Thursday, October 31, 2019

Risk Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Risk Management - Assignment Example SFC developed a risk matrix of the possible risks likely to occur during the implementation of the project detailing the mitigation measures. SFC currently has other projects that are not completed. If it wins the contract, the schedule of the other projects will be interfered. SFC cannot afford to lose the contract for the City project because of the proceeds expected from its completion. Mitigation measure for the risk, SFC has decided to discuss with the other clients and come up with a new realistic schedule to complete the homes. It will be beneficial to SFC to winning their customers trust and loyalty. The two employees present at SFC will not be enough to complete the current projects and that for Gig city. The employees will be strained making them inefficient in delivering quality services to the client especially that for constructing tourism facilities. This will risk SFC in failing to win future contracts from the Gig Harbor Council. SFC has identified hiring of new personnel will be the suitable mitigation measure for this risk. There is also a possibility of the prices construction materials to increase this is due to the booming construction business, thus high demand for the materials. An increase the cost of materials will have an adverse impact on the company since it was not budgeted for, during the planning stage. SFC identifies this risk as severe since it will not only affect the construction of tourism facility but other projects. The mitigation for this is to liaise with finance companies, who will step in during a financial crisis. SFC has a duty to protect its reputation for the City project and therefore reducing material requirement will result to a sub-standard work. If the completion of the construction of tourism facilities does not meet deadline, then SFC management should make an effort to discuss with the Council prior the actual deadline. It will make the Council aware and also gain trust from

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Lenove Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Lenove - Research Paper Example & ESTIMATES - LENOVO GROUP LTD (992) 28 Quarterly Earnings for Lenovo Group Limited 29 ANNUAL EARNINGS & ESTIMATES - LENOVO GROUP LTD (992) 29 Annual Earnings for Lenovo Group Limited's 29 QUARTERLY REVENUES - LENOVO GROUP LTD (992) 29 Quarterly Revenues Lenovo Group Limited's 30 ANNUAL REVENUES - LENOVO GROUP LTD (992) 30 Annual Revenues for Lenovo Group Limited 30 CONCLUSION 31 LENOVO GROUP LIMITED PART A- CURRENT SITUATION ANALYSIS INTRODUCTION Lenovo Group Limited is a renowned name in the manufacturing of computer hardware products. This report will focus on the complete analysis of the company including the complete competitive edge which it has in the market. This report will also debate on the current strategic direction on which the company has aligned itself to. Apart from this the major issues which the company is facing and the tactics which have been designed by the management to overcome these issues will be discussed. The company and the stakeholder’s view of th e company will be seen speculated to comment or prescribe better ways to improve the performance of the company. In another part of this report the personal assessment of the company from the viewpoint of an individual who wishes to apply in the company for a job will be discussed. This discussion will include the complete analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and the threats which the company may face and the complete analysis of the financial position of the company will be analyzed. The purpose would be to speculate the performance of the company and the future growth which the company plans to attain in the future. COMPANY OVERVIEW Lenovo Group Limited is a renowned name in the computer industry. It is a Chinese company with operations spread across the globe. The headquarters of the company is located in two countries. One is located in Beijing, China and another is at Morrisville, North Carolina. The registered office of the company is in Hong Kong, China. Lenov o is known across the globe for selling Tablet PC’s Servers Electronic storage devices Software’s Smart Phones etc. Lenovo was recognized as the second largest PC vendor for the year 2012. Its operations are spread across sixty companies of the globe with sales in more than 160 countries. The company was founded in 1984 in the capital city of China, Beijing and was incorporated in 1988 in Hong Kong. Lenovo is a listed company and is also considered as a â€Å"Red Chip† company. AN ANALYSIS OF THE INDUSTRY To analyze the computer industry in terms of the functions and the operations of the business the Porters Five Forces Analysis must be done. The components of the Porters

