chris, Author at Essay Writers Hub

Speed Does Not Cause Accidents

I attempted to perform extensive research on road traffic accidents. With regard on my findings, I was able to establish that when considering speed, the vehicle is not the cause element of the accident; rather it is the driver controlling that vehicle. Vehicles are normally developed to conform to particular standards such as the speed limit in numerous countries. Currently, companies are required by law to engineer vehicles that adhere to safety standards. Hence, with the help of computers and extensive research, manufactures have been able to produce safe and easy to drive vehicles (Chin, 16). The most cited areas of improvement include efficient braking systems, tires, steering and suspension. Therefore, with these strict rules and technological breakthroughs, it would be correct to say that accidents are often caused by human error rather than speed.

Take for example the speed limit in a country such as America. Traffic engineers in conjunction with the government usually employ a two fold criteria when establishing the specified speed limit. One is the human perception and time taken to react, and the second is the after perception and reaction phase; to achieve the necessary action of avoiding a collision by either swerving or stopping (Haglund, 27). The action and reaction of motorists on their expectations and experience on what they perceive other motorists are about to do. In other words, driving decisions are made with regard to what drivers perceive of other motorists. For example, when a driver intends to cross to the other side of the road, he is going to base his judgment on previous experiences and what he expects of the speed limit in force in that particular area.

If this approaching vehicle is at a distance that prompts the drivers experience to advice on crossing, he will then proceed on and cross the road. Now take a situation whereby the approaching vehicle is going at 100 miles per hour instead of the prescribed 30 miles per hour. In this case, the speed limit was established at this road section to limit vehicles at thirty miles per hour, and the driver about to cross puts this into consideration therefore proceeding on to cross. At the extreme, this .would leads to a fatal accident between the two vehicles. In this case, the speed limit was established to make the transportation system safer, but its perception has led to the wrong direction.

Therefore, it would be correct to say that speed limits are based on a human’s average perception and reaction time in relation o the speed of an approaching or moving object, and the way an average motorist would perceive and react to other road users. Hence, the perception and capabilities of the human should be considered cause factor of the collision, rather than the condition of the vehicle (McKnight, 18). The modern vehicle may have undergone tremendous improvement, but the perception and capabilities on traffic rules and other road users is still same.

However, it is correct to attribute recklessness, poor driving skills, criminal behavior such as speeding, and negligence to certain accidents and collisions. However, speed limits cannot be established in consideration to how excellent the braking system of a car is, or how efficient the steering and suspension is, but on the qualities of the average motorist (Trier, 45). Currently, in contrast to previous times when speed limits were being established, traffic has become denser and the distance between vehicles/ pedestrians has shortened. In these particular cases, traffic rules such as traffic lights and strict speed limits have been established to govern proceedings in the transport system. In my belief, the considerations have been implemented for the purpose of making roads much safer. However, how individuals perceive these rules as well actions of other road users has had significant impact of steering us in the wrong direction.

Works Cited

Chin, H C. “The Practice of Road Safety Audits.” Urban Transport Viii. 2002: 763-774. Print.

Haglund, Mats, and Lars Åberg. “Speed Choice in Relation to Speed Limit and Influences from Other Drivers.” Transportation Research. Part F, Traffic Psychology and Behaviour. 2000. Print.

McKnight, A J, Diane B. Katz, and Gerry A. Simone. Integrated Safe Driving Information System Development. Washington, D.C: The Administration, 2001. Print.

Trier, H, and G Heuser. “Development of Safe Road Transport Informatic Systems.” Advanced Vehicles and Infrastructure Systems. 2004. Print.

Wang, Hui, Patrick Hasson, and Mac Lister. “Safer Roads Thanks to Its.” Public Roads. 65.6 2002: 14-18. Print.

Clinical Laboratory Program

When I was growing up as young child, I had utter admiration for my uncle who worked at the Government Research Institute Laboratory. He used to have vast knowledge of information about fascinating medical theories. What made me interested with his career was when one day when my sister got sick from a skin disease, there was no doctor from the hospital who knew what type of disease she was suffering. My parents went to the all the dermatologists in the entire town trying to find a cure for my sister with no success. When my parents were almost giving up, my uncle came to visit us. He was so surprised to see that my sister was sick and nobody bothered to tell him so that he could offer his help. He took some samples and carried them with him to work. After a few days, he came back with some medicine for my sister to apply. In one week, the skin disease was completely gone.

From that day, I started conducting research on the duties and all the work he did at the research institute. I found out that clinical laboratory science discipline was one of the most important sciences in the field of medicine. What angers me most is that people always look down on clinical laboratory science. They really do not know that medicine and other medical analysis take place in laboratories. In the laboratories, it is where the answers to the medical questions are answered. I continued with my research and I have realized that most hospitals depend on the laboratories to offer diagnosis or treatment to the patients who come in with strange diseases.

Secondly, I have come to realize that the clinic laboratory scientists are the detectives of the medical field. For instance, my uncle took the sample so that he could investigate what disease was affecting my sister for the purposes of finding a cure. In this case, he did not get an answer until he went to the lab and started testing the sample. After one week, he was able to come up with a clear answer of what was affecting my sister. He was quick to add that, the dermatologists did not send samples to the laboratories for investigation and thus lacked answers. This proves that the laboratory scientists are detectives of the medical field.

Thirdly, laboratory scientists are the unsung heroes in the field of medicine. They are humble like the servants of God. A real hero does not go around showing people what he or she has done instead he or she lets the world see for themselves. For instances, when the laboratory scientists come up with the results of a patient, the doctor is able to diagnose and treat the patient based on the results. When the patient is cured, he or she will forever be grateful to the doctor who cured him or her. In this case, they do not realize that, the laboratory scientist who tested the samples and came up with the results is part of the curing process. In this case, I dream to become a person who heals people yet they do not know that I am part of the healing. I want to become a real hero. Therefore, I believe I am eligible for the clinical laboratory program.

After what happened to my sister, several questions crossed my mind. What if my child was diagnosed with a rare disease? How many people in the world are suffering from strange diseases they are unable to explain? According to my research, there are many people who do not have access to laboratories. This means that they do not have examination and testing services. This has touched my heart. I believe with the knowledge from the Clinical Laboratory Program I can be able to answers medical question for may people and help them solve their problems.

