Business and Management Dictionary

As defined by the dictionary,† Goal is the purpose toward which endeavor is directed. † It is an end of one’s journey through life or the finish line of the race. Like in a project or a business venture, one must have the goal so that he can pick the best and strategic planning tool to be used through it. There’re so many strategies one can use in achieving his objective, however, SWOT Analysis had gone a long way in helping businesses (small or big) be more fulfilled. It’s easy to deal with as long as he can define the terms: STRENGTH, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITY, THREATS, and can reach to a desired end state or objective.As defined in a Business and Management Dictionary: Strengths are the attribute of the organization that are helpful to achieving the objective. One’s personal power that is capable of attaining the purpose of his desired outcome while putting his hands on a risk. Weaknesses are the attribute of the organization that are harmful to achieving the objective. It makes one’s control of the plan be disabled if it can penetrate the whole idea of the venture. This may go further if he cannot design better-technique from overcoming it.It is an attitude most human possesses as defect, but he can choose not to be too overwhelmed by its attack by controlling all his ideas and perform excellent processes to go with the strength of his venture. Opportunities are the external conditions that are helpful to achieving the objective. In this strategy, identifying subsequent steps makes the techniques be planned well. If one can see the opportunity passing by his way, to accommodate it is neither a crime nor a waste of time. It’s a good requirement in making the venture be more visible and successful. It may just be an experience or a total shot for the business.He wouldn’t regret by not taking it because he can actually grab and use it as an asset for his goal. Threats are the external conditions that a re harmful to achieving the objective. This can be an indication of an impending danger of growing project or business. However, he can manage and ensure that this condition would be solved, avoid from failing and won’t affect any of his strong foundation if he can be too determined, willing to do all the necessary steps and risks he has at the start of his journey. Of course, better characteristics in every way his business and life go doubles up the result, to a better and effective performance.Being in a business or any venture is a very risky yet challenging endeavor a man can experience through life. Like life, if we would not, should not, could not give our best shot to it, then we may fail. By this, the hardships, sweats, tears, and blood we just invested in winning the race will just be all gone. It may be re-established, be successful as any other big companies in the world this time only if we can be stronger, more knowledgeable and willing to incorporate more on th e strategic planning model of the SWOT Analysis. Besides, ‘LIFE IS SWEETER THE SECOND TIME AROUND. ’

Formation and retention of nutrients Essay

The world is ridden with many resources that are often taken for granted. Some of these resources have to be dug up or mined, but many are spread out all over the land for the taking. One of these natural gifts that has found indispensable use in our society is peat. Peat is a combination of various things, mostly vegetable and plant matter that has decayed over millions of years. (Smith) The proper term for this process is carbonization, and while peat has yet to completely carbonize into coal, this can take thousands of years more. (Smith) Although peat is composed of many other vegetation decaying over the years, most of it is moss. (Smith) The decay of these materials occurs â€Å"mostly under anaerobic (oxygen-deficient) conditions†. (LMU) Peat in its raw form contains 96% water (LMU) and is harvested primarily for fuel and agricultural (fertilizer) purposes. (Smith) The process of peat decay causes the material to â€Å"store organic carbon which is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide or methane, greenhouse gasses that affect global climate. † (LMU) The gases released by peat as it decomposes are highly flammable. However, peat, in its natural form is totally harmless because it is â€Å"too wet to burn†. (LMU) In certain cases where the natural state of peat is disturbed it becomes vulnerable to fire, which is often the cause of forest fires or fires commonly occurring in wetlands. This can be very dangerous because burning peat can release smoke that contains aerosols and toxic gases, which can result to respiratory diseases and problems. (LMU) Peat is best harvested, obviously, after hundreds of thousands of years, or the time it takes for the materials to totally decompose. Peat bogs have a surface living layer that gets destroyed when mature peat, beneath the living layer is harvested. (LMU) Of the many uses of peat, fuel is the most common. In remote areas where there are no other resources, peat is used for energy production. (LMU) Peat is â€Å"shown to be an economical alternative to oil or coal-fired electric-power generating stations in some circumstances† (LMU) and it is also used to produce methanol. Peat can also be used as garden fertilizer as it is an efficient moisture retainer. Using it in gardens can promote the formation and retention of nutrients. Some companies also use peat as a raw material in producing biodegradable planters. (Smith) â€Å"Peat can also be used to make paper, pad livestock beds, or pack products for shipment. † (LMU) Peat is also a decorative implement in creating handicraft and artwork. Many handmade crafts and arts use peat as an aesthetically pleasing accent. Peat is an irreplaceable resource, if not for eternity, for this generation at least, because it will take hundreds of thousands of years in the future for other peat layers to form. However, peat is abundant nowadays in many countries all over the world, but the indiscriminate harvesting of this resource can lead to ecological imbalance and eventually, its irreversible depletion. Like any other natural resource, peat should be harvested reasonably to preserve existing peat bogs and ensure that plenty will be available for future generations to use. Like oil, which is a fossil fuel, peat has to be harvested with much discretion because once all of it is gone, we will all have to wait for hundreds of thousands of years to harvest it again – surely, none of us can live that long.

An Evaluation Of The Calvin Klein

An Evaluation Of The Calvin Klein The multiple definitions and understanding of the term ‘brand’ have created difficulties in creating a ‘grand theory’ for brands (i21). The meaning of brands has been continually changing as new understandings of the term emerge and replace the older understandings (i21). While a production centered brand theory focused on the creation process, especially the design, logo and advertising campaigns, the consumption centered brand theory emphasizes on the interpretation of brands by the customers (i3). Presently the brand theory has shifted from being production-centered, by differentiating products or services from its competitors, to becoming consumption-centered, by differentiating consumers from each other (i3) into different brand tribes. According to Aaker (1993 in 2), a brand represents a name, sign, symbol, design or a combination of such elements which uniquely identify and differentiate particular products or services from others. However, a brand i s distinct from a company’s name or trademark (i2) and unlike a trademark, which is a tangible item of intellectual property, a brand additionally incorporates the intangibles like identity, personality, associations and meanings; for example, Pepsi is portrayed as the â€Å"choice of new generation† suggesting Coca-Cola as an historical brand (i2, i3). In present scenario, different formats of brands exist, whether as family brands like Heinz, where each product exists under a single name or as standalone brands as in case of Unilever (i2) where each brand demonstrates an individual identity. Nevertheless, the aim of brands is to develop relationships with customers by creating value propositions related to functional, emotional or self-expressive advantages (Aaker, 1996 in 2). Today brands are acknowledged as assets on balance sheets similar to the values assigned to tangible properties. Private labels are the products produced under a retailer’s account and s old under the retailer’s brand or another brands through specific retail chains or retailers (pl2). Such products that are natural extensions of other product lines are ideal private-label products and they can build value and recognition from the customers. Private label products are usually not advertised and cheaper than the similar branded products as the entrance cost of such products at the sales points are eliminated. Hence private labels assume significant importance in times of economic downturns. However, they have also been associated with low quality. But the situation is changing with retailers offering premium private label brands, like the Tesco’s finest range, which compete directly with the national brands on the basis of their quality (private label1) and are now considered to offer high value (pl2). Nevertheless, consumer purchase behavior for private label product is tends to be product specific (Livesay and Lennon, 1978, in pl2). Brand leveraging i s a process which aims at reinforcing a brand by linking it to another person, place, thing or brand (i5). One popular way has been associating a brand with celebrities. Many of the popular fragrances in UK are associated with celebrities like Kate Moss, David all those targeted for women from 30- to- 45 years old and Eternity Moment targeted for young women. Brand extensions into other product classes (Aaker, 1996) can also be used to Leverage Calvin Klein.

