Remember the Titans: Movie Review

The arrival of African slaves, sold in the plantations of colonial America, definitely triggered a superior-inferior relationship and mentality between â€Å"the whites† and â€Å"the blacks†. This present-day culture, resulting from a society of masters and slaves, has struggled against central concepts deeply rooted in the nations past . With strong cultural values on racial discrimination, the path towards the concept of racism in America was a vital moment in the course of the nation’s history. Social concepts and attitudes could not be altered overnight, but it can be altered. Indeed, in the quest for social progress, the struggle for equality has gone a long way, with black Americans now holding high-ranking positions in specialized fields in government and society. The issue on racism started when slave ships arrived in America from the coasts of Africa in the 17th century . Since then it has haunted and continues to haunt the history of the American nation. Racism was generally an issue in Americas history, which included sports as well. Race limited the sporting opportunities of many Americans (mainly African American). During the 1920s, few blacks played in the National Football League before being unofficially banned in the 1930’s. That eventually changed and today it is a sport dominated by mostly African Americans. In the mid 1880’s, whites rejected racially integrated baseball. This changed in 1947, when Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play Major League baseball outside of a segregated black league. He became a living milestone for racial equality and changed the sport of baseball forever. Many stories like these became inspirations to future movies. Many movies, as in numerous things or behaviors in life, show social psychology. In movies (whether they are illustrating racism, pro-social behavior, unselfishness, or even aggression) there are fundamental themes or life lessons to be learned. Throughout the history of sport, you can see that it has collided with several cultural values: gender, class, ethnicity/racism, religion, or region. In the film â€Å"Remember the Titans†, we see a cultural environment in 1971 refusing to accept the idea of racial equality (the main issue raised in the movie). The film displays the issue of racism and illustrates how one can overcome prejudice by uniting for a ommon cause or goal. During the course of this movie, there were many social behaviors at work that dealt with racism and discrimination. These obstacles didn’t stop the football team from socially overcoming those difficulties. In brief, this film is about two schools in Alexandria Virginia that integrated in the early 1970s to form T. C. Williams High School. The white head coach of the Titans (Coach Bill Yoast) is replaced by an African American coach from North Carolina (Coach Herman Boone). Tensions arise when players of different races are forced together on the same football team. Many of these tensions are eased during the two-week training camp in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. When players returned to Alexandria the players found the city in turmoil due to the forced desegregation of the high school. As the season progresses the team's success caused the community to accept the changes. After the Titans' perfect season, the team and the city were closer than ever. There were many scenes in the film that were meaningful to the theme of racism. One important scene is at the Gettysburg battle location. Here, Coach Boone makes an impacting speech to the players on overcoming their racism. During Boones speech there is a shot of Boone and the cemetery behind him. This gets the viewer to focus on the words he is saying as well as the cemetery behind him. While looking at the players, Coach Boone says â€Å"Fifty thousand men died right here on this field†¦ fighting the same fight that we’re still fighting among ourselves†. When they got back to the camp, during a training session, the two captains shout the chant, â€Å"left side† â€Å"strong side† to each other. This shows a new understanding and respect towards each other. They impact the rest of the team, which then come together as well. Gettysburg is the turning point in the film, where the players overcome their racism. Another important and meaningful scene is one of the locker room scenes. The scene starts off with everyone laughing with one another while making â€Å"Mama Jokes†. Then, the radio is turned on and the song â€Å"Ain’t No Mountain High Enough† by Marvin Gaye comes on. The title of the song alone gives great symbolism, showing that racism can be conquered. Slowly but surely, the tension between the players (and eventually the community) diminished. The scene where a few of the players call a team meeting in the gym is another relevant scene. The players get a sense that they’re good because they won a few games. They came together in camp, but they returned back to school and the â€Å"world† told them that they didn’t belong together. In that gymnasium they come together in singing, clapping, and a huddle to conclude the scene. The story of â€Å"Remember the Titans† is not about football. It is about the times of inequality, racism and narrow-mindedness. Students refused to go to class with those of a different race and adults did not want to associate with others that did not look like them. This movie is about the struggle for civil rights, but what makes this movie great is the struggle the football team faced to become one to work together to attain a common goal. Sports made this a powerful movie. Watching the players come together proved it is okay to be friends with, associate with and even care for people that don't necessarily look like you. If the T. C Williams Titans had a lesser role in the movie the concept of coming together (no matter what your background is, even when everyone else is divided) would not have been as strong.

Inside Man

Sitting in a dark, cramped cell he waited. There was a lot of difference between a prison and a tiny cell. As he waited, his mind drifted back to how he had come to be here . . . No one noticed the four painters as they slipped through the huge, glass door of the bank. No one even gave them a second glance. So no one realised when they barred the doors of the bank. The security cameras had already been disabled and guns had now silently been slipped out of the pockets into the hands of the painters. They signalled to each other. A shot was fired into the air. Everyone froze. Then the screaming started. â€Å"EVERYBODY GET DOWN ON THE FLOOR NOW! YOU HAVE FOUR SECONDS. IF YOU'RE STILL STANDING WE SHOOT!† Within an hour the people in the bank- customers, employees, security guards now all hostages- had been gathered into several different rooms. The painters had changed into grey jumpsuits that covered every inch of their bodies. Their faces were covered by latex masks, their eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. Identical clothes had been shoved into each hostages face. â€Å"Take off your clothes and put these on. Put any keys, weapons, mobile phones, any forms of communication into this bag NOW. Listen to us and no one gets hurt.† ordered the leader of the bank robbers. His voice was calm but laced with menace. Hands shaking, the hostages began to strip off their clothes. Only a few had refused to do what the robber had asked but then had obligingly- and wisely- followed instructions when one of them had been dragged through the door, kicking and screaming and the others had hand guns pointed at their heads. None of the hostages knew what had happened to the man that had been taken out. Two hours later, a phone had rung. The robber had picked it up. They had heard a sickening gunshot. Silence filled the room. The gunshot echoed off the walls. They could guess. Outside, a cluster of people- police, firemen, paramedics, reporters, gathered around the building. All of them wringed their hands and wiped their brows in desperation. â€Å"Detective Frazier is there any more news?† asked a young officer. He was inexperienced. It showed in the way he moved from one foot to the other, agitatedly and by the nervous expression he wore on his face. â€Å"No. We only have the note the robbers have given us. We have to be careful in a situation like this. There are lives at stake.† Detective Frazier replied evenly. He looked calm and he spoke calmly but inside he was in turmoil. If this ended in disaster he would get the blame. The young officer nodded and backed away. As he turned, he glanced curiously behind his shoulder, at the detective. Detective Frazier was staring grimly at the bank. Worry tinged his grave features. Sighing, he took out his phone. He would have to cancel his plans. It was going to be a long night. . . The phone rang. The lead robber picked it up. â€Å"I'm surprised you didn't call sooner,† he said. â€Å"We've been a little busy,† Detective Frazier retorted on the other end of the line, â€Å"How do you plan to pull this off? How are you gonna escape?† â€Å"I'm going to walk straight out of this door.† The robber replied coolly. â€Å"Huh. We'll see. So far you've let out four hostages but you haven't shot anyone. One of our men tried to get in, you didn't kill him either. I don't think you're a killer.† Frazier surmised. â€Å"Only if provoked. Why don't you turn around?† said the robber. Frazier did not like the sinister edge in his voice. He spun round. One of the disabled surveillance cameras was working again. The robber waved. In front of him was seemingly a man, bound up, with a bag over his head. Frazier's colleges looked at him in panic. â€Å"Now let's be rational about this.† Frazier said into the phone. There was no one on the other end. The detective's heart raced and his stomach sank. No. It was too late. He closed his eyes as he heard the gunshot. He didn't want to look at all the blood and brains strewn across the floor, so he kept his eyes down, away from the screen. . . Detective Frazier sat, studying he written note the robbers had given him. A tall man barged through the door. â€Å"That's it. I'm going in. I'm not gonna stand here and watch innocent people get killed.† he roared. â€Å"Case, don't. We don't know what we're dealing with here. You can' even tell the difference between the bank robbers and the hostages.† Frazier warned him. â€Å"I don't care. I'm taking the team in. We're using rubber bullets and we're knocking everyone out, bank robber or not.† Case shouted hotly. He stormed out. Frazier's heart skipped a beat as he noticed the microscopic transmitter attached to the paper. They had heard everything. â€Å"Russell, they're getting an ESU team into action. They'll be here in less then five minutes but we're ready.† a female bank robber said to their leader. â€Å"Alright. Everybody assume positions.† he ordered. He reached for the smoke bombs. The ESU unit rammed through the door. They tensely held their guns and their breath as they tried to squint through the veil of thick smoke. They heard a faint noise, it grew louder and louder. Five hundred hostages or robbers rushed through, straight at them, running frantically to the doors. They burst outside, screaming, tear-stricken. â€Å"GET DOWN NOW! HANDS BEHIND YOUR HEADS ON THE FLOOR!† screamed a commander aiming his gun. Two weeks later the case was dropped. The bank robbers had swapped with the hostages at different intervals during the robbery so no one had been able to be identified. Nothing had been stolen. Russell glanced at his watch. It was time to escape. He slid the fake wall open and slipped through the crack. Russell walked down the passages and hallways of the bank. Then, with a small sack off priceless diamonds in his pocket, he stepped straight through the front doors.

Lion of the Desert

Lion of the Desert Reflection Rebellion spearhead as well as a teacher, Omar Mukhtar was a clear leader. During the brief peace talk in â€Å"Lion of the Desert,† the first demand Mukhtar wanted for his people were Muslim schools. Other requirements for peace that were requested were national protection, national parliament, and return of the lands taken from the people of Libya. Mukhtar was first a teacher, when reading, reflecting or teaching he wore his glasses. Mukhtar balanced them gently on his finger, when speaking to a class of young boys, illustrating importance of balance within the Koran.A young boy whose father was killed while fighting, clumsily puts on Omar’s glasses, it is consoling for the boy as Omar seeks a role model and new hope for him. After the father dies, the guidance of Omar shows the importance of a male influence in the boy’s life and within Islam. At the moment Muhktar picked up a gun, he transformed into the leader of the rebellion. In acts of insurgence Omar was guided by his religion and teaching. After a small victory, the men took the flag from the caravan and presented it to Omar as a trophy.Mukhtar simply responded, â€Å"They are not our teachers, he is a boy, tell your general†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and he returns the flag to the surviving Italian soldier and sends him back, as opposed to killing him. In contrast, on the scene of General Graziani’s victory, he has sand goggles on as well as wearing a flag as a cape. He is then presented with a flag raising ceremony to declare their dominance of the area. When ambushed by a gas attack Mukhtar loses his glasses, just as his comrades have fallen dying or injured. Shortly after, Graziani constructs a massive barbed wire fence to block the rebels from supplies and refuge.Muhktar then says, â€Å"What is wire to the will of God? † guiding his forces on principle and the teachings of the Koran. The nationalist rebellion also adheres to their religion whe n tying their legs to remain in the face of an attack. Islamist teaching includes the concept of jihad or self-sacrifice for the sake of the cause. Their tied leg prevented the men from retreating or running away. In the end, when Graziani offers to release Muhktar if he were to relinquish his rebellion and beliefs, Muhktar refuses.He lays down his life in order to protect his convictions. His glasses were returned to him by Graziani and Muhltar puts them on to read a passage from the Koran, moments before his hanging. As Omar drops from the gallow, his glasses drop from his clenched hand. They are retrieved by the young boy that had earlier put them. Illustrating the assertion made by Muhktar to Graziani, that the rebellion against the Italian’s would continue and as each man is killed the younger generation will rise to fill their place.

