Key Strategic Alliances in Middle East Assignment

Key Strategic Alliances in Middle East - Assignment Example We should study about the Middle East because we can learn from the trials and tribulations suffered over the last few thousand years. In addition to this, the Middle East is at the center of three continents: Asia, Europe, and Africa. This makes not only the land valuable, but also the trade routes that go through this region. This perhaps explains why there have been so many wars in the region and why there is still conflict there today. Middle Eastern culture has also greatly influenced the way that westerners think, such as through mathematics. The origin of western numbers is Arabic, and many mathematical concepts first originated in the Middle East. Looking towards the future, the situation in the Middle East is changing as local economies experience growth and the people want to have more of a say in the political process. Learning from these experiences can only help understand the western form of democracy.

Financial Reporting and Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Reporting and Analysis - Assignment Example 2) Non-cash items usually include those items which do not include the transfer of money. The most feasible way for adjusting non-cash items is by adding the same form the net income of the firm (Hung, 2000). 3) The stock market participants were able to predict the fall in the revenues of Charter. As a result the company’s stock prices began being priced low by the stock market forces. A low price allocates a low level of dividend (Berk & DeMarzo, 2013). A low share price allocation also helps a firm to attract a large number of small investor (Rioja & Valev, 2004). However a declining share price also indicates a firm’s low revenue which also repels a number of investors who expect growth and rising dividends (Chandra, 2005). The financial performance of airlines industry is generally analyzed on the basis of return on equity (ROE) or return on assets (ROA). The airline industry is immensely capital intensive and profitability is usually measured on the basis of returns available on equity or assets. Accordingly it is seen that the ROA for the airlines industry on an average is around 9.8. From the given data it is seen that firm 6 incurs a ROA ratio of 9.95. Hence this firm belongs to the airlines industry. Banking firms puts special emphasis upon the returns from operations. Hence net margin is usually one of the critical parameters for judging the efficiency of the firms in this sector. The banking industry usually incurs a net profit margin of 16. From the given data set, it is seen that firm 9 has a net profit margin of 12.82. Most brewery firms analyze their financial effectively by analyzing the gross margin ratio. Breweries usually have a gross profit margin of 60. From the given data it can therefore be analyzed that firm 8 has a gross profit of 60.21. Hence firm 8 belongs to brewery industry. Departmental stores usually experience a very high level of liquidity and hence

Youth and Anti-Social Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Youth and Anti-Social Behaviour - Essay Example Alcoholism, drug abuse or substance abuse, sexual abuse, violence, cybercrimes etc are growing among the youths which are a matter of concern for the sociologists and the government. Morality and ethics are rapidly diminishing subjects in our society at present which encourage the youths to engage in all sorts of antisocial activities without a second thought. The life philosophies of the youths in the 1980’s or 70’s and that of the youths of the 2010 are entirely different. Because of the changing perceptions about life, youths create lot of social problems in different forms which is discussed briefly in this paper. What is social problem? â€Å"A social problem is a condition that at least some people in a community view as being undesirable† (What is a social problem?, n. d). It is difficult to define social problem accurately or comprehensively because of the various dimensions associated with it. Murder, violence, theft etc are accepted by everybody as soci al problems. However, teenagers who play loud music in a public places may not view it as a problem, even if it causes disturbances to the public. Smoking is also a personal matter; but if it performed in a public place, it can cause immense damages to the health of the people around the smoker. Same way, drug and alcohol abuses are personal matters; but these things can lead the abuser towards antisocial activities. ... Anti-social behaviour doesn't just make life unpleasant. It holds back the regeneration of disadvantaged areas and creates an environment where more serious crime can take hold (What is ASB? n. d.) Man is a social animal and hence it is difficult for him to lead an isolated life. Since we are living in a society, it is necessary for us to satisfy the needs of the society along with satisfying our own needs. At the same time, individual needs should never cause any problems to others in the society. In other words, an individual need become a socially accepted need only if it does not cause any physical or psychological problems to others. For example, sex is a biological or psychological need for all the living things. Sexual engagements are socially accepted, only when both the parties did perform it based on mutual consent. However, rape cannot be justified under any circumstances because of the absence of mutual consent in such cases. Moreover, sexual activities of minors are unac ceptable to the society even if it performed with mutual consent. In short, same activity can become a socially accepted or rejected one based on the circumstances or the nature of the activity. Alcoholism and drug abuse are some other major antisocial activity undertaken by youths. These things are considered as personal matters by many of the youths. However they are forgetting the fact that alcoholism or drug addiction may result in severe mental, physical and social problems which may affect others as well. Alcoholism and drug abuse can create lot of social problems such as Divorce, loss of employment; domestic violence, drunk driving etc. All these problems will affect a society one

