Nuclear Terrorism Cons & Risks - United States Essay

Nuclear Terrorism Cons & Risks - United States - Essay Example In the eve of Nuclear Security Summit in April 2010, President Barrack Obama pronounced the prospect of nuclear terrorism as the biggest threat to US security in long term, medium term and short term (Michael, 2012). Equally, in the final report of 2011, the Commission reported the threat from terrorists armed with a weapon of mass destruction as the greatest danger faced by America. The Union of Concerned Scientists considers the development of nuclear items as the biggest long-term threat facing the US and International security nowadays. Fenopetov, et.al (2011) noted that the efforts by various countries of the post-soviet space and those extra-regional actors to form an inclusive, cooperative security structure that can deal with new postmodern threats have very little success. Nuclear pose both direct and indirect threats to US security. Direct threats to US security start from the proliferation, nuclear terrorism, unauthorized or inadvertent use and risk of accidents (Below, 2009). The US has several licensed nuclear power reactors that generate a certain percentage of the total energy consumed in the US. The location of several nuclear reactors is near large population centers. Many experts consider US nuclear reactors to be of high-value aim for a terrorist resolute to perpetrate large-scale death and destruction in the United States. A report commissioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) showed security vulnerability associated with the energy system. The report noted that the close location to population centers makes those centers prime candidates for strategic nuclear targeting or conventional bombing. Currently, nuclear proliferation is another pressing threat. Mostly those countries that have differences with the US and its allies are likely to acquire nuclear weapons. In pursuit of their ambitions, countries such as Iran and North Korea have violated the non-proliferation duties and defied the

Find three logical fallacies from the article Essay

Find three logical fallacies from the article - Essay Example The post hoc fallacy claims that ‘after this therefore because of this’. Two events simply following a sequential pattern is not sufficient to prove that the second event took place because of the first one. They are mere coincidences. It is necessary to conduct a controlled study that rules out all other factors that might influence the outcome to establish a casual connection between the events that took place in sequence. However, in the present case, this study does not take place. Straw man fallacy One fallacy that is evident in the article is straw man fallacy. In fact, Straw Man fallacy is the outcome when a person plainly ignores another person’s actual position, and substitutes a distorted, exaggerated or misrepresented version of that position. In the given article, Lott claims that there were many armed attacks in the US when there was ban on carrying guns, and he claims that they might be preventable if the law allowing the public to carry concealed gu ns was enacted. The point that the attacks were not prevented is replaced by Lott with the point that they could be prevented if people had guns. Thus, he justifies his claim that people should be allowed to carry guns.

10 Legal Case briefs Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

10 Legal briefs - Case Study Example 2. Procedural History: The case was first heard in a Chicago court, before being appealed in the Illinois appellate court and later the Illinois Supreme Court. The case was passed further to US Supreme Court for a final determination. 3. Facts: Terminiello, a suspended catholic priest made a speech that was injurious to the personality of certain racial groups in an auditorium if the state of Chicago. this caused a public disturbance which forced the police to arrest him and present him to court. 5. Reasoning: The reasoning applied under this case is that inflammatory speeches and fight words are against the provisions of the first amendment of the US constitution. Therefore, the law does not protect the right of speech which creates anger and dispute. Additionally, the provisions of the amendment are against any speech or words that cause public unrests and disputes. 6. Rule: The trial court ruled that Terminiello was guilty of a breach of peace, because his conduct entailed a breach of public peace and decorum. The both the Appellate and the Supreme courts of Illinois affirmed the ruling. The US Supreme Court ruled that the statute used to charge him was unconstitutional. 7. Holding: the Supreme Court held that the speech made by Terminiello was protected under the first amendment of the US constitution. It also held that the statute applied to convict him by the Chicago trial court was unconstitutional. 8. Dissent: Chief justice Vinson opposed the opinion, observing that the statute applied was suitable for punishing fight words. The same sentiments was echoed by justices Frankfurter and Jackson, who observed that reversing the ruling granted by the trial court and affirmed by both the appellate and the supreme courts of Illinois was a breach of balance of power of the state and the federal courts. 2. Procedural History: The case was first held in a California trial court. The appeal was presented to the

