Payroll Accounting Essay

Payroll Accounting Essay Payroll Accounting Essay How Accounting Information Systems Has Improved Payroll Accounting Kendall Lehart ACC 575 Stephen F. Austin State University Payroll Process 1. Update Employee Master File 2. Set Pay Period and Enter Time Worked 3.Enter any Adjustments or other types of Income 4. Calculate Pay for the Period 5. Print and Review Reports before Printing Checks 6. Print Paychecks, or Pay Stubs if Direct Deposit is used 7. Print Payroll Registers and Distribute Reports 8. Transmit Payroll Taxes Payroll Before AIS MANUAL Time Cards Calculations Lots of Paperwork Time-Consuming Mistakes Payroll Clerk What to Consider Hours Worked Federal Income Tax Withholdings State and Local Taxes Deductions (Voluntary and Involuntary) Employee Benefits Child Support Overtime and Vacation Pay Way You Pay (Hourly, Salary, Commission, etc) Pay Rate Information Payment Options (Direct Deposit or Paper Check) Payroll After AIS AIS Advantages: Companies can keep better track of payroll information Automatic Time Clocks can Directly Port Hours into System Print Checks Faster AIS Disadvantages: Accurate Data Entry Danger of Hackers Risk of Fraud Outsourcing Payroll Payroll Services Basic Services: Payroll Tax Obligations Print and Deliver Checks Management Reports Envelope Stuffing Direct Deposit W-2 401(k) 125 Mutual Fund Plans Outsourcing Payroll Choosing a Provider: High Customer Service Within Reasonable Driving Distance Bonded

A Hyphenation Quiz

A Hyphenation Quiz A Hyphenation Quiz A Hyphenation Quiz By Mark Nichol Yes, I hype correct hyphenation, but proper treatment of the little line enables clear communication, so on this site, I repeatedly attach importance to the attachment tool. In the following sentences, excessive or insufficient use of hyphens clouds rather than clarifies. Correct the connective calamities below, then check my answer key at the bottom of the page: 1. â€Å"The program offers student-directed and student-initiated research- and discovery-based learning opportunities.† 2. â€Å"The plan includes accidental death and dismemberment coverage.† 3. â€Å"The businessman-turned-candidate spoke about his religious beliefs.† 4. â€Å"Maybe the country just doesn’t want a my way or the highway Texan in the White House again.† 5. â€Å"Travel to near-space in a 400-foot diameter balloon.† 6. â€Å"He all-but-lectured the lawmakers assembled.† 7. â€Å"The rainbow flag flew at half-staff to honor Elizabeth Taylor, the Hollywood-star-and icon to gays who died in March.† Answers 1. This hyphen-saturated sentence, though technically correct (though to be fair but awkward, the second mention of the word student should be elided), reads better when it is relaxed: â€Å"The program, based on research and discovery, allows students to direct and initiate their own learning opportunities.† â€Å"Student-directed and -initiated† and â€Å"research- and discovery-based† are proper examples of suspensive hyphenation, but the double-suspension string â€Å"student-directed and (student)-initiated research- and discovery-based† is excessive. 2. As written, this sentence implies that the coverage is accidental. But the coverage presumably protects against two possibilities: accidental death, and dismemberment, so the phrase â€Å"accidental death† should be hyphenated to signal that the constituent words combine to modify coverage, and because the insurance also applies to nondeliberate dismemberment, that word should be preceded by a suspended hyphenation. However, because no insurance company hyphenates this phrase in its literature, I’m inclined to request, as in the previous example, at least a relaxed rewrite that obviates hyphenation: â€Å"The plan includes coverage in case of accidental death and dismemberment.† 3. When the verb turned stands between a word describing a former state and one referring to a current state, unlike as is the case with the similarly employed conjunction cum (â€Å"with†), no hyphenation is necessary: â€Å"The businessman turned candidate spoke about his religious beliefs.† 4. The word string defining what kind of Texan the subject is must be corralled into one group, either with quotation marks that imply that the sentiment is literally or figuratively stated, or with multiple hyphens: â€Å"Maybe the country just doesn’t want a my-way-or-the-highway Texan in the White House again.† 5. This sentence manages two hyphenation errors within its ten-word length. Near is often erroneously attached to the following noun; hyphenation is correct only when near and the following word form a phrasal adjective modifying a third term, as in â€Å"near-space tourist travel† (where the open compound â€Å"tourist travel† is an noun phrase). Also, the half-hearted hyphenation that follows implies the existence of an odd item referred to as a diameter balloon; this one apparently has 400 five-toed appendages. The phrase should be revised to correctly reflect that the balloon is 400 feet in diameter: â€Å"Travel to near space in a 400-foot-diameter balloon.† 6. The modifying phrase â€Å"all but† needs not be attached to the verb, nor do the two words in that phrase require connection: â€Å"He all but lectured the lawmakers assembled.† 7. Half-staff, like its synonym half-mast (often erroneously used in nonmaritime contexts), is correctly hyphenated. The hyphenation error occurs later in the sentence, when the writer, confused about how to construct the gloss of Elizabeth Taylor, loses steam near the end. The phrase â€Å"Hollywood star and icon to gays,† however, requires no connective tissue: â€Å"The rainbow flag flew at half-staff to honor Elizabeth Taylor, the Hollywood star and icon to gays who died in March.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Direct and Indirect ObjectsAcronym vs. InitialismArtist vs. Artisan

