Marginal Utility Analysis in Human Resources Management

How to Conduct Market Research

How to Conduct Market Research Free Online Research Papers How to Conduct Market Research Definition: Marketing research is the systematic and objective identification, collection, analysis, and dissemination of information for the purpose of assisting management in decision making related to the identification and solution of problems and opportunities in marketing. Research carried out in order to understand customer/consumer interest in a particular product or service. Marketing research, or market research, is a form of business research and is generally divided into two categories: consumer market research; Consumer marketing research studies the buying habits of individual people Business-to-business (B2B) market research, which was previously known as industrial marketing research; it investigates the markets for products sold by one business to another. Importance Marketing research provides information regarding consumer needs to the marketing managers, so that they can be able to implement marketing strategies and programs intended to satisfy those needs. Marketing research enables a firm to spot and identify the size of potential markets that are abroad. This therefore enables the firm to export the right amount of its products: not so much and at the same time not so little. This increases the chances of a firm succeeding in international markets. With respect to existing products in the market, marketing research enables a company to know if it has been able to satisfy customer needs and whether any changes regarding the product are necessary. Steps in Market research 1. Defining market problems 2. Set objectives, budget and timetables 3. Select research types, methods and techniques 4. Design research instruments 5. Collect data 6. Organize and analyze data 7. Presentation and reporting of findings 1. Defining market problems: The first step is being able to identify and define the problems and opportunities ahead. The issue will likely be recognized by one or more management Examples of problems might be poor company image, lack of awareness of the company and its products or services or even a bad reputation of the company. 2. Set objectives, budget and timetables: This involves being able to come up with a defined set of objectives that have been based on facts collected in the previous step. It also entails being able to determine the amount of resources that would be needed for the market research and a comprehensive, reasonable time frame for the whole research process. 3. Select research types, methods and techniques: This step Involves choosing between two types of research schemes i.e. primary research or secondary research. Primary research is based on information that had not existed before i.e. original information, whereas secondary research involves the usage of already existing information. Secondary research is faster and less expensive. These methods and techniques may include Based on questioning: ââ€" ª Qualitative marketing research generally used for exploratory purposes small number of respondents not standardized to the whole population statistical significance and confidence not calculated examples include focus groups, in-depth interviews, and projective techniques ââ€" ª Quantitative marketing research generally used to draw conclusions tests a specific hypothesis uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population involves a large number of respondents examples include surveys and questionnaires. Techniques include choice modeling, maximum difference preference scaling, and covariance analysis. Based on observations: ââ€" ª Ethnographic studies -, by nature qualitative, the researcher observes social phenomena in their natural setting observations can occur cross-sectionally (observations made at one time) or longitudinally (observations occur over several time-periods) examples include product-use analysis and computer cookie traces. See also Ethnography and Observational techniques. ââ€" ª Experimental techniques , by nature quantitative, the researcher creates a quasi-artificial environment to try to control spurious factors, then manipulates at least one of the variables examples include purchase laboratories and test markets Marketing research techniques come in many forms, including: ââ€" ª Ad Tracking periodic or continuous in-market research to monitor a brand’s performance using measures such as brand awareness, brand preference, and product usage. (Young, 2005) ââ€" ª Advertising Research used to predict copy testing or track the efficacy of advertisements for any medium, measured by the ad’s ability to get attention, communicate the message, build the brand’s image, and motivate the consumer to purchase the product or service. (Young, 2005) ââ€" ª Brand equity research how favorably do consumers view the brand? ââ€" ª Brand name testing what do consumers feel about the names of the products? ââ€" ª Commercial eye tracking research examine advertisements, package designs, websites, etc by analyzing visual behavior of the consumer ââ€" ª Concept testing to test the acceptance of a concept by target consumers ââ€" ª Coolhunting to make observations and predictions in changes of new or existing cultural trends in areas such as fashion, music, films, television, youth culture and lifestyle ââ€" ª Buyer decision processes research to determine what motivates people to buy and what decision-making process they use ââ€" ª Copy testing predicts in-market performance of an ad before it airs by analyzing audience levels of attention, brand linkage, motivation, entertainment, and communication, as well as breaking down the ad’s flow of attention and flow of emotion. (Young, p 213) ââ€" ª Customer satisfaction research quantitative or qualitative studies that yields an understanding of a customers of satisfaction with a product or service. ââ€" ª Demand estimation to determine the approximate level of demand for the product ââ€" ª Distribution channel audits to assess distributors’ and retailers’ attitudes toward a product, brand, or company ââ€" ª Internet strategic intelligence searching for customer opinions in the Internet: chats, forums, web pages, blogs where people express freely about their experiences with products, becoming strong opinion formers ââ€" ª Marketing effectiveness and analytics Building models and measuring results to determine the effectiveness of individual marketing activities. ââ€" ª Mystery Consumer or Mystery shopping An employee or representative of the market research firm anonymously contacts a salesperson and indicates he or she is shopping for a product. The shopper then records the entire experience. This method is often used for quality control or for researching competitors products. ââ€" ª Positioning research how does the target market see the brand relative to competitors? What does the brand stand for? ââ€" ª Price elasticity testing to determine how sensitive customers are to price changes ââ€" ª Sales forecasting to determine the expected level of sales given the level of demand. With respect to other factors like Advertising expenditure, sales promotion etc. ââ€" ª Segmentation research to determine the demographic, psychographic, and behavioural characteristics of potential buyers ââ€" ª Online panel a group of individual who accepted to respond to marketing research online ââ€" ª Store audit to measure the sales of a product or product line at a statistically selected store sample in order to determine market share, or to determine whether a retail store provides adequate service ââ€" ª Test marketing a small-scale product launch used to determine the likely acceptance of the product when it is introduced into a wider market ââ€" ª Viral Marketing Research refers to marketing research designed to estimate the probability that specific communications will be transmitted throughout an individual’s Social Network. Estimates of Social Networking Potential (SNP) are combined with estimates of selling effectiveness to estimate ROI on specific combinations of messages and media. 4. Design research instruments: A basic type of a research instrument is a questionnaire. A good market research questionnaire should be kept simple, beginning with general questions and moving towards more specific questions. 5. Collect data: Collection of data is an important activity and should be done by experienced researchers. In most cases untrained researchers may be biased towards interviewers. Common data collection methods include computer assisted telephone interviewing, mail surveys, internet surveys and the like. 6. Organize and analyze data: Analysis of data includes the editing, coding and tabulation of the responses. This is normally done with the help of office suite tools or specific research analysis programs. 7. Presentation and reporting if findings: Once the information has been analyzed, it should be presented in an organized manner to the business decision makers especially in the sales and marketing departments. All of these forms of marketing research can be classified as either problem-identification research or as problem-solving research. A company collects primary research by gathering original data. Secondary research is conducted on data published previously and usually by someone else. Secondary research costs far less than primary research, but seldom comes in a form that exactly meets the needs of the researcher. A similar distinction exists between exploratory research and conclusive research. Exploratory research provides insights into and comprehension of an issue or situation. It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution. Conclusive research draws conclusions: the results of the study can be generalized to the whole population. Exploratory research is conducted to explore a problem to get some basic idea about the solution at the preliminary stages of research. It may serve as the input to conclusive research. Exploratory research information is collected by focus group interviews, reviewing literature or books, discussing with experts, etc. This is unstructured and qualitative in nature. If a secondary source of data is unable to serve the purpose, a convenience sample of small size can be collected. Conclusive research is conducted to draw some conclusion about the problem. It is essentially, structured and quantitative research, and the output of this research is the input to management information systems (MIS). REFERENCES: (2008). Retrieved 2008, from Wikipedia: www.wikipedia.com/market research Etzel/Walker/stanton. (2007). Marketing (14th ed.). New York: Mcgraw-Hill Irwin. Kress, G. (1988). Mraketing research . New Jersey: Preita hall. McNeil, R. (1998). Business to business market research. London: kogan page ltd. Research Papers on How to Conduct Market ResearchAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaResearch Process Part OneInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesThe Project Managment Office SystemOpen Architechture a white paperIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfDefinition of Export QuotasMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New Employees

