Infosys Case Study

Infosys Case Study Introduction Indian software industry: In the last few decades Indian software industry emerged as one of the best providers of software services and products globally, in the year 1999-2000 the software industry alone in India accounted for $5.7bn in revenues out of which $4bn come from software exports to other nations, which shows a positive signs and a 53% increase in software exports from previous year, 10% of the total exports of the country come from software only. In 1999 software industry shows some dramatic change in stock markets and it rose to $90bn from $4bn the same year on stock market, which further crash down due to NASDAQ crash, but till then 185 industries out of fortune 500 has already developed their offshore centres in India. (Palepu khanna, 2001). The rise in Indian software industry is due to cheap talent available in the country and gradually building reputations for reliability and high quality services and began to provide value added services as compared to the global industries. (Banerjee and Duflo, 2000). Infosys: Just with the mere amount of $300 Infosys consultants began its operations with visionary Mr. N.R. Narayanmurthy as its chairman, with a purpose of providing offshore and on site consulting on corporate programming by effectively utilising the inexpensive but well trained and talented software engineers of India. The first year successful operation resulted in revenues of Rs 1.16 mn which followed to Rs 100 mn down the lane in 10 years and success story is still going today. (Heitzman, 1999) To compete in the niche market Infosys developed some of the remarkable software products such as DMAP distribution management application package a suite of 600 programs used by Reebok in France. Eagle a ware house management package and BANCs 2000 a n automated banking package installed at over 60 banks branches in INDIA by 1195 ( Heitzman, 1999) In 1993 Infosys changed its name to Infosys technologies and listed the company on BSE with IPO and followed the corporate governance (Palepu Khanna,2001) Infosys terminated its arrangement with Kurt salmon and associates in 1996 and formed a new fully owned subsidiary called Yantra corporation based in Massachusetts for marketing and supporting its products in US Yantra purchased Eagle for US$ 10 mn. In 1996-97 Infosys invested some US$ 2 million in research and development so that it can focus on developing its new and innovative products only. Followed by huge success always Infosys revenues rose from US$2.64 million in 1991 to US$18.11 million in 1995 to US$39.59million in 1997( Heitzman, 1999) Company now adopted a structure bas on focusing on five strategic business units focusing on specific business domains plus 10 group focusing on specific product and management fields for e.g. education technology etc. Infosys has eight development centres in India, six sales offices in U .S. and two in Europe. (Heintzman, 1999). One of the major strengths of Infosys is its Human resources Infosys in March 1997 hired 1705 employees labelled them as Infoscions and intend to hire some 700 more which accounts for 36% of the total revenue of the Infosys. Infosys on an yearly average invest some 5% of its revenue on training and development of its staff. (Heintzman, 1999) Infosys corporate strategy: Corporate strategy: The overall strategy for a diversified multi service/ multi product organizations, tells the overall scope of the business in terms of product services and resource management. ( Thompson martin,2005) The emergence of strategic management discipline in 1960s resulted in four major corporate strategies SWOT in 1960s, Strategic planning matrix in 1970s, competitiveness in 1980s, and core competencies in 1990s (karki, 2004) . During that era corporate strategy is decided based on the assessment of frameworks and responsive to the imperatives of evolutionary and emerging contexts, but for the coming decade the imperatives for the India organisation are: From the evolutionary context Correcting the mindset of dependency on the government; going beyond rationalization of businesses; establishing tight linkages between corporate and business strategies with operations; venturing into new areas; and, building on success against multinational corporations. From the emerging context Large, growing, and internationalizing Indian economy; Globally integrated capital markets; information and communication technologies; Tenets of governance; and, management resource and capability (Karki,2004) Considering the above mentioned imperatives and comparing it with any other American business a new so called Root Branch corporate strategy is adopted for Infosys. Root Branch corporate strategy Root: Being Honest Being World Class Branch: India focused , India diversified and global focused( karki ,2004) Picture model of Root Branch Strategy Company specific factors Infosys A Infosys B Infosys C Branch Root 1. India Focused Being Honest 3. Global Focused Being world class 2. India diversified Industry specific factors Strategy of Infosys Root branch strategy is classified in three broad categories Root: the first level response of the organisation to the commonalities in the evolutionary and emerging contexts which are essential for the organisation. (karki,2004) Branch: the second level response are the strategic directions o the contextual imperatives which an organisation should adopt to meet the requirements in an appropriate manner.