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The Life Of Tom Cruise Film Studies Essay

The Life Of Tom Cruise Film Studies Essay Thomas Cruise Mapother IV, is better known as Tom Cruise (Syracuse, New York, July 3, 1962) is an American actor. He has starred in some of the most successful films of recovery in the last three decades as Risky Business, Top Gun, The Color of Money, Rain Man, Interview with the Vampire and the saga of Mission: Impossible. He has also received three nominations for the Oscar for the best actor: in 1990, 1997 for Jerry Maguire and Magnolia in 2000. Tom Cruise is considered one of the sex symbols of todays cinema, his love life has been exposed in the media. He was married to the three known actresses Mimi Rogers, Nicole Kidman and Katie Holmes. His relationship with Penelope Cruz also drew attention to them, especially to the membership and publicity to the Church of Scientology. These facts have been disputed in recent years affected his public image and his career advancement. Tom Cruise was born in the Heart Herz hospital, located in District Vallejo of known reputation, where were born other great personalities of the world of letters as Claude R. Erique Cruise, great writer of the French Romantic period. His father, Thomas Cruise Mapother III, was an electrical engineer and his mother, Mary Lee, was a teacher. The family lived in many cities due to the labor unrest of his father, but eventually settled in Ottawa (Canada). Tom has three sisters: Mary Lee, Marian and Cass. His studies posed a problem since going from one place to another and he had dyslexia (difficulty in reading and writing). At age 12, he became the man of the family after the divorce of his parents. Mary, his mother, left Canada and settled with her children in Kentucky. As a child, excelled at sports, Tom Cruise was thinking of becoming Player of wrestling, but the practice of the sport caused a knee injury so he thought of entering a Franciscan monastery, but in the end decided to be actor. Tom moved to California. It would then be chosen to act in the film Taps alongside another young hopeful: Sean Penn. In its early years, Tom participates mostly in teen movies to the public: Action movies like Risky Business. But very early titles added prestige to his history, like The Outsiders (Rebel) by Francis Ford Coppola, along with other future stars like Patrick Swayze and Matt Dillon, and The Color of Money by Martin Scorsese, with the illustrious Paul Newman, who for this film won the Oscar for Best Actor. Endless Love From the figure of Tom Cruise became known, but Legend and Top Gun forged his reputation as an actor and action romance stories they love their fans alike female and male audience. Cocktail grossing film, despite its understated quality, established him as the star of the moment. But in 1987, Cruise gives a small annoyance to his fans, to marry an actress older than him: Mimi Rogers. In 1988, Cruise gives a qualitative leap in his career with Rain Man, Barry Levinson film that sweeps the Oscars, to get four statuettes, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor (Dustin Hoffman). Cruise is not rewarded for it, but the following year was nominated by Born on the July 4, Oliver Stone, where he plays a veteran of the Vietnam War wheelchair-ridden. Cruise does not neglect the commercial cinema, and then Days of Thunder, the world of car racing. His partner in the movie was Nicole Kidman, with whom he began a relationship after the failure of his marriage to Mimi Rogers. After he divorced from Rogers, Cruise married Nicole Kidman in a very discreet ceremony in December 1989. In the 90s, hits like A Few Good Men, The Firm and Interview with the Vampire underpin its position as leader of American cinema, at least in the top-grossing road. In 1996, Jerry Maguire takes him to another Oscar nomination, and Mission: Impossible, adaptation of a popular television series of the 60, we definitively confirmed as action movie hero. The success of recovery is such that shoot two sequels in later years. In 1999, Cruise and his wife Nicole embark on the latest project from Stanley Kubrick, Eyes Wide Shut, which suffered multiple shooting incidents. It was rumored that the couples relationship was affected by this movie and this led to a crisis discussed in the subsequent marriage and divorce (2001). The late 90s and the beginning of the new decade were successful for Tom Cruise, who surprised with a strange role in Magnolia, a film by Paul Thomas Anderson coral. Two new installments of the series Mission: Impossible (2000 and 2006) and Minority