Tuesday, October 29, 2019
See the atteatchment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
See the atteatchment - Essay Example It evident that the chief executive used foul language when he referred to the issue as ‘bullshit’ in the full glare of the cameras. Furthermore, according to CBC, the CEO did not respond promptly to the matter. He only dismissed the case without promising and assuring the public that the company would investigate the matter. Furthermore, he began finger pointing and blamed the media for working hard to tarnish the image and name of the company. All these pointed to problems in communication. The controversy regarding the use of foreign workers had adverse effects on a number of relevant audiences associated or linked to the company. The controversy affected current and potential employees of McDonald`s Canada. According to CBC, some of the employees compared their working conditions in the company to slavery. They complained of excessive working hours coupled with huge loads of work. Such conditions are not only inhumane, but also unhealthy. Furthermore, many foreign employees working in the firm have downed their tools for fear of the effects of the exposure (CBC). In addition, potential Canadian employees of this organization are pessimistic and have lost desire for working at McDonald`s. The claims reported by the CBC coupled by the various interviews and testimonies of other workers are convincing. Another audience affected by the news would be the investors. Similarly, the poor communication and circumstances surrounding it affected a section of customers. The move has also affected investors and shareholders in the company. Negative publicity is not good for a large company such as McDonald`s. Such acts make investors and various shareholders reconsider their position and support for the company. No investor or shareholder wishes to be associated with a business that does not operate by the rules and regulations of the
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Construction Economics And Finance Construction Essay
Construction Economics And Finance Construction Essay The economic downturn while unfortunate is real life problem that needs to be managed and controlled by construction companies. Construction is experiencing particular suffering as it relies on large capital expenditure to finance projects and the unavailability of a steady cash flow has resulted in many companies being forced into bankruptcy despite making a profit. Cash flow management has been described as the most important of all a companys resources as its inadequate management can lead to liquidity problems whereby day to day activities cannot be supported (Navon, 1996; Singh and Lakanathan, 1992). As contractors have to wait a number of months before being payed for completed work, this places increased pressure on credit facilities that they have agreed with banks, sub-contractors, suppliers, etc. This is why there is such agreement within the industry towards the importance of cash flow forecasting and control (Navon, 1990; Carr, 1993; Cook, 1991). The UK Governments policy has been to provide a fiscal stimulus by increasing spending on large public projects so as to inject money into the economy which will filter down through all sectors (McFall, 2008). Green (2009) forecasted that the recession will match up to the recession of the late 80s and early 90s but that it will recover quicker. Once again public spending is the underlining reason for the upturn but it is questioned whether the continuous spending can be sustained. The logical relation between high inflation which causes a rise in borrowing costs and a reduction in construction investment and thus a fall in the construction cycle is shown below in Figure 2.2 (Ren Lin 1996). These ups and downs in the economy in general used to be called business cycles but cycles implies predetermined or automatic recurrence and according to Myers (2008) we are not experiencing automatic recurrent cycles and we should refer to these activities as business fluctuations instead. Construction companies need to analyze these cyclical indicators so that they can plan activity and investment depending on the fluctuations. Whitten (2009) writing for Construction News explained how The Civil Engineering Contractors Association has warned of an emerging trend of firms pricing below cost. Both Whitten (2009) and Scully (2009) argue the point that below cost tendering is unsustainable and will increase the risk of contractors facing insolvency. Reductions in material and plant costs have been exceeded by the drop in tender prices. Insolvencies are predicted to occur firstly among contractors who tender correctly but fail to win the contract and then among those who win the contract with unsustainably low bids (Whitten, 2009). Cash flow management is extremely important and despite interest rates being at their lowest levels in a number of years borrowing is still a cause for concern as profit margins have been reduced and in some causes wiped out as contractors take on jobs at cost. Methods to improve the cash flow are described below at the different stages of a contract but in general firms need effective financial planning and control to monitor its position. Before a contract begins issues such as plant ownership, labour, subcontractors, materials, etc need to be discussed and the right mix found for each project. Better buying and terms for sub-contracts involve negotiating improved deals either from suppliers or sub-contractors and therefore improve the cost of the project (Coates, 2009). This is widespread in the current climate due to the reduced amount of work available. The last three methods will bring in early money but must be done before submitting the priced bills (Cooke and Williams, 2009). On site, the use of skilled labour increases efficiency and allows tasks to be completed earlier without the need for expensive and time consuming repair work. For complex tasks which the workforce could perform but not efficiently, specialist sub-contractors should be used. Plant costs can be extremely high which means that any plant that is not being used should be off-hired immediately and if any plant is owned by the company then there should