Name and describe the stages of the human life cycle. How are these Essay - 3

Name and describe the stages of the human life cycle. How are these stages different from what is seen in our closest relatives - Essay Example Once he exits from mother’s womb he grows, develops teeth and even start walking and by one year it is called as an infant. After this phase baby who is a toddler now enters into childhood usually upto10 years. He develops new skills, behavior and starts socializing. These 10 years are the most important years in the personality development of an individual. Next he enters into adolescence which takes place between 12-18 years. This is when both genders start becoming sexually aware as puberty is reached. They start separating from parents and become more independent. Then begins the stage of adulthood which starts from eighteen years onwards till one reaches an old age. This is when human beings are grown completely and utilize their skills to do work. During this phase they might give birth to another life. Adults do not grow further but they should look after their health and fitness to live a good life. At the end of this phase body starts to deteriorate and become weak th is is when a man becomes old (Bravy). Each stage provides a special gift. Pre birth is the phase that gives the gift of potential of what one will become when it will come to life. Birth brings hope to parents that their child will bring good to this world. Infancy is an energetic phase . Early, middle and late childhood is full of playfulness, imagination and cleverness. Adolescence is a phase of passion which is fallowed by early, middle, mature late adulthood in which an individual is enthusiastic to achieve his goals, ambitious, full of wisdom and responsible. Then comes the old age followed by death which teaches every individual that one should live life to its fullest and contribute to this world in the best manner. Thus every stage of life provides humanity with a unique gift. Every human being should be a source of happiness to other, we should take care of each others needs and requirement, rich should help

The Case of Lancaster ElectronicsTypes of Disclosure Essay

The Case of Lancaster ElectronicsTypes of Disclosure - Essay Example As an auditor he is supposed to give a report to give direction to the management of Lancaster Electronics. The payment of the dividend, year 2009 was as per the policy, but 2010 payment was halted and resumed in the first quarter of 2011. The information should have been reflected in the equity’s statement. Grinaker & Barr (1965) argued that changes in the equity payment should always be explained briefly in the footnote of equity statement. In 2010, the dividend was retained to finance the equipment for the new plant. The amount was neither reflected in the income statement as expenses nor in cash flow statement as investing activities. An auditor has to be certain that cash generated and spent can be accounted. Lancaster electronics received a loan that was to be repaid within a timeframe of ten years. The loan is a long term liability since it has to be repaid for more than one year. This should have been reflected in the balance sheet as long term liability. A ten year loan repayment period is a huge chunk amount of money. Therefore, the report of an auditor will not represent the actual state of the company. The agreement between the lender and Lancaster, of dividend payment, should not exceed the net income is contrary to how the firm used to treat preferred stocks. A brief explanation should be attached at the footnote of the equity statement. The staff auditor’s reported stated there was no restriction on the retained earning as at 31 Dec 2011. The information should be in equity statement so that other auditor can make a report that is accurate and reliable. Failure to include that information an auditor will a make wrong conclusion regarding dividend payment. Lancaster Electronics has a new manufacturing plant that costs $ 600,000. However, the lease is neither reflecting on the balance sheet nor income statement. An increase in asset volume and value makes the company stable. If a company does not present its entire asset on the

Answer the two questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Answer the two questions - Essay Example s the executive sword (commander in chief of the country’s armed forces) and the legislature purse (which endorses all the government’s spending measures and tax). The only thing the judiciary possesses is the ability to judge. Because of its weakness, it is protected from the other two branches of the government (the legislature and the executive) by the U.S. Constitution. According to Hamilton, making the judges permanent through the Constitution makes sure that they cannot be changed according to the executive’s or the legislature’s interests (law.jrank.org, 2011). In conclusion, the Federalist 78 aimed at making sure that the judiciary was protected from interests of the executive or the legislature. This is because it was the weakest of the government branches and it did not possess the purse of the legislature and the sword of the executive. The only power left for the judiciary was the ability to judge. In Hamilton’s essay Federalist 78, the judiciary was supposed to be provided with the judicial review power. This is to enable it to declare laws that deemed unconstitutional as not binding (law.jrank.org, 2011). The judicial review power is important for the judiciary since it is the one that is capable of interpreting the law and the constitution. In other words, the judicial review power serves the purpose of protecting the particular privileges or rights of the American people. The purpose of the judicial review power given was to protect the particular privileges or rights of the people as indicated in the Constitution. In order to protect these rights, the judiciary has to be given the judicial review power to declare any law that is unconstitutional null and void. There are other people who claim that the judiciary has been given power superior to that of the executive and the legislature. However, the people’s power is superior to that of the government branches, and the role of the judiciary is to make sure that the legislature does

U5ipdb Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U5ipdb - Essay Example She is correct in that it is necessary to complete the billing for medical procedures in a timely fashion so that claims are properly processed, but not at the expense of coding those procedures incorrectly. Luckily, today’s world is full of a wealth of resources that Jan can turn to outside of printed media. Jan is most likely not dealing with codes that cannot be found properly. What she is doing is looking in the wrong place. She is looking where there are limited resources and giving up too easily and taking the easy road out. One of the best resources for her to utilize for this challenge would be the Internet. It is easy to find CPT codes on the Internet, even the new ones. All she needs to do is choose a search engine such as Google, select a proper search string to indicate what she is looking for and she is liable to easily find it. This is how I would handle the situation differently when using CPT codes that are not listed. One challenge of using the aforementioned method for finding unlisted, newer CPT codes is ensuring that the codes are accurate. It would be necessary for Jan to check the supplier and sponsor(s) of the website she chooses in order to determine whether not the resource is reliable. According to Avila-Weil and Regan (2007, pg. 230), â€Å"The ethics of coding, as in every professiona and business, is built on a solid foundation of moral standards which are applied to coding policies and procedures. These standards include integrity, honesty, competence, respect, fairness, trust, and courage. It is the responsibility of coding and health care professionals to establish and adopt ethical policies regarding billing and reimbursement, implement the policies comprehensively, and monitor the consistently, making corrective changes when necessary. It stands to reason from the aforementioned information that anyone who violates the standards of integrity,

Film Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Film Review - Essay Example he film highlights the battle of the Alamo and the 189 Texians (American-born Texans) and Tejanos (Mexican-born Texans) who â€Å"gave their lives† so that â€Å"a nation might live,† central to the film is Sam Houston and his role in the founding of an independent Texas. In 1835, the Texans had achieved partial success in capturing San Antonio de Bexar from the Mexicans. Federalists, among them Sam Houston, were optimistic that as more Americans settled in Texas, it would survive as an independent republic, but not without a professional army. An â€Å"illustrious† and popular Congressman from Tennessee, Davy Crockett was among those who responded to Sam Houston’s impassioned call. However, Sam Houston was relieved as commander of the Texas army by the provisional government, in opposition to his proposal to raise a genuine military force (Bohem). The Alamo which served as a fort on the outskirts of San Antonio de Bexar was a neglected mission. Colonel James Clinton Neill, who was mainly responsible for maintaining the fort, knew, only too well, how vulnerable the Alamo was. Convinced that volunteers alone could not defend San Antonio, Sam Houston wanted the Alamo abandoned and ordered Colonel James Bowie to destroy the fort. Contrary to this plan, the official government sent Lieutenant Colonel William Travis and a number of soldiers as re-enforcement, with little else, to defend San Antonio. Ironically, the Alamo became the last â€Å"stronghold† of the people of San Antonio from the advancing Mexican army under the dictator General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. From February to March of 1836, an army of 2,000 men laid siege against the mission, killing all defenders, taking no prisoners. The film details the siege and the final assault on the mission, showing the humanity, the courage and the heroism of Alamo’s defenders, led by the Col.William Travis, James Bowie and David Crockett. A month later (April 21, 1836), inflamed by the massacre in the

The Essential Activity of Christian Ministry Essay

The Essential Activity of Christian Ministry - Essay Example It has been ascertained that there exists certain similarities as well as difference between the above mentioned aspects of education, discipleship and spiritual formation (Bridges 2006). Correspondingly, this paper intends to critically discuss the various essential activities performed by the Christian ministry and will come up with illustrating the most vital activity among the aforesaid three dimensions. Education, Discipleship and Spiritual Formation Education, discipleship and spiritual formation are considered among the essential activities performed by the Christian ministry. Education, in this context, means producing discipleship among the people who worship Jesus Christ. One of the primary aims of the Christian education is to develop discipleship among people. Furthermore, discipleship in Christianity is regarded as the relationship between the Lord with His disciples. Contextually, it can be firmly related as a relationship between the teacher and student or as a relatio nship between the master and learner. A true disciple is argued to be one who abides by all the teachings of Jesus and spread the acquired knowledge to other people. On the other hand, spiritual formation is an attempt directed towards deepening faith in Lord and furtherance of spiritual enhancement amid the community (Glandion, 2012). It is also regarded as the means through which life can be led with spirituality and prosperity. All these aspects are considered to be among the important or essential activates performed by the Christian ministry as its essential activities (Hinkel, 2012). Comparing and Contrasting the Essential Activities of Christian Ministry All the above mentioned aspects are similar to each owing to the reason that all of them work towards stimulating the augmentation of human faith in God. It has been observed in this regard that education, as an activity of Christian ministry not only signifies Christian learning but also used to develop discipleship among th e people who worship Jesus. In this context, spiritual formation of people includes some of the traditional methods of discipleship like fasting, Bible reading and prayer among others. Correspondingly, the activity of Christian education follows a predetermined format while the activity of spiritual formation changes with the quest of people to find Lord and His guidance. It has been observed that Christian education is considered to be head knowledge while spiritual formation is considered as knowledge gained straight from heart. Simultaneously, there also persists a considerable difference between discipleship with Christian education as well as spiritual formation. In the realm of Christianity, discipleship is admitted to be quite challenging as compared to spiritual formation and education activities. In contrast to Christian education and spiritual formation, discipleship is regarded as a continuous process wherein a follower of Jesus is firmly involved in introducing other peo ple to Jesus as Savior and Lord. Unlike education and spiritual formation, discipleship requires commitment to the greatest extent so that the teaching of God can be duly followed and conveyed to other people in the most convincing manner. The above discussed aspect also depicts that these concepts of education, spiritual format

