ACC501 - Accounting for Decision Making, Mod 3 SLP Essay

ACC501 - Accounting for Decision Making, Mod 3 SLP - Essay Example In this paper we are going to discuss a decision that has recently been made by the ASPCA and its financial implications. The ASPCA is a non-profit organization that is based in New York. It was founded by Henry Bergh in 1866. As the first animal welfare organization in the USA, it took on the humanitarian role of protecting animals by rescuing them from abuse, developing humane laws and establishing a network of countrywide shelters to help carry out a collaboration with animal lovers (www.aspca.org). One of the decisions that was recently made by the ASPCA was a collaboration with Bank of America in terms of issuing a special ASPCA credit card. This card functions very much like an ordinary credit card, but with a lot of benefits and privileges attached. For instance, every time a cardholder uses his or her ASPCA credit card to make a purchase, they will be helping fight cruelty to animals. Every dollar spent in net retail terms gathers points towards discounts, allowances and other privileges in hotel travel and accommodation- and may also result in cash and merchandise redemptions. The ASPCA credit card is being offered at a low Annual Percentage interest rate (APR) in order to attract customers. To apply one must be a Bank of America customer and have applied for online banking services or already own a debit or credit card issued by the bank. Relevant costs related to the decision to issue the ASPCA special credit card are the cost of issue to the Bank, the business expected to be generated by the use of this card and the general acceptability among American users. The low APR seems to be appealing, as well as the plea to contribute to the safety and protection of animals all across the USA. Few people would find themselves resisting applying for this credit card. It not only allows them certain privileges, but also benefits in terms of cash discounts and allowances gained while shopping. In the

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

International Business - Essay Example It has taken a second modern wave migration. All factors that surround change are shifting from their extreme form of obsolesce to the new design accompanied by innovation. This new wave will tend to make the stronger companies get more strength and remain at the top whereas the weak companies will have to maintain their weakness. The trend will also create zones that are non-profitable for specific companies and even entire industry (Slywotzky, 2006:4). The high growth zones that are evident in most of the countries have a high representation for risk as well as opportunity. The greatest risk associated with this is that, entrepreneurs want to create ultra low zones that would cater only for the market basement. The globalized society is more of a jungle than an allowing environment. It is forcing the persons to apply more brainpower than they used to, simply in order to keep abreast with the new market demands. The managers and the promoters of the specific companies will be compel led to face more competition than before and increased combination of risks. This will make the future market more vulnerable to effects of price movements, accelerated by unpredictable demands in the market (Arnold, 2008:187). However, the answers of the globalization and their effects will depend on economic revolution predicted in the world. The whole phenomenon of globalization has taken roots in the world and has been received with criticism by different players. More often that not, people emphasize on single of the trend and overlook the other. There are many controversies surrounding the emerging and persistence of globalization, which I wish to handle. For instance, does the rise in international relation pose a threat to the quality of life? What is the long-term effect of the globalization trend on the environment? These and many more have moved me, and that is why I have chosen to do this paper on globalization to clarify it . Globalization has resulted to stunning growt h in the revenues of specific businesses, increased their net income and the operating margin of investors. Let us first consider the Infosys international company based in Bangalore in India. This company has substantially grown because of the global design, facilitated by the IT differences in the US and India. The company has continually been moving higher in the success ladder by tactically adding a higher value business in the outsourcing process (Lamb, 2011:345). Globalization trend is strengthening many businesses through global outsourcing and market science. It has invented the customer’s connection in the chain of information. It has also introduced superior information chains that that add value to the combined application system and culture. Globalization has forced producers to improve the quality of their services to attain the global market standards. The companies have also expanded their scale of production to cater for the rapidly growing market demands. How ever, the art of globalization has not favored the largely populated countries like china, India, and Brazil. Despite the growing markets of these countries, the will remain relatively low. Majority of the persons in these countries earn less than two US dollars per day. The new wave of globalization has the flow of value from the obsolete business to the most economically effective forms. For example, in the automobile industry

Switzerland Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Switzerland - Essay Example Switzerland also has ground water reserves and also has a significant number of lakes that are spread across the Swiss areas. Switzerland has a limited percentage of mineral resources, but the Swiss population, mostly majors in crop production and other forms of farming. This means that the Swiss soil is robust because of soil variation and relief rainfall makes a significant part of the country to be useful in cultivation and the rest for mountain pasture. Some of the minerals mined in Switzerland include iron and manganese whose heavy deposits are in Jura while the country also does not have coal deposits. One of the major challenges that Switzerland faces is that building land is not adequate, but the country focuses on more on retaining the appearances of the already established villages and towns. A majority of the Swiss population, a third live in the urban regions of the country that include Zurich, Bern, Lausanne, Basel and Geneva because of the favourable infrastructure that exists in these cities. Essentially, people move from the mountainous regions and into the cities in search of work opportun ities, but also a significant fraction of the population also lives in the mountain covered regions. Switzerland’s environment is also characterized by melting glaciers, especially with the global challenge of global warming making the regions in the mountain to be extremely dangerous to live in. However, the central plateau is also characterized by a high population in which people in this area compete in what activities they should engage in because of the limited space. Switzerland is also the home and the headquarters of the International Red Cross community that are located in Geneva that was founded in 1866 in Bern in the same country. The Old Swiss Confederacy experienced a period of unrest that included the areas of social, political, and religious aspects, but the French

