Writing Tips Example Press Release

Writing Tips Example Press Release Example Press Release (Writing Tips) We’ve previously offered a few tips on writing a press release, including: Start with an eye-catching headline. Tailor your press release to match your business goals. Include stats, photos, and/or quotes that journalists can use. Pick the perfect time to send your press release. In this post, though, we’re going to show you how this works in practice. We’ll do this by presenting an example press release, plus a quick breakdown of how it fulfills each of the points above. An Example Press Release Proofed Launches Pioneering Punctuation Podcast Launching February 2, 2019, the Proofed Punctuation Pod will cover everything from periods to parentheses for newcomers and experts alike. New York, January 31, 2019 – Acclaimed proofreading company Proofed is launching a new podcast about punctuation. This will be the first professional podcast dedicated entirely to this topic, offering both helpful explainers and in-depth conversation on punctuation issues. The podcast will be hosted by Mia Armitage, who has worked as a proofreader for over a decade, including three years with Proofed. Mia will be joined by a series of guest presenters, each of whom will discuss a favorite punctuation mark or an issue that interests them. Nielsen statistics show that 44% of the US population has listened to a podcast, while 26% listen to at least one podcast every month. This format therefore presents a great opportunity to engage people with punctuation in new, entertaining ways. According to Proofed CEO Bertrand McClain, â€Å"Punctuation can seem like a dry topic, especially to read about. But a podcast lets us present those issues as a lively conversation, offering a listener-friendly way to join the debate.† Mia, meanwhile, is excited to present the podcast. â€Å"I was thrilled to be asked,† she says. â€Å"I have a passion for punctuation, so talking with so many clever people and sharing my love of language is a dream come true. Even I was surprised by how controversial punctuation can be sometimes. But you’ll hear that for yourself in episode one, I promise!† The first episode, available February 2, via iTunes and the Proofed website, will feature Dr. Henry Jones, who has strong feelings about the serial comma. For more information on the podcast and upcoming guests, contact Sheryl Rook at [emailprotected] Analyzing the Example Okay, so you’ve seen our example press release. But can you spot how it works? Key factors include: The headline is punchy and alliterative to make it memorable, but we also have a subtitle to provide extra information. The aim of the press release is to let people know about the new podcast. As such, we’ve included key details about where and when people can hear it. We’ve included stats and quotes that journalists can excerpt. The date of release is set for a few days before the podcast launch. This will ensure that it goes out at the most relevant time to attract listeners. So our press release is simple, but it ticks all the right boxes! And to make sure your press releases are perfect, don’t forget that proofreading is vital.

Implications of Copernicanism essays

Implications of Copernicanism essays The full implications of Copernicanism could be considered to have only emerged within the last century, sustained by the arrival of Quantum Mechanics and the breakdown of religious, political and ideological eschatology. Its principles can be seen to lead directly to the homogeneous and isotropic Friedmann cosmological models, successful in predicting the existence and spectrum of cosmic microwave background radiation. However, despite the later successful nature of the Copernican model, the papal authorities only permitted the astronomer Joseph Settle in 1820 to declare that cosmological motion was such that the Earth and other planets rotated about the Sun. This principle of astronomy was an apex of Copernicus proposals in the sixteenth century, and so it is interesting to consider why acceptance of his claims about the Universe was not widespread for nearly three hundred years. The eventual acknowledgement of a heliocentric Universe represented a paradigm shift away from the wide ly accepted Ptolemaic system wherein the Universe was geocentric, with the planets and stars orbiting in a symmetric and circular manner. Gott wrote, The Copernican revolution taught us it was a mistake to assume, without sufficient reason, that we occupy a privileged position in the Universe, and it would seem that this, alongside an understanding of the Aristotelian philosophy, may contribute toward an explanation of the reluctance of those living in the sixteenth century, to accept Copernicus ideas. More generally, it seems the purports of Copernicus writings challenge four principal and interrelated cornerstones of sixteenth century religion, philosophy and authority. With consideration of the Churchs power and influence during the period, it is also important to examine the strict enforcement of religious decrees as evidenced by the Counter-Reformation and Galileos later trial. Of paramount significance is ...

Paper on Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Paper on Speech - Essay Example I informed her the abstracts of these videos and shared to her the links so she can view them. She confirmed that the nationality of those people featured in the Chicken a la Carte film is Filipinos from the Philippines. As she herself is a Filipino, she confirmed that these incidents really happen in their country. There was even featured news commentary that previously broadcasted the situation in their national television. We both agreed that the situation was indeed very sad and heavy to reflect on. The issues presented on the Miniature Earth confirmed the inequality experienced by peoples around the globe in terms of economic wealth and human rights. However, the sorry state of global inequality has been known for decades but not one government has enacted laws and legislations to improve the welfare of mankind. Even international organizations fail to address critical concerns of social poverty, economic inequalities, human injustice, racisms, chronic and epidemic illnesses, and environmental destruction, among others. Even the most developed countries in the world contain issues of poverty, unequal distribution of economic wealth, and violations of human rights. Their governments remain to shift their priorities to military weapons and expenditures rather than focusing on developmental assistance promoting education, good health, food production, and prevention of diseases. Emily even shed tears when she saw the short film presentation. She agreed on the contentions presented and mentioned that more and more governments all over the world have shifted their agenda towards enriching their own selfish interests and turning their backs on the more pressing and obvious dilemmas on inequality and poverty that pervades human life. Further, she said that parents must train their children to be more appreciative of what they have. The little things that each and every family could do to assist in improving the plight of human welfare must be done to

