BUS 401 CA MOD 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BUS 401 CA MOD 2 - Essay Example Starbucks, being an international firm might consider factors like geographical variances, cultural differences, regulations of host countries, and market conditions as they intend to export the business to foreign regions. According to Pahl (6), selection of business area, scope of business place, ways to attract customers, and speed and accuracy of business moves etc, are the inevitable factors that an international company should take into consideration while planning to expand its business to new regions. As Starbucks had increased its business areas by launching a number of subsidiaries globally it faced the risk of exposure. Eventually, the company reduced its subsidiaries in USA and exported the business to China. The decision was appropriate that made Starbucks coffee one of the most popular coffee brands among the Chinese people (Fowler). Moreover, Starbucks’ downsizing in the USA and the new Chinese focused business brought remarkable changes in their financial reports. â€Å"The company’s net profit for fiscal year 2008 plunge 53 percent from 2007 to 315.5 million US dollars† (China Daily). More than 70% of the Starbucks’ business is spread in China; and subsequently, the lion’s part of its revenue is derived from the same market. Starbucks had its own unique strategy to enter the Chinese market. For instance, they undertook social responsibility programs as one of their entry level tactic including many charitable works favoring Chinese soci ety. Therefore the Chinese government affectionately welcomed Starbucks’ project home. However, the advent of Starbucks caused the peril of several traditional Chinese industries that prompted the government to initiate certain regulations to control Starbuck’s business operation in China. Therefore, Starbucks declared a $5 million educational program for the well being of the new generation. The Starbucks constituted a committee consisting of Starbucks executives and Chinese

The first law of thermodynamics Essay Example for Free

The first law of thermodynamics Essay The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed; it can only be converted from one form to another. This can be illustrated using the example of steam power. Thermal energy is stored in steam. This steam can be used to drive an steam engine which converts this thermal energy in the steam into kinetic energy of the unit (say steam driven train). In thermal power plants, fossil fuel is burnt to produce steam and the thermal energy in the steam then drives the turbine to produced electricity. Thus thermal energy of the steam gets converted into electrical energy. From these two illustrations it becomes obvious that energy can neither be created nor destroyed it can only be converted from one form to another. Three types of non-renewable power plants and the fuel consumed by these power plants are listed below. Fuels cells use the electrons produced in a chemical reactions to produce electricity. One example is Hydrogen – Oxygen Fuel cell. In this case Hydrogen is oxidized at anode into hydrogen ions plus electrons and oxygen is reduced at cathode into oxide ions at cathode. Anode and cathode is separated by solid electrolytes and connected by a metallic wire. The electrons move from anode to the cathode through the metallic wire and thus electricity is produced. This is very clean source of electrical energy. Criteria for acceptability of energy alternatives are listed below. Technological feasibility – It should be technologically feasible to convert the energy into usable forms like electricity etc. Abundance – The energy source should be available in abundance. Reliability – The energy source should be reliable. This is particularly relevant for wind energy and solar energy in the regions of unpredictable sky conditions and wind conditions. Capital Expenditure – Generally capital expenditure requirements are high and act as major barrier for exploiting renewable energy sources.

U.S involvement in Bosnia :: essays research papers

The United States Involvement in Bosnia; is it positive or negative. After a lifetime of war in Bosnia, can the United States really offer positive change? To truly get a feel for the conflict in this region we must first look at the long-standing hatred between the occupying ethnic groups: Serbs, Muslims, and Croats. From 1481 to 1903 the Ottoman Empire was the ruling body over the entire Balkan region. By the early nineteen hundreds the Ottoman Empire had collapsed. In 1918, at the end of World War One, Russia annexed the Balkan region renaming it Yugoslavia. In 1919 Joseph Stalin, Communist ruler of Russia and its satellite states (i.e. Yugoslavia), appointed Tito to be the head of Yugoslavia. Tito quickly became an iron fisted and ruthless dictator. The Machiavellian characteristics exhibited by Tito have given all Serbs a reputation as being strong armed and merciless. With Tito’s death in 1991, Yugoslavia collapsed and split into 3 independent states: Bosnia, Herzegovina , and Croatia. In 1994 Slovadon Malosovitch was elected ruler of the Serbian state. Incidents of mass genocide and several other war crimes became regular occurrences under his rule. The Bosnian crisis has shown the world the worst of human nature. On behalf of the United Nations, in an effort to settle the unrest in the Balkan region, The United States became involved in 1995. The United States involvement includes: the commitment of twenty thousand troops, the troop support of legions of tanks and other vehicles, and the â€Å"full support† of the United States Government. Unfortunately this upset the native Bosnian people. So, although the United States feels obligated to help the Bosnian Cause, they may be worsening the situation with their involvement, both there and in the U.S There are two sides to this story. The first is the opinion that the United States should completely withdraw from Bosnia. The other opinion is that the United States should go headlong and give B osnia their full support, and commit more troops and more supplies to the Bosnian Cause. There are some positive things done by the United States in Bosnia. The presence of U.S troops did bring temporary peace to the area. Although the peace is purely an act, it does give leaders time to talk and plan without worrying about their people dying. Also, the United States presence in Bosnia helped to eradicate the most horrific problem in Bosnia, large Serbian concentration camps and mass Albanian genocide.

