An Unfolding of William Blakes quot; the Chimney...

An Unfolding of William Blakes The Chimney Sweeper. William Blakes poem The Chimney Sweeper gives us a look into the unfortunate lives of 18th century London boys whose primary job was to clear chimneys of the soot that accumulated on its interior; boys that were named climbing boys or chimney sweepers. Blake, a professional engraver, wrote this poem (aabb rhyme), in the voice of a young boy, an uneducated chimney sweeper. This speaker is obviously a persona, a fictitious character created by Blake, as it is apparent that he wasnt a child or a chimney sweeper at the time he wrote this poem. The Chimney Sweeper is divided in six stanzas; the first stanza of this narrative poem starts off with the young chimney sweeper,†¦show more content†¦The voice of the story, the young boy, in the seventh verse showed compassion for the new climbing boy and by doing this he made visible to us that the real child in him had not died, that although he had to work in conditions that were not suitable for a boy his age, he still kept his humanity. In the poems next 2 stanzas the narrator speaks about a dream that Tom Dacre had the same day his youth was taken from him. He had dreamt that sweepers whom he knew where all of them locked up in coffins of black. The black color of these coffins means, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, seriously bad or unfortunate, associated with severely bad conditions or misfortune. The coffins, which are a container in which a dead body is placed for a burial (OED), represent all of them being trapped in this miserable black world where, ironically, children worked to make money for adults. The entire dream is influenced by Toms fear of being trapped in this hell for all his life. Later, in the fifth stanza an Angel appeared in Toms dream that opened up the coffins and set them free of their misfortune. This angel that freed them can be considered as an omen, a sign that shows how something, good or bad, will happen in the future. Tom ran down a flat expanse of land with the sweepers where they had fun and washed themselves up. The words bright and shine Blake used in verses thirteen

Argument for the legalization of Marijuana Free Essays

Can I see a show of hands how many people have ever smoked Cannabis, also known as Marijuana? I see none of you have raised your hands. Well evidently no one would want to admit to a criminal action in front of others from their community. But why is it that smoking ‘pot’ is so forbidden in our society? George Washington said, â€Å"Make the most of the Indian hemp seed, and sow it everywhere! † Marijuana is a natural plant, known to grow in the wild in Central and South Asia. We will write a custom essay sample on Argument for the legalization of Marijuana or any similar topic only for you Order Now Traces of people smoking Marijuana go back as far as 3,000 B. C so, what had changed over the years to make cannabis illegal? When considering the legalization of marijuana, the normal reaction would be to think about the negative factors of the drug. But what people forget is, marijuana’s positive features overrule the negatives by far. There would be many benefits if the ‘drug’ where to be legalized, especially for the government and the economy as a whole. Our government spends 500 million pounds a year on ‘overall response to drugs’, but receive no taxes from the estimated 1. 8 billion pound illegal drug market. If our government were to legalize marijuana, they could place high taxes on it because people are used to buying the drug at a high price anyway because of the risk of selling it illegally. This would be very beneficial to the government because they would have a larger increase of tax that then could be fed into the NHS and other funds, which are beneficial to the general public. This brings me neatly onto my next point, I am fully aware of the abuse potential of the drug, but its value to the medical world outweighs this potential by far. Although the argument of legalizing marijuana is extremely controversial, without knowing it, hundreds of people around you are in desperate need of its medical side, and are suffering dramatically without it. How would you feel? Marijuana would be of high value to the suffering, distressed, and disheartened cancer patients fighting for their lives. Let me try and paint you a picture: imagine there is only one medication that will relieve you from the pain you are caused by nausea, marijuana will free you of this pain and will give you a little bit of assurance and courage that you need to keep on believing that you are going to be safe. But yet, we still refuse to believe that the drug is acceptable, but there is something I must ask you all. Do you know what ‘the black market’ is? Well let me tell you, the black market is a market in goods or services in violation of legal structures defining the scope of appropriate forms of trade. It is a market for products that are illegal or stolen. Marijuana appears frequently in the market, and has become extremely popular. The problem with the drugs produced in the black market is that they are not manufactured under any safety or health regulations, this can result in unsafe drugs