Persussive Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Persussive Speech - Essay Example I will briefly discuss how adoption of technology, especially in the business sector, influences positive changes. One way is that technology has brought about the innovation if machines and equipment that works automatically. Work automation is a process that seeks to reduce the amount of work done by employees and the time used to accomplish a task (Comin & Miesteri, 2010). By implementing the adoption of technology, work becomes achievable in minimal time and with little labor force. However, technology compares not at all to the need for human labor and is therefore, not a replacement to employees. In other words, automation puts fewer burdens on employees by reducing their workload. As a result, workers focus on other projects and achieve better quality output plus doing so in a shorter time. Consequently, introduction of technology in the organization provides easy storage. With the need to document every single process, the amount of paperwork in the company increases by the day. With limited space, storage becomes a burden. Nevertheless, technology provides a solution for virtual storage of documents in secure clouds. This greatly reduces the need for hardcopy paper work thus saving on storage space. Moreover, the need to hire storage space from outside diminishes significantly saving on costs. Technology also spearheads the organization’s target to improve security of information, a vital requirement in any organization’s success. Information stored virtually, allows access only to authorized individuals through password protection. Furthermore, enhancing security within the network by using protocols that encode classified data diminishes security threats especially during transmission of data. Very importantly, virtual storage of data in clouds creates data backup. Therefore, any information lost or unintentionally deleted becomes retrievable via data recovery methods. This in turn, creates credibility for a firm because of proper and

Health Insurance and Managed Care Essay Example for Free

Health Insurance and Managed Care Essay There are a myriad of issues that concern current federal health policies. These new issues emerged from a number of health policy agendas. Several issues are emerging as of late due to the notion that health care is usually perceived as prelude to issues concerning physical health problems. Federal health policies range from mental illnesses and physical therapy issues. The four central issues concerning federal health issues are: Health Insurance Access, Primary Care for Patients, Quality Management in Hospitals, and the Advancement of Healthcare Organizations. These issues constitute a broader set of issues, which concerns federal health policies. The advancement of new medical techonology has generated many opportunities for managed care spcecially in hospitals. These advances in the field of medical health allows medical practitioners to be more adept in handling patients. Furthermore, advanced technology has made precise diagnosis and apt treatment for complex illnesses. With this in mind, human diseases are given remedies in order to treat patients. However, a bevy of issues have emerged regarding managed care. This makes the issue of medical technology complicated in many ways. Healthcare providers are affected by such issue. Medical technologies that reduce costs and present high cost benefit ratio are eventually reimbursed. Such issues are taken into consideration by major health sectors. Wireless Devices and Applications The global proliferation of wireless devices and applications has been surpising. Wireless communications has seen an upscale growth due to the clamor for fast-paced business communications nowadays. Trends like carries and Bluetooth techonology are one of the most discussed issues whenever wireless applications come into mind. The issues of carriers are still similar since they wireless communication first emerged. However, wireless carries demand extra payments for consumers. Carriers are supposed to augment the services of telecommunication companies, though they are also responsible for revenue-sharing arrangements of telecom companies. Emerging trends of wireless communication include: †¢ Integration with native phone Apps (Camera, Media Gallery etc) †¢ Rich and more engaging user experience †¢ Faster access †¢ Reduced clicks †¢ Low latency †¢ Lower bandwidth requirement Nowadays, the use of mobile web is increasing. Wireless devices are being used people ranging from students to company executives. The proliferation of Wi-Fi hotspots have been evident. The use of 3G mobile broadband increased as well. These and other issues indicate that the wireless telecommunications industry is sustaining a sporadic growth and progress.

Major problems Facing Christianity Essay Example for Free

Major problems Facing Christianity Essay All world religions face unprecedented times in the 21st century. The challenges are diverse and do not have easy solutions. The modern world has seen an amalgamation of global value systems and a similar confluence of socio-political ideologies and philosophies because of advances in information technology and the increased mobility made possible by modern day technology. It is feasible to find a representative of all the world major religions in each country. This has meant that the observance of each religion is no longer a mystical matter left for the convents and monasteries, but has become one that can be easily and readily scrutinized and compared with alternatives which by the way do not have to be religious. In considering these challenges, those that affect Christianity can represent to a fair degree the struggles the others are facing and can provide a platform for the discussion of these forces. Christianity is by design an expansionist religion. Jesus sent out his disciples with the express command to evangelize all the nations. It is therefore the core duty of every Christian to spread the faith. Globalization is probably the most significant force affecting world religions, both serving and limiting the. Many technological changes took place in the closing half of the 20th century epitomized by the rise of the internet symbolizes the rise of the global village. Substantial changes include increasing ease of commercial travel by jets and high-speed trains, efficient telephone systems and powerful radio’s, the television set and a very efficient and diversified print and electronic media. The world has enjoyed many benefits because of these and indeed, even Christianity has had powerful tools to take its message across the world. Many a televangelist and bible teachers go on air in daily or weekly broadcasts, some with a global audience. Taped messages are downloadable from the internet as podcasts. Even if it is not possible to get the message in real time, it remains available for anyone to get it and watch or listen to it at their convenience. As commercial empires have grown into multinationals, so have efficient delivery networks, which now ensure the timely delivery of CD’s and DVD’s, magazines and newspapers to a global audience. However, these means for dissemination of information have not been available to just the Christian enterprise, they have also available to other establishments that have competing interests, usually commercial, and at times ideological that have employed them to good effect. A Christian watching television is not only watching popular televangelists preach the gospel, but at the comfortable press of a remote button, can watch virtually anything else. These options do not always complement the message heard but at times even go against the Christian value system. A Christian therefore is under immense pressure to conform to the prevailing worldview, as he does not live in a shielded Christian community, but rather in an information razzmatazz for which he has to sift through consistently, if he is to retain and spread the Christian message. As Smart (2000) puts it, â€Å"Even if each tradition stays true to its own message, it will have to operate in a context of this federal world civilization. † Secularization, which is a force to reckon with, has made it more difficult to proselytize. Faith is regarded as a personal issue and hence attempts to discuss faith in non-Christian settings with the hope of making disciples have become an uncomfortable, if not offensive undertaking. Decisions about what faith to ascribe to are made personally and increasingly, privately. After all, isn’t Christianity just one of the options? As Smart (2000) explains, â€Å"Making religion a private matter can also lead to a religion’s becoming just a minor element in a total fabric of living†. Smart (2000) adds, â€Å"Just as a person belongs to the golf club, so that person may join a church.† New age thinking has also made its blow on Christianity. Christianity claims exclusivity of access to salvation, and an exclusive personal God. One of the key new age values is tolerance to all religious beliefs and belief systems. Christianity therefore finds itself in a place where it must find a means of relating with the rest of the world religions, violating the fundamental belief in a single way to salvation. In addition, some of the practices of other religions meet the Christian threshold for classification as idolatry. This just serves to multiply the points of conflict. Further on, the modern world, especially those parts where democracy is dominant, acceptance in matters such as homosexuality is encouraged. This becomes a difficult undertaking for a traditional Christian, as it is excruciating for them to reconcile the practice of the Christian faith with homosexuality and therefore will demand a renouncement of the practice of homosexuality before Christian fellowship can commence. Another area of difficulty for the Christian faith has been the place of women in leadership. Feministic influence has pervaded traditional Christian leadership set up where formal overall leadership was the preserve of men. The Catholic Church still holds to this ideal, while the Anglican Communion has opened its priesthood in women. Protestant congregations and denominations seem to have much more flexibility in the matter, with a large number of women pastors and bishops, in some cases as the overall head of a denomination. Radicalization of faith has brought its share of problems to the world in general. Smart (2000) says, â€Å"Other sects are, in principle or in practice, at odds with society, and seek to change it radically, possibly by rebellion and upheaval. † Many people view Christianity as a western religion. Those who have any disagreements with the west therefore consider Christianity as a legitimate representative of the west. In countries where Christians are in the minority, militant religious fundamentalists have attacked them or their institutions as revenge against the west. State control has also had its punch at the Christian faith. Most of the socialist states such as the former USSR and China have had a very rigid stance against religion in general and Christianity has suffered as one of them. In others, proselytizing is illegal and attracts severe penalty. The spread of the Christian faith remains impeded thus. The Christian message along with that of other world religions has become more difficult to sell in a materialistic society. People do not see why they should wait for a coming glory when they can have the good life now made possible by modernization, which has generally increased the living standards in the world, most pronounced in the western world. â€Å"Then again, the new forms of social and economic organization promised a richer life here and now† (Smart, 2000, p. 138) It will be interesting to see how Christianity evolves in the coming age when each of these forces will have had sufficient time to unleash their full impact.

