Monday, December 23, 2019

International Community Is Culpable For The Rwandan Genocide

From April to June 1994, in a mere 100 days, approximately 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu were murdered during the Rwandan genocide (Destexhe, 1994). The international community failed to prevent or stop this slaughter. Considering the horrific nature of this genocide and the vast number of victims, there is a question whether the international community is culpable for the Rwandan genocide; specifically, the role of its key players, the US, the UN, France and Belgium. I will argue that the international community is culpable and focus on three reasons for this inaction. A subsequent question is; what responsibilities do global actors have in preventing such atrocities? I feel that every country is responsible for protecting its citizens from genocide. Should a nation fail to safeguard its citizens from genocide, I feel that international community has an obligation to protect those citizens at risk. I will highlight the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine which was ratified by the UN some years following the Rwandan genocide, as the UN’s attempt to prevent the mistakes of Rwanda and other genocides. Background – Three Reasons for the International Community’s inaction in the Rwandan Genocide I feel that the international community is culpable for the Rwandan genocide and will focus on the three reasons for this inaction. First, inaction was due to national interests. As an example, the US decided not to take action in Rwanda as there was no perceivedShow MoreRelatedRwandan Genocide: The United States, France and the Failure of the UN Security Council. Between the3000 Words   |  12 PagesRwandan Genocide: The United States, France and the Failure of the UN Security Council. Between the months of April and July in 1994 approximately one million people were killed in Rwanda. There are three ethnic groups in Rwanda, Hutu, Tutsi, and Aboriginal Twa. The genocide occurred between two different groups, the Hutu and Tutsi people. The Hutu composed close to 85% of the population while the minority Tutsi people make up approximately 14% with the Twa people composing the remaining 1%. TheRead MoreGenocide in Rwanda: international response3465 Words   |  14 Pages000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed in the Rwandan genocide. It was the fastest, most efficient killing spree of the twentieth century. My thesis is that the international community utterly failed to prevent and stop this atrocity. I will focus on numerous interconnected aspects that led to international inaction and also on the main actors, Belgium, the United Nations Secretariat, the United States and France, that knew that there was genocide underway in Rwanda - therefore, they had a responsibi lityRead MoreCanadians Are Blame For The Rwandan Genocide2346 Words   |  10 PagesCanadians are Partly to blame for the Rwandan Genocide In 1994, over the course of 100 days, a genocide in Rwanda took the lives of 800,000 innocent men, women, and children and displaced 2 million more. The genocide was a result of tension that had been building since the Belgium colonization of Rwanda in 1916 between two ethnic group, the Hutus and the Tutsis. When Belgium colonized Rwanda, power was given to the Tutsis (an ethnic group in Rwanda that was 15% of the population) who became the

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Pixar and Walt Disney Merger Free Essays

NEW YORK – Mickey Mouse and Nemo are now corporate cousins. Walt Disney has announced that it is buying Pixar, the animated studio led by Apple head Steve Jobs, in a deal worth $7. 4 billion. We will write a custom essay sample on Pixar and Walt Disney Merger or any similar topic only for you Order Now Speculation about a deal being imminent raged on Wall Street for the past few weeks. Disney has released all of Pixar’s films so far, but the companies’ current distribution deal was set to expire following the release of this summer’s â€Å"Cars. The merger brings together Disney’s historic franchise of animated characters, such as Mickey, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck, with Pixar’s stable of cartoon hits, including the two â€Å"Toy Story† films, â€Å"Finding Nemo† and â€Å"The Incredibles. † â€Å"Disney and Pixar can now collaborate without the barriers that come from two different companies with two different sets of shareholders,† said Jobs in a statement. â€Å"Now, everyone can focus on what is most important, creating innovative stories, characters and films that delight millions of people around the world. † As part of the deal, Jobs will become a board member of Disney, the companies said. And John Lasseter, the highly respected creative director at Pixar who had previously worked for Disney, will rejoin the House of Mouse as chief creative officer for the company’s combined animated studios and will also help oversee the design for new attractions at Disney theme parks. â€Å"The addition of Pixar significantly enhances Disney animation, which is a critical creative engine for driving growth across our businesses,† said Disney CEO Robert Iger in a written statement. During a conference call with analysts Tuesday, Iger said that acquisition discussions had been going on for the past several months. Jobs added that after a â€Å"lot of soul searching,† he came to the conclusion that it made the most sense for Pixar to align itself with Disney permanently instead of trying to distribute films on its own or sign with another movie studio partner. According to the terms of the deal, Disney (Research) will issue 2. 