Police Intervention Programs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Police Intervention Programs - Research Paper Example Intervention program can be dangerous because in most cases it requires the police officer to tame the law enforcement side f his career and try to be friend with the criminal. The intervention needs the police officers to be well trained in order for them to successfully implement the intervention programs. According to Corey et al (2005), intervention programs can be regarded as a way to better deal with crime issues in the streets. The advantage with intervention programs is the fact the criminal is regarded in a different light and this allows for alternative, better way to deal with crime. This can be seen in what Corey et al (2005) report in their study. In the study, the police implemented an intervention program for street drug users. The issue with drug users is that this has two dimensions with regard to how it affects the society. Due to the fact that these drug users share the same syringe to inject the drugs, the rate of spread of HIV and other diseases such as hepatitis B is always high among these users. In the current study, the police implemented an intervention program to make sure that the rate of syringe sharing was reduced. According to Corey et al (2005), the rate of sharing was reduced, especially among the black male drug users. The study used an observation meth od to observe how the police intervention was done, a total of 89 participants were observed during the study. The results were that there was a general reduction in the sharing of street syringe users. Data indicated a higher rate of decrease of syringe sharing among the black male participants. The results of this research can be regarded in two perspectives. First, it shows that the intervention of police can lead to reduced crimes without necessarily having to arrest offenders. This solves the issue of congested prisons and police cells. On the other

Friendship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Friendship - Essay Example It could be shared experiences – so, two mothers meet at an antenatal clinic. Both are pregnant, both have a toddler running around and craving attention. They look at each other and smile and a conversation begins. Next week there they are again and so it goes on. It could be a shared interest or hobby. A group is formed to create a community garden. They discuss things together, make plans, and work together. Then someone suggests a meal, or invites everyone to their home for a Christmas drink. The conversation turns to non-gardening subjects and again friendships already begun become more established. It can be an alliance in shared difficulties. Two little boys fight in the playground. They are taken to the head teacher’s office where both are disciplined. One finds himself defending the other: ‘It wasn’t really his fault.’ Once outside the office, grins are exchanged and two former enemies become allies against authority. It can be based upon a need to rely on each other as in two comrades fighting alongside each other, and depending upon teamwork for their survival. Some friendships are based on less than perfect motives. I think of two little girls being put next to each other in class. One has a pencil case full of sparkly pens, comical erasers and even a packet of sweets. The girl next to her suddenly decides to become friends. A poor reason to start a friendship, perhaps, but soon they really do become bosom friends. According to Kelly (n.d.), who is writing from a Christian point of view, true friendship can be identified by three aspects - it is morally helpful to both parties; there is a genuine basis of agreement between the parties and, thirdly, their mutual love is characterized by a spirit of self-sacrifice. He was speaking specifically about relationships between people of opposite sexes, but the principles hold for other types of friendships.

Reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Reading response - Essay Example 2. A strong organizational culture demonstrates that an organization has clear core values, has knowledge of its market and is adaptable. In contrast, a weak organizational culture does not subscribe to clear values, lacks shared symbols and rituals, and is not shaped by the vision of the founders. Apple is an example of an organization with an extremely strong corporate culture, exemplified by Steve Jobs and his ‘Work hard, play hard’ ethic, and passion for innovation. This can be contrasted with the weak corporate culture at Nokia, with its emphasis on research, but poor adaptation to an innovation-driven market. 3. First, I will compose a very explicit mission statement, stating my organization’s core values. Second, I will communicate my vision for the future and list the objectives I hope to see achieved in the near future. Third, I will establish a strong symbol, along motivational lines, which will serve as the corporate logo. Four, I will put in place the tradition of awarding exceptional achievement with annual cash prizes and recognition. Five, I will make myself visible in the functioning of the organization, and attempt to embody and communicate the ideals of the organization and become the public face of the

Gender Disparities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gender Disparities - Essay Example Their preference for the son superseded their preference for their son’s happiness. One can only imagine what a woman feels when she realizes that because she is a daughter, she is less than a son. The love of her parents will always be inferior. Then when she grows, she becomes aware that this problem goes beyond her house. It affects the entire society, or rather, it infects the whole civilization. Being a daughter is her first state of defeat; it is the defeat of being a daughter, which will eternally turn her into a second-class citizen.Gender discrimination produces unfair gender norms and expectations that delimit women’s capacity for self-development. Mrs. Pritchett wants to feel loved, but she feels it is too late for she married a self-centered man who is unaware of her needs as a woman. She has not developed her personhood because of her restrictions as a woman. These experiences are unique to women because of their womanhood. Their patriarchal society produce s unfair perceptions of women. Gender prejudice drives discrimination that turns women into slaves of men, and as wives, they are slaves of their husbands. Those who are poor are worse off. Mangalam experiences sexual harassment, though this gives her power over a life of poverty. Nevertheless, her experience shows that because she is poor and a woman, she cannot attain the kind of life she wants to have. Sexual harassment is common in patriarchal countries, especially among the working-class women, since they are often powerless.... One can only imagine what a woman feels when she realizes that because she is a daughter, she is less than a son. The love of her parents will always be inferior. Then when she grows, she becomes aware that this problem goes beyond her house. It affects the entire society, or rather, it infects the whole civilization. Being a daughter is her first state of defeat; it is the defeat of being a daughter, which will eternally turn her into a second-class citizen. Gender discrimination produces unfair gender norms and expectations that delimit women’s capacity for self-development. Mrs. Pritchett wants to feel loved, but she feels it is too late for she married a self-centered man who is unaware of her needs as a woman. She has not developed her personhood because of her restrictions as a woman. These experiences are unique to women because of their womanhood. Their patriarchal society produces unfair perceptions of women. Gender prejudice drives discrimination that turns women int o slaves of men, and as wives, they are slaves of their husbands. Those who are poor are worse off. Mangalam experiences sexual harassment, though this gives her power over a life of poverty. Nevertheless, her experience shows that because she is poor and a woman, she cannot attain the kind of life she wants to have. Sexual harassment is common in patriarchal countries, especially among the working-class women, since they are often powerless against these male sexual predators (Gupta 95). Being a woman and being poor are the worst human conditions because they prepare women for a life of servitude, and with servitude, disappointment looms. Middle-class women are trapped in middle-class norms. They are afraid of what their society will think of them if

M4A2-Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

M4A2-Conflict - Essay Example Accordingly, the behavior enables the conflicting parties brainstorm on several alternative solutions to a conflict. Another characteristic that is highly correlated to solving conflicts is a high score of conscientiousness in personality. This characteristic is demonstrated through proper planning, time management and level of adherence to predetermined schedules. From the conflict experience, individuals with this behavior are well-organized and desire to achieve in their responsibilities. Accordingly, this personality trait will enable conflict managers to clarify tasks, delegate authority and schedule work processes in order to minimize task confusion in the organization (John, Robins & Pervin, 2010). Another essential behavior is agreeableness trait of personality since it allows an individual to show empathy to other parties that leading to emotional comfort (John, Robins & Pervin, 2010). The trait is critical in ensuring that conflicting parties take responsibility for the sou rces of conflict and forgive each other without harboring any negative emotions (Burger, 2010). Another behavior that is essential in managing conflicts is emotional stability. From the past conflict experience, emotional intelligence leads to emotional stability thus ensuring aggressive behaviors and negative perceptions are control in conflict resolution (John, Robins & Pervin, 2010). I understand the emotional intelligence will encompass self-awareness, self-control, internal motivation and social skills (Burger, 2010). For instance, self-awareness enables a conflicting party to attain self-identity and self-worth thus facilitating cordial relations with other conflicting parties. I believe collaboration and ability to maintain trust between or among the conflict parties is essential in managing conflicts since it facilitates the establishment of cordial relationships and efficient communication (McCrae, 2002). Mutual trust will minimize negative perceptions and suspicions among conflicting parties and enhance goal interdependence (Burger, 2010). Another behavior pattern that is useful in conflict management is ability to maintain calmness and avoid nervousness especially when faced with challenging and new conflict situations. This characteristic enables the conflicting parties to have confidence in one’s ability to deliver a mutually acceptable solution and enhances cooperation. From my value clarification and conflict management self-assessment results, I scored lowly in various realized values. I scored lowest realized values in initiating control to move the conflict through roadblocks. Accordingly, I scored lowest in realized values in positioning one’s thinking in order to influence others’ opinions/decisions. Another lowest score in idealized values was in providing answers, even if unsure if they are correct and making confrontations when needed. From the set of items with lowest realized values, I conclude that my personality and behavioral patterns are ideal for conflict management. Since I score lowly in initiating control to move the conflict through roadblocks, I conclude that I am more open-minded and encourages suggestions of conflicting parties in the process. In this case, I will be capable of exploring alternative solutions and implementing new ideas

Discuss the potential role of omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of Essay

Discuss the potential role of omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of inflammatory diseases - Essay Example Interestingly, the human body cannot produce these acids, however, once in the body, they are transformed into more complex structures. These structures have been noted to perform numerous important biological functions. ALA is, in fact, a predecessor to EPA and DHA (Gura et al. 2008). This is because when ALA is taken by humans, it is transformed to EPA and DHA. This is due to the fact that EPA and DHA are easily transformed to complex polyunsaturated fatty acids. The greatest supplies of ALA originate from fish such as salmonherring, halibut, sardines and Chinook (Racco 2009). As a result, many people consume fish oil in order to acquire the omega-3 fatty acid, rather than taking itself, for a number of reasons. ALA, furthermore, can be obtained from foods such as seeds, oils, green leafy vegetables, nuts, and beans among many others. As said by Gura et al. (2008), dietary fish oil supplementation exists documented to enhance inflammatory illnesses, for example, irritable bowel, asthma as well as rheumatoid arthritis. Various impacts of omega-3 PUFA are as a result of modulation of the quantity depending on the types of eicosanoids that are produced. This is because other impacts are expressed by eicosanoid-independent means, which include the behaviour following transcription factor activity, intracellular indicating routes as well as gene expression (Cheung et al. 2009). It is worth noting that animal experiments coupled with clinical intervention studies highlight the anti-inflammatory characteristics that omega-3 fatty acids poses. Therefore, these strengthen its worth in the running of inflammatory and autoimmune illnesses. Numerous clinical studies on the impact on different inflammatory diseases following the use of food supplements enriched with fish oils are coming up on a day-to-day basis. This is because of the increased knowledge in the causative agents of the diseases, which include rheumatoid arthritis, irritable