Institution Environment of Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Institution Environment of Finance - Essay Example The channeling of funds between the two groups mentioned can only happen accurately in the presence of particular participants and via main routes such as financial intermediaries or through the use of organized financial markets. - Mishkin and Eakins (2006) discuss that financial intermediaries can substantially reduce transaction costs that can be defined as the time and money spent in performing financial transactions for instance the exchange of assets, goods or services. One major difference between 'deposit-taking institutions' (DTIs) and 'non-deposit-taking institutions' (NDTIs) is that deposit-taking institutions are organizations such as banks and building societies, whose liabilities (assets to lenders) are primarily deposits. These can be withdrawn at short (sometimes zero) notice and usually form part of the national money supply. Non-deposit-taking institutions are organizations such as life assurance companies whose liabilities are promises to pay funds to savers only in response to a specified event. Unless the specified event occurs, it is very difficult to withdraw these funds and there is usually a considerable financial penalty for savers who do so. Similarly, contributions to a pension fund cannot be easily withdrawn until the pension falls due for payment. While the difference between Discretionary financial saving and Contractual financial saving is that discretionary is a day-to-day decision to acquire financial assets of varying kinds and in varying quantities. While contractual is the regular acquisition of a financial asset of a kind, of an amount and on a date specified in a contract. Question 3 How do money markets differ from capital markets Who are the main users of money markets Basically the difference between the capital markets and money markets is that - Capital markets are for long term investments, - Companies are selling stocks and bonds in order to borrow money from their investors to improve their company or to purchase assets. Whereas money markets are more of a short term borrowing or lending market where - Banks borrow and lend between each other, as well as finance companies and - Everything that is borrowed is usually paid back within thirteen months. Another difference between the two markets is what is being used to do the borrowing or lending. In the capital markets the most common thing used is stocks and bonds, whereas with the money markets the most common things used are commercial paper and certificates of deposits. Traditionally, differences of maturity have been used, as in Table, to create a distinction

Respnse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Respnse - Essay Example To speed up delivery and installation at customer sites, I had insisted that service engineer be attached to this team, which was sanctioned by the Executive Director. Our internal quality processed required that the externally sourced goods be verified and checked before installation at customer sites. This activity was controlled by the service manager. He would deliberately delay the process, as je was upset that I had transgressed into his sphere of power. Entertainment expenses as part of marketing activities was only permitted for managers. Since I had the additional responsibility of liaison with public sector and government agencies, I was given a special concession for entertainment bills, with the requirement that the bill be countersigned by the Executive Director before reimbursement. Scrutiny of bills before passing it on to accounts for reimbursement was the responsibility of the HRM deputy manager. She would call me for verifications each time a bill was presented, per ked at a benefit that she did not enjoy, though we were in the same grade. 3. Do â€Å"organizational politics† have a place in effective leadership, or are they consistently counter-productive to leadership effectiveness? Discuss.

