Dell Business Information Strategy

Dell Business Information Strategy XECUTIVE SUMMARY The business information strategy helps a business in identifying ways and means of sharing information across the organization and across all the departments of the organization. This report highlights the business information strategy at Dell, a well known computer manufacturing company. The industry has been led by the major players like IBM, Compaq, Intel, Lenovo, HP, Apple, Microsoft, Dell, Sony, Samsung, LG, etc. The top two manufacturers of computers apart from Dell are Apple and Microsoft and they pose a stiff competition to Dell and the market is led by the top two to three manufacturers. After comparing the financial performance of Dell, IBM and Apple Inc, it can be said that the level of operations of Dell is much lower as compared to Apple Inc and IBM. Some of the recommendations made to the companies in the manufacturing industry are as follows Focus on quality of products, adopting innovative manufacturing processes, improved customer support, competitive pricing, improved supply chain, etc. The strategy for Dell would be to adopt an innovative manufacturing process thereby helping it to stay competitive by bringing in a change and by manufacturing technologically advanced products. This technological change will have an impact on almost all the aspects of Dells business, like management, information needs, business locations, staffing requirements, employee training, etc. INTRODUCTION The strategy in a business organization plays a key role, be it a business strategy, marketing strategy, HR Strategy, or business information strategy. The business needs information at all levels and the success of the business can be directly attributed to the level of information that can be accessed by the employees of any business. A business should strive hard to provide information to the employees, as it is likely to improve the performance of the business as a whole. The business information strategy helps a business in identifying ways and means of sharing information across the organization and across all the departments of the organization. This report highlights the business information strategy at Dell, a well known computer manufacturing company. INDUSTRY SECTOR ANALYSIS Computer manufacturing industries differs somewhat from other manufacturing industries in the way of production and mostly workers make up a relatively very small proportion of the workforce. Computer manufacturing industry is considered as most innovative industry. With the moving trend, improving technology and increase in technological innovation, this industry creates its own identity and drives much of the industrys production. This industry is also considered as a place for technological as well as innovative advancements. This is the only manufacturing industry which requires maximum number of engineers, technicians, and many other technical assistants who can take the research and development work further. In addition to manufacturing, it also requires promotion of products manufactured by the different segments of the industry that requires more eligible marketing as well as sales executives or workers. U.S companies in this industry manufacture as well as assemble the compo nents manufactured in foreign countries, in order to take advantage of lower cost of production and regulatory and favorable environments. Most of the electronic products include different intermediate components that are needed to be purchased from various manufacturers. So these companies that produce intermediaries and goods mostly locate themselves nearby to industry so that the companies can receive their intermediate products in very less time in order to lower down their inventory costs. Most the computer manufacturing companies in this industry are very large and many are relatively small. The computer manufacturing industry has also had its share of impacts of the recent financial crisis. The computer manufacturing industry was also going through a transformational crisis. The sales of the major players have decreased considerable and the profits have also declined. In fact, some of the manufacturers have incurred losses from their operations during the crisis. Moreover, the industry has been very competitive in the recent past with more and more medium level manufacturers entering the global markets. The low cost computers manufactured by the Indian and Chinese manufacturers have increased the level of competition in the industry. There have been various influences on the computer manufacturing industry over the last few years or so. The influences were due to the increase in the number of computer manufacturers, use of latest technologies, rapid decrease in the cost of manufacturing mainly due to the outsourcing of components manufacturing ton countries like India a nd China. Overall, it can be said that there are various challenges faced by the computer manufacturing industry and it is likely that the future is going to more challenging for the manufacturers, as they compete hard in order to attract and retain the market share. Market Leaders The Computer manufacturing industry has experienced an increase in the number of computer manufacturers over the last five years or so. But the industry at large has been led by the major players like IBM, Compaq, Intel, Lenovo, HP, Apple, Microsoft, Dell, Sony, Samsung, LG, etc. The top two manufacturers