Discussion Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Discussion Board - Essay Example They not only bring with them terror for the common citizens but also introduce a huge dust of alcohol, abuse of drugs and many other forbidden things in the society. The future generation should be made to stay away from this peril as much as possible. Studies show that these young people are those who are at frenzy with their home and family or else the ones who do not have any one to look after them in their childhood and teenage years. They have an inferiority complex attached with their souls, which they very dearly want to get rid of. The crimes give them pleasure for certain time duration and heal their wounds but actually these never leave a lasting impression on their personality, rather they become more evil and bad. These youth sometimes, are the young black and brown fatherless ones who live within the inner streets of our cities who do not have any mentors, ministers or monitors to look after their needs and wishes. They are the ones who feel left out and think of themselves as nothing more than an ordinary piece of crap for the whole society and human era. Poverty and lack of education in their lives make them the most vulnerable amongst all human populations of any country or for that matter, the world. The organizations, not really the ones that are famous and well known, are also involved in organizing crimes, which are exploiting the younger generation of today. These create networks between their different branches and then go about performing their so-called duties to the society in a negative fashion. Mafias, gangs, triads and many more are just a few to be named as the well-set organizations in today’s world who are organizing crimes, hiring people for the same and then committing the evil through these people, mostly involving the youth. These organizations are also quite diligent in spreading the use of drugs and alcohols in the young blood. They operate in a secret capacity and can’t be easily tracked down by law

Sales Ethics Is an Oxymoron Essay Example for Free

Sales Ethics Is an Oxymoron Essay Conversely, Sales management ethics is the specific component of business ethics that deals with ethically managing the sales function as sales manager’s priorities is to supervise the relationship bonded between the customer and a salesperson by ensuring that the relationship between the customer and salesperson is an honest one. Making the right decision can be very difficult for instance a majority of people would agree that honesty is an important ethical principle. Take in consideration an honest salesperson that have to meet ends of a looming end of month quota and is required to close one big deal to avoid falling short of the number. Will that salesperson fall short or will he or she undertake measures which may be unethical to reach those numbers. Sales Ethics provide aid in helping to shape a beneficial outcome for the concerning parties and stakeholders. Are salespeople more unethical than anyone else? It is proven that Sales managers and salespeople are not more likely to engage in unethical practices than are people with other marketing and management jobs. In reference to (Gene R. Laczniak and Patrick E. Murphy) significant questions are needed to be answered before taking action: is it legal? Will it infringe any regulations or laws enforced by the organisation? Does it contradict moral obligations that are specific to a certain organisation body? It is not always simple to act ethical and to oblige with the regulations denoted by the organisation. ‘It is possible to teach ethics and ethical behaviour; however can these be learnt and be easily enforced within an organisation? ’ You either are or are not (Isnt Business Ethics an Oxymoron? 2008) Hence, some agree that sales ethics is an oxymoron. Acting ethical can be extremely expensive; one of an organisation’s main goals is to maximise profits; if they do not meet breakeven equilibrium point whereby profits equal to costs of production; a loss is incurred dispelling them to be unfit to compete in the market. The organisation making a loss would go bankrupt and would have insufficient capital to fund any operational circumstance unless they borrow the capital from banks which can be very risky depending on the organisation’s liquidity. Striving for a 100% in ethical commitment and regulations in order to be valid is impossible to achieve. Another aim of an organisation is to minimise costs as much as possible, acting ethical may increase costs of production creating a challenge for the company as a whole. When Salespeople are poised with the challenges that may seem impossible to achieve, giving up is the first response. On the other hand, it is not negative to strive for perfection in ethical standards; however to demand a 100% can sometimes bring about an opposite; an uncharted cause of actions that may apply pressure on the employees and stakeholders which may result in a destructive consequence. Additionally; research conveyed that age is positively related to ethical behaviour among sales managers; older sales managers tend to make more ethical decisions and relatively high levels of relativism are associated with less ethical decision making among sales managers. Relativism demonstrates the process whereby an individual reaches moral decisions based on their actions they view to be acceptable when they provided a particular scenario. On the other hand, relatively high levels of idealism are associated with a lower likelihood of hiring a controversial job candidate. Idealism conveys a set of principles where individuals determine morality; a set of standards expected to be abided by with no exceptions or excuses. This is an example of moral philosophy; which deals with systematic methods whereby individuals recognize and resolve decisions having moral content (Hair, J. F, Anderson, R. A, Mehta, R, and Babin, B. J. ) Businesses strive for perfection, an impossible standard which the