Friday, January 31, 2020

The Effect of Media Type on the Message of Pakistan and the United Essay

The Effect of Media Type on the Message of Pakistan and the United States - Essay Example The story has seen widespread coverage across both newspaper and television media. This report will examine one television presentation and two newspaper presentations of the story and analyze how these differ in the way that they portray the information, the impressions they give, their focus, and the effect of the medium itself on the content. The television report was aired on CBS news, titled Terrorist cell phones link Pakistan to attacks. The two newspaper treatments were by the New York Times and USA today titled Pakistan’s spy agency is tied to attack on U.S. Embassy, and Admiral accuses Pakistani agency of backing terrorists respectively. Neil Postman was an American critic as well as being an author and media theorist. He produced a number of books, with several concerning the idea of mass communication being used to share ideas, how this has declined and the role that television plays. Finally, the results will be compared to the claims of Neil Postman, who proposed that different media had the potential to shape the news that we see. He argues that the method in which news is communicated can substantially impact what is communicated, and that television news is not an effective method of providing information, as it does not provide a complete or informative picture of what is happening. The results from my comparison agree with this, with the television news producing a more sensationalized picture that left out some key information, while the newspaper reports went in to more detail about the causes and effects of the event. The Television Perspective The CBS broadcast of the story was titled Terrorist cell phones link Pakistan to attacks, however the cell phones were mentioned only at the start of the three minute report. The attack on the US embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan was carried out by a group known as Haqqani, who have ties to the Taliban. While all those involved in the attack were killed, information from their cell phones, includi ng calls made and times, was able to be recovered. This led to the determination by US intelligence that both before and during the attack the cell phones were used to call Pakistani intelligence. This discovery has lead to Mike Mullen claiming that the Haqqani network acts is a ‘veritable arm’ for Pakistani intelligence As a consequence of this link, the US claims that all activities of the Haqqani network, which includes a string of high profile attacks, has been connected to the Pakistani intelligence, with them both protecting and funding the group. They claim that the Haqqani network, which has several thousand fighters, operates from within Pakistan, and is involved in raids that cross into Afghanistan. Furthermore, Pakistan uses the network to sell violence in an effort to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a stable and strong country. The CBS story also has a large focus on a truck bombing attack that occurred a few days prior. The truck was involved in the injur y of more than 70 American soldiers, and was known about prior to entering Afghanistan through an intercepted Haqqani transmission. The commander of US troops in Afghanistan General Allen called the commander of the Pakistani Army, General Kayani, asking him to head off the attack. Kayani promised to make a call, but the truck made

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Marriott Corporation and Project Chariot Essay -- Marriott Case Analys

Marriott Corporation and Project Chariot   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Marriott Corporation (MC), had seen a long, successful reign in the hospitality industry until the late 1980s. An economic downturn and the 1990 real estate crash resulted in MC owning newly developed hotel properties with no potential buyers in sight and a mound of debt. During the late 1980s, MC had promised in their annual reports to sell off some of their hotel properties and reduce their burden of debt. However, the company made little progress toward fulfilling that promise. During 1992, MC realized that financial results were only slightly up from the previous year and their ability to raise funds in the capital market was severely limited. MC was left with little choice, as they had to consider some major changes within the company if they wished to remain a successful business. Thus, J.W. Marriott, Jr., Chairman of the board and president of MC, turned to Stephen Bollenbach, the new chief financial officer, for ideas and guidance. Bollenbach, who had a reputation for creating innovative financial structures in the hotel industry, proposed a radical restructuring for MC. Bollenbach’s proposal included breaking MC into two separate entities. The new company would retain the service businesses of MC and have the financial strength to raise capital and take advantage of various investment opportunities. On the other hand, the old company would retain the hotel properties and the pressure to sell properties at reduced prices would be greatly lessened. This drastic restructuring proposal, deemed Project Chariot, had to be evaluated by J.W. Marriott before he went before his board of directors with his ultimate recommendation. Thus, Marriott planned to review the company’s past financial history that led to their current position; evaluate Project Chariot’s advantages, disadvantages and value; determine the bond risk involved if Project Chariot was accepted and finally consider alternative recomm endations. Past History of MC By the 1980’s, the Marriot Corporation, founded in 1927, had grown into a financially sound, industry-leading corporation. Although MC went public in 1953 and continued to sell stock to the public, the Marriott family still retained the controlling interest of 25% of the company in 1992. Once J.W Marriott Sr. resigned in 1964, his son, J.W. Marriott Jr., took over the posi... ...th the restructuring proposed by Project Chariot. The Management team of HMC must aggressively restructure its finances in order to alleviate this debt and reduce its risk of bankruptcy or take-over.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Also, if possible actions should be taken to ease the worries of existing bondholders and institutional investors. Management may consider sharing the debt more equally between the two divisions in an effort to prevent downgrading of the credit rating and loss of investors. References Answers.com. Leveraged Buy Out. Retrieved July 17, 2005 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.answers.com/topic/leveraged-buyout High yield or â€Å"junk† bonds. Retrieved July 18, 2005 from http://www.finpipe.com/bndjunk.htm http://www.investopedia.com/university/mergers/mergers4.asp. Retrieved July 16, 2005. Ross, S., et. al. (2001). Corporate Finance. McGraw-Hill Companies. Yawson, A. (October 20, 2004). Performance shocks, turnaround strategies, and corporate recovery: Evidence from Australia. Retrieved July 18, 2005 from http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:2aoQ4Wn2y8MJ:wwwdocs.fce.unsw.edu.au/banking/workpap/wp%252010%25202004.pdf+australian+strategies+corporate+restructuring&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Triple Bottom Line Approach

