The Arab Conquest As A Divine Prophecy - 880 Words

In the years of the Byzantine Empire, they experienced a stressful shift between the 5th and 7th century. A shift forced unto them by their god, believed to be a divine prophecy, a punishment for their Christian sins. For centuries Christian authors and theologians analyzed and made attempts to make sense of this prophecy. Many patriarchs made connections with events from the Old Testament and not only seeing parallel symbols, but being more self aware of the people and their actions. Questioning the Muslims and their success along with the failures of defense. The early Byzantine authors described the Arab Conquest as a â€Å"divine prophecy†. In a way, a punishing karma for the poorly followed principles of the Byzantine Christians as they explain. At the fore front of confliction, the beginnings of the Arab Conquest, Patriarch Sophronius of Jerusalem gave a sermon on Christmas in the year 634. At this time, the Arabs had occupied much of Palestine and Bethlehem, this prevented the Christian pilgrims from visiting the scene of the Nativity for the first time in ages, this made a deep impact on the Byzantine bishop and theologian Sophronius. For Sophronius sermon, he found many scriptures within the Old Testament paralleling the current situation of Christians further connecting with this â€Å"divinely sent punishment for Christian sins† (139). â€Å"Because of countless sins and very serious faults, we have become unworthy of the sight of Bethlehem.... bound by fear of theShow MoreRelatedSighs of the Day of Judgement According to Islam4010 Words   |  17 Pageslate into the night * When the last ones of the Ummah begin to curse the first ones * People will claim to follow the Quran but will reject hadith amp; sunnah * People will believe in the stars * People will reject al-Qadr the Divine Decree of Destiny * Time will pass rapidly * Good deeds will decrease * Smog will appear over cities because of the evil that they are doing * People will be carrying on with their trade, but their will only be a few trustworthyRead MoreBible 104 Worldview Essay6535 Words   |  27 PagesThe book of Judges introduces us to the long years of Israel’s struggle to maintain control of the Promised Land and serves as the transition from the conquest to the kingdom. It deals with events following Joshua’s death (c. 1380 BC) The main body of the story revolves around six cycles of apostasy, repentance, and deliverance. God intervenes time and again to rescue the struggling Israelites from military oppression, spiritual depression, and ethnic annihilation. The book of Judges derives itsRead Moreghjfg6018 Words   |  25 Pagesbrought unbounded surprise; to others, over wide area, it brought the Schaden Freude of the bitterly hurt; but most of us, I judge, looked on silently and sorrowfully, in sober thought, seeing sadly the prophecy of our own souls. Here is a civilization that has boasted much. Neither Roman nor Arab, Greek nor Egyptian, Persian nor Mongol ever took himself and his own perfectness with such disconcerting seriousness as the modern white man. We whose shame, humiliation, and deep insult his aggrandizementRead Morehistory of philosophy5031 Words   |  21 Pagesstill being pursued today - is  Socrates, who studied under several Sophists. It is said that following a visit to the  Oracle of Delphi  he spent much of his life questioning anyone in Athens who would engage him, in order to disprove the oracular prophecy that there would be no man wiser than Socrates. Through these live dialogues, he examined common but critical concepts that lacked clear or concrete definitions, such as beauty and truth, and the virtues of piety, wisdom, temperance, courage, andRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 Pagesits long history of European culture. He brought new technology and new religion that spread throughout the hemisphere. He sent attack dogs to maul naked Indians, seized Caribbean women as sex slaves, and disemboweled other natives who resisted conquest. Many were hanged, some were burned alive. He chopped off the hands of thousands who were slow in producing the gold he wanted. Many Arawak Indians responded by committing a series of mass suicides. He shipped 500 Arawak Indians back on EuropeRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pagesâ€Å"courageous† were held in the highest esteem by managers from all 12 nations, but signiï ¬ cant national differences were found on 75 percent of the values (Bigoness Blakely, 1996). Another study of 658 Egyptians, 132 Americans, 43 Africans, and 101 Arabs found signiï ¬ cant national differences on both instrumental and terminal values, with Egyptians being least like Americans (Elsayed-Elkhouly Buda, 1997). In a national study of 1,460 American managers, Schmidt and Posner (1982) assessed which of these

Why We Should Have Year-Round Schooling - 771 Words

Have you ever wondered why teachers take a whole month to review everything from the previous year or why students tend to forget everything? Every year, students are keeping their calendars at hand and counting down the days until summer vacation. It’s the last day of school and when the final bell rings, kids are ready to do nothing for three months. However, is this really a good thing? The possibility of having year-round schools is at hot debate topic right now and it is time for change from traditional calendar schools. Schools should incorporate a system where schooling is year-round instead of having a long summer break because this allows for more learning and would prevent the problem of students forgetting everything they’ve†¦show more content†¦However, some people argue that having a system of a year-round school year is not very beneficial. Although there are many studies that support year-round schooling, there are also many studies that don†™t. Many recent studies have found no significant connection between year-round schooling and improved student achievement. For example, a review of 39 studies found that modified school calendars have very small, insignificant, effect on achievement (Cooper, et al., 2003). Another argument that is made for having a traditional calendar is that despite year-round schooling generating strong feelings, it can also generate negative feelings in that it is disrupt to family life. Having a traditional calendar allows families to spend valuable time together and go on a well needed vacation. The traditional calendar allows students to relax and refresh themselves and get ready for next year. As a student, this issue affects me immensely as I experience the results firsthand. From personal experience, I can say that year-round schooling is much better because after every summer, my peers and I tend to forget most of what we’ve learned, causing teachers to spend valuable teaching time to review with us. I also believe that during the many days that we have summer vacation; we could learn a lot more. Although many people view summer vacation as a time to spend valuable time with family, fromShow MoreRelatedEssay On Year Round School722 Words   |  3 Pages Year round schooling should be a thing. The time we leave school and go back to school is crazy now we get about a month off and when we leave we forget everything we have learned the past year. Its preposterous and repetitive, why forget everything we learned and struggle to relearn it when we could just stay in school. Most kids are against it because they dont want to lose their summer vacation but when it com es down to it, youd get more time off and more breaks if you had year round schoolingRead More Year Round Schooling Speech Essay examples642 Words   |  3 PagesYear Round Schooling Speech Have you ever thought about what life would be like having to go to school year round? Well kids today feel that with all the pressure and work they have during the school year, they need the 3 month break time period in order to regroup themselves and have a change of scenery. Year round schooling in the past few years has become a trend that is sweeping the nation, and I am going to tell you why year round schooling IS NOT a way to send the children of AmericaRead MoreWhy Year Round School Is More Harm Than Good978 Words   |  4 Pagessummer break. They are so excited for the first day of class that they have to get all new school supplies. They wake up extra early and are ready to learn on that first day. If school was all year round, I believe students would never look forward to school and would affect their learning. Therefore, in my opinion, I do not believe school should be year round. Why Year Round School Is More Harm Than Good Year round schooling is a topic that is emerging widely throughout the United States in thisRead MoreGraduation Speech : Year Round Schooling1478 Words   |  6 PagesYear-Round Schooling Why were schools traditionally set up to give students the summer off? When schools started, most of the students came from a farming family and they needed to be out of school to help on the farm. Many people know that there are not as many students coming from farming families today, so why do most schools still operate on this schedule? While some parents believe that year-round schooling decreases family time and causes student burn out, in reality, frequent breaks providedRead MoreThe Traditional School Calendar and The Introduction of a Year-Round Education1309 Words   |  6 Pagesremember, schooling has been based on a ten-month calendar. Although it was established for an agricultural society it is still extremely common in today’s urban society. The introduction of year-round education, though it clearly makes more sense for todays students, is still a relatively new concept and therefore is subject to a lot of speculation. With benefits such as, remediation, better chances for high-risk and ESL students, economic benefits, and more structure/stability it is a mystery why someRead MoreThe Length Of School Calendar1559 Words   |  7 Pageshow developed we are considered to be. Several solutions have been proposed: get rid of standardized tests all together, fire all teachers who students test low, or implement a different school calendar. Clearly action needs to be taken to solve this issue. Unless the government can pick one way to go about fixing this; nothing will change. After doing some intense research, year-round school would be the simplest and most beneficial solution to the problem. Year round education should be mandatoryRead MoreAdvantages And Disadvantages Of Year Round Schooling1067 Words   |  5 PagesProfessor Kluttz English 3 28 July 2017 The Advantages of the Year-Round Schooling Calendar The discussion of the year-round schooling calendar versus the traditional schooling calendar has been ongoing for some time. There have been many discussions and debates about the advantages and disadvantages of both. The amount of school districts across the United States that have switched to year-round calendars has increased drastically. The year-round calendar provides students with more frequent breaks ofRead MoreYear Round Schooling Is Better Than Traditional Schooling1599 Words   |  7 Pages Year Round Schools Versus Traditional Schools By: Shaun Herman Shaun Herman 4/11/2016 Task 2 Year round schooling is better than traditional schooling because, the summer retention is much higher, special education and english language learners benefit much more, end of the year test scores are higher and the year round school calendar fits our culture more now than it used to with the traditional school year. As an education major with a focus in special educationRead MoreYear Round School Essay1252 Words   |  6 PagesYear-round Schools The possibility of year round schools has been a hot debate topic for quite some time. The question is, is the idea of year round schools acceptable considering all the potential drawbacks? Year round schooling can be disruptive to both the family of the students and the teachers themselves, it can be too costly for a large group of people, and year round schools do not provide the same opportunity for learning as the traditional school year does. For several reasons, theRead MoreEssay about Year Round School1235 Words   |  5 Pages Year-round Schools nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The possibility of year round schools has been a hot debate topic for quite some time. The question is, is the idea of year round schools acceptable considering all the potential drawbacks? Year round schooling can be disruptive to both the family of the students and the teachers themselves, it can be too costly for a large group of people, and year round schools do not provide the same opportunity for learning as the traditional school year does