organisation can only work towards but can never achieve; hence this is the perception viewers may argue upon business ethics being an oxymoron. Conversely; Sales ethics is not an oxymoron because perfection is the impossible to achieve; that doesn’t mean organisations should give up; instead they should strive for the best possible solutions to the obstacles encountered. ‘These solutions aren’t always perfect, but they often represent the best we can achieve. ’ (Johannes, B. 2002) It can be difficult to apply business ethics but nobody and no organisation is perfect; striving to achieve a higher level is the best perception organisations can enact in order to reach several goals set by the organisation. One of the most important stakeholders of sales is the customers. ‘The first sale is always the hardest’ claims (Hair, J. F, Anderson, R. A, Mehta, R, and Babin, B. J. ) if sales people do not sell their product or good, they cannot earn the income to source the needs they require such as shelter, food and water. Therefore the relationship established between the customer and the sales person is vital to the organisation’s employee and employers as a whole. This is where a boundary spanner is introduced; someone to perform his or her job in the boundary between a company and a customer. The salespeople represent the company to the customer and the customer of the company. The sales managers have a unique role in maintain an ethical work and sales climate as it is their duty to make sure morally corrupt individuals are not employed by the firm to put a check on any system providing an incentive for immoral behaviour and are also responsible for the way the firm’s sales force treats its customers. And most importantly; to comply with the sales ethics and standards expected by the organisation. Therefore it is essential to classify the linkage between the customer and organisational company because when making a sale to the customer as they hold certain rights and when there has been a violation of these rights; customers are entitled to claim damages because ‘Customer is always right’ Firstly, customer Vulnerability denotes a fact when customers are at some sort of disadvantage to the company. These include: Ignorance (lack of some vital knowledge, product knowledge, needed to participate in a fair exchange) Naivete (lack of experience or the ability to conduct a transaction or negotiate terms of fair deal) Powerlessness (a lack of either competition within a marketplace or sufficient assets with which to be persuasive) (Hair, J. F, Anderson, R. A, Mehta, R, and Babin, B. J. ) Customers have the right to information and should not be provided with the disadvantages posed by the sales department because this is a breach of sales ethical standards. Consequently, standards conveyed by the company must be enforced and clear to all the stakeholders and the company itself. A code of ethics must be established and enforced within the company; Code of Ethics expresses the values of a firm by specifying in writing specific behaviours that are consistent or inconsistent with those values. These codes must not only be adopted, they must embody the values truly epitomized by the top management sector (Rastogi, Aseem). There are 4 basic types of code of ethics: Company code that defines the ethical boundaries for employees. Professional codes that define ethical boundaries for occupational groups such as advertisers, marketing researchers, sales representatives, doctors, lawyers, accountants. Business association codes that define ethical boundaries for people engage in the same line of business; examples include codes established by direct selling association of America and by the American Association of Advertising Agencies; advisory group codes implemented by the government agencies and other special interest groups for aid purposes. Codes often list employee behaviours that the firm does not condone or accept. Each industry is confronted with somewhat unique ethical situations. Therefore it is extremely important to create an Ethical Work Climate which demonstrates the way employees perceive the organisation culture along with the significant code of ethics. Culture also plays a major role whereby when culture is very strong, employees will tend to share the same perceptions, on the other hand, when a culture is not as strong or identifiable, perceptions may vary considerably from one employee to another. The organisational climate, specifically it’s the way employee’s view their work environment on moral dimensions is extremely significant in achieving the set of moral and sales ethical standards expected. Isnt Business Ethics An Oxymoron? Personally I disagree with the statement of sales ethics being an oxymoron because it is unrealistic to impose such an unrealistic standard on businesses or anything else we do. We should examine each and every ethical policy and question ourselves how do we improve from here? Is the current code of ethics adequate enough? How is the training regime like? Are the stakeholders being treated well enough? I do not believe that sales ethics is an oxymoron due to the fact that we are humans. We all make mistakes, everyone is not perfect; however if we strive for excellence; this is the best outcome we can possibly achieve with fantastic results. We need to extract sophisticated methods which may connect the values we seek to the business organisations; that way school of businesses and top companies are able to support the conceptual framework of continuous improvement in sales management; thus increasing effectiveness and efficiency to boost business ractices. Even if the possible seems impossible, giving up is never an option; there is no dishonour in being less than perfect, if everyone was perfect; this world would never have existed; there is always room for improvement and everyone should strive to get better. The answer is inevitably indeed we can always strive for excellence, sales ethics is not any oxymoron, and it’s an opportunity.