of computers apart from Dell are Apple and Microsoft and they pose a stiff competition to Dell and the market is led by the top two to three manufacturers. In spite of the top manufacturers holding larger shares in the market, the market is wide open for all the other manufacturers. So, the open market makes it all more important for the manufacturers to adopt effective strategies in order to achieve competitive advantage and sustain the competitive advantage with a view to increase the sales revenues, profits, market share, and also to increase the wealth on the investors. The competition in the industry has been very stiff and thus it made the computer manufacturers to increase their product line and also to adopt innovative manufacturing processes to come up with latest and innovative products. The computer manufacturing industry or market leaders have also adopted innovative strategies to stay competitive and increase the market share, thereby leading to the organizational success. The important point to remember here is that Dell is also one of the market leaders in the computer manufacturing industry and it also poses stiff competition to the other competitors in the industry. Comparative Performance of Competitors The comparative performance of some of the major computer manufacturing industry leaders gives us an insight into the level of competition that exists among the top competitors and also the position of Dell in the overall computer manufacturing industry. The revenues of Dell for the year 2009 were $61.101 Billion and its operating income was $3.190 Billion, whereas its Net Income was $2.478 billion. The Net income, Operating Income and also the revenues have all shown an increase as compared to the year 2008, which shows that there has been an improvement in the performance of Dell over the last one year or so. The revenues of IBM for the year 2009 were $95.757 Billion and its operating income was $17.012 Billion, whereas its Net Income was $13.425 billion. The Net income, Operating Income have increased and the revenues have shown a decrease as compared to the year 2008, which shows that there has been an improvement in the performance of Dell over the last one year or so with respect to the profitability, but it has lost some part of its market share, as compared to its performance during the year 2008. The revenues of Apple Inc for the year 2009 were $42.91 Billion and its operating income was $11.74 Billion, whereas its Net Income was $8.24 billion. The Net income, Operating Income and also the revenues have all shown an increase as compared to the year 2008, which shows that there has been an improvement in the performance of Apple Inc, over the last one year or so. Revenues ($ bn) Operating Income ($ bn) Net Income ($ bn) Dell 61.1 3.19 2.48 Apple Inc 42.91 11.74 8.24 IBM 95.76 17.01 13.4 The above table shows the financial performance of Dell, Apple Inc and IBM. The above graph shows the financial performance of Dell, Apple Inc and IBM. After comparing the financial performance of Dell, IBM and Apple Inc, it can be said that the level of operations of Dell is much lower as compared to Apple Inc and IBM. So, it suggests that Dell has to adopt innovative strategies in its operations at all levels in order to compete with its competitors. The positive that goes with Dell is that it has been improving its performance and the rate of growth is much better than some of the other industry leaders. Current Technology used in the Computer Manufacturing Industry In the past, the computers used to be so big, even bigger than the refrigerators, but now-a- days, the computers are as small as a PDA, which can fit into a palm of human beings. So, this has been possible mainly due to the advanced technology and continuous advancements of technology that has been adopted in the computer manufacturing industry. The latest technology has reduced the size of the computers, hard disks, etc, without comprising on the quality, in fact with better quality and durability for the customers. These computer manufacturing companies have their own research and development departments, so as to continuously look for new ways of manufacturing the computers. The technology plays a key role in the success of any product and computers are no different. The better technology helps the manufacturers in manufacturing latest computers. The technology used by the computers has been so much helpful for the people. The technology used in computer manufacturing has been helpful in other industries as well. These latest technologies made it possible to use computer in almost all the aspects of human life. Future Technology that can be used in the Computer Manufacturing Industry The future of the technology and the advancements in the technology looks to be more effective, as there is a lot of scope for improvement and advancements in the technology. The future technology can make it possible to produce much smaller computers with better features, and better performance, as compared to the performance of the computers manufactured today. With the advancements in technology, almost anything is possible. The things that look impossible today are becoming possible and a reality tomorrow. So, with the advanced technology anything is possible. The technology is surely going to play a key role in the computer manufacturing industry. If one company adopts a latest technology then the other competitors must adopt it or come