Evaluation Impact On Financial Operations Cadburys And Kraft Marketing Essay

Evaluation Impact On Financial Operations Cadburys And Kraft Marketing Essay Choosing the Topic After completion of all my fundamental papers in August 2010, I waited till the next session to decide to submit a research and analysis project for the Oxford Brooke University. The reason for such delay was the pressure to complete three professional papers in December session. This report is also important to me because I believe by having combination of both Profession qualification and a degree will uplift my career. To base my project on ACCA provided me with a list of 20 recommended topics to choose from. After reading through the list, the topic that immediately attracted my attention was topic 19 which was The financial and operational consequences of a merger between two organisations or of the acquisition of one organisation by another. What attracted me the most about this topic was that, it was all very relevant to my studies as I am thinking to pursue financial management after ACCA. I knew this topic will allow me to try out and learn the all important, analytical skills. Other reason to choose this topic was the much talked about acquisition of KRAFT and Cadbury therefore it encouraged me to choose this topic. Another reason was availability of the vast amount of information through the internet and press release because of recent release of Krafts recent fourth quarter in the month on February 2011. Choosing the organisation Once I chose my topic, I had to choose an organisation to base my research on. I chose Kraft and Cadbury for my analysis; it was an obvious choice as this was the acquisition that impelled me to select this topic. This was one of the most controversial and largest takeovers in the year of 2010. I believed the takeover by the 2nd Largest Food Giants in its industry would accomplish the objective I had in mind for the project. Aims Objectives The main objective of this report is to evaluate the consequences of the acquisition on the finance and operations aspect of KRAFT FOODS. The financial statements by themselves only provide the quantitative data which need to be analysed by drawn graphs. The main focus of this report, therefore, is as follows: To analyse the reasons for Kraft to make a strategic choice of acquiring Cadbury and whether it satisfy the strategic fit as claimed by the CEO of KRAFT FOODS in terms of financial and business operations. The second part of the research aims to analyse whether Kraft is on the track to achieve its targets it promised its stakeholders at the time of acquisition. Since financial information wasnt sufficient for my research, I need to review the strategic decisions made by Kraft for its subsidiary Cadbury after the acquisition along with the friction identified while integrating both business. The anticipated future of Cadbury under Kraft Group. In order to achieve the aims mentioned above, I have done qualitative analysis using SFE (Suitability, Feasibility Acceptability) and Ashridge model along with quantitative analysis using financial ratios and linking both to get an overall picture. THE ORGANISTAION Company Profile Kraft Kraft Foods is the worlds second largest food company headquartered in North Field, Illinois manufactures and market packaged food products, including biscuits, confectionery, beverages, cheese, convenient meals and various packaged and grocery products.( KRAFT FOODS INC, 2009)The business was formed by James L. Kraft and his four brothers who began by wholesaling door to door cheese business in Chicago. Kraft then achieved growth by merging with other companies and increases the size of the business by expanding more product lines.( Wikimedia Foundation,2011) Being listed on NYSE, Kraft now has approximately 127,000 employees worldwide. Kraft sells products to consumer in approximately 170 countries. At 31 December 2010, Kraft had operations in more than 75 countries and made products at 223 manufacturing and processing facilities worldwide. Kraft portfolio included eleven brands with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion each: Oreo, Nabisco and LU biscuits; Milka and Cadbury chocolates; Trident gum; Jacobs and Maxwell House coffees; Philadelphia cream cheeses; Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; and Oscar Mayer meats. Kraft portfolio included approximately 70 brands which each generate annual revenues of more than $100 million. (KRAFT FOODS INC, 2010) Cadbury Cadbury was a leading global independent business in the exciting world of confectionery, a large, growing, brand-led industry. With an outstanding portfolio of chocolate, gum and candy brands, the largest emerging markets business and a focused and experienced team, Cadbury is committed to its long-term vision to be the worlds biggest and best confectionery company. Cadbury operated in more than 60 countries with a workforce of 46000. (Cadbury, 2008) Cadbury made its beginning by opening one single shop by John Cadbury. As time progressed John Cadbury moved into the manufacturing of drinking chocolate and cocoa. Cadbury grew bigger through some organic growth and some mergers. During the first world war Cadbury started to achieve great success, its products were regarded as necessities and Cadbury were at their peak. Cadbury kept investing in technology, new factories and in new products to remain ahead of competition. With factories all over the world and a host of well known brand names it has become a household name in many countries. (Birminghamuk, (n.d.)) INFORMATION GATHERING Sources of Data Data can be collected for any research by the following ways: Primary Research: Under primary research new information is collected via interviews, survey or questionnaire etc; hence information is collected first hand. Secondary Research: Also known as Desk Research is gathered from information which has already been provided but may not be for the same purpose. Such information are easy to access and are my cheaper than carrying out primary research. Such information gathered should be analysed and screened properly so that it fits for the purpose. Kraft and Cadbury both being listed companies although listed in different countries were required to issue annual accounts for its stakeholders by Sarbanes Oxley and Companies House respective. These companies especially Kraft issued Interim Reports as per the stock list requirement. Therefore much of the quantitative and qualitative date was readily available for analysis. Hence I chose to use secondary data over primary. The only complication I faced apart from time pressure was obtaining latest financial information for Cadbury (2009 accounts). Fortunately Kraft public relation team co-operated and emailed me 2008 and 2009 Cadbury annual accounts on my request. The following are the sources of secondary information I used for my project: Annual and Interim Financial Accounts and Reports This is the main source I used for financial aspect of my business and to draw graphs. I had to use interim reports even to demonstrate impact of Cadbury acquisition on Kraft at each and every quarter due to complexity of the business. Krafts annual accounts were available to view and download on Krafts Investors Website. However Cadbury financial statement isnt easily available. Internet This is the source of limitless information; hence it took me a lot of time to extract information which was relative to the point. Firstly it provided me the qualitative information which was missing or less in the financial statement of both entities. Secondly it also provided me information from a third party or neutral point of view. Letters and Reports Under this source, I analyzed the documents sent by Kraft to Cadbury management or reports addressed to Kraft shareholder explaining them the strategic fit of Cadbury acquisition. These documents were available over the internet. Library I used study text published by Kaplan for ACCA to brush my skills and be of aid when I got confused during an analysis phase. Apart from my course books I visited local library for reference books. As I mentioned earlier I didnt had an opportunity to visit British Library for the access of database such as Datamonitor and Mintel. However I was able to get access to Euromonitor through internet and used it as a tool to aid understanding of the application of analytical tools regarding acquisition and both the entities. Data Collection Methods Its easy to collect data, but skills are required to make sense of data and using it for the purpose. It was a fiddly job to collect reliable authentic information to base my reports on. Any negligence on my behalf may cause me a failure in achieving the report objectives. I was cautious and took my time to read through all the information once before starting with my project. As this acquisition was of the biggest acquisition in the year 2010, too much was written by the newspapers and media about it. Reading about the merger in 2011 gave me this idea to do a project on Kraft and Cadbury, as Kraft were about to issue its fourth quarter results. I started my data collection by reading articles from local newspapers as well as papers or journal published in other counties. I viewed them retrospectively. The most prominent newspaper I viewed was Financial Times, Guardian, Reuters, Wall Street Journal and Economists. After I got a general idea behind the acquisition and critics claiming the acquisition as a failure. I downloaded the fourth quarter as well as annual report. I need to know what did CEO responded on the acquisition as it had been a year. Then I looked at financial data provided to support any statement by the CEO. Internet provided me great deal of help in my project. I type in the keywords such as Cadbury Kraft in etc at www.google.com . Find the relevant articles and making notes as well as bookmarks of the WebPages if I needed to read it again for qualitative part of my research. I even visited many libraries in my local areas; the librarian helped me by giving me advice on referencing as I had no idea on references. Unfortunately I couldnt make a trip to British Library to access database which could help me in my project. But I was pretty content with the amount of information I already collected to carry out my analysis. Referencing I have used the HARVARD REFERENCING SYSTEM for the referencing in my research and