5 Common Misconceptions About Black Lives Matter

Unpack the misconceptions that have been spread about the movement by separating fact from fiction about Black Lives Matter. All Lives Matter The top concern critics of Black Lives Matter say they have about the group (actually a collective of organizations with no governing body) is its name. Take Rudy Giuliani. â€Å"They sing rap songs about killing police officers and they talk about killing police officers and yell it out at their rallies,† he told CBS News on July 10. â€Å"And when you say black lives matter, that’s inherently racist. Black lives matter, white lives matter, Asian lives matter, Hispanic lives matter – that’s anti-American and it’s racist.† Racism is the belief that one group is inherently superior to another and the institutions that function as such. Black Lives Matter is not saying that all lives don’t matter or that other people’s lives aren’t as valuable as African Americans’ lives. It is arguing that because of systemic racism (dating back to the implementation of the Black Codes during Reconstruction) blacks disproportionately have deadly encounters with cops, and the public needs to care about the lives lost. During an appearance on â€Å"The Daily Show,† Black Lives Matter activist DeRay McKesson called the focus on â€Å"all lives matter† a distraction technique. He likened it to someone criticizing a breast cancer rally for not focusing on colon cancer as well. â€Å"We’re not saying colon cancer doesn’t matter,† he said. â€Å"We’re not saying other lives don’t matter. What we are saying is there is something unique about the trauma that black people have experienced in this country, especially around policing, and we need to call that out.† Giuliani’s accusation that Black Lives Matter activists sing about killing the police is unfounded. He’s conflated rap groups from decades ago, such as Ice-T’s band Body Count of â€Å"Cop Killer† fame, with the black activists of today. Giuliani told CBS that, of course, black lives matter to him, but his remarks suggest he can’t be bothered to tell one group of blacks from another. Whether rappers, gang members or civil rights activists are the topic at hand, they’re all interchangeable because they’re black. This ideology is rooted in racism. While whites get to be individuals, blacks and other people of color are one and the same in a white supremacist framework. The accusation that Black Lives Matter is racist also overlooks the fact that people from a broad coalition of racial groups, including Asian Americans, Latinos and whites, are among its supporters. In addition, the group decries police violence, whether the officers involved are white or people of color. When Baltimore man Freddie Gray died in police custody in 2015, Black Lives Matter demanded justice, even though most of the officers involved were African Americans.   People of Color Aren’t Racially Profiled Detractors of the Black Lives Matter movement argue that police do not single out African Americans, ignoring mountains of research that indicate racial profiling is a significant concern in communities of color. These critics assert that police have a greater presence in black neighborhoods because black people commit more crimes. On the contrary, police disproportionately target blacks, which doesn’t mean African Americans break the law any more often than whites do. The New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk program is a case in point. Several civil rights groups filed a lawsuit against the NYPD in 2012, alleging that the program was racially discriminatory. Eighty-seven percent of the individuals NYPD targeted for stops and frisks were young black and Latino men, a greater proportion than they made up of the population. Police even targeted blacks and Latinos for most of the stops in areas where people of color made up 14 percent or less of the population, indicating the authorities weren’t drawn to a particular neighborhood but to residents of a particular skin tone. Ninety percent of people NYPD stopped anywhere did nothing wrong. Although police were more likely to find weapons on whites than they were on people of color, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union, that didn’t result in the authorities stepping up their random searches of whites. Racial disparities in policing can be found on the West Coast as well. In California, blacks comprise 6 percent of the population but 17 percent of people arrested and about a quarter of those who die in police custody, according to the OpenJustice data portal launched by Attorney General Kamala Harris in 2015. Collectively, the disproportionate amount of blacks stopped, arrested and who die in police custody explains why the Black Lives Matter movement exists and why the focus isn’t on all lives. Activists Don’t Care About Black-on-Black Crime Conservatives love to argue that African Americans only care when police kill blacks and not when blacks kill each other. For one, the idea of black-on-black crime is a fallacy. Just as blacks are more likely to be killed by fellow blacks, whites are more likely to be killed by other whites. That’s because people tend to be killed by those close to them or who live in their communities.    That said, African Americans, particularly pastors, reformed gang members and community activists, have long worked to end gang violence in their communities. In Chicago, the Rev. Ira Acree of Greater St. John Bible Church has fought against gang violence and police killings alike. In 2012, former Blood member Shanduke McPhatter formed the New York nonprofit Gangsta Making Astronomical Community Changes. Even gangster rappers have taken part in the effort to stop gang violence, with members of N.W.A., Ice-T and several others teaming up in 1990 as the West Coast Rap All-Stars for the single â€Å"We’re All in the Same Gang.† The idea that blacks don’t care about gang violence in their communities is meritless, given that anti-gang efforts date back decades and the African Americans trying to stop such violence are too numerous to name. Pastor Bryan Loritts of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in California aptly explained to a Twitter user why gang violence and police brutality are received differently. â€Å"I expect criminals to act like criminals,† he said. â€Å"I dont expect those who are to protect us to kill us. Not the same.