The Impact of the Electric Guitar on Music Essay -- Exploratory Essays

The Impact of the Electric Guitar on Music Everyone has moments when they feel as if they have found the wrong place. Now, it was time for one young gentleman to partake in one of these moments. A salesman had an appointment for a meeting with a wealthy man, yet he found himself wondering if he had arrived at the correct office. This was supposed to be a millionaire’s office, yet as he looked around the room, he saw no leather couches or expensive desks. In fact, the room was sparsely furnished, and had no carpeting. There was a desk, a rather common one that was too cluttered with blueprints and assorted papers to recognize, anyway. Also cluttered, a metal bookcase was in the corner, covered with speaker parts and catalogues. This enormously wealthy man even saved a disposable Styrofoam cup, which was sitting on his desk with his name labeled on it. Still hoping to find the owner, the salesman peeked in a back room, where he found nothing but dust, drills and punch presses. The man exclaimed, â₠¬Å"Maybe it was the room down the hall† as he turned around. With this turn he bumped into the father of the solid-body electric guitar and the man he had been looking for. Mr. Fender then responded with a whole-hearted, â€Å"Can I help you?† (Wheeler, 1982, pp. 42-43). The sought after executive was a man named Clarence Leo Fender, who was responsible for the first successful mass marketing of the solid-body electric guitar. However, it was an innovation that came after people were already using the electric guitar. For years before Fender’s success began in 1948, hollow-body electric guitars had been produced and used by top names in the guitar business, such as Lonnie Johnson, Eddie Lang, and Blind L... ... in American life. Smithsonian Productions. Retrieved December 21, 2001, from http://www.si.edu/sp/onair/guitar1.htm. Mongan, N. (1983). The history of the guitar in jazz. New York: Oak. Pareles, J. (2000, November 12). The humble instrument that conquered the world. New York Times, p. 1, sec. 2. Romana, H., Gustafson, G., Purse, B., & Daft, M. (1998, March). Guitar: Past, present and future. Music Educators Journal, 5, 84. Retrieved December 18, 2001 from EBSCOhost Database. Thompson, A., Levy, A., Ellis, A., & Fox, D. (1998, December). Legends of the Paul. Guitar Player, 32, 106-123. Retrieved January 4, 2002, from Proquest Database. Waksman, S. (n.d.). Instruments of desire: The electric guitar and the shaping of musical experience. Cambridge: Harvard. Wheeler, T. (1982). American guitars: An illustrated history. New York: Harper.

Bat Case Report

Executive Summary BAT is a technology that sells financial software to individuals and organizations. BAT’s success had attracted a number of competitors. BAT differentiated itself by committing to free tech support for the life of the product. BAT started its call center operations in 1987 with 6 technicians which grew to over a 100 technicians by 2002. However, the call center has been under pressure in terms of long waiting times for customers. Such poor service was beginning to take its toll on the company’s reputation.We recommend that BAT should implement the Fast Track proposal in order to improve customer service and the company’s bottom line. We understand that free technical support is BAT’s value proposition and central to its business model, but we will show with our analysis why this is the best approach to follow. Qualitatively, 1. BAT will still maintain free support with Fast Track. Fast track will only create market segmentation. Customers on top of the market pyramid who are readily willing to pay can be tapped. . Fast Track will convert the call center from a cost center into a profit center. With the revenue being generated out of Fast Track calls, BAT can staff the call center with more technicians to improve service levels for standard callers. Current Situation BOP Team 1 is consists of 8 customer service technicians and the arrival rate of customers is 22. 5 customers/hour. The average time to deal with one customer is 18. 2 minutes. Therefore, the service rate capacity per technician is 3. 2967 customers/hour.After running the Steady-State, Infinite Capacity Queues model, the average waiting time of customers is 0. 14979 hour, which equals to about 9 minutes and there will be in average 3. 