to aid readability, I have cited the source below the paragraph if the whole paragraphs were written based on the same single source. Acquisition for Kraft Pre Acquisition To systematic analyse the strategic choice by Kraft to acquire Cadbury, I will be using Johnson and Scholes framework (Suitability, Feasibility and Acceptability Model). (Wu, 2010) Suitability Kraft Foods Inc. being the second largest food company still looks for opportunities to grow and try to remain one of the market leaders in the industry and and to spread risk by a diversified portfolio. Kraft believes in rapid expansion by acquiring other businesses. Kraft adopted new strategy implemented by new CEO who believed low growth segment should be disposed of and adopt those strategies that will achieve rapid growth even by means of acquisition .Kraft will look for businesses that will build on its strengths and guide against its threats. Kraft has a successful track record of acquiring iconic brands and businesses and effectively using it for its expansion. We will be using one of the criteria of Ashridge model under suitability. Under Ashridge model we will be examining two criteria; whether Kraft has sufficient skills, resources and understanding of the Cadbury business and whether there are opportunities for helping to achieve critical success factors. (Steiner, 2009) Source: Euromonitor One key reason for Kraft to acquire Cadbury was to penetrate in those growing markets where Cadbury has good base such as China, India and Mexico. Brands such as Cadbury Dairy Milk dominated such markets by a vast length compared to its rivals. Cadbury did receive 40% of its revenue from fast growing emerging market. Cadburys acquisition of Adams played a vital role to increase their market share in Latin America. Cadbury has experienced 12% growth in revenue in emerging market over five years (EUROMONITOR, 2008) this can be beneficial for Kraft as it intends to use Cadbury s distribution network to sell its brands. (Cadbury, 2008) (Cadbury, 2009a) Kraft being aware of Cadbury s heritage and its strong confectionery business ranking and its iconic brands makes Cadbury globally number one in chocolate, gum and candy. By attaining all these eponymous brands Kraft will become a global powerhouse in snacks, confectionery and quick meals with exceptional portfolio of leading brands in the world. Hence will be one step closer in achieving organic growth objective. Feasibility Under feasibility we would evaluate Krafts position before acquisition in terms of internal resources of the organization this can even be connected to Ashridge s model criteria of possessing sufficient resource by Predator Company. Kraft being second largest business in its industry has huge cash reserve which reflects in its Cash flow Statements of 2008 and 2009 ($1.24 billion and 2.10 billion respectively). Buts its worth mentioning the disposal of Krafts North American Pizza to Nestle for total consideration of $3.7 billion contributed majorly to its high cash reserve. High cash reserve helps them to with acquisition cost and integration cost and any other abnormal cost. Apart from cash reserve Kraft does have reasonable current ratio of 1.04 reflecting its above average liquidity position then its peers. Although Cadbury has a strong hold on overall emerging markets Kraft have a greater position in some markets such as Brazil and Russia. As Kraft being a huge conglomerate busine ss it has vast amount of resources in terms of specialist staff, a highly invested research and development teams and finance etc to back up Cadbury to face competition from other rivals such as Hershey and Mars. Kraft can eve use its power over major supermarket chains such Wal-Mart to increase shelf value of Cadbury as majority of its sales come from small convenient store. Kraft is even able to promote Cadbury heritage brand more rigorously due to available of immense resources. It would be worth mentioning the fact that billion dollar Kraft empire has been experiencing an average growth of impressive 5 % over period of four years to 2008 (where it achieved 13% growth than previous year).(Daltorio, 2009) Acceptability To carry on with a strategic choice it also need to be acceptable by the stake holders. As shareholders are key stakeholders their consent is highly important. Although Kraft assured them the acquisition would result in increase in shareholders wealth as it fits in into its business culture, some shareholders have different opinion. One of the reasons for such conflict of interests is the fear of increase in companys gearing. By 2008 Kraft had a high gearing of 1.34 (ratio) compare to its rival Nestle of (0.36). They fear by acquiring Cadbury, Kraft would issue more long-term debt that may adversely affect the gearing ratio and hence increasing the financial risk of the business and affecting the capability of paying out dividends, hence damaging shareholders interest. The other reason for conflict of interest was the reaction from one of the biggest shareholders Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway who regarded the acquisition as bad deal .He believed Kraft has overvalued Cadbury fo r purchase consideration and the disposal of pizza business to Nestle for $3.7 billion was a mistake. He firmly believed Kraft is paying high premium for the acquisition. One shareholders view didnt affected Krafts strategic choice and Kraft went ahead with the acquisition despite got rejected first time. (Barr, 2010) Ballast Businesses *CADBURY* Heartland Businesses Alien Business Value trap Business Skills Opportunity Low High High According to my analysis I think Kraft values Cadbury as Heartland Business as Kraft has the skills to exploit opportunities from Cadbury. (UNDER ASHRIDGE MODEL) ACQUISITION for Kraft The long clashing 5 month battle between Cadbury and Kraft was finally over on 2nd February 2010 as Kraft clinches control over Cadbury by 72% holding. Kraft then took total control of Cadbury on June 2010. Cadbury shareholders had a deadline of 2nd February to accept Kraft offer of 500 pence in cash for each Cadbury share and 0.1874 new Kraft shares for each Cadbury share which altogether values each Cadbury share at 840 pence including a special 10 pence dividend. This sums up the total valuation of Cadbury business to approximate of  £11.9 Billion ($19.4 Billion). Kraft offered this purchase price on 19th of January after a long negotiation with Cadbury management. Kraft tried to make hostile takeover on 7th September by a bid worth 300 pence in cash and 0.2589 new Kraft shares for each Cadbury share (valuing it 745 pence a share). However Cadbury rejected the bid immediately and regarded it derisory. Kraft sweetened the bid by raising the original offer and increasing the cash component from 40% to 60% to make it more appealing for Cadbury shareholders. (Cimlluca et al, 2010) http://graphics.thomsonreuters.com/0210/EZ_CBRY0210.gifI have extracted this graph from Thomson Reuters to illustrate the impact on the share price for both involved parties after the announcement of take-over. We notice an increase of almost 40% in the market value of Cadbury. The increase in Cadburys share price was triggered by the initial announcement by Kraft of its intention to take over Cadbury in early September of 2009. The announcement was received well by Cadbury Shareholders causing an increase in demand and thereby price of the stock. However we see a fall in the share price of Kraft food at the time announcement (graph below), some analysts believe this was due to Warren Buffet dissatisfaction of Kraft Acquisition. He regarded the acquisition as bad deal, which caused chaos amongst other shareholder hence a price falls. This price fall deteriorated the purchase price offered by Kraft which was immediately rejected by Roger Carr, Chairmen of Cadbury. http://graphics.thom sonreuters.com/0210/EZ_CBRY0210.gif (Wiggins, 2009) Source: Digital Look(Munya , 2010) http://data.moneycentral.msn.com/scripts/chrtsrv.dll?symbol=kftE1=0LPR=2C1=2C5=6C5D=1C6=2009C7=6C7D=1C8=2010D5=0D2=0D4=1DD=1width=612height=258CE=0CF=0palette=2AF=2 KEY POINTS FOR FINANCIAL ANALYSIS Kraft foods acquired Cadbury plc in February2 2010. Hence Cadbury results are restricted to 10 months rather than full 12 years and its subject to fluctuate with moving exchange rates. Cadbury data was adjusted from IFRS (previously applied by Independent Cadbury) to U.S GAAP followed by its new Parent Kraft Foods Inc. Cadbury previous years figures couldnt be compared with unless comparison is made in percentile due to the size difference of both businesses. Kraft even revised its Net Revenue retrospectively 2009 onwards.Post Acquisition Financial Perspective The above graph represents s the growth and decline in sales over a period of 4 years by means of percentage. The 2010 information contains data post acquisition, specifically contribution from Cadbury of $9143 that has been converted using the exchange rate of $1.595 per  £1.00 for the aid of analysis. It can clearly be noted the reason why Cadbury was so desirable by Kraft. Cadbury attained significant growth from 2007. In June 2007 Cadbury introduced their Vision into Action plan which insisted in strengthening their position in emerging market. This strategy was immediately effective and can be reflected in the graph. As stated earlier in this research report one of the key reasons for Kraft to acquire Cadbury was their better position in emerging market as compared to Kraft. Although Cadbury has just been acquired for 11 months under Kraft we see a marginal fall of 4% in Cadbury sales than its preceding years. This maybe because Kraft maybe getting acquainted to Cadburys opera tion and network hence not utilizing Cadburys full potential. (Cadbury, 2009a) This graph explains what did Krafts CEO meant by GLOBAL POWER HOUSE. If we examine the two graphs we see a change in the revenue from developing and North American markets. The main reason for Kraft to takeover Cadbury was to derive maximum benefit of Cadburys strong hold in emerging market. Although Kraft is one of the largest companies in food industry it drives more than 57% of its revenue from its Home Market US. As US market is experiencing economic recession Kraft needed to adopt an effective strategy to broaden its operations globally. Hence Cadbury looked more attractive from Krafts perspective. Its worth mentioning that Cadbury earns more than 40% from