being produced and users experiencing problems from consuming unknown substances. If the government where to legalize marijuana they could potentially safe lives, as the drug could be bought in shops from legal proprietors, this would assure users of good quality and information about what you are buying and consuming. Jeffery Miron, the visiting professor of economics at Harvard University estimates the national marijuana market at about 10 billion pounds per year. When will the public and government realize? Marijuana is only dangerous and harmful when sold and consumed illegally, and the government is preventing and keeping us from a product that is so beneficial not only to cancer patients, but also to the paper and clothing industries, the government itself, and for the crime rate of our country. Long gone are the days when we could go outside at night and not be worried about our safety, long gone are the days when we didn’t have to worry about our kids getting involved in gang activity, and long gone are the days in which we had the freedom to consume a substance which satisfied us. I am thoroughly aware of how high the UK’s crime rate is, and how terrifying and worrying it is for the citizens of our country. I am aware that the amount of crime that goes on in our country impacts and affects almost every single person in the country, which is why legalizing marijuana would be extremely helpful. The crime rate in the Netherlands is generally low, especially compared to other European countries with tougher crime polices such as the UK. Indeed, in the UK they have found that 60% of inmates in British jails have served a jail sentence previously. In the UK where the consumption of marijuana is illegal the crime rate is actually higher than in Amsterdam where it is legal and the consumption is lower. This proves that, if our government was to legalize marijuana, it would result in the use actually decreasing, as it is known that when humans are not allowed to do something it appears much more attractive, and have a larger urge to do it. How to cite Argument for the legalization of Marijuana, Essays

Should Worldcom Ceo Bernard Ebbers Been Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison free essay sample

The WorldCom fraud that came to light in 2002 was an example of many things that went wrong within the organization. Unethical conduct by its senior leadership beginning with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bernard Ebbers was certainly at the forefront of these problems. The question is should a CEO like Ebbers have been sentenced to prison for his liability in the WorldCom scandal? My answer is yes, he should’ve gone to prison as well as other CEOs who engage in unethical conduct that results in laws being violated. I will support my answer by aking a look at the duties of a CEO, focusing on leadership responsibilities and accountability. I will discuss causes of ethical problems in CEOs and finish by discussing utilitarian and deontological ethical issues as they pertained to Ebbers. Background As the telecommunications industry slowed in the late 1990s, WorldCom’s stock price began to decrease. Ebbers came under pressure from financial institutions to cover margin calls on WorldCom stock he used to finance other businesses (Vasatka, 2007). From 1999 to 2002, a few WorldCom senior executives engaged in fraudulent accounting practices. These practices were esigned to portray losses as growth to the public. The Board of Directors met on June 25, 2002 and decided to publish a revised financial statement for 2001 and first quarter 2002. They also decided to report this action to the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the events leading up to it (WorldCom, 2002). The SEC launched its own investigation into the matter (Vasatka, 2007) and brought civil action against a number of WorldCom executives in June 2002 (SEC, 2002). WorldCom filed for bankruptcy protection on July 21, 2002. The U. S. Justice Department rought criminal charges against Ebbers and several other WorldCom executives. For his role in the scandal, Ebbers was convicted in Federal court on March 15, 2005 and then on July 13, 2005 sentenced to 25 years in prison. The CEO as a Leader To examine the issues in this case from a normative ethics viewpoint, I believe that we should see what a CEO does in performing the leadership functions of their job as they relate to ethical issues. A good description of the CEO’s leadership role can be found in The Duties of a Chief Executive Officer (Wibowo Kleiner, 2005). The authors cite information in CEO The CEO’s leadership duties include â€Å"gives the board of directors some advice, promotes organizational and stakeholder changes related to the organisation’s goals and objectives with confidence, has intuitive, encouraging innovation, assigning and organizing all the employees to give their contribution, and supports the motivation of the employees. This challenges a CEO to be a good model for the organisation. † (Wibowo Kleiner, 2005). We’ve seen that the CEO is both a leader who is to be a good model for the organization and lso responsible for what does or doesn’t happen in an organization. There is another role a CEO has not mentioned here