Organisational Change Essay Example for Free

Organisational Change Essay Organizational change is also known as organizational transformation and it may involves organisational change in mission, introducing new technology, restructuring operations, introducing new programmes, mergers, re-engineering and having new major collaborations. (Bridges 1991) Organizational changes are aimed at achieving some set organizational goals and objectives which need to be a attained within a given period of time. In many cases changes in the organizational are provoked by some outside forces which includes taking care of new markets, substantial cut in finding, need for increase in services and productivity among others. There are many approaches that managers uses to introduce change in the organization, some are planned, explicit and structured while others are more unfolding, implicit and organic. Managers goes for the approaches that will be supported by all the employees and those that will enable the organization to maximize the profit margin as they achieve the set goals and objectives within the set time frame. Some approaches works from the future to the present where by the managers uses the organizations vision to plan all the organizational activities aiming at achieving the vision while other approaches works from the present to the future which may include pointing out the currents needs of the target clients and then making the necessary changes towards achieving those needs. This is the best approach since the clients and other stakeholders are the backbone of any organization and they determine the success of the any business (Easterby 1999). Identifying their needs should be a continuous exercise which should be followed by implementing the necessary changes which will facilitate in satisfying their needs hence building a good and strong customer relationship which will lead to increased sales hence increasing the Organizational profitability (Dent 1999).  Aegon UK  is a member of the AEGON Group which is among the worlds largest life insurance and pension company. The company is the owner of different life insurance, pensions, adviser and management businesses in the UK (Folger 1999). The company has 27,000 employees and a total of over 25 million customers worldwide with its main markets being in Netherlands and the United States. Factors That Lead To Change One of the major hindrance for decision making is a clear understanding of the working environment where the decisions made will be operated. (Brewster 2004) Proper understanding of the working environment improves the decision making and it minimizes uncertainty. In the UK where life expectancy has risen in the past few years, people are expected to retire for a longer period of time hence the need to think ahead and save for retirement, an idea that many people find difficult to comprehend. (Kotter 1979) Many people do not properly plan about their retirement hence they suffer during the old age since they do not be have enough money for survival and on the other hand the government is also emphasizing on reduced dependency on the state in old age. This resulted to many insurance companies coming up with new cheap pension schemes who also emphasized on employee pension (Hultman 1995). The Industry Aegon operates in the life insurance and pension industry which for the past few years had a poor reputation. Some organisations in the industry has been blamed of mis-selling where by they do not give the customers quality products that satisfy their needs. (Johnston e 2004) The Financial Services Authority (FSA) introduced some regulations in the industry which were aimed at avoiding such situations from happening again in the future. The industry has been faced with intense competition where by AEGON is competing with other organisations that are well known in the UK and they specialise in selling directly to the customers (Kirkman 2000). The company normally distributes its services and products to customers through financial advisers. For AEGON to remain competitive it had to take care of all the problems that the industry was facing. Reasons For Change Historically AEGON had been very successful and profitable but some times back the government introduced some regulations that reduced the organisations profitability. Comparing the company with its competitors, AEGON was not well known though it had very good services and products and it also had good relationship with the distributors. (Strebel 1996) For consumers to have the confidence of investing in a long term product, they have to know more about the organisation they are planning to invest with by learning more about the brands that are being offered by the organisation and by understanding the value of each brand. As AEGON offered different brands it was hard for the financial advisers and the consumers to identify and understand the different depth and breadth of the brands. Facilitators of Change AEGON company appointed a new (CEO) Chief Executive Officer who entered into the office with new strategies for the company and the first thing that he implemented was to bring AEGON into a discovery phase which would help him in achieving the goals he had for AEGON. The CEOs goal was to develop the best long term savings and protection business in the UK while the discovery phase was aimed at finding ways of achieving those goals. (Kegan 2001) Another aspect that needed consideration was the companys brands and how they could be audited. The company was examined both internally and externally to find its position in the market. The process of auditing was aimed at giving more information about the company which assisted AEGON in making more informed decisions which were needed to start the process of change. Creating a New Culture Culture refers to the attitude and the personality of an organization and it is also involves the shared values, behavior and beliefs of the employees and other stakeholders (Morgan 1997). It acts as a key part in the change process since it dictates the way in which the organisation and the stakeholders solve problems and makes decision. By developing a new culture, AEGON was able to provide services and products that were required in the market hence they were able to remain competitive. A Behavior Framework In order to support the new culture, AEGON came up with a behavior framework which was aimed at strengthening the brand values. It was designed in such a way that it could influence how all the employees in the organisation could work and make decisions where by the behavior emphasized the values of AEGON. (Coetsee 1999) The company also introduced a Management Development Programme which emphasised on eight main behaviors which are, think customer, embrace change, encourage excellence, act with integrity, decisive actions, work together, learn and grow and finally relate and communicate (Piderit 2000). Implementing The Change The organisation has emphasised on the customers needs which determines the decisions, behaviour and it also informs actions. The senior mangers keeps the customers needs at the heart of all the operations in AEGON while the other managers and professionals innovates with the needs of the customers in mind so that they come up with products and services that can satisfy the needs of the customers. AEGON brand have been extensively promoted alongside Scottish Equitable or other brands are traded under it. Association with AEGON is stronger where by the Scottish Equitable is currently AEGON Scottish Equitable which reflects the local knowledge and the global power. Currently all the brands has a new look that is common, different and refreshing. Impacts Of The Changes Implementing change in AEGON affected it both externally and internally. Internally the changes influenced how the people behaved and communicated while the organisational operations has been focused on satisfying the needs of the customers. Great emphasis has been on making information clearer so that the customers can be in a position to understand the company well so that they can do business with them. The company has intensively done external promotional campaigns and it has managed to launch new innovative products aimed at satisfying the customers needs. This changes has worked very well for AEGON since the company has been able to maximise its profit. Currently AGEON brand is in a position that it influences the financial services in the industry. Challenges The main challenge that AEGON is facing is that the competition is growing at a very fast rate in an increasingly difficult market. This has forced the government to implement some regulations to govern the industry. To fight competition, AEGON should maintain two way communication channel which should be open and they should emphasis on getting feedback from all the stakeholders. This feedback is very important since the stakeholders can inform the organisation where they might be going wrong and can even give some recommendations which can work very well for the company hence being ahead of the competitors which leads to maximising the profit margins of the company. The stakeholders can also help the company in identifying the needs of the customers hence enabling the company to provide what is needed in the market . Also when there is open communication between the management and the employees it is normally very easy to prevent conflicts since the employees will be free to air their grivances hence cultivating a culture of good working relationships in AEGON which will even motivate the workers to work even harder thus enabling the company to realize the set goals and objectives within the set time frame. Conclusion Organisational change is continuous and the process of change is like a journey which will be faced by external factors that can affect the operations of the organisation. AEGON respond to the external factors was by clarifying, simplifying and strengthening its brand in the UK. As the organisation changes, its culture and pattern of behavior develops which is a cycle which requires the business to use the knowledge it has to learn from the experiences. This has enabled AEGON to move towards achieving its goals through realizing its full potential while they remain competitive in the market. Taking care of the needs of the customers increases the sales of the company since many customers will be interested in the products or services that are being provided by the company hence increasing sales which in turn increases the profit margin of the company.