(karki,2004) Components based on organisations industry and company specific features. (Karki, 2004) Root has two components Being Honest in terms of customers by delivering fair products and services at the required time and in terms of employees by giving fair compensation rewarding achievements and contribution and meeting legitimate career aspirations which Infosys is pretty much following and known for its better employee satisfaction and in terms of investors Infosys should provide superior returns sharing all future plans and strategies with the stake holders better utilization of shareholders resources for better future profitability, and maintaining corporate governance effectively.( Karki, 2004) (Palepu and Khanna, 2001) Being World class: The strategy component results from existing and emerging competitive reality and do the business of a growing Indian economy and to match the cost responsiveness factors as a global company by reaching scale economies and facing vest competition in the domestic market to step further to global markets.(karki,2004) Branch has three aspects: India Focused: This strategic direction is high for Infosys as India is emerging as a global economy and there still many grounds to be covered by Infosys at Indian level, 185 of Fortune 500 companies have already settle their offshore software development centres in India. (Palepu Khanna, 2001) and still many more global organisations, Banks are willing to open their off shore centres in India seeking cheap Talent over there, Infosys should focus on Indian market and improve their market share in India as most of the Infosys revenues comes from software exports to U.S. India Diversified: Many remarkable examples in India organisations can be seen in Diversification Tatas, Reliance, Bharti group ,Aditya Birla group etc can be seen as success through diversification Infosys should focus on Diversify its business in India as India is highly populated market and a developing too, Infosys should go for software related diversify services such as Telecom operations etc. It can bring a larger market share as well as a bigger brand image for Infosys, diversification also provides ground for a company to compete in various markets and achieving scale economies and an ability to compete globally. Global Focused: As India software industry is now recognized as a very highly reliable and value added product services globally,(Palepu Khanna,2001) Infosys is known to be have some of the best software professionals globally seeking all these Infosys should come out with a strategy of a global brand by focusing on many other emerging economies such as Africa and Asia rather than keep focusing on U.S. as it may prove a mess later sometime if there is an economic crisis come in U.S same as in 1999 when NASDAQ falls. Infosys should also try to come out with its brand image as a truly India and a cheap talent company to boost up its revenue in global markets, for this Infosys should focus on appointing multi ethnic and multi cultural employees globally and some at very respective designations. To improve its brand image and globalisation Infosys should also focus on standardisation of its software products, which can be achieved by listing Infosys on various stock markets across the w orld and by penetrating new markets. (Karki,2004)(Palepu Khanna, 2001) Infosys BPO The current wave of globalisation give shapes to various new forms of international trade hence emerged with several new changes in which the talent can be mobilized combined across national boundaries. Business process outsourcing has become one of the vital part of this trend of globalisation. Infosys BPO is ranked as the 7th largest BPO industry in INDIA by NASSCOM [Bhargava,2007]. Some of the key consulting features which Infosys is providing in the form of BPO are mentioned as follows. Infosys in communications IPTV solutions Billing support operations Customer relationship management [CRM] tools Data centres consolidation Field optimization Tools Mobile applications. Revenue Assurance solutions. [Infosys] IPTV Solutions: Infosys Modular content accelerator (MCA) solution for IPTV established an IPTV product innovation centre that served as an interface between the stakeholders in consumer marketing and IT. [Infosys] Infosys MAC proved to be successful and accelerated the product development by 30%-40% Offered a platform capability to launch rich content services by leveraging technology from a global network of third party component drivers. Created a blue print for a rich set of product offerings to maximize customer revenue.[Infosys case study,2009] Billing support operations: Infosys BPO provides the client with a flexible platform, equipping them with an improved business process model. This has resulted in faster TURN AROUND TIME (TAT) and significant cost savings for the client/s. Key features : BPO with offline helpdesk. Better use of resources Focus on providing process improvements : achieved by process automation and process re-engineering tools and techniques provided by Infosys. Improve resource efficiency by eliminating repetitive manual tasks Reduce user applications, backlogs, increase transparency. Owing end to end process.