Security automation in oil and gas companies Research Paper

Security automation in oil and gas companies - Research Paper Example At the same time, the future trends related to SA systems are presented. The work of firms that develop such systems, such as ABB, Siemens, Rockwell Automation, SELEX and Duos Technologies, is discussed; the SA systems of the above firms are explored as of their characteristics and implications. It seems that existing SA systems can highly promote security in regard to daily operations of firms in the oil and gas industry. However, failures are difficult to be eliminated. The use of supportive tests and tools, such as SCADA software, is considered as unavoidable for ensuring the high performance of SA systems. In the future also, a similar practice would be employed since failures are indispensable part of all computerized systems, such as the SA systems. The oil and gas industry is highly exposed to a series of risks. Reference can be made, for example, to the risks from exceeding initial budget or planned costs and the risks related to ‘assets damages and injuries of people’ (Bigliani 2013, p.1). The pollution caused to environment due to failures in daily operations of the relevant industrial units is also another aspect of risks that the firms operating in oil and gas industry are likely to face (Bigliani 2013). The last few years another type of risk has appeared in the oil and gas industry: failures in cybersecurity of the industry’s firms (Radvanovsky & Brodsky 2013). The virus attack against the computer systems of Saudi Aramco in August 2012 resulted to severe problems in the operations of most of the company’s units; in total, about 30,000 units of the firm were infected by the above virus (Bigliani 2013, p.5). The introduction of Security Automation Systems in the oil and gas industry has been co nsidered as the most appropriate solution for addressing the industry’s risks. The structure, role and terms of implementation and operation of these systems are explored in this paper. Emphasis is given to the current state

Women of the Bible Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Women of the Bible - Dissertation Example However, lack of adequate literature focusing on this particular aspect has forced its conclusion to remain unresolved. In the discussion henceforth, women of the Bible will be elaborated. Eve Since the beginning of life on earth, as per the Biblical narrations, distinctions between the gender roles of men and women were made clear by God when he had given life to Adam and Eve – who is the first woman on earth. As God had spoken, â€Å"This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman’, for she was taken out of man†. The narration in Bible states about her calm life filled with all sorts of pleasure a human mind can think of, with her husband Adam, until both were banished from Eden on doubting God. It was since then that God has punished the womankind with all the miseries in life and that she shall be ruled by the mankind – â€Å"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing: with pain, you will give birth to chil dren. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you†. The inspiration that can be drawn from Eve’s life is rather a caution to those who refuse to accept the authority of God. Nevertheless, although God had banished her from heaven, he had also promised a just avenge by her offspring to demolish her enemies. Sarah The narrations of the Bible depict Sarah as a much more complicated character than Eve was, while it also illustrates her as a right-doer and a wise-chooser between the right and the wrong.