up with something innovative on their own, otherwise, they will lag behind and may not be able to compete in the industry. So, the continuous changes in the technology keep the computer manufacturers on their toes, to make quick decisions and adopt effective and innovative strategies to produce high quality computers, mostly a low costs. (Buzzel, 1987). Recommendations for the companies in the Computer Manufacturing Industry based on the Sector Analysis to stay competitive in the industry Innovative Manufacturing Processes The companies in the computer manufacturing industry needs to stay competitive and they can do so, by adopting innovative manufacturing processes. The old and out dated manufacturing processes are not going to help the companies in staying competitive. With a view to achieve competitive advantage, most of the companies are adopting innovative strategies. The competitive advantage once achieved needs to be sustained in order to stay competitive. The competitive advantage can be achieved and sustained by adopting innovative manufacturing processes. (Parker, 1989). Focus on the Quality The companies should always look to improve the quality of the products at all times. The low quality products will not be helpful in staying competitive for long. In order to attractive in the market and also stay competitive, a computer manufacturer needs to focus on the quality of the products regardless of the internal issues. A low quality product will survive for long in the market. (Swan, et.al, 1976). Improved Customer Support The customer support and after sale service by the companies can be helpful in staying competitive. If the questions of the customers are not answered properly, then it is likely that the customer will be attracted by other companies with better customer service. So, in order to stay competitive, the companies should look to improve their customer support service. (Gale, 1992). Competitive Pricing Gone are the days, when the manufacturers were the price makers, now-a-days, in fact, the customers are the price makers. In other words, the customers look for the prices from various manufacturers and finally purchase a product from the manufacturer with the most economical price, so if a manufacturers pricing is not competitive, then the manufacturer will not stay competitive. So, the companies should price their products competitively. (Gale, 1992). Improved Supply chain for Quick Delivery The supply chain often helps a company in staying competitive in almost all the industries and the computer manufacturing industry is no exception. The effective supply chain ensures quick and efficient delivery of products to the customers, whereas, an ineffective supply chain is the main reason for the failure of any company to stay competitive. Thus, an improved supply chain can help a company stay competitive in the market. (Parker, 1989). BACKGROUND OF DELL The company selected is Dell and it deals with the manufacturing of computers and its components, and it comes under the computer manufacturing industry. Computer manufacturing companies are mostly considered as electronic manufacturing companies and these companies produces products like computers, its peripherals, equipments related to communications, and many more products similar to these products. These products can be used at many places like offices, schools, industries, colleges, as well as homes. These products are also used for military as well as government establishments. In addition to all this different computer peripherals or different components are built in into many industry products. Dell has been a well known manufacturer of Computers, mainly Desktops, Laptops, Notebooks, and PDA. Dell has emerged as one of the largest manufacturers of computers. Dell competes with the industry leaders and with the best in the industry. Dell grew as a computer manufacturing company in the year 1980s and 1990s, and it also became the largest computer manufacturer at one point of time. Dells core business was to sell Desktops, Laptops and Servers, etc. Dell also sells some other electronics products, which it acquires from its suppliers around the world and sell them under the brand name of Dell. The operations of Dell have increased significantly over the last few years and have been competing with the best in the business. CURRENT SITUATION ANALYSIS The current situation analysis of Dell helps us to analyze the situation and also the various factors that affect the operations of Dell. Following are the components of situation analysis. Customers Dell serves a wide range of customers ranging from individuals, small business to large multinational companies. Dell also supplies computers and other devices to the government organizations in various countries. Its customers are spread all across the world, making it a truly global company. The global customers of Dell also points out the presence of Dell, which all across the world. So, it is satisfying a large base of customers and thus there is lot of scope for increasing the customer base of Dell Costs The costs of any company play a key role in the profitability and success of any company. Higher costs lead to low income or losses in some cases, so it is always better to reduce the cost of manufacturing and also the other indirect costs. Dell manufactures most of the products on its own and it also acquires some of the products from suppliers around the world, with a view to