† Black  Lives Matter Inspired Dallas Police Shootings The most defamatory and irresponsible critique of Black Lives Matter is that it provoked Dallas shooter Micah Johnson to kill five police officers. â€Å"I do blame people on social media...for their hatred towards police,† Texas Lt. Gov. Patrick said. â€Å"I do blame former Black Lives Matter protests.† He added that law-abiding citizens with big mouths led to the killings. The month before, Patrick summed up the mass murder of 49 people at a gay club in Orlando, Fla., as â€Å"reaping what you sow,† revealing himself to be a bigot, so it’s not entirely surprising that he would choose to use the Dallas tragedy to accuse Black Lives Matter as being accomplices of sorts to murder. But Patrick knew nothing about the killer, his mental health or anything else in his history that led him to commit such a heinous crime, and the politician willfully overlooked the fact that the killer acted alone and was not part of Black Lives Matter. Generations of African Americans have been angry about police killings and racism generally in the criminal justice system. Years before Black Lives Matter existed, police had a strained relationship with communities of color. The movement didn’t create this anger nor should it be blamed for the actions of one deeply troubled young man. Black activists have raised the call for an end to violence, not an escalation of it, Black Lives Matter said in a July 8 statement about the Dallas killings. â€Å"Yesterday’s attack was the result of the actions of a lone gunman. To assign the actions of one person to an entire movement is dangerous and irresponsible.† Police Shootings Are the Only Problem While police shootings are the focus of Black Lives Matter, deadly force isn’t the only issue adversely affecting African Americans. Racial discrimination infiltrates every facet of American life, including education, employment, housing and medicine in addition to the criminal justice system. While police killings are a grave concern, most blacks won’t die at the hands of a cop, but they may face barriers in a variety of sectors. Whether the topic at hand is the disproportionate amount of black youth suspended from school or black patients of all income levels receiving poorer medical care than their white counterparts, black lives matter in these instances as well. The focus on police killings may lead everyday Americans to think they’re not part of the nation’s race problem. The opposite is true. Police officers don’t exist in a vacuum. The implicit or explicit bias that reveals itself when they deal with black people stems from cultural norms that signal it’s okay to treat blacks as if they’re inferior. Black Lives Matter argues that African Americans are equal to everyone else in this country and institutions that don’t operate as such should be held accountable.

The Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne - 1721 Words

Othering is the act of differentiating oneself from another, often used to maintain a role of dominance. Because of this, it is no wonder large groups and societies use this thought process on smaller groups or against those who dissent against the dominating beliefs, roles, or ideologies. In the case of the characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and his short story â€Å"The Maypole of Merry Mount, othering is implemented by the Puritan groups against those they view as corrupt or morally wrong. This often leads to isolation, cutting the offending party off from the rest of society in an effort to control. Perhaps the most obvious group ostracized in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter are those who sin, and this particular novel focuses on Hester Prynne and her daughter Pearl. Hester is a part of the Puritan society, newly arrived from Europe and awaiting her husband as he travels behind her after staying behind for business (Hawthorne 45). Before her husband returns, however, Hester has sexual relations and conceives a child. Under the eyes of Puritan morality, Hester has committed the sin of adultery and no longer permitted to be a part of the community. The Puritans were â€Å"a people amongst whom religion and law were almost identical,† which meant that the religious leaders were also those meting out punishments for crimes that doubled as sins (Hawthorne 37). Hester is made to wear a scarlet ‘A’ on the chest of her clothing, branding her as an adulteress andShow MoreRelatedThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1242 Words   |  5 PagesLYS PAUL Modern Literature Ms. Gordon The Scarlet Letter The scarlet letter is book written by Nathaniel Hawthorne who is known as one the most studied writers because of his use of allegory and symbolism. He was born on July 4, 1804 in the family of Nathaniel, his father, and Elizabeth Clark Hathorne his mother. Nathaniel added â€Å"W† to his name to distance himself from the side of the family. His father Nathaniel, was a sea captain, and died in 1808 with a yellow fever while at sea. That was aRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne960 Words   |  4 Pages3H 13 August 2014 The novel, The Scarlet Letter, was written by the author Nathaniel Hawthorne and was published in 1850 (1). It is a story about the Puritan settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, set around 1650 (2). The story is written in the third person with the narrator being the author. The common thread that runs through this novel is Hawthorne’s apparent understanding of the beliefs and culture of the Puritans in America at that time. But Hawthorne is writing about events in a societyRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne919 Words   |  4 Pagessymbolism in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†. Symbolism is when an object is used in place of a different object. Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the most symbolic writers in all of American history. In â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, the letter â€Å"A† is used to symbolize a variety of different concepts. The three major symbolistic ideas that the letter â€Å"A† represents in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† are; shame, guilt, and ability. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, the firstRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1397 Words   |  6 PagesFebruary 2016 The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850 which is based on the time frame of the Puritans, a religious group who arrived in Massachusetts in the 1630’s. The Puritans were in a religious period that was known for the strict social norms in which lead to the intolerance of different lifestyles. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the puritan’s strict lifestyles to relate to the universal issues among us. The time frame of the puritans resulted in Hawthorne eventually thinkingRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne999 Words   |  4 Pages Nathaniel Hawthorne is the author of the prodigious book entitled The Scarlet Letter. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne commits adultery with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Her husband, Roger Chillingworth, soon finds out about the incident after it becomes clear that she is pregnant. The whole town finds out and Hester is tried and punished. Meanwhile, Roger Chillingworth goes out then on a mission to get revenge by becoming a doctor and misprescribing Dimmesdale. He does this to torture DimmesdaleRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne1037 Words   |  5 Pagesthat human nature knows right from wrong, but is naturally evil and that no man is entirely â€Å"good†. Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of the classic novel The Scarlet Letter, believes that every man is innately good and Hawthorne shows that everyone has a natural good side by Hester’s complex character, Chillingworth’s actions and Dimmesdale’s selfless personality. At the beginning of the Scarlet Letter Hester Prynne is labeled as the â€Å"bad guy†. The townspeople demand the other adulterer’s name, butRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1517 Words   |  7 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne composes Pearl as a powerful character even though she is not the main one. Her actions not only represent what she is as a person, but what other characters are and what their actions are. Hawthorne makes Pearl the character that helps readers understand what the other characters are. She fits perfectly into every scene she is mentioned in because of the way her identity and personality is. Pearl grows throughout the book, which in the end, help the readers better understandRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter, By Nathaniel Hawthorne1488 Words   |  6 Pages In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, the main character, Hester Prynne, is a true contemporary of the modern era, being cast into 17th century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts. The Scarlet Letter is a revolutionary novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne examining the ugliness, complexity, and strength of the human spirit and character that shares new ideas about independence and the struggles women faced in 17th century America. Throughout the novel, Hester’s refusal to remove the scarlet letterRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1319 Words   |  6 PagesPrynne and Arthur Dimmesdale are subject to this very notion in Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter. Hester simply accepted that what she had done was wrong, whereas Dimmesdale, being a man of high regard, did not want to accept the reality of what he did. Similar to Hester and Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth allows his emotions to influence his life; however, his influence came as the result of hi s anger. Throughout the book, Hawthorne documents how Dimmesdale and Hester s different ways of dealingRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1714 Words   |  7 PagesSome two hundred years following the course of events in the infamous and rigid Puritan Massachusetts Colony in the 1600s, Nathaniel Hawthorne, descendant of a Puritan magistrate, in the 19th century, published The Scarlet Letter. Wherein such work, Hawthorne offered a social critique against 17th Massachusetts through the use of complex and dynamic characters and literary Romanticism to shed light on said society’s inherent contradiction to natural order and natural law. In his conclusive statements

Cash Flow Free Essays

Profitability Ratios: How Profitable is the Company? Net sales/Net profit after taxes The information necessary to determine a company’s profit as a percentage of sales can be found in the company’s income statement. 1. Magnetronics’ profit as a percentage of sales for 1999 was $1,307 divided by $48,769, or 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Cash Flow or any similar topic only for you Order Now 68%. 2. This represented a decrease from 3. 6% in 1995. 3. The deterioration in profitability resulted from a decrease in cost of goods sold as a percentage of sales, and from a decrease in operating expenses as a percentage of sales. The only favorable factor was the decrease in the income tax paid. Management and investors are often more interested in the return earned on the funds invested than in the level of profits as a percentage of sales. Companies operating in businesses requiring very little investment in assets often have low profit margins but earn very attractive returns on invested funds. Conversely, there are numerous examples of companies in very capital-intensive businesses that earn miserably low returns on invested funds, despite seemingly attractive profit margins. Therefore, it is useful to examine the return earned on the funds provided by the shareholders and by the â€Å"investors† in the company’s interest-bearing debt. To increase the comparability across companies, it is useful to use EBIAT (earnings before interest but after taxes) as the measure of return. The use of EBIAT as the measure of return also allows the analyst to compare the return on invested capital (calculated before the deduction of interest expense), with the company’s estimated cost of capital to determine the long-term adequacy of the company’s profitability. 4. Magnetronics had a total of $15,249 of capital at year-end 1999 and arned before interest but after taxes (EBIAT) $1,824 during 1999. Its return on invested capital is calculated as follows: Earnings before interest but after taxes (EBIAT)/Owners’ equity plus interest – bearing debt In 1999 this figures was %, which represented a decrease from the 14. 67% earned in 199 5. From the viewpoint of the shareholders, an equally important figure is the company’s return on equity. Return on equity is calculated by dividing profit after tax by the owners’ equity. Profit after taxes/ Owners’ equity Return on equity Return on equity indicates how profitably the company is utilizing shareholders’ funds. . Magnetronics had $12,193 of owners’ equity and earned $1,307 after taxes in 1999. Its return on equity was 10. 