RAK properties company financial analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

RAK properties company financial analysis - Essay Example RAK Properties will also maximize shareholders’ value through its development projects in the coastal and inland areas of Ras Al Khaimah. RAK Properties has a sound capital of AED 2 billion. The Initial Public Offering (IPO) of RAK Properties in early 2005 was over-subscribed by almost 57 times. RAK Properties is a company which was listed in the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange from 2005 onwards. Just like many of the property companies, the company also has faced a difficult time due to the past recession. However, the markets are turning around with UAE growth resuming and it is very much likely that the company also is in the process of bouncing back with the recovery of the markets. The company was almost bankrupt during the recession period and now is gradually emerging out of the recession and working towards developing properties aggressively. Comparing with the high ranked competitors in the region, the company is more of a smaller player in the market. However, the company h as the opportunity to build a totally new portfolio and compete effectively with the other very large holder of the property and continue to offer high value products in the market. RAK, unlike many other high end large scale companies is thriving to strike a balance between offering high end product portfolios and maintaining medium end offerings as well. Thus, the company actually has a better mix of products on offer. Abu Dhabi real estate markets are growing very fast. Currently, there are 193,000 residential units in place and this is likely to increase to 246,000 units by 2013 according to estimates by Estatesdubai (2011). This indicates that the residential properties are expected to grow fast. Most of the residential properties were purchased by Indians at a cost of AED 3.3billion for 2010. This indicates that the confidence in the property markets is increasing and as a result of the total exercise, it is very much likely that the property companies will face increased dema nd over 2012 - 2015 periods. On the Abu Dhabi growth front, office space has grown by 55,000 square meters just in Q3-2011 reaching a total office space of 2.4 million square meters and this indicates the fact that the business growth is also faster in the region. This is likely to result in sustainable growth in the property market in the future. Thus, the company is one placed in a growth oriented industry and it is likely that they need to place themselves appropriately in the market for growth. While the company holds smaller properties compared with the competitors, the company will be able to expand portfolio with the current investments and will be able to aggressively grow in the markets. 2.0 Financial Analysis When analyzing the financial statements, there are few key observations that are noteworthy. Just like many of the companies who went through troubled times during the economic recession, the company also had faced difficult times and thus, they do not have revenue nu mbers for 2009 financial year due to the temporary halt in the operations. This is common with the industry as the whole industry was impacted negatively and most of the smaller players had to face this scenario. Another important aspect to note is that the company has changed the year end date from June to December. These aspects have to be noted prior to analyzing of

Financial Management Essay Example for Free

Financial Management Essay Introduction In this assignment I will be researching and discussing how to manage my own personal finances. For this I will have to research sources of income and write about different types of employment and unemployment. The affect these have on salaries and wages will also be investigated. I have also been asked to research and summarise allowances and benefits. As part of the management of my personal finances I must produce a personal budget over a specific period of time, on completion of this I will pair with a partner and discuss my findings. Task 3 Why is it important for me to manage my personal finance? * To help not to run out of money * Help me with budgeting * Scarce resource * Savings * Paying bills * Living alone * Managing money is skill Task 4 Jobseekers allowance Jobseekers allowance would be paid to me if I am eligible for it and looking for (seeking) work. I also would have to be age 16 or over to be able to receive jobseekers allowance. This source of income is relevant for me because I am over the age of 16, living on my own and I am currently looking for work. Income support Income support provides financial help for people ages 16 and over, who have low income or no money coming in at all. This money is for people who are not currently seeking work. This money is to help people with day to day living. Income support is relevant to me because this is the situation I am currently living in and I also receive income support myself. Child benefit Child benefit is parents that have children under the age of 16 or children under 19 in full time education. Child benefit is no longer relevant to me because I do not live will my mother any more. Housing benefit Housing benefit helps towards paying my rent which would be my local authority, but they dont cover all my housing costs. Housing benefit is eligible to people who are renting a room or living in a hostel of sum sort. I can apply for this by just going down to my local authority office and filling in a housing benefit form. Working families Tax Credit Working Tax Credit is for people who are employed or self-employed, over the aged of 16 and are working at