Friday, January 24, 2020

Welfare Reform: Have we considered our children? :: Essays Papers

Welfare Reform: Have we considered our children? "Contract with America", "block grants", "personal responsibility" and "welfare to work" are all familiar rhetoric. With the changing of the guard in Washington, "welfare as we know it" is quickly becoming a relic of the past. The question is whether our newly-elected leaders are reforming the welfare system or simply perpetuating the horrific state of our country's poorest citizens- our children. Consolidation of federal programs into block grants includes an estimated 5-20% cut in the level of federal spending for many of these programs. If the proposed changes in AFDC were fully in effect today, more than five million children, one-half of the children now on AFDC, would lose their benefits. Revision of the original plan does not necessarily translate into added protection for children. Both the Clinton administration and state governments, represented by Republican governors, have proposed alternative welfare reform plans. The alternative plans still include support for block grants and federal cutbacks. Elimination of federal oversight of child welfare programs will eradicate over fifteen years of child advocacy efforts. In the proposed legislation, funding under the Social Security Act for state child welfare systems would be combined into a block grant to be disseminated according to each states' discretion. House Representatives have failed to mention that monies for state child welfare programs are currently linked to federal standards and compliance measures. Receipt of federal foster care money is dependent upon state compliance with requirements such as permanency planning, family preservation and reunification and placement of children in the least restrictive, most family-like setting. Loss of these compliance measures will potentially dismantle a nationwide system developed solely to protect the best interests of the child. Along a similar vein, elimination of the entitlement status of social welfare programs destroys the safety net for children whose parents are poor. Unlike entitlements which legally guarantee assistance for children and families, block grants place a financial cap on spending. If states run out of money, families will be forced to wait until the next fiscal year to receive assistance. Denying entitlement status guarantees that many children will go hungry, and in turn will be unable to develop into healthy, productive adults. The current welfare reform proposals, although intended to target single women, realistically punish the children. Without built-in federal protections for children combined with a guaranteed safety net for parents, we cannot expect children in poverty to become responsible selfsufficient citizens.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Coca Cola Internal Analysis Essay

Executive Summary Coca-cola Company is leading manufacturer, distributor, and marketer of non alcoholic drinks in the United States of America and all over the world. It is a multinational Giant company that has market presence in almost all countries of the world. The company has also diversified from its initial soft drinks to manufacture fruit juices and other non-soda drinks. Its objective has been to maintain its global leadership in supply of beverages and other non-soda drinks through maintaining high quality production methods that ensure the name and products remain a household brand. Introduction Resource based view approach has been a method most managements have used to formulate their companies’ strategies (Barney, 1991). This is because Resource Based View regards a company’s internal environment rather than the external environment. The advantage of using internal environment as a source of strategy formulation is that the company is able to consider factors which are within its controls; which constitute its strengths and weaknesses (Connely, 2010). This paper presents an internal analysis of Coca cola Company with specific regard to the Economic value of the company, its resources and capabilities that make it distinct from other companies giving it competition through provision of similar soft drinks. Economic value Added In 2010, The Coca Cola Company posted an increase in revenues as compared to the previous year. The profits came to $6.48 billion. The cost of capital for Coca cola Company is estimated to be 8.7% and the capital totaled $72.929 billion. Ensuing is the EVA calculation for the company. Net Operating Profit After Tax (NOPAT) – (capital * cost of capital) = 4.08 â₠¬â€œ (72.929*.087) billion. This comes to $0.2 billion. The company’s EVA comes to $0.2 billion. Coca cola Company Resources Being a global leader in production of beverages and soft drinks, Coca Cola Company has various resources that play a major role in every production stage to ensure that the production and delivery of its various product and subsequent client services are of high standards. The company has both tangible and intangible resources that help it in the various production stages and subsequent delivery of the products to the targeted consumers. Tangible resources The tangible resources include physical, human and Financial Resources. Coca Cola Company has many physical resources it possesses and manages. These physical resources include buildings and equipment. Coca cola has managed to construct buildings in almost all regions. The presence of self owned production plant means that the cost of production is maintained low. This enables the company to offer high quality products at low prices. The presence of self owned equipment ensures that the company does not lease or rent any equipment and thus managing to cost of production low. The company’s strong financial position ensures that it has stable financial resources to carry out the production process without major problems in terms of cash shortages. The positive cash flows usually ensure that a company has cash available for any activity that needs cash (Lawton, 2006). This position enables it to avoid unnecessary debt financing. The company also maintains a motivated work force. This has been a major force in driving its products into shelves and subsequently into the shopping lists of consumers. The company has highly invested in employee training and development as this is an important factor in ensuring that the workers involved in the production deliver a high quality work, and those that are concerned with marketing ensure that the products are bought by consumers. This has come through realization that the coca cola products do not fall under the necessity class but rather fall under impulse products. Intangible Resources The Company’s intangible resources include the technical resources, intellectual and goodwill. Coca cola company has for a long time enjoyed technical resources that have helped the company has technical expertise in production of some products that have been of great use fostering the company’s goals. The company has been able to come up with numerous flavors in their soft drinks such as such as , Orange flavor, Pineapple, black currant, lemon, Ginger and so on. These productions are a clear indication that the company has great expertise knowledge that it uses as an advantage of other companies offering similar products, the company also enjoys intellectual property of the brands that they provide. This is because once a company does research and development and comes up with a product, it has the option of p atenting that particular product thus maintaining the exclusive rights to supply that particular product (Edvinsson & Malone, 1997). The company has also enjoyed a goodwill and customer loyalty over a long period of time this has been an internal strength that it has used to its advantage since the coca Cola brand and its products have enjoyed an undying loyalty from consumers. The brand visibility of the company has also ensured that many people access the products really in time. Distinctive capabilities Coca Cola Company enjoys distinctive capabilities that enable it to carry out productions in a manner that is superior to other competitors. Distinctive capabilities that Coca Cola Company has are Innovation, reputation, and architecture. The company has been able to introduce new products into the market. This has been a major competitive edge over the competitors since they lack the innovation capability to come up varied new products. Its production methods and the ingredients mixture have remained a strong contributor to the unique and high quality products that have enabled the products enjoy a superior status over the competitors’. The company has also managed to command strong reputation in relation to its competitors. This reputation has earned it goodwill and ensured that it remains a favorite brand among the consumers. The company’s architecture plans ensure that the company daily running is congruent with the objectives. The company has instituted a structure system where it outsources product distribution from individual distributors and this has enabled it to manage its operations without dealing with many market dynamics. Conclusion An analysis of the Coca Cola Company’s internal analysis through considering the Resource based View provides insightful knowledge on the company’s management practices with regard to strategy formulation using the internal environment approach. The company should therefore keenly look into the areas of internal environment as this is where much strategy formulation ought to originate. The company will continue to be a global leader in supply of non-alcoholic beverages because it has successfully employed the use of its internal analysis to formulate successful strategy. It will however have to improve on its sluggish performance in northern America which is its major market. The internal resources and capabilities of Coca-cola Company will continue to provide a secure foundation for formulation of long term strategy and ensure it maintains a strong reputation. Rerences Barney, J. B. (1991). Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage. Journal of Management , 99-120. Comeford, R., & Callaghan, d. (2011). Environmental, industry, and internal analysis. London: Prentice Hall. Connely, D. (2010). Strategy for Internal Environment. Power point presentation. Edvinsson, L., & Malone, S. (1997). Intellectual Capital:Realizing Your Company’s True Value by Finding its Hidden Brainpower. New York: Harper Business. Henry, A. (2007). The Internal Environment of an Organization. London: Oxford University Press. Lawton, K. (2006). Swot analysis: A management Strategic Success Tool. New York: Cambridge. Szulanski, G. (1996). Exploring Internal Stickiness:Impediments to the Transfer of Best Practices within the Firm. Strategic Management Journal , 27-44. Zahorsky, D. (2009). A business owner’s Secret Weapon: Swot analysis. New Jersey: Mc Graw Hill.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Personal Descriptions - ESL/EFL Writing Lesson