reduce costs. This helps it in pricing its products competitively, thereby helping it to stay competitive in the market. Competitors Some of the competitors of Dell are well known companies around the world. The competitors of Dell include Microsoft, IBM, Apple Inc, HCL, HP, Sony, LG, Samsung, etc. These competitors are well known companies with a wide range of products and a wide base of customers, which also helps them to mark their presence all over the world. The competition is very stiff in the computer manufacturing industry, with the presence of these popular global brands. STRATEGY FOR DELL The strategy for Dell would be to adopt an innovative manufacturing process thereby helping it to stay competitive by bringing in a change and by manufacturing technologically advanced products. Change Required Dell needs to bring about a major change in the size of its desktops and laptops. Dell can manufacture sleek laptops like Apple, Inc, and thus would be able to compete with Apple Inc. It would also give Dell an advantage over its competitors. Moreover, it gives Dell an opportunity to increase its market share by serving a new base of customers with its sleek products. This can be achieved only by adopting a technology like Apple Inc, or even a better technology than Apple Inc. Impact on Management This change is likely to impact the management at Dell. The impact of the technological change would require dell to bring about a change in the way the management at Dell operates. There may be a need to include a new of level of management or to remove an existing level of management positions based on the requirements. With a change in the organisation with regards to the structure or the technological changes, the management also needs to change, as per the requirements. So, it can be said that the change in the products to be manufactured, is likely to bring about a change in management. Thus, it can be said that there is an impact of this change on the management. Impact on Business Location Dell might need to start its manufacturing units to manufacture sleek products, or else it can use the existing manufacturing facilities to manufacture such products. With a change in the computer manufacturing technology, Dell has to expand its operations by starting manufacturing units in new business locations. Dell might need to change it business from location to another considering its impact on the operations. Most of the manufacturing companies are starting their manufacturing units in countries like India and China, so Dell might consider India and China, as a proposed location to start its manufacturing units to manufacture sleek laptops, and small sized desktops. Impact on Information needs of management The management needs an upgraded information system, so as to provide an accurate and updated information at all levels, as and when required, (Malhotra, 2008). The information needs of the management at Dell are also likely to change, with a change in the technology and operations of Dell. So, depending upon the information needs, the information system should also be upgraded, so that it provides required information to the management at all levels, which could ultimately help in achievement of the objectives of Dell. Impact on Staffing Plan As discussed earlier, Dell might need to hire additional people to manage its new processes of manufacturing sleek laptops. The staffing plan is also likely to change with a proposed change in the technology. Some employees might need to be transferred from one position to another, and some others might be needed to be hired, depending upon requirement. The proposed technological change at Dell is also likely to impact the staffing plan at Dell; therefore, a new staffing plan has to be developed, considering its operations. Impact on Training Dell also needs to provide adequate training and education to its employees with a view to upgrade their skills and improve the productivity and efficiency. The training and development of employee should be given highest priority, as the highly developed employees enhance the productivity and performance of the organisation as a whole. With a technological change, there will impact on the training provided at Dell. There are likely to be new training programs, to suit the needs of the new business development i.e. incorporating the proposed technological change. CONCLUSION Finally, it can be concluded by stating that the business information strategy plays a key role in the success of an organization. It also plays an important role, when an organization intends to bring about any change in its operations, because, a major change is possible only with the free flow of information. Dell can manufacture sleek laptops, by bringing about a technological change and also a change in its manufacturing process. The impacts of such a change can be seen on the current management, business locations, information needs of management, staffing, training, etc. The strategic level of management needs to adopt innovative strategies to achieve the objectives of Dell. The strategic management plays an important role in the success of any organisation, so the key policy changes or developments take place at the strategic level of management. The tactical level of management needs to follow the policies developed by strategic level. Finally, the operational level is responsible for implementing the policies and achieving the final objectives.