Path of Accounting Free Essays

The career field I chose is finance. In a career of finance there are a number of different tasks I would potentially have to do. Accountants and other jobs in the field of finance have to keep track of money and records of companies. We will write a custom essay sample on Path of Accounting or any similar topic only for you Order Now In finance you mainly provide financial services to businesses. It may require one to give advice to executives of businesses on better ways to operate their business. To have a Career in finance it is a must to be good at math and great at dealing with/analyzing numbers and data. If you are not good at math or with numbers then being is good in this career will be nearly impossible because you won’t be able to analyze the data you are presented with, which will probably make everything seem foreign because you lack understanding. Most importantly, a career in finance requires honesty. Having access to other people’s and other businesses’ money is a serious task to be placed with. That responsibility is not one to be lightly or one that allows the chance for mistakes. My career goal is to be a financial accountant. I have wanted to be an accountant as long as I can remember. I’ve always wanted to be an accountant because I am good at math. To be an accountant my career field would have to be finance and I could choose business and management, but I would definitely have to do finance. Finance and accounting is offered at every university, so I wouldn’t really have finding a school. The job requirement of an accountant is all dealing with finance. As an accountant, it is your job to provide financial information to the management you work for. To do this, an accountant researches and analyzes data and has to prepare reports for the company. Keeping track of the financial records on the company is also a part of being an accountant. Another point of emphasize is the importance of interning at a bank or business to gain experience in the field of accounting. I would most likely be an accountant in the states of New York, Ohio, or Wisconsin. I would like to work not too close to Chicago, but not too far away either. According to US News.com the monthly salaries in the states of Wisconsin and Ohio are $4, 052 and $3,812 respectively. In New York the monthly salary is $7,476. The highest salary  for an accountant is in New York at $89,720 followed by New Jersey and San Francisco at $87,120 and $86,230 respectively. Other forms of accountants I am interested in is being a forensic accountant and management accountant. As a forensics accountant it is ones job to analyze and access data to help solve crimes. It also requires you to detect any signs or forms of fraud that could lead to anything. Watching show many crime shows have shed lights on forensic accounting for me, which is why I have become so interested in it. Being a management accountant is much like a financial accountant. I would just work with the managers of businesses or corporations more often and provide them with information to help them make the right decision to benefit their company. I would just come up with all the strategies to help improve the company than work with the manager to get the right decision made, so my work space would be different. Instead of being at a desk on a computer I would have to make representation of data in charts on boards, computer, poster, and etc. This would also result in me spending time in the meeting rooms with executives and managers than other accountants would. The semester credits I am requires to earn depends on what the college itself requires, although most colleges will require me to have 150 semester credits from a university according to Accounting Coach â€Å"CPA requirements†. After I gain enough credit myself and anyone else striving to become an accountant is required to take the CPA exam and cannot begin working as an accountant until they pass it. The CPA exam is followed by an Ethic Exam and they both really test on if one’s readiness for a career in accounting. After passing these two test which are both advised to take as soon as one can while all the info is still fresh, you can start your career in accounting. An accountant usually work twelve hour shifts in their place of business at an computer analyzing data, consulting with managers, or studying data that is given to them, which can be boring if you don’t enjoy math. One of the colleges I am interested in attending to become an accountant is The Ohio State University located in Columbus, Ohio. According to Forbes Top Collges.com the GPA requirement for is a 3.6 and the ACT requirement is about a 26 with that being the average. Another of their requirements is for incoming students have to at least have taken two years of a foreign language class, preferably the same language, so that they be fluent in one language instead of mediocre in many. The cost of tuition and  fees at The Ohio State University is $26,726 and when you include books, room and things it all adds up to $44,215. Being such a big school Ohio State accepts 64% of its applicants and 93% of freshman return for their second year. The four year graduation rate is 51% and the six year graduation rate is 80%. Graduation rate for African American students is 73%. My second school is Stanford University which is located in Stanford, California. In Stanford University pamphlet the average GPA and ACT scores for people accepted into Stanford is a 3.6 and a 31. Tuition is $43,245 and student population is large at 17, 833 with 52% being males and 10% being African Americans. The big fact is Stanford on accepts about 8% of its applicants and of those they accept 98% return after their first year. The four year graduation rate is 80% and the six year graduation rate is 93% which I didn’t know was higher than Ohio State’s because of how tough a school it is. The graduation rate for males is 94% and 92% for African Americans. The last school I selected is the University of Wisconsin-Madison which is located, exactly where the name of the school says, Madison, Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin and Ohio State is like I said about the job, I would like to attend school not too far from Chicago, but not too close either. Forbes Top Schools.com shows that the total population is 41,946 with 46% of that being males and 3% being African Americans. The cost for tuition is $40,012. The average GPA is a 3.4 and for my desired major it is 3.5 while the average ACT is a 26. 94 of its students come back for their second year, while the transfer rate is 12%. The four year graduation rate is 52% and the six year graduation rate is 80%. The graduation rate for males at the University of Wisconsin is 82% and the graduation rate for African American students is 78%. My end goal is to become a financial accountant after college. I know attending The Ohio State University will definitely help me achieve this goal because they have one of the better accounting programs in the country. I’ve gotten to visit the school and sit in on an accounting class, so I have first-hand experience of what it’s like. Out of the information and things I learned about all three schools I picked, The Ohio State University is the most appealing to me. Having over 90% graduation rates for males and African Americans is the numbers that really jump out at me, but that doesn’t mean if I go to The Ohio State University that the journey will be easy. It may  be the best fit or my top choice, but there are still obstacles like the size of Ohio State. A school with over 55,000 students will be a big adjustments from anywhere, but I have just have to keep looking ahead to my end goal. The next step I need to take in order to reach my goal is continue to develop my skills not only in math, but also work to improve my ACT score so I can get what I need to be accepted into Ohio State. I already have a lot of skills that I need to pursuit my career like being superb in math, great at analyzing data, and dealing with charts and graphs. I feel I have great self-discipline which I believe everyone must have before they even think of going to college, but I still need to greatly improve in lots of things. I must continue to work on my social skills because being at college with thousands of college can be even more difficult than it already will and I will work to be better at not procrastinating because at times I may wait for the last moment to do things because it seems easy or I get too confident with my ability to do work quick, so I put it off until the last minute. I need to continue to stay focused and take advantage of the many opportunities  I have presented to me. This includes ACT prep, college visits, extra-curricular activities, and any other program offered to me. Though, my most important thing to do to help me achieve my goal right now it to just simply focus on what I need to do right now in high school because that is what’s most important right now. I can face my care path and continue to work closer to my end goal when I get to that point, but I still have to get to that step and I must finish high school to do it. While researching for this project I realized all the information I’ve had to research is nothing, but beneficial to me and achieving my goals. I’ve learned things about these colleges I didn’t know and learned of what is required of me to get accepted into the colleges of my choosing and what is required of me to strive in the career of my choosing. The process of doing this paper has helped me to learn of all the things I still need to work on and what I still need to achieve. Before this paper I thought I knew everything of what was required to be an accountant an attend the colleges of my choice, but doing this project has shed light on things I didn’t know and informed me that there are still things I still need to learn more about and continue to work on because I’m not where I need to be yet. There are many obstacles in place that I still  must face and overcome before I can reach my end goal of becoming a financial accountant, but doing this project has made the long journey to achieving my goal that I have ahead a lot easier than it would’ve been. How to cite Path of Accounting, Papers