72%, a deterioration from the 15. 22% earned in 1995. Management can â€Å"improve† (or â€Å"hurt†) its return on equity in several ways. Each method of â€Å"improvement† differs substantially in nature. The analyst must get behind the return on equity figures and must understand the underlying causes of any changes. For example, did Return on Sales improve? Did the company’s management of assets change? Did the company increase the use of borrowed funds relative to owners’ equ ity? These three possible explanations are combined in the Du Pont system of ratio analysis: ROE Net Income/Sales x Sales/Assets x Assets/Equity Activity Ratios: How Well Does a Company Employ Its Assets? The second basic type of financial ratio is the activity ratio. Activity ratios indicate how well a company employs its assets. Ineffective utilization of assets results in the need for more finance, unnecessary interest costs, and a correspondingly lower return on capital employed. Furthermore, low activity ratios or a deterioration in the activity ratios may indicate uncollectible accounts receivables or obsolete inventory or equipment Total asset turnover measures the company’s effectiveness in utilizing its total assets and is calculated by dividing total assets into sales: Net sales/Total assets 1. Total asset turnover for Magnentronics in 1999 can be calculated by dividing $48,769 into $22,780. The turnover deteriorated from 2. 17 times in 1995 to 2. 14 times in 1999. It is useful to examine the turnover ratios for each type of asset, as the use of total assets may hide important problems in one of the specific asset categories. One important category is accounts receivables. The average collection period measures the number of days that the company must wait on average between the time of sale and the time when it is paid. The average collection period is calculated in two steps. First, divide annual credit sales by 365 days to determine average sales per day: Net credit sales/365 days Then, divide the accounts receivable by average sales per day to determine the number of days of sales that are still unpaid: Accounts receivable/Credit sales per day 2. Magnetronics had $7,380 invested in accounts receivables at year-end 1999. Its average sales per day were $133,614 during 1999 and its average collection period was 55. 23 days. This represented an improvement from the average collection period of 58. 68 days in 1995. A third activity ratio is the inventory turnover ratio, which indicates the effectiveness with which the company is employing inventory. Since inventory is recorded on the balance sheet at cost (not at its sales value), it is advisable to use cost of goods sold as the measure of activity. The inventory turnover figure is calculated by dividing cost of goods sold by inventory: Cost of goods sold/Inventory 3. Magnetronics apparently needed $8,220 of inventory at year-end 1999 to support its operations during 1999. Its activity during 1999 as measured by the cost of goods sold was $29,700. It therefore had an inventory turnover of 3. 61 times. This represented a deterioration from 4. 76 times in 1995. A fourth and final activity ratio is the fixed asset turnover ratio which measures the effectiveness of the company in utilizing its plant and equipment: Net sales/Net fixed assets 4. Magnetronics had net fixed assets of $5,160 and sales of $48,769 in 1999. Its fixed asset turnover ratio in 1999 was 9. 45 times, an improvement from 7. 8 times in 1995. 5. So far, we have discussed three measure of profitability: They are (a) return of equity (b) return on invested capital and (c) net profit margin. We have also discussed four activity ratios which measure the effectiveness of the company in utilizing its assets: they are (d) total asset turnover (e) asset turnover ratio (f) inventory turnover ratio and (g) average collection period. 6. The deterioration in Magnetronics’ operating profits as a percentage of total assets between 1995 and 1999 resulted primarily from inefficient use of inventory and total assets, increase in COGS and operating expenses as a ercentage of sales. Leverage Ratios: How Soundly is the Company Financed? The third basic type of financial ratio is the leverage ratio. The various leverage ratios measure the relationship of funds supplied by creditors and the funds supplied by the owners. The use of borrowed funds by profitable companies will improve the return on equity. However, it increases the riskiness of the business and, if used in excessive amounts, can result in financial embarrassment. One leverage ratio, the debt ratio, measures the total funds provided by creditors as a percentage of total assets: Total liabilities/Total assets Total liabilities include both current and long-term liabilities. 1. The total liabilities of Magnetronics as of December 31, 1999, were $10,587 or 46. 47% of total assets. This represented a decrease from 48. 55% as of December 31, 1995. Lenders — especially long-term lenders — want reasonable assurance that the firm will be able to repay the loan in the future. They are concerned with the relationship between total debt and the economic value of the firm. This ratio is called the total debt ratio at market. Total liabilities/(Total liabilities+Market value of the equity) The market value of equity is calculated by multiplying the number of shares outstanding of common stock times the market price per share. 2. The market value of Magnetronics’ equity is $14,275,000 at December 31, 1999. Its total debt ratio at market was 42. 58%. A second ratio that relates the level of debt to economic value and performance is the times interest earned ratio. This ratio relates earnings before interest and taxes — a measure of profitability and of long-term viability — to the interest expense — a measure of the level of debt. Earnings before interest and taxes/Interest expense 3. Magnetronics’ earnings before interest and taxes were $2,528 in 1999 and its interest charges were $517 . Its times interest earned was 4. 89 times. This represented a deterioration from the 1995 level of 7. 