Work Culture

* Career Interest Profiler, Competencies, and Work Culture Preferences * After completing the Career Interest Profiler, Competencies, and Work Culture Preferences activities I have a better understanding in how I will fit in and how my strengthens can help me be successful in my desired field of study. The Career Interest Profiler activity has determined a good career match would be; a credit analyst, auditor, risk management specialist, and an accountant.Possible degree options that would better fit these potential careers are Bachelor’s of Science in accounting, in business with a concentration in finance, and a Bachelor’s in Science in business with a concentration in global management just to name a few. The competencies activities have revealed my strengths are in Delivering Results, Following Instructions, Coping with Pressure, Organizing, Taking initiative, and finally adhering to Values.The Work Culture Preference activity has determined that my ideal work envir onment would have a very high work load, be a fast moving, demand goals and expectations of high performance, have career advancement, high salaries with rapid promotions and other benefits, career development, and the chance to learn new skills, career would be secure and stable, the company would focus on employment welfare, and have lots of personal development and feedback.A couple possible employers based, on my strengthens determined by the competence activity in relation to the job market research tool are McGladery, PriceWaterHouseCoopers, and Ernst & Young. McGladery, McGladrey LLP is the largest U. S. provider of assurance, tax and consulting services focused on the middle market, with nearly 6,500 professionals and associates in more than 75 offices nationwide.McGladrey is a licensed CPA firm. (www. mcgladery. com/about/about). PriceWatersHouseCoopers, PwC focuses on  audit and assurance,  tax  and  consulting services. Additionally, in the US, PwC concentrates on 16 key industries and provides targeted services that include — but are not limited to —  human resources,deals,  forensics, and  consulting services. We help resolve complex issues and identify opportunities. (www. pwc. om/us) All three of these employers are here in Tucson. McGladery in specific offers a few different internships in different seasons throughout the year, in different fields. These internships are offered to students that have 12-16 months left in obtaining there bachelor’s degree. After some research I believe a career in accounting, risk management, audit planning, and compliance would fit my Work Culture Preferences activity well.