Social and Cultural Impact on the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro Essay

Social and Cultural Impact on the Carnival of Rio de Janeiro - Essay Example â€Å"Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil is home to the world's most famous carnival, and what many people consider to be the world's biggest and best party. The basis of Rio’s Carnival is the samba schools, which social clubs are named after the famous Brazilian samba dance† (Richard 2011). Samba schools are found in various places of Rio de Janeiro, and competition between them is fierce. Members work all through the year to make the best floats, themes, costumes, and dance performances. â€Å"Education and rehabilitation are among the primary responsibilities that these samba schools undertake† (About Rio Samba Schools: Understand Overview of Samba Schools 2011). During the four day carnival, schools parade and struggle against each other in the Sambadrome, a building that can hold nearly 60,000 spectators. Millions of people get involved in merry making all through the city, especially on Rio's famous beaches, Copacabana and Ipanema. â€Å"Rio de Janeiro and the carn ival the two attractions are inseparable. Although the carnival in Rio is very commercial nowadays, it still is the carnival in Brazil, even though there are more authentic celebrations held elsewhere. Five days of samba and partying make the event as famous over the world as the World Cup or Olympics. Rio de Janeiro is also an attraction worth of seeing† (Tourism in Brazil Essay 2012). Social Impact on the Carnival of Rio De Janeiro: Rio de Janeiro is remembered for its strange natural beauty and excitement of popular culture. â€Å"Carnival has a different effect on each person, but it was created just with one objective for everyone, and that is to have a lot of fun, to forget our routine life, worries, responsibilities and to adventure at least once in our lives, because this experience no one will ever forget† (Kathyvargas 2004). The city is also marked by tremendous differences, reflecting a high degree of social disparity. The gap between the poor and the rich an d their close geographic nearness, characterized Rio. â€Å"Rio de Janeiro has major social problems, in the same neighborhood, such as Gavea for example, there is a difference that has developed over 60 years. Opposing realities are seen within a few meters of each other. On one side we have the upper class, with its mansions and high levels of education, and on the other side groups who in poor conditions, living in shacks, without even a basic education† (Social Problems in Rio De Janeiro 2012). This chasm of disparity makes many other impacts in the day-to-day city life. Crime, violence, police corruption, drug trafficking, deficiencies in health, inefficient transportation systems defective and education form the crux of Rio’s daily routine. The city has high levels of crime, particularly homicides. â€Å"Between 1978 and 2000, almost 50,000† (The Top 10 Most Dangerous City Breaks 2012) citizens were killed in Rio, the majority of victims being affected by stray bullets, and drug trafficking. There is a huge burden of teenage homicides, the age for the majority at risk in the drug gangs for and those who endure most from police fighting. â€Å"In 2010, Rio received 800.000 visitors during carnival which represents an R$ 950 million industry for the city† (Carnival of Rio De Janeiro 2012). Urban violence is an increasing problem that that has influenced every

4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

4 - Essay Example Illegal file-sharing and ripping of music files is pervasive, out of control and oh so criminal. Many artistes, especially the new, less-established artists, are in immediate danger of being marginalized out of our business. Ripping is stealing their livelihood one digital file at a time, leaving their musical dreams haplessly snared in this World Wide Web of theft and indifference. (Greene, M) The fact that the Recording Academys leader would say something this serious on an occasion as joyous as the Grammy awards, indicates that the music industry knows that it is indeed, in dire straits. In 2001, more blank CDs were sold than CDs that already had music recorded on them. This was probably because a lot of people were downloading music files In the study of traditional ethics, the starving man depicts the classic problem. Is it ethical for a man who is starving to steal food because he has no money? This can be directly interpreted into whether a person is right to steal music it if he feels that the music is too expensive for him to buy. The topical escalation of media coverage besieging the demise of Napster has instigated widespread debate over the implications file sharing and the Internet will have for the record industry. The Napster software allowed its millions of users to share and download music mp3 files, which are of near CD quality, from each others hard drives. This infringed copyright laws and provided a very real threat to both musicians and record companies alike. In response Napster was sued by the American heavy metal band Metallica, and then taken to court by The Recording Industry Association of America; where they were subsequently ordered to cease operating. (http://theoptionblog.blogspot.com/2006/01/file-sharing.html) Even after a verdict like this, many of these companies, like imesh, limewire and Kazaa continuously offer facilities for file sharing, and some also grant