Final Paper Week 8 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Final Paper Week 8 - Assignment Example nto five different categories namely Power (sense of wining or accomplishment), Love and Belonging (feeling of receiving love, give love, or accepted by others), Freedom (sense of autonomy, independence or having personal space), Fun( sense of pleasure and enjoyment) and Survival (basic needs of food, shelter, or sexual fulfillment). RT asserts that these essential human needs should be met in order for an individual to operate optimally. According to Dr. Glasser, every person is always struggling to achieve these needs and some of the needs are often met without the knowledge of an individual (Murdock, 2013). For instance, reaching out to support group or socializing with workmates and friends or family members is an effective way of satisfying the need for love and belonging and most of people may not be aware of this fact as they consider it an ordinary occurrence. The fact that every person is always striving to attain all the five basic needs is the central construct of Reality Therapy. This is also a clear justification that all human beings are always in control of what they want in their lives in the quest to meet their basic needs and it does not matter whether their actions help them achieve their basic desires. Murdock (2013) asserts that it is unfortunate that most individuals act inappropriately in their pursuit to achieve the basic needs and thus the issue of individual choice arises, as it is believed that it is through choices that one makes his goals attainable or not. It is noteworthy that achieving the need for love and belonging is the primary goal of most individuals as people always want to feel connected and accepted before they pursue other goals. This claim can be justified by the fact that one of the key goals of RT is to assist people reconnect with individuals they consider part of their quality world. According to RT, individuals are mainly motivated to achieve their needs but the needs for significant relationship often

How Spreadsheets can Solve Complex Problems

How Spreadsheets can Solve Complex Problems Explain how spreadsheets can be used to solve complex problems (P1) Task 1: Generate a report explaining how spreadsheets can be used to solve the following complex problems giving examples to support your explanation Cash flow forecasting Cash flow forecasting is used to see what comes into a business and what goes out. This estimates amounts of cash that comes in and goes out during a period of time. A cash flow forecast will show what the firm is spending its money on.   Ã‚   Cash flow forecasting can be used in spreadsheets as you can use formulas on it to calculate sums and there is less errors whilst using it. It saves time you can calculate things quicker on it rather than doing it one by one. You can conditional format on it which sets rules and highlights the rows you need highlighting. This cash flow sheet shows the money coming and going out between a time. It shows money that comes in each month of the year and how much goes out for things like expenses, wages and so on. When you input data into the cells it will automatically calculate the data with the formulas in the cells. They can then use this years cash flow sheet and compare it to next years seeing if there is any difference. Budget control Budgetary control is how well you utilise budgets to keep track of costs under control and operations in a certain time period. Budget control is a process for managers to put financial and performance targets in place with budgets, compare the final result, and adjust performance when it is needed. Organisations will use budget control to keep costs under control so they dont over spend. This budget control shows the budget limit which is $5,000 and they have spent $3,000 leaving them with $2,000 available. This show that they have spent $1,000 on internet, $500 on postage and $1,500 on rent. It has calculated the total and has shown how much they have left to spend. What-if scenarios What-if scenario is the way businesses use a planning and modelling technique to get various projections for outcomes based on selectively changing the inputs. Scenario planning lets a business to be prepared for dramatic situations more quickly and act effectively because they have made strategies to use. In this spreadsheet, there are 11 people who have taken the test. The people who have an average of over 15 have passed and the ones who have an average of less than 15 have failed. The people who have passed are coloured in green and the people who have failed are in red. The colours displayed are according to the what-if scenario. Sales forecasting Sales forecasting is the process of predicting sales in the future. An accurate sales forecast enables companies to make informed business decisions and predict short-term and long-term performance. Companies can base their forecasts on past sales data and economic trends. If a business is creating a sales forecast on paper they will get many errors in calculations as they have to enter the data and calculate it manually. If a business uses excel to make their sales forecasts they will find it easier as there will be less errors and it will calculate automatically without any errors. Payroll projections In any businesses or organisations, they will have a system which will work out the wages for the staff and this system also calculates taxes payed according their wage. In other words, it shows how much to pay workers and employees during a week, month or other period. In this payroll projection sheet, you can see the included amounts that the business will pay its employees. This is based on the hours that they are working regularly, vacation/holidays hours, sick hours, gross pays, taxes, net pay etc. This is easy for a business to use at it will automatically adjust the wage according to the hours they work. Statistical analysis Statistical analysis is the collection of data, presenting large amounts of data and exploring data to find   patterns and trends. They can use average, mode and median to calculate the overall figures. After the data has been collected you can present it in different formats such as graphs and tables. Once the graph has been completed you are bale to analyse it for underlying patterns and trends. In statistical analysis, a business or an organisation can solve complex problems by entering different sorts of formulae to calculate the average, mode, median or total of a cell. Trend analysis Trend analysis is an analysis that will let businesses to predict what will happen with a stock in the future. Trend analysis is based on data from the past about the stocks performance given the overall trends and patterns of the market and certain indicators within the market. Trend analysis gives out ideas and records on past income, expenses and net cash flow of the past so they can use this to improve the production of their businesses. This graph show the amount of money a brand makes within a month. We can see which brand has the least and highest amounts by looking at the graph chart. By using graphs and charts it becomes more organised and shows who has made profit and who has lost money. Discuss how organisations can use interpretation methods to analyse data (D1) Comparisons of data Organisations can use many interpretation methods to analyse data. They can compare data from using SUM, AVERAGE, COUNT, SUMIF, ROUND, SUBTOTAL, RAND, RATE, MIN, MAX, SYD FV etc. Sum The sum is a formula which will allow you to add different values from different cells. This makes it easier for you as it will allow you to add big numbers together without any errors. The calculation is done automatically. For example = SUM (B4:B12) =SUM (B9:B12, D4:D17) Average The average or arithmetic mean is the calculation of 2 or more different values. Where number 1 may contain a cell reference or range that you want as an average. And number2 can be optional numbers that can go up to 255 max. The average normally refers to the mean value of a variety of numbers in a set that is found by adding all the numbers in the set and then dividing the answer by how many numbers there was in the set. Count The count function counts all the cells that contains numbers and it will put all the numbers in a list of arguments. The use of count function is to get a number field in a range of numbers. For example; we can enter a formula or function that would count the from B1:B27 =COUNT (B1:B27) Sum IF The use of SUMIF function is to add up the values in a range that would meet the task or criteria that you choose. For example, if you want to add/sum only the values that are larger than in a column, you can use the formula =SUMIF (C2:C25,>5) or you can just click on any option from conditional formatting. Round The round function rounds a number to an any decimal point you want. For example, if cell E2 contains 55.86987, and you want it to be rounded to two decimal places then you can use this formula =ROUND (E2.2) then your number will be rounded to 55.86. Subtotal A subtotal is a list or database in a spreadsheet where it only contains subtotals from cells of larger cells. Once you have created a subtotal you can then edit or modify it by using the subtotal function which is SUBTOTAL (function, ref2, [ref3],). Trend analysis Trend analysis is the movements and the course of a trend that can suggest not only what has happened in the past but it can also predict what will happen in the future. The objective of the trend analysis is there to answer questions by assessing changes in a collection of values of a variable. This can things such as the changes in the profit made daily for a specific product. Businesses can use trend analysis in spreadsheets by using graph charts that would allow people to easily see the trend analysis of the business and it will be able to be understood quicker. They can also see where the business is making profit and where it is making loss. Purpose of Trend Analysis Business leaders can make mistakes, and these mistakes can cost them. Trend analysis is a helpful tool that leaders use to limit the risk of tactical, operational and financial tactics. This tool   can let leaders make decisions linked to trends that suggest the success of one opportunity compared to another. By doing this they cause less room for error and businesses will be more successful. Charts and Graphs: Many businesses and organisations use different types of charts and graphs to determine whether if they are going to experience a loss or profit by adding all monthly or yearly expenses. These charts can include pie charts, line chart, brick chart, bar box and vertical bar graph etc. Pie Charts: Line charts: Series 1: Loss: 3% Profit: 4.5% Series 2: Loss: 1.9% Profit: 3% Series 3: Loss: N/A Profit: 5% Bar box: Category 1: Series 1: 4.2% Series 2: 2.4% Series 3: 2% Category 2: Series 1:2.5% Series 2: 4.3% Series 3: 2% Category 3: Series 1: 3.5% Series 2: 1.8% Series 3: 3% Category 4: Series 1: 4.5% Series 2: 2.8% Series 3: 5%

