Business Analysis of Wal-Mart Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Analysis of Wal-Mart - Research Paper Example Wal-Mart is among the top ranked discount stores in USA and it is also leader of the country’s retail industry.The store was the first one to introduce the concept of providing low price goods and services to customers at their convenience by locating its stores nearby customers’ residency. The store was the first one to introduce the concept of providing low price goods and services to customers at their convenience by locating its stores nearby customers’ residency. In 1962, first Wal-Mart store was opened in Rogers, Arkansas. According to Freeman (2006), Wal-Mart is given the top ranking in terms of the total sales that are made by the store alone. The retail offers variety of products that comprise of family apparel, electronics, household needs, electronics, fabrics, jewellery, shoes, crafts, health and beauty products and lawn and garden accessories along with pharmacy store, Photo processing centre and Tire and Lube Express (Walmart Stores, 2012). In 1991, Wal-Mart opened its first store in Mexico and marked the beginning of its international operations. Currently, Wal-Mart has about 10,185 stores and also locations of clubs in almost twenty-seven countries; it is employing more than 2.2 million people who are serving approximately 176 million numbers of customers every year (Next-Generation Wal-Mart, 2012). The annual growth rate of store is about 22% in country and internationally it is about 58% (Ambartsoumian, 2011). Financial Statements Analysis In order to evaluate the performance of any business, it is important to analyze its performance both from its financial statements and by doing comparison with its competitors. First, it is important to review the performance of Wal-Mart in the last couple of years which can be extracted from evaluation of its financial statements. The summary of financial performance of Wal-Mart is represented in the form of table after analyzing its Balance Sheet, Income Statement and Statement of Cas h Flows (ttm stands for Trailing Twelve Months): The above table shows that company’s performance is increasing despite recession going on in the world. Management of the store is effective as is evident from the ratios of Return on Assets and Return on Equity; it shows that management is performing its function properly so that store’s performance gets boosted. Wal-Mart’s financial statements’ analysis shows that it is still in multi-billion bracket and is also paying off good amount of dividends to its shareholders. One area of concern is total debt to equity ratio which is higher; the company that is performing well has lower debt to equity ratio. The main reason for increase in debt is its heavy investment done in technological avenues which were done via loans from banks and financial institutions. The current ration of store is also less than 1 which is not a good indication because it shows that current assets of store are less than current liabili ties. Although considering its stock market performance which is showing increasing trend but there are some issues internally that needs to be addressed. Since the competition in retail industry is getting competitive, it is mandatory for the stores to ensure that they can compete with the existing and new entrants in the market. Overall, financial health of store is fine and smoothly progressing in retail industry; it is expected to grow exponentially worldwide. However, the main area of concern for management team is its current ration and rise in expenses; the team will have to ensure that it is able to pay off its debts well within agreed time period. Competitor Analysis The main competitors of Wal-Mart are Target Corporation and Costco. According to Ambartsoumian (2011), discount retailers growth

