noun.–Jame R. Hurford, Grammar: A Students Guide. Cambridge University Press, 1994 Keeping Track of Details Agreement is an important process in many languages, but in modern English it is superfluous, a remnant of a richer system that flourished in Old English. If it were to disappear entirely, we would not miss it, any more than we miss the similar -est suffix in Thou sayest. But psychologically speaking, this frill does not come cheap. Any speaker committed to using it has to keep track of four details in every sentence uttered: And all this work is needed just to use the suffix once one has learned it.–Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct. William Morrow, 1994 whether the subject is in the third person or not: He walks versus I walk.whether the subject is singular or plural: He walks versus They walk.whether the action is present tense or not: He walks versus He walked.whether the action is habitual or going on at the moment of speaking (its aspect): He walks to school versus He is walking to school. Tricky Nouns Some nouns are commonly used with singular verbs although plural in form: Some nouns are commonly plural in usage, even though naming something singular.–Patricia Osborn, How Grammar Works. John Wiley, 1989 news, politics, economics, athletics, molassesnouns that state a given time, weight, or amount of energytitles of books, newspapers, television shows, even of plural formHis trousers were old and torn.The suds are almost down the drain.Scissors are a great invention.The contents were ruined. Examples Many dogs are made anxious by loud noises.An anxious dog is not able to focus and maintain attention.Dogs and cats are the most common pets.A dog and a cat are in our house.Usually, either the dog or the cat is in my room.Abandoning a dog or a cat is grossly irresponsible. Examples and Observations Bill Bryson The manager was one of those people who are so permanently and comprehensively stressed that even their hair and clothes appear to be at their wits end.–The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Broadway Books, 2006 James Van Fleet I have read statistics that show only five out of every 100 people become financially successful. By the retirement age of 65, only one of these people is truly wealthy.–Hidden Power. Prentice-Hall, 1987 Maxine Hong Kingston She brought back another woman, who wore a similar uniform except that it was pink trimmed in white. This womans hair was gathered up into a bunch of curls at the back of her head; some of the curls were fake.–The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts. Alfred A. Knopf, 1976 Bell Hooks Feminist activists must emphasize the forms of power these women exercise and show ways they can be used for their benefit.–Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center, 2nd ed. Pluto Press, 2000 Agreement in Radio TR: I dont know. Understanding guys dont mean you should live with them. SS: Lester... TR: What? SS: Understanding guys doesnt mean you should live with them. TR: Thats what I said. SS: Lester, subjects, and verbs have to be in agreement. The subject of that sentence is not guys, its understanding, and understanding, which is a gerund, by the way, is singular and it takes a singular verb. TR: I got no idea what youre talking about.–Tom Keith and Sue Scott in English Majors. A Prairie Home Companion, May 18, 2002

Business Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Letter - Essay Example However, I am very confident that these damages are not due to mishandling. In line with this, I am requesting you to look into this matter. In order to handle customer complaints, I would also like to gain an assurance from you that immediate delivery of replacements will be undertaken. Statement of Purpose: After conducting a thorough investigation and analysis, this report aims to recommend possible solution to the human resource problems faced by the Roanoke Branch of Pheonix Advertising. Pattern of Organization: This informal report will utilize the "cause and effect" approach. The human resource problems of the branch will first be identified followed by their causes. This approach is necessary as this will become lay the foundation on how identified problem will be solved. Outline I. Causes of Low Employee Morale A. Heavy workload 1. Increasing demand from customers 2. Low manpower B. Low compensation 1. Unpaid overtimes 2. Less than average salary levels C. Rejection of creative efforts 1. Acceptance solely based on directors, account supervisors, and executive 2. Lack of artist discretion D. Lack of motivation 1. No sense of belongingness to the company 2. Lack of rewards and incentives II. Recommended Solutions to Boost Employee Performance A. Employee empowerment 1. Include the artists in discussions 2. Give the artists more discretion B. New compensation package 1. Industry rates 2. Pay for overtimes C. Non-monetary rewards 1. Recognitions for job well done 2. Spa and Leisure packages for accomplishments