The Avocado Essay -- Botany

The Avocado The avocado is a member of the Laurel family, Lauraceae. Other members of this family include sweet bay, cinnamon, camphor and sassafras. In Central America several wild species of Persea grow. It has been concluded that cultivated forms must have been developed in Mexico and Guatemala at a very early stage of mans history. Two native names for the avocado are still used in America. The nahuatel term was "ahua-cacua-huitle" from which other Central American names like ahuacatl (which is the common Aztec idiom) alcuahte and aquacate have been either derived or shortened. Corruptions of the original name include "abacata" (Portugese) and "alligator" (English) pear. In South America the fruit is called "Palta" derived from the Indian tribe of Ecuador inhabiting the province Palta. Archeological diggings prove it to have been introduced into the Tehuacan area of S. Central Mexico before 7000 possibly as long as 10,000 BC; from a more humid habitat. Remains of avocados came from almost all levels of the Coxatlan cave, beginning with the phase labeled Ajverado (before ?000 BC). The influence of selection on fruit size is not evident until the Santa Maria phase, represented by artifacts from between 900-200 BC. There was evidence that the tree was not only in cultivation, but that it had been actively selected for increase in the fruits size sufficiently long to prevent the large fruited forms from being completely swamped by the wild, small fruited forms since a System of open pollination must have prevailed at the time. Since it takes about seven years for a seedling avocado to bear fruit and the trees continue to bear for about 70 years or longer, the period of selection prior to the demonstration of larger cotyle... ...estroys small roots and can kill a plant. Avocados have had an important role to play in the history of man since men started leaving some sort of foraging trail. In the last 100 years the evolution of the tree as a crop plant has proven to reward us with a diverse selection of potential traits which will be exploited to their fullest potential, if we are all lucky. References The Prehistory of the Tehuacan Valley Vol. I, Douglas S. Byers, 1967. pg 230-240. Tropical Crops, Purseglove, 1974. pg 193-198. Handbook of Tropical Food Crops, Franklin W. Martin, 1984. pg 247-249. Edible Plants of the World, E. Lewis Sturtevant, 1972. pg 414. Useful Plants of Neotropical Origin and Their Wild Relatives, Heinz Brucher, 1985. pg 229-231. Useful Plants of Brazil, Mors and Rizzini, 1966. pg 25. Origin of Cultivated Plants, DeCandolle, 1959. pg 292.

