Marrimark case(FIFO_LIFO) Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Marrimark case(FIFO_LIFO) - Coursework Example The ever strengthening value of the Chinese currency which is denominated in Yuan or Renminbi against the US Dollar became another adverse factor for the company as this compounded and further elevated the increase in costs incurred by Merrimack. The flexibility in the exchange rate by Chinese authorities against US Dollar decreased from a CNY: USD ratio of 8.3:1 until mid-2005 to below 7.0:1 by early 2008. Oil prices increase further deteriorated the situation for Merrimack as this elevated shipping costs of transporting finished mowers to the United States by almost 200% with the cost of shipping a 40-foot container from Shanghai to US rising from $3,000 in 2000 to almost $9,000 by 2008. The above critical factors changed the advantage of outsourcing for Merrimack into a soul disadvantage as these cost increments did not affect Merrimack’s competitors such as The Toro Company who has its material manufacturing setup in the United States. This rival was comparatively less aff ected by the increase in manufacturing costs in Asia and indeed benefitted from the weakening dollar in export markets in which it played and competed. All these aspects shrank Merrimack’s sales margins for tractors and mowers and the projected bottom-line or net income of 2008 was lower than that of yielded in 2007 and earlier years. This was not acceptable to the stakeholders of the company and the outside directors pressurized the company’s CEO to keep growing earnings and profits otherwise which will lead to a professional manager to replace him who was not a family member of the Martinos. All these factors were taken into account but the idea of re-development and re-establishing of manufacturing operations in Nashua were dismissed by the company. Searching for another off-shore supplier was a possibility to carry out but that too not before 2009 to sustain the current trends of net income and growth of the company. These plans were not ought to be good and execut able plans until the company controller or the CFO, James Colburn, thought of varying the inventory valuation methods for tractors, mowers and parts, to boost up Merrimack’s bottom-line and satisfy its stakeholders. The CFO had an idea to change the company’s current inventory valuation method (LIFO) into FIFO which will ultimately elevate earnings but will come together with an increase in the tax payables. This was a plan which the CEO had to clearly conceive in order for it to be executed or rejected. The CEO’s concern is to enhance the earnings position of the company and satisfy its stakeholders. After hearing the CFO’s idea about changing inventory valuation method, the CEO ordered the CFO to prepare a memo and a pro-forma income statement for the year 2008 to depict the changes in the bottom-line. The CEO is studying on the drastic impact which a simple change in accounting methods can bring for a company. Effect of CFO’s suggestion on Merri mack’s financial statements The change of the inventory valuation method from LIFO to FIFO which the CFO is suggesting would have a number of effects on the company’

You chose Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

You chose - Essay Example The disaster evolved, as a result of, two basic factors. Seemingly, the hurricane itself and the collapse of the levees that protected the city were built below the sea level. These aspects made Katrina a more complex natural disaster to fight leading to industrial disaster, evacuation challenges, widespread of poisonous pollution, persistent flooding and unprecedented public concerns regarding human safety. The protection against the Katrina is reflected to start with the weather forecasting team early 2005. The meteorologists warned people surrounding the Gulf Coast region to evacuate the region. Additionally, the National Weather Service was concerned in that it warned people that after the storm the area will be uninhabitable hence it advised people for looking alternative places to reside until it was over. The protection efforts by the federal government were seen to be executed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. People in the New Orleans were to evacuate and seek for new shelter. However, the government had allowed some of the population that could not leave the town immediately to occupy the Morial Complex. Jointly, FEMA officials and an emergency-preparedness contractor advised FEMA that the evacuation process was not effective as it lacked sufficient transportation for the large population. There are different techniques that FEMA and other relevant authorities adopted for the mitigation process for the Katrina Hurricane. For instance, the University of Mississippi adopted the radio-controlled warning systems that warned of the Tornado. FEMA addressed and initiated Diamondhead homes in the Coastal regions that could prevent the people from future floods and injuries. It included a reinforced and laminated beams along the ceilings enhanced the roofs’ capability to anchor themselves. After such an event, the constructions of the houses in the affected areas were subjected to the International Residential