least 16 hours a week. They also have to have at least one child. In couples, one person has to choose who receives the tax credits. The amount of tax credits they receive will depend on their annual income. Tax credits are not relevant for me because I am not responsible for any children and I am not currently working. Task 5 When preparing for employment the documents I would need: * CV * Covering letter * Application form * National insurance number * Bank details * Qualification certificates * P45 (maybe not for me yet) CV I would need a CV so that the employers get a brief summary of my qualifications and experience to-date. It would include the school and college I have attended. It will also include my past work experience. My CV will now include that I have recently worked at Superdrug. My CV will also have my references. References are very important as the employers may want to contact the referees to confirm I have the qualifications for the job, and if I am reliable and trustworthy enough for the job. Covering letter A covering letter is needed because it is a part of the formal requirement. It will show the employer where I heard about the advert and why I feel I would be right for the job. Application form Application forms are used to help the employer to separate the good candidates from the not so good candidates. They are also used to find out about information and candidates background. National Insurance No. Every one that has the right to work in the UK has the right to a national insurance number once they reach the age of 16. The national insurance number will show what national insurance contributions the worker pays over the course of his/her working life and also the contribution employers have made. Bank details Bank details are required in order for the employer to give you your wages. Wages are now paid by direct transfer from the employer to the bank account of the employee. Qualification certificates Proof of GCSEs and past qualifications are important because the employer will expect me to have certain right qualification in order to have the job. Superdrug have specific qualifications that are required, these are called essential qualifications. Task 6 Types of employment Self employment Being self employed is when you do not work for anyone else you have your own business. For example owning your own sweets shop is self employment. The income of the sweets shop will come from the customers who purchase the sweets. The income may also come from the bank if you borrow money. Freelance Freelancers are a different type of self employment. Instead of owning their own business they sell their services by working for different businesses. For example a freelance hair dresser would not have their own hairdressing business they would get to all kinds of other businesses and do hairdressing. Employee Employees are people who work for someone who controls what work they do. The employer is in charge of the employees income and deducts national insurance from the employees wages or salary. As long as they is someone handling your wages before you get them you are an employee. Task 8 Key points of each job Job title Retail manager Tasks to be carried out Retail managers are responsible for day to day running of department stores, chain stores, supermarkets and independent shops. They look after staff management, including taking on and training new staff, maintaining a good standard of customer care and increasing sales and profitability. Their duties usually include: * Making sure premises and displays are well maintained * Organising stock checking and re-ordering as necessary, through computerised or manual systems * Making sure targets are reached and all opportunities are taken to increase sales and profitability * Organising sales promotions * Recruiting, interviewing and training staff * Dealing with queries or complaints from customers Skills required A retail manager should: * Know the companys products and procedures well * Be committed to providing a high standard of customer service * Be able to lead and motivate a team * Have good knowledge of legal an d security issues * Have relevant commercial skills for business Qualifications required There are no set academic requirements to work in retail, although employers may prefer employees to have at list five GCSEs grades A-C and have some working experience in retail. Useful qualifications would include: * BTEC national reward in retail * OCR certificate in retail * BTEC Higher National Diploma in retail management * Degree in retail management Individual qualities required * Be confident, energetic and quick thinking * Have excellent spoken English and written communication skills * Be able to take responsibility and make decisions * Have a smart appearance * Be organised * Be able to deal effectively with problems and complaints Wage/salary Starting salaries are usually from around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½12,000 Experienced managers may earn from around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½15,000 to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½26,000 Managers of large stores may earn up to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½65,000 or more. Job title Retail assistant Tasks to be carried out A retail assistant is responsible for making customers feel at ease when shopping and browsing around the store, directing them towards products and accepting payments. This job generally includes: * Restocking shelves and making sure merchandise is presented neatly * Greeting customers and answering enquiries about products * Operating computerised tills and barcode readers to scan items * Accepting payments for goods and wrapping them * Checking for stock items and ordering goods Skills required * To be accurate and thorough, even under pressure * To be trustworthy- they may be dealing with expensive products and large amounts of cash * To understand and follow companys policies for health and safety and hygiene * Stamina, in order to serve on the shop floor for long periods Qualification required Employers set their own qualification requirements. But usually look for good communication skills, a pleasant personality and look for at least to two to four GCSE grades. Individual qualities required * Have an approachable, polite manner * Have good communication skills * Have a smart personal appearance * Enjoy providing a good level of customer service Wage/salary Starting salaries for a retail assistant is around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½9,000 a year An experienced retail assistant may earn around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½11,500 a year. Task 9 Why I think I am suitable for each job Retail assistant I think that I am suitable to work as a retail assistant because I have relevant experience within the retail industry. I have recently completed a 2 week work placement at Superdrug which is in the retail sector. During this period I was privileged to be responsible for replenishing stock, providing customer advice and keeping the shop floor tidy. This placement enabled me to develop vital skills such as team working, numeracy and customer service skills which are all needed in order to become a successful retail assistant. This work placement was a part of my BTEC introductory business coarse this qualification will also enable me to qualify to work as retail assistant. Retail manager I am qualified to work in the retail sector as a retail assistant but in order to qualify as a retail manager I would have to finish my BTEC introductory coarse and then go on to study for three more years to receive a BTEC national certificate in business. After this I would then need to go and study a degree in retail management in order to qualify for this job. I have good interpersonal and communication skills and while on my work experience I enjoyed providing good customer service these skills would help me with working toward becoming a retail manager. Retail managers are responsible for day to day running of department stores, chain stores, supermarkets and independent shops this may include Organising sales promotions and recruiting, interviewing and training staff. Task 10 Wage/salary deductions Gross pay Gross pay the amount of money an employee earns before any deductions are made such as tax or national insurance. Net pay Net pay is the money employees actually get for them to spend. National insurance contributions National insurance contributions is an amount of money that the employee has to pay towards there employers this is deducted by the employer from the employees wages. If you are self employed you also have to pay national insurance contribution, this is a small monthly payment and then a lump sum at the end of the year. National insurance code National insurance codes indicate an employees marital status and how long an employee has been working. Income tax There is a certain amount of money that every body is allowed to earn before they have to pay income tax, this is called personal tax allowances currently for people under the age of 65 this is à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5,225 a year. If you earn any more than this you will have to pay income tax, how much you pay will depend on how much money you earn. Pensions/superannuation Pensions are long time investments that are designed to provide you with money in your old age when you are not able to work any more. The earlier you start your pension the more you get when you retire. Employees are usually offered a pension scheme when the start there job. The employer pays a contribution to your pension fund and so does the employee this is deducted out of the employees wages before it get to them. Union subscriptions A union is a large group of workers in a particular industry or profession. Unions provide benefits such as legal advice and can also provide support in cases of unfair treatment or dismissal. To subscribe employees would have to pay fees this is sometimes deducted from the employees wages before it is received or the employee can pay the fees themselves but it is not compulsory. Task 11 Allowances and Benefits Housing benefit Housing benefit helps towards paying my rent which would be my local authority, but they dont cover all my housing costs. Housing benefit is eligible to people who are renting a room or living in a hostel of sum sort. I can apply for this by just going down to my local authority office and filling in a housing benefit form. This benefits me because its helps me to save money gives me more money to spend on more important things. Council tax Council tax is an amount of money you pay if you are renting out a council property or of you have you own property with a certain amount of people living in there. Council tax paid to pay the council for giving you their service of letting you live in their property and council tax also pay for things like people cleaning the streets. Interest from savings Interest from savings is when you put money into the bank or a financial institution and earn extra money on top. This is called interest. When you get interest you have to pay income tax on that interest, the bank usually deducts the tax before pay the interest. This benefits me because I regularly put savings into my bank account. Inherited money Most people decide to leave money to their relatives when they die, this is called inheritance. Inheritance