Course Project – Walt Disney

Walt Disney Company Adriana Arroyo Course Project ACCT 307 August 19, 2012 Professor Stuart Thomas TABLE OF CONTENTS Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Financial Report consolidated statements of income4 consolidated balance sheets5 consolidated statements of cash flows6 consolidated statements of shareholders’ equity7 Required Questions [1] What is the amount of property and equipment on the balance sheet for the two most recent years? What is the amount of depreciation expense?What amounts are on the cash flow statement for the most recent year that relate to depreciation, gains and sales of property and equipment, and purchases and sale of property of equipment? What amounts are permitted  for inclusion in the capitalized cost of property and equipment? 8 [2] Looking at the footnote disclosures of the company, what are the individual components of property and equipment? For example, what are the amounts for land, building, equipment, accumulated depreciation, and so forth? How do c ompanies account for nonmonetary exchange and dispositions of property and equipment? [3] Does the company have intangible assets? If so what are the types of intangible assets (patent, copyrights, etc. ) and their amounts? What is the amount of amortization expense? What amounts on the most recent cash flow statement relate to the purchase and sale of intangible assets? How do intangible assets differ from property and equipment? What costs do we include in intangible assets? 9 [4] Goes the company have goodwill? What are the footnote disclosures relating to goodwill and the related acquisition?Please also describe the calculation of goodwill and how we account for differences between fair value and book value of assets acquired. 10 [5] What are the company's depreciation methods? What is the range of estimated useful lives used for depreciating their assets? Does the company use the same depreciation methods for financial statements and tax returns? If not, please describe the met hods used for tax purposes. 11 [6] What are the company's footnote disclosures relating to impairment? Please also describe how to determine if an impairment exists and how to calculate the impairment loss. 1 [7] What are the amounts and descriptions for the company's current liabilities for the most recent year? Does the company have any contingent liabilities? If yes, please describe. What are the three categories of contingent liabilities and the treatment for each type? Does the company have any subsequent events disclosed in their footnotes? If so, please describe them. 12 [8] What are the amounts and descriptions for all of the company's long-term liabilities on their balance sheet for the most recent two years? What is the interest expense for the two most recent years?What amounts are included in the cash flow statements for proceeds from issuance of debt and repayment of debt for the most recent year? For each note payable discussed in the footnotes disclosures, what is the interest rate, total amount borrowed, and maturity date? 12 [9] Does the company have bonds payable? If so, what are the amounts? Please also describe how bonds payable differ from notes payable and how to account for the issuance of bonds at par, at a discount, and at a premium. How is the discount and premium amortized? What is the effective interest method? 14 [10] Does the company have capital leases?If so, what are the amounts and terms of the leases? What are the four criteria for a lease to be considered a capital lease? What are the additional criteria for the lessor? What is the difference between a sales-type lease and a direct financing lease? 15 Bibliography 18 The Walt Disney Company financial analysis details the finances of the company. The analysis includes a brief summary of the company’s history and important financial information to determine the value of the company. Walt Disney Company was founded on October 16, 1923 by Walt and Roy Disney as Disney Bros . Studios which was then incorporated.Their headquarters are located in Burbank, California. Walt Disney Company has five business segments which are Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment, Consumer Products, and Interactive Media. These segments were created to support and enhance the original business model as a studio producing animated shorts and full length films. Each segment adds new and additional paths to market that together ensure the company fulfills its mission. What is the amount of property and equipment on the balance sheet for the two most recent years? What is the amount of depreciation expense?What amounts are on the cash flow statement for the most recent year that relate to depreciation, gains and sales of property and equipment, and purchases and sale of property of equipment? Parks, resorts, and other property are tangible assets that are held by an entity for the use in production or supply of goods and services, for rental to others, or for administrative purposes which are expected to provide economic benefit for more than a year. Walt Disney Company’s parks, resorts, and other property amount for the fiscal year of 2011 was $35,515,000 with an accumulated depreciation of $19,572,000.This is an increase from 2010 where parks, resorts, and other property was $32,875,000 and the accumulated depreciation was $18,373,000. The Statement of Cash Flows provides information about a company’s cash receipts and cash payments during an accounting period which shows how these cash flaws link the ending cash balance to the beginning balance shown on the company’s statement of financial position. The depreciation and amortization for the fiscal year of 2011 was $1,841,000. The gains on dispositions are $75,000 for 2011. Looking at the footnote disclosures of the company, what are the individual components of property and equipment?For example, what are the amounts for land, building, equipment, accumulated depr eciation, and so forth? How do companies account for nonmonetary exchange and dispositions of property and equipment? According to the footnotes, the individual components of property are attractions, which are located in the Parks, Resorts, and Other Property, buildings and improvements, leasehold improvements, land improvements, and furniture, fixtures, and equipment. The cost for each of them for the past two years are as followed: Name| 2011| 2010| Attractions, buildings, and improvements| $17,662,000| $15,998,000| Leasehold improvements| 650,000| 644,000|Furniture, fixtures, and equipment| 13,746,000| 12,575,000| Land improvements| 3,727,000| 3,658,000| Total| $35,515,000| $32,875,000| The accumulated depreciation for 2011 was $19,572,000 where in 2010 it was $18,373,000. Does the company have intangible assets? If so what are the types of intangible assets (patent, copyrights, etc. ) and their amounts? What is the amount of amortization expense? What amounts on the most recent cash flow statement relate to the purchase and sale of intangible assets? How do intangible assets differ from property and equipment?What costs do we include in intangible assets? Walt Disney Company is required to test goodwill and other indefinite lived intangible assets for damage on an annual basis. The Statement of Financial Accounting Standards Number 142 requires that goodwill is allocated to various reporting units. At the end of each fiscal year, the company performs an annual damage test for goodwill and other indefinite lived intangible assets which include FCC license and trademarks. Amortizable intangible assets are usually amortized using the straight line method and the useful life is up to forty years.The costs to periodically renew Walt Disney’s intangible assets are expensed as incurred. The company also determined that there are currently no legal, competitive or economic factors that will materially limit the useful life of FCC licenses and trademark. Th e total amount of goodwill is $29,266,000. The goodwill and intangible assets by segment are as followed: Name| 2011| 2010| Media Networks| $17,421,000| $17,442,000| Parks and Resorts| 172,000| 171,000| Studio Entertainment| 6,498,000| 6,416,000| Consumer Products| 3,715,000| 3,699,000| Interactive Media| 1,330,000| 1,323,000|Corporate| 130,000| 130,000| Total| $29,266,000| $29,181,000| The net amortizable intangible assets total is $3,161,000. Intangible assets are assets that are not physical but intellectual property. For example, patents, trademarks, and copyrights are examples of intangible assets. It can be classified as either indefinite or definite depending on the specifics of the asset. However, property and equipment is a physical asset that is important to business operations but cannot easily be liquidated. The value of this asset is depreciated over an estimated life.What are the footnote disclosures relating to goodwill and the related acquisition? Please also describ e the calculation of goodwill and how we account for differences between fair value and book value of assets acquired. The footnote disclosures relating to goodwill are under Acquisitions. Marvel Entertainment, Inc. , a character-based entertainment company, is required to allocate the purchase price to tangible and identifiable intangible assets obtained and liabilities assumed based on their fair values. The excess of the purchase price over those fair values is recorded as goodwill.This reflects the value to Disney from leveraging Marvel intangible asset. The goodwill recorded as part of this acquisition is not amortizable for tax purposes. Goodwill can be calculated by using one of the three methods which are average profit method, super profits method, and capitalization method. By using the average profit method, goodwill is calculated on the basis of the average profit of previous years. The formula is Goodwill = Average Profit x Number of Years Purchase. The next method, sup er profits method, is a method which tries to measure the capital needed for earning a super profit.There are three steps to this method which are as followed: [1] Normal Profits = Capital Invested x Normal Rate of Return / 100 [2] Super Profits = Actual Profits – Normal Profits [3] Goodwill = Super Profit x Number of Years Purchased The final method to calculate goodwill is capitalization method which is the whole value of the company is calculated by capitalization of the average or actual profits. The formula is Goodwill = [Actual Profits / Normal Rate of Return] x 100 (Study Test Time). What are the company's depreciation methods?What is the range of estimated useful lives used for depreciating their assets? Walt Disney Company uses the straight line method for depreciation. According to Stock Analysis on Net, the estimated useful lives for attractions: 25-40 years, buildings and improvements: 20-40 years, leasehold improvements: life of lease or asset life if less, land improvements: 20-40 years, and furniture, fixtures, and equipment: 3-25 years. What are the company's footnote disclosures relating to impairment? Please also describe how to determine if impairment exists and how to calculate the impairment loss.Walt Disney Company recorded $33 million