37 customers waiting in the queue. Please refer to Appendix 1 for details. Since the arrival rate and the service capacity rate cannot be shortened, increasing number of technician is the only way to shorten the average wai ting time down to less than 1 minute. We ran the model again by adding more technicians one by one, and we found that the average waiting time decrease down to about half minutes at 11 technicians.Please refer to Appendix 2 for details. Fast Track We considered different staffing plans and ran Queuing Macro for average wait time. We considered adding servers and keeping one queue, and other scenarios with dedicated Fast Track Servers. We ran Queuing Macro under five different staffing scenarios: (Please note that we have dedicated Fast track servers in Scenarios 4 and 5) Scenario No| No of Standard Servers| No of Fast Track Servers| 1| 8| 0| 2| 9| 0| 3| 10| 0| 4| 7| 1| 5| 7| 3| The following results were observed:Refer to Appendix 3 for spreadsheet calculations. As observed in the data, Scenario 2 and 3 succeed in keeping Average waiting for track customers to less than 1 minute. Scenario 2 uses less number of resources. Scenario 2 (9 technicians) is the best staffing level, without dedicated servers for Fast Track. Economics of Fast Track We’ve now established that Scenario 2 and 3 keep average wait time to less than 1 minute to help meet the Fast Track Guarantee. In Scenario2, The average server utilization is 75%, which is an adequate level.The additional yearly net revenue that can be obtained ranges from $54,325 to $376,300 depending if 10% or 40% of customers become Fast Track customers. In Scenario 3, The average server utilization is 68%, which is not as good as in the previous scenario. The additional yearly net revenue that can be obtained is also less attractive, ranging from $1,325 to $323,300. Also considering a scenario where we keep 11 technicians, The average server utilization decreases to 62%. The additional net revenue/loss that can be obtained per year is now not so attractive, ranging from a net loss of 51,675 to a net revenue of $270,300. Scenario 2 (9 Servers) offers the best revenue opportunities. Free Service for Fast customers waiting over 1 minute. We did some simulations to see what happens if BAT offers Fast Track service, charging $2 / minute, but giving the service for free if the customer waits over 1 minute. According to the â€Å"Queuing† macro, with 1 additional server there is a 30. 7% chance that any given customer (whether Fast Track or Standard) will wait more than 1 minute.Considering that 10% of these customers are Fast Track individuals, we obtain an arrival rate of 30. 7% * 10% * 22. 5 customers/hr = 0. 69 customers / hr. On the other hand, considering that 40% of customers are Fast Track individuals, we obtain an arrival rate of 30. 7% * 40% * 22. 5 customers/hr = 2. 7 customers / hr This means that, on average, the number of Fast Track customers who will wait over 1 minute ranges from 0. 69 / hr to 2. 7 / hr. In other words, roughly anywhere from 1 to 3 Fast Track customers per hour will be waived from the Fast Track fee.As seen on Appendix â€Å"xxxxx† (Table 4), this rep resents a loss of annual revenue ranging between $2,197 and $8,786. However, despite declines in revenue, this fee-waiver option will surely improve customer’s experience and customer loyalty. Therefore, we recommend Scenario 2 (hiring 1 additional server) in order to implement Fast Track, charging $2 / minute and including the fee-waiver option if waiting time exceeds 1 minute. Service Contracts vs Pay per call There are several aspects to consider when deciding if BAT should offer service contracts or just pay-per-call.Firstly, offering charged technician support goes against BAT’s original value proposition, however, pay-per-call maintained free service option. Also, pay-per-call could differentiate itself from the industry norm. It is easier for customers to accept. BAT has been offering free technician service to support its product since the founding of the company. Free technician support is part of BAT’s value proposition to customers. While charging pay -per-call service is already deviating from BAT’s core value, following the industry norm to offer service contracts could negatively impact the value proposition of BAT.Secondly, offer service contracts require higher investment caused by increased volume of customer calls. With pay-per-call service, customer will only call technician support when they are encountering problems that are urgent and customer can not only solve by themselves in a timely fashion. And since the call is charged on the minute basis, customers are more likely to keep the call short. Whereas, with service contracts, customers could call technician support with any question, and tend to stay on the line longer that they actually need to.There will be an increase of number of phone calls if BAT decides to offer service contracts. The increase of number of phone calls and prolonged time for each phone call will require BAT to invest heavily in terms of human resource and training. Overall, in terms of e conomic value and flexibility in operation, the Pay-per-call option is more preferable than service contracts. Pay-per-call requires less investment in human resource and training, also it has the flexibility to not charge customer, if their waiting time exceeds 1 minute.