Summary On Current Mnagement Ariticle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary On Current Mnagement Ariticle - Essay Example The classical model of capacity expansion is an example and is applicable in cases of definite demand with constant growth rate. These models assume growth to have a geometric or stochastic trends but Karri’s timing ratio model assumes that demand has a linear but definite growth that allows for determination of optimal capacity expansion time. According to the model, early expansion of potentials leads to surplus potentials while late expansion leads to shortage of potentials. The model for capacity optimization identifies size and fixed costs of the proposed equipment, and unit fixed cost as significant factors. It shows that early project implementation is better under minimal fixed costs, relative to contribution margin. Some of the factors may again be insignificant in the model. With an assumption that an organization’s cost structure is an indicator of its expansion project, timing potentials of entities become comparable. In addition, range for investment timing widens if contribution margin is high and yet fixed costs remain minimal. Timing ratio, under the model, is inversely proportional to timing potential. Testing the model faced the challenge of contents of organizations’ income statements. While contributing margin is significant to determination of the time ratio, some organizations’ income statements do not offer items that are used in computation of the contribution ratio. The contribution margin can however be estimated and this facilitated testing of the timing ratio model. The model and its testing identify theoretical and empirical implications. Ability to compute timing ratio from contribution margin and operating income and difficulty in comparing timing ratios are the implications of the developed information (Karri n.p.). The article relates to the managerial accounting concept of value optimization through minimizing cost and

Marketing Plan for Masters Home Improvement Stores in Australia Assignment

Marketing Plan for Masters Home Improvement Stores in Australia - Assignment Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that the microenvironmental factors comprise of all the elements that are closely linked with the company and has a positive or negative effect on the business operations of the company and hence ultimately has an impact on building relationships with customers and creating value. The various microenvironmental factors comprise of suppliers, marketing intermediaries, public, competitors, and customers. Amongst the above-stated factors two of which would create the major impact on the operations of Master’s Home Improvement are suppliers and competitors. The other factors can be easily managed by the company only when these two selected elements are effectively managed by the company. Suppliers play a very important part in retail business and in such home improvement business the availability of pre-packaged goods as it is offered by Master’s solely depends on the quality level maintained by the suppliers an d even on-time delivery from the suppliers so that the demand of the consumers are met without losing on any customer in such highly competitive market. Master’s also needs to develop very strong relationships with their suppliers and offer them good incentives so that they do not shift to their competitors as that would have a drastic impact on their business operations. In a market where competition is high bargaining power of suppliers is high due to the availability of more number of operations. The Master’s brand is owned by Woolworth limited and has faced a second mover advantage as well as a disadvantage in the retail business. The major competitors of the brand are Bunnings, Mitre 10, and Home Timber and Hardware. The competitors greatly have an impact on an organization such as if the competitors have set attractive prices with innovative product line then it can affect other players who have set higher prices as per the market demand. In the industry that Mas ter’s operates there are well-established players such as Bunnings which causes the company to constantly update its services so as to sustain in the market.