Cultural Diffusion and Imperialism

Cultural Diffusion and Imperialism World has now become a global village. By global village what we mean is that everything is available to every person through the process of free information flow (Ascher, 2010). Globalization has brought everything closer and that has happened through cultural diffusion. Now to understand what cultural diffusion is, we first have to have a fair idea over what is diffusion. Secondly there is well defined process through which a culture is diffused in other cultures and makes it mark. This culture diffusion affects international business to the core because when we say that globalization have made its presence felt in the global economy, we see that it is there because of culture diffusion in different ways. This has also lead to come sort of cultural imperialism which we shall discuss in length in paragraphs to come. Culture diffusion happens when non material and material culture travels to another culture (Wise, 2008). How this happens is a million dollar question which needs to be answered correctly and to the point. To have a profound knowledge over how it happens we go to the basics of it which is culture hearth. Now culture hearth is a place where civilizations first began and then they spread to different areas. Nowadays culture hearths are considered to be in those countries which are well developed and whose culture gets diffused to other developing countries because they have to be in tandem with each other so to have a good and viable trade. If we talk by considering the present world and international trade, we see that this cultural diffusion has spread many cultural straits wherever they got a chance to get diffused. Sometimes this spread is so rapid that no one can find out its origin, timing and spread. There are two different ways in which a culture is diffused to another culture ; one is acculturation and another is Assimilation (Howes, 1996). Both are the ways in which culture is diffused in another culture. In acculturation what happens is that some cultural traits of strong cultures are being taken up by weak cultures like in ancient times we see that Spain had some cultural traits which are taken from Aztecs. Similarly if we see examples in the modern world we observe that a very common greeting hello is also a cultural trait which is being taken by many cultures as a greeting by default. Why that happened so? Because it has its roots in western world and as West dominated for the last two centuries, all the trade, rules and policies were being written and implemented by Western countries which influenced weak cultures to adopt the greeting and many other things which now we call globalization. On the other hand, another way in which a culture can be diffused is through assimilation. In assimilation what happens is that cultures are intertwined with each other in such a way that it is hard to distinguish between where its origin had been. Lets for example when Arabs came to Indian Subcontinent, the Indians had nothing than a piece of cloth worn up to their knees with an open jacket as their vests but Arabs brought a new culture of a full length suit of cloth covering whole body. Now after centuries the Mongols and the warriors from Afghanistan brought minor changes to the original dress which made people easy to carry, walk and most of all made it best attire which can be used for combat purposes also. End result was that the whole thing got assimilated with each other so quickly that there was little difference left between what people wear in Arabian countries mainly the natives of Arab Emirates and the people wear in subcontinent. It specially pertains to the dressing of men. Other thing which effects diffusion is the cultural barriers, time and distance delay and lastly physical barriers (Rauth, 2004). Cultural barriers includes things which are not acceptable to other culture at any cost for example Mc Donald came up in India with its different burgers mainly in beef but as Indians hold cow as sacred, they do not go for it so Mc Donald have to introduce veggie burgers instead of beef as local cultural barrier never allowed any assimilation or acculturization to take place. In time and distance delay, diffusion is hampered because time and distance which it would take to reach another culture would be more and then would become less futile for example Eskimos who live at poles, their cultures and way of living is different from us and still they are yet to have culture diffusion (Howes, 1996). Time and distance delay is somewhat linked with the physical barriers also which also helps in making things bad for cultural diffusion to take place for example t he terrain which is very tough to pass would obviously make things worse for people to travel hence making it hard to diffuse a culture or similarly a sharp weather change would also create a physical barrier for culture diffusion to take place as it would be difficult to take things from one culture to another as culture traits differ from each other or not even close to each other. That culture is diffused either in expansionary diffusion or relocated diffusion (Said, 1994). We have seen that expansionary diffusion have taken place in most of the places in world where West culture is being adopted by the elite and now it is being transmitted to the lower end of the population. This sort of diffusion is known as hierarchical diffusion in where the spread of a new culture takes place from top to bottom. Example of this is the coffee shops like star bucks, which had no concept in south Asia but they are brought by Westerners who came here for business purposes. They first inculcated the trend in elite and now it is being adopted by every person as it have has transformed many old kiosks for betel leaves and cigarettes into coffee shops. Similarly blackberries; many corporate customers have this gadget in their hands which is attracting other upper middle class people to have it too so to have some satisfaction. Other types include relocation diffusion which happen s when people take their innovations with them to a new place like for example Jews. Jews in Europe were really good in scientific knowledge and due to their astuteness they were being victimized and were sent to concentration camps. When after the world war they relocated themselves in different parts of the world, they went with their knowledge and innovations which brought a lot of prosperity around the globe. Another example of it can be AIDS which spread through relocation diffusion as disease is carried by one person who migrates to another society with having a different culture. Now as diffusion is discussed at length, we now see that whether cultural imperialism can be established through cultural diffusion? Yes to some extent I would agree to it because in international business when there is trade and goods flow from one place to another, it not only takes a new product across the borders but also takes its culture to another place. In other words level of diffusion depends on the factors discussed above and also on a culture being strong as to the culture where it is being diffused as being weak (Hobson, 2010). Like for example the trend of suits around the world, from where it came? It came and assimilated in our culture because it was being followed by a strong culture or in cultural hearth which is American and Europe and from there it diffused to all parts of the world. Mens formal suitings, as we all know, have such an importance that now if a south Korean business tycoon needs to do a deal with his Indian counterpart to open up a microchip factory in Delhi, they would be following their own business rules and formalities but their attire would be formal and would follow the strong cultures dress code which is to have a formal dress suit. Moreover the casual dress in China, a decade ago was not jeans and a tee shirt but now they have taken the affect of American culture as it diffused into their society but why? Because more than 70 percent of Chinas trade is bound for America so Chinese have adopted some practices of American culture which shows us that yes there is diffusion of culture but that does not proves cultural imperialism at any point; people went towards tee shirts and jeans because they were easier to handle, according to the young generation, as compare to traditional safari suits for men and traditional Chinese for women. Apart from this, cultural diffusion does not reflect cultural imperialism for example whole world is following more or less same accounting principles so the rules of debit and credit are same so to imply that it is a product of a particular nation or it is a part of any culture would be a gross mistake. Yes its true that methods of accounting were first brought up by Chinese but significant changes were made throughout.

Love And Marriage In Restoration Comedy

Love And Marriage In Restoration Comedy A comedy is usually a light, rather amusing, play that deals with contemporary life and manners. Such a drama often has a satirical slant, but ends happily. Among the many sub-genres under comedy, one can find the comedy of manners, which originated in France with Molieres Les Precieuses ridicules (1658). Moliere saw this comic form as a way to correct social absurdities. In England, the comedy of manners is represented by the plays of William Wycherley, George Etherege, William Congreve, and George Farquhar. This form was later classed Old Comedy but is now known as Restoration Comedy because it coincided with the return of the Charles II to England. The main goal of these comedies of manners in the period of Restoration is to mock society, or in other ways lift up society for scrutiny, which could cause negative or positive results. In the end, audience will laugh at themselves and society. The definition of comedy and the background of the Restoration Comedy help to explain the themes that run throughout these comedies of manners. One of the major themes is marriage and the game of love. However, if marriage is a mirror of society, the couples in the plays show something very dark and sinister about order. Many critiques of marriage that we see in the play are devastating, but the game of love is not much more hopeful. Although the endings are happy and the man invariably gets the woman, one can see marriages without love and love affairs that are rebellious breaks with tradition. This study will focus on two plays of Restoration comedies, William Wycherleys The Country Wife (1675) and William Congreves The Way of the World (1700), to show how dramatically society has progressed. A dramatic change, in moral attitudes about marriage and love has taken place. In Wycherleys Country Wife, the marriage between Pinchwife and Margery represents a hostile marriage between an old (or older man) and a young woman. The couple, Pinchwife, is the focal point of the play, at least as couples go, and Margery affair with Horner only adds to the humor of the play. Horner runs around cuckolding all of the husbands, while he pretends to be a eunuch. This pretension brings the women swarming to him. He is a master at the game of love, though he is emotionally impotent. He cannot love, which makes him an interesting character for analysis. The relationships in the play are dominated by jealousy or cuckoldry, with the exception of the gay couple, Alithea and Harcourt, but they are really pretty boring. The element of jealousy in marriage seems to be especially prevalent in the play. In Act IV, scene ii, Mr. Pinchwife says, in an aside: Mr. PINCHWIFE. So, tis plain she loves him, yet she has not love enough to make her conceal it from me; but the sight of him will increase her aversion for me and love for him, and that love instruct her how to deceive me and satisfy him, all idiot as she is. He insults her, not to her face of course, but hes serious. He wants her to be stupid, not able to deceive him. But even in her obvious innocence, he doesnt believe she is innocent. To him, every woman came out of natures hands plain, open, silly, and fit for slaves, as she and Heaven intended em. As he says, No woman can be forced. But he also says, in another aside: Mr. PINCHWIFE. Why should women have more invention in love than men? It can only be because they have more desires, more soliciting passions, more lust and more of the devil. Mr. Pinchwife isnt especially bright, but in his jealousy, he becomes a dangerous character. He becomes passionate in his mad ravings, thinking Margery had conspired to cuckold him. Little did he know that he was correct, but if he had known the truth, he would have killed her in his madness. As it is, when she disobeys him, he says: Mr. PINCHWIFE. Once more write as Id have you, and question it not, or I will spoil thy writing with this. I will stab out those eyes that cause my mischief. He doesnt ever hit her or stab her in the play (such actions wouldnt make a very good comedy), but Mr. Pinchwife continually locks Margery in the closet, calls her names, and in all other ways, acts like a complete jerk (to put it nicely). Because of his abusive nature, Margerys affair is not a surprise. In fact, it is accepted as a social norm, along with Horners promiscuity. At the end, the whole scene with Margery learning to lie is also taking in stride because the idea has already been set up when Mr. Pinchwife voiced his fears that if she loved Horner more, she would conceal it from him. And with that, social order is restored. In Congreves The Way of the World, the trend of restoration continues, but marriage becomes more about contractual agreements and greed, then about love. Millamant and Mirabell iron out a pre-nuptial agreement before they agree to marry. Then Millamant, for an instant, seems willing to marry her cousin, Sir Wilful, so that she can keep her money. It is a battle of the wits; it is not a battlefield of emotions. In that way, The Way of the World can be likened to Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing, where Beatrice and Benedict play at love in their battle of wits. Its comical to see the two wits going at it, but, when we look deeper, there is an edge of seriousness behind their words. After they list conditions, Mirabell says: MIRABELL. These provisos admitted, in other things I may prove a tractable and complying husband. Love may be the basis of their relationship, as Mirabell appears honest; however, their alliance is a sterile romance, devoid of the touchy, feely stuff, which one should hope for in a courtship. Mirabell and Millamant are two wits perfect for each other in the battle of the sexes; nevertheless, the pervading sterility and greed reverberates as the relationship between the two wits becomes much more confusing. But then, that is the way of the world. Confusion and deception are the way of the world, but compared to The Country Wife and other earlier drama, Congreves play shows a different kind of chaos, one marked with contracts and greed instead of the hilarity and mix-up of Horner and other rakes. The evolution of society, as mirrored by the plays themselves is apparent. Sources 1. Drabble, Margaret , The Oxford Companion to English Literature 2. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, The Major Authors, Sixth Edition 3. Abjadian, Amrollah, Dr., A Survey of English Literature (II) 4. Patterson, Michael, The Oxford Dictionary of Plays 5. Abrams, M.H., A Glossary of Literary Term, Eighth Edition 6. William Wycherley, The Country Wife, 1675 7. William Congreve, The Way of the World, 1700

Monopoly of Petroleum: OPEC Essay -- Business Case Studies Oil Essays

Monopoly of Petroleum: OPEC Images Not Included A monopoly is evident where a firm is the sole seller of its product and if its product does not have close substitutes, as discussed in (Gans J., King S. Mankiw A. 2003). This essay will discuss the monopoly of petroleum by The Organization Of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), particularly how it controls the price of petrol, threats to its monopoly and the social costs involved. OPEC was established in the 1960's and ever since, Saudi Arabia gained a reputation of being the major power of the organization. Saudi Arabia has the biggest oil reserves in the world and production costs lower than any country. (economist.com 2003)This means that it is a natural monopoly and economies of scale arises; when the long run average total cost falls as the quantity of output increases as illustrated in figure 1. (Gans, J. King, S., Mankiw, N., 2003) Saudi Arabia is the undisputed leader of OPEC. Figure 1 Economies of Scale as a factor of Monopoly Cost Average Total Costs Quantity of output Saudi arabia's petroleum monopoly is very much its' government's major interest. The kingdom earned over $80 billion in revenue from oil in 2000.(economist.com 2003) OPEC's ability to influence the market price is the key of its power. Compared to a competitive firm, the demand curve for a monopoly is a horizontal one as it can set any quantity it wants for a given price. The demand curve slopes downwards... ... production costs is amongst the lowest in the world. Iraq has the potential of overthrowing OPEC's regime if OPEC countries like Russia and France are ready to develop Iraq's oilfields so that it can be used to full efficiency. Does this mean that, to stop a monopoly, another monopoly must be used to overcome it? Time will tell, especially when UN sanctions are lifted and the new Iraqi government is formally established. In conclusion, OPEC's monopoly of the petroleum industry has been a strong one since the 1960's since its members enjoy economies of scale. Its decisions concerning the output of petrol have always been strong affecting the rest of the world. This monopoly is socially inefficient due to the output and the deadweight loss that results. Interestingly enough, to break this monopoly, the new Iraq has the potential to turn the market power around.