for Studio Entertainment and $22 million for Interactive Media creating a total of $55 million in restricting and impairment charges during 2011 for compensation and amenities costs. While in 2010, they recorded $151 million for Studio Entertainment, $95 million for Media Networks, and impairment charges of $132 million generating a total of $270 million in restricting and impairment charges. What are the amounts and descriptions for the company's current liabilities for the most recent year?Does the company have any contingent liabilities? If yes, please describe. What are the three categories of contingent liabilities and the treatment for each type? Does the company have any subsequent events disc losed in their footnotes? If so, please describe them. Walt Disney’s current liabilities are the total obligations incurred as part of normal operations that are expected to be paid during the financial period. The current liabilities are accounts payable and other accrued liabilities, current portion of borrowings, unearned royalties and other advances.The company is involved with legal proceedings and has accrued estimates of the probable and estimable losses for the resolution of these claims. They are also certain contractual arrangements that would require the company to make payments or provide funding if specific situations occur. On May 19, 2004, Celador International Ltd. , an associate of the television program â€Å"Who Wants to be a Millionaire,† filed a lawsuit against Walt Disney Company and some of its branches, which included the American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. nd Buena Vista Television, LLC, stated that Walt Disney Company did not pay the their s hare of the profits. On July 7, 2010, the jury announced their verdict for breaching the contract against certain branches of the Walt Disney Company and awarding $269. 4 for the plaintiff in damages. Walt Disney Company believed the jury’s verdict is wrong and is trying to pursue an appeal. What are the amounts and descriptions for all of the company's long-term liabilities on their balance sheet for the most recent two years? What is the interest expense for the two most recent years?What amounts are included in the cash flow statements for proceeds from issuance of debt and repayment of debt for the most recent year? For each note payable discussed in the footnotes disclosures, what is the interest rate, total amount borrowed, and maturity date? In the section of Liabilities in the Balance Sheet provides creditors, investors, and analysts with information on company’s resources and its sources of capital. It also provides information about the future earnings amount of a company’s assets along with cash flows that may come from receivables and inventories.The long term liabilities are the total obligations incurred as part of normal operations that is expected to be repaid beyond one year or business cycle. Walt Disney Company’s long term liabilities increased from 2010 to 2011. The total long term debt for 2011 was $12,454,000 and deferred income taxes were $3,150,000. For 2010, the total long term debt was $12,582,000 and deferred income taxes were $3,206,000. The income statement provides information on the financial results of the company’s business activities over a period of time.It also communicates how much revenue the company generates during a period and what cost it has incurred that connects with generating that revenue. The interest expense for the fiscal year of 2011 was $343 million and for 2010 was $409 million. The amounts that are included in the cash flow statements for proceeds from issuance of debt and repayment of debt for the fiscal year of 2011 are commercial paper borrowings was $393 million, borrowings was $2,350 million, and reduction of borrowings was $1,096 million. Under Note 9: Borrowings, there is an outline for each of the notes ayables. Commercial paper debt outstanding, which is a short term unsecured promissory notes issued by companies, was at $1. 6 billion by October 1, 2011. In February 2011, the company agreed to another four-year $2. 25 billion bank facility with a group of leaders which will mature by 2013. At the end of the fiscal year, the company has a shelf registration statement which allows the Walt Disney Company to issue various types of debt, for example fixed or floating rate notes, US dollar or foreign currency, redeemable notes, global notes, and dual currency.Another note payable is U. S. Medium Term Note Program where the total debt outstanding was $8. 4 billion. The maturities of current outstanding borrowings rang between one to eight two year s and the interest rate ranges from 0% to 7. 55%. European Medium Term Note Program is another note for the issuance of various types of debt that include fixed or floating rate notes, U. S. dollar or foreign currency denominated notes, redeemable notes, or dual currency notes. It matures in 2013 and has an interest rate of 1. 65%.Next, is Other Foreign Currency Denominated Debt where the company has a credit agreement in Canadian dollars which matures in 2013 and has an interest rate of 1. 42%. Lastly, Capital Cities/ABC Debt has an outstanding balance of $114 million, matures in 2021, and has an interest rate of 8. 75%. Does the company have bonds payable? If so, what are the amounts? Please also describe how bonds payable differ from notes payable and how to account for the issuance of bonds at par, at a discount, and at a premium. How is the discount and premium amortized?What is the effective interest method? Walt Disney Company issued corporate 30 year bonds in this fiscal yea r. These bonds are high quality long term and are worth $600 million. A note payable is a written agreement between a lender and a borrower to pay stated sums of money at future dates, classified a current or non-current of the balance sheet date. Bonds payable are a long term liability account containing the face amount, par amount, or maturity amount of the bonds issued by a company that are outstanding as of the balance sheet date.If the coupon rate of a bond matches with the market rate of interest when the bonds are actually sold to investors, then the bonds will sell at par value. Bonds are issued at a discount when the coupon interest rate is below the market interest rate which leads to the company receiving less cash than the face value of the bonds. A bond will trade at a premium when it offers a coupon rate that is higher than current interest rates. When bonds are sold at a discount or premium, the interest rate is adjusted from the face rate to an effective that is clos e to the market rate when the bonds were issued.It is important to amortize the discount or premium bonds over the life of the bonds by using the straight line method which allocated a fixed portion of the bond discount or premium each interest period to adjust the interest payment to interest expense. When a bond is sold at a discount, the amount of the bond discount is amortized to interest expense over the life of the bond. According to Investopedia, the effective interest method is the practice of accounting for the discount at which a bond is sold as an interest expense to be amortized over the life of bond (Investopedia, 2012).In other words, the effective interest method is a technique for calculating the actual interest rate in a period based on the book value at the beginning of the accounting period. Does the company have capital leases? If so, what are the amounts and terms of the leases? What are the four criteria for a lease to be considered a capital lease? What are th e additional criteria for the lessor? What is the difference between a sales-type lease and a direct financing lease? Walt Disney Company carries a capital lease obligations of $288 million in the fiscal year of 2011 and $224 million in the fiscal year of 2010.They have non-cancelable capital lease which is mainly for land and broadcast equipment. The future payments for the leases are as followed: 2012 $70 2013 $59 2014 $51 2015 $60 2016 $27 Thereafter $519 Total minimum obligations $786Less amount representing interest ($480) Present value of net minimum obligations $306 Less current portion ($18) Long-term portion $288 (The Walt Disney Company, 2012)In order for a lease to be considered a capital lease the four criteria are [1] title of the asset passes automatically from the lessor to the lessee at the end of the lease term, [2] lease contains a bargain purchase option under which the lessee may acquire the leased-asset at less than its fair market value of the end of the lease terms, [3] lease term is for a period longer than 75% of the estimated economic life of the asset, or [4] the present value of the lease payments is greater than 90% of the fair market value of the asset at the beginning of the lease term.The additional conditions for the lessor are [1] the collectability of minimum lease payments is assured and (2) no important uncertainties surround the amount of un-reimbursable costs yet to be incurred. Sales-type lease is a lease where a company rents its own assets that it needs to run its business. This lease is used when a manufacturer is leasing a property or the usage of property.Because the lessee receives the use of property in exchange for payments and assumes the liability for the asset, the lease looks like the purchase of an item. However, the lessor expects the lessee to return the equipment or provide payment for its purchase when the expiration of the lease is up. On the other hand, direct financing lease is a lease agreement where the lessor obtains equipment for the purpose of leasing it and generating revenue through interest payments.The lessor is not a manufacturer or dealer and the lessor purchases the property only for the purpose of leasing it. The main difference between sales-type leases and direct financing lease is the value of the lease in relation to the property. In a sales-type lease, the lessor records a profit or loss on a property based on the amount of payments received. On the contrary in the direct financing lease, the lessor only earns profit on the interest from sending out payment amounts.Today, Walt Disney Company operates under a new and reengineered model that has worked to increase revenues by creating and exploring original across their five business segments. The company is developed on tradition with a well-defined vision for the future and continues to distinguish itself among other companies. As the company moves forward, they have a solid financial profile which will provide the company constant financial flexibility. Bibliography Investopedia. (2012).Retrieved August 2012, from Effective Interest Method: http://www. investopedia. com/terms/e/effective-interest-method. asp#axzz23eVWKTSl The Walt Disney Company. (2012, January). Retrieved August 2012, from Fiscal Year 2011 Annual Financial Report and Shareholder Letter: http://cdn. media. ir. thewaltdisneycompany. com/2011/annual/WDC-10kwrap-2011. pdf Study Test Time. (n. d. ). Retrieved August 2012, from Methods of Valuation of Goodwill: http://www. studytesttime. com/about-goodwill/10-methods-of-valuation-of-goodwill