Management Accounting Various Product Divisions

Question: Describe about the Management Accounting for Various Product Divisions. Answer: Introduction The companies and large business entities with multiple divisions transfer products among various divisions. The products are transferred at a price, which is known as transfer price. The transfer price is useful and serves various important purposes. There are different types of transfer pricing methods. In this report, an attempt is made to discuss the meaning of transfer price, different types of transfer price, use and purpose of transfer price (DRURY 2013). Transfer price Meaning The price at which divisions within the company transacts with each other is known as Transfer price. For example, supply of labor or stock from one department to another at a particular price is an example of transfer price. The transfer prices are mostly used by entities that has large and diverse operating units and each units run as a separate entity. Transfer prices are also known as transfer cost (Weygandt et al. 2015). In case of multi unit entities, each division is responsible for their own profit. In managerial accounting the return on invested capital for each division are calculated so it is important that when divisors transacts with each other a transfer price is established to determine the cost (Ward 2012). A close proximity is maintained between transfer price and market price because huge difference in price will adversely affect the performance of the transferor division whereas transferee division will gain. This will not reflect the actual performance of the divisions. Types of transfer pricing The various types of transfer price that can be used are given below: Transfer price based on Market rate The simplest method of determining transfer price is to use the market rate. The market based transfer price is not suitable in case of product that have unique nature. It is also possible that the division can earn highest possible profits rather than being subject to mandated pricing schemes (Soin and Collier 2013). Adjusted market rate transfer price If the direct application of market rate as transfer price is not appropriate then necessary adjustments should be made in the market price. This adjusted market price then can be used as transfer price. Negotiated transfer price If the market price is not readily available then in such cases the divisions should negotiate the transfer price. This can happen for products that have very small market or the product is highly customized. The price is determined the negotiating skills of the respective divisions (Otley and Emmanuel 2013). Contribution margin transfer pricing If there is no available market price then the transfer price could be determined by based on the contribution margin of the component. Cost plus transfer pricing The transfer price could be determined based on the component of cost that is to transferred. The procedure to determine the transfer price under this method is to add all the component of costs and then a profit is margin is added with the cost. It is useful for deterring transfer price where there is no available market price (Taipaleenmki and Ikheimo 2013). Cost based transfer pricing When one division transfers product to another division at costs then it is referred to as cost based transfer pricing. Under this method, the final division that sells the goods to the customer will recognize the entire profit (Bessis and O'Kelly 2015). Use of different types of transfer price The above discussion shows that there are different types of transfer pricing methods. In order to determine the most appropriate method the following criteria is used: The transfer price should be determined objectively; The transfer price should appropriately reflect the value of the transferred product; The transferring division should be appropriately compensated; The transfer should be compatible with the overall company goals and policy; There are different types of transfer price that are used so that the company can choose the appropriate method by fulfilling the above criteria. Use/ Function of transfer price The most essential functions and use of transfer price are: The transfer price is useful in profit allocation among various divisions. This helps to assess the performance of the various departments. The transfer price is useful for coordination and guidance if the division. The transfer pricing is useful in determining cost that is used for decision-making and justification of price. The transfer price is also useful for external regulatory purpose especially for income statement and balance sheet. The transfer price because of its simplification is used for determining budget. Purpose of transfer price The transfer price serves various purposes as given below: The transfer prices are necessary for determining divisional profits when the product are transferred from one division to another in a decentralized entity. The transfer price helps to evaluate the performance of the divisions. In case of companies where the managers have the authority to purchase product externally or internally then in such cases the transfer price helps to evaluate the performance of the managers. It also helps to determine whether the performance incentives of the managers are in line with that of the company (Collier 2015). The transfer price becomes relevant in calculating income tax if multinational companies transfer the products across international borders. Conclusion The discussion above has highlighted the importance of transfer price. It can be concluded that transfer-pricing system serves an important purpose in the multi divisional entities and multinational corporations. Part B. a The Transfer prices are the prices charged by one division for transferring product to another division of the same organization. There are various methods for determining transfer price and one of such method is to base the transfer price on actual costs. It is not appropriate to use the actual cost as transfer price because the inefficiencies of the production department might be transferred to receiving departments (Braun et al. 2013). As the products are transferred at cost, so the production department will not have any incentives to reduce such inefficiencies. The goals of an organization are to achieve efficiency in operation and the use of transfer price based on actual costs does not helps the organization to achieve this objective. The cost based transfer price does not motivate management, as there are no incentives for controlling costs. The cost-based transfer pricing does not help in maintaining sub unit autonomy as the transfer price are rule based (Warren et al. 2013) . Therefore based on the above discussion it can be concluded that total actual cost, as transfer price is not appropriate because the performance of the divisions cannot be evaluated effectively. b. Statement showing Contribution Margin Particulars Cleaning Scraping Division Processing Division Units 400000 400000 Market Price $ 95.00 $ 160.00 Sales $ 38,000,000.00 $ 64,000,000.00 Less: Variable costs Direct Material $ (7,200,000.00) $ (2,000,000.00) Inter Divisional Transfer $ (38,000,000.00) Direct labor $ (4,800,000.00) $ (4,000,000.00) selling cost $ (2,000,000.00) $ - Manufacturing Overhead $ (12,000,000.00) $ (4,000,000.00) contribution $ 12,000,000.00 $ 16,000,000.00 Less: Fixed Costs manufacturing overhead $ (4,000,000.00) $ (6,000,000.00) Net profit $ 8,000,000.00 $ 10,000,000.00 Contribution Per unit $ 30.00 $ 40.00 Net profit per unit $ 20.00 $ 25.00 c. In the negotiated transfer price, the price is determined by informed bargaining by the divisions. The negotiated transfer price provides autonomy to the divisions. This system provides better information about the costs and benefits. In order to determine the transfer price under this method it is important to ascertain the acceptable transfer price of both the selling and buying division (Seuring and Goldbach 2013). If the transfer price is below the costs incurred by the selling division then the selling division will incur loss. In such case the selling division will not agree to transfer product and if the transferring division is required to transfer product at such price in accordance with the company policy (Demski 2013). Then such method will promote inefficiency among the selling division as there as there will be no incentive for controlling costs. Further, as the product can be sold in the open market if the buying department does not give the market price or higher then transferor division will sell the product in the open market. The acceptable transfer price for selling division will be the price that includes all the variable costs, fixed costs and opportunity costs. In this case, the acceptable transfer price for cleaning and scraping division will be market price less the selling cost of the product (Maher et al. 2012). The selling price of the product is $95.00 and variable sell ing expenses is $5.00 so $90.00 will be appropriate transfer for selling division. Therefore, the acceptable price range for selling division is $90.00 to $95.00. If the transfer price is set too high by the selling division then for the buying division earning profit will be difficult. The buying division will always look for purchasing at lower price so that it can increase its profitability. If the transfer set by the selling department is more than the market price then the buying department will purchase it from the market (Maher et al. 2012). Therefore, the acceptable transfer price range for the buying division will be market price of $95.00 or less. d. The company that has multiple divisions and transfers product from one division to another is required to establish a transfer price. The objective of the management is to set a transfer price that encourages goal congruence among all the mangers of the divisions that are involved in the transfer. In order to maximize the overall profit of the company the guideline for each divisions are provided in the general transfer-pricing rule. The general transfer-pricing rule is to add opportunity cost with the variable cost of the product. Two scenarios are possible with the general transfer-pricing rule this are when there is excess capacity and when there is no excess capacity (Gray 2014). In case where there is excess capacity there is no opportunity cost so the transfer price will be variable cost of the division. Where there is no excess capacity in that scenario opportunity cost is added with the variable cost in order to determine the transfer price. The opportunity costs are revenue that is for gone for internal transfer of the product. The general transfer price rule is applicable when there is available market price. The calculation of transfer under two scenarios is given below: Calculation of Transfer price Particular Excess capacity No excess Capacity Total variable Costs $ 60.00 $ 60.00 opportunity Costs $ 30.00 Transfer price $ 95.00 $ 60.00 The minimum transfer price that is acceptable is $60.00. The management of the Cleaning and scraping division will not prefer this as the transfer price as the company will lose an opportunity cost of $30.00. The management will prefer the market price or the price of $90.00 after deducting variable costs on sales. The management will prefer higher price because it will affect the profitability of the division. The performance and the cost control measure that are undertaken by the company in order to compete in the market will not be reflected in the transfer price (Kinney et al. 2012). This will adversely affect the performance of the division as they will be not be motivated to reduce costs. As a result, the management will not prefer the transfer price that is below market price. Reference Bessis, J. and O'Kelly, B., 2015.Risk management in banking. John Wiley Sons. Braun, K.W., Tietz, W.M. and Harrison, W.T., 2013.Managerial accounting. Pearson. Collier, P.M., 2015.Accounting for managers: Interpreting accounting information for decision making. John Wiley Sons. Demski, J., 2013.Managerial uses of accounting information. Springer Science Business Media. DRURY, C.M., 2013.Management and cost accounting. Springer. Gray, S.J. ed., 2014.International accounting and transnational decisions. Butterworth-Heinemann. Kinney, M.R. and Raiborn, C.A., 2012.Cost accounting: Foundations and evolutions. Cengage Learning. Maher, M.W., Stickney, C.P. and Weil, R.L., 2012.Managerial accounting: An introduction to concepts, methods and uses. Cengage Learning. Maher, M.W., Stickney, C.P. and Weil, R.L., 2012.Managerial accounting: An introduction to concepts, methods and uses. Cengage Learning. Otley, D. and Emmanuel, K.M.C., 2013.Readings in accounting for management control. Springer. Seuring, S. and Goldbach, M. eds., 2013.Cost management in supply chains. Springer Science Business Media. Soin, K. and Collier, P., 2013. Risk and risk management in management accounting and control.Management Accounting Research,24(2), pp.82-87. Taipaleenmki, J. and Ikheimo, S., 2013. On the convergence of management accounting and financial accountingthe role of information technology in accounting change.International Journal of Accounting Information Systems,14(4), pp.321-348. Ward, K., 2012.Strategic management accounting. Routledge. Warren, C.S., Reeve, J.M. and Duchac, J., 2013.Financial managerial accounting. Cengage Learning. Weygandt, J.J., Kimmel, P.D. and Kieso, D.E., 2015.Financial Managerial Accounting. John Wiley Sons.