Supply Chain Management & IT Essay -- Supply Chain Management Papers

Supply Chain Management & IT Introduction Supply Chain Management (SCM) has become such an integral and essential part of every day business that entire fields of major are dedicated solely to it. SCM, pioneered by Wal-Mart, has grown in the last few years to include not only the management of the physical aspects of SCM, but also the electronic components, such as the Internet and many SCM tools, for instance SAP. Inventory being held across the retail supply chain at any one time amounts to $1 trillion, according to a report by Benchmarking Partners, based on U.S. Dept. of Commerce data. The Cambridge, Mass.-based consulting firm estimates 15 percent to 20 percent of those inventories ($150 billion to $200 billion worldwide; $40 billion to $50 billion in the United States) could be eliminated through improved planning, forecasting and replenishment. This is a major motivation for firms everywhere to reduce costs by applying supply chain management tools. What is Supply Chain Management? Traditionally, the phrase Supply Chain Management meant assembly lines, warehouses, truckers and time sheets. Earlier, manufacturers had the luxury of taking years to develop, market and sell their products. Back then, there were few variations in packaging and in the products themselves. In only a few years, the very fundamentals of manufacturing in virtually every industry have changed. Changes have taken place in the relationships between producers of primary products, manufacturers and retailers. Companies are looking at how to provide greater flexibility in moving parts globally. In a quest for greater efficiency and lower costs, there's been growing importance given to managing the supply chain effectively for the benefit of al... ...older wealth is rising, making investors happy, whilst giving the technological industry (computers) a boost. Bibliography / References / Works Cited: McGraw-Hill, Irwin, Management Information Systems, Sixth Edition O’Brien ISBN: 0- 07-282311-9, 2004 Supply Chain Management Research Center http://www.cio.com/research/scm/edit/012202_scm.html Is Supply Chain Management What I Need? http://stylusinc.com/WebEnable/Sales/SCM.php What is SCM? http://scrc.ncsu.edu/public/s1whatis.html SCM: What does it mean to Industry now? http://logistics.about.com/cs/supplychainmgmt/a/uc102803.htm Integrated Supply Chain Management http://www.dod.mil/comptroller/icenter/learn/iscm.htm How Wal-Mart Keeps Getting it Right http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/apr2003/nf20030416_2930_db016.htm SAP – Deutschland http://www.sap.com/germany/index.aspx

Israel †Lebanon War and related problems faced by the American community Essay

Introduction At the time of cold war, democratic world was, virtually, confronted by only one threat, coming from communist regime of the Soviet Union. This foe, though being dangerous, was quite predictable and civilized to certain extent. After the cold war seized it seemed that world would finally find global peace and mutual consent. However, things turned different and such hopes vanished into a thin air. The world community faced new, formerly unwitnessed, threats related to religious, national, and ethnic intolerance. Commonly accepted, though ultimately mistaken, is the belief that the fighting against these threats must be narrowed down to the war against a particular enemy, world terrorism. Comparing the old and new world (time before and after the cold war) it must be noted that confrontation between democratic world and the Soviet Union was based on certain rules, preventing the world from the global conflict. Confrontation with a new enemy has no rules at all. It turns out that to settle a conflict of a new type is more difficult than it used to be, partially because of the reason that sometimes it is, practically, impossible to detect a real initiator of a conflict. All participators of a conflict are guilty. Besides, among the other significant reasons is the great number of conflicting parties and, as a consequence, there is a highly complicated interlacement of interests. To protect interests of one party without neglecting the interests of another one is almost an unattainable aim. The bright example of the conflict of new type is a currently continuing war between Israel and Lebanon. This war affects the events all over the world and American community in particular. Israel – Lebanon war raises an array of problems that need to be solved by the world leaders as soon as possible. Short Historical Background It is reported that â€Å"on 12 July 2006 Hezbollah initiated Operation Truthful Promise named for a â€Å"promise† by its leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah to capture Israeli soldiers and swap them for the remaining three Lebanese held by Israel. The early morning raid into Israeli territory resulted in eight Israeli soldiers killed and two captured. Israel then responded with Operation Just Reward later renamed Operation Change of Direction. Israel’s retaliatory strike has thus far encompassed bombing raids by the Israeli Air Force (IAF), an air and Israeli Sea Corps naval blockade of Lebanon (especially southern Lebanon and Beirut), â€Å"a force of tanks and armored personnel carriers†, and some small raids into southern Lebanon by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ground troops. Hezbollah has concurrently engaged in extensive rocket attacks on Israel’s northern cities, including Haifa. However, the Lebanese government has constantly disavowed Hezbollah’s actions and refused to condone them, while urgently calling for international peacemakers to end the conflict. † (Wikipedia) This short passage gives a clear and overall picture of the background of current situation in Middle East. It must be noted that Hezbollah operations on Israeli soldiers capture was preceded by Israel occupation of the west bank of the Jordan River and Gaza Strip. This occupation was in its turn preceded by â€Å"Hamas raid into Israel and capture of an Israeli soldier† (CNN. com) This bundle of events can be untwined to infinity. Analysis of events and their projection at US Foreign Policy The world community acknowledges that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization which directs its actions against Israeli state. Respectively, no one denies Israel’s right to protect itself and its citizens as well as no one rejects Israel’s demand to disarm or destroy this organization. However, Hezbollah located its military camps on the territory of sovereign state of Lebanon, the government of which is, virtually, incapable to control the activity of this organization. Now the issue of Israel self-defense arises from a different perspective: is Israel authorized to conduct military actions against terrorist organization on the territory of a sovereign country? And if initially most countries justified Israel’s actions, civilian casualties made the world be divided basing on its reaction to the Middle East conflict. As it is stated in the article at CNN. com â€Å"leaders in Europe and the Middle East see the attacks against Lebanon as disproportionate† and this statement provokes a new question: at what exactly moment these attacks became â€Å"disproportionate† and Israel self-defence transformed into aggression? When ten civilians were killed or twenty? This question is not a simple one as it raises the global problem of the right to resort to weapon against certain country. It is directly related to the American community and to get into the root of the matter it would be useful to have recourse to the investigation of the question of the legality of the USA invasion into Iraq. Speaking about military invasion legality, as Crahan states, â€Å"†¦ the answer may seem obvious: the U. N. is the world’s premier political body, its Charter requires Security Council authorization for the use of force [†¦]†. (Crahan et al. , p. 135) No one can disagree with this statement. The situation in which the force can be applied is also obvious: there should be continuous failure to execute resolutions, carried by UN Security Council, or their systematic violation. In particular, what concerns Iraq, there was an array of resolutions carried, which Iraq refused to execute. But it is necessary to clarify was it solely Iraq’s fault? As Crahan further continues â€Å"†¦the world body had failed in all those years to attain the goals that the President was seeking, in large part because the Council was bitterly and chronically divided on the critical question of how — sometimes even on whether — to enforce its numerous resolutions on Iraq. † (Crahan et al., 135) Thus it follows that the Council, while carrying its resolutions, even if under the pressure from U. S. side, itself resists their execution. Here the EC countries and Russia are to be fully reproached. No country in the world would execute any resolutions in such circumstances. However, when it came to the point when acts of force were very likely, Iraq, nevertheless, began to execute U. N. Security Council resolutions. But this time the USA and allies decided to launch the invasion with complete neglect to international law . Such total neglect to the Council resolutions, even by its permanent members, caused the situation where UN Council turned into a fake organization, unable to solve global conflicts. Now it is time to return to the case with Israel-Lebanon war, which is more complicated. It should be noted that this war is, virtually, the war of radical Arabs against Israeli country where, unfortunately, peaceful civilians have to suffer. The UN Security Council has passed corresponding resolutions against both enemy parties – Hezbollah organization and Israel. It must be observed that UN Security Council also passed the resolution concerning Hezbollah in 2004 , however, two years passed and it still was not applied either. Failure to fulfill this requirement was a formal ground for Israel to attack the territory of Lebanon. Moreover, the Security Cabinet of Israel â€Å"agreed Israel will not give up its demand for Lebanon to implement U. N. resolution 1559, which calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah and any other militias, and the deployment of the Lebanese army in south Lebanon†. (www. gopusa. com) However, scrutinizing this war in the context of the Arabs’ war against Israel, one should notice, that Israel made it its principle to violate UN resolutions as related to its enemies. It is necessary to mention the resolutions, the ground of which is the principle of â€Å"land for peace† (See resolutions 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002) and 1515(2003) at Global Policy Forum, July 13 2006). Also it must be noted that Hezbollah movement is supported by Syria and Iran. Syria regards Israel as enemy country due to the Israel’s occupation of Golan Heights, territory of Syria. The cessation of occupation of these territories, according to the â€Å"land for peace† resolution, would stop Syria’s support of Hezbollah. Important in that confrontation is the position of the USA. One should mention Council resolution, vetoed by US, which was forwarded by Qatar as of July 13 2006. Some excerpts from this resolution are relevant here: â€Å"The Security Council, Reaffirming all its relevant resolutions, in particular, 242 (1967), 338 (1973), 1397 (2002) and 1515(2003),†¦ Condemning military assault being carried out by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Gaza Strip, which has caused the killing and injury of dozens of Palestinian civilians, and the destruction of Palestinian property and civilian infrastructure, notably Gaza’s main power station, and condemning also the detention of democratically elected Palestinian and other officials, Condemning also the firing of rockets from Gaza into. Israel and the abduction of an Israeli soldier by Palestinian armed groups from Gaza, and the recent abduction and killing of an Israeli civilian in the West Bank, †¦ Calls for the immediate and unconditional release of the abducted Israeli soldier;†¦ Calls upon the Palestinian Authority to take immediate and sustained action to bring an end to violence, including the firing of rockets on Israeli territory;†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Global Policy Forum, July 13 2006) What exactly in this resolution was unacceptable for Bush’s administration that induced it to veto the given resolution? Was not it the fact that the resolution one more time reminded of systematic UN Council resolutions violation by Israel? Was not it a demonstration of double standards? The idea on this issue is clearly expressed in the article The Economist â€Å"Israel ignores the United Nations and has weapons of mass destruction. So why all the fuss about Iraq? Soon after invading Kuwait in 1990, Saddam Hussein realized that he had made a mistake. [†¦] But as the world debates the merits of another American-led war against Mr. Hussein, the idea has returned in a new form. Israel has violated countless UN resolutions and amassed weapons of mass destruction, say those who oppose this war. Why then is Iraq singled out for yet more punishment while the Israelis get off scot-free? † (www. economist. com, 2002). These question remains without answer. The analogy can be drawn between the case with Hezbollah and Israel and the behavior of a host as regards a thief. If a thief (Hezbollah) breaks into someone’s house (Israel) so what shall a host do? He should call police! (in case with Israel – appeal to the UN Security Council). And what does the host do? He starts striking with his axe destroying everything on his way, including innocent neighbours. But as it turns out the host is himself on the wanted list for countless crimes (resolutions violation). What is then in this situation a host, victim or criminal? And who is to be protected by police (by the USA)? Exactly such inconsistency between the crime and punishment, elevation of one party and humiliation of another, provokes the Muslim world to hate the U. S. policy. Israel’s actions are treated by Arab countries as a challenge to the whole Muslim world. The USA and its citizens began to be looked at as Israel’s supporters who can disregard and manipulate international law leaning on their military and economic might. For a common American citizen this is a terrible situation. In any place of the world he or she becomes an object of hatred. US government’s attempt to protect its people in military manner (in Iraq) and ignoring Israel’s aggression created the situation when neither in Europe nor even at home the Americans can feel safe (9/11 events). In other words, military methods, unapproved by world community, in fact, helped to solve Iraq or Hezbollah problems but immediately generated many other problems. But will Israel attain its aim (peace and remove the threat) when civilians die? Most probably it will not, while killed Hezbollah militants will be replaced by others those, who formerly were peaceful civilians but began to hate Israel because of bombings and there will be the same old story again. The way out from this predicament is to defend not only the interests of own nation and citizens but stand upon the values common to all mankind. Thus Israel defends its citizens by bombing Lebanon but it does not care for dying civilians what leads to conflict escalation . Like Israel, other countries are not governed by human values too. Thus BBC reporting on the evacuation of civilians from Lebanon states: â€Å"A British warship has dropped off 180 UK citizens in Cyprus, and is returning to Beirut to pick up more people, A Norwegian ferry has taken hundreds of Norwegians, Swedes and Americans to Cyprus, while a US-chartered ship has left Beirut with US citizens† (BBC News). The immediate question arises: should not they take first women and children from the territory of conflict? Only when American community realizes that human values are more important than any other, national, religious, ethnic or racial interests, and politicians adhere to this principle, only then the attitude of the world towards the USA and its citizens will change. Another aspect, that American community is confronted with, is constantly increasing military expenses. One can extirpate radicalism and extremism by military means but there is also a chance first to find reasons that induce extremism and then try to eliminate these reasons. Thus Ahmad S. Mousalli in the article Islamist Perspectives of Regime Political Response: The Cases of Lebanon and Palestine claims that â€Å"†¦Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine †¦ are plagued, in one way or another, with poverty, inflation, underemployment, and exploitation. Many Palestinians or Egyptians, for instance, may turn to Islamism because of the corruption of their political elites, exploitation of the nouveau riche, nepotism, favoritism and the like. † (1996, 53) In this view the part of expenses, spent on army, could have been directed to support and reorganize economy of the Middle East countries. One more thing that deserves American community’s attention is that while possessing the veto power in UN Security Council, the US government abuses its power. To prove it there is a table below which shows the frequency of the use of the veto in the Security Council by different countries during the last decade. Period China* France Britain US Russia Total 2006 – – – 1 – 1 2005. 2004 – – – 2 1 3 2003 – – – 2 – 2 2002 – – – 2 – 2 2001 – – – 2 – 2 2000 – – – – – 0 1999 1 – – – – 1 1998 – – – – – 0 1997 1 – – 2 – 3 1996 – – – – – 0 Table is taken from Global Policy Forum â€Å"Changing Patterns in the Use of the Veto in the Security Council† Retrieved from http://globalpolicy. igc. org/security/data/vetotab. htm The USA has a strong leading position in this table. This table is the confirmation of the following statement: â€Å"Many member states have expressed their criticism of the veto, arguing that the veto privilege is an anachronism responsible for much of the Security Council’s undemocratic and ineffective procedures. Not surprisingly, those enjoying the power of the veto don’t want to give it up. † (Global Policy Forum â€Å"The Power of the Veto†) So, the countries with veto power in Security Council should abandon it. Conclusion The situation around Israel and Lebanon is not an exceptional one; it reflects the general tension in the world. This war only confirms that the world policy desperately needs revision. It is necessary to establish new world order and the USA has to head this process. International relations must be established upon the principles different from those existing today, in particular, economically powerful country while taking any actions is obliged to take into account the interests of less developed countries. To settle conflicts it is necessary to resume the authority of United Nations and entitle it to make decisions as regards resorting to force in conflict settlement. The resolutions carried by this organization must be mandatory to all countries. This conclusion can be best supported by words uttered by the ex-president of the USA immediately after the cold war: â€Å"a new era-freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice, and more secure in the quest for peace. An era in which the nations of the world, East and West, North and South, can prosper and live in harmony †¦ a world where the rule of law supplants the rule of the jungle †¦ where the strong respect the rights of the weak. † (Miller, Yetiv 2001, 56) Unfortunately, in 15 year period following that speech news line on BBC says: â€Å"The USA is going to accelerate military supplies of high-precision missiles to Israel†. (BBC News) This is exactly the way George Bush junior and Israel decided to realize Bush senior’s dream of the harmony in the world. Works Cited BBC News Dozens die in fresh Lebanon raids BBC News 19 July 2006. 22 July 2006 < http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/middle_east/5193662. stm>. Crahan, Margaret E. , Goering John, and Weiss Thomas G. Wars on Terrorism and Iraq: Human Rights, Unilateralism, and U. S. Foreign Policy. New York: Routledge, 2004. Global Policy Forum Draft Resolution Proposed by Qatar, Vetoed By US.. July 13, 2006 Global Policy Forum The Power of the Veto. July 2006 Global Policy Forum Changing Patterns in the Use of the Veto in the Security Council July 2006 Hezbollah battle along border. United Press International. Gopusa; Israel. 19 July 2006 . Kirkwood-Tucker, Toni Fuss. â€Å"Germany’s Opposition to the Iraq War and Its Effect on U. S. -German Relations. † Social Education. 68. 4 (2004): 285+. Labott, Elise U. S. diplomatic options limited in Israel-Lebanon conflict. CNN. com Jul 15, 2006. 22 July 2006 Miller, Eric A. , and Yetiv Steve A. â€Å"The New World Order in Theory and Practice: The Bush Administration’s Worldview in Transition. † Presidential Studies Quarterly 31. 1 (2001): 56. Mousalli, Ahmad S. â€Å"Islamist Perspectives of Regime Political Response: The Cases of Lebanon and Palestine. † Arab Studies Quarterly 18. 3 (1996): 53+. Press Release SC/8181. Security Council. 09 Feb. 2004 . 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 22 July 2006