12 times. A fourth and final leverage ratio is the number of days of payables. This ratio measures the average number of days that the company is taking to pay its suppliers of raw materials and components. It is calculated by dividing annual purchases by 365 days to determine average purchases per day: Annual purchases/365 days Accounts payable are then divided by average purchases per day: Accounts payable/Average purchases per day to determine the number of days purchases that are still unpaid. It is often difficult to determine the purchases of a firm. Instead, the income statement shows cost of goods sold, a figure that includes not only raw materials but also labor and overhead. Thus, it often is only possible to gain a rough idea as to whether or not a firm is becoming more or less dependent on its suppliers for finance. This can be done by relating accounts payable to cost of goods sold, Accounts payable/Cost of goods sold and following this ratio over time. 4. Magnetronics owed its suppliers $2,820 at year-end 1999. This represented 9. 49% of cost of goods sold and was an increase from 8. 42% at year-end 1995. The company appears to be less prompt in paying its suppliers in 1999 than it was in 1995. 5. The deterioration in Magnetronics’ profitability, as measured by its return on equity, from 15. 2% in 1995 to 10. 7% in 1999 resulted from the combined impact of faster growth of equity than net income and increased COGS and operating expenses as a percentage of revenues. 6. The financial riskiness of Magnetronics increased between 1995 and 1999. Liquidity Ratios: How Liquid is the Company? The fourth basic type of financial ratio is the liquidity ratio. These ratios measure a company’s ability to meet financial obligations as they become current. The current ratio, defined as current assets divided by current liabilities, Current assets/Current liabilities assumes that current assets are much more readily and certainly convertible into cash than other assets. It relates these fairly liquid assets to the claims that are due within one year — the current liabilities. . Magnetronics held $17,620 of current assets at year-end 1999 and owed $7,531 to creditors due to be paid within one year. Its current ratio was 2. 34, a deterioration from the ratio of 2. 41 at year-end 1995. The quick ratio or acid test, is similar to the current ratio but excludes inventory from the current assets: (Current assets – Inventory)/Current liabilities Inve ntory is excluded because it is often difficult to convert into cash (at least at book value) if the company is struck by adversity. 2. The quick ratio for Magnetronics at year-end 1999 was 1. 25, a deterioration from the ratio of 1. 52 at year-end 1995. A Warning The calculated ratios are no more valid than the financial statements from which they are derived. The quality of the financial statements should be assessed, and appropriate adjustments made, before any ratios are calculated. Particular attention should be placed on assessing the reasonableness of the accounting choices and assumptions embedded in the financial statements. The Case of the Unidentified Industries The preceding exercise suggests a series of questions that may be helpful in assessing a company’s future financial health. It also describes several ratios that are useful in answering some of the questions, especially if the historical trend in these ratios is examine. However, it is also important to compare the actual absolute value with some standard to determine whether the company is performing well. Unfortunately, there is no single current ratio, inventory turnover, or debt ratio that is appropriate to all industries, and even within a specific industry, ratios may vary significantly among companies. The operating and competitive characteristics of the company’s industry greatly influence its investment in the various types of assets, the riskiness of these investments, and the financial structure of its balance sheet. Try to match the five following types of companies with their corresponding balance sheets and financial ratios as shown in Exhibit 3. 1. Electric utility B 2. Japanese trading companyD 3. Aerospace manufacturer E 4. Automobile manufacturer A 5. Supermarket chain C In doing the exercise, consider the operating and competitive characteristics of the industry and their implications for (1) the collection period, (2) inventory turnover, (3) the amount of plant and equipment and (4) the appropriate financial structure. Then identify which one of the five sets of balance sheets and financial ratios best matches your expectations. Exhibit 3Unidentified Balance Sheet – BEST MATCHES EXPECTATONS! | A| B| C| D| E| Balance Sheet Percentages| | | | | | Cash| 7. 6%| 2. 7%| 1. 4%| 7. 2%| 12. 7%| Receivables| 31. 7| 4. 7| 2. 9| 60. 3| 11. 5| Inventories| 5. 3| 2. 0| 23. 0| 8. | 48. 1| Other current assets| 1. 2| 3. 0| 1. 8| 7. 3| 0. 0| Property and equipment (net)| 30. 2| 66. 6| 49. 9| 4. 3| 25. 0| Other assets| 24. 0| 21. 0| 21. 0| 12. 2| 2. 7| Total assets| 100. 0%| 100. 0%| 100. 0%| 100. 0%| 100. 0%| | | | | | | Notes payable| 38. 4%| 4. 2%| 4. 6%| 50. 8%| 0. 9%| Accounts payable| 5. 5| 3. 0| 20. 0| 15. 2| 21. 5| Other current liabilities| 1. 5| 4. 7| 12. 7| 5. 7| 27. 4| Long-term debt| 17. 4| 30. 0| 37. 5| 22. 7| 8. 1| Other liabilities| 26. 5| 22. 9| 9. 8| 1. 3| 8. 1| Owners equity| 10. 7| 35. 2| 15. 4| 4. 3| 34. 0| Total liabilities and equity| 100. 0%| 100. %| 100. 0%| 100. 0%| 100. 0%| | | | | | | Selected RatIos| | | | | | Net profits/net sales| . 04| . 14| . 02| . 01| . 05| Net profits/total assets| . 03| . 05| . 06| . 01| . 03| Net profits/owners’ equity| . 29| . 14| . 41| . 13| . 10| Net sales/total assets| . 78| . 36| 3. 2| 2. 1| . 67| Collection period (days)| 149| 48| 3| 106| 63| Inventory turnover| 11| 10| 10| 23| 1. 1| Total liabilities/total assets| . 89| . 65| . 85| . 96| . 66| Long-term debt/owners equity| 1. 6| . 85| 2. 4| 5. 3| . 24| Current assets/current liabilities| 1. 0| 1. 0| . 8| 1. 0| 1. 4| Quick ratio| . 9| . 9| . 2| . 9| . 