Food Security Essay Example for Free

Food Security Essay As the effort to alleviate poverty and increase food security takes on new dimensions on the backdrop of increasing challenges, asset-based community development has become a key strategy. There has been a shift of focus to individual, communal and institutional asset and the capacity or potential they have in building the capacity of achieving locally defined development (Social Design, 2010). The asset-based community development strategy is based on the principle that including as many people as is possible in a development project increases the probability of the project remaining sustainable even after the experts implementing it leave it under the management of the community. The asset-based community development strategy begins by first acknowledging that the existent poverty and insufficiency in a community cannot be solved by the human, physical and intellectual assets at the disposal of the community (Social Design, 2010). It involves the mobilization of members of the community so that these assets, coupled with external investment, can be effectively utilized to improve the community’s capacity of meeting the developmental challenges that face it. In addition, there needs to be creation of awareness about alternative means of acquiring additional assets and resources. Secondly, asset-based community development should be viewed as complementary to developmental work already in progress within the community; and must be based on the traditions rooted within the community with regard to organization, community development and developmental planning (Social Design, 2010). It should be noted that not a single entity (government, the business community, civil society and the community itself) can bring meaningful development on its own, so the essence of asset-based community is to forge a working partnership between all the stakeholders to bring about improvement in sufficiency, democracy and respect to human rights (Social Design, 2010). The process must therefore be based on transparency and accountability, justice and participation. Having established this operational framework, attention is shifted on ways of mobilizing the community and the assets it has towards a clearly defined vision. The first step is mapping all the assets within the community and its local institutions (Social Design, 2010). Full mobilization in this context is only achieved after the community can address its agenda and challenges with an awareness of the resources that it has to counter the developmental challenges it faces. Second, elaborate plans should be put in place to build strong relationships within the community so that these resources can be aggregated and given a common focus towards progress. Strength and self-reliance are attributes bolstered when all members of the community are linked and actively involved in finding solutions to the challenges that face them (Social Design, 2010). The community realizes that it has a great potential than it had realized and there is a rejuvenation of hope, motivation and renewal. After relationships have been established, the assets owned within the community are mobilized towards economic development and for the purpose of sharing information. This includes the assets relegated due to lack of information on how to harness them or lack of the applicable technology. The community is then convened as a unit to participate in the development of a vision and the plan to achieve it. As said earlier, the assets and resources within poor communities are not sufficient. Asset-based development strategies need therefore to leverage outside resources to support them; and after all these steps have been taken, the community is on its way to self-sufficiency (Social Design, 2010). Sustainable livelihoods frameworks (SLF) Sustainable Livelihoods frameworks provide a basis for poverty analysis so that policies, programs and projects designed to reduce poverty can be specifically tailored to meet developmental challenges facing a community (Ludy Slater, 2008). Through SLFs, a coherent approach to the analysis of economic challenges can be performed, leading to the identification of suitable intervention and the timetable for these interventions. SLF implementation are founded on analyzing livelihoods, risks and vulnerabilities of individuals, households and the community so that key drivers of poverty and their remedies can be established (Ludy Slater, 2008). Sustainable livelihoods frameworks are centered on people and their capacity to mobilize the natural, human, social and financial assets at their disposal in response to opportunities and risks so that the quality of life can be improved. An emphasis is laid on strengths rather than weaknesses, and the strategy is to make targeted people have the awareness that they have the assets and the potential to utilize them in pursuit of livelihood goals (Ludy Slater, 2008). SLF implementation is multidimensional and aims at first identifying the constrictions standing in the way of individuals and households and analyzing the same to yield the opportunities that may arise therein; developing specific but diverse strategies to empower the people to pursue paths towards securing their livelihoods. SLFs focus on each target’s individual strategy for socio-economic development and therefore favor full participation and multidisciplinary approach at different levels (Ludy Slater, 2008). They thus are flexible to organizations planning specific interventions to poverty and allow focus to be on the elements within a society most likely to face developmental challenges. Entrepreneurial ideology in rural project Entrepreneurship has been identified as a very strategic intervention for accelerating development in rural areas. It creates employment, prevents rural unrest and leads to the creation of wealth at the local level reducing dependency especially for women and other marginalized people (FAO, 1997). There is acceptance that entrepreneurship in rural areas by itself cannot achieve development; so the emphasis of this ideology is the creation of an environment that makes entrepreneurship in rural areas a viable venture. The premise of the rural entrepreneurship ideology is that diversification from subsistence agriculture holds the key to economic development (FAO, 1997). Attention is therefore paid to alternatives like the promotion of tourism and other trades like carpentry, training, retailing and sports. The genesis of rural entrepreneurship is the creation of a supporting environment through policies that establish macro-economic stability, property rights and an international outlook (FAO, 1997). The necessary inputs to the entrepreneurship process like capital, infrastructure and management training can therefore be dispatched to the rural areas as a base for establishing a vibrant economy, consequently increasing sufficiency and reducing dependency. ? References Food and Agricultural Organization, FAO. (1997). â€Å"Rural development through entrepreneurship† Retrieved on 20/5/2010 from http://www. fao. org/docrep/W6882E/w6882e02. htm#P359_61606 Ludy, E. Slater, R. (2008). Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework to understand and tackle poverty. Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Social Design. â€Å"Asset-Based Community Development† Retrieved on 19/05/2010 from http://www. socialdesign. org/assets/development. html