Adidas Csr

PRINCIPLES OF MANAGEMENT Corporate Social Responsibility CASE STUDY: THE ADIDAS GROUP. SUPPLIER TRAINING PROGRAMMES 1. Provide the STO. ADIDAS Group is so well-known in the world that there is a huge pressure from stakeholders to ensure that all employees and their companies have the same ethics and working conditions, properly licensed and operating. To meet the demands of stakeholders, they want to educate the workers that are not from Germany to work as the Germans people works so that the brand does not lose the identity. The training focuses on aspects such as improving human resources managers to educate and care for the environment, health and safety. Thanks to these programs, the ADIDAS Group commitment to the working conditions, the company has already been recognized internationally, as well as improves the well-being of current workers and educates them to properly use company resources. 2. Who are the 2 main stakeholders management is trying to reach with their CRS initiatives? What are the key programs being delivered to these stakeholders? The two main stakeholders are the workers and the community. The idea is to put the workers to be as efficient as possible, and, about the community, put them in programs which are also accessible to others even if they are not workers. For example in China, they managed to create a diploma for those who do this program. The five programs are: ? Fair factories Clearinghouse (2006) is an information platform that encourages members to share information and collaborate to increase productivity, leading to even greater ease in security and working conditions. Human Resources Management Systems (2006) they create this department to have a control over who is hired for the company. Each new employee must correspond to each parameter. It also serves to better manage employees' careers and their pay, creating premiums and benefits. Better Work Program (2007) consists on training programs involving, among others, labor standards, workers rights, human resource management, supervisory skills, and occupational health and safety. Environment, Health & Safety academy (2009) is to improve an existing health and safety training program in the supply chain and get the rate of high skills officers up among the ancient officers. Occupational Health and Safety Officer Programs (2010) is a three-year program designed for the local Health and Safety officers across a range of management levels in accordance with pre-existing skills and local requirements. 3. What are the short-term benefits of the programs? What are the long-term benefits of the programs? Thanks to these programs, ADIDAS group, in a short-term, has been able to focus on its supply chain proactively and make significant changes witch benefit the well-being of current suppliers employees as well as their financial bottom line. In a long-term, the programs allow for increasing employee and customer retention as well as a significant increase in highlyskilled workers, thereby providing the ADIDAS group with increased productivity as well as high quality products. 4. What are some of the key challenges with the initiatives? What recommendations will you provide to management on how to address these challenges? These programs try to spread a professional trend concerned on the safety working conditions born in Europe. The key challenge ADIDAS Group can find on that is the different cultural basis of workers around the world. As the main part of supply chain is located in Asia, this challenge become more relevant in terms of actually poor working conditions. As a manager, we would recommend taking into account the different trends and historical background when setting up these training programs. Despite all this, the aim is to be always open, transparent and accountable when managing abroad, in order to satisfy stakeholders.