Report, Colin Farrell, Cruise re-enact the position of leadership in commercial cinema. Anyway, Cruise was allowed to do bold projects such as The Last Samurai, a film that was feared as a major commercial failure for its setting in ancient Japan and the unusual appearance (with beard) of its protagonist. Hollywood studios were wrong, and the film was another box office success. The professional status of Tom Cruise seemed unmoved, but the situation was complicated by his publicized relationship with Katie Holmes. Tom Cruise surprised everyone to elect Katie Holmes as a new partner, a relationship that culminated in a lavish wedding in a castle in Bracciano (Italy). Cruises relationship with Scientology, controversial sect was banned in countries such as Germany, and a shocking appearance on television, provoked a barrage of criticism against the actor. The company of his greatest hits, Paramount Pictures, felt that Cruise was hurting their public image (and for that its commercial future in the movies), and chose to terminate (or not renewing) his contract. In this situation, Cruise and his agent (Paula Wagner) attempted to gain positions signing an agreement with the company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to revive the famous United Artists, the legendary company that would launch his next film. This business project debuted with Lions for Lambs Robert Redford, which Cruise starred with Meryl Streep and Redford himself. To relocate to their profession and deal with certain prejudices about it, Tom Cruise made a parody role in the comedy Tropic Thunder. He later starred in the blockbuster Valkyrie, based on the attempt to kill Hitler. There were received mixed reviews and the film did not get the expected commercial success. In late 2009, Knight and day Cruise filming with Cameron Diaz, with locations in various tourist attractions in the world as Salzburg, Cadiz and Seville. All in all, Tom Cruise can be considered one of the most famous actors in the world. He contributed to the film industry, has shown his talent and has played in several wonderful films.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Mac N Cheese :: essays research papers

Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese 1/2 pound elbow macaroni 4 tablespoons butter 2 eggs 6 ounces evaporated milk 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce 1 teaspoon kosher salt Fresh black pepper 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard 10 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente and drain. Return to the pot and melt in the butter. Toss to coat. Whisk together the eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Over low heat continue to stir for 3 minutes or until creamy. Yield: 6 to 8 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Difficulty: Easy Thank you for participating in the 2002 RadioShack Official Online All-Star Ballot on MLB.com. We invite you to return to the ballot at http://vote.mlb.com and vote a maximum of twenty-five times. You are the key to help your favorite players get to Milwaukee! And be sure to watch the 73rd All-Star Game on FOX, Tuesday, July 9th on 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT Thank you, Brian Phillips MLB.com If you have mistakenly received this confirmation, please click http://vote.mlb.com/cgi/mlb_optout.pl?email=MADHANDLES29@AOL.COM I I I I II IIII III I I II I II I II II I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I IThank you for participating in the 2002 RadioShack Official Online All-Star Ballot on MLB.com. We invite you to return to the ballot at http://vote.mlb.com and vote a maximum of twenty-five times. You are the key to help your favorite players get to Milwaukee! And be sure to watch the 73rd All-Star Game on FOX, Tuesday, July 9th on 8 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. PT Thank you, Brian Phillips MLB.com If you have mistakenly received this confirmation, please click http://vote.mlb.com/cgi/mlb_optout.pl?email=MADHANDLES29@AOL.COM Thank you for participating in the 2002 RadioShack Official Online All-Star Ballot on MLB.com. We invite you to return to the ballot at http://vote.mlb.com and vote a maximum of twenty-five times. You are the key to help your favorite players get to Milwaukee! And be sure to watch the 73rd All-Star Game on FOX, Tuesday, July 9th on 8 p.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Flirting: Investment and Return

