Sunday, December 29, 2019

How to Read an Italian Menu

If you’ve been to the Northern regions of Italy such as the Laghi region of Como and Garda and the Southern regions such as the Amalfi Coast and Sicily, you know that the items on restaurant menus won’t be entirely alike, and in some places they might be entirely localized and written in an Italian that isn’t standard. That’s because each region of Italy, and often even individual cities, have their own piatti tipici, or traditional dishes. Indeed, like some other European countries, the cuisine of each region of Italy reflects local history, the influence of different foreign cuisines, and local ingredients and flair. What’s more, sometimes what amounts to the same thing can be called by different names or have a slightly different twist. The well-known schiacciata in Tuscany is called ciaccia in some little towns and is called focaccia up north, or sometimes even pizza bianca, and its never quite the same thing. Despite the variations, when it comes to eating in Italy and making your way through an incomprehensibly vast menu and a palette of foods and restaurants, there are some standard words and rules that are helpful to know. Types of Eateries in Italy Of course, in Italy like any other place you will find the cheaper diner and the 5-star restaurant. Here are your options: Il ristorante: a restaurant. The upper echelon of this list, but not necessarily a luxury restaurant. The label just means restaurant; there are good ones and bad ones. In Italy they do observe the star rankings and, of course, restaurant review sites are popular there as they are in the States (eater, urbanspoon, cibando, foodspotting, and, of course, tripadvisor). Check them out online before choosing; of course, the rule of thumb is that if locals eat there, it means its good. Check for local faces. Losteria: an osteria is considered to be a less demanding, more informal restaurant and often medium-priced, though you should know that the name has now transcended its old meaning as a run-down hovel with decent food and cheap wine. Among the many osterie are places that are just as high-end and nice as any ristorante. Same for a trattoria. But, they are both considered to be places that reflect local flavor and friendliness, are often family-run, and often are the best game in town. La pizzeria: of course, you know what that is. Pizzerie often serve much more than pizza, but if you want a pizza, that is where you should go (though there are ristoranti that serve awesome pizza too). If you are looking for a snack, head for a bar (which, you know, is a cafà ¨ more than the American-style bar) for a little panino or stuzzichino (a tapas of sorts) or even a grocery store (negozio di alimentari) or a pizza a taglio place, where they sell pizza by the slice. An enoteca is a good place to get a glass of wine and a little stuzzichino too—enough to hold you until dinner. By the way, most bars of any sophistication in Italy, both in cities and little towns, have taken like crazy to the happy-hour trend and you can basically have dinner there pretty cheaply. Other options you see on the food horizon are la tavola calda—an informal, rather generic place like a cafeteria, and your autogrill, for when you are traveling on the autostrada and you need a snack. How to Make a Reservation At peak tourist season, reservations are recommended for restaurants that tend to be busier, well-known, and well-rated (pià ¹ gettonati, the most popular). You will, of course, have to know some common Italian phrases and how to say the time in Italian for this. To make a reservation for two people at 8 p.m., use this phrase: Vorrei fare una prenotazione per due, alle 20.00. Or, if you are not at the conditional tense yet, you can say, Posso fare una prenotazione per due alle 20.00? If you are a walk-in, you have several ways of asking for a table: Cà ¨ posto per due (o quattro), per favore? Is there space for two? Or, possiamo mangiare? Siamo in due (o quattro). Can we eat? There are two of us. The Italian Menu and the Order of Italian Dishes Usually, you wont have to ask for the menu, but in case you do, its called il menà ¹, with your accent on the à ¹. Most places—even the most sophisticated—often have an English language version of their menu and you will not look like a fool to ask for it (though often its not very well written or detailed). Whether its pranzo (lunch) or cena (dinner), meals in Italy are served according to a long-standing and traditional order: Lantipasto, which includes such things as plates of prosciutto and other cured meats, crostini  and  bruschetta, cured vegetables, and again, depending on the region and the season, such things as snails or little polenta cakes, or small fish appetizers.Il primo, or first course, usually consisting of minestre, minestroni, and zuppe (soups), risotti, and, naturally, pasta in all of its glorious shapes and modes. Along the coast and on the islands, pasta with all sorts of fish is typical, while in the northern hinterland most everything is meat-based and cheese-heavy. Again, every place will feature their local pasta dishes, or piatti tipici.Il secondo, or second course, consists of fish or meat, served with a contorno, or side dish—anything from fried zucchini to braised spinach to a salad. If you want vegetables with your fish or ossobuco, you have to order a contorno. Remember, every locale has a way of doing things: in Milan you eat la cotoletta alla milanese, and in Fl orence la bistecca alla fiorentina.Il dolce, or il dessert, can range from such favorites as tiramisà ¹ or torta della nonna  to cookies with brandy. Of course, you dont have to get something in every category; Italians dont either. Unless you are starving and you want it all, you can have an antipasto followed by either a primo or a secondo, or followed by a secondo with a contorno. Sometimes people get a contorno in the place of an antipasto—say, if you want some greens or a little sformato (a custardy souffle-ish kind of thing). Italians do not eat a salad before their main meal unless its a very small salad-type antipasto. Get your salad with your secondo; it pairs well. Sample Local, Not Easy What is recommended, though, is that, if you are adventurous and you have no specific food aversions or strong dislikes, you try the local fare. Eschew your regular plate of pasta al pomodoro or something you can easily get in the States: Eating Italys regional cuisine is a way to get to know the country more than skin-deep. If you are on the coast, you can expect good fish; if you are in Bologna or in the northern mountains, you could expect good meat and cheeses and many special varieties of pasta. To express a desire to eat the local fare, you can ask for the specialità   della casa or the piatto tipico locale. And of course, you should end the meal with a caffà ¨ and some limoncello (often on the house, if you have been nice and spent a lot). Getting the Bill and Tipping To ask for the bill, you say: Il conto, per favore, or you can simply get the waiters attention and make a writing gesture. Unless you ask, or unless its a very busy touristy place, it’s not likely that they’ll bring the check to you. When you get your bill you will notice a charge called il coperto, a per-person cover charge that covers the expense of bread, essentially. It is charged everywhere and to everyone, so do not balk. About tipping: Most Italian wait staff are employed by the hour or the week (under the table or not) and paid by law a little more than they are in the States. There is no law or statute requiring gratuity and traditionally it has not been a practice. However, generally speaking, your cameriere or cameriera in an Italian restaurant does not make a lot of money, so if the service warrants it, a tip is a nice touch. Even a couple of euros per person will signify your appreciation for the food and the service (if they deserve it) and earn you a friend when you return. If you want the waiter to keep the change, say: Tenga pure il resto or put your hand on the bill and say, Va bene cosà ¬, grazie. Extra Tips In Italy, milky concoctions such as cappuccino and caffà ¨ latte are consumed only at breakfast, so before 11 a.m.Italians say Buon appetito! when they begin eating and Salute! when they toast.Most likely you will have to purchase water. You’ll have a choice between bubbly water, frizzante or con gas, or regular water, liscia or naturale (they also make something called leggermente frizzante now, which is less frizzy). If you want to buck the trend and you trust the local water (which you can do in most places), ask for lacqua del rubinetto. Buon appetito!

