Eating Disorders essay

Eating Disorders essay Eating Disorders essay Eating Disorders essay  Ã‚  Ã‚     Anorexia Intervention ProgramAnorexia is often connected with low self-esteem and wrong perception of person’s own body.Intervention steps:Giving the person information about the illness and making understand that there is a problem. For this purpose pictures and weight charts may be used in order to help the person to feel that her weight is much lower than the norm.Giving support. Overcoming anorexia is a hard work and it is necessary to find people who would support the person during the period of rehabilitation.Work with self-esteem. As mentioned above anorexia is often connected with low self-esteem and that is why different techniques for the correction of self-esteem should be applied.Discussing food and diet. Support in composing healthy and nutritious menu can be very helpful for the person with eating disorders. It may help to avoid many problems in the future.Planning physical exercises and leisure. Physical activity can be a g ood help for keeping fit and getting in terms with your own body. Training plan can be developed together with the specialist who is aware of the problem.     Bulimia   Intervention ProgramBulimia eating disorder is also connected with low self-esteem. In addition, the questions of self-control are also up to date when we speak about this disorder. The intervention plan will repeat the one suggested for Anorexia but with some changes.Intervention PlanAdmitting the problem. Giving the person facts which prove his/her disorder. Speaking about possible consequences.Giving support. Very often bulimia is connected with the feeling of gilt and fear of rejection. The promise of support from friends and relatives would contribute greatly to the solution of the problem.Dieting plan. Excessive eating should be replaced by a well-planed diet and this can be done with specialists’ help.Physical activity and active leisure. Professional help with composing a training plan can help t o control weight and prevent from consuming extra food.Finding a group of support. Friendly help and people’s support who have the same kind of disorder may be very useful in this situation.   If it is possible, it is necessary to help the person with the disorder to find such a group.

Conquering Everyday Dilemmas Of a Content Officer With Ann Handley

Conquering Everyday Dilemmas Of a Content Officer With Ann Handley How can you improve your content marketing? How can you take advantage of an opportunity to entice people? Every company has the typical branding and collateral, but goes above and beyond with a tower of donuts! Today, we’re talking to Ann Handley, award-winning content marketing expert and Chief Content Officer (CCO) for MarketingProfs. Ann shares how she organizes her team, what’s she focusing on for the company, and how she measures effectiveness and success. CCO: Person at a management level who manages content what a company sells and does MarketingProfs educates and trains marketers; helps them figure out how to use modern digital tools, tactics, and techniques Six Elements of Campaign Marketing: Strategy, plan, create, communicate, analyze, and management Identify whats important to marketers; always ask what does our audience need to know to be successful in marketing? Focus on the Future: Plan what needs to be done now to know what you will offer in the next six months Remote teams require knowing what everybodys working on and where things are at; MarketingProfs’ philosophy is â€Å"When in doubt, cc† Utilize project management tools; don’t buy helpful tools and then not use them Hire people who are able to work in your company’s environment and who value and crave the type of autonomy offered Metrics used to measure success depends on the content; review open rates, trends, and other indicators what metrics matter more holistically and broadly Ann redesigned and re-launched her Website because to align her personal and professional worlds Focus on your distribution strategy to make your content stand out; distribute conversational and helpful content via email to connect directly with people Links: Ann Handley MarketingProfs Everybody Writes MarketingProfs Campaign Framework Total Anarchy Newsletter Confab ClickZ Andy Crestodina Value vs. Vanity: Revealing Which Marketing Metrics Really Matter The Most What topics and guests should be on AMP? Send your suggestions! If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes by Ann Handley: â€Å"In my heart, Im really more of a storyteller. The idea of really crafting a story to connect with an audience really was my sweet spot.† â€Å"For me, its not about one particular metric. Its really getting a sense of the metrics that matter more holistically and more broadly.† â€Å"What does our audience need to know to be successful in marketing? Thats really the lens that we look through to identify what it is that we need to either develop or to promote.† â€Å"What am I all about? Im all about content.†

Explore the concept of accountability with regards to the registered Essay

Explore the concept of accountability with regards to the registered nurse having the responsibility of delegating care to suppo - Essay Example In this way, the burden of each and every activity in the hospital or any health care facility is not solely carried by few individuals but rather designated to many other individuals who have the appropriate knowledge and skill in performing hospital duties. Furthermore, errors committed in giving health care will be minimized if not avoided because of mastery of the skill to the tasks that has been designated to the assistants. In everything that has been done, it is the patient’s best interest that is taken into account. A patient has put the trust in our hands for us to deal and treat his disease, thus it is just necessary to return the trust and be their advocates in promoting their well-being. In this text, support workers are team members whom tasks are delegated to by the registered practitioners. Support workers may represent health care assistant, rehabilitation assistant or technician, therapy assistant, assistant practitioner or technical instructors. Registered pr actitioner on the other hand pertains to a registered professional who usually delegates the task i.e. the Health Professions Council (HPC) or the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (CSP, 2006). Discussion The health care practitioners are bound within the scope of both the criminal and civil courts so as to assure that what they are doing are within the limits of legal requirements especially since they are dealing with human life. Registered health care providers are responsible to their acts of health practice and patient care thus must conform to the conditions and terms set by the regulatory and professional bodies. Currently, heath support workers do not have professional registrations (Department of Health, 2004; Scottish Executive Health Department, 2004). When a registered health care provider has delegated tasks to a support worker, it is to note that the registered practitioner must understand the skill and knowledge needed to perform the delegated assignment. It is the registered health care provider’s responsibility to delegate a task and on the other hand, the support worker is responsible for taking the assigned job sand also for the actions he/she used for accomplishing the specific task. This principle applies when the support worker has sufficient knowledge, judgment, and skills in carrying out the delegated task given that the task is bounded within the standards and conduct set at the work place. Meanwhile, supervision and feedback regarding the task must be appropriately delivered by the registered professional (Mackey & Nancarrow, 2005). Delegation, Accountability and Responsibility Delegation is the process undertaken wherein a registered health practitioner distributes a task to a support worker who is believed to be capable in fulfilling the work. With delegation as basis, the support worker is trusted with the obligation for the task. In a stricter sense, delegation is different with assignment. In delegation of task, the supp ort worker is responsible for the task and the registered health practitioner is held accountable to the support worker. In assignment, both the responsibility and accountability for a specific task passes from one person

International Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

International Economics - Essay Example As a substitute, the United Nations supports the use of special drawing rights (SDRs), a creation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – a proposal supported by Russia (Bryanski, 2009). The SDR is the designated international reserve asset that is the unit of payment on IMF loans; it has an advantage over the US dollar in that its valuation is calibrated against a basked of currencies, rather than on the currency of a single country. Preferably, however, the UN recommends the establishment of a new reserve system that is not based on just one or even several currencies, but should instead serve the need for stable international liquidity. In response, several European officials expressed their disagreement, citing the market as the ultimate determinant of which currencies countries would hold in reserve. Several have voiced the concern that political or administrative decisions cannot reformulate the world’s currency system (Vayrynen, in Charbonneau, 2010), and in the entire post-war period the currency exchange system had been based on the U.S. dollar (Sundaram, in Charbonneau, 2010). EU officials fear that any intervention by an administrative body into the workings of the market would just create additional problems and would make things even less predictable (Piebalgs, in Charbonneau, 2010). Some simply reject the idea of an artificial currency as the SDR as the reserve currency of the international financial system, stating that it is a non-starter because it is created by political decision making (Al-Jasser, in Kessler, 2009). Based on this scenario, some sectors have voiced the possibility that the yuan (or renminbi), the currency of China, may in the span of a decade gain the status of reserve currency and present itself as a suitable alternative to replace the U.S. dollar. Supporters cite the relative stability of the Yuan during the recent financial crisis, saying that it is a better holder of value than the dollar. This