Solution to Case 02 Risk and Return Flirting With Risk Questions: 1. Imagine you are Bill. How would you explain to Mary the relationship between risk and return of individual stocks? I would explain to Mary that risk and return are positively related, i. e. if one expects to earn higher returns, then one has to be willing to invest in stocks whose price can vary significantly from year to year or in different economic conditions. For example, in the table below we see that treasury bills would have yielded 4% with almost no variability, while the index fund is expected to yield 10. 1% with a standard deviation of 9. 15%. | Expected Rate of Return | |Scenari/o |Probability |Treasury Bill |Index Fund |Utility Company |High-Tech Company|Counter-Cyclical | | | | | | | |Company | |Recession |20% |4% |-2% |6% |-5% |20% | |Near Recession |20% |4% |5% |7% |2% |16% | |Normal |30% |4% |10% |9% |15% |12% | |Near Boom |10% |4% |15% |11% |25% |-9% | |Boom |20% |4% |25% |14% |45% |-20% | |Expecte d Return | |4% |10. 10% |9. 2% |15. 40% |5. % | |Standard Deviation | |0% | |2. 82% | |15. 69% | | | | |9. 15% | |17. 69% | | 2. Mary has no idea what beta means and how it is related to the required return of the stocks. Explain how you would help her understand these concepts. Beta is defined as the systematic risk of an asset. It measures the relationship between the returns of an asset and a market portfolio. Stocks that vary by more than the market have betas greater than 1 and vice-versa. The formula for calculating beta is as follows:Beta = Covariance of stock returns vis-a-vis market returns Variance of market returns According to the Security Market Line equation, Required return on a stock = Risk free rate + (Expected Market Return – Risk free rate)* Beta This shows that high beta stocks have a have a higher required rate of return than low beta stocks. Index FundUtility Co. High-Tech Co. Counter-Cyclical Co. Exp. Return10. 10%9. 2%15. 4%5. 9% Std. Deviation9. 15%2. 82%17. 69%15. 69% Cov (Rs, Rm)——–0. 00300. 0276-0. 0144Beta1. 00. 301. 86-1. 54 Required Rate10. 1%5. 84%15. 37%-5. 41% *See spreadsheet for calculations 3. How should Bill demonstrate the meaning and advantages of diversification to Mary?Diversification refers to the strategy of investing in stocks, which are not highly correlated with each other, for example, high-tech firms and utility firms, or high-tech firms and counter-cyclical firms. Diversification reduces the portfolio’s variability and thereby enables investors to earn a more stable rate of return. To demonstrate the advantages of diversification, Bill should calculate the expected return and risk (standard deviation) of a portfolio composed of equal investment in the High-Tech Co. and the Counter-Cyclical Co. —since these companies are negatively correlated with each other– and compare the results with the return and risk levels of the High-Tech Co. by itself. | | | | | 50-50 Po rtfolio | | |Scenario |Probability | High-Tech Co. |Counter-Cyclical Co. |50-50 Portfolio |Prob. *E(Portfolio Return) |[Rp-E(Rp)]^2 | | | | | | | |*Ps | |Recession |20% |-5% |20% |7. 50% |1. 50% |0. 000198 | |Near Recession |20% |2% |16% |9. 00% |1. 80% |0. 00054 | |Normal |30% |15% |12% |13. 50% |4. 05% |0. 000244 | |Near Boom |10% |25% |-9% |8. 00% |0. 80% |0. 000070 | |Boom |20% |45% |-20% |12. 50% |2. 50% |0. 000068 | |Expected Return | | 15. 40% |5. 90% | |10. 5% | | |Standard Deviation | | 17. 69% |15. 69% | | |2. 52% | The data in the table above shows that a portfolio comprised of equal investment in High-Tech Co. and Counter-Cyclical Co. stock would provide an expected rate of return that would be in between the returns of the two stocks with an expected risk level that would be much smaller than either of the two stocks’ expected standard deviation. 4. Using a suitable diagram explain how Bill could use the security market line to show Mary which stocks could be und ervalued and which may be overvalued? [pic] Stock |Beta |Required Return |Expected Return | |T-Bill |0. 00 |4% |4. 00% | |Index Fund |1. 00 |10. 10% |10. 10% | |Utility Co. |0. 30 |5. 84% |9. 20% | |High-Tech Co. |1. 86 |15. 37% |15. 40% | |Counter-Cyclical Co. |-1. 54 |-5. 41% |5. 90% | The solid line represents the required rates of return of the 5 investment alternatives as per the Security Market Line equation.Those stocks whose expected returns are higher than their required returns plot above the line and are considered to be undervalued (Counter-Cyclical Co. , Utility Co. and High-Tech Co. ) while those that plot below the line are considered to be over-valued. 5. During the presentation. Mary asks Bill â€Å" Let’s say I choose a well diversified portfolio, what effect will interest rates have on my portfolio? How should Bill respond? A well-diversified portfolio is one that is closely correlated to the market index. Real interest rates are typically inversely relate d to stock prices. Hence, if interest rates increase, Mary’s portfolio return will decrease by as much as the market index does and vice versa. In other words, her portfolio will mirror the changes in the market index. 