Plan to conduct Theory based evaluation of tobacco control

Introduction Theory based evaluation refers to a list of policy arrangements, projects, organization as well as structure of administration in which practitioners and experts exchange ideas, lessons and methods applicable to the process of evaluation of a problem.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Plan to conduct Theory based evaluation of tobacco control specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, the success of a government agency in trying to control the levels of use of a drug such as tobacco is directly dependent on factors such as the reactions of the community towards the policies, availability of resources for implementing the policies, likely reactions of the authorities of the specifics areas and possibility of obtaining findings from the government( Blanke,2004). This is achieved through determining the causes of abuse of tobacco in the society and the methods of control that are believed to be capable of resulting into its control. This is followed by determining the steps that need to be monitored as the program is implemented and methods that can be used to develop the program for the control of the drug. Success factors are then listed and if the available data and information shows that the factors cannot be achieved, it is concluded that the project is less likely to be successful in accomplishing its objectives. There are various approaches that can be used to control tobacco consumption or production. This article provides a theory based evaluation of the success in applying these approaches towards control of tobacco in a community or a country (Pechacek, 1999). Discussion There are many goals for control of tobacco consumption in any country in the world. However, the major goals are reduction of consumption of the drug by under-age youth, reduction of exposure of adults and youth to tobacco smoking and monitor and assess tobacco consumption to improve complia nce. In order to ensure control, there are various approaches that can be used. This paper provides an evaluation of these approaches.Advertising Looking for research paper on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Construction of regional offices By constructing these offices, it will be possible to monitor drugs distribution to the youth, monitoring compliance with tobacco distribution regulations, regulating the levels of tobacco promotions, provision of management services for prevention, cessation, and education of the public to reduce the levels of tobacco consumption, build capacity organizations that empower the youth with knowledge regarding the consequences of tobacco consumption (Teh-Wei, 2010) This approach towards control of tobacco consumption has certain demands that will have to be met. For instance, it will be necessary to allocate resources for construction of these offices, training of extension officers to educate the people with regards to tobacco consumption and paying them. It will also depend on the readiness of the people in the community towards accepting the recommendations of the regional workers. The control process will be regarded a success if there is a possibility of attaining these demands. However, if these demands cannot be satisfied, the control plan is considered a failure. The role of Office of Policy and Strategic planning Tobacco control plan can also be achieved by creating the Office of planning and Strategic planning. This is an office that ensures frameworks and policies are developed to reduce tobacco use. It ensures a country is represented in international referendum and in creation of agreements that enhance international partnership in control of tobacco. Internally, the office analysts who take part in educating the public can be trained by establishing partnerships with stakeholders and advisory individuals or other agencies of government a nd experts from other areas of the world. The evaluation process is based on the capability of the office to accomplish these objectives. The success of the control program is dependent on their capability to control these objectives. However, this office has the capability to construct tobacco control policies that are informed, stable and focused on preventing excessive consumption of tobacco. Formation of offices of Regulation and compliance offices The success of control of tobacco use and manufacture is also another step towards control of its production and distribution, sales, labeling and promotion to ensure citizens are protected from health complications of tobacco use. The office is also responsible for developing regulations of tobacco production and monitoring the activities of tobacco manufacturing industries to ensure they comply with tobacco production regulations (Huey-Tish, 1990).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Plan to conduct Theor y based evaluation of tobacco control specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The success of this approach will be dependent on the willingness of the government to provide funding for management of these offices and availability of government control over the manufacture and distribution of tobacco in a country. Formation of Office of Research, Evaluation and Surveillance This is also an office that can effectively contribute towards control of tobacco consumption. The level of control of tobacco use will be dependent on its ability to monitor and analyze the use of tobacco and its impacts on the health of the people in a country. Its success will also be measured by its ability to educate the people on the right way of behavior towards the drug and the economic and chemical impacts of use of the drug. Furthermore, its success will be measured by its ability to direct research on bio makers of tobacco and other toxic substances. They ensure Health Warning Messages are evaluated, tobacco sales data is monitored and research is conducted to estimate the level of exposure to tobacco our smoke. References Blanke, D., Vera, S. (2004). Tobacco Control Legislation: An Introductory Guide: NJ. World Health Organization, Huey-Tish, C. (1990). Theory-driven evaluations. London; Sage. Pechacek, T. (1999). Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs. DIANE Publishing. Teh-Wei, H. (2010) Tobacco Control Policy Analysis in China: Economics and Health. London; World ScientificAdvertising Looking for research paper on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This research paper on Plan to conduct Theory based evaluation of tobacco control was written and submitted by user Abb1ga1l to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

13 Most Common North American Pine Species

13 Most Common North American Pine Species Pine is a coniferous tree  in the genus Pinus, in the family Pinaceae. There are about 115 species of pines worldwide, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species. Pines are native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. Pines are evergreen and resinous trees (rarely shrubs). The smallest pine is Siberian Dwarf Pine and Potosi Pinyon, and the tallest pine is Sugar Pine. Pines are among the most plentiful and commercially important of tree species, valued for their timber and wood pulp throughout the world. In temperate and semi-tropical regions, pines are fast-growing softwoods that will grow in relatively dense stands, their acidic decaying needles inhibiting the sprouting of competing hardwoods. They are often grown in plantation managed forests for both lumber and paper. The Common North American Pines There are actually 36 major species of native pines in North America. They are the most ubiquitous  conifer in the United States, easily recognized by most people and very successful in maintaining solid and valuable stands. Pines are especially widespread and predominant in the Southeast and on drier sites in the Western mountains. Here are the most common and valuable pines that are native to the United States and Canada. Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)Western white pine (Pinus monticola)Sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana)Red pine (Pinus resinosa)Pitch pine (Pinus rigida)Jack pine (Pinus banksiana)Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)Shortleaf pine (Pinus  echinata)Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda)Slash pine (Pinus elliottii) Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana)Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta)Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) Major Characteristics of the Pines Sigrid Intraligi / EyeEm  / Getty Images   Leaves: All of these common pines have needles in bundles of between 2 and 5 needles and wrapped (sheathed) together with paper-thin scales that attach to the twig. The needles in these bundles become the trees leaf that persists for two years before dropping as the tree continues to grow new needles every year. Even as the needles are dropping bi-annually, the pine maintains its evergreen appearance.   Deva Botyt / EyeEm  / Getty Images Cones: Pines have two types of cones - one to produce pollen and one to develop and drop seeds. The smaller pollen cones are attached to new shoots and produce a  massive amount of pollen every year. The larger woody cones are seed-bearing cones and mostly attached to limbs on short stalks or  stalkless sessile attachments. Pine cones usually mature in the second year, dropping a winged seed from between each cone scale. Depending on the species of pine, empty cones may drop off immediately after seed fall or hang on for several years or many years. Some pines have fire cones that only open after the heat from a wildland or prescribed fire releases the seed. Donald E. Hall  / Getty Images Bark and Limbs: A pine species with smooth bark generally grows in an environment where a fire is limited. Pine species that have adapted to a fire ecosystem will have scaly and furrowed bark. A conifer, when seen with tufted needles on stout limbs is confirmation that the tree is in the genus Pinus.

Andrews Discussion 3 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Andrews Discussion 3 - Assignment Example In the second statement, the point of diversion for defining what is right lies at culture; hence, a significant component of ethics. The reasons for rating the statement as ‘strongly agree’ lie on the fact that every individual has a cultural background that forms the basis for early education. Such education governs what such an individual considers as right. On the other hand, the text indicates that peers expose individuals to early childhood education in the society (Andrews, Pruitt, & Durham, 2003). As such, the reasons as to why culture influences what is considered as right do not change after obtaining additional insight. According to the doctrine of utilitarianism, it is required that individuals maximize good to the greatest population and minimize suffering. Intervention is morally justified if an individual performs acts that compromise good for the greatest population. As such, if acting on self-interest enhances suffering among the population, intervention is morally required. However, if there is no compromise to the doctrine, â€Å"no one has the right to intervene when they think someone else has done something morally wrong.† For example, the act of a member of the Senate embezzling public funds may warrant an intervention because it causes suffering for the greatest population (the public). In addition, if a person litters, he or she may be held for an intervention because littering causes pollution and has adverse environmental and health effects for the greatest population, in the long run. 2. Has your rating of this statement changed after reading chapter 2 of the ethics textbook? If your rating has not changed, are your reasons for the rating any different now from when you first responded to this statement? The rating stands at ‘strongly agree’ before and after reading the text. The text provides information about the principles that govern morals. As such, the doctrine of utilitarianism is

Comparison & Contrast between activities involved in Strategy Assignment

Comparison & Contrast between activities involved in Strategy Formulation versus Strategy implementation - Assignment Example Strategy formulation and implementation are two important aspects, which are interrelated. Strategy formulation and implementation are important facets of strategic management in a corporate for long-range performance. Strategy management comprises of three phases namely, diagnosis, formulation, and implementation (Hill and Jones 2012:20-21). Strategy formulation entails development of long-range plans for effective management of environmental opportunities and threats. This is in the light of corporate strengths and weaknesses. Hill and Jones (2012:20) state that formulation encompasses defining corporate mission, objectives, setting policy guidelines, and developing sound strategies. Formulators of strategy attach some estimate or risk to discernible alternatives. They appraise corporate strength and drawbacks with the resources, which are available. Formulation gives a clear set of recommendations in order for the corporate to accomplish its mission successfully (Hill and Jones 2012:20). Formulation of corporate strategy entails creating sustainable competitive advantages. This happens through giving prudent and practical solution to problems that may affect the corporate. Strategy implementation encompasses putting strategies, which corporate formulates into practice. This entails designing and management of systems in order to achieve best integration of people, processes, structures, and resources in order to attain organizational set goals. This is the step in which corporate converts its strategy into operationally effective action. Formulated strategy gains commitment of resources of organization or corporate. Strategy implementation aims at bringing sound ideas into practice. For implementation of corporate strategy to be effective, strategic managers in organization should support the chosen plan. Second, the strategic supervisors should allocate sufficient resources. Third, the formulated strategy