Minority Report: Film vs. Short Story Essay -- Movies Comparison Compa

Minority Report: Film vs. Short Story Mutant humans, nicknamed precogs, have visions of future crimes. An entire police force is dedicated to interpreting these visions and catching the future criminals before they commit these foreseen crimes. Commissioner John A. Anderton was the creator of this institution called Precrime in New York City and has a strong pride in his work. Everything had seemed to be a success, there had not been a murder for five years, but it all starts to fall apart when the precogs have a vision of Anderton committing a murder of a man he has never met before, named Leopold Kaplan. The commissioner believes he has been set up by a young man, Ed Witwer, who will be taking Anderton’s place when he retires and also possibly his wife, Lisa. Anderton goes on somewhat of a quest to find out who is behind all of this. Through his quest he discovers that the strongest precog, which is the female named Donna, sometimes has different visions than the other two male precogs. These are cal led minority reports, and Anderton finds that he does not have one. He finally finds who is behind his setup, and it is Kaplan, a retired Army General and the man he is supposed to murder. Kaplan had a plan to bring down the Precrime system by keeping Anderton from killing him even though the precogs had envisioned that Anderton would kill Kaplan. In the end, Anderton does kill Kaplan to prove the system still works and Precrime continues (Dick, 1987). This concept of Precrime was created in a short story entitled The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick. Fourty-six years after Dick wrote this story in 2002, Steven Spielberg directed the film Minority Report based on Dick’s story starring Tom Cruise. There are many dif... ... gave necessary information about them to the movie audience. Emotion was brought in with the kidnapping of Anderton’s son and that event being used to drive him to murder was a concept that everyone could relate to. The action of Anderton running from his capture and unfolding who was behind his downfall kept getting better and better, he went as far as removing his eyes and kidnapping a precog. The film followed the same basic structure of the story, but changed certain parts and involved twists to make the story enticing to the variety of audiences across the globe. Bibliography Dick, Philip A. The Minority Report: And Other Classic Stories. New York: Kensington Publishing Corp., 1987 Minority Report. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Perf. Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton. Twentieth Century Fox, DreamWorks, 2002.

Long-term Negative Effect of Breatharianism

A reason behind I became a breatharian is to maintain a slim figure, living healthy, and happy. Unfortunately, any of those my wish doesn’t come true. That’s why I decided to inform the vice squad for further investigation into the organization. The breatharian diet neither includes food nor water. However, after seeing several YouTube video and commercial on flyer, I was convinced by the specious way to live life. Once I enrolled, I came to know many things, for example, some of the main people of the organization not even follow their own instruction which is not to eat or drink. I would like to share my personal experience and that is I am completely unsatisfied with diet plan and even their promises. They said to me that, â€Å"if you live only on light and air, you became healthier and happier more than you are right now. † Nevertheless, just following there instruction I became ill. I had to visit an emergency room of hospital twice a month. Now, I am suffering from high blood pressure. That’s just my experience. One of my friends also enrolled in this program and she is suffering from renal disease. I want to submit this report against the organization, because I feel their only purpose is to make money out of people like us. They are making this money by enrolment and seminar fees. In addition to that, after one month experience of being part of their program, I feel that they not follow their own instruction. I saw one of them eating outside the Taco Bell. The diet plans they provide are dangerous and lead many lives in danger. After all it’s our moral duty to save local citizen. It’s my humble request to take a step towards the organization.