Finally, with all the above personal information of how I became interested in clinical laboratory, my courage and determination can be a testimony of how had I have worked to become a clinical laboratory scientist. When I was in high school I took, a part jobs at my uncle private laboratory for the purposes of enhancing my knowledge on the laboratory science field. In addition, working with an expert in the field made me realize that dedication; ethics and respect are part of the job. Therefore, I believe that with my short personal experience, it enough to prove that I really need to join the Clinical Laboratory Program.

The Changing Role of Human Resource Personnel in Organizations

What role would the HR function play in developing both a medium and long-term strategy to achieve the conflicting goals of reducing costs and maintaining the desired level of human capital?

The human resource function in organizations has changed over the years. It has evolved as the workplace demands have changed. Gone are the days when the main role in the HR department was recruiting and selecting potential employees in organizations. People in the HR department have more responsibilities (Rison & Tower, 2005). One of the major responsibilities is making recommendations that will assist the company in reducing costs, especially during financial downturns. The department is involved, because in most cases, companies result to laying-off employees, as a way of reducing costs. Most of the solutions, which the company will implement, will affect the employees. HR has to make sure that the solutions offered will not affect the employees adversely. When the management has decided that this is the only option available, the department has to recommend the method to be used to determine who will be made redundant. The HR department provides solutions and alternatives, which the organization can undertake so that it can reduce costs. Some of the measures include redesigning jobs. The company should consider this strategy because its current design does not guarantee optimal efficiency. Redesigning jobs will require some of the employees to be placed in other departments. The HR can also restrict overtime, and recommend shorter hours of working, as a way of reducing the costs (Gupta, 2011).

In most organizations, the human resource department acts as a link between the management and the employees. It acts as a voice for the employees by raising their concerns to the management. In most cases, the employees usually know when the company is in a crisis. They anticipate that one of the measures to be used to reduce the costs is downsizing. This stresses them out, since they are not sure whether they are going to keep their jobs. This fear and anticipation can sometimes affect job performance, and it contributes to low productivity. Communication is fundamental in such situations, and the HR department has an important role to play in this case. HR has to communicate with the other employees, and inform them of what is going on in the organization. It has to encourage and motivate the employees (Giehll & Moss, 2009)

HR assists the management in diverse ways. It helps the management to realize the importance of treating employees well and gaining their trusts. The management should appreciate the work done by the employees. It should not see them as workers, but rather as an essential part of the organization. It should compensate them well and seek to gain their loyalty. This will benefit the company in the end. The company can decide to retain its employees, and reduce their pay or give up some of the allowances and benefits, as a way of reducing operational costs. The company could also requests the employees to forego pay increases or to take unpaid off days (Harding & McGill, 2010). These measures may seem drastic, and they will involve a lot of sacrifice on the employees’ part. Since the employees know that the company cares about them, they will not object to such measures. In the case of CGMS, the employees love and enjoy working for the organization. The management has invested a lot of time and other resources training them. The company’s CEO appreciates the effort they put, and he is opposed to the idea of retrenchment. Since the people support, and are loyal to the company, it is possible that they will be willing to sacrifice some of their benefits and allowances. The HR department has to ensure that it is at the forefront in maintaining the workers loyalty.

Human resource planning is often seen as an issue in expansionary environments where the main problem is attracting suitable employees. In the CGMS situation, how would you develop a human resource plan that takes the present situation into account, while holding a foundation for future growth?

CGMS has invested many resources on its employees. It is a market leader, and it has the best employees working in different departments. The company is currently facing problems deciding on the measures to implement, so that it can reduce the costs. The company’s main costs are in payment of salaries and wages. The cash flow has decreased since sales have gone down because of the decrease in equipment orders, and the demand for services has declined. These are the major income generators for the company. The company needs to identify ways of increasing the revenue, to the extent that it will cover all the expenses. The employees are not well distributed within the company, with some areas having more employees than others. The company needs to develop a plan that will ensure that there are more people in the departments, which bring in revenue.

Step 1: strategic analysis and issues

This will involve conducting a strategic analysis to determine the issues facing the company. In this case, various managers and departmental heads have already identified the issues facing the company. They have identified the increased problems of negative cash flow in the company

Step 2: identify all the operational and administration costs in all the departments

The management should identify the costs in all the departments, before making cuts in any department. Some departments may have to incur higher costs than other departments due to their nature. On the other hand, some departments can manage to reduce their costs, without major implications on their performance.

Step 3: identify the ongoing HR issues

This step involves identifying and singling out the issues facing the human resource department. They might not be the same problems facing the company. In the case of CGMS, the main issue facing the HR department, is the possibility that some of the employees in the company could be laid off. This will affect the HR department, since it is concerned with employee issues

Step 4 identify the costs of the HR department

The HR department in many organizations has high costs, compared to other departments. HR needs to identify some of the costs. Some of these costs may be hidden, and the management may be oblivious to it. For instance, during the company meeting at CGMS, the manager says that they have always done things at a particular way. The company needs to review some of the methods used to implement decisions in the company, as this will enable it to identify the hidden costs (Rison & Tower, 2005)

Step 5: determine the action to be taken to solve the HR problem

The human resource department will need to identify ways, which will assist the company in reducing costs, and at the same time, making sure that most of the members are retained. It will need to come up with measures that will serve both ends. Some of the measures that the human resource can recommend include reducing the number of hours worked, cutting down salaries, attrition, alternative placement, shared ownership and employee buyouts (HC Online, 2009). The management could also save money by having the company employees do all the work that is outsourced or contracted out at high rates. It could encourage job sharing within the company. One of the most effective measures, which the company can adopt, is consulting with the employees, to see whether they have any solutions, which can reduce costs and increase revenues. The company should freeze all hiring and all pay increases that may result from promotions (Morris & Morris, 2006)

Would a HRIMS help CGMS resolve its present predicament? Justify your argument by explaining what positive benefits it might contribute, or explain why it would not help

A Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is useful to the organization because it eases the compilation of employee data, and provides information, which assists in planning and making management decisions. The system assists in administration, control and coordination. It contains other subsystems and features, which are especially useful to the human resource department. The systems provide information that is useful in different organizational processes and procedures such as layoffs, promotions, termination, and evaluation among others. The system contains information that concerns the employees’ personal and professional life, which may be relevant to the organization. Such information include gender, age, education level, job description, years of employment, performance evaluation, and the number and level of promotions that the employee has had (Gupta, 2011).