Pictures of Everyday Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Pictures of Everyday Life - Essay Example Generally speaking, the following represents human culture-- stories, beliefs, media, ideas, and works of art, religious practices, fashions, rituals, specialized knowledge, and common sense (Butler 1-23). However, so as to comprehend fully people's relationships with each other and to social establishments, it is vital to understand the structure of society. Fundamentally, people define themselves in terms of cultures and societies and employ these characterizations as determinants of social interface, groups and organizations and deviant behavior. A classic definition, depicts culture as "the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and behavior; likewise, it includes the ideas, values, customs, and artifacts of groups of people" (Schaeffer 51). However, patterns of culture per se do not offer an unambiguous perception and understanding of the idea of culture; as it is, culture is a lot more than just the object or behavior. Basically, culture also deals with standards, principles, viewpoints, or significant representations. Approximately, standards are actually the way people conduct themselves in a given society, principles are what they consider as cherished opinions, beliefs are how people think the whole world operates, and significant representations are symbols, usually representing social norms, values, and beliefs themselves (Matthew 3). Going back to the restaurant scenario, a serious observer can now begin to contemplate and ponder on questions like -- what is the structure of this particular society in its entirety Or what are its constituents and the relationships between elements What is the significance of change Where does this social order stand in the accounts of human history What will it give to make the meaning of humanity more evocative and consequential More importantly, what are its crucial facets and how do they vary from those of times past gone What types of men and women now prevail in this civilization and in this epoch If we try to seize the different "behavioral landscapes" in that restaurant and let them "freeze" for a moment, then perhaps "photography" can be used to briefly capture the sociology of everyday life. By taking photographs of societal circumstances and by construing existing photographic images, significant "meanings" can be had, the kind of understanding that is not commonly obtained in most situations. At the outset, it elevates people's sensitivities and their process of forming insights to social circumstances because now, passive seeing has been substituted - passive seeing is when countless muddled and frenzied notions fleetingly drift before people's very eyes -- but by

English II db2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English II db2 - Essay Example It is my strongest believe children should be given an opportunity to grow into responsible citizens who can make responsible decisions and change the future of our nations. The lives of children should not be filled with misery and depressing experiences which affect their development negatively. According to one particular expert, â€Å"Beauty Pageants† encourage young girls not to be themselves. They are associated with an immense variety of negative psychological and social defects as well as inappropriate attentions (Kesley Rodriguez, 2013). By participating in such events as pageants at tender ages, young girls want to remain in a particular social class which they may not be able to sustain and as a result they have to overstretch in order to appear what they want to be. This is the beginning of social problems for these girls and the end results may not be good even though their intentions may not be bad. Scientific research points at a statistic of sixty percent the children beauty pageant contestants having psychological problems while the remaining forty percent are actually not happy during the event (Martina M. Cartright, 2006). This further shows negative aspects of children taking part in pageant contests. It is the position of psychologists that one’s development is largely determined and shaped by the events which occurred in their early life during childhood. Beauty pageants lead to the individuals desiring to be absolutely perfect (Sigmund Freud, 2004). The young girl having been introduced to such tendency early in life will therefore lead the rest of her life wanting to appear more perfect than others and this may lead her to encounter relationship problems with others. According to Claire Lindsey (2013) beauty pageants for young girls encourage inappropriate and unhealthy tendencies. Physical harm accompanies their struggle for physical perfection e.g.

Fine Tuning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Fine Tuning - Essay Example The key findings will demonstrate how ‘Accounting Ratios’ for August, ‘Analysis of History’ and ‘Recommendations’ on improving the situation can positively impact the company. It will have three main bodies such as Accounting Ratios, History, and Recommendations. The structure of the assignment envisages a main body, which will be divided into different sections based on the topic to be covered and each section will be arranged under a separate subheading. This way, it will become clear as to who is required to read the report. Activity 2 encompasses an analytical and in-depth research on accounting ratios for December. This has then been compared and contrasted with data pertaining to August. An analytical review of the history of trading from August-December has been conducted with the aid of graphs, tables and the relevant evidence has been shown by referring back to the graphs and tables. Subsequently, based on the recommendations endorsed in Activity 1, clear evidence is presented to show the effectiveness of the action plan was. This, again, will be divided into three main bodies including Accounting Ratios, History, and the evidence of successful Action Plan. An investigation of this nature will help the company to determine its current organisational and operational anomalies that have contributed to a fall in their profitability. An analysis of various accounting ratios spanning over several months, which is one of the aims of this study, will help them to identify problems that have contributed to this phenomenon. In addition, it will also enable them to pinpoint the source of the problems so that they can take appropriate measures to address them adequately. Therefore, this study envisages a thorough analysis of various financial statements of the company right from January to June by applying an analysis of various ratios. Once the relevant ratio analyses are undertaken