Two Reports about Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Two Reports about Research - Essay Example The objective of any research is pursuit for the truth, not popular conceptions. In fact, the whole idea and sole objective of a research is to penetrate the layers of myths and disintegrated notions scattered around about a particular subject and discover reality in the light of worked through well-researched content with due respect to data protection issue and other ethical practices. For a brief period, let us go ahead with a key assumption that one is free to take up a research assignment, bearing in mind that there is no data protection concepts involved in the exercise and all laws related to data privacy is temporarily abolished. Can we identify the steps in the pyramid above where research activity will be accelerated or hindered due to that relaxation While the readers are allowed some time to contemplate on that possibility, let us dwell on other relevant sources and strategies to gather data and briefly understand the impact of data protection, right from the bottom level in the pyramid. While most researchers are aware of the thin difference between methods and methodologies, reliability and validity of information, appropriate analysis and evaluation of data, data protection and ethical practices, results and conclusion - it is the their responsibility to ensure that the broader objective is not diluted in the multiple steps involved in research nor there is any compromise in the entire cycle. A general awareness of data protection needs in all spheres of life - beyond Universities, Corporate, Financial Institutions or wherever - will not only lead a researcher to have a better understanding about the hazards of not protecting data but also prepare him to value that aspect outside the premises of the current project. Once a researcher learns to appreciate data protection principles beyond definition, Act and Law, implementing good practice will be just as important as the authenticity of the report generated, by the end of the research. Identifying Scope of Research/ Problem Quoting an old proverb by Aristotle - "Well begun is half done". It is potentially important to acknowledge, that to obtain desired and realistic results of a research assignment, there is a definite need to have a defined framework. This might not necessarily be a tested or proven approach, however considering the complexity and magnitude of a research, the initial framework to drive all steps in an innovative manner has to be efficiently designed. It is the design that determines the strength of an analysis. There is one thing the researcher needs to have prior to working on the design - A problem. While some researchers are very clear about their needs for information when working towards their thesis or study project, some are quite confused and require information on what studies, topics and papers are available, on specific work in their particular zone of interest. They also might need advice on their proposal and an idea of how effective their findings would be. Some might even need an elaborate discussion on the overall framework and data sourcing. The