could be a small or large amount of money and it may be necessary to pay inheritance tax on it. Borrowed money Borrowed money is anything from a loan to a bank overdraft. Money can also be borrowed from a relative or close friend in this case the money you have borrowed is the money you pay back. If you take out a loan or overdraft which is quit a large amount of money this usually involves paying back the money monthly and each month interest is added on top of the money that you are paying. This result in you paying more that you actually took in the first place, it is much wiser that you save your money for whatever you want to get therefore you will earn interest on your money rather that earning it. Working Families Tax Credit Working families tax credits is for people who have at least one child under the age of 16 or 19 in full time education and earn an income which is below a certain level. The person has to be working at least 16 hours a week and must have savings below à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8000. this does not apply to me as I am not eligible for this because I have no children. Task 14 Explanation of how I planned my personal finances Spend or save As soon as I receive my money I spend it on things that I need such as food shopping and rent. Any money left over would get spent on the gym and my mobile phone then the rest would get put aside as my savings. Gambling Gambling is when you pay money hoping for a chance of winning more money. Doing this is dangerous because you are not guaranteed your money. Gambling is very addictive and if done regularly this could put you into debt that why I choose not to go down this road. Spending habits When I receive my money on a weekly basis I try and spend as little as possible on food shopping so that I have money left over for myself to spend on small luxuries for example a meal out with my friends. I sometimes tend to spend too much on luxuries and this sometimes gets me into problems but I always have someone at hand to help me. Money and lifestyle At the moment the amount of money I receive doesnt allow me to have the best of lifestyles but it is enough to put clothes on my back and to buy me shopping every week. To achieve the lifestyle I want I would need to find at least a part time job so I can earn more money than Im getting now. My expectations of work and money As long as I have enough money to buy me some food and to pay the rent I am ok for the moment. But I would like a bit more than that for example going on holidays and buying the latest clothing. To do this I would need to find a job and also make sure that I handle my personal finances correctly and do some budgeting for these luxuries. Short term accounts Every week I receive my income support into my bank account. I am currently using a current account all my bills are paid out of this account and all my Ema payment come into this account. I also have a short term savings account which I put money into every week. I use this account when I run out of money or need to pay for something important e.g. phone bill. Long term accounts A long term savings account is an account that allows you to build up interest on money that you are saving over a number of years. An example could be an ISA, this is an individual savings account because it is tax free provided the amount saved each year doesnt exceed à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½3,000. The interest is cumulative which means the amount of interest plus capital will increase year on year. Another example of a long term account is a bank loan. A bank loan is usually drawn over a long period. This is a lump sum of money that I borrowed from the bank and paid off over a long period of time. For example a mortgage is paid over a period of 25 years. Cheque book A cheque is a promise to pay someone in place of cash. When you are writing a cheque you write down exactly how much you are going to pay the person. The person then takes the cheque to the bank and waits for it to clear this takes between 3-5 days. It is important to make sure that you have the right amount of money in your bank so you dont go into debt. It is also important to keep a record of any cheques that have been written, this can be done by using stubs which are left in the cheque book after you tear it out to pay someone. The stubs are there so that you can note down the details of the cheque and will help keep track of your money. Credit cards A credit card is a card that you can use to pay for items of clothing or products. This card however gives you money on it but you have to pay it back you are also given a credit limit. To avoid spending more money than you actually have you should usually pay back the money within a month if the money is paid after this you will be charged interest. If you go over the limit that the company has given you interest will also be added. Also you can check how much money you are spending by checking a mini statement that you can get from a cash point. Debit cards Debit cards are cards that have your own money that you put on to the card. You can use this card to purchase virtually anything but instead of having a credit limit of borrowed money you are actually using your own money to purchase goods. A debit card allows you to take cash out of ATMs if you have enough money in your account. To see how much funds you have in your account through an ATM you are given a pin number by your bank to memorise this then allows you to draw cash from the machines and purchase items in shops. To check that no-one is stealing from you or to make sure you are not spending more money than your supposed to it is good to check your bank statement each month these are sent