Measuring Respect Essay Example for Free

Measuring Respect Essay Campbell-Ewald, an award winning integrated communications agency, noticed that their customer relationship management (CRM) solutions were not meeting the expectations that they should. In order to gain an understanding of how respect influences customer loyalty and purchasing, they team up with a research company, Synovate and developed three different surveys. The surveys consisted of 27 to 29 attitudinal statements that customer use a 5-point scale to rate. They statements were designed to measure how the customers defined respect and how important respect was in determining a purchase. They selected more than 5,000 customers from each business sectors: insurance, automotive, and retail, and mailed them the survey to complete. The customers they selected to survey were adults at least 18 years of age (Cooper Schindler, 2011). Once they had received the completed surveys they analyzed the results. They then used the results to validate the relevance of its five â€Å"People Principles†. The five â€Å"People Principles† were: ? Appreciate me ?Intentions don’t matter; actions do ?Listen; then you’ll know what I said. ?It’s about me, not about you. ?Admit it- you goofed! These five â€Å"People Principles† have helped companies like General Motors, Continental Airlines, and Farmers Insurance incorporate respectful behaviors into their business operations (Cooper Schindler, 2011). When Campbell-Ewald and Synovate developed the surveys they knew that they needed to address respect from all areas such as how a customer ranks respect to loyalty, respect to purchases, respect to continue purchases, and respect to referrals. By gaining a complete overview on how a customer reviews respect then they could develop the five â€Å"People Principles† that their clients could use to improve customer service, increase revenue, gain a competitive advantage, and build a thriving business. Campbell-Ewald knew that their research, findings, and developments would be what would make them successful. By using the numerical scale survey they were placing the same standards on all statements, which make the evaluation process easier. When conducting a survey, the more customers you select to survey will increase the number of responses that a research company will receive back. It is not likely that all 5000 customers responded but I am sure well over 50 percent responded, which gave them a diverse poll of responses. Whereas, if they had chose to survey only 100 customers then they may have received only 30 responses, which is not enough when conducting such research. Using the numerical scale makes tally and measuring the result easier, which will make the comparison easier. Also, by using the numerical scale a research firm eliminates the opportunity for researchers to be swayed by a person comments or opinions, a person either agrees or does not agree with no explanation.

The Fires of Jubilee by Stephen B. Oates Essay -- The Fires Jubilee St

The Fires of Jubilee by Stephen B. Oates The Fires of Jubilee by Stephen B. Oates describes a sad and tragic story about a man named Nat Turner who was born into slavery and his fight to be free. Ironically, his willingness to do anything, even kill, to gain his freedom leads to his own demise. From the title of this book, 'The Fires of Jubilee,'; a reader can truly grasp the concept that there is trouble, chaos, and mayhem brewing in the month of August. This story was not only riveting, but also one that kept me on my heels for almost the entire time that I was reading it. Stephen B. Oates, a prize-winning author of thirteen books and more then seventy articles, is currently a professor of history at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Some of his best novels have been 'With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln,'; 'Let the Trumpet Sound: The Life of Martin Luther King. Jr.,'; and 'Rip Ford's Texas.'; His writing is riveting as well as courageous. His willingness to get to such length to capture the mind of the reader and hold them in suspense has earned him several awards throughout his lustrous career. Some of the awards that Oates has received are the Christopher Award and the Barondess/Lincoln Award of the New York Civil War Round Table. His work has gained worldwide notoriety and is currently translated in four different languages: French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'The Fires of Jubilee'; took place in Southampton, Virginia and County Seat, Jerusalem during the 1800's. The story takes shape during a time in which slavery was the norm, especially in the South. It describes the struggles and turmoil of one such slave named Nat Turner in his quest to gain his freedom. It tells the tale of a man who's destiny was forever to be a slave and his quest to alter his destiny, which in the end leads to his tragic death. Born into slavery, Nat Turner was perhaps one exception to the rule; he was a master's worst nightmare come true. Nat Turner was not only an intelligent man, he knew how to read and write; but he was also determined, willing to go to tremendous measures to gain his freedom, even if it meant killing. He was liked by both the whites and fellow slaves, some of whom came to think of him as a prophet, a savior of slaves. Nat use to go to church every Sunday and the more he learned about the Christian bel... ...ust admit that I wanted to jump right to the last page just to get a peek of the ending, but I resisted my temptation to do so. As I read the story, I began to feel for Nat. Though I really can't agree with how he went about trying to gain his freedom, the author's way of writing left me little choice but to urge Nat on. In all, I was captivated and moved by the story. Though this really did not change my interest in history, I really did enjoy reading it and would really recommend it to anyone who wants to get a total grasp of how horrible slavery was. Stephen Oates has a way of writing that transforms the reader into the actual rebellion and allows one to see and feel the circumstances of Nat Turner's insurrection and the consequences of it to the South. I can tell that Oates performed rigorous study to present an accurate portrayal of Nat Turners' story. His many insights and uses of secondary sources were quite evident and his use of examples and storytelling is quite impressive. Though it seems as if he leaves little to the imagination, I couldn't help but think of what and could have happened if some of the events leading up to the capture of Nat Turner had been changed. The Fires of Jubilee by Stephen B. Oates Essay -- The Fires Jubilee St The Fires of Jubilee by Stephen B. Oates The Fires of Jubilee by Stephen B. Oates describes a sad and tragic story about a man named Nat Turner who was born into slavery and his fight to be free. Ironically, his willingness to do anything, even kill, to gain his freedom leads to his own demise. From the title of this book, 'The Fires of Jubilee,'; a reader can truly grasp the concept that there is trouble, chaos, and mayhem brewing in the month of August. This story was not only riveting, but also one that kept me on my heels for almost the entire time that I was reading it. Stephen B. Oates, a prize-winning author of thirteen books and more then seventy articles, is currently a professor of history at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Some of his best novels have been 'With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln,'; 'Let the Trumpet Sound: The Life of Martin Luther King. Jr.,'; and 'Rip Ford's Texas.'; His writing is riveting as well as courageous. His willingness to get to such length to capture the mind of the reader and hold them in suspense has earned him several awards throughout his lustrous career. Some of the awards that Oates has received are the Christopher Award and the Barondess/Lincoln Award of the New York Civil War Round Table. His work has gained worldwide notoriety and is currently translated in four different languages: French, German, Spanish, and Portuguese.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  'The Fires of Jubilee'; took place in Southampton, Virginia and County Seat, Jerusalem during the 1800's. The story takes shape during a time in which slavery was the norm, especially in the South. It describes the struggles and turmoil of one such slave named Nat Turner in his quest to gain his freedom. It tells the tale of a man who's destiny was forever to be a slave and his quest to alter his destiny, which in the end leads to his tragic death. Born into slavery, Nat Turner was perhaps one exception to the rule; he was a master's worst nightmare come true. Nat Turner was not only an intelligent man, he knew how to read and write; but he was also determined, willing to go to tremendous measures to gain his freedom, even if it meant killing. He was liked by both the whites and fellow slaves, some of whom came to think of him as a prophet, a savior of slaves. Nat use to go to church every Sunday and the more he learned about the Christian bel... ...ust admit that I wanted to jump right to the last page just to get a peek of the ending, but I resisted my temptation to do so. As I read the story, I began to feel for Nat. Though I really can't agree with how he went about trying to gain his freedom, the author's way of writing left me little choice but to urge Nat on. In all, I was captivated and moved by the story. Though this really did not change my interest in history, I really did enjoy reading it and would really recommend it to anyone who wants to get a total grasp of how horrible slavery was. Stephen Oates has a way of writing that transforms the reader into the actual rebellion and allows one to see and feel the circumstances of Nat Turner's insurrection and the consequences of it to the South. I can tell that Oates performed rigorous study to present an accurate portrayal of Nat Turners' story. His many insights and uses of secondary sources were quite evident and his use of examples and storytelling is quite impressive. Though it seems as if he leaves little to the imagination, I couldn't help but think of what and could have happened if some of the events leading up to the capture of Nat Turner had been changed.