Extreme tourism and Antarctica Essay

What is Extreme Tourism? Extreme tourism is an offshoot of mainstream tourism that involves the tourist going to areas with a hazardous landscape combined with a dangerous climate or remote areas that are either sparsely populated or not populated at all. More and more people are taking part in activities like rock climbing, white-water rafting, paragliding and more. Who Takes Part? More often than not, the typical adventure tourist will be 30 years old, unmarried person and have no children. Due to the expensive nature of these holidays, those taking part will most likely be in high power jobs, which would allow them to earn a high income. Most people will come in small groups but there are a few wealthy individuals who go by themselves. As very few people go on these types of holidays, the sector will never be as large as other tourism sectors like eco-tourism. What are the Attractions? The most popular areas for extreme tourism are Peru, Chile, Argentina, Azerbaijan and Pakistan. These areas boast difficult landscapes, hard climates and even unstable political situations. A notable example of this would be the mountainous regions of north Pakistan. They are often described as some of the most difficult landscapes in the world and, as mentioned earlier, some feel that the risky political situation (as it is near an Al Qaeda base) adds an extra thrill. Other more mainstream attractions include desert trekking, canoeing in areas like the Amazon and hiking in the Himalayas. Antarctica: What Activities are there? Most of the activities available in Antarctica are based around the unique climate and wildlife present there. The activities vary from sporting activities such as skiing and hiking expeditions, to viewing the native wildlife like whales and penguins. Activities like living with the Emperor Penguins are very popular among tourists as you aren’t required to be very physically fit and it can be very touching to be around them. Other activities like skiing across large distances or hiking up mountains like Mount Vincent are a lot more demanding physically and as such fewer people go on these expeditions, yet they are still quite popular due to the thrill achieved by taking part in these dangerous activities. How has the Number of Tourists going to Antarctica Changed? Tourism in the Antarctic regions started in the late 1950’s (approximately 1958), half a century after Amundsen and his team first arrived at the South Pole. At this time the numbers of people visiting the area were very low, a stark contrast with the numbers of tourists arriving today which is somewhere around 28,000 people per year. The number of people visiting is only expected to go up as more activities are made and marketing of the area increases. What are the Impacts of Tourism? While those in charge of the tours do their best to ensure that any impacts caused by the tourists are minimal or don’t even happen, it is nigh impossible for them to remove the risk altogether. As a result, there are impacts caused by the tourists and the extent of some of them can be quite considerate. The most obvious impact brought on by tourists is the disturbance of the native wildlife such as the emperor penguins. Human interaction with these animals can cause major effects such as a change in migration patterns leading to further effects in the ecosystem as a whole. Impacts can come in other means as well. The sinking of the MS Explorer showed that access to the area needed to be restricted and lead to fuel spilling in the water, doing untold damage to the marine life. How have the Impacts been managed? All tour operators, of which there are more than 100, are members of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and are urged to be environmentally friendly in their practices and are asked to convince tourists to be as well. In order to preserve more delicate areas, there are certain Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI’s) which tourists are not allowed to visit so that the wildlife and inhabitants are protected. Anyone wishing to take part in activities on the island must have a permit and are banned from leaving any waste/litter behind and being closer than 5m to an animal. Any ships going to the area is limited in the amount of passengers it can have (500 max of which only 100 can disembark at once).