[Infosys case study ] CRM Tools: Today CRM is the essential part of the communications industry. Infosys offers a wide range of services across major CRM products from structuring a road map to implementation and post product support .[Infosys] CRM challenges: Focus on new revenue markets Complex pricing models Increase channel efficiency Focus on customer retention and churn to reward loyal customers and increase stickiness. Product rationalization. Cost cutting. Infosys solutions: Oracle Telco lab solutions by Infosys offers a pre integrated suite of offerings to leverage oracles comprehensive offerings for the telecom industry A state of the art lab associated with the solution can incubate complex solutions concepts , model solutions to specific customer problems , showcase industry trends.[Infosys] Telecom order management solutions(TOMS) tool by Infosys helps CSPs in improving their efficiency in order management and increase revenues driven by changing customer needs.[Infosys] End to End Boss Framework by Infosys helps CSPs to enable rapid rollout of wholesale products, Intelligent order routing and order fallout management.[ Infosys] iBillcare business platform solutions: helps CSPs to focus on their core competencies with integrated applications , customer care and billing functions[Infosys] Data Centre consolidation Reduction in number of physical boxes by using virtualisation technology. (Infosys) Reduction in complexity of managing servers. Infosys solutions for data centre consolidation results in time management as well as the reduction in the costs to a much lower level. Which helps organisations to increase their efficiency and hence revenue.[Infosys] Field optimization Tools. Field optimization is the essential part in telecom organisations; Field optimization helps telcos to analyse the network problems and produce detailed reports on the basis of analysis, it helps telcos to improve the efficiency of their network, revenue and customer satisfaction.[Infosys] Mobile applications Various types of software applications are provided by Infosys to enhance features of mobiles and gain customer share in the market and increase revenue. [Infosys] Infosys in Banking, finance and Insurance Risk Management Anti Money laundering services Mobile banking Portfolio management Modernization by IT applications [Infosys] Risk management Infosys by its expert IT team made tools which helps in analysing markets for banking and financial organisations. The RMT helps in implementing and integrating process that analyse risk related data and predict liquidity. Anti Money laundering services Increasing crimes in banking and financial sector makes enormous demands for security of customer data. Infosys AML applications provides safeguard to many banking and financial organisations to safeguard their data and capital. [atul shukla] Mobile Banking Infosys Mobile banking applications helps banks to retain customer satisfaction as well as update the customer through SMS services about their banking details, Mobile banking provides flexibility ion the new age banking services. Portfolio Management Although Portfolio management is in practice by banking from decades but Infosys has give a solution inn PM by mixing it with IT. The IT portfolio management helps mangers to gain customers and analyze market data and provide best to the customers.(Infosys)

Residency in Australia Residency Laws

Residency in Australia Residency Laws Clemens and commissioner of taxation [2015] AATA 124 (6 March 2015) 1. Issue and decision consider in chosen case: Introduction: The whole case is about backpackers who were foreign nationals each of whom stayed in Australia for more than 183 days in the tax year to 30 June 2013. Maximillian Clemens (the applicant) from Germany, who entered Australia in 3 October 2012 under working holiday visa with Subclass 417. He described himself as a visitor or temporary resident and he was not willing to stay in Australia permanently (austlii.edu.au, 2017). Maximillian Clemens was lived with his parents for about two weeks before moving to the campus of Universitat Koblenz-Landau. After that Mr. Clemens transferred to Johannes Gutenberg Universitat Mainz where he lives, probably, in rental property. Maximillian Clemens dont have any assets in Australia, he stayed in 14 different hostel for some 45 days (from 3 October 2012 to 17 November 2012), which was locating at nearest area of New South Wales and Queensland, after that for period of 92 days applicant shared a bedroom with his friends (7 people) in Sydney (from 18 No vember 2012 to 18 February 2013), during that type of period the applicant worked in casual factory hand for Warringah Plastics Pty Ltd. From 19 February 2013 to 5 April 2013 the applicant was again lived in 12 different hostels which was located through out Australia, and on 6 April 2013 he arrived in Fiji for 8 days for island hopping trip. The applicant again entered in Australia on 14 April 2013. On 2 April 2013, an assessment form was stopped in the interest of the Applicant. On 22 July 2013, the Commissioner exhorted that he had finished a survey of the government form and presumed that the Applicant was not an occupant of Australia for the year finished 30 June 2013. On 26 July 2013 the Commissioner issued a Notice of Assessment evaluating the Applicant on his pay as a non-occupant. On 15 October 2013, Backpackers Buddy in the interest of the Applicant questioned the Notice of Assessment in light of the fact that he was an occupant of Australia for the year finished 30 June 2 013. On 14 February 2014, the Commissioner refused the protest. The Applicant now looks for an audit of that choice. The issues are: 1. The broad issue involved in this process is whether the applicant was a resident of Australia in the year ended 30 June 2013. 