Saturday, December 21, 2019

The Greatest Composer Of All Time - 1281 Words

Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joseph Hayden are great composer, but Beethoven is the greatest composer of all time. Everyone has heard the name Beethoven before. Why is he one of the greatest composer of all time? The answer is easy. He influenced so many composer after he died. Just like how Michael Jackson influenced other artistes when he passed away. He made a huge impacted during the classical period and to world. His music were influenced into the next centuries, and he’s considered the best composer of all time. Ludwig Van Beethoven was born December 1770 in Boon, Germany. His date of birth is unclassified because he was baptism on 17th of December, but it makes more sense that he was born in the 16th of December. He is one of seven children, and only three survived. That aslo include him. His father and grandfather were both musicians. Johann Van Beethoven is Beethoven father. He was decent singer in an Elector choir, but he was more into drinking. He would train Beethoven day and night in harsh way because he wanted Beethoven to be the next Mozart. During Beethoven early years, he was working with Christian Gottlob Neffe as an assistant organist. Neffe would became really important in his life. Neffe helped him have his very first composition. He went to Vienna, and that is where he meant Mozart. Mozart told his close friends that â€Å"Keep your eyes on him; someday he will give the world something to about.† That was really true later in hisShow MoreRelatedThe Greatest Composer Of All Time1386 Words   |  6 Pageswell-known composers, but Beethoven is the greatest composer of all time. Everyone has heard the name Beethoven before. Why is he one of the greatest composer of all time? The answer is easy. He influenced so many composers after he died. Just like how Michael Jackson influenced other artists when he passed away. He made a huge impacted during the classical period and to the world. His music was influenced into the next centuries, and he is considered to be the best composer of all time. Ludwig VanRead MoreThe Greatest Composer Of All Time1393 Words   |  6 PagesComposer and Pianist, Ludwig Van Beethoven, who is universally considered the greatest composer of all time was born in December of 1770 into a modest family in a small German town called Bonn. Beethoven got his name from his late Flemish grandfather who was a bass player at court and then in 1761 he became maestro of the chapel (Iulian Munteanu, Onesti, Romania). During his short years of living in his hometown Bonn, he studied a wide variety of compositions and played the piano and viola. 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Composer and pianist Ludwig Van Beethoven, widely considered as the greatest composer of all time was born around December 16, 1770 ( nobody knows for sure) in the city of Bonn, Germany. Beethoven hadRead MoreInformative Speech On Movie Music919 Words   |  4 PagesSpeech Title: Making Movie Music Specific Purpose: To inform you of three of the greatest movie score composers of our time and the significance they hold. Central Idea: Three of the greatest composers of our time are John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and Alan Menken and they all hold great significance in the world of moving scoring. Introduction I. AG: When you think of Disney movies, what comes to mind? Of course, the fun melodies twinkled throughout the movies. What about your favorite heroesRead MoreFlamenco and the Spanish Culture619 Words   |  3 Pagespopular all over the world and is taught in many countries (Flamenco - History.). One of the largest cultural differences that set the Galicians apart from the other inhabitants of Spain is the traditional music and dancing that are predominantly featured at their festivals and celebrations. Galician music has a very strong Celtic connection. Their music is played on gaita galega.† Gaita galega can be traced back as far back as the 13th and 14th centuries, and is a staple instrument in all of theRead MoreBaroque Music764 Words   |  4 PagesBaroque Music Period ​â€Å"Baroque music expresses order, the fundamental order of the universe. Yet it is always lively and tuneful. Follow the development of music through this brief outline, from the earliest times to the present day, with baroque music set in historical context.† The style of polyphonic music containing elaborate ornamentation and contrasting elements, that is how Baroque music is defined. The Baroque era in music is not a set style in music but many diverse styles which may beRead MoreThe Concert Of The Packed Recital Hall1676 Words   |  7 Pagessilence. One of the greatest composers had left his mark on this audience. The piece was the Concerto No.1 in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach. He was the greatest composer not just because of that piece but also considering music history, his personal story, his popularity during lifetime, the volume of his compositions, the make-up of his music, and familiarity today. Music history is divided four main time periods. Famous musicians lived and composed masterpieces throughout all four eras. The BaroqueRead MoreGeorge Frideric Handel was the Greatest Composer772 Words   |  4 PagesFrideric Handel was the greatest composer during the Baroque period, one of his famous works was â€Å"Julius Caesar† the opera seria. George Frideric Handel was born on February 23, 1685 in Halle, Germany. Handel was known as the greatest composer during the Baroque era. Handel was most famous for the Messiah a English Ontario. This great composer also wrote the great opera seria known as â€Å"Julius Caesar† which was performed first in London, England in 1724. The opera seria quickly became popular andRead MoreEssay Tchaikovsky1429 Words   |  6 Pagesof Russian musical society and world music . . . It is at the same time a creative and technical encyclopedia to which every Russian composer has reference in the course of his own work,@ commented Dimitri Shostakovich.1 This was a typical view held by Tchaikovsky=s contemporaries. He was well known and well respected, especially in his later years. In addition, Tchaikovsky was recognized as the most expressive Romantic composer in Russia.2 He was often idolized and put on a pedestal, particularly