The Role of Financial Intermediation in Banking

The Role of Financial Intermediation in Banking Financial intermediaries exist to solve or reduce market imperfections such as differences in preferences of lenders and borrowers, transaction cost, shocks in consumers consumption and asymmetric information. Theories developed to explain how financial intermediaries reduce market imperfection: Asset transformation Transaction cost reduction Liquidity insurance Informational economies of scale and delegated monitoring Asset Transformation Asset transformation is a process performed by financial intermediaries to transform particular types of assets into to others. This is to satisfy the need of borrowers for long term capital and the need of lender for high degree of liquidity in their asset. Financial intermediaries transform the primary securities issued by firms into indirect securities by lenders. They issue liabilities (deposit claims) which are short term, low risk and high liquidity, and use parts of these funds to acquire larger, high risk and illiquid claims. 3 Main Transformations Maturity Transformation As the liabilities of financial intermediaries mature faster than their assets, financial intermediaries mismatch the maturity of the assets will maturity of the liabilities by making long-term loans and fund them by issuing short-term deposit. Size Transformation The amount required by borrowers are much more than the amount made available by lenders. Financial intermediaries will then collect and combine the funders from lenders as required by the borrowers. Liquidity Transformation Financial intermediaries provide financial or secondary claims or loans. Deposits which are held under liabilities of banks balance are low risk and high liquidity, while loans which are held under the assets of banks balance are riskier and illiquid. To hold liabilities and assets of different degree of liquidity, financial intermediaries will diversify their portfolios. More diversification will lower the default probability. Risk Transformation Financial intermediaries must be seen by the lenders as a safe place to make deposits. However, the loans made by the intermediaries to the borrower bear some default risk. Therefore, financial intermediaries have to transform risk to reconcile the preferences of borrowers and lenders. Firstly, banks use credit scoring to select good borrowers with good repaying loans history to minimize the risk of loss of each loan. Second is to diversify risk by lending to different types of borrowers. Banks try to avoid heavy concentration on an economic activity or on a particular area. They also limit the amount that can be loan out. Example: From 1985-1989, 400 Texan banks failed which are resulted from heavy concentration on their loan portfolio in real estate dependent on the oil businesses. Third is by pooling risks. Variability of losses can be reduced by making loans to many borrowers. Although by making out many loans does not reduce the loss in the portfolio of loans overall, but it increase the bank accuracy of prediction and limits maximum loss for which the intermediaries has to allow. How financial intermediaries reduce transaction costs? Financial intermediaries reduce transaction costs by internalizing them. They make network and information system available to lenders and borrowers. As such, lenders and borrowers do not have to find a suitable counterpart each time they want to make a transaction with the other party. Financial intermediaries also provide standardized products which help to reduce the information cost related with scrutinizing individual financial instruments. They also use tested procedures and routines. Theory of transaction costs Economies of scale refer to the transaction costs per dollar of output is reduced as the number of financial transactions increase. Example: When using loan contract for many loans, the unit cost of a contract per loan is lower than a loan contract drawn up individually when undertaking direct lending. Economies of cost refer to the cost of producing at least 2 products together is lower that producing them individually. It is concerned with deposit and payment services, because deposits are legal financial claims which allow banks to collect funds to sustain their lending activities and satisfy the request of making payments. Expertise They developed expertise to lower transaction cost. Financial intermediaries such as banks and mutual funds develop in information technology such as ATM to provide liquidity service. Asymmetric Information Adverse Selection It arises when borrowers who are likely to produce undesirable results are the one who are actively seeking loans, because they know that they are unlikely to pay it back. Adverse selection increases the probability that the loan might become a bad credit risk. Hence, lenders may decide not to loan out, even when there is good credit risk. Moral Hazard It is the risk that occurs after the transaction has been made. It is the risk that the borrower may engage in activities which is undesirable from the lenders point of view because there a likelihood that the loan will not be repaid. Therefore, lenders may decide not to make loan. How adverse selection influence financial structure? Equity Market When borrower wanted to make investment and yet is unable to distinguish between good and bad firms, he is only willing to pay the price the price that reflects the average quality of firms. However, the firms have more information than the investors and will know the quality of the projects. Good firms will not be willing to sell the securities because they know that their securities are undervalued. Only bad firms are willing to sell their securities at the average price because the price is higher than the value of bad firms securities. However, investors may not want to buy securities from bad firms and end up decides not to buy any. Bond Market A potential investor will only be willing to buy a bond if the interest rate is high enough to compensate him the average default risk between the good and bad firms. Good firms will not want to borrow funds because they know that they are less risk adverse and should not pay an interest that is higher than what they originally should pay for. Only bad firms are willing to pay for such interest rate. However, investor does not wish to buy bond from bad firms. Subsequently, there will be fewer bonds sold in the markets. Tool used which helps to reduce or solve adverse selection problems Private production and sales of information Government regulation to increase information Financial intermediaries Private companies such as Standard and Poors, Moodys and Value Line gather firms financial position and investment activities, and sell them to potential investor. Such information will help investors in making more accurate investment decisions. However, this does not completely solve the asymmetric problem because of the free-rider problem. The free-rider problem occurs when individual who do not pay for the information take advantage of the information of which others has paid for. An investor who has paid for the information knows which the are good firms. He decides to buy securities of good firms that are undervalued. The free-riding investors observe which securities is the investor who paid for information is buying, will buy the same securities. This leads to increase in demand of the securities and soon the price of that security will increase to reflect the true value. As a result, because of these free-riders, the investors who bought the information will not benefit. As such, he will realize that he should not buy the information in the first place. If other investors also realize this, private companies may not be able to make enough profit from producing the information, and less information is produced in the market and so adverse selection will interfere with the efficient function of securities markets. Government regulation to increase information Government could regulate financial markets to ensure that firms disclose all information so that investors could distinguish between good firms and bad firms. In United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is the government agency that requires firm selling securities to be certified in adhering to standard accounting principles and disclose honest information about their sales, assets and earnings. But, government intervention on disclosing information does not solve adverse