Leader paper essays

Leader paper essays Due to the times and struggles of our nation, I visualize Mayor Gulliani as an American leader. He has handled our country in this time of turmoil as good, if not better, than any other leader. John C. Maxwell describes what it is to be a leader in his book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Out of the 21 laws, the four that pertain to Mayor Rudolph Gulliani during this time of crisis are The Law of Process, The Law of Navigation, The Law of Victory, and The Law of Priorities. Let us recall Rudolph Gulliani 15 years ago. Chances are that the majority of Americans did not look at Rudolph Gulliani from the standpoint of a follower, but as an equal. According to Maxwell, ...its true that some people are born with greater natural gifts than others, the ability to lead is really a collection of skills, nearly all of which can be learned and improved. But that process doesnt happen overnight. What this is saying is that leaders are bread. Mayor Gulliani is a New York Native, born in Brooklyn. After college he went on to law school to pursue a law degree, and following law school he became a United States Attorney in the state of New York. My father had the opportunity to work with Rudolph Gulliani as a Drug Enforcement Agent in the City of New York. My father has told me that Gulliani was a defense attorneys worst nightmare. He was respected, intimidating, and always searching for advancement. All of which are attributes of a leader. Maxwell says that it is the capacity to develop and improve their skills that distinguishes leaders from their followers. After working for the U.S. Attorney, Gulliani stretched his wealth of knowledge into politics where he continued his mold as a leader. Even after his tenure as the mayor of New York, Gulliani is running for U.S. Senate. Just another example of him striving to the top. Prior to the September 11th attacks Mayor Gulliani did amazing things with the city of Ne...