of mice and man essays

of mice and man essays The book that I have read that has really stayed with me is Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. I really enjoyed reading it which is unusual because I usualy don't enjoy reading to much. There was something about George and Lennie's friendship that really made me think. Seeing how they were and how they shared life was really intresting. George didn't have to bother with Lennie, he could have abandoned him and gone on his own way. But he did not do that, he stayed with Lennie watching over him almost like a parent to a child. Even though Lennie always got Georege in trouble, George never stoped loving him and always stood by him. The friendship they shared went beyond what was transparent they each shared a dream and both knew they ment the world to each other. I felt that if these totaly different people could get along and look out for each other, why can't we get along with people who are different than us. They made me realize that I could learn something from how to treat people who are differnt than me. What I also liked about it was the way they never stopped trying to reach their dream. This made me think that if they could work hard for there dream why can't I. It showed me that it does not matter were you come from or what you do, it is okay to dream and work as hard as you can to reach For all it shows for friendship and loyalty it also shows how sometimes you have to do things you never thought you would do. For example in the end when George is forced to shoot Lennie in the head you would never have thought he would do that, but you can see that under the circumstances he had no other choice. He only had two choices let the other people get to him first and watch them torture Lennie while he died a long horrible death or do it himself and get it over quick were Lennie did not know what hit him. This is also t...

The Operating Statement, Balance Sheet, Sales Budget of Compact

The Operating Statement, Balance Sheet, Sales Budget of Compact The Operating Statement, Balance Sheet, Sales Budget of Compact Fittings Plc – Coursework Example Report: Introduction: The report analyzes the operating ment, balance sheet, sales budget, purchase budget and cash flow ment of Compact Fittings Plc for the period of July 2011 to December 2011. a) Pricing policy that has been used in the preparation of the budgeted figures: The pricing policy is to charge mark-up over the cost per unit at which the goods were purchased. This mark-up is 25% in this case. The cost price on which this mark-up is added doesn’t directly take into account the other expenses like wages, rent , other expenses and depreciation. The costing therefore is more like variable costing than absorption costing. The wages, rent and other expenses have been calculated as percentage of sales. The depreciation is calculated on the basis of written down value method. The costs of the goods are expected to increase in November and December. These costs increases are passed on to the customers in the form of a proportionate increase in selling price. The selling price has been calculated by adding a 25% mark-up over the per unit cost price. From July to October the cost price per unit has been kept at  £ 14.4 per unit. Cost price per unit ( from July to October ):  £ 14.4 per unit Add 25% and selling price per unit will be : 14.4 + .25 * 14.4 =  £ 18 per unit. The sales of each month from July to December has been calculated by adding up the cash sales ( 75% of the total sales for the month) and the cash received for the credit sale of the previous month. For instance, the total sales of August are  £ 110,250. 6000 units are expected to be sold in August. At selling price of  £ 18 per unit, this will be equal to: 18*6000 = 108,000 75% of this will be cash sales i.e. .75 * 108,000 = 81000†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦i The sales of July are expected to be 117000. 25% of these sales are expected to be made on credit, cash for which will be realized in the next month of August. So this is equal to: .25 * 117000 = 29250†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.ii Total sales of August : i + ii = 81000 + 29250 = 110,250. Similarly the sales of other months have been calculated. After October, in the months of November and December, it is expected that the cost per unit will rise to  £ 15.2 per unit. Therefore selling price per unit for the month of November and December has been estimated at: 15.2 + .25 * 15.2 = 19 per unit. The price increase in the costs of goods has been passed on to the customers. The total sales in the operating statement of the six month period - from July to December- have been calculated by adding up the total sales of the six months. From the sales of July, the 25% cash received for the cash sales of June have been removed. Similarly in the sales of December, the 25% credit sales for which cash is expected to be received in January have been added up. Total Sales for the six month period = 124,650 + 110,250 + 110,700 + 119700+ 134, 625 + 150,100 – 36900 (cash for credit sales in June, received in July) + 38475 (cash received in January for the credit sales in December) = 751,600 The costs of sales have been calculated by adding up the opening stock at the beginning of the six month period with the purchases made during this period. The closing stock was then deducted from them, because this stock was not sold and became part of the current assets of the company. The company makes monthly purchases. For every monthly purchase, 50% of the amount is paid in cash by the company. The remaining 50% payment is made in the next month by the company. For example, the purchase of July is  £ 102,240. 