A HRIS would benefit CGMS to deal with its current predicament, since it needs to find better ways of managing the employees. It records information about the employees’ payrolls and other benefits. The system can help the organization, if the management has decided that it will layoff-the employees. It can also help the management if it decides to reduce some of the employee benefits. The laying off process has to be fair in all ways. The system has other features such as timecard submissions and approvals, employee self-service, payroll preparations, and absence management (Giehll & Moss, 2009). The system features enables the employees to view and review all the company communications and the policies and procedures. HR uses the system to communicate personal information to the employees. The system payroll and benefits features enable employees to check and change their status such as adding or deleting information on dependents, enrolling in different programs, change the health plan alternatives, update personal information, enter information on vacations and sick days, travel expenses, and time. CGMS employs close to one thousand employees.

Company memos and notices do not contain detailed information. The system enables the employees to have control over the information. It eases the work done by the human resource personnel. The features in the system are important since they will help HR in making important decisions regarding recommendations for pay cuts and layoffs. The employee self-service features help in reducing the operational costs and increasing productivity. The system handles some of the functions of the HR personnel. Since the company is already experiencing shortages in some of the areas, some of the personnel in the human resource department can be placed in other departments where there is shortage of staff (Marquardt & Waddil, 2011). The compliance subsystem ensures that the organizations rules, procedures, and policies are in line with the government regulations and laws. This feature is especially useful in times of recruitment, hiring, selection, and termination. The organization has to ensure that it follows government procedures when undertaking some processes. It helps the organization in avoiding lawsuits, which may arise because of wrongful termination and layoffs (Gupta, 2011).

If CGMS were to decide to reduce the size of its workforce, or change its employment arrangements to reduce labor costs, what legal issues would need to be addressed? Is Stacey correct in saying that redundancies and layoffs would be legally justifiable?

The company has to ensure that it avoids all legal problems that may arise during the laying off process. It has to be ethical, and consider the employees’ financial situation before making the final decision. The company has to have a legitimate reason of terminating the employees. Some of the legitimate reasons include overstaffing, and loss in sales and profits that may occur because of hard financial situations. The company can also have technological changes, which can eliminate the roles and functions of some of the employees, making them obsolete (Guerin & Delpo, 2011). Many companies have established the rules, policies and procedures to be used during layoffs. Companies have conditions, on which people may be laid off. The employees are usually aware of these policies, since many companies make sure that they communicate the policies when they are hiring the employees. The company has to follow the guidelines it has set when terminating or laying-off employees. The company policy and selection criteria for layoffs should be in written form. The company has to check employee contracts, and union conditions. Unionized members have more protection, and the company has to check the conditions set by the union before retrenching workers. Other than these, the company has to follow federal and state laws.

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) ensures that employers should give the employees sixty days notice before laying-off employees. Even if the company has legitimate reasons for laying-off workers, it should give them enough time to prepare themselves before they leave the company. The WARN Act applies to organizations that have more than one hundred workers. It will therefore be applicable to CGMS because it has more than nine hundred workers. The act protects managers, supervisors, and hourly and salaried employees. Employers have to make sure that they do not discriminate when they are laying-off people. Age, sex, race and nationality are sensitive issues, and most employers find themselves on the wrong side of the law for discriminating people on these bases. Employers should be aware of the protected class, and should follow the law when dealing with people in such classes. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ensures that people are not discriminated based on race, color, religion, national origin, and sex. That Act applies to companies with more than fifteen employees, state government and agencies, labor organizations and committees, and employment agencies (Guerin & Delpo, 2011).

The Americans with Disabilities Act protects people with mental or physical disabilities from discrimination. The Act applies to employers who have more than fifteen employees in their company, local government and agencies, labor unions, and employment agencies. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act protects older workers, who are forty years, or those who are more than forty years old. The Act applies to private employers, who have twenty, or more than twenty employees, federal government and agencies, labor unions, interstate agencies, and employment agencies. Immigrants are protected by the Immigration Reform and Control Act. Employers should not discriminate on workers based on their national origin, or citizenship. However, employers should ensure that all the immigrants have the right to work in the country. The Act is applicable to employers who have four or more employees (Guerin & Delpo, 2011).

Different states have modified some of the federal laws, and they have added more laws to ensure that employers do not take advantage of their employees. For instance, the WARN Act in California is applicable to employers who have more than seventy-five workers. In addition to the people in the protected classes under the federal law, the state of Massachusetts does not favor discrimination based on sexual orientation, ancestry, genetics, or military service (Shea, 2008). The employers should make sure that they state the reason for laying-off employees. They should be honest, as this will reduce the chances of the employees claiming that they have been terminated unlawfully. The employers have to be fair when discharging employees. The employers should consider the employees’ feelings, and should therefore avoid any situations that would cause the discharged employees to feel embarrassed or humiliated (Pledger, 2009). The employer should avoid actions such as authorizing the guards to escort the employees outside the building, and telling them that they are discharged in front of their colleagues. This can make the employees feel downgraded, and they may resent their employers for that. When the situation allows, the employers should make sure that they compensate the employees well, such as by offering them a severance pay. Treating employees well, even before signs of financial trouble will lessen some of the legal issues. Employees who are treated well by the company will remain loyal to the company, even if things are not going right.

In one way, Stacey is correct in saying that redundancies and lay offs would be justifiable, because the company is facing financial difficulties, and it is depending on its assets to keep going. However, she should not be quick in making such a decision, since the company has not exhausted other measures. The company has not taken some of the measures that are guaranteed to reduce operational costs. The company should first ensure that it exhausts all other measures before discharging any employee. Although sales and wages are the biggest expenditure for the company now, the company stands to loose more when it terminates some employees. The company may be forced to pay unemployment claims, and unanticipated severance packages. It will have to face low productivity and morale, from the employees who have been left in the organization. The company also risks losing talent to its competitors and this can be costly (Guerin & Delpo, 2011).

The role of human resource personnel in many organizations has evolved over the years, as work demands have changed and increased. In addition to the traditional roles, the department has to undertake other roles, which were sometime back meant for the managers and directors of organizations. They have to be aware of the legal implications of implementing some of the measures in organizations. Failure to do this will land the company in trouble, as some of the employees may decide to take the company to court. They have to be knowledgeable regarding all the aspects of the organizations, as this will assist them to conduct their work more efficiently.