Answer 4 questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Answer 4 questions - Essay Example After the dinner, each of the artist stands beside their work and Frida, Pablo and Claude visit them at different times. The new artists give an explanation regarding the source of inspiration on their work and these famous artists give their comments regarding the work of the new artists. Being in the field before, they are viewed to be more experienced and therefore their comments are important for the new artists to guide them through their artistic journey (Berghaus, 2000). Postmodernism is regarded as rejection of sovereign individual who is autonomous and emphasizing on anarchic collective experience that is autonomous. It is a deviation from modernism in explaining reality. Postmodernism in architecture refers to replacement of formalized and functional spaces and shapes of the modern style by aesthetics that are diverse. On the other hand, postmodernism in literature explains the representation of ideologies and styles using downright, unrealistic and impossible plots, unreliable narrators and dark humor. Examples of postmodernism in the last four Fiero chapters are in the explanation for quest for meaning and identity and liberation. Fiero in this case examines the mood of anxiety and alienation reflected arts and for identity and liberation, offers a relationship between ethnicity and visual arts. Postmodernism is reflected in the assessment of global movements for racial, political and gender equality. Postmodernism music is music that disregard s formality and focuses on creativity. Postmodernism therefore is different from modernism, romanticism and realism due to its aesthetic nature (Somigli & Moroni 2004). Jazz is mainly an art of the performers and not of the performers because its presentation majorly depends on how well it is performed regardless of how it is composed. Jazz is primarily defined by the voice of its performers and only secondarily by the contribution made by the composers. It has more technical musical activities that can

Poor Lifestyle Essay Example for Free

Poor Lifestyle Essay In the modern world, the modern urbanites are living in a tense community. Consequently, they might have different kinds of poor lifestyle in their life. According to Woods (2010), poor lifestyles always include smoking, drinking, poor diet and lack of exercise, which perhaps lead to a higher chance of cancer. However, it could be environmental pollution. Health plays an important role in people’s life. Therefore, it is essential to choose the right food or the right healthier way in your life. Moreover, environmental pollution could influence people in their lives as well. This essay will discuss about health issue on quality of life and how environmental pollution affects human’s lives nowadays. On the one hand, the healthy diet is more and more popular in this society. Hamer, Molloy and Stamatakis (2008) claim that there is a connection between the level of physical activity and diet or nutrition that people consume from the different foods. When a person eats immoderately, the calorie would be transformed to fat or cholesterol which is harmful for people’s health. It means that they will become overweight or obese. There are some dangerous factors if they are suffering obesity such as cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, body pain, being out of breath, easily tired and disability. Although people also eat a great deal of fruits or some natural food at the same time, it might be produced some harmful effects. For instance, eating too much animal fat is a main cause of sickness or ill health also our bodies need a little but most of us eat too much. Some people know saturated fat. Therefore, it could make the person get a disease and be overweight (BBC n.d.). However, there are numbers of fats in fish, chicken, eggs, turkey, duck, beans, dog, lentils and foods made from these. Unsaturated fat may be better for the people, but eating too much fat of any type can gain their weight. It is better to buy a small amount of lean meat rather than fatty meat or solid fat. The best way is to eat more fish or different kinds of nutritional food and do not forget to get a high iron intake by eating something like liver and bitter foods. Some traditional meal, they use pulses provide good nutrition, to reduce the use of animals fat in the cooking. (Morbidity, Mortality, 1996) On the other hand, environmental pollution could lead to poor lifestyle as well. The pollution could happen in many different sources such as contaminate water, air, and light. At first, the indoor air pollution will make children and teenager getting diseases. Cooking and heating with solid fuels on some open fires or traditional stoves will produce small particles and carbon monoxide, especially for young children and women. According to the Global Health Risks, indoor air pollution leads to 2.7% of world diseases. (WTO n.d.) Furthermore, air pollution also leads to higher temperature and green house effect. Take Chicago as an example. Many residents feel like it is too dangerous because of the high humidity and air pollution. People with pulmonary and respiratory diseases are very sensitive so they should limit their activitiesï ¼Ë†CDT, 2011ï ¼â€°. Secondly, water pollution would threaten tap water quality. According to the EWG, the biggest sources of contaminants are agriculture and industry. The environmental group finds the water that people drink everyday which contains about 260 chemical contaminants altogether. The pollution will be more dangerous to the citizens and pose a great threat on the human beings. (Larry West, n.d) As suggested above, environmental pollution is divided into several aspects, such as air pollution and water pollution, which might contribute to poor lifestyle. Nevertheless, every kind of pollution will damage our lifestyle so people should be aware of the risks. In addition, the government ought to lay down some laws to stop air pollution. This is because it could avoid deterioration of contamination. However, in developing countries , where pollution is strictly regulated, it still has much more things need to do. In conclusion, health and environmental pollution have a huge effect in the life. Air pollution is known to could affect people’s health as well.If a person had good health, they can do anything they want. As a result, people need to be care about their diet and lifestyle. It could save their health and lead the people more happy. Nevertheless, environmental pollution could affect the person. Even though the people are healthy. All show that poor lifestyle is unhealthy in this community. Reference: 1. Hamer M, Molloy GJ, Stamatakis E. (2008) Psychological Distress as a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Events J Am Coll Cardiol. 52:2156-2162 2. Woods T. (2010) , Poor Lifestyle Means Poor life Span, [online] Available at: http://www.emaxhealth.com/1357/poor-lifestyle-means-poor-life-span.html [Accessed 1 August 2011] 3. BBC n,d, The risks of a poor diet and being overweight [online] Available at:[Accessed 31 July 2011] 4. Morbidity Mortality Weekly Report. June 14, 1996; 45 (RR-9):1-33.Guidenlines for School Health Programs to Promote Lifelong Healthy Eating. 5. WTO, n.d, Indoor air pollution, [online] Available at: [Accessed 2 August 2011] 6. CDT, (2011) Pollution alert today, heat index could reach 100 degree, [online] Available at: [Accessed 2 August 2011] 7. Larry West, n.d, Tap Water in 42 States Contaminated by Chemicals, [online] Available at: [Accessed 2 August 2011]