Accounting Concepts, Conventions and Solutions

Table of Contents QUESTION ONE: Accounting Concepts and Conventions1 a)Accounting Concepts1 i)The going concern concept. 1 ii)The accruals concept (or matching concept)1 iii)The entity concept:3 iv)The money measurement concept:3 v)The historical cost concept:4 vi)The realization concept:4 vii)Duality concept:4 b)Accounting conventions5 QUESTION TWO: Clashing accounting concepts and conventions that might bring about inconsistency in the accounting process9 1. Clash between the accruals/matching concept and the prudence convention9 2. Clash between the historical cost concept and Prudence convention9QUESTION THREE: Solutions to the clashing accounting concepts and conventions11 REFERENCES13 QUESTION ONE: Accounting Concepts and Conventions a) Accounting Concepts Accounting Concepts are broad basic assumptions that underlie the periodic financial accounts of business enterprises. They outline the rules of accounting that should be followed in preparation of all financial statements. T hese concepts are outlined in the International Accounting Standard 1(IAS 1)-presentation of financial statements. The word ‘concept’ in this context means an idea or thought that has a universal application.This includes; i) The going concern concept: implies that the business will continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, and that there is no intention to put the company into liquidation or to make drastic cutbacks to the scale of operations. Financial statements should be prepared under the going concern basis unless the entity is being (or is going to be) liquidated or if it has ceased (or is about to cease) trading. The directors of a company must also disclose any significant doubts about the company’s future if and when they arise. ( Agatha,2010) The main significance f the going concern concept is that the assets of the business should not be valued at their ‘break-up’ value, which is the amount that they would sell for it they were sold off piecemeal and the business were thus broken up. ii) The accruals concept (or matching concept): states that revenue and costs must be recognized as they are earned or incurred, not as money is received or paid. They must be matched with one another so far as their relationship can be established or justifiably assumed, and dealt with in the profit and loss account of the period to which they relate. ExampleAssume that a firm makes a profit of ? 100 by matching the revenue (? 200) earned from the sale of 20 units against the cost (? 100) of acquiring them. (Williamson,2001) If, however, the firm had only sold eighteen units, it would have been incorrect to charge profit and loss account with the cost of twenty units; there is still two units in stock. If the firm intends to sell them later, it is likely to make a profit on the sale. Therefore, only the purchase cost of eighteen units (? 90) should be matched with the sales revenue, leaving a profit of ? 90. The ba lance sheet would therefore look like this: ? | Assets| | Stock (at cost, i. e. 2 x ? 5)| 10| Debtors (18 x ? 10)| 180| | 190| Liabilities| | Creditors| 100| | 90| Capital (profit for the period)| 90| If, however the firm had decided to give up selling units, then the going concern concept would no longer apply and the value of the two units in the balance sheet would be a break-up valuation rather than cost. Similarly, if the two unsold units were now unlikely to be sold at more than their cost of ? 5 each (say, because of damage or a fall in demand) then they should be recorded on the balance sheet at their net realizable value (i. . the likely eventual sales price less any expenses incurred to make them saleable, e. g. paint) rather than cost. This shows the application of the prudence concept. In this example, the concepts of going concern and matching are linked. Because the business is assumed to be a going concern it is possible to carry forward the cost of the unsold units a s a charge against profits of the next period. Essentially, the accruals concept states that, in computing profit, revenue earned must be matched against the expenditure incurred in earning it. ii) The entity concept: The concept is that accountants regard a business as a separate entity, distinct from its owners or managers. The concept applies whether the business is a limited company (and so recognized in law as a separate entity) or a sole proprietorship or partnership (in which case the business is not separately recognized by the law. iv) The money measurement concept: The money measurement concept states that accounts will only deal with those items to which a monetary value can be attributed.For example, in the balance sheet of a business, monetary values can be attributed to such assets as machinery (e. g. the original cost of the machinery; or the amount it would cost to replace the machinery) and stocks of goods (e. g. the original cost of goods, or, theoretically, the pr ice at which the goods are likely to be sold). The monetary measurement concept introduces limitations to the subject matter of accounts. A business may have intangible assets such as the flair of a good manager or the loyalty of its workforce.These may be important enough to give it a clear superiority over an otherwise identical business, but because they cannot be evaluated in monetary terms they do not appear anywhere in the accounts. v) The historical cost concept: A basic concept of accounting is that resources are normally stated in accounts at historical cost, i. e. at the amount that the business paid to acquire them. An important advantage of this procedure is that the objectivity of accounts is maximized: there is usually objective, documentary evidence to prove the amount paid to purchase an asset or pay an expense.Historical cost means transactions are recorded at the cost when they occurred. In general, accountants prefer to deal with costs, rather than with ‘val ues’. This is because valuations tend to be subjective and to vary according to what the valuation is for. For example, suppose that a company acquires a machine to manufacture its products. The machine has an expected useful life of four years. At the end of two years the company is preparing a balance sheet and has decided what monetary amount to attribute to the asset. vi) The realization concept: Realization: Revenue and profits are recognized when realized.The concept states that revenue and profits are not anticipated but are recognized by inclusion in the income statement only when realized in the form of either cash or of other assets the ultimate cash realization of which can be assessed with reasonable certainty. vii) Duality concept: This concept ensures that transactions are recorded in books at least in two accounts, if one account is debited it’s also credited with the same amount in a different account. The recording system is also known as double entry system. Assets = Liabilities + Capital.Every transaction has a two-fold effect in the accounts and is the basis of double entry bookkeeping. b) Accounting conventions Conventions, unlike concepts, are guidelines derived by usage and practice. They are guidelines that arise from the practical application of accounting principles. An accounting convention is not a legally-binding practice; rather, it is a generally-accepted convention based on customs, and is designed to help accountants overcome practical problems that arise out of the preparation of financial statements. As customs change, so to will accounting conventions.Basically, conventions fill in the gaps between guidelines and practical usage. If an accounting regulatory body sets forth a guideline that addresses the same topic as the accounting convention, the accounting convention will no longer be applicable. Concepts supersede conventions. i) The consistency concept states that in preparing accounts consistency should be observed in two respects. a)Similar items within a single set of accounts should be given similar accounting treatment. b)The same treatment should be applied from one period to another in accounting for similar items.This enables valid comparisons to be made from one period to the next. (Crovit,2008) An accounting method used in one accounting period should be the same as the method used for events or transactions which are materially similar in other period (i. e. accounting practices should remain unchanged from period to period ). This also involves treatment of transaction and valuation method. Consistency is also advisable so that the comparison of accounting figures over time is meaningful. Consistency also states that if a change becomes necessary, the change and its effect should be clearly stated. i) The materiality concept: An item is considered material if it’s omission or misstatement will affect the decision making process of the users. Materiality depends on t he nature and size of the item. Only items material in amount or in their nature will affect the true and fair view given by a set of accounts. An error that is too trivial to affect anyone’s understanding of the accounts is referred to as immaterial. In preparing accounts it is important to assess what is material and what is not, so that time and money are not wasted in the pursuit of excessive detail.Determining whether or not an item is material is a very subjective exercise. There is no absolute measure of materiality. It is common to apply a convenient rule of thumb (for example to define material items as those with a value greater than 5% of the net profit disclosed by the accounts). But some items disclosed in accounts are regarded as particularly sensitive and even a very small misstatement of such an item would be regarded as a material error. An example in the accounts of a limited company might be the amount of remuneration paid to directors of the company.The as sessment of an item as material or immaterial may affect its treatment in the accounts. For example, the profit and loss account of a business will show the expenses incurred by he business grouped under suitable captions (heating and lighting expenses, rent and rates expenses etc); but in the case of very small expenses it may be appropriate to lump them together under a caption such as ‘sundry expenses’, because a more detailed breakdown would be inappropriate for such immaterial amounts. a)If a balance sheet shows fixed assets of ? million and stocks of ? 30,000 an error of ? 20,000 in the depreciation calculations might not be regarded as material, whereas an error of ? 20,000 in the stock valuation probably would be. In other words, the total of which the erroneous item forms part must be considered. b)If a business has a bank loan of ? 50,000 balance and a ? 55,000 balance on bank deposit account, it might well be regarded as a material misstatement if these two a mounts were displayed on the balance sheet as ‘cash at bank ? ,000’. In other words, incorrect presentation may amount to material misstatement even if there is no monetary error. iii) The Prudence convention (conservatism): The prudence convention ( classified as a concept by some others) states that where alternative procedures, or alternative valuations, are possible, the one selected should be the one that gives the most cautious presentation of the business’s financial position or results.This policy tends to understate rather than overstate net assets and net income, and therefore lead entities to â€Å"play safe†. In accounting, it states that when choosing between two solutions, the one that will be least likely to overstate assets and income should be selected. According to this concept â€Å"expected losses are losses but expected gains are not gains†. On the basis of this concept closing stock is valued at cost price or market price, whic hever is lower. Provisions for bad and doubtful debts are maintained.Therefore, revenue and profits are not anticipated but are recognized by inclusion in the profit and loss account only when realized in the form of either cash or of other assets the ultimate cash realization of which can be assessed with reasonable certainty: provision is made for all liabilities (expenses and losses) whether the amount of these is known with certainty or is best estimate in the light of the information available. (Pixley,2002) Assets and profits should not be overstated, but a balance must be achieved to prevent the material overstatement of liabilities or losses.The other aspect of the prudence concept is that where a loss is foreseen, it should be anticipated and taken into account immediately. If a business purchases stock for ? 1,200 but because of a sudden slump in the market only ? 900 is likely to be realized when the stock is sold the prudence concept dictates that the stock should be val ued at ? 900. It is not enough to wait until the stock is sold, and then recognize the ? 300 loss; it must be recognized as soon as it is foreseen. (Pixley,2002) A profit can be considered to be a realized profit when it is in the form of: †¢Cash Another asset that has a reasonably certain cash value. This includes amounts owing from debtors, provided that there is a reasonable certainty that the debtors will eventually pay up what they owe. Example A company begins trading on 1 January 20X2 and sells goods worth ? 100,000 during the year to 31 December. At 31 December there are debts outstanding of ? 15,000. Of these, the company is now doubtful whether ? 6,000 will ever be paid. The company should make a provision for doubtful debts of ? 6,000. Sales for 20Ãâ€"5 will be shown in the profit and loss account at their full value of ? 00,000, but the provision for doubtful debts would be a charge of ? 6,000. Because there is some uncertainty that the sales will be realized in th e form of cash, the prudence concept dictates that the ? 