Friday, December 13, 2019

Marketing Assignment Free Essays

International market segmentation (International market segmentation) is the concept of market segmentation in the use of international marketing. Its concept is by comparing the domestic and international market for more buyers, a wider distribution. With businesses having limited power, it is usually very complex to meet the needs of worldwide customers. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing Assignment or any similar topic only for you Order Now A market segment is defined as â€Å"a group of customers who share a similar set of needs and wants†. In this case its HSBC trying to target potential customers. The first key consideration is the benefits of segmentation. This segmentation uses customers as a point of reference. The firm can then focus on their marketing resources and it gives them competitive advantage by being able to serve more according to customer segments. There are four level of segmentation, first one is preference segments. Some consumers have a very different taste for the things that they want. Consumers are free to prefer HSBC or other banks available in the market. A group of people gathered their preference will show the natural segments. Second level of segmentation is niche. It is defined as a more narrowly defined customer group seeking a distinctive mix of benefits. HSBC in this case targets consumer niches with distinctive products and services. It is proved by having a pet insurance product, growing at a 125% per year. Third level is local,which involves local customer groups in trading areas, neighborhoods and even industrial stores . HSBC is actually focusing at serving local markets. They maintain to have local presence in the area with the tagline which is â€Å"world’s local bank†. Last level is individual, customer with HSBC bank card, etc will get a ride in the BankCab. The next step is to segment the consumer markets. The fundamentals to consider are geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural. Geographic segmentation means dividing market into different geographical units such as nations, states, regions, cities or neighbors. HSBC demonstrated its local knowledge with marketing efforts dedicated to specific locations. In 2005, it set out to prove to jaded New Yorkers that the London-based financial behemoth was a bank with local-knowledge. Demographic segmentation means â€Å"dividing by age and life cycle, life stage, gender, income, generation and different social class†. HSBC offered a â€Å"smart card† and no frills credit cards to the underserved student segment and targeted high-value customers with special â€Å"Premium Centers† bank branches. Psychographic segmentation is segmentation depending on the person itself on primary motivation such an ideals and achievements. Last element is behavioral segmentation. This is segmenting â€Å"based on decision roles such as intiator, influencer, decider, buyer and user. † As for behavioural it consists of occasions, benefits, user status, user rate, buyer-readiness, loyalty status and attitude. The second key to be considered is target marketing. It develops measures of market attractiveness and select target segments. For example, â€Å"selecting the most profitable segments to focus on†. HSBC target student segment by offering â€Å"smart card† and high-value customers with special â€Å"Premium Centers† bank branches. Steps in segmentation process include need-based segmentation, segment identification, segment attractiveness, segment profitability, segment positioning, segment acid test and market mix strategy. â€Å"To be useful, market segments must rate favorably on five key criteria which are measurable, substantial, accessible, differentiable and actionable. † The third key to be considered is the market positioning. Positioning is done by targeting segments and develops a marketing mix for each segment. For example â€Å"creating an image or position for the brand with competitors’ brands†. For example HSBC wants to be known as the â€Å"world’s local bank†. This tagline reflects HSBC’s positioning as a globe-spanning financial institution specialised on serving local markets. Strategy for positioning includes, â€Å"Identifying a set of possible competitive advantages on which to build a position†, choosing the right competitive advantages and selecting an overall positioning strategy How to cite Marketing Assignment, Papers