Church and Dwight Essay Example for Free

Church and Dwight Essay A. Executive Summary 1. Summary statement of the problem: Church Dwight, more commonly known by its brand name â€Å"Arm Hammer,† has held a commanding lead in the sodium bicarbonate product market for over 160 years with virtually 99 percent of all consumer products in households within the United States. However, in order to promote growth and diversity while maintaining a steady profitability rate of three five percent per year, the company has expanded uses of sodium bicarbonate products so that it is no longer the only focus. The acquisition of a diverse group of consumer products in international markets has been viewed as a viable option to sustain the profitability margins well into the 21st century (Wheelen Hunger). 2. Summary statement of the recommended solution: Since Church and Dwight is a relatively small company, when compared to competitors in household and personal care product markets they must recognize the challenges of growing sales through acquisitions to promote growth and competitiveness within those markets. Church Dwight must incorporate additional acquisitions of solid brands and products in order to grow market share through an expansion of product lines into a variety of â€Å"personal care, deodorizing and cleaning, and laundry products† as well as â€Å"specialty chemicals, animal nutrition, and specialty cleaners† (Wheelen Hunger). In addition, to maintain its position in the world market place, Church Dwight must expand into international markets and gain footholds in product markets through acquisition of manufacturing assets. Simply shipping domestic product lines overseas is cost prohibitive. Foreign manufacturing assets will allow product recognition by local consumers in foreign countries and markets. B. The Situation After 160 years, Church Dwight is a giant in the household domestic product market with brand name recognition more commonly associated with â€Å"Arm Hammer† products. However, this achievement in the market only nets $2.5 billion in annual sales worldwide. The company’s brand portfolio includes over 80 popular brands and competes for market share with other giants including Colgate-Palmolive, Clorox, and Proctor Gamble, which have combined sales of over $100 billion. The company has also expanded over the past decade into other household product lines through acquisitions of consumer brands including Mentadent, Pepsodent, Aim, and Close-up, as well as Trojan. Church Dwight has a core of specialty products primarily based on its successful sodium bicarbonate line of products. It currently holds 75% of the sodium bicarbonate market share. Expansion in the domestic markets has proven successful because of the â€Å"company’s pristine balance sheet†. Gro wth into the foreign markets has proven more challenging than domestic markets. Foreign market net sales in 2009 were only $393 million compared to domestic net sales of $1.8 billion (Cook). II. ANALYSIS A. Analysis of the Situation 1.Management – The Church Dwight Company has continued a tradition of slow and steady leadership with a solid focus on long-term goals. The steadiness of the company’s leadership can be primarily attributed to the fact that 25 percent of outstanding common stock is owned by descendants of the company’s original cofounders, a tradition that continues today. In addition, the management of the company over the past 160 years has been handed down from generation-to-generation until recently when Dwight C. Minton passed on the position of Chief Executive Officer in 1995 to an outsider, Mr. Robert A. Davies, III (Wheelen Hunger). This focused leadership style has enabled Church Dwight to overcome potential leveraged buy-outs and hostile takeovers with a series of calculated actions and savvy business decisions. These actions allowed the board of directors and management to amend the company’s charter and allowed shareholders four votes per share. The board of directors was also re-structured into classes, in which each class serves staggered three-year terms (Wheelen Hunger). In addition to staggering the tenure of the directors, the company initiated employee severance agreements with key officials, providing a severance package agreement to provide a â€Å"safety net† should any of the board member positions be terminated by a hostile takeover or leveraged buy-out by an unwanted suitor. By providing these lucrative packages for senior management, many were able to stay with Church Dwight. This allowed for continuity of leadership styles, vision and mission focus. Because of this steadfast devotion to principles, steady growth over the years has occurred, identifying Church Dwight as a Cash Cow, using the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Growth-Share Matrix. However, as the company focuses more on international markets and enters other potential avenues of growing product lines, it will surely find itself labeled as a Star. 2.Operations – Church Dwight have peacefully existed over the past 60 years with sustained growth and profitability because it virtually held the market in the palm of its hands as other companies searched for ways to enter the household and personal care product lines. As a result of the constant forces in emerging markets, Church Dwight has come to the realization that they have major challenges to overcome if they are to compete with other giants in the industry and continue to thrive. As the company gains a stronger market share in the international consumer products, the growth and profitability standard will continue well into the future. However, Church Dwight also recognize they must remain vigilant to quickly and adequately deal with Porters Five Forces: Bargaining power of suppliers; Threat of new entrants; Threat of substitute products or services; Bargaining power of buyers (customers); and Rivalry among existing firms (competitors) (Wheelen Hunger). When considering Bargaining Power of Suppliers, the force rating could be considered Medium as management must be constantly aware of any potential market shocks or trends. If an affiliate retailer is affected by unforeseen supply chain issues, like increased fuel prices, then those costs throughout the company may be affected to remain competitive. In addition, Church Dwight are well aware of the economic situations that may affect their trade customers who may reduce distribution of products in which sales may decline, or adversely affect the financial performance of the company (Craigie). There was never historically a threat of new entrants into the sodium bicarbonate market prior to 1970. However, since the company has developed new product offerings and other established consumer brands, they now face the same competition threats of mature and domestic and international markets for consumer products. This threat of new entrants has emerged over the past decades and may now be rated high. The threat of substitute products or services is always considered high, as well, because consumers might choose a substitute item, if it is cheaper. This is a problem for any company. Bargaining power of buyers (customers) is generally a medium concern as consumer satisfaction is evaluated in a variety of ways. Otherwise, dissatisfaction can drive prices up or down based on demand, or the lack of. Quality is a hallmark of Church Dwight and the perception by consumers of any potential lowering of standards to decrease prices will typically drive loyal customers away. Finally, rivalry among existing firms (competitors) is high as competitors try to achieve greater market shares to grow potential profit shares. â€Å"Church Dwight has in an enviable position to profit from its dominant niche in the sodium bicarbonate products market since it controlled the primary raw material used in its production† (Wheelen Hunger). 