Data Commentary on Obesity Essay

Introduction After reading and evaluating six articles written by experts on obesity, the data seems to imply that better educating people about how their behavioral lifestyle choices effect their future and current health is the best solution. The six journal articles evaluated and analyzed include: David Freedman’s article, â€Å"How to Fix the Obesity Epidemic,† published in Scientific American in 2011. Green Gregory’s article, â€Å"Physical Activity and Childhood Obesity: Strategies and Solutions for Schools and Parents,† published in Education in 2012. Micheal Wietings article, â€Å"Cause and Effect of Childhood Obestiy: Solutions for a National Epidemic,† published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association in 2008. George Blackburn’s article, â€Å" Science Based Solutions to Obesity: What are the Roles of Academia, Government, Industry, and Healthcare,† published in 2005 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. As well a s, â€Å"Obesity Solutions: Report of a meeting,† published in Nutrition Reviews in 1997. Kate Dailey’s article â€Å" Can Laws fix the Obesity Crisis,† published in Newsweek in 2010 Evaluation In his article, â€Å"How to Fix the Obesity Crisis† David Freedman explores topics such as how the US has blindly gone down the path of obesity, what researchers are doing currently to fix the problem, and how these solutions will pan out over future generations. Obese people cost the government millions in medical bills each year while the problem has not hindered. One problem with the research is that many findings challenge one another, which leads to contradicting solutions. Freedman focuses on weight loss programs, such as weight watchers, which have proved successful over recent years. As well as how they have been able to attain success. These programs have shed positive light on the issue, unfortunately there is no way to know if they can maintain success over time and larger populations. David Freedman is a senior editor at Forbes ASAP, and has appeared in many respected journals, such as The Harvard Business Review. The information and statistics stated in his paper are backed by research scientists from respected schools, such as John Hopkins University of School and Medicine, as well as the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Freedman also cites journals such as the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. He begins his arguments by stating facts or statistics from these credible sources, then explains how and why they are relevant, creating a non-biased argument on the issue. The article was written in 2011 and cites statistics as recent as 2010 making all information relevant to the issue as it stands presently. Some experts believe that it is partly the government’s responsibility to fix the problems associated with obesity. Kate Dailey explores this issue in her article, â€Å"Can Laws Fix the Obesity Crisis?† Movements in larger cities such as San Francisco put bans on restaurants, such as McDonalds for advertising high caloric food without also advertising the nutritional facts. These efforts are often shot down early by government officials because of the financial impact they have on corporations. Even when government funds obesity fixes their efforts are too often based on a â€Å"best guess† basis because results of an action are difficult to quantify. Kate Dailey utilizes actual actions governments have taken against obesity in American cities and explains the results that stem from these actions. Newspapers such as the LA Times and San Fransisco Chronicle are primary accounts finding first-hand how these experiments have faired upon implementation. Kate is a senior articles editor at Newsweek, and she reviews hundreds of articles on a broad variety of issues each week. In her article she states both positive and negative impacts of the government taking a stand on obesity, allowing readers to make their own conclusions on the issue. Adult obesity is often preceded by childhood obesity, Gregory Green explores this issue in his article â€Å"Physical Activity and Childhood Obesity : Strategies and Solutions for Schools and Parents.† The youth of today spend more time on passive sedentary activities than they do any others. This  leaves youth not only inactive but also exposed to the ruthless world of advertising by food conglomerates. Obesity does not merely hinder youth physically but mentally as well; once youth see themselves a certain way it is difficult to dissuade their thinking. Parents and schools can play a major role in assisting children by educating them and giving only healthy options when eating. Gregory Green is a Professor at Fort State Valley University where he teaches Health and Physical Education department on top of being the university’s Faculty Athletics Representative . Green consistently cites the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in his article, the leading center for all things disease related, as well as a plethora of articles written by his peers. Green utilizes facts to support claims throughout the paper, which allows him to leave personal opinion and bias out of context. Michael Wieting also explores causes to childhood obesity, and how it links to a lifetime of obesity. Obesity is a caused by â€Å"attacks† on multiple fronts, such as lack of education, genetic factors, and