Thursday, December 5, 2019

The Agenda - Grassroots Leadership free essay sample

In many ways, the Benfold was actually an extreme example of the same problems facing many organizations today. As the new head of his own command Michael only became more determined. The idea was to establish a system of beliefs that Michael calls GrassRoots Leadership a process of replacing command and control with commitment and cohesion by engaging the hearts, minds, and loyalties of workers. GrassRoots Leadership is a philosophy that empowers every individual to share the responsibility of achieving excellence. These views each are essential in become a proper leader in any type of commanding role with peruse to enquire. GrassRoots Leadership has as its core tenets: o Lead by Example – o Listen Aggressively o Communicate Purpose and Meaning o Create a Climate of Trust o Look for Results, Not Salutes o Take Calculated Risks o Go Beyond Standard Operating Procedure o Strengthen Others/Build Up Your People o Generate Unity o Cultivate Quality of Life – Don’t just take command – communicate purpose. We will write a custom essay sample on The Agenda Grassroots Leadership or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Every commander should have a decent relationship with there fellow associates. When you are assigning work to your fellow associate you need to prepare to speak to them as equal. In no way shape or form it should come out as a sense of power. Your company or association will only be as strong as its weakest link. As a whole they need to work together on a regular day basis and be able to feel as a complete division. Practice discipline without formalism. One the toughest responsibilities are to be a disciplinarian to other people. No education level with ever is able to prepare you to discipline your associates. Each member must be treated different, because each individual is different. They will react to different ways you try to discipline them. Each commander would need to realize that there responsibilities as a disciplinarian need to be handled with caution, or else there company may be capable and tempted to over turn on you if you make enough enemies by being a script disciplinarian. The best captains hand out responsibility – not orders Being associated with various teams and companies I realized the best leaders come in various shapes or forms. However what makes a great leader is one who treats his associates as equals. A leader dose not play authority figure to be able to get things done from other. He believes in treating every colleague with the same respect he aspect to be treated with. Associates will not be as eager to work for you in they feel you are obligating them to finish certain task. Successful crews perform with devotion. Members of any organization need a leader to give them the importation to want to go to work on a daily basic. Things need to continue to stay interesting so you could be able to get the most out of colleagues. As mentioned before your company or association will only be as strong as its weakest link. As a whole they need to work together on a regular day basis and be able to feel as a complete division. The capability to make your company the best possible is in the hands of the leader and what he makes on it.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Analysis of Microsoft Financial Statements free essay sample