the fast emerging markets portraying its position being better than Kraft.. It should be taken into consideration that fact that Kraft hasnt launched any new aggressive marketing scheme or any strategic step via Cadbury in emerging markets. In 2010 Kraft has continued to run Cadbury operation without making any major changes. Talking quantitatively Cadbury boosted Krafts net revenue in emerging markets by $3382 million which can be seen clearly in the graph at the bottom. Krafts strengths in Russia, Brazil and China along with Cadbury great position in United Kingdom, India and Mexico has spread its revenue source which has reduce the risk of a recession affecting Krafts sales .By acquiring Cadbury Kraft enhanced its distribution channel which became effective in the first year of acquisition and clearly be seen in the 2010 net revenue segments. In 2010 revenue from US market contributed less than 50% to Total Net Revenue minimizing the business risk driven by recession. (Farrell et al, 2010) The above illustrated graphs represent the change in Krafts revenue source after the acquisition of Cadbury. Krafts adopt a rational approach and pursue the strategy of selling off less profitable brands and achieving quick growth by acquisition. Kraft faced fierce competition from private label companies in the cheese and packaged meat market. Therefore Kraft acquired Cadbury to diverse its revenue source as there were dangers of fall in revenue from its main segments. There is an increase of 16% in the contribution made by confectionery segment. This segment is a high potential growth segment and Kraft would like diverse its business risk by investing more in promotion of this segment. (Trefis, 2011) The Gross margin shows the amount of gross profit generated by the company as a percentage of the sales revenue. Kraft Gross Profit Margin has been plotted against each quarter from 2009. It can be analyzed by the graph that Kraft tried to maintain its Gross Profit Margin in mid 30s percentile despite economic downturn in US market and increase in raw materials Kraft is able to maintain its objective, the main grounds for such level gross profit margin was the acquisition. By acquiring Cadbury Kraft has widen its distribution network as Cadburys main selling networks are convenient stores open on High Street therefore reach of every individual. Talking in respect on cost of sales (100 Gross Profit Margin) Kraft will benefit from economies of scale especially regarding purchases as Kraft will be bulk buying and using Cadbury suppliers rationally to minimise cost of sales as possible. (Szalai, 2011) Net Profit Margin is an indicator of profitability, calculated as net income or net profit divided by net revenue. As shown by the graph, we see a downward trend in the net profit margin against each quarter in 2010.Despite the fact that there has been a 27% increase in Net Revenue in 2010 as compared to its preceding year, we notice a fall of 23% in net profit especially in the fourth quarters of 2009 and 2010 ($711m and $547 respectively. However in aggregate there has been an increase in the net profit from 2009. The major reason for such deteriorates result for the fourth quarter was the cost associated with integration between Kraft and Cadbury. The pizza business of Kraft did contributed to the net profit in 2009 , by the sale of its pizza business to Nestle ,Kraft has deprived itself from the positive contribution of its disposal component.(BBC, 2011) The Prime objective of making investment in any business is to obtain satisfactory return on capital invested. Hence, the return on capital employed is used as a measure of success of a business in realizing this objective. Return on capital employed establishes the relationship between the profit and the capital employed. It is used to show the overall profitability and efficiency of the business. By analysing we see a fall in return on capital employed although the sales and net profit overall has increased however it hasnt increased by the proportion of investment made by KRAFT FOOD. As Mr. Warren Buffet feared that Kraft did overpay for the acquisition this can be reflected in diminish of return on capital employed. I have also included a graph showing fall in earning per share that illustrate the point of less return for the investors this maybe due to issue of new share to Cadbury shareholders. (Wilson , 2010) I have included this graph in my research report especially to breakdown the positive and negative contribution made by Cadbury to Kraft operating income in 2010 as compared to Kraft in 2009. As announced by CEO of Kraft Foods, Kraft is highly likely to expect $1 billion in incremental revenue synergies apart from $750 million in cost saving by 2013. In order to achieve the synergies Kraft has budgeted to spend $1.5 billion in the first three years following the acquisition to combine and integrate the two businesses and already incurred $657 million in 2010. As stated in Kraft Annual Account 2010, Kraft incurred and expensed transaction related fees of $218 millions in 2010 and $40 million in 2009.Kraft has recorded the mentioned costs under selling, general and administrative expenses in Profit and Loss Statement (Statement of Comprehensive income). However in the above graphs include figures which has been given in the Kraft 2010 annual accounts analysis of operating profit rather than actual incurred cost as some cost have been taken under finance cost which hasnt been included in arriving at operating profit for 2010. This seems a draw back in the acquisition objecti ve and maybe criticizes by its stakeholders as integration cost has reduced Krafts earning by 33%. (BBC, 2011) Liquidity ratio expresses a companys ability to repay short-term creditors out of its total cash. The liquidity ratio is the result of dividing the total cash by short-term borrowings. This Graph represents the two liquidity ratio one normal current ratio and another quick test ratio. Unlike Current ratio, quick ratio focus on the most liquid assets hence it exempt inventory from current asset while calculating ratio. Some of the key points that need to be addressed before analysis of the graph are the disposal of the pizza business and all the working capital relating to it. We should also account for the current assets and current liabilities acquired by Kraft such as Net Receivable of $ 1333 m and Accounts Payable of $ 1605 m etc. Another point to be mentioned is that while calculating Quick ratio I havent excluded the deferred tax asset, while some analyst exclude deferred tax asset as they dont regard it liquid. We see a significant difference between both ratios as inventory has occupied much of the working capital. Comparing it to the last year it is almost consistent with the growing sales. We notice a slight deterioration in both the ratio of 2010. The $3.7 billion cash raised by disposal of the pizza business was used to pay cash component of the acquisition. The rise in the actually figure is in line with the growing and diverse sales (Kraft Foods Inc, 2010) Gearing Ratio is a measure of financial leverage, demonstrating the degree to which a firms activities are funded by owners funds versus creditors funds (investopedia).The above graph represents how much company has borrowed compare to equity raised by KRAFT FOODS. Kraft had issued a long term debt of $9.379 billion (net proceeds) to support the cash component of Cadbury of acquisition along with proceeds from Pizza Business. Kraft even made a repayment $2.1 billion of long term debt during the year. This has increased the total debt of the business from $18990 million to $28724 Million. Kraft has also issued 262 million shares to existing Cadbury shareholder as part of purchase consideration. This has enlarged Krafts share capital affecting the gearing ratio. By taking into consideration the above mentioned circumstances, we see an increase in the gearing ratio of 7%. This may cause some concerns amongst shareholders and lenders of Kraft as the financial risk of the business has increased as more interest will be paid from the profits available to pay dividends to shareholders. (Tradition Financial Concept.). This may even damage the creditability of KRAFT FOOD in lenders market as it has borrowed 80% to Equity, hence it may be charged high interest rate by the lenders in future. (Kraft Foods Inc, 2010) (Hoskins, 2010) Interest cover is a measure of the adequacy of a companys profits relative to interest payments on its debt. This ratio will help to explain the previously mentioned financial due to increase in gearing. Due to the increase in leverage we see a fall of 0.94 in interest cover which means there would be less profit available for dividends. This maybe is one of the reasons why Warren Buffet (one of the major shareholder in Kraft) reduced its stake from 9% to 6%. The ratio is over 2 which is considered strong by analyst and reflects Krafts strong position in borrowers market. However Fitch, one of reputed credit rating agency, has downgraded the default rating on both companies to BBB-. However its rivals havent downgraded the rating as yet but our reviewing if they should follow their peers. Flitch has downgraded the rating due to anticipated increase in financial leverage of the combined Kraft/Cadbury. (Peters et al, 2010) Operational Changes Post Acquisition The significant changes in operations along with their impact on KRAFT FOOD GROUP as a whole: Closure of Somerdale factory Days after acquisition Kraft announced the closure of Cadbury factory in Bristol. During the acquisition struggle, Kraft pledged to retain Somerdale Factory. The announcements created a chaos amongst Cadbury workforce and British Unite trade union as 400 employees were being made redundant. It would be worth mentioning; Cadbury prior to its acquisition (in year 2007) had already announced the closure of its Somerdale factory as they had invested more than  £100million in the production plant in Poland to be cost effective. However at the time of acquisition Kraft assured Cadbury stakeholders that it will keep the Somerdale factory running. Kraft tried to justify the closure by stating that they made a genuine attempt to keep it running but its irrevocable. This had a negative impact on the motivation of 5400 Cadbury employees working United Kingdom as they feared less job security .Kraft faced high criticism from British media which lead to boycot