3.Marketing – The Church Dwight marketing strategy has been fairly simplistic since its focus has been on the sodium bicarbonate product lines for over a century. However, with additional acquisitions over the past 20 years, and the expansion into other household products, the brand recognition has become even more important. As a result, â€Å"marketing expenses for 2009 were $353.6 million, an increase of $59.5 million or 20% as compared to 2008† (Craigie). In addition, Church Dwight caters to people of all ages and backgrounds. This wide range of customers allows them to develop more and more organic products and services with large scale agreements to satisfy those demographics. As the company expands globally, markets for one region could also be satisfied by other regions as production opportunities allowed greater cost-effectiveness. Unfortunately, â€Å"attempts to enter international markets have met with limited success, probably for two reasons: (1) lack of name recognition and (2) transportation costs† (Wheelen Hunger). Finally, the company began a ground-breaking marketing campaign by airing commercials for condoms on prime-time television. This â€Å"shock† strategy increased its marketing strength and enabled the partnership with Quidel Corporation, â€Å"a provider of point-of-care diagnostic test, to meet women’s health and wellness needs† (Wheelen Hunger). There are potential problems if va rious brand names fall into â€Å"the precarious line-extension snare† (Wheelen Hunger). As the company expands and acquires more product lines bearing the â€Å"Arm Hammer† trademark, the potential for substandard quality or customer satisfaction could cause a back-lash resulting in reduced sales around the world. Therefore, product marketing is essential to reinforce brand name recognition so consumers never forget the value and quality of a company’s name and its product lines. 4.Finance – Initially, the company’s domestic markets have proven successful. However, in keeping pace with competition in expanding product line markets, acquisition of assets has taken place, which could negatively impact the overall financial picture if profitability is not maintained. In 2009, Church Dwight’s performance worldwide achieved an increase in sales of 4 percent; organic sales increased 5 percent, gross profit margin increased 44 percent while global marketing expenses only increased 20 percent; and the Net Cash Flow grew to a record level of $401 million (Craigie). Perhaps even more significant to investors is the report that earnings per share grew 23% and dividends on investments increased by 35 percent (Craigie). In contrast to the growing profits and expenses, the compa ny also jettisoned noncore assets for the first time, including â€Å"five domestic and international consumer product brands acquired during the 2008 Del Laboratories transaction† (Wheelen Hunger). This posturing of assets will enable a financially sound balance sheet in the future. Therefore, the financial status of Church Dwight continues to grow as it has achieved modest gains from year to year, with hopes of even greater revenue and sales. Finally, the CEO remains focused on â€Å"building a portfolio of strong brands with sustainable competitive advantages† and the â€Å"long-term objective is to maintain the company’s track record of delivering outstanding TSR (Total Shareholder Return) relative to that of the SP 500† (Wheelen Hunger). 5.Administration – Church Dwight enjoys a sound management strategy. It incorporates affiliates through agreements to sell its products. In addition, the former CEO, Mr. James R. Cragie, stated â€Å"†¦We have added $1 billion in sales in the past five years, a 72% increase, while reducing our total headcount by 5%, resulting in higher revenue per employee than all of our major competitors† (Wheelen Hunger). While it may appear unsympathetic to the employee perspective, technologic al advancements allow for increased productivity in various aspects of manufacturing and labor allowing for greater productivity without the added expense of additional manpower. Church Dwight also continue to operate with an ethical employment code in keeping with today’s expectations of utmost respect for both consumer and employee. The following is the company’s published Ethical Standards: â€Å"The reputation and integrity of Church Dwight Co., Inc. are valuable corporate assets, vital to the Company’s success. Each Company employee, including each of the Company’s officers and general managers and each Company director, is responsible for conducting the Company’s business in a manner that demonstrates a commitment to the highest standards of integrity. Specifically, we encourage among Company personnel a culture of honesty, accountability and mutual respect. Additionally, we provide guidance to help Company personnel recognize and deal with ethical issues. Finally, we have provided mechanisms for Company personnel to report unethical conduct. Dishonest or unethical conduct or conduct that is illegal will constitute a violation of these Standards and are grounds for disciplinary action† (Church Dwight). 6.SWOT a.Strengths – The Church Dwight Company has many strengths, with brand recognition being their greatest. In fact, Arm Hammer continues to be their greatest asset and strongest product on the market today; the little yellow box is in over 95 percent of all households across the country. The sodium bicarbonate product line has proven itself for over 160 years with uses in baking, cleaning, and deodorizing, and as an added ingredient for things like drain openers and neutralizing agents. While there may be other similar products, Church Dwight have virtually cornered the market by holding 85 percent of it. b.Weaknesses – A potential weakness within the company is the overextension of branding into many other product lines. â€Å"Until 1970, it produced and sold only two consumer products: Arm Hammer Baking Soda and a laundry product marketed under the name Super Washing Soda† (Wheelen Hunger). The company enjoyed success domestically, but â€Å"in the internat ional arena where growth was more product-driven and less marking sensitive, the company was less experienced† (Wheelen Hunger). Therefore, they relied on acquisitions and management changes to improve its international footprint and reach. With ever-expanding product lines, suppliers, and retailers, the potential for an inferior product or service can cause a negative reputation, impacting the overall brand. Therefore, brand recognition should continue to be the focus when researching future products or investment avenues to ensure the quality of the product/service in the name of the company. Entire corporations have gone away because of a negative connotation to its brand name in the eyes of consumers. c.Opportunities – The possibilities are endless as Church Dwight continue to pursue additional product lines in household, personal care, specialty, and international products. Future expansion in acquisitions and assets may prove more advantageous as potential consumer products become even more attractive to increase the profitability as the manufacturing base is expanded around the globe. Perhaps in 20 years, we may have cars manufactured by Church Dwight, as well. d.Threats – The primary threat to Church Dwight is competition. Competitors have an even greater market share and larger marketing campaigns to remain leaders in their respective niche. There are always going to be threats to its business operations, products, services, and reputation. Therefore, ongoing evaluation of partnerships, agreements, consumer satisfaction, quality of production, quality of service, etc. is always continuing. Without a continuous evaluation process, companies may find