Saturday, May 23, 2020

The Ideas And Reforms Of Marx And Kuyper - 1142 Words

The nineteenth century was a time of wide-spread changes across Europe and America. Two great seminal thinkers, Karl Marx and Abraham Kuyper, examined the issue of poverty during this time through their books The Communist Manifesto and The Problem of Poverty respectively. Both philosophers exposed economic, political, and social problems of this period. The ideas and reforms of Marx and Kuyper proved to be so tectonic that they resulted in the greatest political upheaval of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. While Marx wrote his book to rally society against capitalism for a socioeconomic change, Kuyper viewed poverty through a Christian lens and weighed the effect of society in regards to this issue. It is true both philosophers†¦show more content†¦In this case, the split is between the Bourgeoisie (the middle class) versus the Proletariat (the working class). Marx argued the capitalist Bourgeoisie abused the Proletariats by profiting from their work while the Prolet ariats were not receiving what they deserved (Marx, p. 30). Marx knew the wealth of the Bourgeoisie depended on the work of the Proletariat, but he predicted the underclass would get sick of being exploited and revolt. In fact, he encouraged the underclass to overthrow the capitalists and stand up for their rights with his views known as Marxism. Abraham Kuyper also acknowledged the unfairness of the social classes that had developed. He related the inequalities between men were due to the belief that â€Å"the stronger devours the weaker,† and declared they were living in an animalistic society rather than a humane one (Kuyper, p. 25). The desire for wealth and material things had overcome the desire for the Christian faith. Kuyper urged the people to carry out their responsibilities as Christians and work toward shrinking the division between rich and poor by giving to the poor. Both Marx and Kuyper recognized the negative effect capitalism had on society, but Marx aimed to eliminate the capitalists’ economic system while Kuyper endorsed a giving society. Though Marx and Kuyper agreed on the need to change the inequality between the different classes, their views regarding religion differed. Marx thoughtShow MoreRelatedThe Revolution Of The Middle Of A Revolution1292 Words   |  6 Pagesthe gap between the poor and the rich. Aware of the widening gap, Karl Marx wrote out against the problem. However, the problem was still around about fifty years later when Abraham Kuyper also addressed the problem. Both Marx and Kuyper agreed that poverty was a problem and need to be fixed. Each one took a different view on how to fix poverty, and both have their flaws, but in the end, both Karl Marx and Abraham Kuyper are calling for action to end poverty. The problem with poverty is thatRead MoreCommunist Manifesto And Abraham Kuyper s The Problem Of Poverty1385 Words   |  6 PagesKuyper’s The Problem of Poverty. Both Marx and Kuyper’s writings focus on the social struggle between the privileged, wealthy, and unprivileged, poor; however, Marx presents the struggle and his solution from an economic viewpoint while Kuyper presents the struggle and his solution from a religious viewpoint. Marx begins his presentation with a defining of both socio-economic groups then presents the political movement of Communism as a solution to the contrast. Kuyper, on the other hand, focuses hisRead MoreKuyper Against Marx1795 Words   |  8 Pagesbetter. Although Kuyper and Marx agreed that social conditions in the Industrial Age were not acceptable, they differed on the cause and solution to the poverty and despair in the modern world. Kuyper’s approach to the problem of poverty is like minimally invasive surgery, less dam aging but more time-intensive. Marx’s approach, however, is like amputation with no cauterization, quick but with little chance of recovery. Marx seeks to heal a wound by creating another; Kuyper seeks to heal through

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Working At Ibm As A Software Engineer - 2513 Words