Teaching Philosophy :: Teachers Education School Essays

Teaching Philosophy Education is the foundation of each person's knowledge, skill, talent, and understanding. Each and every person in the world has benefited in some way from the act of another person teaching him or her something, whether it is inside or outside of the classroom. Truly, people learn a great deal from experiences outside of the classroom, but a school provides the means and foundation for education, and everybody takes away more than facts and answers from it. A school gives someone the opportunity to think, challenge him or herself, solve problems, and search for answers. It is where people discover how to learn on their own and, in doing so, they can take this with them into the "real world," since learning is a never-ending process. Teaching for me isn't an act of lecturing and dispensing facts, answers, and an endless amount of information. Rather, it is an interactive process where I can give my students the greatest opportunity to think on their own and begin to learn how to discover answers on their own. As a teacher, I am concerned with providing the tools for learning, rather than the facts and answers to problems. My students need to be actively engaged in their own learning process and in the discovery of answers. Learning is a continual process through life. My goal is to provide my students with the appropriate tools so they can take them into the world and continue to use them after leaving my classroom. They should never be without the tools to discover, solve, and experiment in their own lives. If they should ever, at some point in life, stop in their pursuit to discover a new idea, then I have not one my job successfully. It is my job as the teacher to get my students to find the answers to questio ns they do not know. Just as I say I never want my students to stop learning, the same applies for myself. Teaching isn't just a profession for me; rather it is a foundation for learning. Teaching allows me to continue learning new concepts and ideas. There are so many new discoveries found everyday, and teaching allows me to share these new ideas with my students in the classroom to not only enlighten them, but to enlighten myself as well. Teaching allows me to grow with my students and is never a static job.