to you by your bank. The bank statement show how much money you had in your account originally, then show all payments that were taken out of that money. You can then check if there are any payments that you are unsure of or if any mistakes were made in you transactions. Paying bills Bills can be paid using direct debit or standing orders. This is when you money is taken out of you account and paid to a business for example, BT telephone company at the same time every month. This can help with budgeting, as you will know how much money is going out every month. To check that you are not paying out more than youre supposed to you can check the phone bill you receive every month. Remaining in credit It is important to manage your account carefully to ensure you stay in credit. You must make sure that when you making payments such as cheques and debit cards you have enough money to make those payments. If not you account will go in to debt and you will be charged fines for doing this, it will also build up a bad credit rating which will make it hard for you to get a mortgage or a credit card in the future. Task 16 Summary of holiday budget activity Why do you think it is important to manage your personal finances? I think it is important for me to manage my finances because it helps me to pay all my bills on time without getting into to debt. It also allows me to put money aside for unexpected emergencies. Managing my personal finances is a very important skill. This skill is extremely important if I would like to start my own business or borrow money from a bank. Managing my money correctly will enable me to live quiet a prosperous life in the long run. Did you find it easy or difficult to manage the finances given in exercises? give reasons I found managing finances quiet hard because you have to keep track of the money coming out of my income every week and there were a lot of different bills to pay and they were all different amounts. I also had to keep track of my spending at the same time to make sure that I didnt get into debt this was really difficult because you can get carried away when your sending your money on luxuries. After all that I have to calculate the total regular expenditure and then work out if I had any money left over to put aside as savings, overall this task was very challenging but it taught me a lot about how to manage my own finances. What did you learn from the exercise on budgeting over a period of time? From doing the budgeting exercise I learnt that saving the little scraps of money here and there builds up into to something big. Also cutting down on luxuries also helps in the long run because the money you have saved enables you to get those luxuries if you just give time. This budgeting exercise also taught me how to calculate my net cash flow which I previously did not know how to do. I also learnt that budgeting is important for everyone because it stop many people from getting into to debt and also helps them to save considerable amount of money. Bibliography BTEC introduction business-published by Heinemann in 2005 Heinemann Educational Publishers Halley Court, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8EJ ISBN 978 0 435401 21 4 John Ruskin college intranet site Unit 6 Financial Management

Class Consciousness in Workers in Nineteenth-century Europe

Class Consciousness in Workers in Nineteenth-century Europe Account for the emergence of class consciousness amongst workers in nineteenth-century Europe. INTRODUCTION The standard of living could account for the emergence of class consciousness amongst workers in nineteenth century Europe. More specifically the food that was needed but they didnt have enough of. Food was withheld from people due to food shortages. In Anthology document 5.13c French Minister of Interior to Louis XVIII, 1817 Laine puts the blame of food shortages to rain which spoilt the harvest. This has led to a lack of food for everyone. Anthology Document 5.13a, a Cornish letter, 1795. Which describes this food crisis saying that (CIT) Many farmers refuse to sell it in small quantities to the poor, which causes a great murmuring. This meant that it was increasingly more difficult to buy food to sustain them. Workers needed their daily bread to work and bread was an essential for a working family. With farmers refusing to sell food to the poor working families, it was becoming increasingly clear that there was a divide between people who could buy the food in large quantities and the poor. Also Document 5.13b, a letter Revd A.B Haden to the home secretary, 1800 who writes about the withholding of corn and that it is not right. (CIT) I have too high a respect for a British parliament even to suspect that it was ever intended that protection should extend to the withholding of corn. If the idea of farmers withholding food from certain types of people wasnt making it difficult enough for the workers in the nineteenth century, the price of food itself was. This made the workers self-aware of the divide between those who could and couldnt afford food. Anthology Document 5.13c tells us the rise in price of corn rose from (CIT) 28 francs 50 centimes to 31 francs 51 centimes. These living standards for workers and poorer families account for the emergence of class consciousness as people had begun to see a difference in living standards for workers and others. Revolution amongst workers can account for the emergence of class consciousness amongst workers in the nineteenth century Europe. There was many who were not happy with their current situation. And these people were in different social groups. Businessmen wanted to reduce the authority of the vestiges of feudalism. Peasants refused to pay tax. The biggest group was