References

Giehll, T & Moss, S 2009, Human capital supply chains, Hillcrest Publishing Group, Minneapolis

Guerin, L & DelPo, A 2011, The manager’s legal handbook, Nolo, Berkely

Gupta, H 2011, Management information system, HITESH GUPTA, New Delhi

HC Online 2009, alternatives to downsizing, viewed 12 March 2012, <http://www.hcamag.com/resources/hr-strategy/alternatives-to-downsizing/115409/>

Lengnick-Hall, LM, Lengnick-Hall, AC, Andrade, SL & Drake, B 2009, strategic human resource management: The evolution of the field, Human Resource Management Review, vol. 19 pp. 64-85

Marquardt, M & Waddill, D 2011, The E-HR advantage: the complete handbook for technology-enabled human resources, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, London

Morris, WT & Morris, WT 2006, Career mechanics, Morris Associates, Inc., Kearney

Pledger, M 2009, The difficult and delicate job of laying off employees, viewed 12 March 2012, <http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2009/06/the_difficult_and_delicate_job.html>

Rison, PR & Tower, J 2005, ‘How to reduce the cost of HR and continue to provide value’, Human Resource Planning, vol. 28,

Shea, MR 2008, Reducing staff in a down economy: handling terminations and using separation agreements, viewed 12 March 2012, <http://www.mbbp.com/resources/employment/layoffs.html>

Buyer and Consumer Behavior

Penetration in marketing

Penetration in marketing is used as one of the strategies of growing in business. This is where a company enters new markets with either new products or modified ones to the company, but existing in the market through lowered prices. This is meant to attract customers since at lower prices the demand is bound to increase. It can also be through aggressive advertising where the company is seeking to gain market share in a certain market where competitors already exist. Penetration in marketing can be simply defined as a way of measuring the popularity of a brand in a particular market, making it quite important in measuring market share. It can be calculated through dividing the number of people that buy the brand at a given time by the market size or population of the market.

Average Purchase Frequency

This is the average number of times that a customer buys a particular product at a given period, or from a certain seller. In this case, we are concerned with the number of times a customer buys the product. It is important to understand this because, the higher the purchase frequency of a certain product, the higher the likelihood of the customer switching to another brand. For instance, with coffee, where customers use it almost daily, it would be easy to persuade consumers to shift brand through advertising and promotion unlike for low frequency products. This is simply calculated through making a record of the number of times a customer bought a particular item in a month.

Share of Category Requirements

Share of category requirements means the total number of units that are bought by a household compared to the total number of units bought for the category. Category will include products of the same category form other competitors. This means the share that your particular product occupies within households. For instance, if households bought a total number of 2 million units of Protex bathing soap, while the total number of soaps bought by the same households was 8 million, the share of category requirement will be (2,000,000/8,000,000)100 = 25%. This means that the required amount for this category is 25% of goods within that bracket. This is very important in determining the market share of a product.

Category Buying Rate

Category buying rate is the rate at which consumers buy a particular category. This can be measured by the number of times a consumer buys a product form a certain category for a given time. This can be calculated for each day, month or year through dividing the amount of units bought for that category by the period given. This is important to know how much the product sells within a time or its demand.

First Brand Loyalty

Brand loyalty is where customers remain loyal to a particular brand, and it is hard for them to switch from one brand to another. First brand loyalty on the other hand means the loyalty that consumes hold to the brand that was available in the market first, or the brand that came out first, or the oldest. It could also mean the fists brand that a consumer ever consumed. Many consumers will not want to shifts from their first brand to another.

Sole Loyalty

This is consumers are very loyal to one brand, which is usually the leader or head in the market. This head implements the rules and laws within that market. This can be calculated through observing the number of products bought of that brand, and whether people are willing to buy its substitutes.

Frodo in Lord of the Rings

The movie, Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Rings, displays the character Frodo as the main protagonist. Frodo, who is a hobbit, is displayed as a character who engages in a dangerous mission of trying to destroy the Ring of Dark Lord Sauron. This is in order to prevent Sauron from conquering the Middle-earth. The film, through Frodo and various other characters, brings out different aspects of mythology. The character of Frodo has been used specifically to bring out the aspect of hero archetype.

A hero archetype is a universal model of a character who in the face of danger displays great skill and courage. The individual’s character and personality is one that is greatly emulated. The typical life of a hero archetype begins with an extraordinary childhood. The childhood is characterized by great affluence or suffering and poverty. In the movie, Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Rings, Frodo is depicted as an orphan who is later adopted by Bilbo Baggins. Bilbo, who was Frodo’s spiritual father, greatly protected Frodo during his childhood. This is typical of mythological hero archetypes. After the disappearance of his spiritual father, Frodo displayed great destiny and inheritance that characterize the lives of heroes of this type. After the disappearance of Bilbo, Frodo found out that he was Bilbo’s spiritual heir. The fact that he had Brandybuck blood also made him queer among the rest of the hobbits. For his decent, the Sackville-Bagginses greatly resented him.

In many tales, the hero archetypes usually set out on a quest. In many instances, these quests are first seen as mistakes. In the movie the, Frodo began by rejecting his call. He was supported by Bilbo who tried to persuade Gandalf that in choosing Frodo he had made the wrong choice. This was when Gandalf revealed that Frodo was the one chosen to be the ring bearer. After Bilbo handed over the Ring to him, Frodo delayed his departure. When he finally left the Shire, he believed that his role was to merely get to Rivendell and give the Ring to an individual who possessed more capabilities than he did.

Most hero archetypes usually have guardians who posses special capabilities to aid them in getting to their destinies. In his quest, Frodo together with his friend Sam encountered a number of guardians. Frodo’s first guardian was Bilbo who possessed more wisdom and protected him from danger. Bilbo acted as his archetypal parent. Later on in the film, Frodo met Tom Bombadil and Goldberry who acted as his guardians. The two gave him advice and supplements to aid him in his quest.

Frodo’s experiences in this film are universal to humankind. This is because he went through circumstances that are commonly faced by others around the world. The film displayed him as having a difficult childhood as an orphan. This is a representation of the many individuals around the world. Many people go through various challenges because of their backgrounds as orphans. Frodo also showed uncertainty in purpose. When it was revealed to him that he bore the role of the keeper of the Ring, he felt incompetent and unable to carry out the task. In the same way, many individuals are usually confused in regards with their purpose in life. There are times when people undermine themselves and feel incompetent to carry out their tasks in life.

Frodo provided an exemplary model for individuals to emulate. He displayed great bravery and managed to triumph over challenges. This bravery was seen when he faced challenges like Caradhras, Wargs and Balrog. He managed to pass these trials with the help of the fellowship. This fellowship comprised of Sam, Merry and Pippin. Later own, the fellowship added Boromir, Gimil, Gandalf and Legols to it. This showed an aspect of cooperation. From the life of Frodo, individuals learn the importance of allowing others to help them in their various life tasks.