6000 units were purchased in July at the cost of  £ 14. 4 per unit. This is equal to: 14.4 * 6000 = 86400†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.i The total purchase of July also includes the 50% cash payments made for the purchases made in the month of June. The purchases made in the month of June were 118, 080. 50% of them were made on credit, payments for which were made in July. So the total value of purchases made in July is: 50% of 86400 + 59040 (for cash payments made for the purchases of June ) = 102,240. The purchase cost per unit is expected to rise to 15.2 per unit for the months of November and December. The total purchases have been calculated by adding up the purchases of the six months. From the sales the cost of sales are deducted for calculating the gross profit. Gross profit is equal to: Sales – Costs of goods sold = 751,600 – 599,280 = 152, 320. From the gross profit, wages, rent, expenses and depreciation have been deducted for calculating the net profit. The wages have been estimated to be 5% of the total sales made. The expenses are estimated to be 2% of the total sales made by the company. Rent is estimated at 5% of the total purchases made by the company and not the cash purchases only. The depreciation has been calculated on a written down basis. The rate of depreciation for motor vehicles is 10%. The Net Book value of motor vehicles on 30/06/2011 is 153000. For six months, depreciation at the rate of 10% per year will be equal to: .05 * 153000 = 7650†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦i An addition of 9600 worth of motor vehicles was made in the month of September. This was charged for three months at the rate of 10/3= 3.3% or .33. Therefore total depreciation for the three month period on the additional motor vehicle of 9600 is equal to: 9600* .33 = 320†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.ii Therefore total depreciation on motor vehicles for the six month period is equal to i + ii = 7650 + 320 = 7970 The net book value of plant & machinery on 30/06/2011 was 220,000. 10% depreciation for six months is equal to: .10/ 2 * 220,000 = 11000. †¦.iii Additions worth 50,400 were made to the plant & machinery in the month of November. Depreciation was charged on this at the rate of: 10*2/12* 50,400 = 857†¦..iv Total depreciation on the plant and machinery = iii + iv = 11000 + 857 = 11857 The depreciation on the fixtures has been calculated in a similar way. b) Policy with regard to purchases and stocks and ways in which they can be improved: The company makes monthly purchases. For every monthly purchase, 50% of the amount is paid in cash by the company. The remaining 50% payment is made in the next month in the company. However the purchases for each month include the cash payments made only. This includes 50% cash payment made for the purchases of that month and 50% cash payment received for the credit purchases of the previous month. Compact Fittings Plc. should improve on this policy. The purchases of each month should include only the purchases in that month. It shouldn’t matter whether the purchases were made in credit or cash. We are following here the accrual method of accounting and not the cash basis of accounting. The closing stock for each month has been calculated in the following way: Opening balance in the beginning of the month + Purchases made during the month – Units sold. The closing stock at the end of the six month per month is equal to the closing stock at the end of December. This is equal to 2500 units. These 2500 units are valued at the increased purchase price of  £ 15.20 per unit. The closing stock is therefore worth: 25000 *  £ 15.20 =  £ 38000 The opening stock for the six month period is the closing stock of June. This is equal to 3000 units. This has been valued at the prevailing cost in June i.e.  £ 14.40 per unit. Therefore the opening stock is valued at: 3000 * 14.40 = 43200. The valuation of opening and closing stock is therefore done on the basis of last in last out (LILO). This seems to be the right policy for valuing the opening and closing stocks and it should be continued in the review. References: Gitman, Lawrence, 2003, Principles of Managerial Finance, 10th edition, Addison-Wesley. Weston Fred, Brigham Eugene ,1972, Managerial Finance, Dryden Press, Hinsdale Illinois. Prasanna Chandra, 2006, Investment Analysis & Portfolio Management. McGraw-Hill I.M.Pandey, 2000, Financial Management, Vikas.