Dupont Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Dupont Analysis - Assignment Example HZO is, however, performing well in leverage with only 1.70%, as can be seen in table 1 below (Annual Report: MarineMax Inc., 2014) WMAR is the least preferred stock from the investor’s viewpoint due to the lowest return on equity of just 0.13%. The firm’s ROE is affected due to its low profit margin of 0.06%. The high operating expenses of the company have suppressed profits of the company that have eventually casted a negative impact on its ROE. The company needs to have strict control measures in this area. Equity multiplier is the weakest indicator of WMAR with the lowest in industry at 1.32% as can be seen in the table 1. As seen in the table below, HOG is performing best in terms of operating efficiency with the highest profit margin of 15.18%, which is the main element contributing towards its high return on equity of 27.43%. HOG is, however, required to give attention to its asset management, specifically to managing its receivables, which are overall affecting the company’s performance and returns and causing them to be below than expected (Annual Report: Harley Davidson Inc., 2014). KMX is also performing average in terms of the profit margin and currently, it is the best in asset management among its competitors, which makes its returns attractive at 16.20% as shown in the table 1. Improvement is required in the leverage position of the company as it is relying heavily on debt financing. Annual Report: Carmax Inc. (2012); Annual Report: Carmax Inc. (2013); Annual Report: Carmax Inc. (2014); Annual Report: Harley Davidson Inc. (2012); Annual Report: Harley Davidson Inc. (2013); Annual Report: Harley Davidson Inc. (2014); Annual Report: MarineMax Inc. (2012); Annual Report: MarineMax Inc. (2013); Annual Report: MarineMax Inc. (2014); Annual Report: West Marine Inc. (2012); Annual Report: West Marine Inc. (2013); Annual Report: West Marine Inc.

Effects of H-1B Visa Program on Employment and Wage in the United States Essay Example for Free