Learning to write personal descriptions is important to provide information about yourself or others. This guide to writing personal descriptions is perfect for beginners, or beginning level English learning classes. Begin by writing about yourself by reading the paragraph below, and using the tips to help you write your own personal description. Continue by reading a description of another person and then write a description about one of your friends. ESL teachers can print out these simple paragraphs and tips to use in class when helping beginning level students write personal descriptions. Read the following paragraph. Notice that this paragraph describes the person who is writing the introductory paragraph. Hello, my name is James. Im a programmer and I come from Chicago. I live in Seattle with my wife Jennifer. We have two children and a dog. The dog is very funny. I work at a computer company in the city. The company is very famous and successful. Our daughter is named Anna and our Son is named Peter. She is four years old and he is five. We like living and working in Seattle. Tips for Writing a Personal Description about Yourself Use come from for the city or country where you were born. Use live for the city where you currently live.Use the present simple tense to explain what you do every day.Use have or have got to speak about your children, pets, etc.Use a the first time you mention something. For example, I live in a house. Then use the after the first time you write about it. For example, I live in a house. The house is in Seattle.Remember to use he, his, him for boys and men and she, her, her for girls and women. Use our when speaking about the whole family.Use like doing when speaking about hobbies. Read the following paragraph. Notice that this paragraph describes a different person than the person who is writing the introductory paragraph. Mary is my friend. She is a student at a college in our town. The college is very small. She lives in an apartment in the center of town. She doesnt have a dog or a cat. She studies every day and sometimes works in the evening at a small shop. The shop sells gift items like postcards, games and other small items. She enjoys playing golf, tennis and walking in the countryside. Tips for Writing a Personal Description about a Friend Remember to add s to the present simple tense when writing about other people.In the present simple tense, doesnt takes the s in the negative form. Remember to use doesnt verb in the negative.Use sometimes, often, never, etc. before the main verb in a sentence.Remember to use he, his, him for boys and men and she, her, her for girls and women.Use enjoys doing when speaking about hobbies. Its okay to connect a few verbs using commas, but place and before the final verb in the list when speaking about someones hobbies. For example, She enjoys playing tennis, swimming and riding horses. Exercise Write a paragraph about yourself. Try to use a variety of verbs and a and the correctly.Write a paragraph about someone else. You can write about a friend or a someone from your family.Compare the two paragraphs and note the differences in pronoun and verb use. For example,  I live in Seattle BUT She lives in Chicago.My house is in a suburb. BUT His house is in the city.