negative advertising by the food industry. Societal factors play large roles against obese children. In urban neighborhoods there is often a lack of open area for activity. Urban areas also lack supermarkets where the healthy food is located. Only in realizing the many causes of obesity is it possible to brainstorm solutions. Advocacy and regulation can play a large role in prevention of the problem while physicians consistently research medical solutions for the obese community. Michael Wieting is a professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Lincoln Memorial University where he is also the Dean of Clinical Medicine. Like Green, Wieting cites the Center for Disease Control and Prevention often throughout his paper. Wieting acknowledges different causes and solutions in his paper, and pulls information from many different scholarly papers written by his peers. His paper avoids bias by explaining multiple viewpoints on the issue, which allows the reader to interpret and make conclusions without any sway from the author. The article was written in 2008 and cites sources from the same year, making the statistics relevant  relevant and current information. George Blackburn reminds readers about the science behind the epidemic of obesity in his article, â€Å"Science Based Solutions to Obesity: What are the Roles of Academia, Government, Industry, and Healthcare.† Scientists are constantly researching reasons behind why some people are obese as well as possible scientific solutions that go beyond the everyday â€Å"go to the gym† solution. As obesity kills more and more people each year, medical institutions are making a point to study the biochemistry behind the issue. Blackburn is an expert in the field of healthcare and nutrition, he currently works as the Associate Director of the Division of Nutrition at Harvard University. Blackburn is on the cutting edge of healthcare information concerning nutrition, which is pertinent to the matter of obesity and fixing the effects obesity has had on the country. The article was written in 2005, however, none of the information in the article has been disproved since the time of publication, which means it is all pertinent to the issue. Blackburn also leaves personal opinion out of the discussion by stating proven facts and explaining why the facts are detrimental to our well-being. In 1997 a workshop entitled â€Å"Obesity Solutions† was held at St. Lukes-Roosevelt Hospital in New York City in order to address the problem of obesity spreading across America. Scientists had begun finding reasons for obesity which went beyond merely overeating and lack of exercise. Genes in the body and proteins encoded by those genes were found to be one of the many causes for obesity. While nutritional food intake and exercise could greatly impact obesity those new discoveries can yield freedoms to obese people they had never before experienced. This report was groundbreaking and paved the way for millions of dollars in obesity research over the decade that followed. Twelve medical professionals had input in the â€Å"obesity solutions† workshop, all of which were qualified by respected institutions to be part of the research. Although the research is almost fifteen years old it has been the  starting pad for larger discoveries and remains as relevant as it was when it was first discovered. Science remains immune to personal bias because results are not interpreted, they are stated. The scientists thoughts and opinions on the topic are absent, therefore having no impact on the paper. Synthesis The scientific and nutritional community agree that obesity needs to be put to an end as soon as possible for the benefit of all. Experts do not always agree as to the best possible solutions to the problem. They argue that certain solutions can bring about better results than others. Obesity may be solved through government lobbying and intervention, through medical intervention utilizing pharmaceutical drugs or surgery, or behavior modification of obese through healthy eating and exercise.. The government plays a huge role in American citizens’ lives even if most people do not notice or realize. The government regulates what we see on television, what the food industry can and can not do, as well as the curriculum American children are taught in school every single day. The government should be taking steps to end the biggest killer in America: obesity. Blackburn argues, â€Å"the need to update and refine school curricula as a key objective in the fight against obesity.† (Blackburn) This is pertinent to success in defeating obesity because there is an unacceptable health illiteracy in America currently. Kids are not taught how to eat healthy until they take health class in tenth grade in most school districts today. Not only are they kept in the dark when it comes to nutritional information, they are not given the opportunity to combat obesity through physical activity. Wieting cites the CDC, â€Å"participation in physical education has declined 30% in the past decade.† (Wieting) This is a direct result of government interference in Wietings opinion due to â€Å"state and federal pressure to improve performance on proficiency tests by reducing-or eliminating-time for recess and physical education classes.