specially but which is implied nonetheless – accountability. Accountability is defined in the dictionary as â€Å"the quality or state of being accountable; especially: an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for ones actions lt;public officials lacking accountabilityâ €  (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2008). As CEO of WorldCom, Ebbers was a leader for that organization who was responsible and accountable for what did or did not happen during his tenure. Causes of Ethical Problems in CEOs The position of CEO is one that has a great deal of power. There is a quote from British historian Lord Acton (1834-1902): â€Å"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men† (Lewis, n. d. ). In the article No Fair Shake for Shareholders, the author discusses the CEO personality as possibly contributing to the ethical problems that arise with some CEOs. Traits such as a strong ego, left unchecked can turn into bad behavior. CEOs normally are good salesmen and they often sell themselves on how good they are which inflates their egos. A weak board of directors can fail to hold a CEO accountable. He stresses board responsibilities relative to CEO accountability (Wilson, 1989). In the article The Responsibility of the CEO Providing Ethical and Moral Leadership, Lewis says that there is a difference between what is legal and what is ethical. He stresses the need for a culture of ethics within an organization where all team players practice good ethics, including the CEO. He says laws only deal with part of the ethical issues faced by businesses. He cites heavy competition and pressure many employees feel to engage in unethical behavior as some of the keys to the problem. Good corporate governance, beginning with the CEO, is very important to building a good ethical culture within the organization (Lewis, 2002). Discussion of Ethical Issues Pertaining to Ebbers Ebbers had a responsibility to the employees of the company, investors, and the public to report WorldCom’s finances accurately and honestly. He was accountable to the board of directors for his actions as CEO – both good and bad. Ebbers should’ve had loyalty to these people to help them avoid the monetary losses resulting from WorldCom’s shaky financial situation. This is an example of a utilitarian ethics issue. Due to his position, he should’ve had the greater good of all these people in mind as he ran WorldCom. However, Ebbers allowed unethical practices to continue with his knowledge, with the consequence that many people lost money when WorldCom went bankrupt. Ebbers had an obligation to provide honest financial statements in order to not to violate the rights of others. He failed in this obligation, violating the rights of many people in the process. This is an example of deontological ethics. Continuing on this track, investors also have a right to know the truth about companies that they are investing in or may invest in. They also have an obligation to learn as much about the companies they are investing in or planning to invest in. Due to the fraud committed by senior executives and allowed by Ebbers, WorldCom’s public financial statements made it difficult for investors to know the truth about its financial health. Even with the fraudulent statements, some investors were able to learn of some of the irregularities in WorldCom. Shareholders filed a lawsuit against WorldCom in June 2001 alleging widespread fraudulent accounting practices. The case was subsequently thrown out by a judge in Mississippi (Weinberg, 2002). In this example of deontological ethics shareholders acted to protect their rights. Also by learning the truth about WorldCom they fulfilled their obligation to gain as much knowledge about the company as they could. In addition to Ebbers’ failings, there are others that should be mentioned in this discussion of ethics. First, WorldCom documents and testimony of employees revealed that some employees discovered problems as far back as 2000, tried to do something to correct them, and failed (Waggoner, 2002). The question is how hard did these people try to correct what they saw that was wrong? From a utilitarian ethics perspective, they had to know many people could get hurt if this continued. Secondly, regarding the shareholder lawsuit previously mentioned why didn’t the board of directors or the SEC act when these allegations were made? The board failed to hold Ebbers accountable for the accounting fraud that was being uncovered nearly two years from the time it went public in 2000. From a deontological ethics viewpoint, they had an obligation to look into these allegations so that the rights of others wouldn’t be violated. Conclusion Ebbers’ conviction and prison sentence were justified. From a utilitarian ethics perspective, he was responsible and accountable to serve the greater good of others and failed in that capacity. From a deontological viewpoint, he also had an obligation to ensure the rights of others associated with WorldCom wouldn’t be violated and he failed to meet this obligation as well. Contributing factors to the WorldCom fiasco were poor corporate governance and a corporate culture where some employees were aware of problems but failed to get corrective action taken.