Left For Dead Essay Example for Free

Left For Dead Essay It was a horrific experience that I would never want to go through again. At first it was just a normal night, a little rough but nothing too major. We were just off the coast of Leyte and Guam when we were hit by two missiles. At first I was just lying in bed and thought it was a problem with the engines until the abandon ship order was given. The abandon ship order is the worst nightmare for any seamen. There was nothing I could do except follow procedures, I woke all the other men that hadn’t been woken up yet and we rushed to the deck, grabbed a life jacket and waited until the ship was close enough to the water so that when we jumped we would not die on impact. Hitting water from high enough up is like hitting concrete. We dove into the water and swam as fast as we can could away from the sinking ship so that we didn’t get pulled under from the under tow. Once we were a safe distance away we hung onto the raft like our life depended on it. We had been told that a distress signal had been sent out and that it would only be a couple of hours before help arrived. Several hours later there was still no help and the first sign of sharks was when one of the singles was attacked and taken down within a matter of seconds. I tried not to think about the dangers lurking around but with so much time you could not help but run it through your mind. The hardest part was deciding whether to let the injured go or to keep them and risk the fact that they were attracting the sharks. After two days there was still no sign of help and many of us were beginning to get delusional. Men were swimming off because they thought they saw an island or hula girls. Others dehydrated themselves by drink the cold water at their feet because they thought it was fresh. On the third and fifth days there were only about 30 men left and some were wielding weapons and getting restless. Luckily we were able to convince them to let them go and continue to work together and live for as long as possible. Finally on the fifth day there was a sign of hope. There was a plane fly over at about 3000 ft. We began to wave wildly and light flares to get its attention, it flashed its lights at us and that was when we knew we would be saved. It sent out to the other ships and planes with our coordinates and rescue information. The biggest surprise to me was that it landed in the ocean. He managed to land safely and we started to pile into the plane and on the wings. The next sign was a ship, a little black dot on the horizon. That was when I had full hope that we would be rescued and could go home. The trauma that I have faced over the last several years is almost unbearable and has changed my life. Just recently my family and I took a trip to Maui and we were supposed to go on the submarine but I could not get it out of my mind that I was on the ship all over again and I was going to drown. Even the sound of running water gives me nightmares, making me feel like I’m swimming for my life in the water all over again. Immediately when I returned home I was put in psychology classes to try to get rid of my trauma or lower the affect. These classes have not made any difference and I have recently become an alcoholic to numb the pain. It puts me in a state of mind that helps me forget about what I went through. I know it is not a sane way to deal with it but my traumas have come to a point where I cannot handle them anymore. The Price Chapter 11 talks about the fight-or-flight response and relates it to a squirrel and a dog and a cat and a dog. Also, the traumas and what they were called at different time periods and the symptoms of post-traumatic stress. They also talk about what six people did when the arrived home and how they handled the disaster. The rest of the chapter is about the reunions that the survivors had and how they handled them.