Financial statements are frequently a key source of information for financial decisions and taking a look at Microsoft’s financial statements can help us decide certain things about the company. There are three different types of statements that will be discussed in this section. These include: the balance sheet, the income statement, and the statement of cash flows. They are discussed here in either the sense of quarterly or yearly statements and will be noted as so. All information has been derived from Yahoo Finance. (http://finance. yahoo. com) The first statement that will be analyzed for Microsoft is the balance sheet. The balance sheet is essentially a snapshot of what the firm owns (assets), what the firm owes (liabilities), and the difference between the two (equity) at a single moment in time. When we analyze a balance sheet, we must keep in mind that the values on this statement are the book values and are not necessarily what the company is worth at this exact moment in time, or the market values. We will write a custom essay sample on Analysis of Microsoft Financial Statements or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Something we can see right away is an estimate of how much net working capital Microsoft has by analyzing the quarterly data of the period ending December 31, 2011. Net working capital shows how cash that will become available fairs with the cash that must be paid over the next twelve months by taking current assets and subtracting current liabilities. For Microsoft, this is $72,513,000,000-$25,373,000,000=$47,140,000,000 and is looked upon positively for a healthy firm. The use of debt in a firm’s capital structure is called financial leverage and the more debt a firm has (as a percentage of assets), the greater the financial leverage. If we take a look at the yearly balance sheets for 2009, 2010, and 2011 for Microsoft, we can see that each year debt becomes a bigger percentage of total assets. In 2009, debt is 4. 8% of assets. In 2010, it is 5. 7%. In 2011, it is 11%. This could be viewed at in either a positive or negative light because high financial leverage can increase potential rewards to shareholders, while low financial leverage can possibly decrease the potential for financial distress and business failure. The second statement that will be analyzed is the income statement. The income statement measures performance of a company over some period of time. It shows both revenues and the subtracted expenses with the result being net income. When we take a look at the annual income statements from 2009, 2010, and 2011, we can see that net income has increased each year and this is clearly a positive trend. Also, we can look at specific categories like research development and observe that it increased from 2010 to 2011, which shows that Microsoft may be trying to expand their products and innovations. The third, and final, statement that will be analyzed is the statement of cash flows. Overall, what the cash flow statement provides is crucial to financial statement analysis and financial decisions. It illustrates the difference between the number of dollars that came in and the number that went out. The statement of cash flows provides us with a fundamental principal, which is known as the cash flow identity. It says that the cash flow from the firm’s assets is equal to the value of its liabilities plus the value of its equity. The first section of the statement of cash flows deals with the cash flows from operating activities, or the firm’s day-to-day activities of producing and selling. In Microsoft’s case, this total result has increased from 2009-2011, from $19,037,000,000 to $26,994,000,000, and this is positive because it displays the fact that they are able to cover their everyday cash outflows with their everyday cash inflows more efficiently. The next section of the statement of cash flows is the investing activities section. As we can see, total cash flow from investing has decreased from $15,770,000,000 to $14,616,000,000, from 2009 to 2011, and there may be various underlying reasons for this occurrence including more investments to improve Microsoft in several areas. The final section of the statement of cash flows is the financing section, which shows the dividends paid, the purchases of stock, the net borrowings, and other possible cash flows from financing activities. A positive trend for investors is the fact that dividends paid has increased (even though it is negative to the firm) as well as sale purchase of stock, from 2009 to 2011 and even increased quarterly in 2011. The net borrowings is off an on from 2009 to 2011 possibly because of certain funds needed in particular years. In 2009, it was $5,746,000,000 and in 2010, it was $190,000,000. It shot back up again in 2011, with $5,960,000,000. The three statements that were provided in this section provide possible investors, competitors, and even those within the company with useful information to make important decisions that could affect their livelihood or the livelihood of Microsoft. Keep in mind that even though financial statements are a solid indicator of how a company is performing, one key principle about must be known when viewing them to make decisions. They do not always provide all of the information that you may need. There are usually underlying topics that could affect the company that are not necessarily showing up on their financial statements. These topics are discussed in other sections of this report on Microsoft. We feel it important to compare Microsoft’s ratios not only to other companies and industry norms, but also to some of their