Apple Financial Analysis Paper

Apple Financial Analysis Paper Apple Inc. is a unique company in the personal entertainment sector. It has been loyal to its design and marketing strategy over the past 33 years and has been able to position itself as a cult brand that is known worldwide for its innovative and market leading business operation. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc. once said: A lot of companies have chosen to downsize, and maybe that was the right thing for them. We chose a different path. Our belief was that if we kept putting great products in front of customers, they would continue to open their wallets (Warner, 2009). It is this attitude and the provocative but entertaining way the company introduces new products and presents itself to the public that made me want to have a look behind the scenes and into their finances. Background Apple Computer Inc. was founded in 1977 in the United States, in Cupertino, California and renamed to Apple Inc. in 2007 to display its comprehensive product portfolio (Datamonitor, 2010). Today Apple Inc. and its subsidiaries (from here referred to as Apple) operate in the wide field of personal entertainment. This includes designing, producing and promoting a variety of hardware products such as personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players (Apple Inc., 2010, p. 1) as well as software solutions and services around its products. Over the past 3 years the company has raised its resources for research and development leading to expenses of $1,109 million in 2008, $1,333 million in 2009 and $1,782 million in 2010, a total increase of 60% (2008 to 2010). As a result Apple launched several new and revolutionary products such as the iPhone in 2007, the time capsule software in 2008, a new edition of the iPhone in 2009 and the iPad in 2010 which have led to a sustained success that reflects in the financial statements of the recent years (Datamonitor, 2010, p. 9): In the fiscal years 2008, 2009 and 2010 ending in September of each year Apple increased its revenue by 14,4% to $42,905 million (2008 to 2009) and thereafter by 52% to $65,225 million (2009 to 2010). The companys net profit was $6,119 million, $8,235 million and $14,013 million in 2008, 2009 and 2010 which resembles an increase of 34,6% (2008 to 2009) and 59% (2009 to 2010). The introduction of the iPad, where 300,000 pieces have already been sold on its launch day, April 3rd 2010, and 7,458 million pieces since its launch (Apple Inc., 2010, p. 33) as well as the new release of the iPhone and the third-party offers in the iTunes Stores being music and electronic book downloads are mainly responsible Apples recent success (Dowling, Press Release, 2010). In order to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of the end of year financial results for Apple and its past and future development a critical analysis of its financial statements has been conducted and is presented hereafter. Analysis The critical analysis of the financial statement of Apple includes the general comparison of Apples main financial influencing factors and secondly a ratio analysis which will provide an in depth audit of the financial performance and its effects on the company. Main financial influencers The main influencing factors of Apples financial statements are the revenue, operating profit, net profit, cost of sales and earnings per share. These indicators show the overall financial performance of the company. The overview given in Table 1 (Refers to Appendix V) highlights the superior performance of the company from 2008 until 2010. Apple Inc. is an American based company, which is why the figures are expressed in USD and in the following table in $ million except for the earnings per share, which express the per share amount. Apples financial results are a good indicator for the economys progressing recovery from the financial crises of the recent years. The above-average rise of Apples revenue and profit are the result of its investments in product developments which have met the needs and wants of the target markets. The image of the company was strengthened by its very good sales performance which was influential for the rise of earnings per share. The great increase for Apples costs of goods sold result from the development and production of the iPad, which will also be visible in the result of the financial year ending September 2011, as well as the development and production of the new release of the iPhone. Ratio Analysis A ratio analysis is used to express how the figures in the financial statement relate to each other and by interpreting the ratios to explain how the figures affect each other and the companys development and performance (Dyson, 2010, p. 219). Comparisons of the figures are made within Apples own performance over the past financial years and where appropriate the figures are compared to two Apples competitors. For this critical analysis the competitive companies are Dell Inc. since they compete within the personal computer segment and Microsoft, who are one of Apples main competitors in the computer software sector (Datamonitor, 2010, p. 27). It shall be mentioned that currently there is no other company which provides a similar product portfolio as Apple. Therefore no absolutely satisfactory industry comparison can be made for the ratio analysis but indications on the positive or negative trend on the figures can be made. Liquidity ratios Liquidity ratios allow the assessment of the amount of cash which a company has access to from its own resources within the next twelve months. The two ratios which are put into one context are the current ratio and the quick ratio (Table 2 Refers to Appendix I). The norm result for the current ratio is 2:1 (Hendricks, 2010, p. 6). The higher the current ratio, the more liquid resources are available for the company to pay its short term debts. The current ratio for Apple was higher in 2009 but is still within the industry norm in 2010. By reducing the stock, the quick ratio is considered a more reliable statement of a companys liquidity. A ratio of 1:1 accounts as safe. This again has been greatly outperformed in 2009 and slightly decreased towards 2010 which indicates on Apples good ability to turn assets into cash quickly. The overall reduction of both ratios in the Financial Year 2010 (FY 2010) can be traced back to the fact that the companies liabilities have increased due to RD, production and retail store investments. Profitability Ratios Profitability ratios calculate the earnings a company generates in relation to the expenses and costs it has during the financial year. An increase of the value