Causes and effects of childhood obesity

Causes and effects of childhood obesity Childhood obesity has become a worldwide epidemic, and the condition is now obvious much earlier in life. Thirty years ago, less than five percent of children were considered obese. Todays figures put the number of obese American children somewhere between 12 percent and 15 percent! That translates into millions of children, preteens, and teens suffering from very adult conditions like diabetes and depression related to weight gain (Tessmer, Beecher, Hagen, 2006). Overweight and obesity in childhood are recognized to have significant impact on physical and psychological health. There are several causes that lead children to become obese. Childhood obesity is now considered a disease and is diagnosed by doctors. Not all children that watch television several hours a day or are inactive or just eat mal-nutritious foods develop obesity, many children get obese because of genes inherited from their parents. Some children become obese because of their lifestyle. For example, late-day or night eating, snacking and other behavioral behaviors have influence on the progress of obesity. Moreover, social and economic conditions are shown to have a significant relationship to nutrition and dietary intake. In addition, there are certain effects resulted from childhood obesity such as physical, mental, emotional, and social effects. Obesity in childhood is responsible of early development in girls and delayed development in boys. Its also found to be associated with numerous medical problems related to physiological, metabolic, and structural changes. What is more is that obese children are more likely to develop psychological problems. Physical, social, and mental well-being is considered health related quality of life. Low self-esteem and social discrimination can be noted in obese children due to physical limitations, feelings of isolation or loneliness, and teasing from class mates. Causes and Effects of Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity has become a worldwide epidemic, and the condition is now obvious much earlier in life. Thirty years ago, less than five percent of children were considered obese. Todays figures put the number of obese American children somewhere between 12 percent and 15 percent! That translates into millions of children, preteens, and teens suffering from very adult conditions like diabetes and depression related to weight gain (Tessmer, Beecher, Hagen, 2006). Obesity is defined as a disproportionate buildup of stored fat tissue when compared to other tissues. Childhood obesity is now considered a disease and is diagnosed by doctors. Children become overweight for a variety of reasons. The most common causes are genetic factors, lack of physical activity, unhealthy eating patterns, or a combination of these factors. Moreover, socio-economic factors have influence on children, which may cause a child to become obese. In addition, there are certain effects resulted from childhood obesity such as physical, mental, emotional, and social effects. Diagnosis of Childhood Obesity Only a doctor can diagnose children for obesity by evaluating adiposity, or how much fat a person has. Adiposity can be assessed using different ways, for example, by using an underwater scale, or by an MRI, but these methods are considered excessive and expensive. Another way of evaluating children for obesity is by measuring the distribution of body fat. Also, a chart called the body mass index (BMI) is used to optimally measure the amount of fat person carries most frequently to differentiate between just an overweight child and the one who is really obese. In addition to BMI and charting weight on the growth charts, the doctor also evaluates the familys history of obesity and weight-related health problems, such as diabetes, the childs eating habits and calorie intake, the childs activity level, and any other health conditions the child may have. Causes of Childhood Obesity After the child gets diagnosed as obese, the doctor will start investigating the causes that lead this child to become overweight. To begin with, there are several causes that lead children to become obese. First of all, many children get obese because of heredity. Because of some genes inherited from parents, those children have higher risk of becoming overweight. For example, not all children that watch television several hours a day or are inactive or just eat mal-nutritious foods develop obesity. Therefore, heredity has been found to have effect on fatness, distribution of fat on body, and response to overfeeding. It has also been suggested that heredity does not only concern the genes but also resulting dietary habits, food intake, and lifestyle, including physical activity level and spontaneous interest in exercise (Paˆ¡rà ­zkovà ¡ Hills, 2004). Moreover, mothers whom are overweight are found to born neonates that are less active and gain more weight compared to ne onates born of normal weight mothers, which suggest a preserving energy inborn drive. The information taken from genes can suggest that genetic factors can take role to determine the susceptibility of adding or losing fat in response to physical activity and diet. The life style of some children also plays a role in being obese. Some behaviors, present in certain children (late-day or night eating, snacking, etc.) ease the progress or persistence of obesity. Children spend several hours each day watching television, and eating lot of snacks that is high in calorie. Food is nothing more than easy to cook energy. The potential energy is measured by the calories that are contained in specific amount and type of food. A body needs a minimum amount of calories in order to perform its basic functions, and the recommended caloric intake for this purpose varies according to age, body frame, and activity level (Tessmer, Beecher, Hagen, 2006). Obese children do not show excessive appetite fo r sweet foods. Children and adults simply enjoy foods high in fat. Ice cream, cakes, and biscuits