Reasons for Change

Lowes is one of several organizations well known as a home store which, draws customers that’s homeowners interested in do it yourself home projects or contractors. According to research Lowes has employed over 238,000 people, with the economy taking a turn for the worst Lowes was also affected. Which caused them to lay off over 1,700 employees in 2010. Many were in manager positions that had been with the company for years and was hired during a time when business was booming.Lowes decided by laying off full time higher paid employees that it would benefit the organization as a whole by replacing them with part time employees. Lowes intended on hiring 8,000 to 10,000 part time sales associates between the 1,725 stores statewide. These workers would be paid less due to their positions being entry level for instance sales associates that would be paid a lot less. Part time employees would not be entitled to any benefits such as: health insurance, 401k, retirement, and etc.Altho ugh, most Lowes would possibly lose one manager position the store would be given 4-8 part time workers to compensate for the loss. The manager that lost their jobs would be compensated by receiving severance pay and assistance with job placement. Those workers that wasn’t laid off witness how some employees received pay cuts depending on their position. One of Lowes competitor is Home Depot which was placed in and unfortunate situation that led them to laying off many employees. This lead to them letting go full time employees and replacing them with part time associates that was paid less.As a result Home Depot received a lot of back lash due to this decision. Lowes was advised to pay close attention to how their customers react to the many changes. Because, the changes made within the organization will affect employees and customers. Lowes took a chance on downsizing and reconstructing which had a 46% success rate according to research (Leban & Stone,2008). By Lowes making these changes it allowed them the opportunity to lay off higher paid employees while replacing them with lower paid sales associate’s within the organization.The purpose for this change was to save the organization money while continuing to accommodate their customers by maintain good customer service. Another reason Lowes felt it was essential to make changes within the organization was because, of the economy and the downturn that effected the construction industry. Lowes receiving over half of their business from construction industry so when business slows up so does Lowes. Some of Lowes customers are homeowners also which was affected by the turn in the economy which caused them to do fewer home repairs.Lowes organizational change could have been categorized by total quality management. Lowes began to focus mainly on the sales associates and how they interacted with the customers. Due to the middle managers not previously playing a major role within the organization. Lo wes decided that the middle managers that’s not managing a department or currently working on the floor that remained on with them was instructed to monitor the sales associates. The organization strategy was to hire more part time workers to better serve their customers while building a rapport while becoming a asset to the organization.When reconstructing and downsizing, quality management driven change will work well due to the success rate being 37% ( Leban & Stone, 2008). With the economy going downhill it would benefit Lowes to increase their prices however, it may not be wise at this time. Although, changes would be essential to too save money within the organization. Once Lowes made major changes within the organization they increased its quarterly profit by 17% from the previous year (Portillo,2011). According to research within the first 9 months in 2005 profits increased by 3.5% (Portillo, 2011).One must question how Lowes was able to lay off some of their full tim e managers and hire many more part time workers. This change occurred when the economy was bad and a lot of people had already lost their jobs. Lowes was looking for a way out that would benefit their organization as a whole. Their solution was done with hopes of saving money while increasing profits. This change has made a difference thus far and hopefully in the near future they will be able to promote part time employees and offer benefits.