6,000 should not be included in the profit for the year. iv) Objectivity (neutrality): An accountant must show objectivity in his work. This means he should try to strip his answers of any personal opinion or prejudice and should be as precise and as detailed as the situation warrants. The result of this should be that any number of accountants will give the same answer independently of each other.Objectivity means that accountants must be free from bias. They must adopt a neutral stance when analyzing accounting data. In practice objectivity is difficult. Two accountants faced with the same accounting data may come to different conclusions as to the correct treatment. It was to combat subjectivity that accounting standards were developed. v) Full disclosure It states that information that might affect the judgments of the users of financial information should be presented in the main body of financial statements or in the not es or as supplementary information.Amounts and kinds of information disclosed should be decided based on a tradeoff analysis as a larger amount of information costs more to prepare than to use. Information disclosed should be enough to make a judgment while keeping costs reasonable. QUESTION TWO: Clashing accounting concepts and conventions that might bring about inconsistency in the accounting process Accounting concepts or conventions could clash or there could be inconsistency between them in such a way that users may have more than one definite method of treating items in the financial statements hence causing uncertainty.Examples include: 1. Clash between the accruals/matching concept and the prudence convention The accruals concept requires future income (e. g. in relation to credit sales) to be accrued. On the other hand the prudence concept dictates that caution should be exercised, so that if there is doubt about the subsequent receipt, no accrual should be made. There is a clash in that credit sales should be recognised immediately the sale is made (regardless of payment) under accrual concept while prudence states that incomes be recognized only when receipt is certain.A good example would be the treatment of deferred revenue expenditures that are usually spread over a number of years, during which the organisation is expected to earn additional revenue out of the expenditure. While this treatment is an accepted principle, there may be a counter-treatment, argued by another group, to charge the item as an expense, the entire amount in the year it was spent, on the grounds of conservatism/prudence. In other words, there may be a direct clash between the accruals and conservatism principles. 2.Clash between the historical cost concept and Prudence convention The prudence convention states that where alternative procedures, or alternative valuations, are possible, the one selected should be the one that gives the most cautious presentation of the busin ess’s financial position or results. Therefore it requires that stocks should always be valued at the lowest of cost or net realisable value. Net realisable value is the selling price of the stock minus any costs involved in getting this stock into saleable condition (e. g. repair costs).This means that we can value stock at current market rates, but only if the selling price is lower than the cost. However, if the replacement cost of these stocks is lower than cost or net realisable value then it may seem prudent to use the replacement cost to value these stocks. On the other hand, the historical cost concept implies that all assets acquired, service rendered or received, expenses incurred etc. should be recorded in the books at the price at which it was acquired (its cost price). The cost is distinct from its value and the record does not signify the value.It also holds that cost is the most reliable and verifiable value at which a good is or services should be initially re cognized. Therefore in determining inventory prices, the two principles may clash in application. QUESTION THREE: Solutions to the clashing accounting concepts and conventions William (2001) outlines basic rules that should be observed in applying particular accounting concepts in case of conflict. He states that despite the fact that most of the concepts have been universally accepted, accountants quite often come across situations where two concepts are in onflict and one overrides the application of the other. These are situations where an accountant will find it necessary to apply his professional skill and judgment to come up with the best possible solution. To quote from IAS 1, â€Å"There are many different accounting policies in use even in relation to the same subject: judgment is required in selecting and applying those which, in the circumstances of the enterprise, are best suited to present properly its financial position and the results of its operation. † 1. Sol ution to the clash between accruals and prudence When there is a clash between the two, prudence prevails.Although the accruals concept is universally accepted in trading and manufacturing organizations, there are occasions when the concept of conservatism overrides the application of the accruals concept. A typical example would be the accounts prepared for professional firms of accountants, lawyers and medical practitioners. In these accounts, recognition is generally given to the accruals concept insofar as it relates to expenses. In computing the incomes, however, a rather conservative approach is followed and only those items that are actually realized are accounted for in the accounts.This treatment has been accepted by the accountancy profession on the grounds of conservatism, although it generally defeats the concept of the accruals concept. When the accountant has a choice between two alternative treatments, remember, he should select the one that shows a less encouraging p osition of the financial situation. To follow the principle of conservatism is not easy; and good judgment is necessary to decide the right course of action. There is however, a great deal of difference between being conservative and being over conservative.The rule of conservatism should not be stretched to the point where it might eventually result in distorting the financial results. For example, capital items such as buildings, vehicles, machinery etc, which are capitalized in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAPs), must always be capitalized and no deviation should be recommended on the grounds of conservatism. 2. Solution to the clash between historical cost concept and Prudence convention Williamson (2001) states that prudence should prevail over the historical cost concept.This is important in order for financial statements to avoid overstating profits or disguising losses which may lead users to make wrong decisions. An example is that of fixed ass ets which should be valued at their historical cost (because it is objective). However, it is prudent to reduce their values to reflect wear and tear so as not to overstate profits. Also, according to the accruals concept, we should match an expense to when it was incurred. Therefore, fixed assets should appear as their historical cost less any depreciation.Also, the cost of these assets should be ‘spread' over their lifetime in the accounts. REFERENCES 1. Agatha J. , Mengyu and W. ,Askew S. ,(2010). â€Å"The Switch from US GAAP to IFRS†. Proceedings of the Northeast Business & Economics Association 48–54 2. Arens A. , and Loebbecke, J. , â€Å"Auditing, an integrated approach†, 1980 Prentice Hall 3. Carruthers, Bruce G. , & Espeland, Wendy Nelson, Accounting for Rationality: Double-Entry Bookkeeping and the Rhetoric of Economic Rationality, American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 7, No. 1, July 1991, pp. 40-41,44 46 4. Crovitz, L. (2008). â€Å"Closing the Information GAAP†. The Wall Street Journal vol III 5. Oldroyd, David & Dobie, Alisdair: Themes in the history of bookkeeping, The Routledge Companion to Accounting History, London, July 2008 6. Pixley, Francis William: Accountancy—constructive and recording accountancy (Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd, London, 2002) 7. Williamson, D. (2001), Accounting Business Spreadsheeting, Prentice Hall, London Accounting Concepts, Conventions and Solutions Table of Contents QUESTION ONE: Accounting Concepts and Conventions1 a)Accounting Concepts1 i)The going concern concept. 1 ii)The accruals concept (or matching concept)1 iii)The entity concept:3 iv)The money measurement concept:3 v)The historical cost concept:4 vi)The realization concept:4 vii)Duality concept:4 b)Accounting conventions5 QUESTION TWO: Clashing accounting concepts and conventions that might bring about inconsistency in the accounting process9 1. Clash between the accruals/matching concept and the prudence convention9 2. Clash between the historical cost concept and Prudence convention9QUESTION THREE: Solutions to the clashing accounting concepts and conventions11 REFERENCES13 QUESTION ONE: Accounting Concepts and Conventions a) Accounting Concepts Accounting Concepts are broad basic assumptions that underlie the periodic financial accounts of business enterprises. They outline the rules of accounting that should be followed in preparation of all financial statements. T hese concepts are outlined in the International Accounting Standard 1(IAS 1)-presentation of financial statements. The word ‘concept’ in this context means an idea or thought that has a universal application.This includes; i) The going concern concept: implies that the business will continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, and that there is no intention to put the company into liquidation or to make drastic cutbacks to the scale of operations. Financial statements should be prepared under the going concern basis unless the entity is being (or is going to be) liquidated or if it has ceased (or is about to cease) trading. The directors of a company must also disclose any significant doubts about the company’s future if and when they arise. ( Agatha,2010) The main significance f the going concern concept is that the assets of the business should not be valued at their ‘break-up’ value, which is the amount that they would sell for it they were sold off piecemeal and the business were thus broken up. ii) The accruals concept (or matching concept): states that revenue and costs must be recognized as they are earned or incurred, not as money is received or paid. They must be matched with one another so far as their relationship can be established or justifiably assumed, and dealt with in the profit and loss account of the period to which they relate. ExampleAssume that a firm makes a profit of ? 100 by matching the revenue (? 200) earned from the sale of 20 units against the cost (? 100) of acquiring them. (Williamson,2001) If, however, the firm had only sold eighteen units, it would have been incorrect to charge profit and loss account with the cost of twenty units; there is still two units in stock. If the firm intends to sell them later, it is likely to make a profit on the sale. Therefore, only the purchase cost of eighteen units (? 90) should be matched with the sales revenue, leaving a profit of ? 90. The ba lance sheet would therefore look like this: ? | Assets| | Stock (at cost, i. e. 2 x ? 5)| 10| Debtors (18 x ? 10)| 180| | 190| Liabilities| | Creditors| 100| | 90| Capital (profit for the period)| 90| If, however the firm had decided to give up selling units, then the going concern concept would no longer apply and the value of the two units in the balance sheet would be a break-up valuation rather than cost. Similarly, if the two unsold units were now unlikely to be sold at more than their cost of ? 5 each (say, because of damage or a fall in demand) then they should be recorded on the balance sheet at their net realizable value (i. . the likely eventual sales price less any expenses incurred to make them saleable, e. g. paint) rather than cost. This shows the application of the prudence concept. In this example, the concepts of going concern and matching are linked. Because the business is assumed to be a going concern it is possible to carry forward the cost of the unsold units a s a charge against profits of the next period. Essentially, the accruals concept states that, in computing profit, revenue earned must be matched against the expenditure incurred in earning it. ii) The entity concept: The concept is that accountants regard a business as a separate entity, distinct from its owners or managers. The concept applies whether the business is a limited company (and so recognized in law as a separate entity) or a sole proprietorship or partnership (in which case the business is not separately recognized by the law. iv) The money measurement concept: The money measurement concept states that accounts will only deal with those items to which a monetary value can be attributed.For example, in the balance sheet of a business, monetary values can be attributed to such assets as machinery (e. g. the original cost of the machinery; or the amount it would cost to replace the machinery) and stocks of goods (e. g. the original cost of goods, or, theoretically, the pr ice at which the goods are likely to be sold). The monetary measurement concept introduces limitations to the subject matter of accounts. A business may have intangible assets such as the flair of a good manager or the loyalty of its workforce.These may be important enough to give it a clear superiority over an otherwise identical business, but because they cannot be evaluated in monetary terms they do not appear anywhere in the accounts. v) The historical cost concept: A basic concept of accounting is that resources are normally stated in accounts at historical cost, i. e. at the amount that the business paid to acquire them. An important advantage of this procedure is that the objectivity of accounts is maximized: there is usually objective, documentary evidence to prove the amount paid to purchase an asset or pay an expense.Historical cost means transactions are recorded at the cost when they occurred. In general, accountants prefer to deal with costs, rather than with ‘val ues’. This is because valuations tend to be subjective and to vary according to what the valuation is for. For example, suppose that a company acquires a machine to manufacture its products. The machine has an expected useful life of four years. At the end of two years the company is preparing a balance sheet and has decided what monetary amount to attribute to the asset. vi) The realization concept: Realization: Revenue and profits are recognized when realized.The concept states that revenue and profits are not anticipated but are recognized by inclusion in the income statement only when realized in the form of either cash or of other assets the ultimate cash realization of which can be assessed with reasonable certainty. vii) Duality concept: This concept ensures that transactions are recorded in books at least in two accounts, if one account is debited it’s also credited with the same amount in a different account. The recording system is also known as double entry system. Assets = Liabilities + Capital.Every transaction has a two-fold effect in the accounts and is the basis of double entry bookkeeping. b) Accounting conventions Conventions, unlike concepts, are guidelines derived by usage and practice. They are guidelines that arise from the practical application of accounting principles. An accounting convention is not a legally-binding practice; rather, it is a generally-accepted convention based on