themselves outsmarted, out-marketed, out-produced, and out of a job. Church Dwight have done a great deal in maintaining a very loyal customer base through evaluations of consumer trends and ensuring affiliates maintain the highest standards to retain the reputation as the leading household product manufacturer 7.Products or Services – Church Dwight continue to produce some of the most widely known household care products. These products are based on differences in the nature of their uses and organized into three reportable segments: Consumer Domestic, Consumer International and Specialty Products (SPD) (Craigie). The company currently produces 80 different product lines, in which eight major brands make up a total of 80 percent of its business (Craigie). The most famous of the company’s products is Arm Hammer Baking Soda. As a company focused on quality and innovation, Church Dwight has â€Å"a discreet marketing team focused solely on new product development† (Church Dwight). In addition, the company is focused on goals to develop differentiated products with new and distinctive features, increased convenience and value, and engaging outside contractors for research and development activities (Church Dwight). B. Problem Definition 1.The Church Dwight case study identified a corporate problem needing to continue expansion in products and services, while presenting a consistent operating profit and increasing market shares of the household product industry. Expenses were continually evaluated and streamlined to reduce inefficiencies; including product research and development to identify â€Å"new uses/markets for an existing product† (Wheelen Hunger). Unfortunately, constant pressure from global competitors seeking to enter domestic and international markets, as well as an overall poor economy, is creating an atmosphere where continued growth must be developed through new opportunities for expansion into new geographical markets, new products/uses, all while striving to control increasing transportation costs. 2.In order for Church Dwight to retain its position as the leading household product manufacturer, it must continue to provide outstanding customer service, excellence in product quality, invest in cutting edge technology to remain a viable resource for consumers, as well as developing new uses for its primary product line to ensure customers remain satisfied with the product, as promised. In addition, expanding its share of other household product opportunities and innovations will be key to any future growth. Yet another opportunity for Church Dwight to grow is in the business-to-business exchange market for suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers to use. By providing this service to its affiliates and partners, they would be able to achieve greater operational efficiencies in their supply chains. 3.As Church Dwight enjoy a considerably large loyal customer base, competing with Proctor Gamble and other industry giants to get customers to switch competitors is no easy task. However, with any challenge comes greater innovation and new ideas. Relationships with suppliers, manufacturers and other retailers allow for greater efficiencies in costs by consolidating orders, developing greater discounts on shipping costs, or even creating greater financial incentives for affiliates to increase sales and customer satisfaction rates by increasing consumer awareness of the quality and reliability of services and products available to them. III. SYNTHESIS A. Alternative Solutions Brand recognition for ARM HAMMER brand products has already been established within the domestic markets of the United States. International markets continue to challenge emerging companies due to cultural differences in market populations, cultural differences in marketing strategies, and language barriers requiring new brand names more suitable for local languages/cultures. With low population growth rates and households in international markets, increasing transportation costs, and intense competition and higher commodities costs, manufacturers are turning to new and innovative processes to increase their share of the household product markets. For example, rising gas prices are a concern since it directly contributes to increased production costs. In response, household and personal care product companies are making efforts to stimulate sales in varying ways, such as entering new markets, creating new product segments, strengthening strong brand image, acquiring businesses, targeting market audiences, and increasing advertising budgets. Another alternative could be to develop joint-business ventures with suppliers, manufacturers, distributers, and retailers. The benefit to this option would be to streamline production and sales and allow the ease of marketing products and services to its affiliates and partners. This option would also allow greater operational efficiencies and translate into lower costs for Church Dwight and lower prices for consumers. B. Recommendations and Conclusions As Church Dwight look to satisfy competitive pressures while still reeling from the recent economic crisis, the following recommendation and solution is presented in hopes of reducing expenditures and continuing company growth through new product development and market expansion. Expanding into new markets with â€Å"major competitors jockeying for shelf space and retailers seeking to rationalize their breadth of product offerings, more changes may be considered† (Wheelen Hunger). Therefore, the best recommendation for Church Dwight at this point in time would be to implement the first alternative, delving into new product lines both in domestic markets and even greater exploration of international markets. This option would be advantageous because of the limited financial investment required to grow already established footholds in foreign countries to manufacture and transport new product lines. In addition, by improving upon past successes and avoiding past mistakes, a s ound marketing campaign could attract additional consumer traffic to its existing retailers and product outlets. Arm Hammer also has premier brand recognition within the United States, which would look to use its large customer base to compete against Proctor Gamble or Colgate-Palmolive, and Clorox. Finally, to satisfy any shortcomings in this solution, it is further recommended that Church Dwight initiate an aggressive marketing strategy incorporating foreign experts in business and marketing development to identify focus groups to better understand cultural differences and expectations in product innovations. Understanding why a specific culture or race chooses one brand over another is key to identifying potential aspects of a new product line that would be warmly received in another country rather than simply pushing an American-made product brand on a culture that has no experience with the product or whose name may have a derogatory meaning in their language. This option could also allow Church Dwight to market potentially less expensive alternatives to Proctor Gamble or other foreign corporations specializing in household products in another country or region. This recommendation provides a potential solution to increase sales while growing market share and staying ahead of the competition. References Church Dwight, Co. Inc. (web). Churchdwight.com. Retrieved on April 8, 2012 from http://www.churchdwight.com/index.aspx Craigie, J. R. (February 24, 2010). Church Dwight co., inc. 2009 annual report: Churchdwight.com. Retrieved on April 8, 2012 from http://www.churchdwight.com/PDF/AnnualReports/2009-CDH-Annual-Report.pdf Wheelen, T. L., Hunger, J. D. (2012). Strategic management and business policy toward global sustainability. (13th ed., pp. 19-20). New York, NY: Pearson Hall.