3 shares for each Pixar share. Based on Tuesday’s closing prices, that values Pixar at $59. 78 a share, about a 4 percent premium to Pixar’s current stock price. Shares of Pixar (Research) fell slightly in regular trading on the Nasdaq Tuesday but gained nearly 3 percent in after-hours trading. The stock has surged more than 10 percent so far this year on takeover speculation. Disney’s stock gained 1. 8 percent in regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange and was flat after-hours. Prior to the deal’s announcement, some Wall Street observers had speculated that Disney may be paying too much for Pixar. A source tells FORTUNE that some Disney board members also thought the price was too high. To that end, Disney chief financial officer Thomas Staggs said during the conference call that the deal would reduce Disney’s earnings slightly in fiscal 2006, which ends this September, as well as fiscal 2007. He added though that Pixar should add to earnings by fiscal 2008 and that Disney was still on track to post annual double-digit percentage gains in earnings through 2008. But one hedge fund manager said that the risk of Disney losing Pixar was too great. â€Å"The question isn’t did Disney pay too much but how expensive would it have been for Disney if Pixar fell into someone else’s hands,† said Barry Ritholtz, chief investment officer with Ritholtz Capital Partners, a hedge fund that focuses on media and technology stocks. Jeffrey Logsdon, an analyst with Harris Nesbitt, agreed with that assessment. He said that Pixar’s â€Å"success quotient† justified the price of the deal. Pixar has yet to have a flop with its six animated movies. They have grossed more than $3. 2 billion worldwide, according to movie tracking research firm Box Office Mojo. Disney, however, has struggled in the computer-generated animated movie arena. Even though its most recent CG-animated film, â€Å"Chicken Little† performed better than many had expected at the box office, it was not as big a hit as any of the Pixar films. â€Å"Robert Iger has made no secret of the fact that he wanted to get the animated business back to where it was. It’s what Disney has known for but the movies they did in-house did not do as well as the ones they did with Pixar,† said Michael Cuggino, a fund manager who owns about 100,000 shares of Disney in the Permanent Portfolio and Permanent Portfolio Aggressive Growth funds. Pixar has yet to announce what movies it is working on after â€Å"Cars,† however. It is believed that Pixar’s next film about a rat living in a fancy Parisian restaurant, tentatively titled â€Å"Ratatouille† may be released on 2007 and that a â€Å"Toy Story 3† may be in the works as well. Jobs said during the conference call that nothing has been decided about future Pixar releases yet, but added that the company feels strongly about making sequels to some of its previous hits. And Iger said that announced plans for Disney-produced animated films, including the release of â€Å"American Dog† in 2008 and â€Å"Rapunzel Unbraided† in 2009, are still on track. It would have been unthinkable to imagine Disney and Pixar teaming up just a few years ago. The two companies broke off talks to extend their current distribution agreement in 2004 due to a strained relationship between Jobs and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. But since Iger succeeded Eisner last year, he has extended an olive branch to Jobs. Disney and Apple have already announced several online programming deals during the past few months. Disney now has agreements in place to sell hit ABC prime time shows, such as â€Å"Desperate Housewives† and â€Å"Lost†, as well as content from ABC Sports and ESPN on Apple’s popular iTunes music and video store. Cuggino said the addition of Jobs, who will also become Disney’s largest individual shareholder, to Disney’s board could mean that more innovative digital deals could be in the works. â€Å"Jobs is a dynamic personality who knows consumer electronics. It’s an opportunity to bring some youthful energetic thinking to Disney’s board. † Disney, like many other large media companies, has seen its stock price stagnate during the past year as investors have flocked to more rapidly growing