customs, and is designed to help accountants overcome practical problems that arise out of the preparation of financial statements. As customs change, so to will accounting conventions.Basically, conventions fill in the gaps between guidelines and practical usage. If an accounting regulatory body sets forth a guideline that addresses the same topic as the accounting convention, the accounting convention will no longer be applicable. Concepts supersede conventions. i) The consistency concept states that in preparing accounts consistency should be observed in two respects. a)Similar items within a single set of accounts should be given similar accounting treatment. b)The same treatment should be applied from one period to another in accounting for similar items.This enables valid comparisons to be made from one period to the next. (Crovit,2008) An accounting method used in one accounting period should be the same as the method used for events or transactions which are materially similar in other period (i. e. accounting practices should remain unchanged from period to period ). This also involves treatment of transaction and valuation method. Consistency is also advisable so that the comparison of accounting figures over time is meaningful. Consistency also states that if a change becomes necessary, the change and its effect should be clearly stated. i) The materiality concept: An item is considered material if it’s omission or misstatement will affect the decision making process of the users. Materiality depends on t he nature and size of the item. Only items material in amount or in their nature will affect the true and fair view given by a set of accounts. An error that is too trivial to affect anyone’s understanding of the accounts is referred to as immaterial. In preparing accounts it is important to assess what is material and what is not, so that time and money are not wasted in the pursuit of excessive detail.Determining whether or not an item is material is a very subjective exercise. There is no absolute measure of materiality. It is common to apply a convenient rule of thumb (for example to define material items as those with a value greater than 5% of the net profit disclosed by the accounts). But some items disclosed in accounts are regarded as particularly sensitive and even a very small misstatement of such an item would be regarded as a material error. An example in the accounts of a limited company might be the amount of remuneration paid to directors of the company.The as sessment of an item as material or immaterial may affect its treatment in the accounts. For example, the profit and loss account of a business will show the expenses incurred by he business grouped under suitable captions (heating and lighting expenses, rent and rates expenses etc); but in the case of very small expenses it may be appropriate to lump them together under a caption such as ‘sundry expenses’, because a more detailed breakdown would be inappropriate for such immaterial amounts. a)If a balance sheet shows fixed assets of ? million and stocks of ? 30,000 an error of ? 20,000 in the depreciation calculations might not be regarded as material, whereas an error of ? 20,000 in the stock valuation probably would be. In other words, the total of which the erroneous item forms part must be considered. b)If a business has a bank loan of ? 50,000 balance and a ? 55,000 balance on bank deposit account, it might well be regarded as a material misstatement if these two a mounts were displayed on the balance sheet as ‘cash at bank ? ,000’. In other words, incorrect presentation may amount to material misstatement even if there is no monetary error. iii) The Prudence convention (conservatism): The prudence convention ( classified as a concept by some others) states that where alternative procedures, or alternative valuations, are possible, the one selected should be the one that gives the most cautious presentation of the business’s financial position or results.This policy tends to understate rather than overstate net assets and net income, and therefore lead entities to â€Å"play safe†. In accounting, it states that when choosing between two solutions, the one that will be least likely to overstate assets and income should be selected. According to this concept â€Å"expected losses are losses but expected gains are not gains†. On the basis of this concept closing stock is valued at cost price or market price, whic hever is lower. Provisions for bad and doubtful debts are maintained.Therefore, revenue and profits are not anticipated but are recognized by inclusion in the profit and loss account only when realized in the form of either cash or of other assets the ultimate cash realization of which can be assessed with reasonable certainty: provision is made for all liabilities (expenses and losses) whether the amount of these is known with certainty or is best estimate in the light of the information available. (Pixley,2002) Assets and profits should not be overstated, but a balance must be achieved to prevent the material overstatement of liabilities or losses.The other aspect of the prudence concept is that where a loss is foreseen, it should be anticipated and taken into account immediately. If a business purchases stock for ? 1,200 but because of a sudden slump in the market only ? 900 is likely to be realized when the stock is sold the prudence concept dictates that the stock should be val ued at ? 900. It is not enough to wait until the stock is sold, and then recognize the ? 300 loss; it must be recognized as soon as it is foreseen. (Pixley,2002) A profit can be considered to be a realized profit when it is in the form of: †¢Cash Another asset that has a reasonably certain cash value. This includes amounts owing from debtors, provided that there is a reasonable certainty that the debtors will eventually pay up what they owe. Example A company begins trading on 1 January 20X2 and sells goods worth ? 100,000 during the year to 31 December. At 31 December there are debts outstanding of ? 15,000. Of these, the company is now doubtful whether ? 6,000 will ever be paid. The company should make a provision for doubtful debts of ? 6,000. Sales for 20Ãâ€"5 will be shown in the profit and loss account at their full value of ? 00,000, but the provision for doubtful debts would be a charge of ? 6,000. Because there is some uncertainty that the sales will be realized in th e form of cash, the prudence concept dictates that the ? 6,000 should not be included in the profit for the year. iv) Objectivity (neutrality): An accountant must show objectivity in his work. This means he should try to strip his answers of any personal opinion or prejudice and should be as precise and as detailed as the situation warrants. The result of this should be that any number of accountants will give the same answer independently of each other.Objectivity means that accountants must be free from bias. They must adopt a neutral stance when analyzing accounting data. In practice objectivity is difficult. Two accountants faced with the same accounting data may come to different conclusions as to the correct treatment. It was to combat subjectivity that accounting standards were developed. v) Full disclosure It states that information that might affect the judgments of the users of financial information should be presented in the main body of financial statements or in the not es or as supplementary information.Amounts and kinds of information disclosed should be decided based on a tradeoff analysis as a larger amount of information costs more to prepare than to use. Information disclosed should be enough to make a judgment while keeping costs reasonable. QUESTION TWO: Clashing accounting concepts and conventions that might bring about inconsistency in the accounting process Accounting concepts or conventions could clash or there could be inconsistency between them in such a way that users may have more than one definite method of treating items in the financial statements hence causing uncertainty.Examples include: 1. Clash between the accruals/matching concept and the prudence convention The accruals concept requires future income (e. g. in relation to credit sales) to be accrued. On the other hand the prudence concept dictates that caution should be exercised, so that if there is doubt about the subsequent receipt, no accrual should be made. There is a clash in that credit sales should be recognised immediately the sale is made (regardless of payment) under accrual concept while prudence states that incomes be recognized only when receipt is certain.A good example would be the treatment of deferred revenue expenditures that are usually spread over a number of years, during which the organisation is expected to earn additional revenue out of the expenditure. While this treatment is an accepted principle, there may be a counter-treatment, argued by another group, to charge the item as an expense, the entire amount in the year it was spent, on the grounds of conservatism/prudence. In other words, there may be a direct clash between the accruals and conservatism principles. 2.Clash between the historical cost concept and Prudence convention The prudence convention states that where alternative procedures, or alternative valuations, are possible, the one selected should be the one that gives the most cautious presentation of the busin ess’s financial position or results. Therefore it requires that stocks should always be valued at the lowest of cost or net realisable value. Net realisable value is the selling price of the stock minus any costs involved in getting this stock into saleable condition (e. g. repair costs).This means that we can value stock at current market rates, but only if the selling price is lower than the cost. However, if the replacement cost of these stocks is lower than cost or net realisable value then it may seem prudent to use the replacement cost to value these stocks. On the other hand, the historical cost concept implies that all assets acquired, service rendered or received, expenses incurred etc. should be recorded in the books at the price at which it was acquired (its cost price). The cost is distinct from its value and the record does not signify the value.It also holds that cost is the most reliable and verifiable value at which a good is or services should be initially re cognized. Therefore in determining inventory prices, the two principles may clash in application. QUESTION THREE: Solutions to the clashing accounting concepts and conventions William (2001) outlines basic rules that should be observed in applying particular accounting concepts in case of conflict. He states that despite the fact that most of the concepts have been universally accepted, accountants quite often come across situations where two concepts are in onflict and one overrides the application of the other. These are situations where an accountant will find it necessary to apply his professional skill and judgment to come up with the best possible solution. To quote from IAS 1, â€Å"There are many different accounting policies in use even in relation to the same subject: judgment is required in selecting and applying those which, in the circumstances of the enterprise, are best suited to present properly its financial position and the results of its operation. † 1. Sol ution to the clash between accruals and prudence When there is a clash between the two, prudence prevails.Although the accruals concept is universally accepted in trading and manufacturing organizations, there are occasions when the concept of conservatism overrides the application of the accruals concept. A typical example would be the accounts prepared for professional firms of accountants, lawyers and medical practitioners. In these accounts, recognition is generally given to the accruals concept insofar as it relates to expenses. In computing the incomes, however, a rather conservative approach is followed and only those items that are actually realized are accounted for in the accounts.This treatment has been accepted by the accountancy profession on the grounds of conservatism, although it generally defeats the concept of the accruals concept. When the accountant has a choice between two alternative treatments, remember, he should select the one that shows a less encouraging p osition of the financial situation. To follow the principle of conservatism is not easy; and good judgment is necessary to decide the right course of action. There is however, a great deal of difference between being conservative and being over conservative.The rule of conservatism should not be stretched to the point where it might eventually result in distorting the financial results. For example, capital items such as buildings, vehicles, machinery etc, which are capitalized in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAPs), must always be capitalized and no deviation should be recommended on the grounds of conservatism. 2. Solution to the clash between historical cost concept and Prudence convention Williamson (2001) states that prudence should prevail over the historical cost concept.This is important in order for financial statements to avoid overstating profits or disguising losses which may lead users to make wrong decisions. An example is that of fixed ass ets which should be valued at their historical cost (because it is objective). However, it is prudent to reduce their values to reflect wear and tear so as not to overstate profits. Also, according to the accruals concept, we should match an expense to when it was incurred. Therefore, fixed assets should appear as their historical cost less any depreciation.Also, the cost of these assets should be ‘spread' over their lifetime in the accounts. REFERENCES 1. Agatha J. , Mengyu and W. ,Askew S. ,(2010). â€Å"The Switch from US GAAP to IFRS†. Proceedings of the Northeast Business & Economics Association 48–54 2. Arens A. , and Loebbecke, J. , â€Å"Auditing, an integrated approach†, 1980 Prentice Hall 3. Carruthers, Bruce G. , & Espeland, Wendy Nelson, Accounting for Rationality: Double-Entry Bookkeeping and the Rhetoric of Economic Rationality, American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 7, No. 1, July 1991, pp. 40-41,44 46 4. Crovitz, L. (2008). â€Å"Closing the Information GAAP†. The Wall Street Journal vol III 5. Oldroyd, David & Dobie, Alisdair: Themes in the history of bookkeeping, The Routledge Companion to Accounting History, London, July 2008 6. Pixley, Francis William: Accountancy—constructive and recording accountancy (Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons, Ltd, London, 2002) 7. Williamson, D. (2001), Accounting Business Spreadsheeting, Prentice Hall, London