the workers whose revolution led to a class consciousness is workers. who saw themselves apart from the rest, and fought to protect their jobs from industrialisation, to improve the working conditions and to put them equally standing with their superiors. Anthology Document 5.17 Decrees of the French provisional government, 25 February 1848 is a result of workers revolution. They are public documents which promise workers (CIT) The right to work and that the Tuileries will serve as a hospital for workers injured in industry. These decrees came from the provisional government which was created after the revolutionary action brought about the abdication of the king. This revolutionary action taken by the workers suggests that it can account for the emergence of class consciousness amongst workers. They now see themselves apart from the rest of society and demand to have rights to things others already have. To illustrate this further Anthology Document 5.18 Manifesto of the Delegates of the Corporations to the workers of the department of the seine. In this they refer to the workers as (CIT) Producer. They argue that the producer is essential to society. With this, the workers are separating themselves from the rest of society, thus gaining class consciousness. They now saw themselves as separate, and important enough that they seemingly unknowingly formed into a separate class or group. Therefore, the emergence of a class consciousness in workers in nineteenth-century Europe was because of revolutionary action taken. Political print by influential individuals can account for the emergence of class consciousness amongst workers in nineteenth century Europe. Print was used to make workers more aware of a class divide. The first example of this encourages an awareness of a class divide, Anthology Document 5.16 The Communist Manifesto, 1848. Karl Marx wrote this. The aim of this manifesto is to (CIT) spell out the league principles based on the Scientific Socialism'. Scientific Socialism is a term to describe social-political-economic theory. The first mention of the development of a new class is where it states (CIT) It has established new classes, new conditions of oppression, new forms of struggle in place of the old ones. If a worker was to read this, it could prompt the emergence of class consciousness amongst workers. Someone is literally telling them that there is a new class. The manifesto then goes on to say (CIT) the place of manufacture was taken by the giant modern industry, the place of the industrial middle class, by industrial millionaires. This quote from the manifesto introduces what middle class is. They are the ones who own the factories and have all the money. Just reading this, workers start to have a class consciousness. That there is a huge political and economic difference between them. Therefore, political print such as The communist manifesto can account for the emergence of class consciousness amongst workers in nineteenth century Europe. Another important piece of print is Anthology Document 5.15 The prospectus for LArtisan, journal de la classe ouuriere, 1830. This was founded by printing workers and was essentially a newspaper to make people aware of what the working class was and how it was important to society. It states (CIT) the most numerous and the most useful class in society, without tradition, is the working class. The newspaper then goes on to promote the need for change for the working class. (CIT) to publish a special journal focussed o n their needs and interestsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ where they can expose their grievances and their complaints. With the spread of this type of political print, it can account for the emergence of class consciousness amongst workers in nineteenth century Europe. The workforce themselves and the unfair conditions which they worked in can also account for the emergence of class consciousness amongst workers in nineteenth century Europe. And the main example of this is women and children workers. The illustration (CIT) Figure 19.6 clearly shows the divide between the middle class man in charge of the factory workforce and the women and children doing the work. It is a true depiction of how factories ran. We know this as we can compare it to (CIT) Figure 19.7 a drawing of power loom weaving which shows a similar scene to the first illustration. It would be obvious to those factory workers that there was a difference in the workers and the foreman. Therefore, it could account for the emergence of class consciousness amongst workers in nineteenth century Europe. If this is not enough to spark the emergence of class consciousness, then the unfair working conditions might. Anthology Document 5.20, A Letter by Richard Oastler to the Leeds Mercury, 18 39 explains this in more detail (CIT) Thousands of little childrenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦are daily compelled to labour from six oclock in the morning to seven in the evening with only-Britons, blush while you read it! with only thirty minutes allowed for eating and recreation in this letter Oastler is trying to highlight the working conditions and it is not clear if he is intentionally encouraging a class consciousness but this could be the outcome of his letter to the Leeds mercury. This also links back to the earlier point of the use of print accounting for the emergence of class consciousness amongst workers in nineteenth century Europe. Print. Especially in the newspaper was very influential to those few workers who could read. Reading that every worker is going through the same thing would spur on revolutions and lead to the emergence of class consciousness amongst workers in nineteenth century Europe.