digital media firms such as Apple as well as search engines Google (Research) and Yahoo! Research) But Logsdon said the acquisition of Pixar could help Disney increase revenue throughout all of its business lines. So even though some may be quibbling in the short-term about how much Disney had to spend, he thinks Disney made the right move. â€Å"It’s a smart strategic deal,† Logsdon said. â€Å"The benefit in theme parks, consumer products and cable will p robably make this deal look a lot smarter a year or two from now. â€Å" How to cite Pixar and Walt Disney Merger, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Lean Practices on Inventory Turnover †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Lean Practices on Inventory Turnover. Answer: Introduction Blackmores Private Limited is a company which makes revenue by selling health care products for both human and for animals. These healthcare products include vitamins, herbal products and various mineral nutritional. The company is having more than 20% share of vitamin and supplement manufacturing industry. The company is working in consumer defensive sector. The company is performing its business in Asia and Australia. Companys Asian head office is in Singapore. Companys Chief executive officer is Mr. RichardHenfrey and chief financial officer is Mr. AaronCanning. The company started in the 1930s and has been operated as the market leader for more than 80 years. Companys head office is situated at 20 Jubilee Avenue, Warriewood, Australia. Companys financial year end on 30 June every year. Latest financial year of the company starts on 1 July 2015 and ends on 30 June 2016. Company independent auditor for the latest financial year was Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. As per the auditors of t he company financial statements of the company is in accordance with the Corporations regulation act 2001. The closing price of company stock on the closing of the market for 29 August 2017 was AUD 97.99 and dividend per share is AUD 1.3 this is on the basis of dividend paid by the company in last quarter (Googal finance, 2017). This report is presented for making analysis regarding the financial statements of Blackmores Private Limited company on the basis of financial statements of the company for the year ended on 30 June 2016. This report will also present companys position in the industry in which company currently running. This report will use ratio analysis and trend analysis for making conclusions regarding the current financial position of the company. Blackmores Private Limited is operating in the vitamin and supplement manufacturing industry. This industry needs a lot of capital investment for manufacturing and packing its produce. This industry needs a higher level of knowledge for using chemical components and machine operations. Companies performing in this industry also need to cope up with latest techniques and efficient workforce which can handle the latest technology. The company is having a vision of business stability. The company is having the objective to capture a major market share of the industry and is a company who provides support to workforce and commitment to the market. The industry in which company is working is growing and will always be in growth phase because the production of this industry is all time requirement for consumers (Blackmores, 2016). Financial statement analysis This statement shows the income and expenditure made by the company during the accounting period and net profit earned or loss suffered by the company due to the financial performance of the company during the year (Hoyle, Schaefer, Doupnik, 2015). In the present case companys profitability showing following results, Year ended 30 June 2014 2015 2016 Gross profit $106,637,000 $323,865,000 $502,948,000 Net profit $25,429,000 $46,556,000 $100,008,000 Income from operations $38,798,000 $70,521,000 $144,176,000 Gross profit shows profit earned by company from direct activities. It directly related to the revenue made by company and cost incurred for production. In the present case, such gross profit is having growing trend means the company is having good profitability position from a gross profit point of view. Net profit shows profit earned by company from all activities. In the present case, such net profit is having growing trend means the company is having good profitability position from a net profit point of view. Operating profit shows profit earned by company from operating activities. In the present case, such operating profit is having growing trend means the company is also having good profitability position from operating profit point of view. Trend analysis of the company shows following results year 2014 2015 2016 Revenue 346760000 100.00% 471615000 100.00% 717211000 100.00% Cost of revenue 240123000 69.25% 147750000 31.33% 214263000 29.87% Gross profit 106637000 30.75% 323865000 68.67% 502948000 