English Is Declining Essay Example for Free

English Is Declining Essay From Indo-European to Germanic, from Anglo-Saxon to the English of Chaucer, from Shakespeare to Henry James, English language is rich and extremely malleable that has survived barbarian invasions. â€Å"Language is the most important and the most powerful weapon in the hands of a state that has decided to transform human beings† (qtd. in p. 79 John Rodden). I have noticed that the languages being used in old time movies sound more articulate and powerful than the languages we use today. George Orwell described many of the â€Å"bad habits† in English writings in â€Å"Politics and the English Language†. Some other people argue that the information age, for various technological and cultural reasons, has launched English into a new creative state. In his essay â€Å"Politics and the English Language†, George Orwell pointed out two qualities of the five specimens of the English language have in common (473). The first is staleness of imagery; the other is lack of precision. He also said that â€Å"if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought. It is important to write in honest and clear language and vague writing can be used as a powerful tool of political manipulation. † â€Å"Things like the continuance of British rule in India, the Russian purges and deportations, the dropping of the atom bombs on Japan, can indeed be defended, but only by arguments which are too brutal for most people to face, and which do not square with the professed aims of political parties. † (478) On the contrary, younger generations living in the new technology world think that a language lives, and will be subject to change. Jack G. Ganssle, a lecturer and consultant on embedded development issues, wrote that â€Å"Technology is leading to the total breakdown in the use of English. † He complains that â€Å"writing itself is degenerating as it mirrors the every-changing argot of the common person, as if there is some gold standard that statically defines a language for all time. Most of us accept the evolution of language over time. † He also used his favorite movie â€Å"The Mikado† as an example to justify his thoughts. In the movie, Gilbert’s cantankerous father scoffs at his son’s use of the newly-invented telephone, sniffing that â€Å"it will only lead to the further erosion of the English language. † And clearly the grumpy old man was wrong. I agree that the invention of the telephone is the most remarkable innovation in the history of mankind. Jack G. Ganssle used it as an example to imply that time would prove he is right on technology changes the way English is used. People like George Orwell and his supporters are not open minded to accept the change and development of new concepts in the world and still stick to the old rules. What Ganssle did not realize is that the invention of the telephone is not just a pure new technology, it enhanced the way how people communicate each other. Before the invention, people had to meet and talk, or rely on mailmen to deliver letters to each other. After the use of telephone, it made communication much easier and faster. People do talk and communicate much more than before. New technology might provide more channels people communicate each other, but it can’t replace the role of English language plays in people’s life. It is not the media that matters; it is the English language people use that matters. Interestingly, referring back to Orwell’s viewpoint on political writing I would like to ask Jack G. Ganssle and his supporters a question, â€Å"What would you do to deal with the fact that North Korea conducted asecond test of a nuclear weapon on May 26, 2009? † Text messaging â€Å"OMG! Stop it! †? That’s about the best method I can think of by your theory. Evidence shows that English is declining worldwide. The Philippines have been known for having the highest standard of English in Asia. According to Jonny in Manila, â€Å"English as a subject has suffered from lack of money, along with public education as a whole. † â€Å"The government-approved textbooks they will study illustrate the problem. A passage in one for 8-year-olds reads: â€Å"The dog rolled on the floor so fast and fell on the ground. There he laid yelling louder than ever. The dog yelled on top of his voice. † A book for 11-year-olds advises, mysteriously, â€Å"Just remember this acronym—DOCSiShQACNMN—to make it easy for you to remember the order of adjectives in a series. † I heard about a mother who sent her kid to school with the swine flu since she couldn’t afford to pay a babysitter to look after her sick child and she couldnt afford to stay home from work. If people dont even care enough to make tough decisions about the safety of their children, and other peoples children, how can proper education be made a priority? People are more money oriented and materialistic than they were before. Statistics also shows that by comparison, people nowadays study for future careers instead of self-interests developing. This also resulted in the declining of English. William M. Chace wrote, â€Å"The stability of these ideas in the postwar years, from the late 1940s until the early 1970s, permitted the spectacular growth in English departments. The number of English majors spurted up from 17,000 to 64,000 and the number of graduate students from 230 to 1,591. But by 1985/86, the number of undergraduate English majors had fallen back to 34,000, despite a hefty increase in total nationwide undergraduate enrollment. In the foreign languages, philosophy, and history, the story was the same: impressive growth followed by swift decline. The history of enrollments reveals, then, that the study of English and American literature enjoyed only a momentary glamour. † He also pointed out â€Å"Finding pleasure in such reading, and indeed in majoring in English, was a declaration at the time that education was not at all about getting a job or securing one’s future. In comparison with the pre-professional ambitions that dominate the lives of American undergraduates today, the psychological condition of students of the time was defined by self-reflection, innocence, and a casual irresponsibility about what was coming next. † Yes the new technologies have brought the whole world into a new era. There are much more temptations out there for people to own. When I was a kid, a plastic gun was good enough for me to enjoy my whole childhood. We played with dirt, with sand and water, with whatever the nature could offer. Parents and neighbors got together with kids reading stories. Let’s take a look at what kids grow up with today. Video games, cell phones, computers and internet. I am thrilled for the change and I also enjoy it. It seems like if all things around us start talking and listening meaningfully and we have enough bandwidth, there will be no need for reading or writing skills for most people. Road signs will be replaced by talking GPS. It sounds like a fantastic world. We have so many crutches to assist us in our daily life. People no longer need to memorize anything on their own. All you have to do is to make enough money in order to be able to afford them. I do enjoy the convenience and efficiency the advanced technology brings to us. Yet I pray every day there better be no power outage. We had a couple power outages in the server room at work these days. Guess what, I couldn’t do anything but wait for the power coming back since all my stuff are stored in company’s intranet and I can’t get connected to the server to extract the information to work on. Can you imagine what the world would be like if one day our crutches are not working properly? Would it be too late to find out we cannot even communicate properly on our own? I am in favor of George Orwell’s viewpoint. We ought to be able to speak and write English properly and precisely. New technologies can’t replace the power of English language. Works Cited Rodden, John. Scenes from an afterlife: the legacy of George Orwell. Wilmington, DE: ISI Books, 2003 Orwell, George. â€Å"Politics and the English Language. † Acting on Words: An integrated Rhetoric, Reader and Handbook. 2nd ed. Ed. David Brundage and Michael Lahey. Toronto: Pearson, 2009 471-81 Chace, William M. â€Å"The Decline of the English Department: How it happened and what could be done to reverse it† Autumn 2009 http://www. theamericanscholar. org/the-decline-of-the-english- department/ Ganssle, Jack. â€Å"The further decline of English. Technology is leading to the total breakdown in the use of English. Or something. † Nov. 2, 2005 http://www. embedded-systems. com/columns/embeddedpulse/173402052 Jonny. â€Å"Philippines: The Declining Standard of English† June 17, 2009 http://jonnynz. blogspot. com/2009/06/philippines-declining-standard-of. html