selection completely because accounting principles can be manipulated. Also bad firms can slant information which is required to transmit public to make them look like good firms. By doing so, they can get higher price for their securities. Thus, investors will have problem again to identify which firms are the good ones. Financial intermediaries Financial intermediaries such as banks have developed expertise in the production of information so that they can evaluate the quality of firms better. Banks produce information through the transactions on the borrowers bank accounts. From the transactions, banks will be able to determine the suitability of credit and ability to repay the loan. Banks then acquire funds from depositors and lend them to good firms. By lending the money to good firms, banks will be able to earn a higher return than they pay to depositors. Banks will then earn profit and can continue in producing information. Also, banks can make profit because it can avoid free-rider problem. They make private loans which are not traded in open markets. As such, other investors cannot follow what the bank did and bid the price of loan where the bank does not get any gain for the information it produces. Fact: Banks are important to developing countries. When banks produce information, the problem on asymmetric problem is less severe, and it will be easier for firms to issue securities. Information in developing countries is difficult to get as compared to developed countries. Therefore, banks have to play the role in producing information. Collateral Collateral which is property that promised to the lender if the lender default, reduces the adverse selection problem because it reduces the lender losses if the borrower goes into default. How moral hazard influences financial markets Moral hazard occurs after the transaction takes place. It is the risk that the borrower may engage in risky activities which is undesirable from the lenders point of view, because the loan may be unpaid. Because of the presence of moral hazard problems, firms find it easier to raise fund with debt instruments rather than with equity contracts. Moral hazard in equity contracts Equity contracts subject to a type of moral hazard known as principal-agent problem. In a firm, there are managers and stockholders. Usually, managers and stockholders are different people. Managers are the ones who have more information than the stockholders while the stockholders own most of the firms equity. The separation of ownership and control and with the presence of asymmetric information, managers may act in their own interest rather than the interest of the stockholder because managers have fewer incentives to maximize the profit that the stockholder do. Tools to help reduce/solve moral hazard in equity markets Production of information: monitoring To reduce moral hazard problem, stockholders can engage in the monitoring of the firm activities by auditing the firm frequently and checking on what the management is doing. However, monitoring can be very costly. (Monitoring is a costly state verification). This also explains in parts why equity is not an important element in the financial structure. However, this could also cause free-rider problem. Free-rider problem reduces the moral hazard problem. Because, when stockholder knows that other stockholders are paying for the monitoring activities, he can free ride on their activities. If all stockholders share the same mentality, no stockholders will be willing to pay for the monitoring activities. Government regulation to increase information Governments enforce laws to ensure that firms are adhering to accounting standards which can verify the profit easier, and impose penalties on people who committed fraud in hiding or stealing the profit. However, this measure is not very effective because managers have the incentive to make fraud difficult to be proven. Financial intermediaries active in the equity market An example of financial intermediaries is the venture capital firm which cans helps to reduce moral hazard arising from the principal-agent problem. They use fund of their partners to help entrepreneurs in setting up new businesses. In exchange for the use of funds provided by venture capital firm, venture capital firm get an equity shares in the new business. Because verifying profit is important in eliminating moral hazard, venture capital firms usually insist on having several of their own people to participate in the management of the firm. Also, the equity in the firm cannot be sold to anyone but to the venture capital firm. Therefore, other investors are unable to free-ride on the venture capital firms activities on verifying profit. Debt Contracts Debt contract is a contractual agreement by which the borrower promised to pay lender fixed amount at regular intervals. The amount of profit made by firm will not affect how much will the lender be receiving. Therefore, whether did the managers have been hiding or stealing profit or engaging in activities which do not increase the level of profit earned, it is of no concern to the lenders, so long as the firm is able to make payment. Only when the firm is unable to make payment as promised, then will the lenders have to know how much profit is the firm getting. As such, less monitoring is required for debt contracts and therefore, lowering the cost of state verification. This also explains why debt contracts are used more often than equity contracts to raise funds. The concept of moral hazard explains why stocks are not the most important source of financing for businesses. How moral hazard influences financial structure in debt markets Although debt contracts has lower moral hazard as compared to equity contracts, but debt contracts are still subjected to moral hazard. Because debt contracts only require firms to pay a fixed amount and allow them to keep profit above this amount, firms have an incentive to take on risky investment projects Tools to help reduce/solve moral hazard in debt markets Making debt contract incentive-compatible High net worth makes the debt contract incentive-compatible; it aligns the incentive of the borrower with that of the lender. Firms with higher net worth are more likely to act in the way that are desirable form the lenders point of view, and thus reducing moral hazard problem, and it will be easier for firms to borrow. Monitoring and enforcement of restrictive covenants By introducing restrictive covenants into debt contracts, moral hazard problems are be reduced, as restrictive covenants is a provision which restricts firms activities by either ruling out undesirable behavior or encouraging desirable behavior. There are mainly four types of covenants/ Covenants to discourage undesirable behaviors Such covenants restrict firms to use the debt contracts to finance on fixed assets or inventories. Others may restrict firms to engage in risky activities such as acquiring other businesses. Covenants may also disallow firm to issue new debt or dispose it asset, and may also restrict dividend payments if ratios such as leverage ratio, ratio of debt to equity has up to a certain level. Covenants that encourage desirable behavior Such covenants require the borrower to have a life insurance that pays off the loan upon the death of the borrower. Such covenants may also encourage firms to keep it net worth high because firms with high net worth reduce the moral hazard problem. Hence, it minimizes the chance that the lenders may be making losses. These covenants require firms to maintain minimum holding of asset relative to the size of the firm. Covenant to keep collateral valuable Such covenants encourage borrower to keep the collateral in good condition and it must be in the possession of the borrower. Covenants to provide information Such covenants provide information about its activities periodically in the form of quarterly accounting and income reports. Such covenants may also allow the lender to audit the firms anytime. This explains why debt contracts are complicated legal documents with restrictions on borrowers behavior. Covenants reduce moral hazard but do not eliminate them, as it not difficult to rule out every risky activity. Also, to ensure that firms are complying with the covenants, monitoring must be enforced. However, monitoring is very costly. Investors may free-ride on the monitoring activities undertaken by other investors. Financial intermediaries, particularly banks are able to avoid the free-riders problems