Reference list

Jackson, P., Osborne, B. M., Sanders, T. (Producer). Jackson, P. (Director). (2001). Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings. New Zealand/ United States: New Line Cinema

Incorporate the Lessons from the Lean Startup

Introduction

Budibar is a food product that was developed by Michael McCarthy. The main intentions of creating the new food product were for the purposes of keeping the stomach full for long hours without feeling hungry. Additionally, it was meant to improve the brain functions and other brain activities. Since it was a new commodity in the market, it proved to be a formidable challenge to McCarthy. This is because many entrepreneurs have failed due to offering consumers what they do not need. In this case, McCarthy had to search for practicable means that will introduce the product in the market as quickly as possible. Therefore, when McCarthy was introducing the Budibar product in the market, he employed lean startup techniques for quick market tractions and correct any mistakes from customers feedback.

Discussion

When introducing Budibar into the market, McCarthy wanted to use the least amount of money and simultaneously, eliminate any flaws of the product. For this reason, McCarthy needed a reasonable strategy that will help him achieve this goal. When McCarthy introduced the new product, he produced enough products from his customers for the purposes of acquiring feedback from them. Therefore, McCarthy had to look for the already existing customers in the market who he knew that they would provide apple feedback. In this case, customers were willing to help and they gave their feedback to McCarthy in relation to Budibar.

Since Budibar was being introduced for the first time in the market, McCarthy needed to produce only those products that would reach the targeted consumers for feedback. Secondly, McCarthy did not need to create complex Budibars because they would cost him a lot of money as compared to creating simple Budibars that are only used for test purposes. In this case, McCarthy produced simple Budibars for the purposes of customers to write feedback for the purposes of making high quality products for sale. This is similar to lean start up strategy where the products produced are for the purposes of testing so that customers can offer feedback to the producer. Additionally, lean start up strategies states that products should be produced at the cheapest prices possible. Therefore, McCarthy employed the lean start up strategies.

Another strategy McCarthy employed when introducing Budibar was the removal of distributors or distribution channels. This is where the channel of distribution was reduced to one. This made the mark up prices to go down since there were no intermediaries. On the other hand, the flow of information was made to be direct from the customer to the producer reducing distortion of information. In most cases, intermediaries might distort information so that they can mislead their producers for their own personal gains. This means that the method was cheap and feedback from customers was first hand. Therefore, when this strategy is compared to the strategies of lean start up, they are extremely similar. This is because lean start up is meant to be cheap and efficient to one customer.

However, there was no place for customers to write their feedback to McCarthy. In this case, McCarthy had to create a new website where he would incorporate customer feedback efficiently. This new method for customer feedback was extremely cheap since it would not take much for a customer to write their feedback. Additionally, it would not cost McCarthy to view the feedbacks and act on them. On the other hand, this was the most convenient and efficient method of communicating to customers and keeping in contact with them if anything new came up. For this reason, it was a strategic move of entrepreneurship using the lean start up strategy.

Customers responded positively to Budibar and they offered their feedback. For instance, they urged McCarthy to create new products that were alternative to medicines. This is where the Budibar will range from different products depending on the medicine in the food. For example, Budibar should contain Althine 200 milligrams similar to green tea. In this case, those customers who would like to take green tea would receive it from Budibar directly. This would be cheaper easier and much better than the option of taking green tea. In this situation, McCarthy received feedback from customers and at the same time, Budibar gained market tractions with the least costs.

After receiving customers feedback in the web, McCarthy started to evaluate those suggestions that seemed to viable and realistic to be improved in the product. McCarthy created categories so that he could be able to identify those suggestions that are viable and those that are not viable. For instance, one of the categories was new food products of Budibar. In this instance, many consumers suggested that the creation of food medicine would be extremely helpful. For this reason, McCarthy started testing those medicines that would work effectively if they were prepared as a product of Budibar and at the same time, they would have that enjoyable taste for the taste buds.

This is similar to the steps and strategies of lean start up strategies. The main of the lean start up strategies is to create test products at a cheaper price where they are expected to offer their feedback. After the customers have responded to the producers about the new product that is to be introduced, the producers are expected to act in the information they have received from customers. When this steps and strategies of lean start up are compared to what McCarthy did, it can be clearly seen that they are exceedingly similar. Therefore, McCarthy employed the lean start up strategies to introduce Budibar.

The other process employed by McCarthy in the introduction of the Budibar implementing the product. Based on the customer feedback, McCarthy implemented Budibar after reviewing the feedback. In this case, he produced Budibar containing medicines for the purposes of meeting the customer needs. On the other hand, he produced tasty Budibar with different flavors to suit the different customer needs. This ensured that McCarthy removed all the flaws that were experienced in the test product of the Budibar product.

Finally, McCarthy reintroduced the new products to the already existing customers and other potential customers in the market. In this case, he used the old customers who previously tested the product to verify that improvements have been made. In this case, McCarthy retained many customers and at the same time, he gained potential customers. This situation shows that McCarthy did not spend a lot of money to create market tractions. Additionally, he had already created customer loyalty.

Finally, after the above analysis, it be clearly seen that McCarthy employed lean start up strategies to introduce Budibar in the market. This is because the last strategy of lean start up strategies is to ensure that goods and services are finally produced at high quality. On the other hand, the aim is to bring the product in the existing market already created by the test product. In this case, McCarthy has fully employed the lean start up strategies.

Conclusion

Many entrepreneurs often wonder how they are going to introduce their products into the market at a lower price. When they finally introduce them, they fail because what they have brought in the market is not what the customers wanted. In this case, entrepreneurs like Budibar have used the lean start up strategies for the purposes of reducing prices, creating market tractions and reducing flaws in the product.