The Escape Room free essay sample

â€Å"An Escape Room! That’s what we’ll do.† My relationship with my 16-year-old brother is shaped by a tradition we’ve cultivated over the years – homemade gifts. Whether it’s Christmas or Diwali, every year we work together to create special keepsakes or experiences for friends and family. Sometimes the process is more memorable than the result. For my mom’s birthday seven years ago, we worked for weeks to create a scrapbook, complete with handwritten messages and stickers. Christmas of 2014 we stayed up all night to construct handmade, personalized items for each member of our extended family, exploding bath bombs in the microwave in the process. Last Mother’s Day, we devised personalized scavenger hunts involving my mom’s and grandmothers’ favorite places in Houston. And this past June, for Father’s Day, we created an Escape Room. â€Å"Let’s do it!† was my brother’s immediate response, so we eagerly began brainstorming. We will write a custom essay sample on The Escape Room or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Should they be spies or superheroes? A Harry Potter theme or Star Wars? We settled on a Mission Impossible theme but quickly encountered a major problem. How exactly does one create an Escape Room? From a prior experience, we recalled the intricate steps involved in an Escape Room, with seemingly unrelated items coming together in mystifying ways. Somehow, messages in a journal were anagrammed and combined with numbers revealed by a black light to identify map coordinates, which revealed a hidden compartment in a book with a key. And this was just one of many paths. After much deliberation, I realized creating an Escape Room required working backwards. It was not unlike the way I developed a timesheet program for a non-profit literacy foundation by starting with my end goal and fitting together sections to make it accessible to users. Nor was it unrelated to the way I incorporated various calculus formulas to determine the optimal takeoff for a back-handspring in a research paper. In fact, analyzing problems, asking questions, and finding solutions are skills I’ve been developing for years. The key is focusing on the big picture and breaking the process down into manageable chunks. Emboldened by our new sense of direction, my brother and I created a map depicting each path. We decided on four main components to achieve escape: an address number and name, two sections of a vault number, and a key. When we ran out of ideas, we scoured the house for inspiration. My mom’s old record player and our little brother’s toy safe. A basket of Beanie Babies and broken Taekwondo boards from 2011. What appeared to be a hodgepodge of junk gathered in the guest bedroom of our home was the first step in achieving what previously seemed unattainable. As final exams came and went, and summer volunteering and internships began, our progress slowed. Even with a solid plan and a good start, other priorities suddenly arose and prospects for completing the room weren’t looking good. Obviously, academics and extracurricular activities are important, and I devote hours a week to work and community service. However, those are not the only aspects of my life. I have always taken pride in my ability to make time for what matters to me – from family and friends to pursuing my education and working toward social justice – and I was determined to see this through to the end. We included everything from a hint in the record player music to a clue sewn into a stuffed animal. An additional challenge was including tasks that would be intriguing for the various members involved, both our parents and grandparents. With a reversible Hindi code for my grandparents and a Harry Potter trivia quiz for my parents, our Escape Room was the product of every farfetched idea and hour of work of the past several weeks. My family escaped with a minute to spare, while my brother and I experienced the joy of bringing homemade happiness to our loved ones’ lives.

Study of Brand and Brand Valuation Methods The WritePass Journal

Study of Brand and Brand Valuation Methods Introduction Study of Brand and Brand Valuation Methods Introduction  Organisation Background  Rationale for the Chosen TopicStatement of the Problem in Valuing BrandsResearch QuestionsObjectives of the DissertationLiterature ReviewWhat Is A Brand?What is Goodwill?What is Brand Equity?The Development of Brand Valuation:Brand Valuation Methods   Research Methodology, Data Collection Methods and Data AnalysisDesk Research  ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS:ReferencesManuchehr Shahrokhi, Professor of Finance, Department of Finance, Craig School of Business, California State University-Fresno, California, USABibliographyRelated Introduction A company’s brand image (Goodwill) or brand valuation plays a vital role in the modern business world. This has lead to the valuation of brands, which was quite unheard of in previous decades.   In this dissertation I attempt to analyse and understand various brand valuation methods, its merits and the way it’s represented using the different accounting policies and / or methods across the various accounting bodies worldwide.   