Work for something

â€Å"Hannah Paramour, on keeping Strengths from Running Amok â€Å"The New York Time Business Day Bryant starts the article by introducing Hannah Paramour , which is the present of Paramour , the digital Agency . The article then goes in to a series of question asked by Bryant to Paramour, the first question asked was where you In leadership roles when you were younger . Paramour answered the question by saying that if you asked her mother or teacher in high school she would know as being a rebel , but always in charge and that everyone in her family is always willing to take on unreasonable mount of responsibility.Bryant then followed that question up with asking what Paramour study in college at that time she told him she was a classical- piano major because she had studied the Plano her whole life and that she found out in college that while practicing one thing for three hours a day eight hours a day was something new and was a whole other thing. Paramour felt that it didn't f it her personality and that she had a certain level of skill but it wasn't what she really wanted to do and she was going to have to figure how to make money so she never graduated and went right to work.Bryant then asked what work she did and was told that she had terrible Jobs for the longest time and they all were Just at an entry- level. Paramour said that when she started working for a life Insurance estate- planning she started to get promoted very fast but still wasn't happy and was getting the work done but aggressive and there was a lot of passive-aggressive going on, and that it felt weird because she kept getting promoted. Paramour says that once dot- comes came along she got an opportunity with a startup cityscapes. Mom and that it was exciting and new and got to try new things. Paramour also says that she learned a lot about transparency and getting people aligned behind a goal and letting them know what's going on In the organization. At that time she decided to start her own business and that she didn't have a great business plan but decided being on her own was safer and that she learned she didn't want to be with any company that want going to deliver what they said they would.Bryant then asked what Paramour has learned about culture as her company has grown she answered saying by asking have you heard the theory that weakness is a strength taken too far. Then said the best examples would be that they allowed dog In the office and at one point they had nine dogs In the office and at one point she Just had clarity no more dogs. She says you do the little things to build culture in a company but you have to be k with saying something may have went too far.Bryant then goes on asking about the hiring, interview process and is Paramour could interview somebody in five minutes what she would asked she answer by saying she's not the best interviewer because she is very optimistic and she tend to project herself on other to try and sell them. But she always goes through the core values and explain how they were written and responsibility.Paramour then goes on to say if she could interview someone for only five minutes she would ask â€Å"how old where you when you got your first Job â€Å"the reason she says she would ask this is because she would rather have someone that ad to work all throughout college then someone who got scholarship and right to MBA program then she would ask why they left their old Job Just to see if they told the truth. The last question asked by Bryant was what advice would you give to allege student the answer was get a Job, get started because most people don't know what their passion is Just starting out.Paramour ended with that she had ability to see trends and that she was fast at solving problems and that if it wasn't right they would fix it but it would be fast. After reading this article I can relate to some of what Paramour is saying , with the whole going to college and realizing what you had plan would change I new for me it would be a little harder with going to school working full time and having two small children and everything that they are involved in.I would of never in a million years think I would change what I was studying until I started to work in the medical field and realized that's it not what I wanted to do the rest of my life so I switched to something I knew I enjoyed doing when I worked for a big retail company and that was getting to know the business and human resource of the company. I also like how the culture was built with the company do think it's a little crazy to have dogs in an office let alone nine of them I could see where this could go wrong and could cause a bad work environment.I also had to do interviews when worked for target UT there was a guild line that we had to go by and I don't think it allowed us to get clear picture of the employee seeking work and I think being direct and straight forward would give you and the employee to h ave a chance to be honesty with one another and me personal I would rather have an honesty employee over someone that is Just going to tell me what I want to hear.I like the fact that Bryant asked if you only have five minutes what question would you ask in an interview and that Paramour said she would ask how hold the person was when the got there first Job, cause to me it shows a level of determination and responsibility and a lot about a person and that they have goals set for their self and everything wasn't handed to them.I do agree with the advice Paramour gives at the end of the article and that was to get a Job and get started, because I can say when I was 18-19 1 thought I know what I wanted to do in life but have problem changes my mind about 100 times before I really knew what it was that I wanted to do and what goals to have set for myself.Even to this day I have goals that I have not meet that I have set for myself but that isn't mean I'm not still working towards them or that I don't think I can do it also the harder you have to work for something the better work you will do and the more you appreciate things more in life and the better you will be at seeing your full potently and reaching your goal out of life. After reading this article/ interview I was able to take away that its k to change your mind and to make decision based on what's going to make you happy and to make goals and to Just go for it because you never know what the outcome could be.Also that as long as you can make a decision even if it was wrong as long as you made it fast and could fix it that it wasn't a big because it shows that things change in life and as long as you can either go with it or adapt to the change and then realize what's best for you in the long run then go with it cause the outcome could be so rewarding in the end or even be a better one. I feel as this article relates to this class because it talks about her leadership, the culture she built into the compa ny as well as her hiring technique as a manager as well what are some of e important question to ask in an interview .