Case Study: Real Life Application

Question One

Cash Account

Date	Explanation	PR	Debit $	Credit $	Balance Debit $ Credit $
July 3, 2012	Balance	√	63600		63600
July 1, 2012	Rent			4000	59600
July 4, 2012	Freight on purchase			1000	58600
July 7, 2012	Debtors		18000		76600
July 10, 2012	Sales		90000		166600
July 13, 2012	Creditors			24000	142600
July 15, 2012	Advertising			9000	133600
July 16, 2012	Debtors		33000		166600
July 19, 2012	Purchases			22000	144600
July 21, 2012	Freight on sale			1100	143500
July 21, 2012	Debtors		17600		162200
July 26, 2012	Refunded cash on sales			12000	174200
July 28, 2012	Sales Salaries			22800	151400
July 28, 2012	Office Salary			15200	136200
July 29, 2012	Stores supply			2400	133800
July 30, 2012	Debtors		38000		171800
July 31, 2012	Creditors			30000	141800

Purchases account

Date	Explanation	Debit $	Date	Explanation	Credit $
July 1, 2012	Balance	602400	July 24, 2012	Purchases return	5000
July 3, 2012	Creditors	25000
July 19, 2012	Cash	22000
July 21, 2012	Creditors	32000	July 31	Balance	565000
		681400			681400

Sales

Date	Explanation	Debit $	Date	Explanation	Credit $
July 14, 2012	Sales return	7000	July 1, 2012	Balance	3221100
			July 6, 2012	Debtors	40000
			July 10, 2012	Cash	90000
			July 20, 2012	Debtors	40000
	Balance	3402850	July 30, 2012	Debtors	18750
		3409850			3409850

Debtors

Date	Explanation	Debit $	Date	Explanation	Credit $
July 1, 2012	Balance	153900	July 13, 2012	Cash	18000
July 6, 2012	Sales	40000	July 16, 2012	Cash	33000
July 20, 2012	Sales	40000	July 21, 2012	Cash	17600
July 30, 2012	Sales	18750	July 30, 2012	Cash	38000
			July 31	Balance	146050
		252650			252650

Creditors

Date	Explanation	Debit $	Date	Explanation	Credit $
July 19, 2012	Cash	23100	July 1, 2012	Balance	96600
July 30, 2012	Cash	28000	July 3, 2012	Creditors	25000
July 31, 2012	Balance	102500	July 21, 2012	Creditors	32000
		153600			153600

Sales Return

Date	Explanation	Debit $	Date	Explanation	Credit $
July 31, 2012	Balance	99700	July 1, 2012	Balance	92700
			July 14, 2012	Sales	7000
		99700			99700

Purchases return

Date	Explanation	Debit $	Date	Explanation	Credit $
July 24, 2012	Purchases	5000	July 31, 2012	Balance	5000
		5000			5000

Stores supplies

Date	Explanation	Debit $	Date	Explanation	Credit $
July 1, 2012	Balance	11400	July 31, 2012	Balance	13800
July 29, 2012	Stores supply	2400
		13800			13800

Rent

Date	Explanation	Debit $	Date	Explanation	Credit $
July 1, 2012	Balance	83700	July 1, 2012	Cash	4000
					79700
		83700			83700

Question Two

Journal entries

Date Explanation Debit $ Credit $

July 1, 2012 Rent 4000

Cash 4000

To record rent payments

July 3 Purchases 25000

Creditors 25000

To show credit purchases

July 4 Freight on purchases 1000

Cash 1000

To record freight charges

July 6 Debtors 40000

Sales 40000

To show debit sales

July 7 Cash 18000

Debtors 18000

To show debit payments

July 10 Cash 50000

` Sales 50000

To show cash sale transaction

July 13 Creditors 24000

Cash 24000

To show credit payments

July 14 Sales 7000

Sales return 7000

To show the sales return

July 15 Advertising 9000

Cash 9000

To show advertising expenses paid

July 16 Cash 33000

Debtors 33000

To show debit payments

July 19 Purchases 22000

Cash 22000

To show purchases

July 19 Creditor 23100

Cash 23100

To show credit payments made

Records made on page 21 of the journal

July 20 Debtor 40000

Sales 40000

To show sales made

July 21 Freight on sales 1100

Cash 1100

To show freight charges paid on sales made

July 21 Cash 17600

Debtors 17600

To show debit payments made

July 21 Purchases 32000

Creditors 32000

To show credit purchase made

July 24 Purchases returns 5000

Purchases 5000

To show purchases returns made

July 26 Refunds on sales 12000

Cash 12000

Shows refunds made to customers on sales returns

July 28 Salaries: Sales 22800

Office 15200

Cash: Sales 22800

Office 15200

Show the payments of staff

July 29 Stores supplies 2400

Cash 2400

Shows the purchase of stores supply

July 30 Debtors 18750

Sales 18750

To show debit sales

July 30 Cash 38000

Debtors 38000

To show debit payments

July 31 Creditors 27000

Cash 27000

Shows credit payments made

Question Three

Unadjusted Trial Balances

31^st July 2012

Details Debit $ Credit $

Cash 63600

Accounts receivable 153900

Merchandise 602400

Stores Supply 11400

Stores equipment 469500

Purchases 1623000

Prepaid Insurance 16800

Accumulated depreciation – Stores equipment 56700

Accounts Payable 96000

Capital 555300

Drawings 135000

Sales 3221100

Sales Returns and allowances 92700

Sales discount 59400

Sales salary expenses 334800

Advertising expenses 81000

Miscellaneous selling expenses 12600

Office salary expenses 182100

Rent Expenses 83700

Miscellaneous administrative expenses 7800

Total 2923800 4935000

Question Four

Journal entries

Details Debit $ Credit $

Insurance 13400

Cash 13400

To show insurance payments

Depreciation 11500

Equipments 11500

To show depreciation

Sales Salaries 3200

Accrued Sales Salaries 3200

To show additional accruals on sales salaries

Offices salaries 1300

Accrued Office salaries 1300

To show additional accruals on office salaries

Question Five

Adjusted Trial Balances

July 31, 2012

Details Debit $ Credit $

Cash 141800

Accounts receivable 146050

Merchandise 565000

Stores Supply 13800

Stores equipment 469500

Prepaid Insurance 16800

Accumulated depreciation – Stores equipment 56700

Accounts Payable 102500

Capital 555300

Drawings 135000

Sales 3402850

Sales Returns and allowances 99700

Sales discount 59400

Sales salary expenses 334800

Advertising expenses 81000

Miscellaneous selling expenses 12600

Office salary expenses 182100

Rent Expenses 79700

Miscellaneous administrative expenses 7800

Question Six

Income statement

For the year ended July 31, 2012

Details $ $ $

Sales 3402850

Sales Returns (99700)

Total sales 3303150

Opening stock 602400

Add purchases 565000

Less purchases returns (5000) (862400)

Gross profit 2440750

Prepaid Insurance 16800

Sales discount 59400

Sales salary expenses 334800

Advertising expenses 81000

Miscellaneous selling expenses 12600

Office salary expenses 182100

Rent Expenses 79700

Miscellaneous administrative expenses 7800

Drawings 135000 (879800)

Net Profit 1577750

Question Seven

Statement of owner’s equity

Capital 555300

Net Profit 1577750

Drawings (135000)