own ratios from 2010 . From 2010 to 2011 Microsoft saw an increase in their current and quick ratios, which is typically good because high liquidity ratios display a greater ability to repay short term debt. Compared to Google which has a quick ratio of 5. %, Microsoft has less cash on hand. Although, it is not necessarily a good thing that Google’s liquidity ratios are so high because they have little short term debt, which indicates that Google could potentially be investing some of the excess cash to generate more revenue. Microsoft’s return on assets only decreased by one percent which articulates to investors how much profit Microsoft made on $1 worth of assets. A common return on asset ratio is 20% for software companies; Microsoft is slightly below the 20% norm, but they are close which is good. When considering a good return on assets, commonly the lower the ROA ratio the more asset-intensive a business is which simply means more money must be reinvested into the business to generate earnings. Apple’s return on assets stands at around 24% and Google’s is about 12%, which indicates that Google must make higher investments in their assets to generate profit. If Google were in the manufacturing industry this ratio would be acceptable since that is an asset intensive industry, but it is too low for the software industry. Microsoft’s return on equity ratio is possibly one of the more important ratios that investors will be concerned about. The higher a company’s return on equity, the easier it is for them to generate cash internally. Since Microsoft’s ROE increased from 41% to 42% in 2011, we feel they are in good standing in regards to this ratio. They are making significant amounts of money for their investors, which will encourage new and existing shareholders to buy new and more stock in Microsoft. This in turn allows the company fund operations. In comparison to Apple and Google which have ROE’s of 46% and 20%, Microsoft is in a good position. Again Google’s ratio is quite low for the industry trend, although compared to other industries their ROE is significant. Microsoft’s gross margin is fairly normal for the software industry. Their gross margin tells us how efficiently the company is able to use labor and supplies in production. The higher the gross margin, the more money the company has to spend on the funding of other operations. Respectively, Apple and Google have gross margins of 42% and 65%. Microsoft is most efficient in keeping a high percent of their sales revenue after labor and production costs are covered. Now we will discuss turnover ratios and the importance of these ratios to a company. Total asset turnover is an indication of how much sales are generated for every dollar worth of assets. Being that Microsoft has a total asset turnover of 70% which is down 3% from 2010, they are still efficient in using their assets to generate revenue. Correspondingly, Apple and Google have asset turnovers of 101% and 60%. Apple is generating more revenue than they are spending on assets while still maintaining a fairly high profit margin, which is very good since the two ratios tend to have an inverse relationship. Microsoft’s accounts receivable turnover compared to the other two companies indicates that it may be necessary for Microsoft to reevaluate its credit policies in order to ensure a more timely collection of funds. Their accounts receivable turnover rate is only 5. 4% for 2011 and was even lower in 2010 at 4. 8%. Apple has a strong receivables turnover of 17% and Google shows a turnover rate of 8. 5%. Apple’s very high AR turnover rate may be due to one of two things, they run mainly on a cash basis or that they are extremely efficient in collecting on their accounts. In comparison to the two other companies we selected Microsoft fixed asset turnover is 9. 1% which is lower than Apple’s (18. 7%), yet higher than Google’s (4. 4%). This ratio is an indicant of how efficient the companies are at generating net-sales from fixed assets. This ratio actually means very little to a software company, it is crucial in the manufacturing industry where large capital is required in order to generate sales revenues. A ratio that is quite important to the software industry is the turnover ratio. Microsoft could potentially have a much higher turnover ratio than it does (15. times). Most software companies have low inventory levels since software can be reproduced simply. Apple has a normal inventory turnover ratio for the software industry at about 69 times per year. What is implied if a company has a low turnover rate as Microsoft does is that they have poor sales rates and excess. Compared to Apple it is fair to say that Microsoft has sales numbers that are significantly lower, as well as a higher amount of money tied up into inventory. Microsoft has a total debt to equity ratio of 20% and Google shows only a 12. 5% total debt to equity ratio. Microsoft most likely has such a high ratio because they are financing their growth with debt as opposed to assets. Microsoft is likely to generate more earnings this way than they could have by using more outside financing. However, it is possible that the cost of financing this debt may outweigh the return that the company generates, which will make the debt hard for the company to manage. Every company is different and financial professionals must find the balance that best suits their company. The debt to equity ratio is considered good for the software industry so long as the company keeps the percent below 50%, which Microsoft has done.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Geography The Butler Model Essays