MBA Admission Essay

MBA Admission Essay MBA Admission Essay Some of the essay questions hide inside ethical conflicts. Admission committee is not interested in your moral standards and considerations, or in your personal files, above all, they want to understand from your admission essay how you cansettle difficult problems. In other words, business schools are looking for people rather smart and clever than good one. Usually, such types of questions contain dilemmas. You need to keep in mind that there are no right or wrong answers, but there are good or bad college admission essays. For example, if your essay question is to describe how you fought with yourself in a search for the right decision, it isn't a dilemma. The dilemma should have two possible answers, two results, or two argumentations because these two possible answers can be equally strong. The most acceptable way for writing admission essay is to find a compromise which will satisfy everybody. Of course, it is not easy to come up with a compromise, especially when it is not evident, thus, it requires a lot of thinking to find it. Even if you didn't find the compromise while writing an essay, don't be upset. Your points of view raised in admission essay should be supported by reasonable arguments. While writing a college essay, try to justify your own points of view. Describe what would you do in a case of negative circumstances of the decision you've made. MBA admission essays are your chance to demonstrate your unique qualification. MBA admission essay is an essential part of the admission process and you should devote enough time to writing it: Admission Essay Topics The most difficult task of admission essay writing is finding a proper topic. Of course, it is easier to find a solution for a known problem than for a situation you will never face. That is why you need to cover only real situations and provide real example. For example, you work at nonprofit organization which helps people with AIDS disease. There was a transfer of large amount of money and you've found out that this was a result of governmental mistake. What would you do? Would you save this money for the sake of ill people or report about the mistake? Possible answers may be as follows in your essay. You've decided to reserve money explaining that they'll bring more benefits for ill people. And the second one is your decision to report about this mistake because you are not entitled to solve matters governmental money distribution.The compromise may be the following. You write a proposal about how additional money might be used. Then you find generous sponsors and show them your proposal. Finally, governmental money returns to the true owner. If you don't find the compromise while writing a college admission essay, choose the most acceptable decision from your perspective. However, remember that your argumentation has to be strong, interesting, and carefully justified. Order Admission Essay Writing Help If you need an admission essay and do not know how to start writing it, you have found a place to ask for assistance. Ordering custom admission essay writing service at .com, you receive impressive college essay which gains the attention from the first lines! Do not lose this chance to improve your grades without any efforts! Read also: Self Critique Essay Assignments for Sale Custom Beowulf Essay Essay Assignment Essay Company

The Dos and Donts of Job Hunting While Youre At Work

The Dos and Donts of Job Hunting While Youre At Work One problem with job hunting when you work in an open office is the lack of privacy, which can be reminiscent of a college dorm. Since you can’t put up your own partitions, learning how to use stealth moves while job searching can help you. There are ways to practice your stealth without putting on a fake nose and eyeglasses while pretending to be a visitor to the office, and these tips can help you out. Handling Phone Calls at the OfficeSince you can’t hold a conversation with a recruiter using only words such as uh-huh or no, talking to a recruiter while at the office is not a good idea. It is a better idea to set your phone on voicemail, and give the recruiter a callback when you are somewhere else, whether it’s another part of the building or at a local cafe during lunch hour. The main point is to keep others in your office from knowing you are job searching, or the next person who finds out about it might be your boss.Using Company Phones or Other EquipmentI f you are using a company phone to receive or make phone calls about job listings, you might as well go ahead and put up a banner that says you are job hunting. Other employees might overhear those phone calls and deduce that you are job hunting. In addition, many employers monitor computer use in the event employees are playing on the Internet instead of working, and finding that an employee has been checking the job classifieds could be problematic. Don’t use company phones or emails to contact others about job openings. Instead, only use your personal phone number and email to job hunt.Keeping It PrivateWhile you may have friends among your coworkers, the fastest way for the news to get around that you are job hunting is to share that information in the office. If you feel you have a friend in the office whom you can absolutely trust, you should still think twice before taking that person into your confidence.Social Media MistakesEmployers frequently check social media emp loyee accounts, LinkedIn and other sites to see what employees are doing. If you have updated your profile or resume, it might end up reported back to your boss. Turning off features that broadcast updates and making your information private can help. Actively broadcasting that you are job hunting on social media websites is a bad idea and would be better left to private messaging only to individuals you trust.Advertising on Job BoardsAdvertising on job boards lets you job hunt while keeping your personal information private. While this may not be the best way to job hunt, since an employer has to actively search for someone with your qualifications, it is one way to keep the news that you are job hunting from the eyes of your current employer.Updating Your ResumeIf you need to update your resume and don’t want to post it to LinkedIn or other sites where this might be discovered, then do it in private on your home computer, of course. Apply directly to job sites or companies and include your new resume from home. The personal approach can take more time for you to find the right job but can receive more attention from employers who are really interested in your talents.Don’t Go to Interviews From the OfficeOne mistake job hunters make is that they make interview appointments from the office or take personal leave during the day. It can look suspicious when you normally dress in comfortable clothing for the office and one day show up wearing a suit for a lunch with a friend. Change of style in clothing can be a big clue that something is up. In addition, taking time off using the pretext of a doctor’s appointment is doing a disservice to your current employee. Schedule interview appointments for weekends or evenings when you are off and it will cause you less stress and help protect the fact that you are job hunting.Job hunting while employed in an open office atmosphere takes finesse and caution so the entire office doesn’t find out . TheJobNetwork offers an easier way to job hunt and not miss jobs for which you are qualified. After you fill out your qualifications and job interests, we search around the clock for positions that would interest you and send these job listings as email alerts. If you wish to be more proactive in your search, you can also look for employment yourself on the job site. Sign up with TheJobNetwork to let us do the job hunt for you.