Employment Laws and HRM Strategy Essay

Describe the scenario that you have selected and its corresponding employment laws. The human resource scenario the writer selected is the need for seasonal employees who may be from another country. Employment laws for the state of Mississippi will be a base used to solve this issue. Mississippi Wage and Hour Laws from the Employment Law Handbook insures that seasonal workers are provided with a minimum wage, meals and breaks, vacation, sick leave, severance and holidays. Mississippi currently does not have any state laws requiring or regulating these requests. Mississippi uses federal guidelines as a base for establishing employment laws. The federal law as of today requires a minimum wage of 7.25 dollars. The federal law for overtime is also followed by Mississippi. Meals and breaks according to federal law are not defined. Breaks taken by an employee that are less than twenty minutes must be paid and lunch breaks thirty minutes or more do not need to be paid as long as an employee can do whatever he or she likes during this period according to the Department of Labor. Vacation leave is determined to the employer since Mississippi legislature does not have any established guidelines on this matter. Sick leave, Severance pay and holidays are all determined by an employer in the state of Mississippi due to established laws in this state (Mississippi Wage and Hour Laws, 2012). In August of 2012 Mississippi held a committee meeting on immigration reform. Governor Phil Bryant wanted to reaffirm a law preventing undocumented immigrants from recovering public benefits. The Mississippi Senate will have to take into consideration the United States Supreme Court rulings and federal appeals when drafting Mississippi legislature for immigration laws. The Mississippi state immigration law would have to comply with E-Verify laws and constitutional laws are not violated. President Barack Obama passed a deportation deferral to immigrants earlier this year but states can pass their own immigration reform laws such as Arizona and Alabama (Cherry, 2012). The United States Department of Labor established an act called The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act or (MSPA) in order to protect these types of workers. The act protects employment related migrant and seasonal workers. The MSPA ensures that each nonexempt farm contractor and agricultural seasonal association disclose their terms and conditions of employment to each migrant worker. The terms and conditions of employment must be explained to the migrant and seasonal worker at the time of recruitment (Department of Labor, 2012). The job must description must also explain worker protection, amount of wages due to a migrant worker and provide an itemized statement of earnings and deductions (Department of Labor, 2012). The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act also guide housing and transportation. The federal guide line ensures that housing and transportation provided meets federal and state guidelines with proper licensure and insurance which is enforced by the wage and hour division. The federal guidelines require records must be kept for at least three years which includes name, permanent addresses and social security numbers (Department of Labor, 2012). The Fair Labor Standards Act or (FLSA) requires that workers on large farms are paid minimum wage but they are excluded from overtime premium pay. The FLSA prevents children under the age of sixteen from working during school hours and working certain jobs deemed too dangerous. Children that are employed on their families’ farm are exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (Department of Labor, 2012). The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) require employers that want to use foreign temporary workers with H-2A visas get a labor certificate from the Employment and Training Administration. The certificate ensures that there are not enough able, willing and qualified United State workers available to do the work. The Immigration and Nationality Act standard of the H-2A program is enforced by the wage and hour division (Department of Labor, 2012). Recommend a plan to manage the HRM situation within the confines of the law. Justify your approach to your scenario to HR management. The human resource management plan the writer recommends would be based on performance. Job performance and task performance represents what an employee contributes to an organization that employs them. Migrant workers would benefit from this type of grading system if the work performance is factory based. Task performance is the product of employees performing actions leading to the production of raw materials into goods and services. Studies have been performed to show job performance management provides feedback and measurement improves employee performance leading to better organizational performance (Stewart, Brown, 2011). The writer believes migrant workers may show citizenship behavior. Employees often show citizenship behavior by going the extra mile for the company, volunteering for special projects, following organizational procedures even if they are not convenient for the employee and defending the business where the employee works (Stewart, Brown, 2012). The writer would focus on counterproductive behavior before it starts. Counterproductive behavior is behavior from an employee that is harmful to a business. An employee can exhibit two types of counterproductive behavior: 1) production deviance 2) property deviance occurs when employee sabotage equipment, destroys materials and products and misuse expense accounts. The counterproductive behavior can also be extended to gossiping about coworkers and showing favoritism. The writer would create a manual of policies and procedures explaining how this behavior is prohibited and have disciplinary consequences set in place if this behavior is exhibited. The writer would not use performance appraisals as much. The main goal would be to give feedback to an employee and listen to any problems they may be having. State how a competitive advantage may be gained by ensuring HRM practices meet the necessary employment laws. A competitive advantage can be gained by ensuring human resource strategies are followed. A company must have an employee handbook, benefits package, job descriptions and a payroll system in place to ensure human resource strategies are at an advantage to the company. The steps above can be followed also to keep in compliance with legal employment issues. Laws and regulations are important to ensure equal rights to disabled worker, employment eligibility for migrant workers with the use of an I-9 form, drug screening and work place harassment. A competitive strategy can lead to effective human resource department and a successful business (Managing Employees, 2012). Speculate what might happen if the situation was not handled in accordance with the appropriate employment laws. A business that does not follow employment laws can face state and federal criminal charges. A business can avoid costly law suits by following laws to ensure employees are treated fairly. A company’s compliance can save money that would be used to repair a damaged reputation. Specific laws protect employees from immutable characteristics such as sex, race, age and religion. Characteristics such as tattoos, nose piercings and long hair are not covered by federal and state laws. State laws can set a basis by not discriminating against marital status or sexual orientation and may not conflict with federal laws. The writer speculates that if state and federal discrimination laws are broken a company can face many damaging hardships (Stewart, Brown, 2012). References Cherry, Daniel (2012). Lawmakers Gearing Up for Immigrant Reform Battle Retrieved from http:www.mpbonline.org on November 18, 2012 Stewart, G., Brown, K. (2011). Human resource management (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons Managing Employees (2012). Retrieved from http:www.mississippi.org on November 18, 2012 Mississippi Wage and Hour Laws (2012). Employment Law Handbook, Retrieved from http:www.employmenthandbook.com on November 18, 2012 The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection, (2012) Department of Labor Retrieved from http:www.dol.gov on November 18, 2012