Chimpanzee Essay -- essays research papers

Chimpanzee The acts of cannibalism and infanticide are very apparent in the behavior of the chimpanzee. Many African studies show that wild chimpanzees kill and eat infants of their own species. (Goodall, 1986:151) Although there is not a clear answer why chimps engage in this very violent and sometimes gruesome behavior there are many ideas and suggestions. This essay will deal with chimpanzee aggression, cannibalism and infanticide. This paper will present information on major research studies performed in Africa and analyze how and why this strange behavior occurs in a commonly thought peaceful primate. Wild chimpanzees(Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) are known to kill and eat mammals in various parts of Africa. Monkeys were recorded to be consumed in the Gombe National Park, the Kasakati Basin, and the Budongo Forest. Moreover, there is new evidence that chimpanzees near the Ugalla River of western Tanzania also consume mammals.(Riss, 1990:167) Cannibalism has also been recorded both in the Budongo Forest, Mahale Mountains and the Gombe National Park. In Jane Goodall's, May 1979 article in the National Geographic called "Life and Death at Gombe" it reveals the first time that chimpanzees who were always perceived to be playful, gentle monkeys, could suddenly become dangerous killers. "I knew that some of our chimpanzees, so gentle for the most part, could on occasion become savage killers, ruthless cannibals, and that they had their own form of primitive warfare."(Goodall, 1979:594) To try and explain this ruthless behavior it is necessary to first analyze their social upbringing and unique lifestyle. The Chimpanzee society is clearly a male dominated aggressive social unit. Males are larger than females, they are more openly aggressive, and they fight more often. (Holloway, 1974:261) These fights can look extremely fierce and the victim screams loudly. But it is rare for a fight between community members to last longer than quarter of a minute, and it is even more unusual for such a fight to result in serious injury.(Goodall, 1992:7) Many fights break out suddenly. Afterwards the loser of the fight, even though clearly fearful of the aggressor, will alm... ...s been no evidence revealing why chimpanzees act and behave in this cannibalistic fashion. There are many theories and ideas but like the theory of evolution there is no one clear answer. Being the closest living relative to the human being, chimpanzees exhibit complicated and intricate behavior due to their advanced brains.(Zuckerman, 1932:171) This paper has revealed that chimpanzees are creatures of great extremes: aggressive one moment, peaceful the next. This gruesome violent behavior can actually be linked to a similarity with human beings. It is widely accepted in the scientific community that chimpanzees are the closest human relatives we have. If we are indeed superior to these primates, does it not stand to reason that humans should be able to learn from this violence and avoid it? Jane Goodall, in her article labeled, "Life and Death at Gombe" draws a similar conclusion: It is sobering that our new awareness of chimpanzee violence compels us to acknowledge that these ape cousins of ours are even more similar to humans than we thought before.