Sample Question

Sample Question 5312 Fall 2009 Student:___________________________________________________________________ 1. Corporate governance include concerns about: A. business ethics and social responsibility. B. the responsibilities of the board of directors. C. equitable treatment of stakeholders. D. disclosures and transparency. E. all of the above. 2. The most powerful corporate governance legislation to date has been: A. the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002. B. the creation of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. C. Corporate Ethics Code of 2005. D. the regulation of inventory management practices by the SEC. . The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002 does not specifically prohibit an independent auditor from performing the following non-audit function(s) for an audit client: A. financial information systems design and implementation. B. internal audit outsourcing services. C. tax services. D. â€Å"expert† services. E. SOX specifically prohibits an independent audi tor from performing all of all of the non-audit services for an audit client. 4. Which is the following descriptions is not one of the â€Å"Seven Financial Shenanigans† identified by Howard Schilit and listed in Exhibit 10-1: A. ecording revenue too soon or that is of a questionable quality. B. boosting income with one-time gains. C. failing to record intangible assets which the company has ownership rights to. D. shifting future expenses to the current period as a special charge. E. failing to record or improperly reducing liabilities. 5. The explanatory notes to the financial statements: A. should be referred to if more than a cursory, and perhaps misleading impression of a firm's financial position and its results of operations is to be achieved. B. are not an integral part of the financial statements. C. nclude a great deal of detailed information that is potentially useful only to a financial analyst making a detailed appraisal of the future prospects of the entity. D. are used by many entities to hide information from the reader of the financial statements by including in the explanatory notes information that should be shown in detail on the financial statements themselves. 6. The nature and content of disclosures relate to all of the following except: A. accounting changes. B. segment information. C. fair market value. D. contingencies and commitments. E. events subsequent to the balance sheet date. . Which of the following is nota topic that is likely to be discussed as a significant accounting policy? A. Depreciation method. B. Earnings per share of common stock calculation details. C. Inventory valuation method. D. Method of estimating uncollectible accounts receivable. 8. The explanatory notes to the financial statements: A. are not an integral part of the financial statements. B. explain the significant accounting policies of the company. C. usually disclose the amount of the company's bad debts expense. D. describe management's product de velopment plans for the coming year. 9.Significant accounting policies are described in the explanatory notes to the financial statements because: A. there isn't enough space for them to be included in the captions of the financial statements. B. if the accrual basis of accounting is used, â€Å"matching† of revenues and expenses may not take place. C. the reader must be aware of which of the alternative generally accepted accounting practices have been used. D. none of the above. 10. When an entity changes its accounting from one generally accepted method to another generally accepted method: A. financial statements of all prior years are changed to maintain comparability. B. n explanatory note stating that the change was approved by the Financial Accounting Standards Board is required. C. the dollar effect of the change on both the balance sheet and income statement must be disclosed. D. changes like this are not permitted. 11. The impact of changing price levels on amounts reported in financial statements is: A. reported as a separate item on the balance sheet. B. accomplished by reporting assets at their replacement cost. C. required to be described in the explanatory notes to the financial statements. D. encouraged, but not required to be described in the explanatory notes to the financial statements. 2. Management's statement of responsibility: A. explains that the entity's financial statements are the responsibility of the entity's auditors. B. states that the financial statements are free of significant error. C. affirms that management is responsible for assuring adherence to internal control policies and procedures. D. guarantees that the firm has operated in a highly ethical manner. 13. Firms that issue registered securities are required to file, with the SEC on an annual basis, which of the following? A. An annual report. B. A prospectus. C. A form 10-K. D. A set of financial statements. E.All of the above. 14. A firm's cash dividends were $ 3. 96 per share of common stock for calendar 2006. In 2007 the stock was split 3 for 1, and in 2008 a 10% stock dividend was issued. Dividends per share for 2006, to be reported in the firm's annual report for 2008, are: A. $3. 96 B. $1. 45 C. $1. 32 D. $1. 20 15. Business segment information is included in the explanatory notes to financial statements because: A. the amounts shown on the financial statements of most companies are just too large to comprehend. B. current and potential investors can make more informed judgments about the company. C. et income from various geographic areas can be clearly determined. D. by combining these amounts for each segment, ROI and funds flows for the company as a whole can be determined. 16. For 2006, Skresso Co. reported $3. 64 of earnings per share of common stock. During 2007 the firm had a 4% common stock dividend. 2006 earnings per share to be reported in the annual report for 2007 are: A. $3. 79 B. $3. 64 C. $3. 50 D. $3. 49 17. Managemen t's statement of responsibility: A. usually refers to the company's system of internal controls. B. emphasizes that the auditors are responsible for the financial statements. C. ncludes a disclaimer of responsibility for the level of the P/E ratio of the company's common stock. D. gives the president of the company an opportunity to explain why profits changed. 18. Which of the following is the proper paragraph sequence for an independent Auditor's Report? A. Scope, introduction, opinion. B. Introduction, scope, opinion. C. Opinion, scope, summary. D. Introduction, opinion, scope. 19. A firm's independent auditors have the responsibility to: A. assess the firm's accounting policies. B. ascertain the firm's profit potential. C. uncover all fraudulent activities. D. assess management's discussion and analysis. 0. The independent auditors' report usually: A. presents a â€Å"clean bill of health† for the company. B. refers to the quality of the company's products or services. C. includes an opinion that the financial statements are correct. D. includes an opinion that the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, financial information about the company. 21. An audit conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards includes each of the following except: A. examination, on a test basis, of evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. B. valuation of the efficiency and effectiveness of management. C. assessment of the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management. D. planning and performance of the audit to obtain reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free of material misstatements. 22. Which one of the following methods is no longer a Generally Accepted Accounting Method? A. Purchase accounting. B. Fair market value method. C. Pooling method. D. None of the Above. 23. Which of the following require an explanatory note in the independent auditors' report. A. basing the opinion on the work of another auditor.B. Uncertainties about the outcome of a significant event that would have affected the presentation of the financial statement. C. Substantial doubt about the entity's viability to continue as a going concern. D. None of the above. E. Items a, b and c are correct. 24. A management that wanted to increase the financial leverage of its firm would: A. raise additional capital by selling common stock. B. use excess cash to purchase preferred stock for the treasury. C. raise additional capital by selling fixed interest rate long-term bonds. D. try to increase its ROI by increasing asset turnover. 25.For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007, a company reported earnings per share of $3. 25 and cash dividends per share of $0. 50. During fiscal 2008, the company had a 3 for 2 stock split. In the annual report for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, earnings per share and cash dividends for fiscal 2007 would be reported, respecti vely, as: A. $3. 25 and $0. 50 B. $4. 85 and $0. 75 C. $2. 17 and $0. 33 D. $1. 09 and $0. 17 26. Financial leverage: A. arises because most borrowed funds have a fixed interest rate. B. arises because most borrowed funds have a variable interest rate. C. usually has no bearing on the risk associated with a company.D. is a concept that does not apply to individuals. 27. A potential creditor's judgment about granting credit would be most influenced by the potential customer's: A. current ratio at the end of the prior fiscal year. B. most recent acid-test ratio. C. trend of acid-test ratio over the past three years. D. practice with respect to taking cash discounts offered by current suppliers. 28. Another term for the price/earnings ratio is: A. cost ratio. B. sales multiple. C. earnings multiple. D. profit ratio. 29. An entity's current ratio will be influenced by: A. the inventory cost flow assumption used. B. riting off an overdue account receivable against the allowance for uncol lectible accounts. C. the depreciation method used. D. issuance of a stock dividend. 30. If a firm's debt ratio were 25%, its debt/equity ratio would be: A. 25%. B. 50%. C. 33. 33%. D. 75%. 31. An individual interested in making a judgment about the profitability of a company should: A. review the trend of working capital for several years. B. calculate the company's ROI for the most recent year. C. review the trend of the company's ROI for several years. D. compare the company's ROI for the most recent year with the industry average ROI for the most recent year. 2. Which of the following is not a category of financial statement ratios? A. Financial leverage. B. Liquidity. C. Profitability. D. Prospectus. 33. When a firm has financial leverage: A. ROI will be greater than ROE. B. ROI will usually be less than it would be without leverage. C. risk is greater than if there isn't any leverage. D. the firm will always have a higher ROE than it would without leverage. 34. When a corporat ion has both common stock and preferred stock outstanding: A. dividends on preferred stock are paid only if the company has current earnings. B. ividends on preferred stock must be paid before dividends on common stock can be paid. C. preferred stockholders receive the same dividend per share as common stockholders. D. dividends on preferred stock are paid only if dividends are to be paid on the common stock. 35. A leverage buyout refers to: A. one firm issues stock to take over another firm. B. one firm trades its stock for the stock of another firm. C. a firm goes heavily into debt in order to obtain the funds to purchase the shares of the public stockholders. D. one firm pays cash for the shares of a takeover firm's shares. 36.The dividend payout ratio describes: A. the proportion of earnings paid as dividends. B. the relationship of dividends per share to market price per share. C. the percentage change in dividends this year compared to last year. D. dividends as a percentage o f the price/earnings ratio. 37. The price/earnings ratio: A. is a measure of the relative expensiveness of a firm's common stock. B. does not usually change by more than 1. 0 (e. g. 8. 2 to 9. 2) during the year. C. can be used to determine the cash dividend to be received during the year. D. is calculated by dividing the earnings multiple by net income. 38.If a firm's payment terms for sales made on account to its customers were 2/10, n30, the number of days' sales in accounts receivable would be expected to be: A. less than 10. B. between 10 and 25. C. between 25 and 40. D. over 40. 39. A common size income statement: A. uses the same dollar amount of revenues for each year. B. expresses items as a percentage of revenues. C. makes comparisons between years more difficult. D. is useful in estimating the impact of inflation. 40. Management's use of resources can best be evaluated by focusing on measures of: A. liquidity. B. activity. C. leverage. D. book value. 41.Asset turnover cal culations: A. are made by dividing the average asset balance during the year by the sales for the year. B. are made by dividing sales for the year by the asset balance at the end of the year. C. communicate information about how promptly the entity pays its bills. D. should be evaluated by observing the turnover trend over a period of time. 42. The comparison of activity measures of different companies is complicated by the fact that: A. different inventory cost flow assumptions may be used. B. dollar amounts of assets may be significantly different. C. only one of the companies may have preferred stock outstanding.D. the number of shares of common stock issued may be significantly different. 43. A higher P/E ratio means that: A. the stock is more reasonably priced. B. the stock is relatively expensive. C. investors are wary of the stock. D. earnings are expected to decrease. 44. Which of the following is(are) an example of a measure of leverage? A. Debt yield. B. Debt payout ratio. C. Preferred dividend coverage ratio. D. Debt/equity ratio. E. All of the above. 45. The inventory turnover calculation: A. is wrong unless cost of goods sold is used in the numerator. B. is wrong unless sales is used in the numerator. C. s an alternative way of expressing the number of days' sales in inventory. D. requires knowledge of the inventory cost flow assumption being used. 46. Book value per share of common stock of a manufacturing company: A. is not a very useful measure most of the time. B. is calculated by dividing market value per share by earnings per share. C. reflects the fair market value of the company's stock. D. is the same as the total balance sheet asset value per share of common stock. 47. If the P/E ratio of a company's common stock were 12, and its earnings were $ 2. 50 per common share: A. the market value of the common stock would be $20. 3 per share. B. the market value of the common stock would be $25. 00 per share. C. an increase in earnings of $0. 20 per share, with no change in the multiple, would result in a market price increase of $2. 