The Freshman 15 Essay -- essays research papers fc

When I arrived here at college I was extremely disappointed with the selection of food here in the cafeteria. I frequently found myself eating only hamburgers and pizza over and over again, simply because I did not like the other choices. About four months into the school year I had do go to the doctor for a virus and when the nurse weighed me I was a little surprised by what I saw. I had gained a little over ten pounds, close enough to what some refer to as the â€Å"Freshman 15.† It is a common fear among college students that they are going to gain fifteen pounds during the course of adjusting to college life. However experts have stated that the idea of the so called â€Å"Freshman 15,† is not that accurate. Every college student is obviously not going to gain fifteen pounds. However I believe that it is possible and it is a problem for many college students. College life completely changes eating habits among college students. Most students do not make the right c hoices about eating and exercising. College students across the country are severely unhealthy in their behaviors, and for some students the â€Å"Freshman 15† may be a reality. Experts who study the concept of the â€Å"Freshman 15† are deeply divided in their findings. Some downplay the significance of the problem of freshman weight gain, basing their findings only on the average weight gain among college students. In a study done by the Journal of American College Health, found that of the 59 percent of students who gained weight the average increase was only 4.6 pounds. They concluded their study by stating that they believed the Freshman 15 is a myth, based upon that premise (Graham, and Jones). The truth is that fifty-nine percent of the students studied did gain weight, and not all students are going to gain exactly fifteen pounds. Other experts do however believe that weight gain among college freshman is a very serious problem. Registered dietitian Ann Selkowitz Litt recently authored, â€Å"The College Students Guide to Eating Well on Campus,† which is designed to help college students make the right eating choices. On an online chat with several college students on USA Today’s website she stated that â€Å"College students now are gaining the "freshman 20" or "freshman 25.† She blames the growing problem on erratic eating habits, the drinking large quantities of alcoh... ... State University. Graham, Melody, Amy Jones. â€Å"Freshman 15: valid theory or harmful myth?† Journal of American College Health. Jan 2002. Expanded Academic ASAP. InfoTrac. YCP 18 Mar 2003. . Linder, Lawrence. â€Å"Eating Right; the Freshman 15 recalculated.† WashingtonPost. 12 Sep 2000, Final Ed: WH9. 18 Mar 2003. . Litt, Ann. The Freshman 15. 28 Aug 2001. USA Today. 12 Apr 2003. . Interview. â€Å"The Freshman 15.† Personal Interview. 29 Mar 2003. Somers, Elizabeth. â€Å"College Freshman can avoid the Freshman 15.† CNN Online. 19 Aug 1999. 20 Mar 2003.

Certified General Accountant Essay

As a Certified General Accountant (CGA), ethics are a fundamental requirement. CGAs affect the welfare of their clients and also the wider stakeholder-society. It is crucial to work in accordance with the six CGA Canada Code of Ethical Principles. Fraud and negligence do occur however and they have negative implications on the professional, the client, the professional body, and society as a whole. For example, in the case of Kelley Lynch, she was trusted by her client, Leonard Cohen, to work responsibly as his business manager (Malemed). Unfortunately, her activities can be analyzed to demonstrate how she failed to act responsibly and directly violated three ethical principles. Lynch violated the ethical principle of Trust and Duties. As a professional accountant, Lynch failed to honour the trust that her client bestowed upon her and used her privileged position as business manager to cater to her own needs. For example, Lynch conspired with Richard Westin to hire him as Cohen’s tax lawyer in order to cater to her self-interest With Westin’s help, they devised a complex corporate structure as a vehicle for retirement savings. Taking advantage of her privilege to access Cohen’s finances, she stole over $50 million. Another key violation is that she failed to remain independent in mind and appearance, as she was once in a personal relationship with Cohen (Malemed). * * Lynch also violated the principle of Responsibilities to Society. She failed to uphold to responsibilities to society, which include acting with trustworthiness, integrity and objectivity. She failed to display these characteristics in her own actions and in her dealings with her colleague, Westin, while serving her client. For example, Lynch is entitled to 15% management compensation, however she broke Cohen’s trust by stealing more than $5 million of his savings, which is greater than her defined compensation amount. She failed to act with integrity and objectivity, when her client took time off from his career. She used this opportunity to receive more royalties through the scheme that Westin helped to develop (Malemed). * * Lynch also directly violated the principle of Deceptive Information. As a professional accountant, Lynch failed to not be associated with information that is false or misleading. With Westin’s help, Lynch pretended to sell Cohen’s music-publishing company and royalty for $12 million. Lynch falsely stated to Cohen that the money from the sale would go to a company owned by his children, but instead it went to a company almost owned entirely by Lynch (Malemed). * * In conclusion, Lynch failed to act responsibly with handling the finances of her client, Cohen and directly violated at least three of the six ethical principles. This is just one incident of fraud and negligence that has occurred in professional accounting bodies. Therefore, to maintain the integrity and respect of the CGA profession, it is crucial that members always act in accordance with the CGA Canada Code of Ethical Principles.