Future of Islam Essay -- essays research papers

The Future of Islam When first approached with the question â€Å"what the future of Islam is?† my mind raced around many places and had lots of different thoughts. I had no clue what the future of this religion would be I thought there are people for the American Gov. who are being payed a lot of money to figure this out and I don’t think they even know. So I decided to do research to figure out what my opinion on this matter was. I found that there could be different futures for different places, like Islam in the United States and Islam in the Middle East. I found that in the pre 9/11 days Muslims were a proud people and one of America’s largest populations. Post 9/11 there was a lot of ignorance and hatred towards Muslim people. Most Americans did not know the difference between a law abiding Muslim and one of the terrorists who attacked our country. Soon most Americans were educated in this matter and learned about the religion, and how a Muslims interpretation of the Koran affected what kind of Muslim they were and how they viewed the western civilization. They found that most Muslims are in fact great people and are no threat to our society. They also learned about the radical Muslims that interpret the Koran as saying that they should defend by all means anyone who is a threat to there religion (The United States and the Western World ). I think in America Islam has a bright future where one can practice there religion in peace and where the population understands and ...

Dialectic journal, Huck Finn Ch. 9-16 :: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain

Quote 1: â€Å"’En all you wuz thinkin’ ‘bout wuz how you could make a fool uv ole Jim wid a lie. Dat truck dah is trash; en trash is what people is dat puts dirt on de head er dey fren’s en makes ‘em ashamed.’ Then he got up slow and walked to the wigwam, and went in there without saying anything but that. But that was enough. It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back. It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a ; but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterward, neither. I didn’t do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn’t done that one if I’d ‘a’ knowed it would make him feel that way † (83-84). Analysis: Huck plays this trick on Jim, but doesn’t realize it would hurt him so much. Jim is very hurt, and goes inside the wigwam. Huck has to bring up courage to apologize to Jim because he is black. This is sort of ironic because Jim was just talking about kissing Huck’s feet because he was glad he was back, but then Huck feels so bad for hurting Jim, that he could kiss Jim’s feet, even if he was black. Huck seems to have a moment which will help him along on the path of equality between whites and blacks as well. Quote 2: â€Å"’Jim, this is nice,’ I says. ‘I wouldn’t want to be nowhere else but here. Pass me along another hunk of fish and some hot corn-bread.’ ‘Well, you wouldn’t ‘a’ ben here ‘f it hadn’t ‘a’ ben for Jim. You’d ‘a’ ben down dah in de woods widout any dinner, en gittn’ mos’ drownded, too; dat you would, honey.’† Analysis: This part is actually ironic, because Jim is black, and Huck is white, and Jim has helped Huck a lot, possibly to the extent of saving his life. This is ironic because normally, a white person wouldn’t take the help of a black person. Dialectic journal, Huck Finn Ch. 9-16 :: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain Quote 1: â€Å"’En all you wuz thinkin’ ‘bout wuz how you could make a fool uv ole Jim wid a lie. Dat truck dah is trash; en trash is what people is dat puts dirt on de head er dey fren’s en makes ‘em ashamed.’ Then he got up slow and walked to the wigwam, and went in there without saying anything but that. But that was enough. It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back. It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a ; but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterward, neither. I didn’t do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn’t done that one if I’d ‘a’ knowed it would make him feel that way † (83-84). Analysis: Huck plays this trick on Jim, but doesn’t realize it would hurt him so much. Jim is very hurt, and goes inside the wigwam. Huck has to bring up courage to apologize to Jim because he is black. This is sort of ironic because Jim was just talking about kissing Huck’s feet because he was glad he was back, but then Huck feels so bad for hurting Jim, that he could kiss Jim’s feet, even if he was black. Huck seems to have a moment which will help him along on the path of equality between whites and blacks as well. Quote 2: â€Å"’Jim, this is nice,’ I says. ‘I wouldn’t want to be nowhere else but here. Pass me along another hunk of fish and some hot corn-bread.’ ‘Well, you wouldn’t ‘a’ ben here ‘f it hadn’t ‘a’ ben for Jim. You’d ‘a’ ben down dah in de woods widout any dinner, en gittn’ mos’ drownded, too; dat you would, honey.’† Analysis: This part is actually ironic, because Jim is black, and Huck is white, and Jim has helped Huck a lot, possibly to the extent of saving his life. This is ironic because normally, a white person wouldn’t take the help of a black person.

College Sports: Paying Division One Athletes Essay -- College Sports

College Sports: Paying Division One Athletes A huge debate has been on the rise lately relating to why division one athletes should get paid on top of obtaining a scholarship. The proposal states that athletes should be eligible to receive money based on a percentage of profit their school makes. Although some say division one athletes already have all of their needs taken care of, helping athletes with extra expenses in college is essential. Because full ride scholarships take care of most costs for athletes, many argue they already have school paid for, and extra money isn’t necessary. On the other hand, athletes spend so much time and effort in their specific sport they don’t have time to earn extra money, which establishes the need for money from their school. Either way, the decision to pass a law of this magnitude is still up in the air. Athletic scholarships are a great way to receive a free education and many people believe that school is the only thing it should pay for. There are many reasons as to why individuals argue this. One consequence of passing a law relating to student-athletes receiving money may be possibly corrupting the NCAA system. Because the argument is based on how much the sport makes for the school, gambling and shaving points may occur more frequently in intercollegiate athletics. Shaving points is a method people use to pay off players if they miss shots on purpose in order to lose. Already a huge problem, this suggests athletes might have easier access to money and would affect their play. Another reason that athletes should not get paid is because they aren’t professionals yet. If they want to be paid, students need to enter themselves into a draft and make it their job. ... ...m the school they attend and sport they play. In my experiences as a student athlete, I can vouch for those in favor of paying student athletes. Because I need more money to help me through college, I had to apply for financial aid and eventually received a grant. There are many additional expenses I have encountered in just my first semester as a student athlete. An estimate of how much money I spend each semester is around 100 dollars. These expenses range from shampoo to eating out when the cafeteria is closed. The amount of time I spend as an athlete each week takes up at least 20 hours. The combination of time spent for basketball and personal needs demonstrates why student athletes should receive money. I’m amazed at how many things require money from my own pocket. The bottom line is student athletes need to start getting paid even if it’s minimal.