† (Wieting) This proves that governments are more worried about bringing tax dollars home than maintaining a healthy lifestyle within the community it serves. Some argue that the government is taking measures to â€Å"combat obesity† when  in reality they have no effect on the problem. Communities are different all over the country, and â€Å"it’s difficult to evaluate the success rates or determine whether what works in one place will play well in another.† (Dailey) In other words, this means it is difficult to implement the same plans in places where climate psychographics are drastically different. In order to succeed, experimentation will have to take place around the country and implementation of different solutions must occur in order to find out what the most successful approach is. The scientific community can gives a helping hand not only in research of the obesity cause, but also scientific solutions. Scientists are able to discover which types of nutrients are able to help the body shed fat. In 1997 at the â€Å"obesity meeting† in New York it was discovered that, â€Å"high protein diets provide the best short term results, however long term effects are similar, if not the same than most diets.† (Albu) This is important for those just beginning to diet, proving that encouraging beginnings to weight loss positively correlates to successful behavior modification. Scientists have discovered differences in the genotypes of healthy people compared to those of obese people. Genes code for different types of proteins in the body, which have specific jobs to do in maintaining health. the protein Leptin is meant to control the body’s food intake, to tell the body it is full when it has had enough to eat. The New York meeting discovered that â€Å"circulating leptin is reduced in obese subjects during times of hypocaloric intake.† (Albu) Obese people do not stop eating because their brains fail to receive the message that they are full; instead they continue to eat an unhealthy amount of food. Behavior modification and lifestyle changes continue to be the front runner as a cure to the epidemic. â€Å"Programs based on behavioral principles are more likely to help people take and keep off weight than other approaches.† (Freedman) This is the conclusion of a study that was funded by weight watchers, completed by an unbiased third party. The conclusions find that changes in lifestyle by consistently tracking calorie intake, keeping an exercise journal, and recording weight values weekly. are frontrunners the  cure for obesity. Weight loss does not happen quickly, but rather at a snails pace and long term change is critical. Today children are brought up into obese lifestyles which they have no control over. Often times obese children know nothing about healthy meal choices or the positive impact of exercise. â€Å"Today’s children spend hours participating in sedentary activities, and eat more fast food and vending machine food than older generations have in the past.† (Green) Green argues that the lifestyle that Generation Y is being raised in and the social norms that they have been taught are acceptable encourage obese behavior. Commentary It is clear that obesity is caused by a multitude of problems ranging from medical conditions which people have no control over, to lifestyle choices which obese people are encouraged to act proactively about. Continued scientific research allows the community to better understand what causes obesity in certain cases. Research may also lead to an end all be all solution to obesity that could save the lives of millions. It is also clear that taking an active part in changing lifestyle can dramatically improve the future wellbeing of the country. Actively teaching people about the negative impacts their choices have on their own lives could save many misinformed, uneducated people. The data seems to imply that better educating people about how their behavioral lifestyle choices effect their future and current health is the best solution. An education system that stresses healthy living through better eating habits as well as an emphasis on physical education could help to fix the behavioral problems seen in many obese victims. Work Cited Albu, J., Allison, D., Boozer, C. N., Heymsfield, S., Kissileff, H., Kretser, A., Krumhar, K., Leibel, R., Nonas, C., Pi-Sunyer, X., Vanltallie, T. and Wedral, E. (1997), Obesity Solutions: Report of a Meeting. Nutrition Reviews, 55: 150–156. Web. 2 Mar. 2014 Blackburn, George L., and Allan Walker. â€Å"Science-based Solutions to Obesity: What Are the Roles of Academia, Government, Industry, and Health Care?† The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 82.1 (2005): 2075-105. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. Dailey, Kate. â€Å"Can Laws Fix The Obesity Crisis?† Newsweek.com 16 Nov. 2010. Academic OneFile. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. Freedman, David H. â€Å"How To Fix The Obesity Crisis.† Scientific American 304.2 (2011): 40-47. Military and Government Collection. Web. 2 Mar. 2014 Green, Gregory, Brenda Hargrove, and Clarence Riley. â€Å"Physical activity and childhood obesity: strategies and solutions for schools and parents.† Education 132.4 (2012): 915+. Academic OneFile. Web. 2 Mar. 2014 Wieting, Micheal J. â€Å"Cause and Effect of Childhood Obesity: Solutions for a National Epidemic.† The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association 108.10 (2008): 545-52. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.