Ethical Integrity in a Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ethical Integrity in a Business - Research Paper Example St. Augustine, a medieval philosopher, based his concept of ethics on religious injunctions. He argued that persons should have compassion expressed in a Golden Rule: do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Hosmer, 1994). Modern philosophers such as Hobbes and Locke assailed that compassion is an ideal virtue in a world that is competing on resources and on political posts; people compete and take advantages (Hosmer, 1994). Thus, Locke and Hobbes proposed that people ought to moderate themselves from competition; maintain societal peace and to abide on laws (Hosmer, 1994). Bentham and Mill, proponents of utilitarianism, contend that business ethics is possible if people abide to fundamental rules and if those who are serving in the central government are bereft of self-interests (Hosmer, 1994). Both also proposed that there should be a measure on government laws and to evaluate the justice in all actions (Hosmer, 1994). Thus, an act is good if it’s helpful to the greatest number of persons benefitted. Kant, on the other hand, contended that there is universal rule and such must be free from decision-makers’ interests. Kant proposed that ethics must forbid any action one is unwilling to see from others if on similar situation, one would be encouraged to take (Hosmer, 1994). This is further elucidated by modern philosophers, Rousseau and Jefferson, who postulated that removing self-interest is impossible thus, civil rights are necessary to protect persons from arbitrary actions and to guarantee them freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and the like (Hosmer, 1994). It also protects civilians’ properties and liberties, following due process. Moreover, Rawls argued that ethics is based on distributive justice. He advocated for equitable distribution of wealth and services, especially for the disadvantaged in the communities (Hosmer, 1994). Rawls posit that this is possible through social contract. Nozick’s argued that liberty is the bulwark of what is morally upright. Liberty allows freedom from constraints, from laws and market. Under the concept of Social Contract, Nozick argued that no one should be allowed to interfere with the rights of others for self-development and fulfillment (Hosmer, 1994). Larue (1987) perceived that ethical issues relating to business management are most discussed as a relevant matter in human resource management. Hosmer (1987) posited that ethical issues are foremost considered when workers experienced being harmed or at a loss especially when the company undertakes restructuring or closure. Such add to common transactional details on legal and financial matters where ethical imperatives are sought to resolve an ethical dilemma that would considerably be right, proper, and just (Hosmer, 1987). Thus, it’s wise to integrate management’s moral obligation and ethics in strategic planning as part of corporate responsibility (Hosmer, 1994). This is essential to create an environment of trust and commitment among company’s stakeholders to ensure business leverage in the market and its economy (Homer, 1994). He cited that managers whose general

Balance sheet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Balance sheet - Essay Example Balance sheets are generally prepared by a company at the end of its financial year. The balance sheets are presented in either horizontal or in vertical form. All the items present in the balance sheet of a company are discussed in details in this study. The dual aspect of balance sheet and the application of balance sheet have also been mentioned in this study. The users of balance sheets include the company managers to help them in analysing the financial conditions of the company, the investors and shareholders to help them in their decision making process regarding investment in the organisation and all other stakeholders of the company. With the increasing trend of globalisation most of the companies are trying to explore business opportunities in different parts of the world. As a result of this they need to comply with the regulatory requirements of different nations of the world. However with the advent of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and International Accounting Standards (IAS), the accounting practices followed in different nations are converging to make the financial statements including balance sheets more comparable in nature. A comparison between the balance sheet formats followed by companies in US and UK has been discussed in this study. 2. Balance Sheet Items All the items of a balance sheet fall under two broad headings, namely â€Å"Assets† and â€Å"Liabilities†. The items falling under the categories of assets and liabilities have been discussed below: 2.1 Assets Assets which are possessed by a business concern are categorised into two types, namely, current assets and fixed assets. Fixed assets are considered to be the long term assets of the company and current assets are considered to be the short term assets of the company. All these assets of the company are valued and represented in the balance sheet of the company at its book value or historical costs of those assets that is the costs of the asset s when it was first bought by the company. This is known as the historic cost convention (Horner, 2012, p. 42). However, as an exception to this convention or rule, some of the assets like the buildings possessed by the company are re-valued at its market price and then represented in its balance sheet. Sometimes, assets like goodwill generated internally by the company, including the values o different kinds of brands acquired by the company over a period of time are not included in its balance sheet. It is so because of the difficulty in accurately measuring the value of these kinds of assets. Let us now discuss in details about the assets of a company. 2.1.1 Fixed Assets Long term assets or fixed assets possessed by a company are sometimes referred to as non-current assets of the company. Fixed assets generally comprises of those assets of the company which are utilized by it for conducting its various business activities and are there with the company for a long period of time. They are not meant for resale by the organisation. The fixed assets of the company help it to generate sales or revenues through its business processes over a long period of time. Generally the fixed assets are required to be depreciated along its lifetime (Stittle, & Wearing, 2008, p. 60). Fixed assets of an organisation can further be grouped together into three different categories. They are: a) Tangible