of a profitability ratio indicates that a business performing well. In order to interpret the companys performance a comparison to two competitors in Apples operating environments has been drawn. Apple has invested in its fixed assets by expanding its retail segment which explains the slight decrease in return on gross assets (ROA). As financial analysts state a ROA should not undergo 5%, Apple is in a very good position with an ROA of 24.66%. (Table 3 Refers to Appendix II,A,B). A high return on shareholder equity (ROE) expresses a companys effective employment of stakeholder investments and in return high earnings for the stakeholders. The figures show that Apple has been able to invest more effectively in FY2010. But the company comparison reveals that even with a great loss in ROE for Dell in 2010 it can compete with Apples performance. Where as Microsofts ROE with 40.6% is much higher. However since the ROE should be interpreted in relation to the debts, and Apple only has short term debts which the company covers quickly, the investment strategy of Apple can be considered as benefiting for both the company and the shareholders. Apples gross ratio decreased in FY2010. This is due to the less efficient use of its fixed assets in raw material and manufacturing. The company comparison shows that Apples gross ratio is at a high percentage a positive indication for profit that is confirmed in Apples overall results. The figures of Apples profitability ratios in relation to its competition display Apples ability to manage its investments and sales lucrative. Efficiency Ratios Efficiency Ratios express the ability of a company to use its resources profitably. An increase of the ratio figures over the years show an efficient management of resources. (Table 4 Refers to Appendix III). The rate of stock turnover (ROST) can be described as the number of times the stock is being replaced per year. A high ROST show the efficient investments and a low ROST can be an indicator stockpiling and poor sales. Since Apples sales have greatly increased in FY2010 the decrease in ROST of 33% from FY2009 to FY2010 most likely result from inefficient stockpiling. Speculations can be made that a too high prognosis on iPad sales in combination with a lower sales rate of iPods may have led to an increased inventory level. The fixed asset turnover (FAT) has decreased by 27% in FY2010 which means that Apple was less successful in using its fixed assets to generate sales. The reduction in FAT is the result if Apples investment in its retail branch and therefore an increase of fixed assets. While the ROST and FAT are decreasing naturally the cost of sales ratio (COS) will increase. Apples has more money tied up in its fixed assets and was not able to handle its stock as efficient as in recent years. The debt ratio expresses the percentage of assets which are financed by debts. Apple only has short term liabilities and no long term debts (Apple Inc., 2010, p. 27). Even though the short term debts have increased to 36.43% which Apples should reduce over the coming financial periods 63.57% of Apples assets are covered by equity. The risk for Apple therefore is low. Investment Ratios This part of the ratio analysis helps to judge how remunerative a potential or existing investment is or might be (Table 5 Refers to Appendix IV). Apple does not pay dividends per share to its shareholders explaining the dividend yield of $0.00. Therefore the company has more financial resources to reinvest in its business and the development of its products to maintain a peer position in the market. The earnings per share (EPS) allot the profit of a company to its number of shares and therefore indicating on the companys overall profitability. Apples EPS increased by 67% to $15.41 in FY2010 which relates to the nearly 60% higher net profit in 2010. It also reveals an increase in investment in the companys shares which most likely result from Apples positive consumer and investor awareness through the introduction of its new product developments. A high price/earnings ratio (P/E) describes the high demand of the shares and therefore the confidence of investors towards a positive future of the company. With the high increase in EPS the P/E has risen as well. Apples market price per share ($) tradedÂÂ  at 14.76x the EPS of $15.41. Over the past years Apple has proven to be a lucrative company to invest in and it is likely that this trend continues for the following financial year. Impact of current event since last balance sheet The publishing date of Apples recent annual financial report is the 25th September 2010. Since then Apple has introduced a new developments of its MacBook, the MacBook Air, a thinner and more powerful version of the Apple laptop (Dowling, Press Release 2, 2010). This will affect the sales of the iPad since it can be seen as a competitive product and it is likely to increase Apples stock turnover ratio because it is an additional product in the companys range. But at the same time Apple has made a move to stay competitive in the personal computer sector and it is likely that the company will increase its total revenue until the next financial report. Conclusion and recommendations Financially the fiscal year 2010 was a very successful year for Apple. The company has increased the investments in research and development of new products and its retail branch. This has led to the launches of the iPad and the new iPhone generation and has brought the focus of public attention to the company enhancing its image and increasing its desirability in the minds of shareholders and investors. Apple has increased its revenue by more than 50% and is taking a leasing position in the personal computer market despite the intense competition and price sensitivity of the consumers. The software and online services Apple is offering through third parties, such as the e-books have gained popularity. A negative affect has been recognized when analyzing Apples efficiency in using its resources. The stock turnover decreased compared to the previous year which affected the cost of sales and fixed asset turnover. It is recommended to continue the trend of high investments in research and development as this is a key success factor for Apple to be one step ahead of its competition. Additionally the service offers though third party suppliers in the range of music, e-books and applications for the mobile phones should be kept up, as they increase the popularity of Apples products. Furthermore Apple could compensate the negative effects of the decrease in stock turnover by introducing improvements in its marketing and promotion efforts to boost sales.