One thing that a person realizes when they start working in a group of people is the fact that people are diverse. This can be in their way of thinking, their actions and even in the way they relate to one another. This makes the expected results to vary and become subjective in all manner of ways. This paper focuses on a clear description of the events that took place while I was working at IBM as a software engineer. This paper will focus with one of the projects; VPMI, which happened to be a very complex endeavor, not just for me, but also the team I was working with. Having been selected for the project for the sole reason of my educational background; software engineering, I was automatically made the technical leader of the group.†¦show more content†¦On Fridays we would then meet again and establish the steps that had been taken within the week. The project manager, who we all referred to as Andy, was a modern kind of manager, who believed in delegating duties to all persons who were willing to take them, so on Friday he would ensure the meeting was casual and everyone had an opportunity of taking a stand on what they thought were the barriers to the project’s development. I believe this was a move to have constant communication within the group so that we could avoid conflict. Despite this, conflict arouse at given incidents within the project development period. As I stipulated earlier, this was a diverse group, it had all sorts of people, and for instance Alisha who was one of the member in the group was very competitive. Having attended one of the premier institutes for her undergraduate she felt she had the upper hand in some matters within the IT scope within the group. Alisha was slender, dressed elegantly at all times and exhibited all the traits that a competitive person exhibits. On one of these meetings, she had been given the role of facilitating the Friday session. As usual the team was discussing the issues that had faced the project that week. An issue was raised regarding the software to be used for one of the sub-projects and my opinion was asked on it. Alisha was not in agreement with it, however, instead of facilitating

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Business law Reflective Free Essays