The importance of automobile industry

The importance of automobile industry CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Introduction In the civilization of 21st century, human beings are not only focused on the basic needs but also pursuit the higher quality life. From the emergence of competitive business world, automobile manufacturers and assemblers needed to be active in order to ensure that consumers have high intention to purchase their products. We can clearly knowing that the people are toward the goal of comfortable and enjoyable life compared those residents in the olden days. Background information of country Malaysia The national car project, PROTON has been initiated with the originally conceived the idea and direct support of the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed was incorporate on May 7th, 1983 (http://www.proton.com). The first Proton car, Proton Saga was launched on July 9th, 1985. The present model car includes Gen2, Iswara, Wira, Waja, Savvy, Persona and Perdana. With the support by government, Malaysia has a fairly strong automobile industry. Beside Protons cars, the famous and well known cars also been assembled in Malaysia such as BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Volvo and etc. The importance of the automobile industry is also evident from its substantial contribution to the government bursary on direct and indirect taxes. It is estimated a total of RM 13.14 billion. A 54% of the total is for the government annual duty excise revenue which approximately RM 7.0956 billion, 33% of sales tax which approximately RM 4.3362 billion, 8% of import duty approximately RM 1.0512 billion and a 5% of corporate tax estimated to be RM 0.657 billion (http://www.proton.com). It the sense, it surely will be the governments interest to see automobile industry in Malaysia to grow further. Malaysia is largest automobile market in ASEANS with 90% of that manufactured or assembled domestically and more than 500,000 vehicles sold annually (Cheng, 2006). It shows that the major market for Malaysia is passenger automobile market. The new vehicle sales for passengers automobile in year 2006 is 90.1% compared with year 1999 is 83.1% (Malaysian Automobile Association, 2009). From year 1999 to year 2006, the highest automobile sales in Malaysia on year 2005 which is 416,692 automobiles. Table 1.1 shows the new vehicle sales in Malaysia from year 1999 2006. In year 1999 to 2006, we can see that Proton market share had decreased from 64.98% to 31.50% in the year 2006. This means that, the well known marques companies had started to penetrate in Malaysia automobile market. Throughout the 8 years, the highest increased in new vehicle sales is Toyota 84.53% follow by Honda 81.82%, third is Mercedes Benz 64.62%, BMW 61.47% and Nissan 59.50%. We can know that marques like BMW, Honda, Mercedes Benz, Nissan and Toyota automobiles sales have been increased from year to year. Beside Proton vehicle, Perodua is also one of the national car projects in Malaysia. They had also been increased in their vehicle sales from year 1999 2006 which is 56.46%. Automobile industry is the key success factor on the economy growth by creating various kinds of jobs in different industry. Due to its growth and backward relation with almost every segment of the economy, the automobile market has a strong and positive multiplier effect and thus propels progress of a nation (http://business.gov.in). Since Malaysia government had invested in national car project to elevate the technologies and to spur the set up of a huge network industry and services to put Malaysia among the few developing countries that are capable of producing a wide range of vehicles. According to Y.B. Dato Mustapa Mohamed Minister of Prime Ministers Department (2004), to compete internationally in automobile industry, we needed to invest in research and development, upgrade the workforce productivity and production efficiency to be competitively priced, be customer focused and provide satisfactory after sale services and to be aggressively promoting their brands to strengthen their market share positions. Beside that, the automobile industry in Malaysia needed to improve on innovations and practicality of designs, better safety features, improving performance, and fuel efficiency and be environment-friendly (Mustapa,Dato, 2004). Consumer are now also considered comfort and the colors are now for standards of driving in all of the world (Mustapa,Dato, 2004). Malaysia government had introduced the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) in automobile industry to revise the sales forecast in order to be more competitively. It is also a way to be greater integration in ASEAN automotive industry; Malaysia will cut down the ASEAN CEPT import duty to 5% for qualifying vehicles (Cheng, 2006). It has been forecast that Proton might facing hard time to competing against tariff-free imports from other ASEANcountries under the agreement (Dilip Singh Mutum, 2003). The famous marques in the world such as Honda, Toyota, BMW and Ford have been put up their manufacturing plant in Thailand for the Malaysia automobile market. The car that have local content at least 40% produced by foreign country may enjoy a preferential import duty (Dilip Singh Mutum, 2003). Background of the Study The automobile industry has become more competitive as the fast trend growing automobile industry in Asia has drawn attention. Asia has been acknowledgement as a potential growth area for the automobile industry. A brands new car publication has led to increased competition, substantial price cuts and lower margins in the automobile industry (Silk Road, 2005). These relationships are not confined to the pursuit of short-term economic imperatives cost reduction but embrace innovations in design and technology, creative research and development and quality improvement and after sale services (Morris, Donnelley Donnelley, 2004). In the competitive automobile industry, competitors have to ensure their products are attracting to the consumers and high perception. The sales of the automobile will enhance the companys growth, profitability and market shares. Many consumers make their purchasing decisions is not always on the products pricing, but is on product characteristics, quality and perception, even between with fast moving consumer good (FMCG) (Veloutsou, Gioulistanis Moutinho, 2004). Some of the producer tends to focus on their own product comparable quality with the international brands, while others give less emphasis on the quality and concentrate on low price products. It is based on their target market. This theory can be converted to products marketed in internationally or locally. The British and German consumers with emphasize to the purchase intention in automobiles, placing particular emphasis on quantifying the relative importance of country-of-origin (Diamantopoulus, Schlegelmilch Du Preez, 1995). Therefore, the product quality will cause induction on consumer by increased their purchase intention attitude towards the brand and willingness of the product. In the advanced and competitive automobile market, consumer perception and purchase intention towards international brand on decision making is well set up. The automobile industries have to continue alter to strengthen their product image with a specific characteristic of the car model. The automobile companies can be fiddle by design via the use of visual elements, which consists of design characteristic to identify a brand and design characteristic for specific models to emphasize individuality (Liem, Zainal Warell, 2009). In automobile industry, under the tremendous pressure of offering a greater product variety at the competitive market pricing, the companies have increasingly employed platform sharing strategy, where different brands and models share the same basic platform (Chen, Kang Hung, 2007). Beside the innovation of the automobiles, after sales service also play an important role to initial the purchase of cars. It would substantially higher in sales and profit margin for the company. It creates substantial opportunities for cross-selling, brand-building, and solidifying customer loyalty. Before a store brand increases customer loyalty, many steps in the process have to be completed (Zielke Dobbelstein, 2007). The customer must know the product, launch some kind of interest, and try the product the first time, become satisfied and then launch a preference which will creates the loyalty of customer (Zielke Dobbelstein, 2007). The marques is currently undertaking a social change with its brands seeming less remote, less different, and less exclusive with high quality of life improving (Anurit, Newman Chansarkar, 1999). With the entire luxury marques brand, it created competitive automobile industry in world wide. The perception of the car image had become the key role in the purchase intention when the quality of the car is continue rising. The premium marques such as Lamborghini, Ferrari, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz must enlarge the attributes and values that reflect changing social values which influence buyers emotionally, in order to maintain their positions in different regions of the global market (Anurit, Newman Chansarkar, 1999). The purpose of this study is to examine consumer perception towards international brand in automobile industry and the factors that affecting the purchase intention on automobile industry towards international brand in Malaysia. It is to understand the perception towards the impact of international brand in automobile industry. Background of Problem Statement In studying the publics perception towards their preferred brand(s), it is important to understand the purchase intention and how does it affects the decision making and understand the factors affecting the purchase intention. Beside that, product image are important and lead to the idea in the marketing strategy. The brand name was the most important quality, followed by price retailer reputation (Agawal, Teas, 2002). These findings are valuable to marketers because they clarify whether or not marketing strategies related to market pricing, brand name, and their retailer reputation, can be standardized across cultures and countries (Agawal, Teas, 2002). The research is on Malaysians perception towards international brand in automobile industry and the affects of purchase intention on automobile in Malaysia. Almost all new car models are structure with brand extensions, capitalizing on current consumer perceptions and positioning the new model within the brand family (Strach Everett, 2006). Most of the Chinese car buyers are making their first automobile purchase and shows the brand loyalty (Silk Road, 2005). In the automobile market, consumers perceptions are more sensitive on the pricing that will affect the purchase intention. On the other hand, the perception towards the impact of international brand in automobile industry is a brand alliance combines the equity of two or more brand names to create a synergistic effect (Rodrique Biswas, 2004). In addition, the variables should be positively affected by the brand alliance (Rodrique Biswas, 2004). The brand names serve as a quality pledge device by wigwag product quality better than the host brand can by itself (Rodrique Biswas, 2004). Korean consumers perception were more strongly influenced by subjective norms rather than their attitudes, while US consumers purchase intentions were more strongly influenced by their attitudes than by the subjective norms (Chung Pysarcik, 2000). Problem Statement In Malaysia, the automobile industries are very competitive and the quantities of automobiles users are increasing every year. Table 1.2 shows the sales of automobiles in Malaysia in year 1999-2003. From the table, we can see that the non-national cars sales have been increasing throughout the five years. We can know that nowadays the peoples are preferred on international brand compared to the past. In year 2003, KIA motor has become one of the national cars in Malaysia. In year 2002 and 2003 total national cars sales have drop about 17% which is 56,920 units. Compared with the International brand cars sales have been increase about 35.7% which is about 16,663 units. However, Malaysias automobile industries still are facing positive and negative factors and impact which will greatly affect the purchase intention in automobile industry toward international brand. Therefore, I would like to do the research on automobile industry in Malaysia. In this research, we will focus and analyze the main 3 problem in this field which is: What is the Malaysians perception towards international brand in automobile industry? What are the factors affecting the purchase intention on automobile industry towards international brand in Malaysia? What is the perception towards the impact of international brand in automobile industry? Research Objective We define the research objective as: To study the Malaysians perception towards international brand in automobile industry. To study the factors affecting the purchase intention on automobile industry towards international brand in Malaysia. To study the perception towards the impact of international brand in automobile industry. Scope of the study This study will focus on all Malaysians especially the students from Multimedia University and working adults / young executives. It will examine the perception towards international brand and the factors affecting the purchase intention and the perception towards the impact of international brand in automobile industry. The study specifically will be focus on the Malaysians perception towards international brand in automobile industry. Significant of the study Through consumer behavior perspective in automobile industry, the research of this study prescribes the assembler and manufacturer with importance information about the perception is contributing to the purchase intention. With globalization, companies compete across borders and cultures. It is important for automobile industry to understand and forecast the perception. In addition, the research will provide a useful tool in developing effective marketing plans. It also provides some insight of Malaysians perceptions that arouse positive attitude towards international brand that will influence the consumers purchase intention. By conducting this research, it will be great to explore the perception towards the impact of international brand in automobile. The research is value added to the theory of purchase intention that it is not only related to locally but also internationally. Through this study, we are able to understand the factors that affecting to purchase intention on automobile towards international brand in Malaysia. Furthermore, this study can be used as a reference in Malaysia automobile industry for policy makers, automobile manufacturer and assemblers. Organization of the Research Report There are five chapters to be organized: Chapter 1 is the introduction of this research. Background of study and background of information country will be explained. Problem Statement and objective of study will be defined in this chapter. In Chapter 2, we will present a review of literature related to the perception of Malaysians towards international brand in automobile industry and the factors affecting the purchase intention on automobile industry towards International brand in Malaysia. This chapter also includes the perception towards the impact of international brand in automobile industry. The Chapter 3, research methodology, which includes the description of research framework used, questionnaire, sampling plan, and data collection method and data analysis. In this chapter, hypothesises will be made. In Chapter 4, we will analysis on the result of research findings. The beginning of the chapter is the background of the respondents. In the following part, reliability analysis will be tested. In the third part, there is included with mean analysis. The fourth is Pearson Correlation Analysis. The last part of Chapter 4 is multiple regressions. Chapter 5 is the contribution and conclusion of the study. The next part is suggestion for future research and limitation of study will be determined. Recommendation for the future study is included. Lastly, conclusion for the whole study will be given. LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction The purpose of the literature review is to provide supporting evidence that is related to the research. This chapter discusses the relevant literature dominant to the expansion of the conceptual model. Specifically, this literature review related to the perception and purchase intention. The Underlying Theory of Perception Most of the consumers will judge based on the price, store name, and brand name, to incriminate product quality perceptions has been demonstrated (Agrawal Teas, 2002). Study is an important build for investigative ethics-relevant feature of situational element in decision making and the relationship between quality cues and perceived quality across different cultural groups (Singhapakdi, Rawwas, Marta Ahmed, 1999; Agrawal Teas, 2002). In investigative the problem of perceived value is important because, when contrast with perceived quality, perceived value is immediate linked to consumer willingness-to-buy (Agrawal Teas, 2002). In additional, values are more complicated concept than the simply quality because it involves a trade-off of give and get components of a business deal. Therefore, the value will influence consumers purchase intention, which conversely is influenced by both quality and monetary sacrifice needed to purchase the product (Agrawal Teas, 2002). According to Agrawal and Teas (2002) Figure 2.1 shows the relationship between perceived quality, perceived sacrifice, perceived value and willingness-to-buy due to these four premises. The second premise will affect the first premise, which is consumers perception of product value will affect by consumers willingness-to-buy. Beside that, the perceived quality and monetary sacrifice is also affect by the consumers perception of value Therefore, Extrinsic cues such store name, brand name and price will be affect by consumers perception of product quality. Followed by, the price would be affect by consumers perception of sacrifice. Agrawal Teas (2002) conclude that: Consumers perceptions of quality and sacrifice will influence by extrinsic cues which is objective price, retailer reputation and brand name; The assessments of perceived value will influence by consumers perceptions of quality and sacrifice; and Consumers willingness-to-buy will be influence by the perceptions of value. According to Agrawal and Teas (2002) most of the consumers very frequent short of the in detail information, interest, expertise and time to assess a products quality. Pricing is also one of the indicators of cost that causes consumers have to give up an opportunity cost in exchange for the other products. The perceived quality and perceived sacrifice intervene the relationship between pricing, retailer reputation and brand name and perceive value. The willingness to buy a product is more directly connected to perceived value than perceived quality. Beliefs, Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions Model The purpose of this research is to find out the relationship between consumers perceptions and purchase intentions. By using the model of beliefs, attitudes and behavioral intentions it can define the relationship between consumers perceptions and purchase intentions (Fishbein Ajzen, 1975). According to Fishbein Ajzen (1975), as illustrated in Figure 2.2 it can define the relationships between perceptions and purchase intentions. As plate in Figure 2.2, the foundation of Fishbein Ajzen (1975) model is touch down in the difference between beliefs, attitude, intentions and behaviors. Beliefs are the main blocks in the model. Based on the first hand observation receive from outside source, a person emulate of beliefs about an object. Then they joint the object with every attributes. Therefore, a persons forges beliefs about oneself, about other people, about institutions, behaviors. The overall of a persons beliefs serve as the message base that ultimately defines their attitude, intentions and behaviors. Attitude can be characterization as a learned inclination to respond in a constant favorable or unfavorable way with respect to given object. Meanwhile, a behavioral intention indicates to a persons pectoral probability that they will perform some specific behavior. According to Fishbein Ajzen (1975) conceptual framework, a persons intentions, in the last resolution, are a function of certain beliefs. Some of these beliefs affect the persons attitude toward the behavior. In detailed, a person manner toward performing a given behavior is linked to their beliefs that performing the behavior will guide to certain outcome and his appraisal of those outcome. The acceptance is that the more favorable a persons attitude toward an object, the more they will propose to implement positive behaviors and the less they will propose to implement negative behaviors with respect to that object. The standard variable in Fishbein Ajzen (1975) model is the individuals behavioral intention. Fishbein Ajzen (1975) stated that behavioral intentions minister as a persons attitude toward an intervening variable and clear behavior. Fishbein Ajzen (1975) confident that the best forecast of a given behavior should be the persons intention to deal in that behavior. In order to forecast a concrete behavior (purchase intention), it is essential to measure the persons attitude and intentions toward performing that behavior (Fishbein Ajzen (1975). Therefore, if there can forecast on the behavioral intentions, in the other way it also can forecast the real behavior (Newberry, Klemz Boshoff, 2003). Product Cues Consumer assess products is based on the two attributes. Product linked attributes and non-product attributes are the two attributes. Design, serviceability and workmanship are the examples of product linked attributes (Gutman Alden, 1985). Inherent cues are the attributes that should not be transformed without transforming the physical features of the product itself (Gutman Alden, 1985). Consumers find it hard, if not impractical to assess the intrinsic cues precisely (Gutman Alden, 1985). The second element is extrinsic cues which are non-product linked attributes. Extrinsic cue is one which forms element of the worth of the product which is not innate characteristic of the substantial product (Gutman Alden, 1985). When inherent cues are apparent as being unpredictable, incomparable or unavailable, the extrinsic cues are relied upon seriously in the circumstances of risks (Gutman Alden, 1985). Research have revealed that consumers depend on extrinsic cues such as brand name (Agrawal Teas, 2002), price (Agrawal Teas, 2002), seller reputation (Agrawal Teas, 2002), advertising (Gutman Alden, 1985) and country-of-origin (Gutman Alden, 1985), in evaluating the value of products and brands preceding to purchase. Brand is used particularly as inherent cues (e.g. taste, performance and design) are not obtainable (Gutman Alden, 1985). This research aims to focus on an imperative gap by investigative product cue usage among consumers in Malaysia as both inherent and ext rinsic cues are predictable to influence consumers purchase intention. Inherent cues on Purchase Intention Consumers will form their possess perceptions on product cues, irrespective of their correctness as product cues are main advertising variables that pressure purchase decisions of potential customers (Singhapakdi, Rawwas, Marta Ahmed, 1999). The components of cultural pressure and group conventionality have a weaker influence on attitudes than product assessment, and they are major predictors for domestic products but not for imported products (Chung Pysarchik, 2000). According to Singhapakdi, Rawwas, Marta Ahmed (1999) Malaysian and United State consumers will also be compared in condition of their personality ethical philosophies. Furthermore, the two groups of consumers will be compared about their attitudes toward business, in most cases, and toward salespeople (Singhapakdi, Rawwas, Marta Ahmed, 1999). There were several primary differences between United State and Malaysia is chosen for the assessment among these two countries (Singhapakdi, Rawwas, Marta Ahmed, 1999). For example, the civilizing typology, the two cultures are different in definite significant values (Singhapakdi, Rawwas, Marta Ahmed, 1999). It has constantly found real differences in moral perceptions in United State compared to Malaysia (Singhapakdi, Rawwas, Marta Ahmed, 1999). Beside that, a study by Chung Pysarchik (2000) on cross-cultural differences within the apply of inherent and extrinsic product cues on consumers assessment and purchase intention for an attire product in China and Korea has reported that there were several differences in Chinese and Korean in assessing quality, worthy and purchase intentions. Findings have exposed that design was a stronger forecaster of purchase intention among Korean consumer (Chung Pysarchik, 2000). In brief, Korean consumers become visible to decide value of an attire product by comparing physical quality and design to price suitability, whereas Chinese consumers perception of value appear to be mainly reliant on their price perceptions (Chung Pysarchik, 2000). In addition, the research by Diamantopoulos, Schlegelmilch Preez (1995) the possibility of standardizing European advertising has been questioned on the basis of trade and industry, cultural, and behavioral differences among European consumers. Particularly, it compares British and German consumers through observe to automobile purchases, insertion exacting importance on quantifying the relation importance of country-of-origin and environmental cues in a multi-cue context (Diamantopoulos, Schlegelmilch Preez, 1995). Inherent cues are conceptualized as the attributes that should not be distorted or manipulated without changing the physical characteristics of the product itself (Gutman Alden, 1985). In inherent cues it might be hypothesized that inherent cues with slight consequence to consumers when evaluating an automobile. Singhapakdi, Rawwas, Marta Ahmed (1999) study have shaped an opposing consequence. Their findings have exposed that inherent cues are possible to have a better collision on product assessments than extrinsic cues (Singhapakdi, Rawwas, Marta Ahmed, 1999). Automobile purchase is a high contribution product and its difficult for consumers who do not have any technical background (Singhapakdi, Rawwas, Marta Ahmed, 1999). Since automobile is a physical product, consumers more often assess product by using inherent cues such as color, design and specifications of the automobile (Gutman Alden, 1985) and extrinsic cues which is brand name, retailer reputation and price (Agrawal Teas, 2002). Since it is luxurious, it is bought once in a while. It is apparent to be dangerous and is extremely self expressive (Singhapakdi, Rawwas, Marta Ahmed, 1999). Country of Origin on Purchase Intention In given that to determining the work of country of origin has develop into one of the extensively research concepts in promotion and consumers behavior (Peterson Jolibert, 1995). It is one of the majority extensively deliberate phenomena in all the international business, promotion, and consumers behavior joint (Peterson Jolibert, 1995). It is unambiguous that a products country of origin can pressure consumers evaluative judgments of the product (Diamantopoulos, Schlegelmilch Preez, 1995). These researches have established that consumers from miscellaneous countries have different perception about products produce in different countries (Diamantopoulos, Schlegelmilch Preez, 1995). Also, it is acknowledged that there is a better requirement to determine consumers attitude towards both domestic and foreign products (Ozsomer Cavusgil, 1991). Several researches in this area have alert on what is called the country of origin consequence, investigating how consumers recognize products sourced from a exacting country (Peterson Jolibert, 1995). Country of origin is distinct as the country of produce or assembly (Ozsomer Cavusgil, 1991). This refers to the final point of produce which can be the same as the headquarters of the organization doing the marketing of the product or the brand name (Diamantopoulos, Schlegelmilch Preez, 1995). Precedent country-of-origin research is mainly leaning towards consumer evaluations of product quality (Diamantopoulos, Schlegelmilch Preez, 1995). Results on American buyers perception on product made in Eastern Europe have shown that industrial buyer usually felt that the quality of goods manufactured in West European countries was higher than the quality of products manufactured in the Eastern (Huddleston, Good Stoel, 2001). While country-of-origin belongings have been deliberate for over twenty five years, most of the research is restricted to uni-national products connecting a single country-of origin (Ozsomer Cavusgil, 1991). In recent times, the minority researchers have ongoing to observe the country-of-origin possessions in the circumstance of multi-country surroundings, making a dissimilarity among country of construct or assembly and the country of the companys headquarters (Huddleston, Good Stoel, 2001). For example, Anurit, Newman Chansarkar (1999) found that with the intention of designed for bi-national products; country of manufacture has superior possessions on top of consumer evaluations of product quality than does the brand name. In addition, Ozsomer Cavusgil (1991) found that there is no benefit in by means of a country with apparent greater design ability to improve product quality perception if the country assembly location is already apparent to produce poor quality products. Country of origin might be less important than has usually been supposed and they might happen mainly in relation to assessment of detailed attributes rather than overall evaluations (Huddleston, Good Stoel, 200 1). Consequently, there is no inquiry that country of origin consequence does exist and made-in typecast can be modify at least in the long-standing. Analyzing information throughout the use of structural modeling, Diamantopoulos, Schlegelmilch Preez (1995) found rejection direct association of country of origin on purchase intentions and this confirms Peterson Jolibert (1995) doubts that country of origin evaluations has modest or rejection direct pressure on purchase intentions. This led researchers to conclude that the pressure of country of origin is more possible to function throughout supplementary variables rather than straight on purchase intentions (Diamantopoulos, Schlegelmilch Preez, 1995). According to Diamantopoulos, Schlegelmilch Preez (1995) the connection between country-of-origin possessions and branding has newly attracted rehabilitated concentration. For car manufacturers, country-of-origin possessions are of exacting significance (Diamantopoulos, Schlegelmilch Preez, 1995). Alternatively, they have achieved an extremely worldwide organization of manufacture processes which makes it ever more complicated for common consu