Accounting ASC Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Accounting ASC - Research Paper Example An example of these guidelines are those provided by Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) that has within it two methods to recognize revenue for online retailers. One of these methods is the gross method and the other is the net method. Two online retailers that have been used in the examination of these two methods are Amazon and Overstock. ASC guidelines The ASC guidelines recognize two basic accounting methods in the case where one is recognizing revenues. These are the gross method and the net method. The gross method seeks to recognize the total amount of sales that have been made from which any discounts that occur within the time frame opened for discounts are then recorded. These discounts may be accrued in periods. This is where they have occurred in periods that are greater than two accounting periods and where the likely period of payment is not certain. The net method on the other hand records revenue in terms of the net sales that have been made on the product. In th e case where later on the customer decides not to take advantage of any discounts that have been offered then this is recorded as income. Gross method of accounting is one that considers the discounts that may be taken and majorly relies on how good a client is in honoring their obligations to pay. The net method on the other hand looks at the discounts that the customer has not taken advantage of and also on how ineffective the customer may be in honoring their obligations to pay. Amazon Amazon recognizes revenue on its books based on the satisfaction of four factors. The recognition is also dependent on the source of the revenue; this is as to whether it is from direct sales or commissions earned. The four factors considered are that there should be considerable evidence that there is the intent of conducting business. The next is that the goods have been delivered or the service has been rendered. The selling price also has to be determinable and fixed. Finally that the collectio n of the amount is to a certain extent assured. In cases where the price is not easy to determine and Amazon is the primary source of the goods then the net revenue is charged. Subscription fees are recognized as revenues over the life of the subscription. In cases where gift cards have been purchased, they are recognized as revenues when they are used by the customer or when they expire. Amazon is a company that utilizes the net method of revenue recognition. This is evident from the fact that the company recognizes the total revenue that is estimated to stem from any of the transactions that they make netting any promotional discounts that the products may have. This also nets the rebates that the products may attract and the allowance for any costs that may be involved in returning the goods. The recognition of this revenue is also limited to the point where the risk of loss and the title of any product sold have been transferred to the client. Overstock Overstock on the other ha nd has different revenue recognition procedures. They have a customer loyalty program whose revenue is allocated ratably over the period of ownership of the membership card. The revenue from rewards intended for those who are members are recognized when they take advantage of these rewards, when the rewards expires which is usually ninety days after the expiry of membership and when there is a breakage (when the redemption by the customer of rewards is highly unlikely). There have not been any instances of breakage. The revenues from gift cards are also recognized when they are redeemed or when redemption is highly unlikely from experience. It can be seen

Valley Forge in Pennsylvania Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Valley Forge in Pennsylvania - Research Paper Example Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 Valley Forge is among the historical places that marked the American Revolution. Moreover, George Washington and his army spent a harsh winter at Valley Forge in the year 1777 -1778. Furthermore, during this period many of the Continental army perished due to starvation, lack of proper clothing to protect them from the cold and infectious diseases (Webstar 1305). Consequently, the Continental army was reduced to almost half its initial population. However, the conditions at the camp improved when congress sent food at the camp and hygiene standards were elevated. Moreover, the soldiers were drilled and when spring arrived, they were ready and eager to face the British army in the battle field. To this end, the continental army eventually fought with the British army even though they were at draw military wise. The Continental Army left the battle field in high spirits