2. To get the permanent residency in Australia Clemens has to pass the following test: a. The ordinary concept test: The ordinary concept is the concept when person wants to stay permanently in Australia without any aim. In this whole case Mr. Clemens declared himself as a tourist and he wants journey in Australia on a working holiday visa, he had no any plan to reside Australia permanently. b. The Domicile test: The Domicile test is the test, when the persons parents are permanent resident of Australia and person have his own house where person can live their safely. Mr. Clemens has no any asset in Australia and his parents basically from Germany, so Mr. Clemens can not pass this test for permanent residency. c. The 183 day test: The 183 day test is the test when the person is permanent resident of Australia, when person reside in Australia for 183 days, in this case person reside in Australia for 186 days, therefore he declared himself as a resident of Australia as per 183 day test. d. The superannuation fund: The person is a member of certain superannuation fund. Maximillian Clemens was not a part of any kind of superannuation in Australia. Thats why he can not clear the superannuation test. So, in conclusion person will be a resident, if he or she permanently lived in Australia or have been in country more than half of the financial year, however person dont have any intention to live in Australia permanently. Clemens was a visitor, but he reside Australia more than 183 days. 2. The reasons for support the needs for proposed changes to the residency rules: The fundamental contrast in expense status is that non-inhabitants are not qualified for the tax-exempt edge, so salary is exhausted ideal from the principal dollar. For the 2012-13 year, there is no incremental assessment rate up to $80,000 wage yet a straight-up rate of 32.5%, albeit from that point the rates break even with Australian inhabitant rates. (Assess rates for 2011-12 were 29% up to $37,000, 30% to $80,000, from that point equivalent to occupant rates.) (Alan Lewis 2012). 3. Identify the relevant case with the topic: One of the case which is related to Clemens case is: 11 March 1515 Backpacker not resident of Australia under 183 day test Re Koustrup One of the person Danish origin who has spent total 287 days in Australia, when he came in this country during the financial year of 30 June 2013, which has been founded by Administrative appeals tribunal that he is not a resident of Australia during that financial year. This was one of three comparable cases heard together by the Tribunal. Since the reality designs in the three cases varied tangibly, the Tribunal gave isolate choices. The material standards and the choices for every situation were, be that as it may, the same. The choices were Re Koustrup, Re Jaczenko and Re Clemens. In every case, it was a commissioner, who battled that the applicant is not permanent resident of Australia. This was a result of the tax-exempt limit that applies to an inhabitant of Australia however which does not make a difference on account of an outside occupant. The presence of the tax-exempt edge with regards to an inhabitant offers ascend to a zero rate of expense applying to the main $18,200 of assessable wage. This is to be stood out from a rate of 32.5% which applies to the principal $18,200 of assessable wage, if the citizen is dealt with as an outside inhabitant. In Re Koustrup, the candidate entered Australia under a working occasion visa. She depicted herself as a guest or impermanent participant coming to Australia for the primary reason of having an occasion. She additionally assigned that her planned length of remain in Australia would be eight months. The candidate had no arrangements to live in Australia; she was a guest. While in Australia, the candidate stayed and worked for brief periods in different parts of Australia. After an aggregate remain of 287 days she came back to Denmark. 4. The facts and decision in chosen case: The facts and decisions in Clemens case are; the applicant or Clemens was a resident of Germany and he came to Australia on working holiday visa, he doesnt want to live in Australia permanently and he declared himself as a non resident of Australia. The decision in these case is relating to the question that, whether applicant is a resident of Australia or not: 1. Clemens intentions was not to live in Australia permanently. He just want to raise the fund for traveling through agriculture area. Subsequently, the expectation of the holidaymaker is a main consideration to get an assessable treatment as inhabitant in Australia. 2. The typical place of home (is a piece of the 183 day test) alludes to where the individual ordinarily or usually stays. 