Compare Foxs The Case for Animal Experimentation vs Darnovskys Revisi

Fox's The Case for Animal Experimentation Chapter 2 and 3 and Darnovsky's "Revisiting Sex Selection" 1. What is the challenge/problem presented in this article? Darnovsky’s article explores the upcoming moral challenges that are tied to the renewed interest in marketing sex selection to parents. There are a myriad of ethical issues tied to the option of deciding the sex of one’s child that fall far outside the scope of the question â€Å"Are we playing God?† However, it is the implications of the option to decide the gender of a baby that are more profoundly disturbing. In a society where perfection in appearance and â€Å"brains† is already prized above all else, it seems unlikely that wealthy parents could resist the urge to guarantee that their child will be, really and truly â€Å"perfect.† In the class discussion following her presentation, the sentiment that â€Å"no one would try to make their baby perfect,† emerged. This is easily refutable by the work already being done in the field towards this end, as well as the phenomenon of â€Å"baby Einstein† products and other contemporary voodoo that promise parents that their babies will score extremely high on the SATs. Darnovsky explains the possible repercussions of the irresponsible marketing of sex selection including the challenges it will present to feminism, the resurgence of eugenics as well as the key transnational issues that are at stake. One of the biggest dangers highlighted is the rapid pace at which technologies are progressing. Darnovsky describes new technology like a runaway train progressing far faster than corresponding ethical considerations. In The Case for Animal Experimentation by Michael Fox, the philosophical, evolutionary and moral issues surrounding... ...ith Michael Fox that the unique human capacities make us very distinct from other animal species. However, we believe that saying that these capacities make us a superior species is an anthropocentric viewpoint, because it stems from the idea that our place in the world is the best possible. We do not think animals should be denied â€Å"full membership in the moral community† because of their â€Å" lack of autonomy and moral agency†. This judgment is entirely based on anthropocentric ideas of animals’ social organization and emotions. We do not agree with Fox that animals’ lives lack intrinsic value and that they are essentially meant for us to be used. Works Cited Darnovsky, Marcy. 2004. "Revisiting Sex Selection.† GeneWatch Volume 17: Number 1. Fox, Michael Allen. 1986. The Case for Animal Experimentation. pp. 31-90. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Cvs Annual Report Essay