Restoration Essay

The creation of man and woman will always stem from the passage in Genesis, where it all narrates how man came into being with the guidance of woman as well. We are familiar with the story of Adam and Eve, something that will forever be our reference when we are asked how many came to be. God is often referred to as the image and likeness of man. But now, we all ask, what was the hand of woman in this essence and to whom was she likened to? Basically, the answer to this is also God himself. We may all ask how this would be, but the facts are simple. God still guides us to this day, and He can also take the form of a mother as well, guiding us and nurturing our every need. Most of us look up to God for support and ask him for guidance and help, but it has never really occurred to us that He is still the one we turn to in hard times. We say God is good and always there for us, the same way that we consider mothers to turn to in times of needs and moral support. Technically speaking, we are born under his wing, and to this day, all we have to do is just recall how man came to be and from there, figure out the same proceedings when we or how people are given life and born in the world today. II.Compare My Wife to the image of God There is no question that God can be likened to my wife. Always there during hard times and helps bring joy by bearing children for our own family nothing would be possible without having her for my partner. Guiding me as well in both bad and good times, my wife is there for me in whatever the case may be. God is always there for us at all times. We just pray and make sure that He hears us through our prayers. Our partners represent him, acting as co-decision makers to be able to go through the challenges of life, rather than going through them alone. My wife guides our off-springs as well, teaching them the beauties of life and what to expect from the world. III.Compare My Mother to the image of God No one else comes close to becoming a good guardian other than my mother. Without her, I would not even be existing today. She has helped in molding me into what I am today, a success in every way. Her teachings have made me wiser and take on the everyday tasks in the more rational way known today. IV. Compare My Sister to The image of God My sister is currently pregnant, and the proper care for her stature is a must. Expected to bear a child after a few months, this is testimony toward the beauty that life gives in the maternal aspect. Women are the usual bearers of children, creating them with their partners. The beauty and the product of the love of two people would bear fruit in the form of a child. God made man because he loved them and wanted them to carry out His will and make the world a better place not only for man but for everyone. IV. What can you do in nursing to promote and restore God’s image to mother’s that you may encounter in the future. In nursing, the proper care given towards patients and needy people is all that matters. Providing the quality level of care in the health and medical aspect is already a consoling factor in its sense, since it is still life that is being cared for. Trying to comfort them and be of assistance, nursing is no doubt about caring and nurturing people in need of attention and pain. Understanding the whole scenario of why nursing is important today can be attributed to the fact that there are people in the world who are in need of medical assistance. God helps us in mind and mysterious ways, and this is something that attention plays as far as nurses are concerned. Aside from doing the necessary duties to ensure the overall comfort that patients around the world require, lending that helping hand towards the needy people of today is already a large step in the direction of how God wants man to live in this world. Like what most people do, diseases, health issues and sicknesses are abounding in the world today. Trying to help the people plagues in such situations is something that nurses can do well to accommodate and provide service to.

Origins and Symbolism of the German National Flag

Origins and Symbolism of the German National Flag These days, when you come across a larger number of German flags, you are probably running into a bunch of soccer fans or walking through an allot settlement. But as many state flags, also the German one has quite an interesting history. Even though the Federal Republic of Germany wasn’t founded until 1949, the countrys flag, bearing the tricolors black, red, and gold, is actually much older than the year 1949. The flag was created as a symbol of hope for a united state, that didn’t even exist at that time. 1848: A Symbol of Revolution The year 1848 was probably one of the most influential years in European history. It brought revolutions and massive change in many areas of daily and political life all over the continent. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, hopes for a united non-authoritarian German state were quickly disappointed as Austria in the South and Prussia in the North achieved practical domination over the patchwork of dozens of smaller kingdoms and realms that were Germany back then. Shaped by the traumatic experience of French occupation, in the following years, the incrementally educated middle classes, especially the younger people, were appalled by the autocratic rule from the outside. After the German revolution in 1848, the National Assembly in Frankfurt declared the constitution of a new, free, and united Germany. The colors of this country, or rather its people, were to be black, red, and gold. Why Black, Red, and Gold? The tricolor dates back to the Prussian resistance against Napoleonic Rule. A squad of voluntary fighters wore black uniforms with red buttons and golden trimmings. Originating there, the colors were soon used as a symbol of freedom and nation. From 1830 onwards, more and more black, red, and gold flags could be found, even though it was mostly illegal to fly them openly as the people were not allowed to defy their respective rulers. With the beginning of the revolution in 1848, the people took to the flag as the emblem of their cause.   Some Prussian cities were practically painted in its colors. Their inhabitants were fully aware of the fact that this would humiliate the government. The idea behind the use of the flag was, that a united Germany should be constituted by the people: One nation, including all of the different realms and territories. But the high hopes of the revolutionaries didn’t last long. The Frankfurt parliament basically dismantled itself in 1850, Austria and Prussia once more took over effective power. The hard-won constitutions were weakened and the flag was once again forbidden. A Short Return in 1918 The later German Empire under Otto von  Bismarck and the emperors, that did unite Germany after all, chose a different tricolor as its national flag (the Prussian colors black, white and red). After World War I, the Weimar Republic emerged from the rubble. The parliament was trying to set up a democratic constitution and found its ideals represented in the old revolutionary flag of 1848. The democratic values this flag stands for could of course not be tolerated by the National Socialists (die Nationalsozialisten) and after they seized the power, the black, red, and gold was again replaced. Two Versions from 1949 But the old tricolor returned in 1949, twice even. As the Federal Republic and the GDR were formed, they reclaimed the black, red, and gold for their emblems. The Federal Republic clung to the traditional version of the flag while the GDR changed theirs in 1959. Their  new variant bore a hammer and a compass within a ring of rye. It was not until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the reunification of Germany in 1990, that the one national flag of a united Germany should finally be the old symbol of the democratic revolution of 1848. Interesting Fact Like in many other countries, burning the German flag or even trying so, is illegal according to  §90 Strafgesetzbuch (StGB) and can be punished with up to three years in prison or a fine. But you might get away with burning the flags of other countries. In the USA though, the burning of flags isnt illegal per se. What do you think? Should burning or damaging flags be illegal?