Panera Bread Essay

Panera Bread is a nationwide known eatery that provides premium foods in a sophisticated atmosphere. Panera Bread is in the line of bakery-cafà ©. They decided to set themselves apart from eateries such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s, and Burger King. The stores are equipped with very intimate settings and Wi-Fi. Panera Bread specializes in a variety fresh baked bread and meal options for the health conscience customer. SWOT Analysis Strengths †¢Panera Bread is known nationwide and this helps to attract customers. †¢Panera Bread has an assortment of fresh breads and meal offerings to accommodate those that are health conscience. †¢Panera Bread moved past the fast food market and decided to offer high-quality, premium food to its customers. †¢The overall ambience of the eatery gives an intimate, at home feel that makes the customer want †¢Scott Davis, senior vice president and chief concept office had a clear vision of the direction Panera Bread would take and a clear strategy of how to achieve that goal. Weakness †¢The eatery offers premium, fast dining and the prices may appear to be on the higher end to customers. †¢Panera Bread has not been able to increase the frequency of which customers dine at the eatery. †¢In order to enter as a franchise, Panera Bread has a very strict list of criteria that makes it difficult to qualify. Opportunities †¢Panera Bread can cease the opportunity to offer their fresh baked breads in supermarkets or sell their breads in store to customers. †¢Panera Bread has the opportunity to offer a lower end eating experience. This lower end chain will appeal to potential customers who cannot afford and expensive meal for the family. Threats †¢Panera Bread’s direct competition is fast-casual restaurants. †¢The change in the economy has affected how often individuals and families go outside of the home to dine. Alternatives 1.Offer Panera Bread’s signature dough and bread to local supermarkets or for sell at the Panera stores. 2.Introducing a lower market restaurant. 3.Make entering the franchise easier by making the criteria to qualify less strict. Discussion of Alternatives Alternative 1: Pros: Offering their dough for purchase by customers has the potential to generate more revenue for the company. It will also introduce the Panera Bread brand into households of those who have not visited the restaurant. Cons: The cost to produce the fresh dough to customers may exceed the overall gain to the company. Alternative 2: Pros: Introducing an alternate chain to appeal to a lower income customer base will expand the customer base. With the present state of the economy, families are finding it hard to eat out especially when the prices are high. Cons: This particular alternative detours the company from their clear goal. With so many affordable eateries, Panera Bread strives to set itself apart from the others. Alternative 3: Pros: Easing the criteria would make entry in the franchise easier. This will allow for more Panera Bread stores to open. Cons: Easing the criteria would deteriorate the stability of the franchise. The strict criteria ensure the overall success of the franchise. Recommendations Panera Bread would benefit most by teaming up with supermarkets to supply fresh baked Panera Bread. Even though the company itself does not serve frozen bread, it may be a good idea to offer the frozen dough for customers to purchase.

Self Presentation

Self presentation When you meet someone for the first time, it comes to your mind a certain impression about him or her. On the other side, that person also takes a certain impression about you. This impression might be positive or negative. It depends on how you present yourself to others. Unfortunately, the first impression is sometimes unfair because the person you meet for the first time may take a wrong impression about you. For example, my friend told me that before we became close friends, she was thinking that I am arrogant, but when she became close to me, she discovered that she took a wrong impression about me.In fact, I am not sociable and I don't take the initiative in getting to know others. That is why those who do not know me well think i am arrogant, but that is not true about me. The first impression whether it is true or not may affect the way you treat people and how they treat you forever. For example, I fall in love with someone. When we first meet each other, h e told me that he belongs to the royal family. Later, I discovered that he was lying to me. I know that he is from the upper class and he belongs to a prominent family, so there was no need to lie about his family name.Actually, because of this lie, I took an impression about him that he is not trustworthy, so we broke up. In most cases, the first impression lasts forever, so you should present yourself in a good image. To make others take a good impression about you, you must consider the following; First, be yourself. Don't tell anything that is not true about you. Show your real personality. Second, take care of your appearance. Your dress should be clean and appropriate to the customs of society in which you live. Moreover, be careful in your appointments.If you attend the meeting on time, you will get others’ respect because it shows that you care about them. In addition, smile to your audience, keep eye contact when you speak and listen and Speak clearly to let your aud ience understand what you say. Furthermore, choose your words which express what you want to say correctly. In short, we all should present ourselves in the right way to let others take a good impression about us in order to make relationships last longer. Samira Said Al Hajri. Assignment 1. Social psychology_D1.