Effects of H-1B Visa Program on Employment and Wage in the United States Essay The United States is the most powerful country in the world. Its dominant culture, military, and economy make it the most influential nation across the globe. The power of the US doesnt only come from its native citizens but also from the foreigners who come to its shores every day to work and live there. These people play a very significant role in driving the US economy. A number of national programs have been developed in order to influence the influx of these people into the US. One of those programs is called the H-1B visa program. The program, which allows foreigners to work in the US, has critical effects on various sectors of American society, but especially the economy. Based on the data that have been so far collected, it is clear that the H-1B visa program, in terms of employment in the technology sector, is important in maintaining the status of the country as a leader in science and technology. However, the H-1B visa program may also have negative effects on the wage of native citizens because they would have to compete with the low wages of foreign workers. Many companies in the US needed temporary workers, so the H1 category of non-immigrants was created under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. Unlike immigrants, non-immigrants only stay in the US temporarily to accomplish a specific purpose, for instance, education or work. The current H1-B visa program of the United States was created through the Immigration Act of 1990 and the amendment of the 1952 act. The result of the amendment was a program that allows an employer to temporarily hire a foreigner to work in the US provided that hes under the category of non-immigrants. Also, the worker must have a specialty occupation or be a fashion model with exceptional ability and merit. The law describes a â€Å"specialty occupation† as something that requires theoretical and practical application of a specialized body of knowledge. The worker must also have a bachelors degree or the equivalent in specialties such as business, biotechnology, education, health care, medicine, and sciences. The H1-B program currently limits the number of foreign nonimmigrant workers in the US to 65,000 per year (Bartik et al. 134). H-1Bs cap has not always remained the same, however. Congress increased it to 115,000 in 1998 for fiscal years 1999 and 2000. Then in 2000, Congress increased it even further to 195,000 for the 2001 fiscal year. It was maintained during 2002 and 2003, and was slashed to 65,000 again from 2004 onward. Not all foreign workers are affected by the cap, however. The H-1B Visa Reform Act of 2004 states that foreign workers employed by institutions of government research organizations, institutions of higher education and NGOs are exempt from the cap. Also, a separate cap of 20,000 exists on petitions that are filed on behalf of foreigners with masters or higher degrees earned in the US (Bartik et al. 135). Recently, lobbyists composed of universities and members of the technology industry are pushing for a huge increase in the annual cap of H-1B visas. They argue that H-1B visas otherwise known as â€Å"guest worker visas† serve a crucial role in driving the economy, especially in the high technology sector. According to them, there is a systemic shortage of American engineers and scientists in the country. There is a very high demand domestically for these highly skilled workers and the small supply cannot fill that gap. The only way to solve this problem therefore is through the import of foreign workers through the H-1B visa program (Hira et al. 150). These lobbyists argue that they will be forced to resort to outsourcing jobs to foreign engineers and scientists in their home countries if the H-1B cap is not increased. They also claim that the visa program actually serves as a tool for the country to gather the best and the brightest highly skilled workers in the world. This is supposedly a result that is to be expected if the cap on the H-1B visa program is increased (Hira et al. 150). There are many evidences for the advantages brought about by hiring foreign workers in the technology sector. For example, a 2008 study by the National Research Council looked at the effects of hiring H-1B workers by large US companies Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, Motorola/Freescale, Intel, and IBM. Of the five companies, IBM employed the most number of H-1B workers, granting almost 4,000 in five years. Most applications in the company stated a range of earnings of about $82,072. This was considerably bigger than the other four companies average minimum earnings. The researchers thought that the applications were for jobs that were not chip-related since IBM had become a software company from a hardware company (National Research Council and National Academy of Engineering 152). It is clear from the example above that foreign workers in the technology sector do indeed get attracted to the United States through H-1B visas. IBM was hiring more foreign workers than anybody else in the group, and these people were earning higher. However, there are still many â€Å"experts† that love to criticize the H-1B visa program. John McCain and Edward Kennedy defended the H-1B visa program in 2006. The two senators supported the immigration bill that passed the Senate and insisted that their bill required employers to search for workers in the US first. However, their bill actually didnt have any of these provisions (Hira et al. 152). Indeed, its a common misconception that the current law instructs US companies to look for workers in the US first. Many government officials also have this incorrect belief. Senator Norman Coleman, for example, says that he supports the issuance of H-1B visas as long as a number of conditions are met. One, the employer must show that there is not enough US workers qualified for the position; two, that the employer has not laid off a US worker 90 days before or after hiring a foreign worker; three, the employer must demonstrate that they tried to hire US workers before foreign workers; and finally, that the recruitment of H-1B workers will not have adverse effects on the waves, working conditions, and job opportunities of US workers. Even then Senator Barack Obama thinks that the H-1B policy aims to exhaust all means of recruiting US workers before foreign workers. He believed that hiring H1-B workers should be a last recourse for American employers (Hira et al. 152). The truth is however, that the provisions mentioned by the two people above actually dont exist for the majority of employers who use the H-1B visa program. Even Obamas wish that employers should hire foreign workers as a last option is not practiced in the real world (Hira et al. 152). Also, according to market indicators, there is not enough evidence of a systemic shortage of resident engineers and scientists in the US, one of the main arguments of lobbyists for the increase in H-1B cap. Also, earnings and wage growth have been moderate and more or less the same as other professions. The unemployment rate, while it sharply increased during the dot-com bubble, has now fallen. Researchers have also supported the idea that there is little evidence of shortage in high technology jobs. Private surveys and public data are also conflicting when it comes to determining shortages. Trade surveys show there are indeed shortages, but public data indicate the opposite (Bartik et al. 137). Determining shortages in scientists and engineers is a real problem because any increase in the number of H-1B visas issued by employers alone is not indicative of a systemic shortage. Other factors contribute to perceived shortages, for example, the growing significance of foreign students in American institutions. These are foreign students who remain in the United States after they graduate to convert their student visa to a working visa. Other equally important factors include: economic growth, cyclical demand in IT industries, especially during the 1990s, and even backlogs in the application process for permanent visa. Employers today are constantly hiring H-1B workers, but that is clearly not enough reason to increase the cap on H-1B visas. Aside from the effects it will have on the wages and earnings of American workers, the increased cap will create some problems in the permanent residency part of immigration because there are already backlogs there (Bartik et al. 137). The influx of H-1B workers into the United States has been going on vigorously since the 1990s. During that time, about 30 million people were able to stay in America through nonimmigrant admissions. The fastest growing nonimmigrant admissions fall under categories where a foreigner first applies as a temporary foreign worker or student. He then tries to find a US sponsor to able to obtain the immigrant visa. Between 1992 and 1998, the number of foreign students admitted into the country with F1 visas rose from 53% to 565,00. The number of trainers and temporary workers also increased from 128% to 372,000 during that period of time (OECD 35).