Confucius Biography Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Confucius Biography - Research Paper Example His father was commander and died three years after the birth of Confucius. Nevertheless, Confucius got a good education and married at the age of 19. He also became a father of one son and two daughters. (Confucius Biography) Early Occupations During his youth he had to learn so many skills because fortunes of his family had declined. Confucius belonged to the aristocratic family then known as the shih. Confucius in his first occupation is said to have worked as keeper of the Lu granary. After working as a keeper in the market, he worked as a farm worker taking care of farm animals. He also gave his services to the governor of his district. Through his politeness, fairness and love for learning he quickly earned a good reputation for himself. His mother died in 527 B.C.E and then he involved himself in his most beloved pursuit of teaching. It was the period of zhou (Chou) dynasty when moral values prevailed at its nadir. Confucius criticized the disorder and deplored the moral stand ards prevailed within the society. (Ann-ping) When he was 35, ruler Duke Zhao of Lu initiated a war; however, he shifted himself to the neighboring country of Qi. Duke Zhao continued to take his advice but due to opposition of one of his council minister he refused to grant him the land and also stopped taking his advice. (Kotelnikov, Vadim) Teacher He firmly believed that old precepts of the sages can bring back the people to the high moral standards. His fame and name spread across the masses. Confucius became famous in Lu because he made sayings which were full of wisdom. People learned through his teachings. He also helped and advised the emperor on effective and fruitful ruling. He also came into contact with Lao Tzu; however, Lao criticized him for his arrogance. His course or lessons used to be mainly history, music, and poetry. He spent his lot of time on developing the ideas regarding the art of government. Gradually, he acquired a large following. Though many of his follow ers returned to Lu and continued accepting the positions with the Chi clan. It is construed that because of these followers he was invited to Lu. (Kotelnikov, Vadim) Effective Administrator When he was 50, the Baron of Qi approached him and sought his help against a rebellion but he refused to comply. New Duke of Lu then made him a city magistrate. The city prospered under his governance and he got promoted several times and finally became a Grand Secretary of justice and then at the age of 56, became chief minister of Lu. He was quite successful in his administration, introduced the reforms and dispensed the justice quickly. As a result, crimes were almost eliminated. (Kotelnikov, Vadim) Neighboring countries started worrying that Lu would become much powerful. They distracted the duke by sending gifts and dancers. On duke's improper behavior, Confucius resigned and left the country. (Kotelnikov, Vadim) A Great Traveler Confucius visited nearby states and travelled a lot in the hop e that some other ruler would take his heed and undertake measures of reform; however, all his efforts went in vain. Confucius wandered China with his disciples for 5 years and realized that his presence is not well tolerated. Once he was arrested and put into jail for five days. He was also pursued into the countryside by a group of soldiers arranged by jealous nobles; however, he was rescued by the king of a neighboring country. A Political Leader His great emphasis is said to be on political

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

Management - Essay Example Mergers of existing power player like Vodafone and Hochstein also made the situation more vulnerable for entrants, thus making them mighty and unbeatable. For better hold on coverage, working in collaboration with government is highly beneficial for entrants (ZDNet Australia). Due to substantial growth in the industry over a decade, industry has reached a level of saturation. Therefore, there is a considerable decline in prices and rise in number of buyers. They include kids from 12 years of age to adults 0f 60 years. Buyers are driving force for providers; in order to keep them loyal Miller Ltd. needs to provide and edge in price for competitive advantage. Mobile service industry in Australia is multiple sectors. In a flourishing industry like Australian telecommunication, monopoly can’t survive is today’s market. Market is diverse which include manufacturing of hardware, carriage service providers (CSPs), content service providers and retailers. The report by Economic access and ATMA briefly describe the market. Ericsson Australia, Nokia Siemens and Alcatel-Lucent are infrastructure provider in hardware sector. Nokia, Samsung, LG, i-Mate have market in consumer goods. CSPs provide services by utilizing carrier network infrastructure and have different levels; mobile telecommunication carriers in Australia are; Telstra, Vodafone, Optus, and Hutchison’s ‘3’ and Orange. Resellers services include; Primus Mobile, AAPT, Virgin mobile, B Digital, DigiPlus, Sim Plus, People TelecomM8 Telecom and Dodo Mobile. MVNOs or Mobile Virtual Network Operators are basically wholesalers and provide value adding services.B Digital, Revolution, People telecom Primus Telecom and Boost Mobile are a few to name. Content service providers, aggregators and program developers are other dimensions of service providers; Legion Interactive, Touch and Infospace are main content aggregators. CSPs have their own retailers like Hutchison ’s ‘3’ but other