Wal Mart Essay

Wal Mart Essay Wal Mart Essay Case 4: Wal-Mart Stores Inc. June 2012 1. To what extent is Wal-Mart’s performance attributable to industry attractiveness and to what extent to competitive advantage? Wal-Mart can attribute most of its success to competitive advantage rather than industry attractiveness. As they expand their product lineup they bring themselves in to more and more competition with business already established in these fields such as grocers, pharmacies and other medical services. Additionally the market is already very saturated with very few untapped markets. Population growth in the US slowing and urbanization is increasing 1 may lead to their strategy of putting good sized stores into one horse towns running in to trouble as many of these one horse towns slowly cease to exist. This as I already alluded to would leave them in markets where their main competitors are established or establishing. When we compare certain financial indicators we find further evidence that the industry isn’t terribly attractive. The only thing that really sets Wal-Mart apart from its competitor’s numbers wise is its scale. It has gross profit margin is ~6% lower than ei ther target or Dollar General for both the years 2010 and 2011. Comparing other margins reveals similar results with Wal-Mart actually lagging behind their main competitors. Their current ratio is not quite 0.9 for both those years, another key area where Wal-Mart is significantly lagging. What Wal-Mart does have is some incredibly strong competitive advantages. Their immense size has allowed them to create economies of scale and gives them tremendous bargaining power over their suppliers too. As stated in the text, P&G derives 18% of their revenue from Wal-Mart yet their products are only 3% Wal-Marts revenue. Their sales forecasting techniques and EDI extended to all of their vendors make allow them to keep inventory on hand low and product mix finely tuned to the respective markets creating, as close as you can get in their business, just-in-time inventory management. This means that despite having more than 6 times the sales revenue of their nearest competitor they have only 5 times the inventory. Wal-Mart controls its own warehousing and distribution, an outcome of their original business model when they focused mainly on supplying small communities and developing that became a priority for them. It has yielded impressive results as they are a world leader in dist ribution logistics. It’s fair to say that what advantages they have are a result of competitive advantage but to what extent beyond scale are they really performing better than some of their main rivals? 2/3. In which of Wal-Mart’s principal functions/ activities do Wal-Mart’s main competitive advantages lie and what are the distinctive resources and capabilities in each of these functions/activities? Purchasing: Wal-Mart’s tremendous size allows them to lean on any suppliers and make them provide their products at as low a cost as possible. In fact many suppliers rely so heavily on Wal-Mart’s business that they have purchasing agents at the Wal-Mart HQ. This comes with the additional distinct advantage that the purchasing agent is isolated from his own organization possibly allowing the Wal-Mart executives to place additional pressure on them. It also gives Wal-Mart the ability to pressure their suppliers on environmental and labor policy. In short: All of their suppliers dance to their tune, a HUGE advantage. Warehousing and Distribution: In a word: efficient. Their enormous distribution centers rely on a hub and spoke system not dissimilar to the one in effect for airlines. They have optimized this system well enough that even returning trucks are 60% full on backhauls. The use of third party logistics means that they can operate on a five day cycle which is much faster than their competitors. Incremental improvements mean inventory turnover continues to increase and trucks are being packed more tightly. This begs

Ask a Literary Publicist Submit Your Questions

Ask a Literary Publicist Submit Your Questions Ask an Award-Winning Literary Publicist: Submit Your Questions Book publicity is one of the toughest skills to master as a self-publishing author. With the sheer number of titles being released every year - and with the decline of book features and reviews in traditional media - it's becoming harder for independent authors to 'place' their stories. With this in mind, we wanted to shed some light on the topic and help writers better understand their realistic publicity options.Sandra Goroff is a veteran award-winning literary publicist. In her 30-year (and counting!) career, she has worked in-house at  Houghton Mifflin and represented authors the likes of Clive Cussler, Maurice Sendak, Chris Van Allsburg, Hollywood legend Kirk Douglas, and former president Jimmy Carter. Over the next few weeks, Sandra will be answering your questions on book publicity in a recurring blog segment that we're (predictably) calling "Ask an Award Winning Publicist."How can I submit a question? Questions, thoughts, opinions? Feel free to share them all in the comments below.

Relationship Between Globalization And National Identities Essay

Relationship Between Globalization And National Identities - Essay Example This project stresses that having examined the impact of globalization on national identity, it would suffice to conclude that the relationship between the two variables is complex; however, what is clear enough is that national identities are still crucial features in today’s era of globalization and will remain unchanged through the coming decades. The perceived negative impact of globalization and advancements in communication technologies on national identities is insignificant because national identities in the so-called global village are not fragmented as it has been previously suggested. This paper makes a conclusion that despite the presence of strong sub-state national identities, devolution as well as separatist movements in the UK, an imminent disintegration of Britain is quite unlikely and the increasing cultural diversity of the society does not necessarily complement or threaten national identities. Countries are defined by their unique national practices that are framed in unique national symbols; national practices within countries contribute immensely to people’s everyday experiences. In that respect, national identities are inseparable from national practices and as long as these practices endure, national identities are here to stay and cannot decline even in the face of the increasing threat of globalization and advancement in information communication technologies.