be added emphasis on its use. Strategic tendering and project mix become even more crucial to a companys success during times of a recession. As the private sector feels the impact of a recession firstly and for a slightly longer period it is in a companys long term interest to carry out a more aggressive bidding policy towards the public sector (Ren Lin, 1996). Another advantage of the public sector is its transparency and openness during the tender stage. While the public sector may be susceptible to mal-practice, construction companies know that they will be impartially assessed and receive feedback. Strategic planning can be very beneficial as it seeks to align a company in a certain direction. In todays climate contractors need to evalute the client when deciding to tender as many contractors have commenced work on a project only to instructed to withdraw as the funding has been restricted (Edum-Fotwe McCaffer, 1999). A number of contractors have also begun to take on jobs at cost or even a loss in an effo rt to win work with the chance of repeat work. Also this keeps the company name in circulation and also to hold onto valued staff that might otherwise have to be made redundant. Partnering has been widely adopted in construction in the last number of years as it offers the opportunity for improving the project outcome aswell as benefiting the whole supply chain (Dozzi et al., 1996; Larson and Drexler, 1997). It utilizes each participants expertise and resources so that the required business objectives can be met or exceeded (Bennett Jayes, 1998). The use of sub contractors has increased as there is less overheads involved (Langford Male, 1992). The benefits of partnering can be applied to co-contracting (main contractor-sub contractor) and supply chain integration (contractor-supplier), (Edum-Fotwe McCaffer, 1999). This allows greater flexibility as both partners are working for a common goal and greater economies of scale can be achieved when tendering as contractors will have their own list of preferred suppliers or sub contractors which allows them to price new projects quickly and efficiently. As suppliers account for such a high percentage of building costs their involvement at an early stage should be welcomed as they can contribute new ideas, products or processes (Cartlidge, 2002). Tyreman on the other hand draws attention to the fact that the construction industry is inherently mis-trusting and while benefits do exist he doubts whether it will be fully supported within the construction industry. This opinion is similar to that of Wood and Ellis (2005) who estimate that it will still be some time before a fully genuine relationship exists as there is an engrained culture of mistrust and deception. Successful partnerships offer the opportunity for repeat work but the client must be assured that tenders remain competitive within the relationship of trust. As Project Programme Management provides training and technology advancement, it has allowed them to move into new markets which owing to the current high unemployment rate are particularly busy. They have also looked towards cheaper marketing tools such as over the internet to keep their overheads down while still keeping potential client exposure high. At Laing ORourke, Tyreman discusses how credit checks are performed on all potential clients to rate them but they also use strategic tendering which has led them to tender more aggressively for public sector contrasts which is in line with the theories put forward by Ren and Lin (1996) and discussed in the literature review. Supply chain integration has also helped to achieve greater economies of scale. The importance of cash flow cannot be overstated for construction firms and regardless of its time consuming requirements is particularly worthwhile. Despite many construction firms making a significant profit they can run out of cash and have to cease trading. If firms fail to correctly forecast when cash flow is required they can become insolvent as the cash is not available to pay their debts as they fall due. Effective communication will strengthen your existing relationships and help you to form positive bonds in future interactions with clients, banks, sub-contractors, suppliers, etc. The importance and basic need for cash flow analysis has been stressed in the literature review and by both interviewees. Cash flow analysis is an essential day to day activity in construction and it is recommended that effective planning is carried out by experienced management. They need to establish good terms with suppliers and sub contractors and to put in place an efficient cash flow reporting system. Cash flow analysis can refer to both day-to-day analysis (short term) or economic forecasting (long-term). As discussed by Myers (2008) business fluctuations have been occurring since the start of business and while they are complicated and rely on a number of variables they can help to provide a company with the potential to forecast market conditions and thus position itself accordingly.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Favoritism And The Powers Of The Gods :: essays research papers
Favoritism and the Powers of the Gods      In ancient times, people believed that their lives would be significantly better off if the gods favored them. In the Aeneid, gods were battling with each other over who would control fate. Even the Bible shows us incidences of favoritism. In a society where everything is governed by the gods, the favor of a god bestowed upon a person was extremely important. In the sources, The Aeneid and The Bible, favoritism and the powers of the gods play crucial roles in determining the outcome of the stories.      While reading the Bible, one cannot help but notice the obvious cases of favoritism. In the story of Cain and Abel, the Lord God is portrayed as a supreme being, who demands that the highest respect be paid to Him. In receiving offerings from Cain and Abel, God expects that they would bring Him only the best they could give. He took it for granted that each of the boys would sacrifice anything to please Him. However, this wasn’t to be:                          3 In the course of time                Cain brought an offering to the Lord                from the fruit of the soil, 4 while Abel,                for his part, brought one of the best first-                lings of his flock. The Lord looked with                favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on                Cain and his offering he did not.                                    (Genesis 4:3-5) This passage shows that by giving an offering that is deemed worthy, the favor of God will shine down. However, the opposite also holds true, that if one’s offering is only sub-par, then God will not look down upon you with favor, as is the case with Cain.      This idea is also portrayed in the story of Noah. The Lord God has seen that his beautiful creation has been corrupted, and decides that he will destroy all living things on Earth. However, God spares Noah and all of Noah’s descendants because, â€Å"Noah found this favor with the Lord†(Genesis 6:8). The Bible describes how Noah sought the approval of God. In the story it says he was, â€Å"a good man and blameless in that age, for he walked with God†(Genesis 6:9-10). God concludes to save Noah because he obeyed Him and became what God wanted him to be, without ever relinquishing his own convictions and personal identity.      The idea of favoritism in Roman literature is extremely popular. Never was this more apparent than in The Aeneid of Virgil.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Alison watt and Picasso
Alison watt and Picasso In this essay I'm going to investigate two portrait painters, Alison Watt and Pablo Picasso. I will be writing about their lives and influences. The first artist I will be writing about is Alison Watt. She was born and raised In Greengrocer in 1965, 18 years later and she is still studying in Glasgow School of Art for a further 5 years. At the national gallery in London Watt was the associate artist holding a spectacular exhibition of her own Phantom in 2008.Watt was well known for portraits of herself and others holding cups plates etc, she came to the publics attention in 1987 when he won an award for the National Portrait Gallery's. Watt was also well known for drawing female nudes and figures usual neutral colors, dryly painted lost of her portraits were done using oil paint on a canvas. As far as I am aware Alison Watt was known for painting portraits I have not heard of watt sculpting. She was also awarded an OBEY, she was the youngest female artist to b e awarded a solo exhibition at SIGMA.Alison Watt was quite original she interpreted her own ideas in her into paintings. Such as the paintings ‘Hunger and the horses head' l. This paintings watt has duplicated herself and she has also placed random niter s in Radio places. The Alison watt painting I will be writing about is ‘The native boy', It was made in 1990, made with oil paint on a board. Alison Watt has modeled herself I'm this painting, I chose this painting because its very neutral and doesn't have too much going on.This portrait is close up so you can't see of the sitter is sitting or standing it Just shows the face and neck. I would say everything in the portrait is mostly all the same proportion in terms of scale. N the background it was Just some simple leaves and what looks like to be a wall. The foreground and the background don't look Joined together it looks like Watt is standing in front of something. You can only see the top parts of the sitter and the background as it is a close up. The only thing that's being cut out is the rest of the figure.I think if I was there whilst this being painted you could smell nature and paint. You could probably here birds chirping and the wind blowing as it looks like an area where you would hear these surroundings. It looks as painted around midday. It does seem like a calm place and a very peaceful place . The lighting on the face is quite bright but the background is darker. I think it is a natural light. The light is coming from straight in and because if this I think it is during the day almost evening, but also I think it is winter because it looks quite cold.The light does cast shadows around the face I think it's there to show some form and atmosphere, so the face doesn't look flat. The mood in this painting is quite dull and dreary and Watt doesn't look very happy , which I think has an effect on what the DOD which comes across as winter. Although sometimes winter is bright it will always has that effect which makes the atmosphere dull and tense. The expression on Alison Watt definitely has an effect on the mood of the painting because it Just looks as if she's depressed and wants to cry.The sitters position is unrecognizable as you can't see the shoulders all that you see is the neck and above the only way you can tell the mood is by the facial expression. As mentioned you can't see the sitters clothes but from the hairstyle it looks quite classy and old fashioned. I think the artist hose the color scheme because it isn't a very complex painting So the color of the painting being neutral I believe is relevant to the painting. Watts brush stokes in the background are part of the painting they are almost unseen , it almost looks edited to look smooth,but the face is more textural you can see a few brushstrokes.Also on the face you can see where it has tried to be blended. I think the brush strokes are looser on the background and more controlled on the face etc where you need detail. I am oblivious to how much time was spent on This painting as they are to skilled be able o tell. But, personally I think Watt may have spent less time on this painting compared to the other painting. As this painting isn't as complex and not extremely detailed. The piece itself I would say is textural but around the cheekbones you can see dots/dabs used to blend the cheek and skin color.Watt seems to have used life like style or realistic, because it doesn't look fake and are elements where it Just looks airbrushed. Neutral colors have been used in this painting. I think Watt used these colors to give it the look of a real person. I think because of these colors that is why t made me decide the painting realistic/lifelike piece. I don't think they have am effect on the mood or atmosphere. Also I think the color scheme makes parts of the face such as the nose and mouth stand out.I honestly couldn't choose