5| How to cite Cash Flow, Essay examples Cash flow Free Essays This has become increasingly important because of modern technological advances and increased competition. In today’s business environment, having a top-notch value flow is a dominant core competency for companies. In addition, as a consumer it is interesting to learn how companies are able to develop more efficient and effective value flow practices, and how this generates a domino effect throughout the business marketplace. We will write a custom essay sample on Cash flow or any similar topic only for you Order Now In order to better understand this concept, articles pertaining to value flow will be researched and compared to textbook readings from the course. In addition, the concept of value flow will be biblically integrated and applied to real-life situations in the market. Comparison In Operations management for Mambas the authors, Meredith and Shafer (201 3), describe value in two ways: How much a customer is willing to pay for a good or service and the opposite of waste. Meredith et al. (2013) go on to explain how value is ultimately defined by the customer, and organizational practices that utilize resources but do not create any perceived value for the customer is wasteful (p. 180). For example, overproduction, inefficient inventory’, long wait times, redundant transporting and processing, and deficiencies are all types of waste; also referred to as mud (Meredith et al. P. 180, 2013). Notably, Meredith et al. (2013) discuss how to identify an organization’s value stream, ways to make value efficiently flow, and provide examples of various value stream approaches. The authors explain that a value stream is the group of processes, both valuable and invaluable, from, that create a product or service and deliver it to the customer including, â€Å"†¦ He design of the OUtPUt; continues through the operations function, where raw materials are transformed into finished goods; and ends with the delivery of its output to the consumer† (Meredith et al. , p. 181 , 2013). In addition, Meredith et al. (2013) describe potential obstacles for efficient value flow such as erratic processes, incorrect batching sizes, and traditional organization structu res separating steps by department (p. 1 86). Operations management for Mambas effectively provides a broad overview of value flow, but a more comprehensive understanding of the concept can be gained through additional research (Meredith et al. P. 180-186, 2013). For example, Shaman (2013) conducts a study throughout the Egyptian industrial sector that aims to create a standardized tool to measure the impacts of value creation emission. Like Meredith et al. (2013), Shaman (201 3), describes waste as mud and describes how this pipe of waste is usually discovered after the process is already in place (p. 17). In addition, Shaman (2013) resourcefully makes a connection between lean manufacturing processes and value flow (p. 17-35). Engendered-Nonwhite, (2012) conducts a similar study that attempts to develop a three-step approach to aid companies in facilitating flexibility and adaptability practices in situations requiring customized products and services (p. 31 8-337). Acetate, Catheter, and Pacification (2011 ) grow off of Hess concepts in a study that focuses On the use of value stream mapping. Acetate et al. (2011) use value stream maps as diagnostic tools to effectively formulate a strategic plan for a company in need of overall value improvement (p. 99-11 0). The articles researched resourcefully expand on information provided in Meredith et al. ‘s (2013) textbook. By providing real-world and conceptual examples and illustrating thoughtful analysis, these articles promote critical thinking skills. As described in a conference by Huntington Install Industries that stresses the importance of quality education in technology, engineering, science, and mathematics fields, developing critical thinking skills the rough education fosters the development of value creation activities in professional occupations (â€Å"Huntington Install Industries,† 2014). For example, Ductwork (2014) describes how, â€Å"Stakeholder leadership embeds the principles of credible and open problem solving,† which aids in ensuring the value stream meets buyer expectations (p. 19-20). Article Summary In Measuring and Building Lean Thinking for Value Creation in Supply Chains the author, Iranian Shaman (2013), attempts to develop a tool to examine apply chain readiness by measuring the impact of lean thinking and examining the functions of customers, competitors, and suppliers (p. 17). Before conducting this study, Shaman (2013) presents a literature review that provides an overabundance of information regarding lean manufacturing and value creation. For example, she describes lean thinking principles as recognizing what is perceived value by the consumer, developing an efficient value stream, and removing any forms offsets (p. 20-22). In addition, Shaman (2013) stresses the importance of eliminating all possible barriers hat could affect an efficient flow of value throughout the supply chain (p. 0;22). To conduct the study, Shaman (2013) distributed four hundred questionnaires to companies throughout the industrial industry to determine if there is correlation between lean thinking and value creation and if so, to identify the determinants (p. 22-24). As a result, Shaman (2013) successfully assessed the information gathered and effectively developed a standardized tool to measure and compare various types of lean thinking to degrees of value creation (p. 4-28). La stly, the author stresses the importance of inducting future studies in this field to explore additional interrelationships and foster continuous advancements throughout supply chain management (Shaman, p. 28, 2013). Biblical Integration Adding value to supply chain processes is not always as simple as it sounds. Theoretically, all a company needs to do is ensure all processes efficiently flow and produce the maximum amount of output at the most effective rate. However, it is important to recognize a company can still fail even if it produces the highest quality product in its industry if consumers do not deem that product valuable. At the same rate, it is vital for companies to not become complacent with processes when business is striving. As described in scripture, â€Å"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time,† (Ephesians 5:15-16, ESP.), it is critical to strive for continuous improvement to preserve a competitive edge. Another key aspect of creating an efficient value flow is teamwork. Two [are] better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor (Ecclesiastic 4:9-12, KAVA). By cultivating a centralized organizational effort, companies are able to foster creativity and innovation. Like the seed described in Corinthians, † he who supplies seed to the sorer and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness† (2 Corinthians g: ID, NIP). Application Developing an efficient value flow is an imperative aspect of being successful in today’s business world. Global competitors, advances