Abstract Reflective writing provides â€Å"evidence of reflective thinking† (Thorpe, 2010, p. 2) and generally involves the writer looking at back at tasks that have been undertaken and considering what improvements need to be made. In order to conduct a reflective statement for a presentation that has been carried out Gibbs (1988, p. We will write a custom essay sample on Business law Reflective or any similar topic only for you Order Now 1) model of reflection ought to be used. This enables the writer to provide a description of what happened and then consider what thoughts and feelings they have about the presentation. An evaluation of the good and bad points is then provided and an analysis as to what affected the outcome is made. Once this has been done a conclusion is then drawn about what changes could be made in order to improve future presentations. In this reflective assignment I will therefore write a reflective account of how the performance went by considering the strengths and weaknesses as well as any feelings I had when conducting the tasks (Moon, 2013, p. 140). Outline of law The presentation was based upon the advantages and disadvantages of Limited Liability Partnership’s (LLPs) and whether LLPs have been taken up by many professional (unlimited) partnerships. Accordingly, it was thus made clear that LLPs are advantageous in that partners of LLPs have limited liabilities (Cody et al, 2007, p. 82) and are therefore not responsible for another partner’s misconduct or negligence (Haywood, 2010, p. 546). As such, there is a reduced risk to the personal wealth of all partners from creditor’s claims. LLPs also provide great flexibility for partners in that they facilitate participation in the management and maintenance of the partnership (Rouch and Smethurst, 2004, p. 46). Moreover, because LLPs require registration at Companies House, these types of partnerships may give the perception that they are much more substantial than they actually are. LLPs do, however, have a number of disadvantages including the lack of privacy since all finan cial information must be disclosed to the public (Morris, 2001, p. 161). In addition, there is also the requirement for an LLP agreement which may not be desirable for many partnerships. LLPs are also taxed in the same way as sole traders and traditional partnerships and so do not obtain the same tax benefits that a Limited Liability Company would receive. The limited liability protection that is provided may also lead to trade suppliers being unwilling to provide credit to the partnership as they may perceive the protection as a high risk for themselves. If an LLP fails, no redress would be provided to the partners even if they are owed money (Murray, 1998, p. 15). The strengths and weakness of the workings of group Strengths In undertaking the above presentation, I was provided with the opportunity to work as part of group. In doing so, I was able to pool my ideas together with others and understand the advantages and disadvantages of LLPs from different perspectives. In addition, any complex problems that I faced were more easily tackled since I was able to discuss the problems with the others in the group and therefore gain relevant feedback. As a group, we were able to meet up in order to work on the presentation together, which enabled us to generate ideas that we may not have come up with individually. The end product was therefore a success because of the fact that everyone in the group was able to contribute to what was being said. Weaknesses Although it was enjoyable working with other people, there were many drawbacks of the workings of the group. This was evidenced by the lack of team work that existed at times as some individuals provided more input than others. As a result, I often found myself taking the leading position on this assignment as opposed to working with the group as equals and I subsequently ended up providing the group with the appropriate guidance needed to conduct the presentation. This could have been due to the fact that I was better at organising what needed to be addressed, whereas the others in the group were better at expressing their opinions. When we were initially provided with the instructions for the presentation, we all agreed that it was best to start off by each giving our own opinions as to what we thought would work best for this particular topic. It was then decided that each individual ought to research a different matter on the topic. Some parts of the research that was gathered we re, however, stronger than other parts and so further clarification was needed. Nevertheless, one of the main things that I learnt from this process was the acceptance of other people’s ideas and opinions. At times it was difficult to decide whose particular research was the most useful and it seemed as though the information being gathered was not sufficient enough to convey the issues surrounding LLPs within our presentation. Hence, it would have been a lot better if the group had communicated with each other more effectively and were thus prepared to get more involved with the team (Maughan Webb, 2001, p. 1). This is because, it seemed as though a lot of independent work was still be undertaken for this assignment even though it was a group project. This had a significant impact upon the overall presentation as it appeared that the group had not worked together in considering the advantages and disadvantages of LLPs. This could have largely been due to the difficulty it was in getting groups members together since we had to find an appropriate time th at was convenient for everyone in the group. This was quite difficult to achieve as we had to figure out a time that would suit the needs of all and then email each other to find out if this was in fact appropriate. The strengths and weakness of presentation Strengths The presentation skills of each individual in the group were sufficient in that we all maintained a fair level of eye contact and an appropriate use of language throughout. We also maintained a very good pace and I became aware of my strong expressive voice and powerful eye contact. The presentation was also well organised and we had memorised what we had included in the presentation so there was little need to script read. Overall, the presentation was well delivered and organised in an a clear concise manner that allowed the reader to easily identify the advantages and disadvantages of LLPs. Weaknesses In conducting the presentation I felt that I lacked the ability to put my audience at ease because of the lack of clarity that existed in the presentation. Better preparation would have rectified this, yet because of the complexities that existed within the group it was extremely difficult to prepare as well as we should have done. Furthermore, although I had the ability to explain the different concepts of LLPs clearly, I was unable to answer the question that was put to me at the end of the presentation appropriately. As a result, it is evident that further reading on the topic would have been beneficial as it would have enhanced my knowledge and understanding of LLPs and would have provided me with the ability to answer any questions that were put to me. The tone of my voice could also have been a little more varied and I could have had greater confidence in the subject matter. More preparation would have resolved this as well as further collaboration with the other group members. In addition, we also had a lack of skill when it came to using PowerPoint and so it would have been better if we had got ourselves familiar with the software before making the presentation. How any weaknesses can be overcome in the future? Whilst there were certain parts that appeared to be satisfactory, such as the appropriate level of eye contact and use of language, it has become evident that my presentation lacked any clarity. As such, I will ensure that future presentations will be a lot more clear and concise. This can be achieved through preparation and ensuring that greater efforts are made to communicate with the group. Preparation and practice would also allow me to answer questions from the audience with greater confidence and I would have a better understanding of the topic (Marathe, 2007, p. 7). I would also practice the tone of my voice in order to ensure that more variance was provided throughout. In relation to the use of PowerPoint, I would ensure that I am fully aware of how the software works so that difficulties do not arise during the actual presentation. What you learnt about teamwork and oral presentation skills After listening to the feedback I received following my presentation, I have learnt that there are certain elements of my teamwork and presentation skills that need improvement. For teamwork to be effective, all members of the group need to be confident in the subject matter and willing to participate through group discussions. This will ensure that the ideas are expressed with greater clarity and the nature of each individual’s contribution will be better understood. I also learnt that in order for a team to be successful, we need to be more efficient with resources and therefore need to manage time more effectively. From this experience, I also learnt the complexities that can arise from trying to collaborate with others and although I was often left frustrated, it all came together in the end. In effect, it became evident that different ideas are often generated when collaborating with others, yet it is important that all group members listen to each other as well as provid ing their own information. For oral presentations to be effective, it is important that the presenters know the subject matter inside and out as this will become clear to the audience. Confidence is thereby important for a successful presentation to be conducted, which can be conveyed through eye contact. This provides an element of intimacy and makes the audience feel comfortable. In addition, too much information should not be provided to the audience as this will divert their attention away from the most important points. Preparation is also essential, especially for presenters who lack experience, because those who do not prepare as well end up going off on tangents. References Cody, T., Hopkins, D. A., Perlman, L. A., and Kalteux, L. L., (2007) Limited Liability Companies, Business Economics, 9th Edition. Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by Doing: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Methods, SCED, Birmingham. Haywood, J. (2010) LLP Members: How Limited is Your LiabilityPart 1, Journal of International Banking and Financial Law, Volume 9, Issue 9. Marathe, M. (2007) The Successful Speaker: 273 Tips for Powerful Presentations, Lulu. Maughan, C., and Webb, J., (2001). Small group learning and assessment. Retrieved August 01, 2007, from the Higher Education Academy accessed 01 May 2013. Moon, J. A. (2013) A Handbook of Reflective and Experimental Learning: Theory and Practice, Routledge. Morris, G. D., (2001) Limited Liability Partnerships, Tolley’s Practical Business Fortnightly for Senior Administrators, Volume 24, Issue 21. Murray, C. (1998) Comment – Take it to the Limit, Law Society Gazette, Volume 95, Issue 40. Rouch, D. and Smethhurst, J. (2004) Limited Liability Partnerships: Flexing the Body Corporate, Journal of International Banking and Financial Law, Volume 49, Issue 2. Thorpe, K. (2010) Reflective Learning Journals: From Concept to Practice, Reflective Practice: International Multidisciplinary Perspectives, Volume 5, Issue 3. How to cite Business law Reflective, Essay examples