70.13% Operating expenses 67839000 19.56% 253344000 53.72% 358772000 50.02% Operating income 38798000 11.19% 70521000 14.95% 144176000 20.10% Other expense 3835000 1.11% 1689000 0.36% 765000 0.11% Income before taxes 34963000 10.08% 68832000 14.59% 143411000 20.00% Provision for income taxes 9534000 2.75% 22276000 4.72% 43391000 6.05% Net income from continuing operations 25429000 7.33% 46556000 9.87% 100020000 13.95% Net income 25429000 7.33% 46556000 9.87% 100008000 13.94% Tread analysis presents that from the year 2014 to 2015 companies cost of revenue decline significantly and operating expenses increase significantly it means there may be any change for classification of expense from the cost of revenue to operating expense. Annual report of the company does not disclose regarding any significant change in the accounting policies of the company. Statement of financial position Statement of financial position represents the total assets, total liabilities and total equity of the company (Kieso, Weygandt, Warfield, 2010). It satisfies the basic accounting equation i.e. total assets must be equal to total liabilities and total equity. In the present case, this equation is satisfied by company in this way, 2014 2015 2016 Total assets $236,594,000 $293,407,000 $ 434,023,000 Total liabilities $132,368,000 $160,492,000 $ 255,760,000 Total stockholders' equity $104,226,000 $132,915,000 $ 178,263,000 Total liabilities and equity $236,594,000 $293,407,000 $ 434,023,000 It can be easily analysis by any accounting professional that companys figures relating to the financial position of company satisfy the accounting equation i.e. total assets must be equal to total liabilities and total equity. Trend analysis of the company showing following results, Year 2014 2015 2016 Assets current assets 131376000 55.53% 187844000 64.02% 294624000 67.88% non-current assets 105218000 44.47% 105563000 35.98% 139399000 32.12% Total assets 236594000 100.00% 293407000 100.00% 434023000 100.00% Liabilities and stockholders' equity Liabilities Total current liabilities 58040000 24.53% 114998000 39.19% 192279000 44.30% non-current liabilities 74328000 31.42% 45494000 15.51% 63481000 14.63% Total liabilities 132368000 55.95% 160492000 54.70% 255760000 58.93% stockholders' equity 104226000 44.05% 132915000 45.30% 178263000 41.07% Total liabilities and equity 236594000 100.00% 293407000 100.00% 434023000 100.00% Trend analysis of the companys balance sheet shows that there are no major changes made by a company in financing method i.e. debt financing and equity financing of the company over the three years remains approximately in same ratios. In addition to this companys current and non-current assets are also not showing any major changes these remain with the approximately with the same ratio. ratios of current and non-current changed and current obligations increased means company will need more current assets for paying that current obligation. Annual report of the company does not disclose regarding any significant change in the accounting policies of the company. Statement of cash flow Cash flow statement of a company is a statement which shows the flow of cash irrespective of accrual concept of accounting. It considers only cash related activities. Cash flow statement of a company divided into three parts i.e. operating, financing and investing (DRURY, 2013). In the present case companys cash from operating activities and net income showing following amounts, Year 2014 2015 2016 Cash from operating activities $37,491,000.00 $71,127,000.00 $83,676,000.00 Net income $25,429,000.00 $46,556,000.00 $100,008,000.00 In 2014 and 2015 cash from operating activities is more than net income means that either company received advances from customers or received prior dues or creditors of the company become overdue and did not paid by company or company paid prior advances which are utilized in the year ending 2014. In 2016 cash from operating activities is less than net income means that either company paid advances to customers or did not received prior dues or creditors of company paid by company or company did not paid prior advances which are utilized in the year ending 2014. Cash from investing activities shows following result in the Blackmores Private Limited, Year 2014 2015 2016 Net cash from investing activities $ (4,313,000) $ (3,191,000) $ (39,939,000) Negative cash from investing activities shows that company made cash outflow for making an investment in non-current assets more than the cash inflow realized due to the sale of non-current assets (Fraser, Ormiston, Fraser, 2010). In the present case companys cash from operating activities showing net flow means company made expansion of business by inserting new non-current assets in the pool of assets of the company in all three years. Companys cash flow statement from financing activities showing following results, Year 2014 2015 2016 Debt issue $ 13,857,000 Debt repayment $ (14,000,000) $ (29,000,000) Common stock issue $ 2,301,000 Dividend paid $ (18,087,000) $ (22,703,000) $ (57,704,000) Other financing activities $ (6,000) Net cash from financing activities $ (32,093,000) $ (51,703,000) $ (41,546,000) Above data shows that companys most relevant source of finance is debts. The company can make cash inflow either by issuing debts or by issuing equity. Overall cash increased and decreased over the past three years are, year 2014 2015 2016 Net cash from operating activities $ 37,491,000 $ 71,127,000 $ 83,676,000 Net cash from investing activities $ (4,313,000) $ (3,191,000) $ (39,939,000) Net cash from financing activities $ (32,093,000) $ (51,703,000) $ (41,546,000) Net change in cash $ 636,000 $ 18,332,000 $ 722,000 Liquidity ratios show the short term position of the company these ratios always maintain by the company at a moderate level so that short-term obligation can be fulfilled by short term assets and excess of the fund will not remain for wrong utilization. In the present case liquidity ratios of the company showing following results, Year 2014 2015 2016 Working capital $73,336,000 $72,846,000 $102,345,000 Current ratio 2.26 1.63 1.53 Receivable turnover ratio 4.91 4.40 5.33 Average days sales uncollected 74.28 82.87 68.52 Inventory turnover 6.20 3.82 1.84 Average days inventory on hand 58.89 95.52 198.44 A current ratio over the years decline means company started to maintain lower current assets it is not good for the company because it may create a problem in case of unexpected obligations. Average days sales uncollected shows credit period of the company which is declining, this is good for the company because lower credit period will help the company in earlier cash realization. Inventory turnover ratio shows a number of times company sale its inventory (Demeter Matyusz, 2011). This ratio is declining it denotes that companys stock become moving or obsolete hence company requires to take steps to check why the stock is slow moving. Profitability ratios Profitability ratios are the ratios which denote profitability condition of the company. Higher profitability denotes higher growth, hence these ratios must have increasing trend so that company could make growth with increasing rate. In the present case, companys profitability ratios showing following results, Year 2014 2015 2016 Profit margin 7.33% 9.87% 13.94% Asset Turnover 1.47 1.61 1.65 ROA 10.75% 15.87% 23.04% ROE 24.40% 35.03% 56.10% All profitability ratios of the company showing increasing trend, it means that the company is operating with efficiency and company should maintain this level of performance and make effors to enhance this performance. Long term solvency Following are the long term solvency ratios of company, Year 2014 2015 2016 Debt to equity 1.27 1.21 1.43 Interest coverage 7.56 18.33 63.46 Debt equity ratio shows debt financing by the company in comparison of equity financing of the company. In 2015 to 2016 increase in this ratio is due to new debt issuance. This ratio shows that company is believing more on debt financing which may create problem to the company in case of non-availability of funds on the repayment date. Interest coverage ratios show that how many times interest can pay by the company from the operating profits of the company. Increase in this ratio is good for the company. Cash flow adequacy Year 2014 2015 2016 Cash flow yield 1.47 1.53 0.84 Cash flows to sales 0.11 0.15 0.12 Cash flows to assets 0.16 0.24 0.19 Market strength Ratios Following results are presented by the market strength ratios of company, Year 2014 2015 2016 Price $ 138.00 $ 78.65 $ 27.37 earnings per share $ 1.49 $ 2.70 $ 5.81 Conclusion Financial analysis of Blackmores Private Limited shows that company is doing good from the financial prospective except debt financing. Blackmores require decrease its debt financing and increase equity financing so that risk could be minimized. Works Cited (2016). FINANCIALREPORT. Retrieved August 2017, 29, from https://www.google.co.in: https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=2cad=rjauact=8ved=0ahUKEwiTytToyPzVAhVCLY8KHc5RC2kQFggtMAEurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blackmores.com.au%2F~%2Fmedia%2Ffiles%2Finvestor-centre%2Fannual-and-half-yearly-reports%2Ffy17%2F1h-2017-f Demeter, K., Matyusz, Z. (2011). The impact of lean practices on inventory turnover. International Journal of Production Economics , 133 (1), 154-163. DRURY, C. (2013). Management and cost accounting. Fraser, L., Ormiston, A., Fraser, L. (2010). Understanding financial statements. Googal finance. (2017). Blackmores Limited. Retrieved August 29, 2017, from https://www.google.com: https://www.google.com/finance?q=ASX:BKL Hoyle, J., Schaefer, T., Doupnik, T. (2015). Advanced accounting. McGraw Hill. Kieso, D., Weygandt, J., Warfield, T. (2010). Intermediate accounting: IFRS edition. John Wiley Sons.