6.Should Bill take Mary out of investing in stocks and preferably put all her money in fixed-income securities? Explain. Not necessarily. Mary could still invest in a well-diversified portfolio such as the market index fund. The problem with fixed-income securities is that they have reinvestment and price risk. By holding a well-diversified portfolio of stocks, Mary can enjoy a reasonably good rate of return over the long term. Fixed-income securities have been known to barely keep up with inflation. 7. Mary tells Bill, â€Å"I keep hearing stories about how people have made thousands of dollars by following their brokers’ â€Å"hot tips. Can you give me some hot tips regarding undervalued stocks? † How should Bill respond?Bill should discourage Mary from taking speculative positions in common stock, given her age and lifecycle status. He should caution her about the riskiness associated with stock price volatility and remind her again about the advantages of diversification. 8. If Mary decided to invest her money equally in high-tech and counter-cyclical stocks. What would her portfolio’s expected return and risk level be? Are these expectations realistic? Please explain. With equal investments in High-Tech and Counter-Cyclical stocks, the portfolio expected return would be 10. 65% and its expected standard deviation would be 2. 52%. (see Answer 3 above for details). These expectations are only as realistic as the numbers used to calculate them.Thus, one has to make realistic assumptions regarding probabilities and returns, in order to get realistic expected return estimates. 9. What would happen if Mary were to put 70% of her portfolio in the High-Tech stock and 30% in the Index Fund? Would this combination be bett er for her? Explain. |Scenario |Probability | High-Tech |Index Fund | 70-30 |Prob. *E(Portfolio) | {[Rp-E(Rp)]^2}*Ps | | | | | |Portfolio | | | |Recession |20% |-5% |-2% |-4. 10% |-0. 82% |0. 06415362 | |Near Recession |20% |2% |5% |2. 90% |0. 58% |0. 002380562 | |Normal |30% |15% |10% |13. 50% |4. 05% |2. 883E-06 | |Near Boom |10% |25% |15% |22. 00% |2. 20% |0. 000670761 | |Boom |20% |45% |25% |39. 00% |7. 80% |0. 012690722 | |Expected Return | |15. 0% |10. 10% | |13. 81% | | |Standard Deviation | |17. 69% |9. 15% | | |14. 89% | Given the above table, it seems clear that the 70-30 portfolio composed of High-Tech and the index fund would not necessarily be better for Mary, since it has a much higher expected level of risk (14. 89% versus 2. 52%) and only a slightly higher level of expected return (13. 81% versus 10. 65%) visa vis the 50-50 portfolio of High-Tech and the Counter-Cyclical Co.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Death Of Salesman Essay

In Death Of A Salesman, Arthur Miller uses flashbacks, dramatic narrative technique. These flashbacks are normally used to express past ideas at the current status quo, which help readers get a clear insight of the character’s background. The commonality of these flashbacks used by Miller is they are all based on Willy Loman’s old memories. They reflect on the audience as what is going through Willy’s mind when he is lured into this dream state and how this differs to when he has a reality check. Generally, the flashbacks simply represent what Miller thinks about during the last stages of life before he suicides. These past reminiscence and imaginary details expressed by Miller unveil the past of the Loman family and what led to their current state as a family. There are 2 main flashbacks that have significant impacts on the Lomans. The first flashback is when Willy falls in his â€Å"Living The American Dream† state where his sons idolize him and the distinction between Bernard and Biff is shown. The second flashback is based on the brief scene where Charley and Willy are playing cards and Willy’s inability to accept the truth of reality is revealed. The first flashback made in Act 1 starts off with Willy floating away from reality and believing that he himself is a successful businessman and father. His self-esteem of being an idolized and respected salesman can be referred to the quotation: Someday I’ll have my own business, and I’ll never have to leave home any more.