in technology, and the continuous push for innovation have noticeably increased rivalry. These pushes have made it progressively more difficult for companies to remain relevant. In response, researchers have expanded the study of value flows ND have successfully discovered determinants of value, effects of proficient and inefficient value flow throughout the supply chain, and have developed applications of value creation tools. For example, James Woman (n. D. Describes how Toast’s use of value stream mapping aids visualizing life cycles, identifying sources of waste, developing a continuous flow, and linking organizational processes to perceived value by customers. Developing and utilizing instruments like this can make the difference between being a dominant competitor and irrelevant. Annotated Bibliography Acetate, V. , Catheter, G. Pacification, C. (2011). Value stream mapping implementation in the third sector. Operations Management Research, 4(1 ), p. 99-110. Retrieved from http://sea arch. Protest. Com. Explore. Liberty. Du:2048/epicenter/deceive/90091 3627/ A23F33330F7 Valentine Acetate, Canonical Catheter, and Claudia Pacification conducted a study that assesses the use of value stream mapping in application to work placement services. Specifically, the authors assess how value stream mapping will aid Don Lugging Palazzo Solidarity Centre in identifying critical points in the value flow chain and suggest actions for continuous improvement during the reorganization process. After researching previous case studies, Acetate et al. Chose to apply the Allison and Kayak model used by Toyota to conduct this study. As a result, the authors developed a strategic application of value stream mapping for Don Lugging Palazzo Solidarity Centre consisting of: Planning and preparation, mission and vision statements, analysis of internal and external environment, and strategic value stream planning. Specifically, the results stress the need for a new form design layout that is more simplistic and agile, a new standard criterion for chronologically ling forms, and fluent training and communication to ensure all members comprehensively understand complete flow of activities. The information provided throughout this study successfully illustrates the usefulness of value strategy mapping to increase quality, value flow effectiveness, and end user satisfaction. Ductwork, H. (2014). The employee stakeholder. The Journal for Quality and Participation, 37(1), 19-20. Retrieved from http:// search. Protest. Com. Explore. Liberty. Du:20 48/PC central/ 1 2085 Throughout this article the author, Holly Ductwork, expresses the importance of stakeholder leadership. She describes how the responsiveness and practice of stakeholder leadership aids in ensuring social responsibility and positive organizational performance. How to cite Cash flow, Papers

Stereotypes and Finding Your Places free essay sample

The drama â€Å"Trying to find Chinatown† by David Henry Hwang, and the poem â€Å"I, Too† by Langston Hughes deal with stereotypes and how the characters in both works cope with these stereotypes. While being illustrated differently by each of the two authors, there is also one major similarity both pieces possess: the theme is the same. Overcoming the obstacle of stereotypes. Overcoming the obstacle of stereotypes is explored in â€Å"Trying to find Chinatown†, when the main character, Benjamin, is exploring his Asian American parents’ roots shortly after his father’s death, while also trying to find a sense of belonging in the world. Traveling through New York City, Benjamin stops and talks to a street musician of Asian descent, named Ronnie, to ask for directions. Benjamin acknowledges Ronnie’s violin as a â€Å"fiddle† and it makes him slightly agitated. He angrily states to Benjamin â€Å"If this was a fiddle, I’d be sitting here with a cob pipe, stomping my cowboy boots and kicking up hay. We will write a custom essay sample on Stereotypes and Finding Your Places or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † (p. 1796). The anger Ronnie feels is clearly displayed and clear through his harsh tone displayed in his statement; Ronnie is unaware that he and Benjamin share similar heritages. Benjamin is now dealing with an ignorant stereotype of men from the south by Ronnie’s point of view, but it is ironic because it is a stereotype possessed by a person from the very heritage he has come searching for answers for and willing to embrace and further his understandings. Benjamin responds to Ronnie’s stereotypical slur by saying: â€Å"You know, it’s very stereotypical to think that all Asian skin tones conform to a single hue. † (p. 1798); referring to the difference of their skin tones while still sharing the same genetic history and culture. Despite Ronnie’s doubts and aggressive acquisitions about Benjamin and his heritage and being told that he â€Å"doesn’t fit the mold of an Asian American†, Benjamin continues on his search for Chinatown and when he arrives he finds that he â€Å"felt immediately that I had entered a world where all things were finally familiar† (pg1800). â€Å"I, Too†, a poem by Langston Hughes, deals with stereotypes as well but in a different and particular way. Hughes evokes strong emotion in this poem with lines containing defiant and prideful tones with lines such as â€Å"Nobody’ll dare/ say to me† (lines 11-12). The end of the poem says â€Å"Besides/ They’ll see how beautiful I am/ And be ashamed- I too, am America. † (lines 15-18). Each of the lines are really hitting on the emotional ting of the subject of stereotypes which is one of those things that one can deal with on a daily basis causing different reactions to the topic and how individuals cope with it personally. The first comparison between the two literary pieces would be the main subject of stereotypes (over-coming stereotypes) and how all people with differences deal with them. From physical appearance to the core of our cultural roots, stereotypes have always been apart of the way people view and perceive other people who live and look differently than they do. Maybe it is a stereotype that all white men from the south are hillbillies that obtain inbred desires with family members (such as the comment Ronnie made to Benjamin), or just the fact that the color of your skin is a darker shade so you aren’t treated fairly and the same as everyone else because you looked different from the majority of everyone around you, as the speaker