The main objective of the dissertation is to understand various valuation model that will abide the various accounting bodies as well as satisfy the individual country’s rules and regulations. The roots of branding is evident in ancient civilisations and some study shows even before Birth of Christ and this   is evident from archaeological excavations in which we can find certain symbols or markings in pottery, coins and Arts. It was not until the 12th century trademarks were used to identify each manufacturer’s goods as well as measure their quality. In other words in the early times, brand names were not only used to distinguish between different goods which are similar but also distinguish their quality (Sudharshan, 1995). The value of a brand is indicated by how much money a company pays in order to acquire them. These may vary from brand to brand, however companies are prepared to pay a good price for top notch brands. For an example Procter and Gamble paid 2.6 times Richardson-Vicks’ book value, Nabisco sold for 3.2 times book value, and General Foods sold for 3.5 times book value (Business Week, 1995). This report will discuss the existing brand valuation methodologies and it’s significance in a company’s decision and require a sound marketing and financial view. Generally the marketing and financial approaches in this matter differ largely and today’s competitive market environment has made these two professions to work together in this regard. Brands are widely viewed as performance measures and important element decision making process. Many large corporate companies’ demands royalties from subsidiaries for using their brand name and this has made authorities such as tax and financial regulators to standardise the process of brand valuation. Brand valuation will be an important criterion to evaluate corporate performances in this century. Investors increasingly demand for greater disclosure of brand valuation and it’s the financial manager’s duty to ensure that such information’s are adequately provided with the investors. This has brought to adopt a standard brand valuation technique / method in company accounts.   Organisation Background This dissertation is not about a specific organisation brand valuation. It aims to cover many blue chip organisations accounting treatments in Brand Valuing. Mainly this study will involve understanding the accounting treatment of accounting bodies and accounting standards etc. The dominant model of branding in the twentieth century was the manufacturer as mega-advertiser. McKinsey (1994) believes that the traditional model of branding is no longer the only way, nor can it dominate in the future. According to Murphy (1990), brand is a complex phenomenon: â€Å"not only it is the actual product, but it is also the unique property of a specific owner and has been developed over time so as to embrace a set of values and attributes both tangible and intangible which meaningfully and appropriately differentiate products which are otherwise very similar.† These changes have prompted today’s business world to put a value into branding and thereby has the created the concept of Brand Equity or Goodwill of a company.   Rationale for the Chosen Topic In realisation of various valuation methods and different accounting bodies treat the Brand values in the Balance Sheet differently at large. This dissertation will answer â€Å"How companies calculate and disclose brand value in financial statements†. Weather researcher will able to identify and develop a proper Brand Valuation formula in this dissertation? Statement of the Problem in Valuing Brands Since the late 1980’s, it has become essential that a company recognises a brand as an intangible assent and as a result include them in their financial statements. The main reason for this was a wave of acquisitions that took place in that era that helped exposes the hidden value in highlys include, Nestlà © buying Rowntree, Danone purchasing Nabisco’s European business and Grand Metropolitan buying Pillsbury. However, accounting bodies throughout the world differ over how brand valuation should be done. The professional bodies have appeared uncertain as how to resolve the issue of brand valuation. It happens because of the lack of understanding and guidance over accounting treatment of brands. Much of the uncertainty associated with brands is regarding the relationship with goodwill and other intangible assets. There is real confusion about the distinction between brands and other assets such as goodwill or trademark. This difficulty leads to further problems when deciding how to measure and report them in financial statements. Research Questions In order to compile a report on Brand Valuation Methods I intent to find answers to the following research questions: What constitute Brand and Brand Equity? What are the problems in valuing a Brand? What are the available Brand Valuation methods? How does USA, UK and Indian Chartered Accounting Bodies value Brand? What is an acceptable and harmonized Brand Valuation model? Objectives of the Dissertation To understand the significance of Brands and how they have developed from time to time. To understand the Brand Equity Concept Different Valuation Methods in Valuing a Brand. To understand the Marketing and Finance perspectives of brand equity and how it will be presented and integrated, and their interrelationships in an Organisation. To analyse 4 financial accounts of large Blue Chip companies and their treatment as Intangible assets in the Accounts Literature Review What Is A Brand? â€Å"If this business were to be split up, I would be glad to take the brands, trademarks and goodwill and you could have all the bricks and mortar and I would   fare better than you†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (John Stuart, Former Chairman of Quaker Oats Ltd) This statement of John Stuart emphasise the importance of the brand. In other words a â€Å"name, term, sign, symbol, or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competition† is categorised as a Brand. Furthermore, a Brand also helps to create awareness, reputation, prominence, and more in the marketplace. What is Goodwill? Goodwill in financial statements arises when a company is purchased for more than the fair value of the identifiable assets of the company. The difference between