The Luddite Revolt :: European Europe History

The Luddite Revolt England at the Turn of the Century At the beginning of the 1800's England was still largely an agricultural country. Frank Ongley Durvall in his text, Popular Disturbances and Public Order in Regency England, states that "over half the population [was] living in the country"(12). In London there were over one million dwellers. Nevertheless, this city's population comprised only one-tenth of the entire population of England. Aside from London, most cities and towns contained only several thousand people, where the average household size was between five to six persons. The transportation of products and people around the nation was limited in part by the fact that the English population was still predominantly dispersed throughout the countryside and that most goods were still being made locally. However another factor that limited transportation was its relative lack of modernization. At the turn of the century England had yet to establish a railroad system. The primary means of shipping goods was either by boat using canals or by horse-drawn cart on roadways. Meanwhile, travelers depended upon either their feet or horse-drawn carriage to get them where ever they wished. As I briefly mentioned above during this period most industry was located in the country, with the majority of work taking place in the home work-shops of craftsmen. Any manufacturing plants that did exist at that time were water powered. These factories were usually small and only employed a handful of workers. The major industries at the beginning of the 1800's were textiles, hosiery, lace, iron mining and manufacture, ship building, and coal mining. Yet, agriculture was still the number one business, with some 35 percent, or more, of the populace of the island working in it(14). In many villages craftsmen would not only work making goods but would also cultivate small private lots. From these household plots they would harvest crops for their family's consumption and for trade. If these craftsmen did not own their own plot they would join others in tending to a communal field from which all members of the community could partake of the harvest. Because of this agriculturally powered economy most businesses remained predominantly local. Business owners were usually residents of the town where their businesses were located, so that they had a material interest in the prosperity and success of the town. This localization of business, along with industry, allowed for a harmonious connection to develop between the owners and their workers.