Balance at the end of the period 1998050

Question Eight

Balance Sheet

As at July 31 2012

Assets $ $ $

Stores equipment 469500

Merchandise 565000

Stores Supplies 13800

Prepaid Insurance 16800

Accounts Receivable 146050

Cash 141800

1352950

Liabilities

Accounts Payable 96000

Accruals 4500

Financed by:

Statement of owners equity balance 1998050

Question Nine

Journal entries

Details Debtors $ Creditors $

Capital 555300

Net Profit 1577750

Drawings 135000

Balance 1998050

This is to show the owners of statement equity

Question Ten

Post Trial Balances

July 31, 2012

Details Debit $ Credit $

Cash 141800

Accounts receivable 146050

Merchandise 565000

Stores Supply 13800

Stores equipment 469500

Prepaid Insurance 16800

Accumulated depreciation – Stores equipment 56700

Accounts Payable 102500

Statement of owners equity 1998050

Sales 3402850

Sales Returns and allowances 99700

Sales discount 59400

Sales salary expenses 334800

Advertising expenses 81000

Miscellaneous selling expenses 12600

Office salary expenses 182100

Rent Expenses 79700

Miscellaneous administrative expenses 7800

Cost of Apple Products

The world has evolved rapidly due to the new technology that has enabled business to be done globally. Globalization has enabled people and companies to interact in a way that was not possible a decade ago. New technology has resulted in products that are extremely advanced such that no one could have envisioned the development of such products in the present day. In the present day, the most profitable companies are involved in sale of technology-based products that are attractive to consumers around the globe the companies are using cheap labor and exposing their workers to hazardous working conditions. It seems that the end justifies the means for such companies because of the high-in demand goods produced by use of cheap and underage labor exposed to hazardous conditions in production. The driving force behind the abuse of the labor is the efforts by the companies to get the cheapest alternatives for production regardless of the hazardous conditions those who are producing the good are exposed.

Apple is such a company that has outdone itself to surpass expectation of its growth due to its development of innovative products that are appealing to consumers from all corners of the world (Duhigg & Barboza, 6). However, the success has attracted controversy due to the use of cheap labor to make products that are sold for considerably high prices yet the labor used is remunerated poorly and exposed to harsh working conditions that are not fit for humans. In addition, several companies fall into this group of companies that use cheap labor to make innovative products. Thus, companies justify their means of producing by the products made. The society also has role to play for not reprimanding such companies to ensure that they provide safety and good working conditions that are equal to the high standard goods they produce.

Employees are also forced to work for long hours yet the Apple policy on working hours restricts the working time to 60 hours a week. Despite of the apple’s own laws putting a cap on the time that should be worked on a weekly basis, the supplying companies operate on a level of independence from their buyer, Apple, and from the authorities. The reason for this kind of laidback behavior can be attributed to the lack of concern by the governing management of these supplier firms. This might be attributed to the differences in the view of both countries, the United States and China on what they consider morally acceptable (Duhigg & Barboza, 18). To China, the use of cheap and underage labor might have existed since the period of dynasties whereas in the United States people are entitled fair and equal pair and the prohibition of the use of underage labor. Despite being, reprimanded Apple continued with its efforts to have more of its products manufactured by use of heap labor from their Chinese suppliers. Low-level employees talked of having parted with money as recruitment fees to get jobs in the companies. Apple does not have information regarding bribery to get employment, which amounts to bribery.

Foxconn, an Apple Product supplier is a clear depiction of impunity in the modern world. It conducts operations with total disregard for the workers under its care. The use N-hexane a chemical, which evaporates quicker than alcohol-based chemicals, was used. The gas might also have contributed to the fire disasters coupled by the presence of combustible aluminum dust (Duhigg & Barboza, 21). The harsh working conditions also paved way for mental instability of the workers because they were subjected to pressure and stress in the work place thus the numerous suicides in the company premises. Employees were subjected to inhumane living conditions in the dorms that were provided by the company for workers to reside such that the premises were crowded. The workers were also subjected to continuous shifts and extended overtime whereby workers would conduct his work for more than twelve hours a day and yet they were paid inconsiderate amounts for overtime and extended shifts.

For instance on May 2011, there was blast at Foxconn, an iPad maker in China where the Apple Company has several manufacturing companies who supply the company with their products. The blasts was attributed to the presence of aluminum dust used in the polishing of the iPads which lit up and caused a blast due to a lot of heat in the premises. The heat made the aluminum to combust and resulted in an explosion. However, companies try to conceal the accrual happenings to prevent the public from knowing the truth and understanding how such companies operate with total disregard for human life (Duhigg & Barboza, 26). In addition, this was not the first incident that involved the loss of human life due to exposure to hazardous working conditions. Two years earlier Apple suppliers in China were injured by the use of a harmful chemical used to clean cell phone screens.

Companies misusing labor are insensitive to the needs and the lives of their laborers .exposure to chemicals without the necessary safety gear to protect oneself from harm of the chemicals is a violation of the International Labor Organization (ILO) laws (Duhigg & Barboza, 28). The laws emphasize that laborers dealing with harmful equipment or chemicals should be in proper attire to protect them from harm or mitigate the harms when it occurs. The primary interests of companies taking advantage of cheap labor are to make the most profit by maximizing production using the cheapest available source of labor.Wintek, a supplier of parts to Apple was claimed to have pressured workers who had been injured in the execution of their duties were forced to take compensation and resign from their positions

Apple has the capacity to cease from the production of their goods by the use of cheap labor. Apple detests from taking action against suppliers who violate labor laws because of the stakes it has in the supply of goods. This is a clear illustration that Apple is not willing to forego the privileges that come with access to cheap labor that can be manipulated to meet their market needs. Keeping production costs low in a company is a great feat in any firm and is a clear illustration of the determination of the management to gain more profits, however this has been done by apple using the wrong approach.

Apple does not terminate contracts with suppliers due to non-compliance but instead gives warnings to the suppliers if they promise to try to improve the working conditions of their factories (Duhigg & Barboza, 46). If Apple were serious in reprimanding the companies and asking them to improve the working conditions of their factories, the companies would promptly comply with such regulations. The company company’s efforts were to avert embarrassment that would result from the public knowing the use of harsh working conditions and not to solve the problem. Lack of transparency also contributes to the continued use by Apple of its current supplier as the public or authorities do not know the origin of the parts supplied to the main suppliers of the finished goods to the company.