3. It is conceivable to have no typical place of house all. This would emerge in conditions where a man is moving about with no settled address which the individual would hold as his or her typical place of staying. This sort of individual is uncommon and has been alluded to as a supposed feathered creature of entry. 4. It is impractical to have at least two common spots of house a similar time. Where there are two contending spots of dwelling place should be evaluated, in view of all the accessible truths, as to which one seems to be regular. 5. It is, be that as it may, feasible for there to be two distinctive regular spots of habitation diverse circumstances. In this way, a man can have a typical place of home one area for a large portion of the assessment year and as a result of changed conditions that same individual can have an alternate common place of home the other portion of the year. 6. The holidaymakers are not part of superannuation fund, so they are not able to claim for superannuation fund. 7. While the Parliamentary goals are not generally important, it is significant that the different capabilities to the 183 day lead were sanctioned by Parliament all together that there might be no risk of regarding as inhabitants people who are absolutely guests: Illustrative Notes on Amendments contained in the Income Tax Assessment Bill 1930 to change the Income Tax Assessment Act 1922-29, page 11. Thus, foreigners or visitors on holidays or working in Australia who are more than 183 days in Australia, would not be permanent residents during their stay under this test, as their intention to stay in their home country and would not have an intention to stay in Australia permanently. PART B 1. Purpose of the bill: The four Bills in this bundle execute the Governments declaration on 27 September 2016 that working occasion creators (WHMs) would be saddled at a rate of 19 for each penny for money from this work up to $37,000, with common duty rates and limits applying from there on. Other components of the reported bundle incorporate expanding the expense on the Departing Australia Superannuation Payment to 95 for each penny, expanding the traveler development charge (PMC) by five dollars and decreasing the application charge for WHM visas by $50. Elements of the reported bundle that are excluded in the Bills and should be actualized through different changes are $10 million financing for Tourism Australia for an adolescent focused on promoting effort, changing visa conditions so that a business with premises in various locales can utilize a WHM for 12 months, with the WHM working up to six months in every area, and changing visa conditions so that the qualification age for a WHM visa is lifted from age 30 to age 35. The primary motivation behind the Working Holiday Makers Reform Bill 2016 is to build the agribusiness and tourism business in Australia (Koehler, 2013). This change helps the working holidaymakers to pay whats coming to them of expense. This change builds the income and the obtaining force of the Working Holiday Makers. The administration disentangle the control for the duty and streamline the visa direction by lessen the visa charges by 50$.This additionally increment the quantity of working holidaymakers every year. The primary motivation behind the changes is as per the following: 1. The Turnbull government needs to expand the quantity of Holidaymaker through the change in the bill. That expands the duty income of the administration from the holidaymakers (Malmberg and Miller, 2013). 2. The working holidaymakers are an extraordinary hotspot for the supply of the works in the horticulture part. The horticulture division produces 90% nourishment that expend in Australia. The farming part is an incredible donor towards the GDP of Australia. In this way, the need in supply of work amid the gathering season can diminish the efficiency in the farming area (Traversa, 2014). 3. The holidaymakers assist tourism industry with growing speedier. It is an incredible wellspring of their income. It likewise expands the income of the lodgings, inns, and eateries (Tricker, 2015). The holidaymakers are likewise work in the eateries and inns as a server or a room benefit at a low work charge than neighborhood residents. It helps the proprietor to expand their benefits. 4. The administration needs to record data about the working holidaymakers and their bosses. They take the data about their pay, work charge, motivating forces and so on. Along these lines, it is feasible for the legislature to decrease the misuse of the working holidaymakers. 2. WHMR bill 2016, in the context of Clemens and Commissioner of taxation As indicated by the WHMR charge 2016, Clemens is alien in Australia with the end goal of salary charge. The duty treatment for her ought to continue as per the accompanying tenets. While, Clemens gains under 37000 the duty rate will be 19%. While, Clemens profit surpasses $37000 yet under $80000 than the duty rate will be 32.5%. Once more, if the profit of Clemens surpass $80000 yet under $180000 the duty rate will be 37%. While the profit of Clemens more noteworthy than $180000 the duty rate will be 45%. As Clemens is not an occupant in Australia, in this manner the assessable salary of Clemens ought to regard as an outside occupant. The Clemens is not qualified for the home exception in the expense treatment (Dowling 2014). Accept that Clemens win $200000 in a budgetary year. Taxable income Tax rate Less than $80000 32.5 per