Global Crisis, Recession & Uneven Recovery

Global Crisis, Recession and Uneven Recovery by Y. V. Reddy Book Review by Nidhi Choudhari There is enough on this earth to meet the needs of all, but not the greed of all. Mahatma Gandhi Why I picked up Y. V. Reddy’s Book There have been a large number of books published on current global financial crisis therefore; selection of this particular book on the subject requires some reasoning. First, there are not many books written by central bankers on the topic.Central banks have been central in the management of the crisis and therefore, Dr Reddy’s book provides a central banker’s assessment of the crisis and its impact. Second, on personal level, I have worked in RBI between September 2006 and December 2011 and was witness to the measures taken by Reserve Bank before and during the crisis under the able leadership of Dr Y. V. Reddy, the Governor, Reserve Bank of India (2003-2008). Having worked under his visionary leadership, I opted to take his book, â€Å"Glo bal Crisis, Recession and Uneven Recovery† for review.Third, Dr Reddy led the course of financial pragmatism in times of relentless deregulation and ensured that Indian financial system does not fall into the blind race to bottom in regulation. Finally, having read Dr Reddy’s previous book on the topic viz. â€Å"India and the Global Financial Crisis: Managing Money and Finance†, I was very keen on reading its sequel viz. â€Å"Global Crisis, Recession and Uneven Recovery†. For all these reasons, I selected this book and am thankful to Madam Nidhi Sharma for approving this book for review.The reviewed book is a collection of 27 speeches (given in the form of 27 chapters in 5 parts), Dr Reddy delivered at different points of time during and after the crisis. These chapters give a deeper insight into the actions taken by the RBI to mitigate the impact of the crisis in India and how India remained largely unaffected due to adequate regulatory mechanisms. Dr R eddy has also been a member of the Commission of Experts of The President of the UN General Assembly on Reforms of The International Monetary and Financial System popularly known as Stiglitz Commission after its chairman Joseph Stiglitz.He has given several references about the recommendations of this UN Commission in the book. The 19th Chapter in the book is about the UN Commission recommendations about global crisis. Hence, the reader of the book gets an understanding of the global thinking on the crisis and its after effects. What’s there in the Book Economists have compared the current global financial crisis to that of the Great Recession of 1930s. The current crisis has in fact, affected all countries across the world in different degrees and that way, it was truly a global recession.Today, the crisis is over however the recovery has started at different paces in different places. Dr Reddy is of the view that the recovery from the global crisis is going to be prolonged and uneven. The book â€Å"Global Crisis, Recession and Uneven Recovery† provides an experienced policymaker’s understanding of the genesis, progression and impact of the financial crisis, and of the lessons it offered. It is written at a time when Indian economy is facing several challenges in terms of slowdown in growth rate, inflation, ballooning fiscal and current account deficit etc.The book contains Dr Reddy’s perspective and analysis of the crisis, recession and recovery in a simple, lucid and non-technical manner which appeals the reader. There are five sections in the book containing 27 chapters in all. The five sections relate to the global financial crisis and its aftermath, financial sector: retrospect and prospects, public policy: challenges and responses, global financial architecture: the debates and India: performance and prospects respectively. The first section of the book gives a lucid account of the financial crisis and its consequences in si x chapters.In the first chapter, Dr Reddy talks about the role played by central banks before, during and after the crisis. He writes that the accountability in regard to management of the crisis of the crisis will have to be shared between the central bank, the Ministry of Finance and, to some extent, the government as a whole. The author writes about the consequences of the crisis viz. rebalancing of power between the regulator and the regulated, shift in balance of in favour of Asia, rise of G-20 on the global platform and a cautious approach towards self-correcting efficiency of markets etc.Explanations with regard to the causes of the global financial crisis and an overview of the prolonged extensive excesses that acted synchronically to cause the global crisis are discussed in detail. The second section of the book focuses on the future of the financial sector with some cautious remarks about uncertain recovery and prospects for the futures. The author highlights the role of f inancial regulation in developing countries. Dr Reddy writes that â€Å"the causes and crossborder transmission of the crisis may differ significantly between the advanced as well as between the developing economies. There is a detailed chapter on countercyclical policies adopted by the RBI in the financial sector and also on the proposals for financial sector regulatory reforms from the perspective of developing countries. He discusses the future of globalisation of finance and the global regulation of the financial sector. The last chapter of this section provides a broad framework for global financial regulation. The third section deals with the public policy challenges and responses that emerged during the current global crisis.He has discussed the feasibility of Tobin Tax and Financial Sector Taxation in light of current crisis. Dr Reddy has also thrown light on the developmental dimension of the financial sector, fiscal implications of the global crisis and macroeconomic fram eworks that are emerging for ensuring overall global financial stability. The forth section raises a very important concern of modern times i. e. reform of global financial architecture comprising of the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO. In this section, Dr Reddy has discussed the recommendations of the UN Commission on the global crisis.He has also analysed the G-20 framework and its future prospects. Finally the book focuses on India's performance and prospects; India's experience in regulating the financial sector; and the need for reform in India's financial sector. The author also compares Indian situation with that of Asia and the global economy in terms of resilience and recovery after the crisis. The last chapter in concluding section draws attention to the exit strategies being considered at the global as well as national level by the authorities to revert back to normality.Take Away from the Book As the book is entitled â€Å"Global Crisis, Recession and Uneven Recoveryâ⠂¬ , the biggest take away after reading of the book would be a clear and better understanding of these three terms viz. (1) Global Crisis, (2) Recession and (3) Uneven Recovery. I personally would like to share my understanding of these three aspects in greater detail with the help of excerpts from the book in the following points: Global Crisis: Reasons, Consequences and Lessons Learnt Several reasons have been cited for the recent crisis viz. ailure of state, market, governance, intellect and morality. Dr Reddy writes, â€Å"The current global crisis originated in multiple causes that reinforced each other. Extensive excesses on several fronts, which occurred in a synchronised fashion, precipitated the crisis. These excesses were observed in liquidity, macroeconomic imbalances, focus on inflation, inequalities, financialisation, leverage, risk-taking, deregulation, financial innovation, networking, greed, globalisation and concentration. 