Apple as a leading company, which draws admiration from all quarters, should set a good precedent in ensuring that suppliers use the right labor and provide good working conditions by stating such in their contracts. Apple would instill discipline in a rogue labor sector that is characterized by greed for profits. Moreover, consumers should demand better conditions in factories abroad similar to factories such as Nike and Gap, which changed their conduct as a result from public pressure to change their strategies in the use of cheap labor and exposing people to harsh working conditions. Countries which are the base of suppliers who use misuse public labor are not reprimanded because of the benefits such jobs bring to their economies their populace is in need of jobs that have become scarce thus the opportunity for employment proves to be irresistible to the unemployed public. In additions job provided by such companies provide the much-needed revenue to the government for improving infrastructure and other government spending.

Work cited

Duhigg, Charles & Barboza, David. “In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad.” The New York Times. January 25, 2012:30. Print.

American Express Company- 2011 Fiscal Year

Main Sections of the Annual Report

The report contains a detailed review of the company’s fiscal year. This particular section has the executive overview that gives details of the activities carried out by the company. The paper also explains the various financial goals of the company. A financial summary of the financial performance is given and compared to that of the previous year. The report also gives critical accounting estimates where the company gives the structures that it has put in place to deal with some of the financial setbacks that they experienced during the fiscal year. Statistical information is also given on card member loans and receivables. This section also highlights the cash flow from investment and operation activities. Funding and capital strategies are also given.

The report contains the consolidated financial highlights of the year. The highlight is a comparison of the revenue of the 2011 fiscal year to that of 2010 fiscal year. The analysis shows a variance of more than 100%. Apart from the revenue, the highlight shows the company’s assets, number of employees and shares details. In relation to 2010, most the areas of the company have shown an increment. The area of cash dividend declared per share has been maintained at $0.72 from the previous year. The report also has notes on the consolidated report that give further explanation of the fiscal activities of the company.

Factors Influencing the Financial Performance

One of the factors that led to financial growth was the company’s efficiency and investment. The company decided to develop strategies that would enable them to take advantage of the competitive opening that had been created by the period of recession. Major focus was placed on new business opportunities and aggressive marketing and promotion strategies. The company involved itself with strategic acquisitions. Efficiency was also expressed in the company’s ability to control its expenses. This was through reducing costs and while increasing the quality of the services offered by the company employees.

The success of the company can also be attributed to their digital convergence. Digital convergence describes the ability to bring together the dimensions of commerce and the online world. The company has a virtual network that connects millions of its stakeholders and clients around the world. This kind of network has enabled the company to build relationships that have brought the success of the business.

Company’s Primary Assets

The company’s main assets are cash and its equivalent, receivables, short-term investments and prepaid expenses. Cash is the company’s liquid asset. This is in the returns that the company receives as profit. The cash assets of the company are also present in the cash that is due from banks. The company also has receivables from the card members. These particular receivables are securitized by transferring them to trusts. Prepaid expenses are also some of the assets that the company has. These are like miles and reward points acquired from partners with transportation companies. The short-term investments are in form of the company’s restricted cash that has been held for asset maturities.

Management’s Control of the Internal Environment

The company has an effective internal environment control structure. The efficiency of the company is according to a report given by Pricewaterhousecoopers. The financial statements and records give a correct reflection of the financial position of the business. Transactions of the company are also recorded to ensure that they aid in efficient financial reporting. The company provided assurance concerning detection of unlawful use of assets belonging to the company.

Reference list

American Express Company (2012). 2011 Annual Report. Retrieved from http://ir.americanexpress.com

Business

In the article, “Bringing Social Media to the Writing Classroom: Classroom Salon,” by Kaufer, the author talks about the use of a new technology, known as the IText technology, which bears the name, ‘Classroom Salon. Its main purpose is to integrate some social media benefits, such as expressing a community’s identity to classroom writing. The technology offers features similar to facebook where students have a chance of creating their own network where they can share information. The article centers on the use of the social media such as blogs where teachers can interact with students, instead of the traditional classroom writing. The authors cites that as the social media use in this way grows at a rapid pace, it is at the expense of traditional classroom writing (Kaufer, Gunawardena, Tan and Cheek 301).

The article is meant for people who are already aware of the topic. The technical terms are not explained, since the article is meant for people who are already aware of the technology. The article further uses long sentences with technical terms that are not understood by people without the knowledge of the technology. The vocabulary used is very technical, explaining how the technology can be integrated into the classroom writing. The authors assume the reader is aware of the technology even at the start where they talk about the technology being used several years ago. The verb tense is in present continuous, where the authors talk about training, writing, as well as other important verbs within the sentences.

Despite the article being technical with long sentences, I found it helpful considering it was talking about using the technology in question in classroom writing. The article does not give a detailed meaning of the technology, which makes a person who is not aware of it, intrigued, wondering what it is, and further making it harder. However, considering the article has tried to explain in detail its use in the classroom according to its title, I find it quite helpful.

Question 5

The author of ‘Take on the Street,’ Arthur Levitt, uses several styles of writing to make his article easy to understand. The article talks about a cash flow statement, one of the financial statements in a business. The article intends to inform people who may not know what a cash flow statement is, since it is more concerned with defining it, as well as defining and explaining its contents in details. He also takes time to explain each technical phrase used, meaning it is for people who may not know about a cash flow. For instance, when he mentions the phrase ‘cash from operating activities,’ he first introduces what is included in this part (Arthur 82). The phrase itself is not quite technical; however, a person who does not know anything about accounting might remain in the dark without such an explanation.

The author uses very simple words to explain the meaning of a cash flow, there are no technical terms used that are too hard for anybody to understand. In addition, he engages the reader through a one-way conversation as though he were telling it directly to a person in front of him. This draws the attention of the reader as if one is listening to a teacher giving a lecture. His paragraphs are well developed, starting with a broad statement then going into details concerning the subject in the paragraph. For instance, in the first paragraph, he says that one has to understand what a cash flow is in order to quality of the earnings in a company. He further goes ahead to explain what a cash flow is, and compares with other statements. Towards the end, he is more specific and into deeper detail. The following paragraph digs deeper by talking about its parts. The sentence length does not go too far to explain many ideas, but they are complete in explaining each idea, and drawing to the next.

Work cited

Kaufer David, Ananda Gunawardena, Aaron Tan and Alexander Cheek. “Bringing Social Media to the Writing Classroom: Classroom Salon.” Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 25.3 (2011): 299-321.

Levitt, Arthur. Take on the Street. New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 2002.