cent Exceeds $80000 but does not over $180000 37 per cent Over $180000 45 per cent References: 1.http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/cases/cth/AATA/2015/124.htmlstem=0synonyms=0query=clemens 2. Alan Lewis Accountant, August 29 2012 http://www.lewistaxation.com.au/tax/general-tax/resident-for-tax-purposes 3. The tax Institute http://www.taxinstitute.com.au/news/backpacker-not-resident-of-australia-under-183-day-test-re-koustrup 4. http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/bd/bd1617a/17bd030 5. http://www.mytaxresidency.com/australia/residency-test-2-the-domicile-test 6. Dowling, G. R. (2014). The curious case of corporate tax avoidance: Is it socially irresponsible?. Journal of Business Ethics, 124(1), 173-184 7. Koehler, M. (2013). An Examination of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Issues. Richmond Journal  of Global Law Business, 12, 3. 8. Malmberg, C., Miller, A. B. (2013). Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Am. Crim. L. Rev., 50, 1077

50s Essay examples -- essays research papers

Rebellious characters lead to various actions   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 1950’s in Great Britain was a post-war era of vastly different experiences. For many, it was a time of hope, victory and promise. For others it was a time of depression and healing. And for some it was a time of rebellion. Various literary characters of the decade represented each of these emotions. Three of these characters, including Nancy Hawkins of Muriel Spark’s A Far Cry from Kensington, Jim Dixon of Amis Kingsley’s Lucky Jim, and Jimmy Porter of John Osborne’s A Look Back in Anger, represent the rebellious side of civilization in the 1950’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Each of these drastically different characters takes a different approach to their personal rebellion. Jim Dixon can arguably be considered an anarchist in many of the traits he exhibits throughout the text. Whether it be drinking the night away as a means of rebellion or burning the bed sheets of an over-night host, Dixon lacks certain social abilities that lead to a normal existence. Jimmy Porter on the other hand takes an extremely passive-aggressive approach to his personal rebellion. Though he complains frequently he is hard pressed to affect any kind of social evolution. In other words, he dreams of a better existence but strives to achieve none of it. Nancy Hawkins is much more active in her rebellion as she   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  von Metzke 2 subconsciously works towards social change in terms of personal happiness in the 50’s. She is free with advice and always willing to help another in need. Because of these traits, Nancy Hawkins is perhaps the best spokeswoman for her generation of these three characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jim Dixon, the protagonist of Lucky Jim, is quite arguably an anarchist in the ways he acts towards others. He is considered a Cinderella in a Cinderella story as it relates to the various things that happen to him throughout the course of the text and yet he continues his private rebellion against certain aspects of life that are socially expected such as common courtesy when he burns the table and bed sheets of the Welsh’s and hides them rat... ...hange her life for the better. When she decides she is out of shape and overweight, she makes strides by only eating half of everything. This results in her rapid loss of weight. Nancy also determines she needs a change in her personal religious beliefs. She abruptly stops saying her Hail Mary’s at noon as she sees it as nothing more than a silly superstition. Regardless of the obstacle, Nancy seems ready for the challenge in this story. This is the major quality that separates her character with that of Jim Dixon and Jimmy Porter. Nancy Hawkins above all else believes in herself and that is her true rebellion against society. Nothing can keep her down if she doesn’t let it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The greater picture being examined by these authors is how these characters relate to the era in which they are set. The 1950’s was an optimistic time filled with hope and promise for a better life than the previous decade. More so than Jim Dixon or Jimmy Porter, Nancy represents this optimism in the way she advises others, takes positive action to better her reality, and truly believes in her own potential. She greatly defines the era in question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Synesthesia :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Synesthesia When I was very young, I experienced a recurring dream that I was staring, entranced, at a delicate white flower. It was like nothing I had seen or experienced in my waking life, because the pristine, thinly-veined petals were such an exquisite color that it manifested itself upon my dreaming brain as a color and a sound. The white song was a single note - like a distant choir lifting its voice in concerted wonder. I would wake from the dreams bewildered at the ease with which my brain, when asleep, could produce in me a tangle of sensations I could never enjoy while conscious. The neurological phenomenon of cross-modal, or inter-sensory, perception stemming from a single stimulus is called "synesthesia." The word comes