between whether this image is hot or cold. At the first look I would definitely say cold but if you look closer at the painting the face gives it a warm sensation. Watt used pattern in empty and dull areas. Pattern was used well around the face using leaves and curls. Also where there is a big plain space of wall a ribbon has been added and I hint without these features it would be really empty. The pattern used was regular and uniform nothing is out of the ordinary. In this painting the pattern is subtle.Although there is no definite outline ,you can see the different shapes and where watt has used two different colors side by side with a crisp edge. I think the painting is really bland. There is nothing really interesting going on. It is really amazing though how good an artist is when they make it look so simple. I think Watt is good but I dislike this painting. I don't think this is the best piece Alison Watt has done, cause the rest have something interesting In it which makes you remember it and makes you wonder about the painting. The other artist I'm going to investigate is Pablo Picasso.Picasso was a Spanish artist, boor in 1881 who was the son of an art teacher and showed artistic talent at a very young age. When Picasso was 19 he went to live in Paris to study new styles and to pick up new styles. The blue period was a famous period of Picasso. As the color blue symbolisms depression, when Picasso best friend committed suicide Picasso went into deep depression this is what was now as the blue period, where all the paintings are in shades of blue, have religious undertones and the subject matter is unhappy in nature.In 1973 Picasso was taken from us and he was one of the most famous artists of the 20th century. During Picasso blue period it was his friend Casemate who influenced Picasso. During the rose period when mostly shades of pink were used he was experimenting with gouache , the subject of matter was the circus and during the cubist period it was ad African masks which influenced Picasso. The cubist pe riod was when Picasso id his most original work , he took simple African masks which inspired him and turned them into paintings which are famous today.These kind of painting break away from the rules regarding realism and perspective. Some of the faces are distorted. Picasso was only known for doing portrait and figure paintings to my knowledge. Oil paint on canvas is Picasso most chosen way to work. The art work I will be focusing on is the weeping woman. It was made in 1907. I'm not able to tell what size the artwork is. I do not know the name of the sitter nor do I now that its actually a person who Picasso has Just made into his own idea or whether he painted this from his head.I chose this painting because I painted it in primary school and its his most known painting or the only painting I had ever heard of. The portrait is full length and the figure in the painting is in able to tell if she is sitting or standing as you can only see the top half of her body but I'm assuming she's sitting. It is a close up and the head takes up most of the portrait so the head is definitely the biggest object in the painting. In the background it is Just simply a wall. The foreground and background do look Joined together because the woman isn't ad.You can see a bit of the sitter and a bit of the background. I can Just see a cartoon woman crying that is literally all I think if I was to imagine myself in the painting. I can hear a woman crying and smell lots of paint. You can't tell the time because it isn't a realistic painting. I'm guessing something has happened as there is a woman in tears, it feels awkward and depressing , not a very nice place to be. There is no lighting in the painting. I think the mood and atmosphere is sad and awkward. It's expression and the body language of the sitter also the painting itself is about a woman crying.I would describe the mood of the sitter as upset and you can't see the shoulders. You can see spate hands as if she was holding a tissue up to her face to wipe her nose/eyes. She is multicultural I can't see any of her clothes. I have no idea why Picasso chose this color scheme. The artists style is cartoonist and abstract to me. You can't see the brushstrokes. I don't think he worked on this painting as long as he did the others, he others Just look as if they have been thought through more carefully. The painting is flat, I don't know what textures have been used.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Jack Wills
Q1. Identify the target market for the clothing retailer Jack Wills Jack wills is targeted at young people aged 18 and over, and most of them are university students. Julia Werdigier, August 20, 2012, article, Bottling the feeling of youth Q. 2. Discuss how their marketing strategy is aimed at their target market. Product: Jack Wills really focus on the design of clothing and season or style change. For example, male range includes jackets, hoodies, smart shirts, t-shirts, underwear and trousers and female range includes out-door wear, trousers, skirts, dresses, tops and various other accessories.Price: Prices run from about ? 30 for a basic t-shirt up to ? 400 for large jackets Promotion: promotion code in summer term for 15% to 20% off. Placement: choosing the marketing place where close to the university or college. Q3 Comment on their international store locations and discuss how it fits with their overall targeting and positioning strategy. As the Jack Wills pricing strategy mea ns the clothes may not be considered affordable to everyone, but Jack Wills' promote â€Å"University Outfitters†title to reflect its target market: university students.Q4. Comment on the marketing strategy being used in the U. S and Asian markets. Tentative solution: Jack wills open two stores in Hong Kong in 2011, which it hopes will serve as a â€Å"platform†for expansion into mainland China and Japan. Giving a definite targeting market: Jack Wills' first stores in the US opened in Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Boston in July 2010. Basically, these places selected in USA are Uni cities. Q5. Identify Jack Will’s key competitors Hollister, Abercrombie ; Fitch, Superdry, French Connection.
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