and confidence compared to the previous wars. The subsequent sections will elaborate on the reasons as to why General Washington’s Continental army decided to camp at Valley Forge. Moreover, the challenges they encountered during the encampment at Valley Forge will be discussed comprehensively. Furthermore, the drilling of soldiers by Steuben Baron that took place while they were at Valley Forge will be intricately discussed. Finally, the aftermath of the training process will be summarily discussed. Reasons for Camping at Valley Forge In the 18th century of 1777 George Washington, the general of continental army, moved with his army to the south of New Jersey. His objective was to defend Philadelphia city from the advancing forces of William Howe. Consequently, the two armies clashed at Brandywine on the 11th of September (Hickman 1). As a result, Washington’s army was defeated and flee the city. Washington’s army struck again at Germantown on 4th of October in order to regain initiative but was decisively defeated. Subsequently, with the cold weather approaching Washington moved his army to a winter encampment. To this end, he chose Valley Forge, 20 mile s from Northwest city of Philadelphia. Evidently, the site would easily be defendable from surprise attacks. In addition, provision of food from local farmers would be easy. Challenges at Valley Forge In as much as Washington chose the best place for his soldiers to camp, they still encountered serious problems like lack of food and clothing. The soldiers had little to eat apart from fried dough called fire cakes. Furthermore, the soldiers wore tattered cloths and their accommodation was hastily built. The accommodation consisted of canvas walls and dirt floors that were smoky and cold. Furthermore, the cabins were ideal sites for the spreading of diseases that subjected the soldiers to bouts of cold (Miller 9). In addition, the local farmers were hesitant to give their food in exchange to the almost worthless soldiers. On the contrary, the farmers traded their produce with the British; located miles away Philadelphia; for liquid cash. Furthermore, the local farmers even continued t o hoard food as they waited to earn higher profits in the spring season. Consequently, there were prevalent desertions and deaths from diseases and hunger. This led to a reduction of the continental army to almost one-half of the initial size (Miller 9). In addition, Washington was privately annoyed with the lack of strong commitment from his supposedly patriot fighters. Washington’s Leadership Qualities Questioned Washington’s leadership integrity and qualities were cast openly in doubt by his fellow army officers as well as part of the

Evaluation of a Business Code of Ethics Research Paper - 4

Evaluation of a Business Code of Ethics - Research Paper Example The bank is engaged in commercial banking and related services, as defined in the Banking companies’ ordinance 1962, operating through various branches in Pakistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh & Afghanistan, with the registered office at B.A Building, I.I. Chundrigar, Karachi. â€Å"To develop & deliver the most innovative products, manage customer experience, deliver quality services that contributes to brand strength, establishes a competitive advantage and enhances profitability, thus providing value to the stakeholders of the bank†. There are various opinions on ethics because it is not a constricted subject and thus there are various theories. Although none of these can be regarded as incorrect but each one has its merits and demerits (Collins, 2009, 120). Below are examples of commonly used ethical systems: Relative Value Theory: accepts the need for evolution of moral codes. This theory gives room for different cultures, races, religions and sects by realizing that any particular act can be regarded as ethical in one society whereas the same act can be considered as immoral in another. Absolute Value Theory: in contrast believes in one set of moral rules that stay consistent in every situation. Since this concept is very rigid thus is mostly applied on international truths e.g. murder by one person of another stays unacceptable irrespective of any society, religion or sect. Deontological Approach (non-consequentialist): suggests that any action will be judged as â€Å"right or wrong† on the basis of the moral behind the action. Thus the outcome or consequence of the action bears little importance. Teleological Approach (consequentialist): pays heed on the results of the actions rather than the motivation for the action. Thus two different opinions can be formed that whether the action is good for oneself (egoist) or if it is good for the society (utilitarian). If we look at the code of ethics of Bank Alfalah Limited it is visible that they are based on