Saturday, May 2, 2020

Business Valuation and Analysis Strategy

Question: Describe about the Business Valuation and Analysis for Strategy? Answer: Summarization of ALTADIS Strategy: The cigar manufacturing company Altadis has many strategies for their company to make their company to earn more profit by selling cigars to different countries of the world. One of the strategies adopted by the cigar manufacturing company is Cash Flow Driven: The Altadis Company has reduced the fiscal opinion for the cigar division of France. They have reduced the rate of tax for the product of France. But the manufacturing company has increased the price of the cigar in the French market. They have reduced the volume of blond cigar in French market in two consecutive years. That is why the annual selling cigar is declined by almost 2 %. The total remuneration yield is increasing in every year as the company is buying back the share from the share holders of Altadis. But still the company is having the growth in revenue of almost 6%. Valuation: The company is buying back the shares capital of the company in every year and returning millions of money to the share holders of the company. The company is also declaring the dividend to its share holders. The total remuneration of the company is increasing in every year. The estimated total remuneration of the company is almost 600 million Euro. Ratio Analysis: The Altadis Company is entered into the emerging market. The Altadis Company is trading at a large discount on their EBITDA and EBIT. The price earnings ratio of the Altadis Company is falling down. This is because the lower leverage value and the fiscal funds. The lower ratio of BATs is exposed to the litigation in the market and for the highest revenues of shares in the emerging market. The strategies approved by the Altadis Company should improve: The research analyst after observing the strategies acquired by the company found that the Altadis Company should perform better during the year. This is because the annual sales of the cigar are declining vigorously. The company should counter balance the negative performance of cigar sales in the French market. The revenues of the cigar company are falling by almost 4.1%. The EBDITA of the cigar company is declining by almost 5.2%. This is because the volumes of sales of cigar in the French market are declining. The sales volume of cigar in the French market should be increased to improve the revenues of the company. If this situation continues for the company then the operating results of the company will also decrease. According to the research analyst, the company should stop buying back the shares of the company from their share holders. The sales volume of the cigar should be improved to generate the revenues for the company. If both the revenues of the company and sales volume of the company increased then the share price of the company will also increase in the French market. Evaluation of Strategies: If the company stops buying back the shares from the share holders of the company then the company will have enough funds with them. The share price of the company will also increase in the share market. If the company improves the sales volume of the product then the company will generate more revenues for the company. The price earnings ratio of the company will also increase. The company can earn a huge amount of profit which will help the company to generate more funds for the betterment of the company.