Simple Élire (to Elect) French Verb Conjugations

Simple Élire (to Elect) French Verb Conjugations In French, the verb  Ãƒ ©lire  means to elect. Whenever you want to use it in the past tense elected or the future tense will elect, you will need to conjugate the verb. French students know that this can be a challenge and  Ãƒ ©lire  is one of those tricky irregular verbs. Conjugating the French Verb  Ãƒâ€°lire French verb conjugations are more complex than they are in English. Thats because the verb endings change not only with the tense of the sentence  but also with the subject pronoun. Élire  is an  irregular verb  and its similar to other words like  lire (to read), rà ©Ãƒ ©lire  (to re-elect), and relire (to re-read, replay). While this is not the most common conjugation pattern, these few words do make learning the entire group a little easier. To conjugate  Ãƒ ©lire, pair the subject pronoun with the tense. For instance, I elect is jà ©lis while we will elect is nous à ©lirons. Practice each of these in context to learn how to use them in your French conversations. Subject Present Future Imperfect j lis lirai lisais tu lis liras lisais il lit lira lisait nous lisons lirons lisions vous lisez lirez lisiez ils lisent liront lisaient The Present Participle of  Ãƒâ€°lire The  present participle  is another verb form that you should know. To form it, add -ant  to the verb stem to produce  Ãƒ ©lisant. Beyond using it as a verb, you will also find it helpful as an adjective, gerund, or noun in some circumstances. The Past Participle and Passà © Composà © For the past tense of  Ãƒ ©lire, you can choose either the imperfect or the  passà © composà ©. To construct the latter, begin with the subject pronoun and conjugate the  auxiliary verb  avoir  to match it. Then, attach the  past participle  Ãƒ ©lu. The passà © composà © comes together quickly: I have elected is jai à ©lu and we elected is nous avons à ©lu. More Simple Élire  Conjugations Among other simple conjugations of  Ãƒ ©lire  that French students should know are the following. You may not use them often, but they can be quite handy to know. In rare instances, and primarily when reading or writing, you may see  the passà © simple or the imperfect subjunctive. More frequently, the subjunctive and conditional verb moods are used. Each implies no guarantee to the verbs action in some form or fashion. Subject Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive j lise lirais lus lusse tu lises lirais lus lusses il lise lirait lut lt nous lisions lirions lmes lussions vous lisiez liriez ltes lussiez ils lisent liraient lurent lussent To use  Ãƒ ©lire  in exclamations, demands, and short requests, use the imperative form. When doing so, skip the subject pronoun and use à ©lis rather than tu à ©lis. Imperative (tu) lis (nous) lisons (vous) lisez

Models of Health Production Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Models of Health Production - Essay Example As the discussion highlights that the healthcare facilities are the providers of healthcare services. Under the supply principle, the health care facilities can increase the quantity of supplies needed to serve the increasing demand for their services. For example, if the patient queue, long line, increases due to lack of nurses and doctors serving the needs of the increasing number of patients, the healthcare facilities has to increase their healthcare capacity. The healthcare facility may have to hire more nurses and doctors. The additional nurses and doctors will reduce the long line of patients seeking medical help.This study outlines that the health economics principles include the demand theory. The patients are the users who demand for healthcare facilities. The theory states that as the prices of good and services increase, the demand for the products or services increase. Patients would troop to the healthcare center that offers the lowest possible hospital fee. The patients ’ economic status gives the patients the significant influence to seek a healthcare facility that caters to his or her economic capacity. To the rich citizens of America, they would seek medical help from the specialists.  On the other hand, the poor patients have to other recourse but to choose more affordable medical facilities. The poor patients have to visit government hospitals that offer low medical laboratory fees. The poor patients have to visit medical facilities that cater to the indigent patients.... On the other hand, the poor patients have to other recourse but to choose more affordable medical facilities. The poor patients have to visit government hospitals that offer low medical laboratory fees. The poor patients have to visit medical facilities that cater to the indigent patients. However, some of the doctors are not specialists. Some of the doctors are students having their on duty practice. Comparing the rich patient and the poor patient, each has the right to choose which medical facility to approach, using their economic status as a basis for the selections. In addition, the government plays a vital role in the resolution of the health economics issue. In 2008, United States National Conference of State Legislatures, www.ncsl.org, issued timely health care reforms to improve the current loopholes in each state’s healthcare policies (Santerre 563). The government allocates a budget to pay for the medical bills of the poor or indigent patients. The government uses t he tax collections to pay for the medical fees of the citizens. The government contributes to the alleviation of the people’s economic plight, especially the poor citizens of the nation, by allocating government funds to the hospitalization and other medical emergencies. Health care insurance. Further, many companies permit the employees to have healthcare insurance (Santerre 563). The healthcare insurance takes care of the patients’ medical bills while undergoing medical treatment. The healthcare insurance reduces the patient’s responsibility to pay for the actual cost of the medical doctor’s examination as well as the medical laboratory fees. Parties. Furthermore, the American healthcare environment includes three major parties (Champlin 913). The parties are the households,

The Role of NCAA in the Rise of Intercollegiate Athletics Assignment

The Role of NCAA in the Rise of Intercollegiate Athletics - Assignment Example NCAA membership at the national office performs the role of assisting the underlying institutional members from diverse universities and corresponding colleges in comprehending different fundamental legislation of the NCAA. It majorly offers easier accessibility of the knowledgeable workers found within NCAA to the institutions and the public. The organization also organizes numerous workshops and educational conferences annually in an attempt to attain its institutional membership (Rader, 2009). NCAA membership services aid in managing and operation of the institutional athletes in connections with the federal legislation. It's linked with the federal government aid NCAA in examining of the present laws and underlying legislation. Â  NCAA is also charged with the organizing of the Youth Sports Programs at the national level thus enabling the disabled youths to access education and take part in the participation process annually. It also participates in numerous outreach activities that aid in the promotion of the underlying athletes’ administration thus offering equal opportunities of participation to its members notwithstanding of the race and ethnic. Organization of the NCAA provides scholarship programs to the student-athletes that encompass both undergraduate and degree programs to those who desire to learn while training. The programs that are normally offered by NCAA mainly entail instituting of the competition and impartial regulations for diverse sports as well as developing and maintaining of fundamental sports records and corresponding athletes historical statistics. Moreover, NCAA membership is mainly charged with the handling of the recruitment malpractices, competitiveness, impartiality an d corresponding athletes’ educational performance.