1 While discussing the moral aspect of g lobal crisis, Dr Reddy writes, â€Å"†¦ the large sections of society favoured individualism, narrowly emphasising value for money as consumers and returns on money as investors over other aspects of social behaviour, such as being good citizen or extending corporate loyalty to the institution. †2 Dr Reddy discusses the race to bottom in regulation of financial sector as one of the most crucial reason for the global financial crisis.He writes, â€Å"†¦the excesses in financial sector occurred under a benign public policy that believed the costs of regulation to be greater than its benefits†¦ Even the existing regulation was stymied by excessive innovations in finance that aimed to avoid the prescribed regulatory capital, and injected complexity to undermine the rules of transparency prescribed by regulators. †3 As far as consequences of the crisis are concerned, Dr Reddy is of the view that the current crisis will result in rebalancing of ideological, in stitutional and operational functioning of states and 1 2Page 46, Chapter 3 Page 43, Chapter 2 3 Page 59, Chapter 4 markets. He writes, â€Å"â€Å"In recent years, there has been an almost irrefutable presumption in favour of markets and this may be replaced with a refutable presumption in favour of the markets. †4 As a result of the crisis, the irrefutable support for unfettered markets stands discredited and so also the belief that the growth of the financial sector leads to economic development. Also, the crisis has added to the objectives of central banks an additional responsibility i. e. inancial stability. The RBI has also taken it to its objectives alongwith growth and price stability. The author calls for redefining the core banking and recommends treatment of commercial banking as a public utility. He writes, â€Å"†¦universal banking will be de-emphasised and narrow banking, in the sense of banks concentrating on core commercial banking or deposits and lend ing will be emphasised†¦ In brief, commercial banking is likely to be closer to a public utility than before, and hence subject to regulations akin to public utilities. 5 He further stresses, â€Å"It should be recognised that there will be no banks if there are no depositors. †6 As regards lessons from the crisis, Dr Reddy suggests that â€Å"†¦improving transparency and regulatory oversight of hedge funds, credit rating agencies and over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives should become a priority in the light of the experience from the crisis. †7 Interestingly, the author suggests in the light of observations of the Warwick Commission Report that the scope for and desirability of an ‘unlevelled’ playing field as an instrument of financial sector regulation ought to be explored. As a thinker and an oracle who sees the future of financial sector with great precision, he writes, â€Å"†¦the crisis is global; actions are national; benefits could b e selective or universal; but burdens in the future may have to be largely borne by the masses who bear no responsibility for the crisis, and those who did not benefit materially from the events that led the crisis. †9 Recession In Chapter 6, the author discusses the Great Recession of 2009 in detail and thereafter as per the demand of the subject.He clarifies the concepts of depression, recession and slowdown. A slowdown is a clear fall in the growth of an economy. It is usually a short-term phenomenon lasting say a quarter or a year. The author defines slowdown as a drop in the growth rate by one percentage point. To him, recession refers to a sustained decline in the overall economic activity for a period of more than one year. Depression lasts longer than recession and refers to a longer and larger decline in business activity, mainly reflected in huge drop in output and unemployment. 4 5Page 28, Chapter 1 Page 78, Chapter 5 6 Page 217, Chapter 14 7 Page 172, Chapter 12 8 Page 157, Chapter 10 9 Page 63, Chapter 4 Uneven Recovery If the Great Recession was uneven, so is the recovery. 10 Dr Reddy discusses several responses to the crisis at different points in several chapters. He writes in Chapter 4, â€Å"Initially, the response of monetary authorities, followed by fiscal measures, was confined to the US, UK, Switzerland, other European countries, and Japan, but it was soon realised that it was necessary to involve other countries as well in globally coordinated actions. The author has discussed five possible patterns that could be followed by the countries in their course of recovery. The highly resilient economies may observe rapid recovery from the crisis while less resilient economies would require a longer time to adjust to the new realities and ensure real recovery. Some economies may suffer from double dip recession before complete recovery while some other countries may prefer taking structural measures over a prolonged period thereby opting for a slow but positive recovery after recession.Some countries may register a low level of economic activity for a prolonged period and therefore suffer from recession for a much longer period than the rest of the world. Critique of the Book I consider myself too small to write a critique of the book written by Y. V. Reddy; however, as a reader of global crisis literature I have observed a few points which I will share with the readers of this book review.This book being written by a Central Banker is largely concerned with central bank’s role in dealing with such crisis and redefining of the role of central banks in the wake of need for financial stability. In this pursuit, the role of government in dealing with such crisis has been ignored to some extent. Similarly, the book was published in the year 2011 when a number of countries in Europe were facing sovereign debt crisis however, only a passing reference is made to such an important global event which has pushed many countries in double dip recession.Apart from this, the book is worth reading by all economics lovers and also all policy makers as it gives a deeper insight into the global crisis, recession and recovery. To sum up, I would prefer to quote Sir Howard Davies, Director London School of Economics who applauds the book in the following words, â€Å"Dr Reddy’s (book) fills an important gap†¦ He has lived at the heart of financial system and understands its strengths and weaknesses†¦ His analysis of the problems of the global financial architecture is particularly acute. † 10 Page 93, Chapter 6