Strtegic Position of BMW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Strtegic Position of BMW - Essay Example ustrin industrilist Frnz Josef Popp purchsed the compny in 1917 nd renmed it Byerische Motoren Werke. The Trety of Versilles, June 28, 1919, directly influenced the entry of Rpp Motoren Werke (lter to be known s BMW), into utomobile mnufcture s the terms of surrender by Germny resulting from World Wr 1 stipulted under rticles 198, 199 nd 201 tht ny militry or nvl ir forces were prohibited nd it lso stipulted the mnufcture of or importtion of ircrft. Rpp Motoren Werke, s result of sid bn, mde rilwy brkes until its fory into utomobiles in 1929. The hyperinfltion rising s result of the severe economic snctions imposed by the Trety of Versilles rered its hed in the 1920's nd helped to stgnte growth in Germny. This pper will nlyze the strtegic position of BMW with the help of five competitive forces of Porter, SWOT nlysis nd other mrketing nlysis in the utomobile industry. More prticulrly, it will be nlyzed how the forces hve n effect on the cr mnufcturer BMW. Bsed on this nlysis, the force with the most impct on the compny will be identified. Bsed on tht, it will be described how BMW uses informtion systems to offset the force. BMW, which stnds for Byerische Motoren Werke, hs mde well-known nme s luxury cr mnufcturer (Bernhrdt & Kinner, 1994). The hedqurters of the BMW group is in Munich, Germny, but the compny is present ll over the world. The compny built high brnd equity over the yers through continuous brnding efforts nd high qulity products. BMW is rgubly the most dmired crmker in the world nd BMW products inspire ner- fnticl loylty (Kiley, 2004). SWOT nlysis Strengths BMW is well-known compny with high sttus brnding tht hs very high recognition fctor. The compny hs been strengths in both reserch nd development nd design s well s in mrketing. For exmple when it comes to mrketing it ws BMW dvertisement tht ws the first e-dvertisement tht mde it to Cmpigns 'Pick of the Week' (Domn). However, in long-term purchse such s this there is need for moire substnce thn just mrketing, otherwise the life of the compny would be reltively short due to the nture of the purchse. It is in these longer-term systems nd strtegies tht we cn see mny of the strengths of BMW, we cn consider these by strting with the mrket position of the compny. BMW s well s Mercedes' nd few other compnies hve mnged too successful ttin m mrket position where they hve focus on nrrow rnge of exclusive crs. These cn be seen s imed t the mrket plce tht is not lso sensitive to price, nd s such we must rgue tht the mrket positioning my be seen s strength s there will not be such rection if the economic conditions chnge. The customers tht re in the trget group re hppy to py premium price for wht they perceive s premium product (Thompson). This my not be so true of the subsidiry compnies tht hve hd different problems, such s the ill-fted Rover group. However, the core product hs remined strong (Thompson). This my be seen s diversifiction, nd some of the diversifiction my lso be seen s strength, for exmple the purchse of Rolls Royce where there is similr strtegy, however the rnge nd trget mrket re even more focused nd exclusive. The strtegy of BMW is designed to be defensive ginst other cr mnufctures, nd s we will see when it comes to the section on threts this is defensive