Green companies save money and help the planet with a triple bottom line approach Conventional wisdom says that organizations must choose between economic prosperity or environmental protection. Many business, however, are discovering that this is an outdated myth and there is no need to choose between one or the other. Energy efficiency projects that reduce utility costs, recycling initiatives that minimize waste disposal fees, and elimination of wasteful practices that consume auteur resources are all win-win scenarios that save money and reduce the impact on the planet at the same time.When these initiatives are carried out in a fair and just manner towards employees or contractors, then a win-win-win scenario is achieved. This approach of increasing profitability and improving the environment, while serving the community well through fair employment practices, is known as the â€Å"triple bottom line† and is the core component for sustainability programs, sometimes referre d to as corporate social responsibility (CARS). The benefits of a triple bottom line approach to business are numerous.Many companies find that looking at their operations â€Å"through a sustainability lens† helps them identify opportunities that they were previously unaware of. Cost savings opportunities are identified that help drive waste out of organizations, reducing their environmental Impact. The benefits go beyond the obvious financial and environmental gains, however. Sustainability programs give companies an opportunity to distinguish themselves from their competitors.Studies show that employees want to work for socially responsible companies, so an effective sustainability program will aid In the recruiting of new hires. Proactively reducing harmful environmental practices can also potentially reduce liability and can keep organizations one step ahead of future regulatory changes that may restrict, or even outright ban, practices that are currently allowed. Future columns will provide many real-world examples of triple bottom line Initiatives that any company can Implement.

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

Financial Statement Analysis Project- Liz Clairborne Inc...

FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS PROJECT LIZ CLAIRBORNE INC AND JONES APPAREL GROUP TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION - 1 - II. HORIZONTAL ANALYSIS OF JONES APPAREL GROUP - 2 - III. SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE INCREASES - 3 - IV. FINANCIAL RATIO ANALYSIS - 5 - 1. Current Ratio - 5 - 2. Gross Margin Percentage - 6 - 3. Profit Margin Percentage - 6 - 4. Accounts Receivable Turnover and Days to Collect - 7 - 5. Allowance for Doubtful Accounts to Accounts Receivable - 8 - 6. Inventory Turnover Days to Sell - 8 - 7. Return on Equity - 9 - 8. Return on Assets - 10 - 9. Debt to Equity - 10 - 10. Times Interest Earned - 11 - V. INVENTORY COST FLOW - 12 - VI. DEPRECIATION METHODS - 12 - VII. LIABILITIES - 12 -†¦show more content†¦it |1176.2 |1239.4 |-63.2 |-5.10% | |Selling, general and administrative expenses |1069.2 |1100.4 |-31.2 |-2.84% | |Loss on sale of Polo Jeans Company business |0 |0 |0 |0.00% | |Trademark impairments |25.2 |88 |-62.8 |-71.36% | |Goodwill impairment |813.2 |78 |735.2 |942.56% | |Operating loss |-731.4 |-27 |-704.4 |2608.89% | |Interest income |7.5 |3.7 |3.8 |102.70% | |Interest expense and financing costs |49.1 |51.5 |-2.4 |-4.66% | |Gain on sale of stock in Rubicon Retail Limited |/ |/ |/ |/ | |Gain on sale of interest in Australian joint venture |0.8 |8.2