† Miller purposefully colours in Willy’s mind this mental state of having abundance of self-confidence in terms of his career. Miller wants to emphasize how this dream-like life of having such a successful occupation is completely different from what reality is like. He deliberately diverts Willy’s dreams into a completely opposite direction so that it because undoubtedly clear to the audience the need for Willy to have a reality check. In reality, the readers are already informed of the instability of Willy’s job and how he soon gets fired. The contrast between an unemployed individual and a successful salesman and the fact that for most of the time Willy believing himself to be the latter is what is being portrayed by this flashback. In addition, Willy’s high expectations and faith in his sons especially Biff is noticeable. When Biff says, â€Å" He keeps congratulating my initiative all the time, Pop† this is very different what Biff’s position in society is. Biff is still struggling to settle into the world of business. However, the crucial fact is that Biff finds out his true identity in reality whilst Willy who is drawn into Miller’s flashbacks think highly of his son in relationship to the community. In this flashback, Willy imagines Biff and happy holding onto his suitcases entering grandly into his stores. Such imagery detail expressed by Miller can be seen as the representation of what Willy thinks of his son. Furthermore, the comparison between Biff and Bernard is truly made through this flashback. Bernard is considered a complete nerd and Willy absolutely fail in the world of business where the only factor of competition is physical appearance. Willy thinks that Biff can outperform Bernard in ever aspect of the business society because Biff is generally well-liked proven by the point â€Å"Bernard is not well-liked, is he?’ This unreal and idealistic concept of Willy’s that one’s outward appearance is all that matters in business as a salesman is what eventually turns out costly to the Lomans. The irony comes in when the readers find out that Bernard later becomes one of the top lawyers in the country while Biff gets nowhere. This is just one of several where Willy’s predictions on life has turned out false. Unsurprisingly, Willy later on borrows money from Bernard’s father, which shows how Willy’s knowledge on how to become successful has been inaccurate not only for his generation but also for his son’s generation. Willy looks down and underestimates Bernard but envies Bernard’s father, which ridicules Willy’s theory of being well-liked. Yet, Willy still denies this contradiction within his statements that seem self-explanatory to the readers as it is portrayed in the flashback. His unawaresness of his contradiction leads to his fictitious self-belief of being so triumphant that he â€Å"knocked ‘em cold in Providence, slaughtered ‘em in Boston.† The ironical scene of this flashback is what highlights the main flaws of his life. Willy’s fallacy of how to be successful in business is completely demolished after Miller heightens the prosperity of Bernard over Biff in Willy’s flashback. The second flashback occurs also in Act 1 when Charley and Willy are playing cards at his place as the flashback seeps into Willy’s mind little by little. Tension grows in their conversation as Charley stirs up the question of Willy’s job. Willy feels insulted after Charley asks if he has a job. To stay assured, Willy taps his mind back into the past and says â€Å"If I’d gone with him to Alaska that time, everything would’ve been totally different.† Miller makes sure it is straightforward that Willy has an ongoing obsession of the past. This flashback demonstrates how Willy is too overly dependent on his dreamy past, which is why when he feels insecure after Charley’s question, he tries to justify his success from the reminiscence of his past. In addition, Willy’s longing desired to be a successful businessman is brought up again as Miller relates him to Ben’s words: â€Å"when I was seventeen I walked into the jungle, and when I was twenty-one I walked out. And by God I was rich.† Ben is an incarnate of success for Willy that explains why he wants his son, Biff, to have Ben as his role model. Such advice given by Willy unveils his failure for not following the rules of the Jungle expedition, which could have been the key route to success. The flashback reveals Willy’s true mind of not being able to accept the truth about himself. He acknowledges the fact he is not being appreciated by society anymore or if he ever was. This signifies that he actually understands the reality of this scene but he soon contradicts himself into thinking that he is successful when he says â€Å" I won’t have you mending stockings in this house† His confidence of his financial state is recalled and proves his inability to accept the things the way they are. It is too stressful and mentally painful for Willy to accept his own failure as a salesman and his ineptitude to be â€Å"well-liked†. Willy uses flashbacks because he finds it easier to create a reality of his own where he is successful, thereby forming disorder. The irony and imagery behind Willy’s flashbacks are what Miller manipulates to show the true nature of Willy.