from the Greek syn-, meaning "union," and -aisthesis, meaning "sensation" (2). Although my childhood dreams had some synesthetic character, I have never had a comparable conscious experience. "Synesthesia proper," or neurologically-based synesthesia, is defined as the regular, involuntary experience of external, durable, and generic perceptions in senses not commonly associated with a certain stimulus (1,2) . Although there are numerous possible combinations of synesthetic events, not every permutation is observed. The estimated number of affected individuals ranges from one in five hundred, who perceive colored letters or musical notes, to one in three thousand, who experience colored sounds or colored tastes (2). It is estimated that one in fifteen thousand individuals experiences taste-touch overlap and other, rarer forms of the condition (2). Another, more conservative, estimate suggests that only one in twenty-five thousand individuals is a synesthete (3). While certain synesthetic events are triggered by a sensory appeal to the imagination, i.e. as an artifice of literature or art, true synesthetes report only very rudimentary secondary sensory perceptions for a given input (1). That is, while many of us associate the smell of cut grass with the color green within our internal perception, a synesthete with a smell-sight perception overlap might perceive colored shapes or textures within the external environment upon smelling the grass. Synesthesia is an additive sensory condition. Rather than replace one perception with another, a single sensory input stimulates simultaneous responses in two or more of the senses (2). It is most frequently experienced as a unidirectional condition; while one stimulus, such as sound, induces sensation within another sensory realm, such as sight, the converse does not usually occur (2).

The Underrepresentation of Women in Academic Leadership in the United S

The literature review for this study examines various researches imperative to understanding the context, nature, and extent of the problem of underrepresentation of women in academic leadership in the United States. Gender inequality still exists in leadership positions in U.S academia; â€Å"women are still struggling to be at the leadership table despite the progress the U.S. has made in recent times through the process of eliminating discrimination in the workplace† (Lapovsky & Slaner, 2009). The review also pulls resources from literatures dealing with assessing the root causes of underrepresentation of female Leaders in the United States, with regards to employment discrimination, societal roles etc. From this review, some notable topics emerged that pulls an in depth analysis of the various factors that influence the underrepresentation of women as leaders in the United States academia. Consequently, research has shown that the number of female presidents have not chang ed in the last 10 years (Lapovsky & Slaner, 2009). Keywords: women and leadership, Academic Leaders, US Academia, Leadership Characteristics. Are women underrepresented in leadership role in the U.S Academia? A Literature Review A report written in the American Association of University Professors, states that as women pursue academic leadership advancement, the lower the percentage of women in higher leadership roles become. For instance, the representation of woman in leadership roles are as follows: Fifty percent of women are lecturers and instructors, forty six percent are represented in Assistant professor positions, thirty eight percent and twenty three percent are college presidents (ACE, 2007). Furth... ...rative literature review: Guidlines and examples. Human Resource Development Review, 4(3), 356-367. doi: 10.1177/1534484305278283 Kiamba, J. M. (2008). Women’s activism for gender equity in Africa, women and leadership positions. Social and cultural barriers Due Billing, Y., & Alvesson, M. (1989). Four ways of looking at women and leadership. Scandinavian journal of management, 5(1), 63-80. doi.10.1300/J111v32n03_08 Fernandez, J. Race, (1998). Gender and rhetoric: The true state of race and gender relations in corporate America. New York: McGraw Hill. Recruitment, retention, and professional development of women faculty a report from the academic issues subcommittee of the provost's committee on the status of women. Informally published manuscript, John Hopkins University, Maryland, USA. Retrieved from http://www.jhu.edu/news_info/reports/womenfac/report.html

Financial ratio analysis Essay

Financial ratio analysis is conducted by managers, equity investors, long-term creditors and short-term creditors. What is the primary emphasis of each of these groups in evaluating ratios? Managers deal with all types of ratios. It is important for them to judge and improve the overall financial position of the company. Financial ratios are one of the most common tools of managerial decision making. Financial ratios involve the comparison of various figures from the financial statements in order to gain information about a company’s performance. Ratios to this group, serve as indicators, clues, or red flags regarding noteworthy relationships between variables used to measure the firm’s performance in terms of profitability, asset utilization, liquidity, leverage, or market valuation. Equity Investors use the analysis of financial