Mtn Nigeria Roll Out Strategy

MTN NIGERIA COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED Prior to 1999, which heralded the return of democracy to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 30 companies had the Digital Mobile License (DML). None of these companies were fully operational as the lacked the technical and financial capability to operate the DML. Aside from the digital mobile licensee, the only active player who was more or less a monopoly was Nitel.The advent of democracy resulted in the appointment of a new regulator for the telecommunications industry. One of the mandates given to the regulator was to deregulate the telecommunications sector and to drive it to become an enabler of the Nigerian economy. The regulator’s first move was to revoke all DML licenses, free up the spectrums associated with the licenses and then open up the licenses to all that is interested.After a due diligence, going thru technical and financial bids, six players were invited to bid for three of the four spectrums put up for sale (the fourth was res erved for Nitel, the government owned company). After a very competitive, free and fair bidding process, MTN Nigeria Limited emerged as one of the winning bids, paying $285m for the license. As part of the terms to retaining the license, each operator of the DML license was to use the GSM technology. They were all given roll out targets, and targets on subscriber base. ROLL OUT STRATEGYAt a strategy management meeting, MTN identified that aside from ensuring that the roll out and subscriber base targets are met, they also have to ensure what ever strategy that is implemented will ensure that investment in the cost of the license and building of the network is recoverable and sustainable. Two roll out strategies were identified: Width strategy and Depth strategy or a combination of both. Whichever strategy was chosen, the marketing team were to ensure that the necessary marketing strategy, slogan and drive support it

How to Answer the Biggest Challenge Interview Question

How to Answer the Biggest Challenge Interview Question Part of the interview process is taking a frank look at challenges you’ve faced in your previous jobs. The interviewer is trying to figure out how you would approach problem solving in your new role, and see if there are any red flags. (Hint: â€Å"Dealing with the stupid people around me† is never gonna be your ideal answer when asked about previous challenges in your professional life.) If the interviewer does ask you a question like, â€Å"What’s the most difficult part of being a [current job title]?† or â€Å"What was the toughest part of your last job?† here are ways you can frame it to make yourself look awesome.DO think about this beforehand.It’s a common enough question that the interviewer can reasonably expect you to be ready to think on your feet. If you need a review on some of the most common interview questions, head over to this article on the most common interview questions.DON’T pretend your career has been a breeze u p to this point.It can seem tempting to make it look like you handled every issue with the ease of Roger Federer returning a serve–but making it seem like you never had any challenges or struggles won’t make you look like some kind of suave champ. It’ll make the interviewer think you’re a) not taking the question seriously; b) can’t think on your feet; or worse, c) being dishonest.DO tailor your answer to fit the job description of the position for which you’re interviewing.Unless you’re making a big career change or applying for a big stretch position, chances are your previous experiences will work nicely with the needs here. Before the interview, review the tasks and responsibilities associated with this job, and dig back in your mental archive for similar issues you’ve tackled in your current or previous jobs. Try to avoid purely personal anecdotes (about family or friend conflicts). The interviewer isn’t interviewin g a buddy, he or she is looking for a strong employee.DO be specific about why your challenges were challenges.You want to show off your problem-solving process, so offer as much context as possible so that the interviewer can see how you’re connecting your past with your present (and ideally your future) professional self. Also, sum up with what you learned from the experience. (Example: After we got through the event totally shorthanded, I developed a â€Å"Plan B† coverage system that meant we always had backup in case we found ourselves in another crunch.)DO make sure your anecdotes show you in a positive light.You don’t get bonus points for brutal honesty here. If you were facing a challenge because of a mistake or because you dropped a ball, that’s not the one to highlight here. Focus on situations where your actions made you a hero (small h, no kitten rescuing necessary), not situations that featured you digging out of a hole you made yourself. Tho ugh even heroics aren’t necessary- if you were part of a team that had to solve an issue, and you took charge of any part of the process, that’s fine too. You want to demonstrate strong leadership and problem solving, whatever you choose to highlight.DON’T panic if you don’t have a very long work history.If you’re just out of school or are otherwise just starting out, this question can be daunting- how would you have had work challenges if you haven’t really worked yet? In this case, it’s totally fine to use an example from your education, or your volunteer work, or other activities (sports, extracurriculars, etc.). Again, though, make sure you tie it to your professional life, and especially the job description. Make sure it demonstrates your leadership skills, not your failures.