the purchase price and the sum of the fair value of the net assets is by definition the value of the goodwill of the purchased company. The acquiring company must recognize goodwill as an asset in its financial statements and present it as a separate line item on the balance sheet, according to the current purchase accounting method. In this sense, goodwill serves as the balancing sum that allows one firm to provide accounting information regarding its purchase of another firm for a price substantially different from its book value. Goodwill can be negative, arising where the net assets at the date of acquisition, fairly valued, exceed the cost of acquisition. Negative goodwill is recognized as a liability. For example, a software company may have net assets (consisting primarily of miscellaneous equipment, and assuming no debt) valued at $1 million, but the companys overall value (including brand, customers, intellectual capital) is valued at $10 million. Anybody buying that company would book $10 million in total assets acquired, comprising $1 million physical assets, and $9 million in goodwill. Goodwill has no predetermined value prior to the acquisition; its magnitude depends on the two other variables by definition. What is Brand Equity? The goal of the brand leadership point is to create strong brands – but what is a strong brand? In Managing Brand Equity, brand equity is defined as the brand assets (or liabilities) linked to a brand’s name and symbol that add to (or subtract from) a product or service. These assets can be grouped into four dimensions: brand awareness, perceived quality, brand associations, and brand loyalty. These four dimensions guide brand development management and measurement. Brands are a key element, along with other intangibles such as intellectual property and staff skills and commitment. Often 40-75% of a company’s assets may be attributed to brands [Goodchild and Callow, 2001] Despite the above facts the Chartered Institute of Marketing 2003 state â€Å"Brands are emotive and you can’t measure emotion.† â€Å"The financial value of a brand is not interesting on its own; it’s what we can do to grow it that makes it interesting. The process of benchmarking a brand’s value involves understanding where that brand value comes from and supporting those areas to grow the strength of the brand.† [Shailendra Kumar, Future Brand, 2001] The Development of Brand Valuation: The technical knowledge of Chartered Accountants and accounting firms in valuing business valuations and applying discount rate, depreciation rates, appropriate tax rates etc was not developed in valuing a company Brand by accounting profession until recent time. This was mainly due to the fact that financial professionals lack commercial experience and to fully appreciate and understand how brands operate from the perspective of consumers and markets and retail distribution in a competitive context. This was an essential part in valuing a brand and without understanding the real valuation process any future predictions of the same will be no use because this valuation process will be carried out only by assumptions. And as a direct consequences provide no genuine benefit to business or investors alike. Despite the above fact, brand valuation methodologies have been developed and adopted in valuing brands recently and are now viewed as important business tool.   Only now, brand valuation and intangible asset valuation are given it’s importance after being taken seriously mostly due to USA financial reporting standards requiring acquired intangibles which can be separately identified and have separate economic lives to be valued and put on the balance sheet. International accounting standards will require UK (and other countries adopting IAS’s) public companies to do the same and this will be effective from January’2005. Additionally these intangibles require annual impairment testing to make sure their values have not been diminished. If they diminish in value then a write off to the profit and loss account is required. For example under new accounting standards AOL Time warner has written off $54 billion dollars. (AOL 2007 Annual Accounts) In the UK and Australia, accounting rules require companies to write off the goodwill obtained through acquisitions. The rules have often resulted in sizeable losses for acquiring companies in the year of acquisition. This happened because under these rules, the money paid in an acquisition over and above the fair value of identifiable assets is viewed as money lost without a compensating asset being acquired. However, this principle drew protests from a lot of UK companies. Those companies protested by capitalizing their acquired brands and arguing that they were not goodwill but identifiable assets. Some of the companies have gone further by capitalizing not only â€Å"acquired† brands but also the â€Å"home-grown† brands such as Cadbury. Brand Valuation Methods There are three methods for charging price premium on a branded product a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cost Method – On this method, the current value for historical expenses when creating a brand. b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Market Method This approach looks into the transactions of brand. c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Income Method In this approach, two methods are used to calculate the premium value: Discounted Cash Flow model Excess Earnings method.   