Dicussion questions Essay

How do organizational functions affect organizational structures? How do your organization’s functions affect its organizational structure? How do organizational structures affect organizational functions? How does your organization’s structure affect its organizational functions? An organization is defined as a social unit of people that is structured and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals. The function of an organization directly relates to its structure. To succeed as an organization, all the functional areas must work together. There are different levels of structures: Vertical and Horizontal. Vertical organizational structures means a strict top down or bottom up structure (chain of command is important); horizontal, flat or closer to flat organizational structure (no leaders). While the organization I work for does not participate in any sort of sales, we do protect America through research and being knowledgeable in different aspects of careers. The Air Force follows a vertical organizational structure. There is always a person in charge of someone. To file a complaint, you have to start with the lowest level and work your way up. Organizational structures affect organizational functions depending on the main goal/strategy. The functions and structures of organizations go hand in hand. What are the different types of organizational structures? Which type of structure do you think is the most effective? Why is this structure the most effective? How can organizations determine if they are structured in the most effective and efficient manner? The different types of organizational structures are functional, divisional, and matrix. Functional structure is departmentalization around specialized activities such as production, marketing, and human resources. Divisional structure is departmentalization that groups units around products, customers, or geographic regions. Matrix structure is an organization composed of dual reporting relationships in which some managers’ report to two superiors –a functional manager and a divisional manager. The most effective structure is the matrix structure because it consists of the other functions, both of which would fail without them. Organizations can determine if they are structured in the most effective and efficient manner by analyzing how their business operates. Consider an organization in which you have worked. Draw it’s organization chart, and describe it by using terms from Ch. 8 of the text. Describe your experience with the organization. Did you enjoy working there? Explain your response. The experience I have had with the organization is good. Our organization makes charts for each unit’s supervision. Everyone knows who to contact in case of an emergency or if there is a problem with the chain of command. So far, I have enjoyed working for the military. I appreciate structure and reliability. What evidence have you seen of the imperatives for change, flexibility, and responsiveness faced by today’s firms? By firms becoming learning organizations they can be skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights. Firms should also have a high-involvement organization, which top management ensures that there is consensus about the direction in which the business is heading.