Poverty and Inequality in the United States

Poverty and Inequality in the United States Americans are proud of their economic system, believing it provides opportunities for all citizens to have good lives. Their faith is clouded, however, by the fact that poverty persists in many parts of the country. Government anti-poverty efforts have made some progress but have not eradicated the problem. Similarly, periods of strong economic growth, which bring more jobs and higher wages, have helped reduce poverty but have not eliminated it entirely. The federal government defines a minimum amount of income necessary for the basic maintenance of a family of four. This amount may fluctuate depending on the cost of living and the location of the family. In 1998, a family of four with an annual income below $16,530 was classified as living in poverty. The percentage of people living below the poverty level dropped from 22.4 percent in 1959 to 11.4 percent in 1978. But since then, it has fluctuated in a fairly narrow range. In 1998, it stood at 12.7 percent. What is more, the overall figures mask much more severe pockets of poverty. In 1998, more than one-quarter of all African-Americans (26.1 percent) lived in poverty; though distressingly high, that figure did represent an improvement from 1979, when 31 percent of blacks were officially classified as poor, and it was the lowest poverty rate for this group since 1959. Families headed by single mothers are particularly susceptible to poverty. Partly as a result of this phenomenon, almost one in five children (18.9 percent) was poor in 1997. The poverty rate was 36.7 percent among African-American children and 34.4 percent of Hispanic children. Some analysts have suggested that the official poverty figures overstate the real extent of poverty because they measure only cash income and exclude certain government assistance programs such as Food Stamps, health care, and public housing. Others point out, however, that these programs rarely cover all of a familys food or health care needs and that there is a shortage of public housing. Some argue that even families whose incomes are above the official poverty level sometimes go hungry, skimping on food to pay for such things as housing, medical care, and clothing. Still, others point out that people at the poverty level sometimes receive cash income from casual work and in the underground sector of the economy, which is never recorded in official statistics. In any event, it is clear that the American economic system does not apportion its rewards equally. In 1997, the wealthiest one-fifth of American families accounted for 47.2 percent of the nations income, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington-based research organization. In contrast, the poorest one-fifth earned just 4.2 percent of the nations income, and the poorest 40 percent accounted for only 14 percent of income. Despite the generally prosperous American economy as a whole, concerns about inequality continued during the 1980s and 1990s. Increasing global competition threatened workers in many traditional manufacturing industries, and their wages stagnated. At the same time, the federal government edged away from tax policies that sought to favor lower-income families at the expense of wealthier ones, and it also cut spending on a number of domestic social programs intended to help the disadvantaged. Meanwhile, wealthier families reaped most of the gains from the booming stock market. In the late 1990s, there were some signs these patterns were reversing, as wage gains accelerated especially among poorer workers. But at the end of the decade, it was still too early to determine whether this trend would continue. - Next Article: The Growth of Government in the United States This article is adapted from the book Outline of the U.S. Economy by Conte and Carr and has been adapted with permission from the U.S. Department of State.

Three effects of the Industrial Revolution Essay

Three effects of the Industrial Revolution - Essay Example The workers themselves also took certain measures to shield their rights and interests – the most crucial of these measures is the formulation of trade unions. Apart from technological changes, the social system also changed. Prior to the revolution, the people used to live in small villages, and they worked as craftsmen or agricultural worker, and used to do mostly everything by hand. In Britain, three quarters of the population mostly used to live in the countryside and farming was the most prevalent and popular population. However, when Industrial Revolution came into being, everything changed. The revamped laws entailed that the grazing grounds should be fenced at the expense of the owner, this also led to the bankruptcy and unemployment of many of the farm owners. Consequently, there were also many people who were compelled to work at the new factories. This also caused them to migrate to other towns and cities, and as a result, they were closer to their new job. There we re obviously disadvantages associated with this: they made relatively less money for working long hours at a stretch, and the expenses which came with moving to an urban area was an additional burden. Therefore women and children were sent out to work as well because families desperately needed money to get by. It also proved to be beneficial in a way because the factory owners discovered that children were better at picking up things and could be molded more easily to the working conditions. They could also work in the mines and were small and supple enough to extract the coal, making them prospective and ideal candidates for the job (Doyle, 2). However,...There was one result of these conditions that relevant action was undertaken to safeguard the workers, especially women and children from the threats of the factory system. There were also certain laws that were passed concerning the safety standards and measures in factories, the age limit for the youth, and creating schools for those children whose parents worked in the factories, and also other measures for safeguarding the lives of the workers. The workers themselves also took certain measures to shield their rights and interests – the most crucial of these measures is the formulation of trade unions. Apart from technological changes, the social system also changed. Prior to the revolution, the people used to live in small villages, and they worked as craftsmen or agricultural worker, and used to do mostly everything by hand. In Britain, three quarters of the population mostly used to live in the countryside and farming was the most prevalent and popular population. However, when Industrial Revolution came into being, everything changed. The revamped laws entailed that the grazing grounds should be fenced at the expense of the owner, this also led to the bankruptcy and unemployment of many of the farm owners. Therefore women and children were sent out to work as well because families desperately needed money to get by. However, since the workers and children were over-exerting themselves at work, there was very little time for family interaction.

Market Plan Group Project Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Market Plan Group Project - Assignment Example The process of how it cools, and how it warms the food should be well explained (Baaghil, 2010). There should be the product itself. The product description should have its functionality, its purpose and its activities. This is a combo product with two main functions. It is a freezer, as well as an oven. One important feature that makes this combination worth having by the consumer is its ability to warm food at a specific set time. Branding should also consider the perception of the product. This is the overall look and feel from the target audience’s view. Consumers will always consider culture’s trends and tastes when it comes to perceptions of new products. This autocookerator, has the advantage since similar products like it are already in the market. It belongs to the new trend of innovation in home automation; specifically, kitchen automation. This also forms part of the brand identity. It belongs to the automation category of home automation appliances (Baaghil, 2010). Brand position and culture: this product will be placed first after work. After work, most people would think of going back home cooking dinner. Even when in fun clubs or short breaks, people will always think of what to have for dinner. It therefore, seeks to be first after work. This information is very important for advertising; when advertising, the most appropriate time to influence consumers’ thoughts is after work. In the consumer market most manufacturers are building ‘smart’ home appliances. This is done based on market research results with the hope that these appliances will enable interaction with the owners, connection to smartphones, interaction with a repairman, interaction with each other, and even negotiation with the power company over rates. The manufacturers are focused on a more an efficient way of dealing with home appliances. This already development