Infographic 5 Social Media Tips for Authors

Infographic 5 Social Media Tips for Authors Infographic: 5 Actionable Social Media Tips for Authors Social media is the key to every self-publisher’s dream when it comes to marketing. Though complex, it’s the foreground to any successful book marketing strategy†¦ and it’s free! Being a self-published author means creating great content, but does it also mean you need to be an expert marketer? Thanks to the social web, no–though it certainly pays to be informed.We know engaging thousands of people on social media can feel like working in a black hole, but we’ve curated a list of actionable social media tips authors can utilize to market their books and themselves on social media without wasting time, breaking the bank, or turning into an angry-aggressive marketer who’s forgotten what their real job and passion is: writing.Tip #4. Stay optimistic or stay quietBeing a self-published author means you’re a professional; even though you may be accustomed to sharing personal opinions and experiences on your social media pages and comme nts, disassemble your internet armour and ignore the anti-fan comments. If you want a good counter-example, you can check this author’s reaction to a (slightly satirical) review of his book.Critique and criticism is inevitable. You will be much more appreciated as an author if you take reader feedback with a grain of salt and move on. Harping on the review will only hinder your credibility in the future and take away from the time you could have spent improving and creating content. If the same person keeps attacking your social media accounts, it’s perfectly acceptable to block them.Tip #5. Hashtags are your #friendsHashtags help categorize the rush of content constantly being posted by working as searchable tags and keywords. They’re a great feature to assist you in developing your online presence and reaching out to your audience. If used correctly, hashtags can connect you with readers all over the internet. If used incorrectly, they just clutter all of your wonderful content.Deciding which hashtags to use is one thing, but use too many, and your posts will look like spam. Search for hashtags like #amwriting, #amediting and #fridayreads to engage in community-wide topical posts, and don’t forget generic hashtags like #author, #pubtip, #writelife, #SFF, #YA, etc.Successful social media marketing really does just take time and patience–along with dedication, consistency, and a commitment to making your interactions personal. There is a very fine line between marketing yourself and harassing your readers, so make sure you fall on the right side of the fence by being transparent, friendly and personable. Who knows? You might just find that making friends online is just as fun as meeting people face-to-face!If you liked the post, do us a favour, and tweet the infographic! Just click here for that.How do you use social media as an author? Do you have any other tips to share with us?

6 Ways Nurses Can Stay Healthy During Flu Season

6 Ways Nurses Can Stay Healthy During Flu Season Chances are, the hospital or facility you work at requires you to get your flu shot. But sometimes even that is not enough. Here are 6 more preventative measures you can take to protect yourself from getting sick this season. 1. Treat Your Body Like a TempleJunk food is not your friend. Red Bull and french fries and Snickers bars might get you through a shift, but they won’t get you through flu season. Try and eat healthier (and make sure to include fruits and vegetables!) so your body gets the vitamins and minerals it needs to fight things off. And stay hydrated!2. Get Some SleepYou’re working overtime and the time off you do have is full of holiday activity. Make sure to rest as much and as well as you can so you don’t have to lose work time or play time.3. Be Travel SmartStay hydrated and boost your vitamin intake. Carry Airborne or Zicam or Emergen-C and a packet of sanitizing wipes on planes and trains and buses so you don’t pick up any germs.4. Be Vi gilantStart to get a sniffle or a sneeze? Feel a little achy? Stop what you’re doing and take care of yourself. Take your vitamins, get some rest, drink lots of fluids. Use hand sanitizer often. Get a humidifier. If you’re proactive enough, you can head the flu off at the start.5. Get CleanClean your kitchen and bathroom regularly. But don’t forget to also sanatize the things you carry with you, like your cell phone or your keys. A few disinfectant wipes will do a lot of good in fending off the army of germs. And if you do get sick, remember to change your toothbrush.6. Be an EnforcerYou’re a nurse, so you’re a hand washing and sanitizing pro. But the rest of your family probably isn’t. Get on your soapbox and make sure everyone you love is following the same guidelines. No sick people preparing food! Use tissues to sneeze! Wash hands after coughing! Protect your loved ones and protect yourself.