Executive Summary/Company History/Products and Services CVS/Pharmacy has shown a consistent growth for the last three years. Three years ago CVS/Pharmacy has merged with Longs Pharmacy and Caremark to form the largest retail pharmacy chain in the United States. CVS/Pharmacy- CVS/Pharmacy began operations in 1963, and added the pharmacy department in 1967. In 2007, CVS merged with Caremark Rx, Inc. Finally, in 2008, CVS bought the Longs Drug Store chain. CVS has over 7000 stores(Cvs.com, 2010). At the end of 9 months of 2010, the company has lost 9.25% against 2009 net income. However, the company has increased their assets and liabilities by .1% against 2009 figures(Cvs.com, 2010). As the company stands now in trends, Net revenues for this 7,100-store drugstore retailer were $23.9 billion for Q3 2010, down 3.1% from $24.6 billion in the prior year’s period. Poor performance by the company’s Pharmacy Services segment—its revenues dropped 8.5%, to $11.9 billion—was a major contributor to the company’s woes. CVS’ Retail Pharmacy segment revenues actually increased 4.1%, with total same-store sales climbing 2.5%(Trendwatch, 2010). CVS/Pharmacy is in the process of transitioning their leadership at CEO. Tom Ryan will be stepping down at the end of the year as CEO, and Larry Merlo will be promoted to CEO. Tom Ryan has been the CEO of CVS/Pharmacy Inc. since 1994, and it has been the consistency at the top that has lead to the expansion of CVS/Pharmacy as being largest retail pharmacy chain in the United States. Now that Tom’s tenure is coming to a close, a new dawn is  occurring for the corporation with Larry Merlo taking the helm. Competitor Analysis In the retail pharmacy industry, there are only three pure pharmacy firms: CVS/Pharmacy, Walgreens, and Rite-Aid. Pure pharmacy firms are pharmacy retailers whose business is built around the pharmacy. Wal-Mart, Kroger, and local grocery stores have pharmacies as an extension of their business plan, but it is not the focus of their company. CVS/Pharmacy and Walgreens have been battling over the top position for years, and Rite-Aid has been ranked at a steady third in the market place. Walgreens- Walgreens is CVS/Pharmacy’s chief competitor. Founded in 1901, Walgreens is considerably older. Unlike CVS/Pharmacy, Walgreens began with the pharmacy department. With 6000 stores, Walgreens is smaller than CVS. In 2010, Walgreens has increased sales against last year by 6.4%, and net earnings by 4.2%(Walgreens.com, 2010). Moreover, they have posted 36 straight years of sales gains, and 35 straight years of dividend payments(Walgreens.com, 2010). Finally, Walgreens has posted net earnings for 5 consecutive years. Despite Walgreens smaller size, it has a bigger market share at 31.2% compared to CVS/Pharmacy’s 25%(Wikinvest.com, 2010). The last 10 years has been the first decade that a Walgreens family member was not at the helm of the Walgreens Pharmacy chain. Charles Walgreens retired from the CEO position in 1998, but stayed on a member of the board of directors. Mr. Walgreens will officially retire for the company this year. Gregory D. Wasson is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Wasson has worked with Walgreens for 31 years. In conclusion, Walgreens & CVS/Pharmacy are the giants in retail pharmacy. Their strengths, weaknesses, successes, and failures have brought them to a virtual dead heat. The purpose of this research is analyze the financial strength of both to determine which is in the best financial health. Common Size Statements We will first compare CVS/Pharmacy and Walgreens through common size financial statements. Commons size financial statements allow for comparisons to be made between companies of different sizes and volumes in order to see the true performance. CVS/Pharmacy has over 7000 stores, and Walgreens Pharmacy only has 6000 stores. The difference in size will have an  impact on expense, revenue, and income. Every company plans to get the most out of every dollar spent. Consequently, we will be comparing the their financial performance from 2007-2009. From the beginning, Walgreens has yielded a better gross profit by an average of 8% over CVS/Pharmacy. Gross profit is the amount left over after cost of goods sold is taken from revenue. Although, both have been steady with their percentage gross profit, CVS/Pharmacy 21% & Walgreens 28%, Walgreens has gained more. However, Walgreens’ celebration is short lived because the balance statement is more than gross profit. In fact the 8% edge in gross profit they gave back in operating expenses. Walgreens’ operating expenses took, on average, 22.5% away from their total revenue. CVS/Pharmacy operating expenses took only 14.5% away from their total revenue. Moreover, other indicators of return on investment to the company are higher for CVS/Pharmacy than Walgreens. CVS/Pharmacy has had a higher operating income than Walgreens since 2007. For the last two years CVS/Pharmacy has posted higher income before taxes than Walgreens. Finally, the biggest trend difference between the two firms is that CVS/Pharmacy’s net income has increased three years in a row, while Walgreens’ net income has steadily decreased three years in a row. As a company, CVS/Pharmacy received a 20% gross profit margin. The next biggest payment went to operating expenses at 14.12%. After the expenses, income before taxes and operating profit account for 13% and net income accounts for nearly 4%. In 2009 alone, Walgreens’ gross profit and operating expenses nearly cancel each other out. There is only a 4% variance between gross profit and operating expenses for Walgreens. Operating profit and income before taxes accounts for only 10% of the revenue, while Walgreens’ net income accounts for barely over 3%. On the key financial statements, Walgreens’ performance has been diminishing over the last three years, and CVS/Pharmacy’s performance has risen. The reason behind the growing strength of CVS/Pharmacy has been the general, consistent financial growth. This will be illustrated by the financial ratios. Liquidity is the firm’s ability to meet its current obligations(Marshall, McManus, Vielle, 2010). Working capital is the excess of a firm’s current assets over its current liabilities(2010). In this case, Walgreens’ has higher working capital than CVS/Pharmacy. On other tests of liquidity,  Walgreens’ out performs CVS/Pharmacy. Walgreens has a higher current ratio, acid test ratio, and they turn over their assets 8 more times a year than CVS/Pharmacy. Although Walgreens has yielded their lowest net income in three years, they have a high comparable liquidity. Moreover, the higher net income for CVS/Pharmacy has not translated into higher liquidity. However, the increased in income has translated into a higher inventory turnover for CVS/Pharmacy. Conclusion The findings of this paper are illustrating the transition in the marketplace between CVS/Pharmacy and Walgreens. For the last 20 years, these retail pharmacy firms have battled for supremacy in the industry. Over the last decade, CVS/Pharmacy has had one Chief Executive Officer, Tom Ryan. However, since Tom Ryan took over in 1999, Walgreens has had 3 CEO changes. The result of inconsistency in their leadership has translated to a lower return on investment. Walgreens has higher liquidity, but they have shown three years of decreasing net income. As a result, they are getting weaker as an organization. However, CVS/Pharmacy has shown consistent growth over the last three years. Their increasing strength has been represented by their purchases of Long’s Pharmacy and Caremark. It is my conclusion that this trend will continue

Author James Patterson Biography

Author James Patterson Biography Born March 22, 1947, James Patterson, perhaps best known as the writer of the Alex Cross detective series, ranks among the most prolific of contemporary American authors. He even holds the Guinness World Record for the number of New York Times number one best-selling novels sold, and he was the first author to sell more than one million e-books.  Despite his widespread popularity- he’s sold some 300 million books since 1976- Patterson’s methods are not without controversy. He uses a group of co-authors which allows him to publish his works at such an impressive rate. His critics, who include contemporary authors such as Stephen King, question whether Patterson  is too focused on quantity, to the detriment of quality. Formative Years Patterson, son of Isabelle and Charles Patterson, was born in Newburgh, NY. Before heading off to college, his family moved to the Boston area, where Patterson took a part-time night job at a mental hospital. The solitude of that job allowed Patterson to develop an appetite for reading literature; he spent most of his salary on books. He lists â€Å"One Hundred Years of Solitude† by Gabriel Garcia Marquez as a favorite. Patterson went on to graduate from Manhattan College and holds a masters’ degree in English literature from Vanderbilt University.   In 1971, he went to work for advertising agency J. Walter Thompson, where he eventually became CEO. It was there that Patterson came up with the phrase â€Å"Toys R Us Kid† which is still used in the toy store chain’s ad campaigns. His advertising background is apparent in the marketing of Patterson’s books; he supervises the design of his book covers down to the last detail and was one of the first authors to orchestrate advertising his books on television. His techniques have even inspired a case study at Harvard Business School: â€Å"Marketing James Patterson† examines the effectiveness of the writer’s strategies. Published Works and Style James Pattersons first novel, The Thomas Berryman Number, was published in 1976, after being turned down by more than 30 publishers. Patterson told The New York Times that his first book compares favorably to his current works in one way: â€Å"The sentences are superior to a lot of the stuff I write now, but the story isn’t as good.† Despite its slow start, The Thomas Berryman Number won an Edgar Award for crime fiction that year. Patterson makes no secret of his current use of co-authors, a group that includes Andrew Gross, Maxine Paetro, and Peter De Jong. He likens the approach to the collaborative efforts of Gilbert and Sullivan or Rodgers and Hammerstein: Patterson says he writes an outline, which he sends to the co-author for refining, and the two collaborate throughout the writing process. He’s said that his strength lies in concocting plots, not in parsing individual sentences, which suggests he has refined (and perhaps improved) his writing technique since his first novel.   Despite the criticism that his style is mechanical, Patterson has hit on a commercially successful formula. He’s written 20 novels featuring detective Alex Cross, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider, and 14 books in The Women’s Murder Club series, as well as the Witch and Wizard and Daniel X series. Books Made Into Blockbusters Given their broad commercial appeal, its no surprise that several of Pattersons novels have been made into movies. Academy Award-winner Morgan Freeman has played Alex Cross in adaptations of   Along Came a Spider (2001), and  Kiss the Girls  (1997), which also starred Ashley Judd.​ New Focus on Childhood Literacy In 2011, Patterson wrote an opinion piece for CNN urging parents to become more involved in getting their kids to read. He discovered his son Jack wasnt an avid reader. When Jack turned 8, Patterson and his wife Susie made a deal with him: He could be excused from chores over summer vacation if he would read every day. Patterson later launched child literacy initiative ReadKiddoRead.com, which offers advice for age-appropriate books for kids of various ages.