40 per share. D. an increase in earnings of $0. 20 per share, with no change in the multiple, would result in a market price increase of $1. 67 per share. 48. The concept of operating leverage refers to which of the following? A. Operating income changes proportionately more than revenues for any given change in activity level. B. Operating income changes proportionately less than revenues for any given change in activity level.C. Operating income changes proportionately more than income for any given change in activity level. D. Operating income changes proportionately less than income for any given change in activity level. 49. As the total volume of activity changes: A. the total of variable costs changes. B. the total of fixed costs changes. C. variable costs per unit change. D. fixed costs per unit stay the same. 50. A firm has revenues of $120,000, a contribution margin ratio of 30%, and fixed expenses that total $56,000. If revenues increase $20,000, then: A. operating income will increase by $6000. B. operating income will be 0.C. fixed expenses will increase $8000. D. the contribution margin ratio will increase by 1/8. 51. Each of a company's several product lines has a different contribution margin ratio. Total sales in 2007 were 20% higher than total sales in 2006. Total contribution margin for 2007 will be: A. the same as it was in 2006, regardless of changes in sales mix. B. 20% higher than it was in 2006, regardless of changes in sales mix. C. more than 20% higher than it was in 2006, if the sales mix changes and proportionately more high contribution margin ratio products are sold in 2007 than in 2006. D. ess than 20% higher than it was in 2006, if the sales mix changes and proportionately more high contribution margin ratio products are sold in 2007 than in 2006. For questions 52, 53, 66, 79 and 84 the following graph is needed. [pic] 52. If sales volume were to decrease 10%, from 4,000 units per month to 3,600 units per month, operating income would: A. not change B. decrease $10,000 C. decrease $24,000 D. decrease $40,000 53. If the selling price per unit were to drop $2, from $100 to $98, the sales volume were to increase 500 units to 4,500 units per month, and advertising expense were to increase by $1,000: A. he break-even point would increase. B. the break-even point would decrease. C. the contribution margin ratio would increase. D. operating income would decrease. 54. The cost of a single unit of production in excess of the breakeven point in units is: A. its fixed cost and variable cost. B. its fixed cost only. C. its variable cost only. D. none of the above. For questions 55 and 64 the following graph is needed. [pic] 55. Using the high-low method, the variable rate for maintenance is: A. $0. 40 B. $0. 80 C. $1. 20 D. $2. 50 56. The term â€Å"relevant range† refers to: A. the range of activity where costs will fluc tuate. B. he range of activity where fixed costs change as activity changes. C. the range of activity where total variable cost remains constant as activity changes. D. the range of activity where cost relationships are valid. 57. A firm's products have an average contribution margin ratio of 40%, which will be maintained for the next month even though fixed expenses are expected to rise by $20,000. In order to keep operating income for the month from being affected, revenues will have to increase by: A. $ 8,000 B. $12,000 C. $20,000 D. $50,000 58. The cost formula for monthly customer order processing cost has been established as $100 + $0. 5 per order. It is expected that 5,600 orders will be processed in May and 6,400 in June. Total order processing costs for May and June combined will be estimated to be: A. $ 940 B. $1,060 C. $2,000 D. $2,500 59. The contribution margin ratio always decreases when the: A. breakeven point decreases. B. fixed expenses increase. C. selling price in creases and the variable costs remain constant. D. variable cost increase and the selling price remains constant. 60. Knowledge about the behavior pattern of a cost is important to understanding the effect on net income of a change in sales volume because as sales volume changes: A. et income will change proportionately. B. the effect on net income will depend on the behavior pattern of various costs. C. fixed costs will rise proportionately. D. variable costs will not change. 61. Management accounting is: A. a highly technical subject that people in personnel or engineering should not be expected to understand. B. performed by individuals who seldom work with people in other functional areas of the organization. C. the principal activity involved in determining the goals and objectives of the entity. D. an activity that gets involved with virtually all of the other functional areas of the organization. 62.What percentage of the contribution margin is profit on units sold in excess of the breakeven point? A. It's 50% to the contribution margin ratio. B. It's equal to the variable cost ratio. C. It's equal of the gross profit ratio. D. It's 100%. 63. ABU Co. has several products, each with a different contribution margin ratio. If the same number of units were sold in July as in June, but the sales mix changed: A. operating income would be the same in June and July. B. fixed expenses in July would be in a different relevant range than in June. C. the company's overall contribution margin ratio would be the same in June and July.D. total contribution margin in July would be different from that in June. 64. Using the high-low method, the monthly fixed component of maintenance cost is: A. $1,600 B. $1,200 C. $1,100 D. $1,300 65. When the cost behavior pattern has been identified as fixed at a certain volume of activity: A. any change in volume will probably cause the cost to change. B. it is appropriate to express the cost on a per unit of activity basis. C. the t otal cost will not change even if the volume of activity changes substantially. D. the total cost may change if the volume of activity changes substantially. 66.The break-even point volume of units is: A. 0 B. 360 C. 720 D. 1000 67. An example of a cost likely to have a fixed behavior pattern is: A. sales force commission. B. production labor wages. C. advertising cost. D. electricity cost for packaging equipment. 68. The formula for expressing the total of a fixed, variable, or mixed cost at any level of activity is: A. total cost = fixed cost + (variable rate * volume of activity) B. total cost = fixed cost * volume of activity C. total cost = fixed cost * variable rate D. total cost = fixed cost – variable cost 69. As the level of activity decreases: A. fixed cost per unit decrease.B. variable cost per unit decrease. C. fixed cost remains constant in total. D. variable cost remains constant in total. 70. The contribution margin format income statement is organized by: A. r esponsibility centers. B. functional classifications. C. sales territories. D. cost behavior classifications. 71. As the level of activity increases: A. fixed cost per unit increase. B. variable cost per unit increase. C. variable cost per unit decrease. D. fixed cost per unit decrease. 72. Managerial accounting supports the management process most significantly by: A. measuring and reporting financial results after the fact.B. determining the goals and objectives of the entity. C. providing estimates of financial results for various plans. D. establishing operating policies to be followed during a period of time. 73. An example of a cost that is likely to have a variable behavior pattern is: A. sales force salaries. B. depreciation of production equipment. C. salaries of production supervisors. D. production labor wages. 74. A 10% change in a firm's revenues is likely to result in a change of more than 10% in the firm's operating income because: A. not all of the firm's costs will change in proportion to the revenue change.B. the firm has financial leverage. C. the contribution margin ratio will change in proportion to the revenue change. D. only fixed expenses will change in proportion to the revenue change. 75. An example of a cost likely to have a mixed behavior pattern is: A. sales force commission. B. raw material cost. C. depreciation of production equipment. D. electricity cost for the manufacturing plant. 76. Cost behavior refers to: A. costs that are both good and bad. B. costs that increase at a quicker rate than others. C. costs that decrease at a quicker rate than others. D. costs that are variable or fixed. E. one of the above. 77. Which of the following statements doesnot describe a characteristic of management accounting? A. Management accounting must conform to GAAP. B. Approximate amounts rather than accurate amounts or refined estimates are often used in management accounting. C. Management accounting places a great deal of emphasis on the f uture. D. Management accounting is more concerned with units of the organization rather than with the organization as a whole. 78. Simplifying assumptions made when using cost behavior pattern data include: A. relevant range and liquidity. B. fixed activity and linearity.C. relevant range and linearity. D. activity range and variability. 79. The contribution margin ratio is: A. 40% B. 60% C. 62. 5% D. 70% 80. Which of the following terms do not appear on the contribution margin format income statement: A. gross profit. B. contribution margin. C. operating income. D. variable expenses. 81. A management decision that would have a long term influence on the operating leverage of a firm would be: A. increasing the advertising budget. B. substituting robots for hourly paid production workers. C. increasing prices in proportion to raw material cost increases.D. having a season-end sale of seasonal products. 82. Which of the following activities is not part of the management planning and c ontrol cycle: A. data collection and performance feedback. B. implementation of plans. C. providing information to investors and creditors. D. revisiting plans. 83. The relevant range concept refers to: A. a firm's range of profitability. B. a firm's range of sales. C. a firm's range of rates of return. D. a firm's range of activity. 84. The break-even point in terms of total revenues per month is: A. $30,000 B. $60,000 C. $75,000 D. $100,000 85.When the high-low method of estimating a cost behavior pattern is used: A. cost and volume data must be reviewed for outliers. B. the direct result of the high-low calculations is the fixed expense amount. C. the highest and lowest sales price and volume amounts are used in the calculation. D. the resulting cost formula will explain total cost accurately for every value between the high and low volumes. 86. The shift in the amount of manufacturing overhead costs applied to the mix of products produced that occurs when using a single cost dri ver rate as compared to using activity-based costing rates is known as: A. nderapplied overhead B. overapplied overhead C. cost absorption D. cost distortion 87. An excess of cost of goods manufactured over cost of goods sold for the period represents: A. an increase in gross profit. B. a decrease in work in process inventory. C. overapplied manufacturing overhead. D. an increase in finished goods inventory. 88. A predetermined overhead rate is used to: A. keep track of actual overhead costs as they are incurred. B. assign indirect costs to cost objects. C. establish prices for manufactured products. D. allocate selling and administrative expenses to manufactured products. 9. Which of the following will cause income determined with absorption costing to be higher than income determined with direct costing? A. units produced equals units sold. B. units produced is greater than units sold. C. units produced is less than units sold. D. income determined with absorption costing will alw ays equal income determined with direct costing. 90. The overhead component of product cost is: A. the sum of the actual overhead costs incurred in the manufacture of the product. B. likely to be the same amount for every product made by the company. C. n estimated amount based on labor hours, machine hours, or some other activity. D. determined at the end of the year when actual costs and actual production are known. 91. For the partial value chain functions given below, which sequence is correct? A. design, production, marketing B. marketing, production, distribution C. research and development, production, distribution D. customer service, marketing, distribution 92. Total manufacturing costs for the month on the statement of costs of goods manufactured equals: A. variable costs + fixed costs + mixed costs. B. work in process inventory – finished goods inventory.C. cost of goods sold – cost of goods manufactured. D. cost of raw material used + direct labor cost incu rred + manufacturing overhead applied. 93. An example of a cost likely to have an indirect relationship with products being manufactured: A. production labor costs. B. raw material costs. C. electricity costs for packaging equipment. D. none of the above. 94. Costs may be allocated to a product or activity for many purposes, but care must be exercised when using allocated costs because: A. direct costs identified with the product or activity may not be accurately assigned.B. fixed costs will change in total if the volume of activity changes. C. all costs may not have been allocated to the product or activity. D. arbitrarily allocated costs may not behave in the way assumed in the allocation method. 95. The production cost of a single unit of a manufactured product is determined by: A. dividing total direct materials and direct labor for a production run by the number of units made. B. dividing total direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead for a production run by t he number of units made. C. ividing total direct materials, direct labor, manufacturing overhead and selling expenses for a production run by the number of units made. D. dividing the selling price by the gross profit ratio. 96. An example of a cost that is likely to have a direct relationship with products being manufactured: A. sales force salaries. B. depreciation of production equipment. C. salaries of production supervisors. D. production labor costs. 97. The sequence of activities that add value to the organization are: A. the value processes. B. the chain of production events. C. the value chain. D. the strategic cost initiatives. 8. Which of the following activities is not included in the organization's value chain? A. marketing. B. finance. C. customer service. D. research and development 99. Cost accounting is a subset of: A. financial accounting. B. process cost accounting. C. job order cost accounting. D. managerial accounting. 100. The three components of product costs are: A. direct material, supervisor salaries, selling expenses. B. direct labor, manufacturing overhead, indirect material. C. direct material, manufacturing overhead, direct labor. D. manufacturing overhead, indirect material, indirect labor.