Mugged by Andrew Payne Essays

Mugged by Andrew Payne Essays Mugged by Andrew Payne Essay Mugged by Andrew Payne Essay Essay Topic: Literature I performed in Mugged by Andrew Payne. I played the character of Taylor who was a deprived boy who has turned into a bully because of the people that he is around. Mugged is a play about six teenagers that are affected by the things around them, two are bullies, two are boys who are good friends that try to act cool and the two girls go along with the bullies. The teenagers are scared of the muggers and this ends up in one of the six being stabbed. In my essay I am going to study the plays of mugged and Blood Brothers and also Billy Elliot. My character of Taylor is a street wise teenager who is one of the school bullies. He victimises people who are quieter and less street wise than him. He is scared of some individuals across the park that they all fear and see as muggers but intimidates those less powerful than him and makes it look like he is not scared when he secretly is. I played the character of Taylor using some techniques such as walking in the way that a teenage boy would walk and also raising the tone of my voice to make me seem a lot more superior and also talking louder than I normally would. I tried to base that character of Taylor like the character of Tony Elliot, Billys older brother. The actor who played Tony showed his power and authority by raising his voice and he seemed like the type of person who would break the rules but he was very loyal to the miners on strike by not caving in because he needed the money he continued with his work mates. Although he was over powering when he told Billy to dance on the table he was trying to show compassion that he is only a little boy and should not go to ballet school. I tied to play Taylor as very headstrong but towards the end he was a bit lost in whom he was and what he was doing there and I tried to show that he also had a compassionate side. Playing the part of Taylor in mugged helped me to understand how a person like this would relate to the settings around him and also the other characters on the stage. The part of Taylor is a bit like the character of Sammy Johnstone in Blood Brothers because even know they are not the main character in the play they are still a character that has a lot of impact on the other characters and of the outcome at the end of the production. The characters of Sammy, Tony and Taylor have an outcome on the productions that I have used above because they cause life changing situation and in the plays Blood Brothers and Mugged someone ends up dying and Tony changes the decisions that are made but does not affect the play as much. The set of mugged is very simple compared to the sets of Blood Brothers and Billy Elliot. The set of Billy Elliot is the main background of the village miners hall and the bedroom and house was brought in by hydraulics under the stage and other things are brought in by the cast and crew. In Blood brothers the main setting in the first act is the old council buildings on the stage right and on the stage left a posh middle class house. In the second act it changes to some better presented council houses again the other parts of the stage are brought in by the cast and crew. The setting of Mugged was very simple because we performed it in our school so we had two park benches and a bin in between the two benches and that was it so that the set did not distract the audience form the performers. Also this is all that we needed for our play to make it look realistic. Our costumes were very simple me, Sian who played Leon, Allanah who played Marky and Kerry who played Dig wore jogging bottoms and a zip up hoddy to look like the style of people who were trying to be. Penny who played Mel and Georgina who played Soph wore there school skirts and a coat to look like slutty girls. In Billy Elliot each character had more than one costume because the play was over a few months the only person who wore the same costume was Mrs Elliot because she only was on a few times and she was dead so she did not change. Also in Blood Brothers they were a few different costumes because they are playing people over 10 years apart so they have different costumes to show the differences in age and also how they have grown up. Most productions on the West end and in most theatres are different to ours because they have people making the costumes and doing the makeup but because we only did it in school we did not have to do much to make it look good because people do not expect it to look good because it is only armature dramatics so we would not have very good costumes and also we would not have a very complex set. The theme of Mugged is mainly Friendship and who to make friends with and how friends act towards each other. Our play is also about peer pressure which ties in with the plot of both Blood Brothers and Billy Elliot because in both of these plays there is a lot of peer pressure. In Billy Elliot there is peer pressure because the miners are pressurised to stay on strike but Billys dad decided that he would break it for his son to go to ballet school. And in Blood brothers Sammy and his gang pressured Mickey. Linda and Eddie into things that they dont want to do and end up in trouble.