Literary criticism over madness and symbols in Edgar Allan Poe short Essay

Literary criticism over madness and symbols in Edgar Allan Poe short stories - Essay Example As he tells his frequently bizarre and frightening tales, Poe presents his readers with symbol-rich imagery and descriptions based on binary oppositions to help build the suspense and horror of his tale. As Mowery explains, binary oppositions are things such as hot and cold, male and female, dark and light. â€Å"It is in the subtle shifts in our expectations of the character that tension and conflict are developed† (1997). This concept is frequently illustrated in terms of the madness that comes upon characters as they experience deep feelings that had potential to overwhelm. In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† â€Å"The Black Cat† and â€Å"Ligeia,† Edgar Allan Poe uses madness and symbolism to convey love and hate. Poe employs two primary objects in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† to illustrate the cause of his narrator’s madness. The old man’s eye is the first of these symbols to appear within the text of the story. As the narrator attempts to explain why he felt led to murder, he says, It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture – a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees – very gradually – I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye for ever. (156). Basic medical knowledge to the modern reader quickly identifies this condition as symptoms of a cataract, a film that gradually creeps over the eye of an elderly person, eventually rendering him or her blind while also changing the color of the eye to a pale bluish color. It is this encroachment that seems to so bother the narrator,

History of China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

History of China - Essay Example The Second United Front involved alliance of KMT and CCP in Second Sino-Japanese war and it suspended the civil wars in China from 1937 to 1946. Kai-Shek viewed Chinese Communists as a threat, and true to his perception, they kidnapped him and compelled him to the truce with communists. This resulted to the two parties suspending the fighting to focus on Second United Front that fought against the Japanese. The actual cooperation between CCP and KMT remained minimal. The two parties still vied for territorial advantage in China. This resulted to major clashes, and Kai-shek demanded evacuation of New Fourth army from CCP. This weakened CCP in central China and ended any substantive cooperation between the two. However, in Japan, CCP absorbed KMT forces and made them into puppet forces. Eventually, CCP gained full control of North China. Therefore, the Second United Front became less successful than the first one since it led to the weakening of the KMT in North China and CCP in Centra l China. The two groups never worked as an alliance (Dirlik, 2000). Reasons for Failure of Chiang Kai-Shek in Destroying the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) The victory of CCP over the reactionary Chiang Kai-shek’s power marked a monumental change within the Chinese history. The events were unexpected since CCP came to power through reactionary program of the ‘revolution by stages’. First, the strategy of countering the Stalinist strategy of conquering cities using peasant armed forces alone enhanced the overthrowing of bourgeois Kuomintang regime. During this period, the urban population persistently fought for the oppressed and exploited and brought about an armed insurrection. This led to confusion among the Chinese Comrades of the traditional conception and facts (Taylor, 2006). Second, the Chiang’s regime was completely rotten since it was established amid bloodshed of second Chinese revolution defeat. This made it hostile to people using Asiatic method s. The regime could have only protected itself from imperialist powers since it represented the bourgeoisie of Orient. Therefore, it used all reactionary influences in resisting the masses, and consequently, it was unable to fulfill the bourgeoisie democratic tasks. After the failure of non-defensive policy, Chiang government had to fight the Japanese, and this revealed their incompetence where they lost several cities. Such acts stirred dissatisfaction among people reflected through demonstrations and unrest of the peasants (Taylor, 2006). After Japanese defeat, Chiang’s government became corrupt looting all the public property and engaged in extravagant dissipation and luxury. This inflamed the masses’ fury and provoked large scale demonstrations. Chiang hoped to use his military in exterminating CCP. He hoped to defeat CCP due to advanced warfare and the large army. However, his army remained isolated and divided due to mistreatment from their leaders. This shifted even the attention of those people who supported it (Dirlik, 2000). Relationship between Chiang Kai-Shek and the United States Prior to Second World, War, most powerful influences originated from American imperialists. It intended to uphold Chiang’s government and monopolize the Chinese markets. This dispatched significant military equipment to the government in China. This made Chiang