Research Methodology, Data Collection Methods and Data Analysis In order to compile this dissertation, a Case Study/Desk Research based methodology has been used. Various company financial accounts have been verified with particular attent Primary data will consist information interviews, questionnaires etc. An in depth interview with a Brand Consultant is planned and interview will be conducted with Financial and Marketing Consultants of an Organisation. Secondary data will include data collection from annual reports, books, journals, articles and websites which give us an insight of how the companies have evolved from time to time and how did the company manage to build the brand and what strategies have they used in valuing a brand.   Both quantitative and qualitative data will be using in this research. Case studies the case studies will consist of a detailed study about various companies Brand Valuation Methods and the company from its beginning stage to the stage which it has attained now from the Desk Research. Analysis:   The various valuation methods will be explore and critically analysed in order to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each methods. Further how a Brand valued during Economy Boom had valuation done in Economy Recession period especially weather the Brand has been devalued to reflect the true picture. Apart from it this section also emphasizes on how the company attained this stage and about the competitive advantage and core competencies have bought them to this level. These analyses are undertaken with the help of the secondary and primary data. Desk Research Desk Research is the name given to finding published information which can include company Annual Reports, Financial details, Experts reports, Research Reports, Market statistics or comments and information about the issues in a marketplace. (Wikipedia   15.03.2011).With the widespread adoption of the Internet, use of published information (desk research) to scope a market is becoming increasingly common as a means of carrying out Market Researches. Traditionally using desk research to find information about potential customers, competitors and intermediaries in markets has been a time intensive process, often carried out on an on-going basis to cope with the slow delivery of paper-based material. With the Internet, vast seas of information have opened up electronically making desk research a practical tool for research, particularly in dynamic markets where data is quickly out of date. In this report the internet will play a vital part especially the Google search engine and the various sources of electronic journals since this published report stand as a verification source to the researchers Primary Research and various in-depth knowledge about the subject were explored. This is one of the major disadvantages of Desktop Research. Too much of information can easily distract and deviate the Research Objectives   ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS: Research ethics relates to questions about how we formulate and clarify our research topic, the data collection and processing method and how we report our research findings in a moral and responsible way.   The appropriateness of a researcher’s behaviour in relation to the rights of those who become subject of their work or are affected by their work is referred to as research ethics (Saunders et al, 2007). Although all research methods have specific ethical issues associated with them, qualitative research is likely to have a greater range of ethical concerns compared to quantitative research. Most of the data that will be used in conducting this research will be quantitative data. The quantitative information’s are readily and publicly available without any form of moral or ethical intrusion.   Time Scale   TIMETABLE OF WORK               Week 1 – 2 Discussion with Supervisor about the direction and obtaining guidance Week 3 – 5 : Desk Top Research on Brand Valuation Models Week 6 – 8   Literature review on Branding and Study on IAS – Brand / Goodwill Week 9 11: Collecting Financial Data of 4 Blue Chip Company and its treatment on Balance sheet. Week 12 – 14: Organising interview with Financial controller of Large blue company’s view on Brand Valuation method. Week 15 16: Analyse the Collection of data and interview notes. Week 17 – 18 : Develop a Brand Value Model Week 19 – 21   : Finalising the Report Week 22 :   Binding and Submission of Report References Aaker, D.A. (1997), Should you take your brand to where the action is?, Harvard Business Review, . Aaker, D.A. (1996a), Measuring brand equity across products and markets, California Management Review, Vol. 38 No.3, pp.102-20. Aaker David A (1991), ‘Managing Brand Equity’, p.15, NY Free Press Allen, D. (1990), Creating value, the financial management of brands, in â€Å"Report of the committee on cost, profitability, for marketing† (Eds), Accounting Review, Supplement, Vol. 47 pp.575-615. Blackston, M. (1995), The qualitative dimension of brand equity, Journal of Advertising Research, pp.RC2. Bhattacharyya, D. K., (2003) Research Methodology, Anurag Jain for Excel Books, India. Cravens, K.S., Guilding, C. (1999), Strategic brand valuation: a cross-functional perspective, Business Horizons, Vol. 42 No.4, . Gill, H. (1995), Broad definition on brand and asset, Management Accounting Journal, . Kevin Lane Keller Strategic Brand Management (2006), 2nd Edition Kapferer, J.N. (1992), Strategic Brand Management: New Approaches to Creating and Evaluating Brand Equity, The Free Press, New York, NY., Manuchehr Shahrokhi, Professor of Finance, Department of Finance, Craig School of Business, California State University-Fresno, California, USA Mukherjee, D N (Nov –Dec, 1998), ‘Managing Intangible Assets’, Business World, p.772. Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong: Principles of Marketing, Tenth Edition, Prentice Hall Zeff and Dharan, 1997 Readings and Notes on Financial Accounting Websites Brand Management www.brand.com (April 2011) Brand Finance Plc – www.brandfinance.com (April 2011) Wikipedia – www.wikipedia.com (April 2011) Bibliography John Murphy, 1990,   â€Å"Brand Valuation† Simon, C.J., Sullivan, M.W. (1993), The measurement and determinants of brand equity: a financial approach,