15 Tactics To Improve Your Brands Pinterest Engagement - CoSchedule

15 Tactics To Improve Your Brands Pinterest Engagement Pinterest isnt just an awesome place to find new recipes or inspiration for a clever DIY project. Its also a great place for sharing content and marketing your brand. To connect with  your audience on Pinterest, you need to know the right tactics to drive the most engagement possible. In social media terms, engagement refers to the use of strategic, resourceful content to create meaningful interactions over time. If you search Google for  Pinterest Engagement you might find yourself looking at endless photos of engagement rings, but not here. Here you will learn  15 ways you can skyrocket your Pinterest engagement. If your brand isnt on Pinterest, it might be worth making an account. Pinterest was once known as that social media network that was all about housewives and pretty pictures, but now its comfortably taking on the big three (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) of social media. While 80% of users are female, men are starting to catch the Pinterest bug. In the past year, the number of male users has doubled, making them Pinterest’s fastest growing demographic. This means Pinterest has the ability to bring in a high engagement rate. But how? Lets get started and find out! Optimize Your Pinterest Posting Schedule For Maximum Engagement Optimize your Pinterest schedule (and all your other social media), with this free resource bundle. 1. Create Multiple Boards Related to Your Brand Creating multiple boards on Pinterest gives your brand more opportunity to catch your audience's attention. If you have one or two boards with 500+ random Pins, no one is going to take the time to look because your profile will look barren. On the other hand, if you have several well-organized boards that have distinct categories, your audience will be more likely to check them out. Social Media Examiner does a great job at keeping their boards organized by category: The names and descriptions of your Pinterest boards are important. Not only do they tell  users exactly what they can expect, they also assist users  in finding your content. Try to keep the names of your boards short and simple for easy readability. To create a Pinterest board, click the  Create Board  icon: Then decide the title of the board, add an optional description, and categorize what type of board you'd like: Click  create and wallah! Repeat these steps for each new Pinterest board you create. Create multiple boards on Pinterest for easy categorization.2. Repin Valuable Content From Other Accounts Just like with any social media platform, sharing others’  content is one of the best ways to show that you’re not all about you, and that you value a variety of perspectives beyond your own. The same goes for Pinterest. According to Social Marketing Writing, 80% of Pins on Pinterest are repins. To find content for repinning, follow these steps: 1. Use Pinterest's search bar to locate keywords relating to your brand. 2. After finding a Pin you want to repin, select Save: 3. Select which board of yours you want the repin to be placed on: See something great on #Pinterest? Repin it!3. Use Appealing Cover Photos for Pinterest Boards Just like Facebook, you can create cover photos for Pinterest. At , we have five distinct boards that have their own cover image to help our audience better find our content. Creating cover photos for your boards is an excellent way to establish branding. Including branding images  such as colors, logo, and style allows users to become more familiar with your visual message. Be sure to choose one or two short words that describes what type of content your board includes. To create a cover photo for your Pinterest boards, start by designing a graphic that fits with your company's branding  and is  217 X 147 pixels. Locate the board you want the image to be placed and click the  edit button: Under  Cover in the edit settings, click  Change. Select the graphic you just added to be your cover photo. Once you've selected the photo, click  Save Changes. Repeat these step for each of your Pinterest boards. Give your #Pinterest boards creative cover images.4. Use Long Images  To Stand Out On Boards Don't be a square, be a rectangle when it comes to Pinterest images. Pinterest is a visual playground for your audience, so it's important that your Pin stands out above the rest. Tall images are proven to be more eye-catching and easier to read than wide ones because it's much easier to scroll vertically than horizontally. Taller images- those containing more "content"- tend to get more repins than shorter images. Think infographic-style image like this Pin: Here's a few fun facts about Pinterest images from Design School: Images with multiple dominant colors have 3.25 times more repins than images with only a single dominant color. Images containing less than 30% background are repinned the most. Images with less than 10% background receive between 2-4 times more repins than images with more than 40% background. Red, orange and brown images get twice as many repins than blue images. Less than 1/5 of images on Pinterest are of faces. Similarly, a brand image is 23% more likely to be repinned if the image does not have a face in it. The next time you design an image for Pinterest, try making it the ideal size of 725 pixels wide x 1102 pixels high. Recommended Reading: How To Get More Followers On Pinterest With 21+ Tactics That Will Grow Your Following 5. Have Conversations and Say 'Thank You' Pinterest is a social media platform after all, so it's time to get social! Pinterest allows users to have conversations with each other through direct messages. To send a direct message, simply click the paper airplane icon and type in the name of the user you want to send the Pin to. To use direct messaging for Pinterest marketing, Positionly  offers the following advice: Reach out to fans who have liked a product offering them assistance in purchasing the item. Offer thanks to followers through a personalized message for re-pinning one of your pins. Send out personalized coupons or gift cards to star re-pinners and get them to transact on your site. Set up group conversations with like-minded followers. Help them connect with each other and your brand on topics of mutual interest. Another way to interact with your audience on Pinterest is by saying thank you. When someone retweets you on Twitter, you thank them for mentioning you. When someone shares your post on Facebook, you comment thanking the user for sharing. On Pinterest it is no different. If you see someone has repinned your Pin, then make the effort to go to their Board, and make a comment saying â€Å"thanks† for repinning.  This tactic is  overlooked on Pinterest, and by doing it, you could bring yourself some great engagement with other Pinners. To thank a user: Find the Pin you want to comment on. Click  comments  on the bottom left corner of the Pin. Type your 'thank you' message and click the red comment button. See someone repin your content on #Pinterest? Be sure to thank them.6. Add Group Boards  for More Exposure Creating your own Group Board gives you the upper hand in deciding many things, including who you want to add as collaborators. This also provides you with access to the group’s analytics. By creating a group board, you are allowing collaborators of your choice to add Pins and share ideas.  Your audience may already be liking, commenting and sharing your content with their followers on Pinterest, but inviting them to pin to your brand’s group board will get them more engaged and involved in your online conversation. To make your own Group Board: Click the first tab with the plus-sign symbol on it- this creates a new board. Add keywords to the group’s name for better visibility in the search results. Add a brief description about the group board and its goals. Also include the rules for users that seek membership in your group within your description. Add the usernames or email IDs of any users interested in contributing to your board. Recommended Reading: How To Increase Visibility With Social Media Optimization 7. Use Pinterest Analytics to Find What Your Audience Wants Want to know how your content is performing? Use Pinterest’s built-in analytics  to check what boards have the most impressions, clicks, and repins. In oder to build engagement with your followers, you need to have a basic understanding of what's working and what's not. This video from Pinterest will show you how to get started with Pinterest Analytics: Get the most out of your Pins by understanding analytic data. Maybe you'll find out that you're posting at the wrong times or not posting enough. Pinterest has it's own analytics system to ensure you're doing all the right things. Be sure to check out your reach in Pinterest Analytics, this metric matters most for engagement. It will be purple in color: You can locate your brand's Pinterest analytics in the top left corner of the Pinterest homepage. Recommended Reading: How To Use Social Media Analytics To Create The Best Content 8. Schedule Pins at the Best Possible Times If you want to max out your engagement scale, then you need to make sure your audience can see your content. After doing some research on the best times to post on Pinterest, these are the results: Saturdays are your best bet for reaching Pinterest users- and later at night. Saturdays at 8–11 p.m. Fridays at 3 p.m. General awesome times to Pin to  Pinterest: 8–11 p.m. with 9 p.m. peak 2–4 a.m. and 2–4 p.m. 1–3 p.m.Are you scheduling #Pinterest pins at the best times?You can use Pinterest analytics to analyze the days of the week when you typically get the best results. Recommended Reading: What 16 Studies Say About The Best Times To Post On Social Media 9. Use Rich Pins to Include More  Detailed Information First of all, what the heck is a Rich Pin? Rich Pins are Pins that include extra information right on the Pin itself. There are 6 types of Rich Pins: App Movie Recipe Article Product Place This pin from Whole Foods  (shared in another post by Social Media Examiner) is an example of a Recipe Rich Pin: And here is an example of a Movie Rich Pin: Rich Pins require more work than the other Pinterest strategies above because you’ll need to add meta tags to  your website and then apply to have Rich Pins  enabled,  but these Pins stand out and make the whole user experience better. If necessary, talk to a developer to help implement the right meta data. Use rich pins to make your #Pinterest content stand out.10. Create Pinterest Promoted Ads The quickest way to boost your Pinterest engagement rate is to create an ad. You can decide how long you want the ad to run for, how much you want to spend, and who you want to target. You are in complete control. To create a Pinterest ad: Pick a Pin. Promote your best Pins so they appear in the most relevant places. Decide who sees it. Set up targeting so the right people see your Promoted Pin. Pay for results. Choose to pay for engagement or visits to your site. Track what's working. Pinterest ads will show up with the words "Promoted Pin" in the bottom left corner. Be sure to use a stunning image to catch your reader's eye as they scroll through their Pinterest feed and keywords for maximum reach. Promote pins to reach more people and drive higher engagement.11. Include a Call-to-Action Adding a call-to-action is a quick way to get your readers to engage with your content. According to Quicksprout,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"there is an 80% increase in engagement for pins that contain a call to action.† Try adding relevant descriptions that ask for clicks, repins, or comments. Include a call-to-action either in the image or in the description. Some simple call-to-actions include: Share this post Pin it for later Click here for your free download Register today RSVP here Sign up here Don't be shy to create call-to-action images to your Pinterest profile. You can't argue with an 80% increase in engagement! Recommended Reading: How To Write A Call To Action In A Template With 6 Examples 12. Install the Pin It Button Want to drive engagement from your website or blogs to Pinterest? Then you need the Pin It button! This Pin It button is  a button that allows users to pin an image in a few clicks, making the process faster and easier.  The BEST part about the Pin It button is that once you install it, your work is done! Your website visitors and readers can Pin your content for you, and their followers will see the activity on Pinterest. 62% of brands have Pin It buttons, including us! All of our blogs include the Pinterest Pin It button: Learn how to install  your Pin It button here. Recommended Reading: The Ultimate Guide On How To Use Pinterest For Marketing 13. Write Killer Social Messages Let your readers know what you're sharing. Pin descriptions between 100 and 200 characters get repinned the most, according to Social Marketing Writing. You should write a brief social message to describe the image or the blog post the image will lead to. Pin descriptions between 100 and 200 characters get repinned the mostYour social message is a good indicator of what readers can expect when they click on your Pin. Try asking a question, sharing a quick tip, or providing a benefit. Here are some ways you can write better Pinterest descriptions: Create  a keyword-rich description. Share helpful details. Don't include hashtags. Keep it short -  only about 75-100 characters of your description will appear in grid view. Recommended Reading: This Is How To Write For Social Media To Create The Best Posts 14. Create  Tutorials and Guides to Show Your Audience How to Get Something Done Remember that part about creating long images for Pinterest? You can use this to your advantage by creating a visual step-by-step guide for your users. Tutorials and guides have 42% higher click through rates than other Pins. To create a step-by-step guide: Plan out each step. Write your image copy. Assemble images together that match your image copy. Include steps, copy, and images into one Pin. Show your users exactly how to do something on Pinterest by using images and text. You can even upload a video to Pinterest for a quick demonstration. ProBlogger  shared these tips to uploading a  video from your YouTube account: Make sure you have an active YouTube channel. Make sure your videos are branded (have a similar theme so users can easily recognize). Create a Pinterest board specifically for your YouTube channel. Grab your YouTube embedded link. Upload a new Pin. Select the appropriate board. Add a description. You can locate the embedded code by  Share  button on a YouTube video, then selecting the  Embed option. You can also Pin directly from YouTube by clicking on the Pinterest icon under the  Share option: Recommended Reading: 5 Teaching Theories That Will Improve Your Educational Content Marketing 15. Pin Often (And Pin Consistently) Want to increase your Pinterest engagement by 150%? Then you need to post Pins often, roughly 10 times a day. Decide what Pins you want scheduled and let do the work for you. We'll even use our Best Time Scheduling feature to make sure your Pins go out at the peak times. You'll never have to worry about Pins not posting or  your audience seeing 10 pins in a row with . Studies have shown that users who pin 15 to 30 times a day get the best results. These should be spread throughout the day. Schedule your Pins to go out approximately every hour. Recommended Reading: This Is The Social Media Posting Schedule That Will Boost Your Traffic By 192% What Are Some of Your Favorite Pinterest Engagement Tactics? Pinterest is a great social media platform for marketing use and a huge potential source for traffic. Take advantage of  these tactics the next time you log into Pinterest. Get ready to create some awesome Pins for your users and get that engagement rate up! P.S Have you heard!? has Pinterest integration. Save time and get organized today for FREE:  http://.com/signup

Finance report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

Finance report - Assignment Example Ratio analysis is done to compare the performance of FHL with its major competitor, Harvey Norman. Profitability, Asset efficiency, Liquidity, Capital structure, and Market performance ratios are calculated for both the companies and performance of the two companies is analyzed in the light of these ratios. Some of the limitations of the analysis are identified, conclusions are drawn and recommendations are given on the basis of the analysis done on FHL. Financial statements include at least two accounting statements that are prepared by a company at the end of its accounting period. These two include Income statement and balance sheet and these statements of Fantastic Holdings LTD (FHL) are analyzed in this report. Financial statement analysis of a company is extremely important for a company so that it can reflect upon performance of the company and can add meaning to the figures of the financial statements. Financial statement analysis involves evaluating three characteristics: profitability, liquidity and solvency. A short term lender will be interested in the liquidity of the company which measures the efficiency of the companies to pay their obligations when they are due. A long term creditor would assess the profitability and solvency of the company which measures the long term standing of the company. Hence financial statement analysis is extremely important for the company as well as for the users of the financial statements. Comparisons can be made on the intra company basis, industry averages and inter company basis. Vertical analysis is done to make intra company comparisons and ratio analysis is done to make inter company comparisons. In this report, both comparisons are made. Intra company analysis is done using vertical and trend analysis and inter company analysis is done through ratio analysis of Fantastic Holdings Ltd and Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd. Through the analysis, conclusions will be drawn regarding the performance of FHL from