Geography The Butler Model Essays Geography The Butler Model Essay Geography The Butler Model Essay Throughout the years there have been a lot of changes with the amounts of tourists In the UK and abroad. The amount of tourists In the UK have stayed within a certain amount, the peak being 40 million and the lowest was 29 million which means that the range was only 11 million. However the number of tourists going abroad has overall increased from 4 million to 26 million which means in has increased by 22 million, but the amount of tourists in the UK has always been higher than the amount f tourists traveling abroad. Overall the figures show that more UK residents are holidaying within the ELK, this could be down to the prices of holidays abroad, so while many more people are traveling further field for exploration and different climates, holidaying in the UK is still the cheaper and more affordable option. Question 2: Explain using an example how tourist resorts fit the Butler model (6 marks) One example of a tourist resort that fits the Butler model is Ovenbird. Ovenbird darted out as a small tourist attraction until people started to visit and explore, which led to them putting money into the area so it could develop into a larger tourist destination which In turn invited more tourists. Over time Ovenbird became tired and less popular with wealthy tourists, and more popular with stag and hen parties and cheap holidays. Ovenbird was reborn into a popular tourist destination and family resort thanks to the popularity of the comedy show. Another example Is Lass Vegas. : This started as a small town In the middle of the desert that legalized gambling, which became hugely popular In the sass and sass when many famous people would vaults there. Lass Vegas gained a bad reputation through mafia involvement which stopped many tourists from visiting the city. In recent years Lass Vegas has become a popular destination again thanks to the decline of organized crime and many entrepreneurs and business men reinvesting in the city making it a more commercialese, family orientated destination.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Law and the Police Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Law and the Police - Essay Example Society's difficulty overseeing the police is compounded by the invisibility of much of police behavior, and the large role that discretion plays in police officer's job Thus, even when the law unambiguously governs a situation, police may use their discretion not to enforce the law." (Sarat, 2004, p 133). This paper makes a reflective exploration of the relationship between law and police, the tension existing between these two entities, what can be done to reduce this tension, the need for effective leadership for policing, and the signs of ineffective leadership. The relationship between law and police within the modern democratic societies has been topic of several researches and it is important to recognize that each in some way determines the other, although both are independent of each other. One may realize the law as a set of rules with which the society operates and it is the law which determines a society. Society needs the police, along with the law, as a means of enforcing the law. "Police in a modern society have not only lawful authority to enforce law, but a virtual monopoly in enforcing the law.