UK Economy as the Seventh Largest Economy Worldwide When Measured Essay

UK Economy as the Seventh Largest Economy Worldwide When Measured Using the GDP and the Eighth Largest Worldwide When Measured Using the Purchasing Power Parity - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the UK economy ranks the seventh largest economy worldwide when measured using the GDP, while it ranks the eighth largest worldwide when measured using the purchasing power parity. During the 18th century, UK was the first country worldwide to industrialize, hence contributing positively towards the world economy in the 19th century especially through employment. Consequently, unemployment refers to the rate at which people within a given economy are willing and able to work but cannot find a job because of the prevailing situations. In the UK, the section of the population that is not willing or unable to work based on varied reasons does not count towards unemployment. This is because they are economically inactive and may not participate in processes that focus on improving the economic conditions. However, it is true that when a given country has an elevated level of unemployment, such country is not utilizing the available resourc es as expected. Unemployment significantly influences the social cost of the affected country because persons with familial commitments may have trouble trying to meet their responsibilities. This is based on the dependency ratio, which may be high. Â  However, unemployment can cause boredom and rejection, thus increasing social problems in the society. In addition, unemployment can result in increased criminal activities in the society. Interestingly, suicide rates and poor health among individuals may also rise. The UK unemployment influences both the economy and societal history of the country. During the 1950s and 1960s, the UK experienced low rates of unemployment. This is because the service members who participated in the Second World War got full employment as a reward for their victory. However, the rate of unemployment in the UK remained low until 2005 when it started to increase.

Business Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Research Paper - Essay Example METHODOLOGY †¦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‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.7 4.0 Research Design†¦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‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.8 4.1 Study Area and target group†¦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‚¬ ¦8 4.2 Sampling techniques and Sample size†¦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‚¬ ¦8 4.3 Research Instruments†¦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‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.8 4.4 Limitations of the Research†¦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‚¬ ¦9 5. SPECIFICATION OF HY POTHESIS AND OBJECTIVES 5.0 Hypothesis†¦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‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..9 5.1 Objectives†¦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‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 REFERENCES†¦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‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 1. INTRODUCTION The major purpose of the study is to examine the effects of an effective and efficient management on the performance of an organization. The leaders of an organization have a major impact on the organization depending on how they perform their functions. The management of an organization performs different functions and thus, the success of the organization greatly depends on the manner in which the duties are performed (Drucker & Maciariello,  2008, 30) Therefore, the objective of the study is to find the major impacts that an effective management would have on the overall performance of an organization. The study seeks to find the extent of increase in production of an organization when then the management improves its performance. The foremost reason as to why I chose the topic is because; I would want to assess the major factors that determine the success of an organization. In addition, I would also like to find out how the performance of an organization can be improved and made effective. The topic also interests me since; it affects a variety of individuals and businesses in the economic world. Thus, such a research would be very useful to many parties in the business market. Many business organizations would definitely want to ensure the management of their businesses is effective in order to ensure that they reap the accruing benefits. 2. LIT ERATURE REVIEW 2.0 Introduction This chapter focuses and concentrates on previous studies conducted in regard to the effects of effective management on the performance of an organization. The issue of management’s effectiveness is very crucial to the organization’s performance and thus, many scholars have conducted different studies concerning the issue. 2.1 Critical Literature Studies have shown that when there is effective management in an organization, there will also be effective planning. On the other hand, effective planning in an organization ensures that there is a smooth flow of activities and operations. Thus, the organization is likely to accomplish most of its objectives (Anthony & Anthony,  2008, 34). The management of an organization also has a function of co-coordinating operations in the departments. Thus, when there is effective management in the company, there will also