Contrasting rich and poor in Hong Kong

I have learnt many words by reading books. I have never enjoyed reading but if I find a book I like, I'll read it. This is how I learn new words and hence, I have a better English education. Ever since I was a toddler I have never enjoyed reading books apart from when I choose them. I always chose the books with with loads of words on a page with hardly any pictures. Therefore, it has become a habit in my simple life as I was sailing in the pool of words since I was 6 years old. The favorite play that captivated me the most is called â€Å"Educating Rita†. The play â€Å"Educating Rita† is written by Willy Russell. It is based on contrast as the main characters Rita and Frank have very different backgrounds. Frank is well educated (academic background) and he is a professor who teaches English in a university but Rita is a hair-dresser (working class background) who has not been well educated. Rita called herself a â€Å"freak† and â€Å"half caste†. She wants to be educated because she says â€Å"I wanna know†. She knows she is not ‘educated' yet and dimly realizes what ‘education' is. What Rita wants is to be out of her social class. For her, education is a means of achieving this and she is probably right. She instinctively knows she lacks something and thinks a university degree will fill the gaps in her life. Rita is eager to learn everything and she is energetic. It affects me as it reflects the sharp contrast between the condition of poor as well as middle class and rich people. The reason why I thought in this way is because that's what I see every day in the streets and my feelings. In Hong Kong, poor people are living in a confined space. They are living in houses that are surrounded by tons of rubbish. Whenever I walk pass the area with this types of housing, I could always hear the â€Å"sizz†¦.sizz†¦sizz† sound, and I am not sure if it comes rats or other insects. It has a foul smell too, and yet, people are living in this kind of environment. In contrast to the poor, the rich and middle class people are living in houses and mansions where rooms are air conditioned; it is clean and is relatively comfortable. At night the poor housing area is overwhelmed by darkness, but I know there are people living on the side of road and of that area. We are staying in a cool area but they are suffering from heat from the sun. We sit on comfortable chair but they sit on the ground with germs. The contrast is a little uncomfortable for me. Thus, sometimes when I cannot sleep, I will start to wonder ‘what if I am one of them who live on the street? Will I survive?† People living in that area have no money. In addition, they have to fear and tolerate what might happen to them every day. Sometimes, I think the poor have more courage than I do. What could I do for them? Most of the time, I could only feel sad for them, and usually we will forget about them and live on with our own life. It is vitally important to me because their experiences instill a certain fear in me. I told myself I don't aspire to be a very rich person, but I am really afraid to be poor. I don't think any amount of money is ever enough to help the poor who live below the poverty line but every penny counts! We must also accept the fact that corruptions has add on more problems to this major issue, but we must always tell ourselves â€Å"Can rescue how many are how many†. This is, we must always save as many lives as we could because every life counts. The existence of poor and rich in the society is unavoidable, but the disparity and gap between them should be reduced as much as possible. The rich may have the right to spend as copiously as they like to live in comfort, but the poor should also have the right and means to keep the body and soul together. Embracing the poor, engaging the rich.

Black People and Grandfather Essay

8. How can the dream at the end of the story be related to the major incidents that precede it? The dream at the end of the story is about the circus with his grandfather. He refused to laugh at the clowns no matter what they did. There is a relationship between clowns at circus and the black boy in battle royal. They are forced to entertain the white man and are treated as if they are no better than animal. The seemingly endless series of envelopes implies that inequality still continue for a long time until black man fall of weariness and white society will continue to create clowns for their entertainment. 9. Given the grandfather’s advice, explain how â€Å"meekness† can be a â€Å"dangerous activity† and a weapon against oppression. In the death bed the grandfather told his son as well as his grandson keep up a good fight. â€Å"Live with your head in the lion’s mouth†, the grandfather want his son to prepare for himself a mask of meekness, overcome white persons with yeses, underline them with grins, agree them to death and destruction. This meekness is considered as dangerous activity because their family as well as many black men in recent society is controlled and oppressed by the white man. Becoming the white’s favorite is the only way to survive. However meekness is not the same as surrender, it seems to be a shield to conceal a deeper revolutionary spirit. The grandfather bequeathed to his grandson not only strategy to live with â€Å"the lion† but also a weapon against oppression.