are all examples of high fat foods which are very popular among obese and non-obese people alike. Physical activity is important for achieving proper energy balance, which is needed to prevent or reverse obesity (Flamenbaum, 2006). Moreover, distribution of body fat is affected independently by physical activity which affects body weight. Last but not least, social and economic conditions have a significant relationship to nutrition and dietary intake. For example, as income increases, the type of the diet is going more likely to change in a persistent manner. In particular, the sugar, protein and animal fat intake increases, while the intake of vegetable fat, complex carbohydrates and protein decreases. Also, if the family has a higher income, there might be an increase in take away readymade foods intake which is high in fat content or an increase in intake of meat. The lower social s upport in low social class is associated with a high food intake and higher weight of children. Another study showed that children from low-income families who were exposed to less cognitive stimulation and who had an obese mother showed an increased risk of obesity independent of other demographic factors (Paˆ¡rà ­zkovà ¡ Hills, 2004). However, the general effect of these changes in consumption behavior with the high intake of total fat is the increase in the occurrence of obesity. Effects of Childhood Obesity As a result of the above, there are certain effects that might result in children from being obese. To start with, the physical effects in childhood obesity include, for example, the increase adult morbidity in men for gout, and in women for arthritis. Obese children are usually above average height for age (Dietz, 1993). Obesity in childhood is responsible of early development in girls and delayed development in boys. For women, menstrual problems in middle age are found to be associated with childhood. Men whom are overweight during adolescence have three times more possibility to develop gout when compared with men whom where normal weight. Furthermore, Obesity in childhood is associated with numerous medical problems related to physiological, metabolic, and structural changes. Its suggested that adult obesity developed from childhood may be more problematic than adult-onset obesity due to an increased risk of the metabolic syndrome (Vanhala, 1998). Obese children have a higher ri sk for developing hypertension, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Research shows that obesity in children, particularly during adolescence, persists into adulthood and is associated with an increased risk of many diseases including atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, cancers, respiratory disorders, gall bladder disease, infertility and several non-fatal but debilitating conditions (Flamenbaum, 2006). Obese children have approximately a threefold increased risk for hypertension compared to their normal-weight peers. The prevalence of obesity in children affected by diabetes was on average twofold from the age of 2 years onward compared to control children (Paˆ¡rà ­zkovà ¡ Hills, 2004). What is more is that obese children are more likely to develop psychological problems. Severely obese children recorded their quality of life with scores as low as children undergoing chemotherapy for cancer (Walker, 2005). Physical, social, and mental well-be ing is considered health related quality of life. Low self-esteem and social discrimination can be noted in obese children due to physical limitations, feelings of isolation or loneliness, and teasing from class mates, in example, which is frequent in young people who are obese. The age of onset of obesity, presence of emotional instability, and negative evaluation of obesity by others may predispose an obese person to a disturbed body image. These include during the formative years. Disturbances in adulthood are often commonplace in those who became obese during childhood or adolescence Depressed obese children are more likely to stay depressed all over adulthood. Prevention of Childhood Obesity The technique used to prevent childhood obesity is by keeping the weight from coming back. Such technique requires great effort as overweight is not just a hit-and-run problem, where the child can simply drop the weight and be free from obesity the rest of his life. Its always easy to get overweight than to lose weight. A child who lived a sedentary lifestyle with bad eating habits is at higher risk of getting back to such habits because such habits are just easy to follow. Its so a lot easier for children to sit at home and watch TV rather than going outside with others or alone to play. This is why parents, physicians, and nutritionists should sit together and set a plan for the child. The plan should include the restriction of fast food and soft drinks, limitation of time allocated for watching television or computer, and promotion of physical activity. However, this plan must be monitored and supervised by parents and a physician to ensure the elimination of any side effects that might occur from the prevention plan. Conclusion To summarize, childhood obesity is now considered a global epidemic. There are multiple causes that lead certain children to become obese. Genetic factors and environmental conditions play a great role in the early development of childhood obesity, but the condition varies in different countries. In addition, it appears that there are dangerous effects that result from being obese which can continue till adulthood. Therefore, parents should be aware of their children life style and the food they consume to avoid such health problems in their later adulthood. Moreover, the picture of the obese child as unhealthy, unfriendly and fat is best to prevent as early as possible. As for prevention of childhood obesity, it is also recommended that parents, physicians and nutritionists set together to set the proper plan. Nevertheless, there must be raising in alertness, consideration, and public understanding for the matter of childhood obesity