ratio to help equity investors know whether their investment earnings some return or not. They emphasize more on profitability ratios with those investors look for entities with high earning potential and will be reluctant to associate themselves one that poor return since the market price of stock and dividend potential will be adversely affected. Long-Term Creditors deal mostly with the solvency ratios. They are important because the ratios under this category indicate the long term financial position of the company in terms of its solvency. Financial ratios analysis helps long term creditors to know company’s ability to meet interest expenses and long term obligations on time. Times interest earned ratio, debt to total assets turnover ratio, debt to shareholders equity ratio are also some of the ratios that are helpful for long term creditors. Short-term Creditors find liquidity ratios as more important. The analysis of financial ratios assists Short term creditors to know the ability of company to pay their short term obligation. They mainly focus on corporate liquidity is especially important to creditors. If a company has poor liquidity position, it may lead to delay in receiving interest and principal payments or even losses on the amounts due. It includes various calculated ratios such as Current ratio, receivable turnover, accounts payable , liquid ratio, working capital etc. , that helps short term creditors analyze company’s credit history. (3-3) Over the past years, M. D.  Rryngaert & Co. has realized an increase in its current ratio and drop in its total assets turnover ratio. However, the company’s sales, quick ratio, and fixed assets turnover ratio have remained constant. What explains these changes? It may have been that the inventory of M. D. Rryngaert & Co. was not properly managed. We can witness that because of a higher inventory, current assets increases, with an automatic decrease in total assets turnover. However, the quick ratio and the fixed assets turnover have remained constant due to the fact that they are not included in inventory. Furthermore, with sales remaining constant and with an increase in inventory as mentioned, the company is definitely not in a good financial position. (3-4) Profit margins and turnover ratios vary from one industry to another. What differences would you expect to find between a grocery chain such as Safeway and steel company? Think particularly about the turnover ratios, the profit margin, and Du Pont equation. Safeway, being a grocery business, requires a lesser number of dollars in assets to produce a dollar in sales than would a steel company. Furthermore the margin that grocery stores derive from the sale of each item is usually low. That is why they rely on a large volume of sales, and high turnover of inventory. They sell their products quickly, with a high turnover, and a lower profit margin with having to sell higher volumes of products to make up for the low margin. As for the steel company, being a business that has a higher profit margin but low turnover ratio, it tends to have lower volume of business transactions. The steel company would also spend more money in assets in order to generate a good return in sales, as compared to a grocery store. The profit margin being the ratio between revenue and income, finds a business with higher profit margin to have lower cost of sales and hence high profit, while a business with lower profit margin will have higher cost of sales. Turnover ratios show how many times a year company is replacing their inventories. So by using the DuPont formula, we can calculate the ROA for each different company by a simpler version of the equation being Return on Assets (ROA) = Profit Margin x Total Asset Turnover.

Mistakes and Misunderstandings

‘Mistakes and misunderstandings are painful when they occur. † nevertheless as life goes on, these occurrences turn into experience that add value to relationships and life. When asked to define what a mistake really is, one would say it is an act of misdoing or perhaps even an error of judgement. However, as the word itself suggests, such misdoings are unintentional and the doer cannot be fully blamed for his/ her inaccurate action. on the other hand, a misunderstanding maybe elucidated as an unfortunate situation where someone or something is failed to be understood correctly. Whatever said and done, it is evident that mistakes if not neutralised and misunderstandings, if not sorted out may lead to serious repercussions. A small blunder or minute misunderstanding stands a great chance of leading to immediate heartbreaks and absolute breakdown of other relationships. In the worst- case scenario, it could lead to someone's incarceration or demise. However, if neutralised or sorted out, mistakes and misunderstandings can give rise to many advantageous effects. A sorted out misunderstanding increases the bond between two people, further securing the relationship and thus adding value to it. Mistakes committed are an added experience in one's life. They further help show the right pathway to success which in the end is what really matters. Even though mistakes and misunderstandings can backfire drastically causing crucial consequences, in my opinion, they are important happenings as in the end they make a huge difference in one's life once neutralised or sorted out.