of â€Å"I, Too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  explains. In both pieces, dealing with the annoyances and misperceptions people have of others due to stereotyping based on physical observations and family histories, are both addressed by Hwang and Hughes and their stories are told through their own experiences and extended knowledge of each of their backgrounds. Secondly, there is a comparison in the ways that the speaker of Hugh’s poem and Benjamin of Hwang’s play deal with stereotypical situations while sharing the same calm tone. They are never upset, blameful, rude or obnoxious in how they feel about the issue of stereotypes. Neither have an aggressive tone when they speak, even though in Hugh’s case from â€Å"I, Too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  all of his thoughts are commuted straight from him and his own thoughts to the readers because he is not having a conversation with another character like Benjamin is having with Ronnie. Still, coincidently, they both have a clear and appropriately calm tone to the delivery of their words. Lastly, there is a major similarity in the overall attitudes of the speaker of â€Å"I, Too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and the characters Ronnie and Benjamin of â€Å"Trying to Find Chinatown†. All of them are confident about who they are, at least according to themselves. In â€Å"I, Too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the speaker out right says that â€Å"Tomorrow/ I’ll be at the table/ When company comes/ Nobody’ll dare? Say to me/ â€Å"Eat in the kitchen,†/ Then (lines 8-14). He knows that one day the tables will turn and the white people will feel bad for treating him differently because of his culture and background. Benjamin’s parents are Asian American and he is certainly knowledgeable when it comes to history of the Asian culture; he feels like he is a part of that culture because it is familiar to him and he accepts it as his culture even though he is Chinese-American. Ronnie is convinced he is Chinese simply because of his darker skin tone and he knows he also has some African and European elements in his blood. He accepts this and embraces it, and he is confident regardless of his minor misperception of cultural identity. Along with â€Å"Trying to Find Chinatown† and â€Å"I, Too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  sharing many similarities, both of these works also contain a few differences. The first difference that can be distinguished would be the setting and time in history each piece of literature was written in. Hughes writes â€Å"I, Too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  in the setting of the year of 1925 in America, where segregation was only beginning. African Americans were not treated with the same amount of respect as whites, and many of them worked for white people and/or their families as servants and employees. In Hwang’s play, â€Å"Trying to Find Chinatown,† the setting is the present time and takes place in today’s society and day by day life of New York City. There is a vast difference in today’s generation and the generation of Hugh’s 1925 poem. Racism is certainly not unheard of, but has improved a great deal since the 20’s. Even in today’s world, stereotyping others is still a common thing. Whether it’s a stereotype based on someone’s looks, accents, skin tone, etc- there are still plenty of them around. The second difference acquired from the two readings would be the issue of racial inequality seen in â€Å"I, Too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  between African Americans and whites and how they are viewed as different, and how two people of the same heritage and same Asian decent see each other through different eyes as well. In Hugh’s poem, there is clearly an issue of inequality noticed by the speaker of â€Å"I, Too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  who works for a white family and is not even allowed to eat at the dinner table with company. He knows he is different from the people with lighter skin tones, and the tension and unfairness is evident in the poem. Physically and to the eye, he is not the same as the white people; deep down the speaker knows skin color is not what makes someone different. In â€Å"Trying to Find Chinatown†, Benjamin and Ronnie also have different physical appearances, but share the same cultural backgrounds as each other. Benjamin believes through his knowledge of Chinese history and the fact that his parents are Asian American, that makes him Asian. Ronnie does not understand this because he believes he is Chinese among other European descents based only on his skin color-he does not really feel like he is Chinese. There is a contradiction between the two characters and even though they are both Chinese, they do not share the same views. Finally, the last thing that makes these works of literature different from one another is the point of view each piece is written in. Hugh’s writes â€Å"I, Too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  through the thoughts of a character in the poem, experiencing the events we read. His thoughts are what make up the poem, and he himself is telling the readers what is going on instead of the poem being written in third person, the way Hwang tells his story in a stage play form. We hear from two different characters in â€Å"Trying to Find Chinatown,† and not just one person in the story. Given that the largest distinction between the two pieces of work are that one is a short poem and the other is a play that is intended to be acted out, these are just a few examples of how â€Å"I, Too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"Trying to Find Chinatown† contrast. Both â€Å"Trying to Find Chinatown† and â€Å"I, Too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  share the same theme of dealing and over coming stereotypes. While the time, place, and setting differ, the issue at hand does not. Hughes and Hwang both illustrate through the characters in their writings how they are considered â€Å"others† in society and do not necessarily fit in or feel they belong with others around them. Each piece of writing explains the inner battles faced by the characters and how they fit into stereotypes. Even though two different authors from two opposite cultures write â€Å"I, Too â€Å"and †Trying to Find Chinatown†, they both can relate to how stereotypes effect people and how very misleading they often can often be.