Gta San Andreas

| | | UGO| | | –  Home Page| | –  Forums| | –  Contact Psy| –  Submit News| –  News Archive| | –  Affiliates| –  Buy Stuff| –  Donate| –  Downloads Database| –  Desktops| | | –  Characters| –  PS2 Button Cheats| –  XBox Button Cheats| –  Glitches| –  Frequently Asked Q's| | | 100% Completion| –  Story Missions| –  Asset Missions| –  Stadium Missions| –  Sub-Missions| –  Hidden Challenges| –  Street Races| –  Gun Range| –  Gym Fighting| –  Import / Export| –  Driving School| –  Flying School| –  Bike School| –  Boat School| –  Safe Houses| –  100% Checklist| Maps| –  Tags Map| –  Snapshots Map| –  Horseshoes Map| –  Oysters Map|   Import / Export Map| –  Hidden Challenges| Other Guides| –  Introduction Script| –  Tattoos Guide| | | –  Official GTA:SA Site| | –  PS2 Screenshots| | –  PC Screenshots| –  XBox Screenshots| –  Videos| –  Radio| –  Artwork| –  Locations| | –  Gangs| –  New Features| –  Teaser Sites| | | | | Import / ExportGrand Theft Auto III introduced Import Export Garages, Vice City used this in the Sunshine Auto's Asset and San Andreas has turned this into one of the main sources of finding the vehicle you want in the game. In GTA San Andreas you have to deliver 30 vehicles to the Import Export crane at Easter Basin Docks.You will need to use the crane to pick up the vehicles and drop them onto the ship in the red marker. You'll earn huge amounts of cash for the vehicles if they are in good condition however some of these vehicles are very hard to find. Until now. This guide will explain the vehicles you need, where they are parked and screenshots will show what they look like and their locations. The I/E Crane will be unlocked after you finish Cesar's Missions for the Garage and you'll need to complete all three lists before you're rewarded fully with percent.After you deliver each car, a new vehicle will be available for importing. You can only import vehicles on the day they are listed under on the chalk board at the end of the dock and they of course cost quite a bit. Read on for the vehicle locations. Please Note: Most of these vehicles only spawn in these locations while they are required on the current list at Easter Basin Docks. If you're not on the right list, chances are the vehicle won't spawn there. If a vehicle is not there when you first check, run around the block and check again. You may need to do this a few times before the game spawns the vehicle.Click on the thumbnails for a larger image of the vehicle. Click on the underlined green location text for a screenshot of the location. You can also click on the thumbnail just below and view all locations of the vehicles on the game map. Clicking on the vehicle text will pop up with a screenshot of the location. | List 1 | ? PatriotParked Locations * Easter Basin, San Fierro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Inside the Naval Base. (Instant 5 Star Wanted Level) * Easter Bay Chemicals, San Fierro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Inside the parking lot. * Restricted Area, Desert  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ To the East side near the planes and helicopters. Instant 5 Star Wanted Level)Cash For Mint Condition * $40,000| | | ? SanchezParked Locations * Mount Chiliad, Countryside  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked next to a hut at the end of the Chiliad Challenge Race. * Angel Pine, Countryside  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked right next to the hut which has a save icon next to it. * Hunter Quarry, Desert  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ At the bottom of the Quarry next to a piece of machinery. Cash For Mint Condition * $10,000| ? StretchParked Locations * Hashbury, San Fierro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Directly behind Wang Cars and next to the Pay N' SprayCash For Mint Condition * $40,000| | | ?FeltzerParked Locations * Flint Country, Countryside  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The Feltzer will randomly spawn in the car park marked by the large grey square on the radar on the bottom right coastline of Flint Country. Cash For Mint Condition * $35,000| ? RemingtonParked Locations * Unity Station, Los Santos  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Inside the parking lot. Cash For Mint Condition * $30,000| | | ? BuffaloParked Locations * Fern Ridge, Countryside  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Head to the save icon in Fern Ridge. It's Catalina's cabin and there's a Buffalo parked next to it. Cash For Mint Condition * $35,000| ?SentinelParked Locations * Vinewood, Los Santos  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ South East side of the movie studio car park. Cash For Mint Condition * $35,000| | | ? InfernusParked Locations * Paradiso, San Fierro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The North Eastern most house in Paradiso. If it's not in the driveway run around the block and check again. Cash For Mint Condition * $95,000| ? CamperParked Locatio ns * Mount Chiliad, Countryside  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Right at the top of the mountain. * Juniper Hollow, San Fierro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked at the diner's car park just East of the bridge entrance. Cash For Mint Condition * $26,000| | | ?AdmiralParked Locations * Verona Beach, Los Santos  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Follow the thick black road on the radar North and then take the first right. You'll see the car parked at the side of the road alongside a rectangular white shaped building on the radar. Cash For Mint Condition * $35,000| List 2 | ? SlamvanParked Locations * El Corona, Los Santos  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked next to a fence behind the adult sex shop at the end of the row of houses. Cash For Mint Condition * $19,000| | | ? Blista CompactParked Locations * Easter Bay Airport, San Fierro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked next to a radar building inside the actual airport gates.It's just South of the entrance gates, you'll see a small white square on the radar. Cash For Mint Condition * $35,000| ? StaffordParked Locations * Quee ns, San Fierro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ You'll find one parked alongside the steps leading up to the Vank Hoff Hotel which you can buy as a safe house. Cash For Mint Condition * $35,000| | | ? SabreParked Locations * Garcia, San Fierro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ To the North end of a parking lot next to the baseball field. Cash For Mint Condition * $19,000| ? FCR-900Parked Locations * Roca Escalante, Las Venturas  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked just to the West of the Well Stacked Pizza building.Cash For Mint Condition * $10,000| | | ? CheetahParked Locations * Prickle Pine, Las Venturas  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked in front of a house just North of the safe house you can buy. Cash For Mint Condition * $105,000| ? RancherParked Locations * Blueberry Acres, Countryside  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked beside one of the garage things to the South West of the farm. * Bone Country, Desert  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked   near some small buildings North West from the Quarry and East from Cluckin' Bell. * Bone Country – Desert  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked in betwee n some trailers just North of Ammu-Nation.Cash For Mint Condition * $40,000| | | ? StallionParked Locations * NoneAdditional Locations * They can be seen driving anywhere. Sometimes you'll get lucky and one will spawn right in front of you after loading a save from the Doherty garage. Otherwise just drive around in a taxi looking by docks or the Venturas Strip. Cash For Mint Condition * $19,000| ? TankerParked Locations * Tierra Robada, Desert  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked alongside a hut directly East of the Boat School. Cash For Mint Condition * $35,000| | | ?CometParked Locations * Avispa Country Club, San Fierro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Look for the Tennis Courts and you'll find the Comet parked in the car park just to the South of them. Cash For Mint Condition * $35,000| List 3 | ? BladeParked Locations * El Corona, Los Santos  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked in a drive way just along the street from the safe house nearest the Airport. Cash For Mint Condition * $19,000| | | ? FreewayParked Locations * Hashbury, San Fierro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked in front of Hippy Shopper at the bottom of the curvy s-bending road. Cash For Mint Condition * $10,000| ?MesaParked Locations * Mount Chiliad, Countryside  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked next to a hut at the end of the Chiliad Challenge Race. Cash For Mint Condition * $25,000| | | ? ZR-350Parked Locations * The Clown's Pocket, Las Venturas  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Parked in the car park right in front of the actual Clowns Pocket building. Appears randomly however. Cash For Mint Condition * $45,000| ? EurosParked Locations * The Camels Toe, Las Venturas  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The car is parked right under the actual sphinx statue, in front of the doors. Cash For Mint Condition * $35,000| | | ? BansheeParked Locations * Garcia, San Fierro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ In the lley just to the North of the San Fierro Gym. Cash For Mint Condition * $45,000| ? Super GTParked Locations * Doherty, San Fierro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Outside the Driving School after completing all goals with at least bronze. Cash For Mint Condition * $105,000| | | ? JourneyParked Locations * Mount Chiliad, Countryside  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Right at the top of the mountain. * Vinewood, Los Santos  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ North side of the movie studio car park. * Vinewood, Los Santos  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ North West side of the movie studio car park. Cash For Mint Condition * $22,000| ? HuntleyParked Locations * Doherty, San Fierro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Right outside of the Driving School.Appears randomly. Cash For Mint Condition * $40,000| | | ? BF InjectionParked Locations * Verona Beach, Los Santos  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Right next to the gym at the East side of the beach. * Missionary Hill, San Fierro  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ At the South end of the beach. Cash For Mint Condition * $15,000| | | | | | | Design, layout and all images are Copyright of Vendetta, Psy and GTA-SanAndreas. com. Please read our  Terms And Conditions,  Privacy Policy  for more information. GTA 5  |  Grand Theft Auto  |  Red Dead Redemption  |  GTA 4| | | | | http://www. gta-sanandreas. com/guides/ importexport/index. php

Isokinetic Muscle Strength In Patients Health And Social Care Essay

The intent of this survey was to measure the lower appendage isokinetic musculus strength, to find affected musculus groups and their dependance on motion speed, and to happen out the relationship between musculus strength and clinical badness, every bit good as musculus strength and falls, in Parkinson ‘s disease ( PD ) . Twenty-five patients diagnosed with PD and 24 healthy voluntaries were enrolled in this survey. The lower appendage musculus strength was evaluated with an isokinetic ergometer. Clinical position was examined in conformity with the Unified Parkinson ‘s Disease Rating Scale ; autumn history was besides recorded. We have observed that there was a important lessening in isokinetic musculus strength in the patient group, particularly in both of the hip and articulatio genus flexors and extensors. It has been found that reduced musculus strength was independent of speed, and correlated with clinical badness and falls. In decision, motion velocity-independent lower appendage isokinetic musculus failing has been observed in patients with PD, particularly in the articulatio genus and hip articulations. Therefore, the rating of isokinetic musculus strength may be a utile tool for the appraisal of clinical badness and falls in PD. Keywords: Parkinson ‘s disease ; Isokinetic ; Muscle strength ; Lower appendage1. IntroductionParkinson ‘s disease ( PD ) is a common neurodegenerative status in which patients typically experience troubles such as awkwardness of motions ( bradykinesia ) , stiffness of the musculuss ( rigidness ) , shudder, balance perturbations, and progressive lessening in motor functions.1-3 When combined with multiple other factors, decreased musculus strength can take to falls among aged patients, doing breaks, joint disruptions, terrible soft tissue lesions, and caput trauma.4,5 As a back uping fact, the autumn rate is higher among those with PD compared to healthy aged persons, harmonizing to the clinical image of the disease.4,6 Muscle failing is one of the chief symptoms of PD.7 In recent clinical tests, decreased musculus strength has been observed in patients with PD.8-12 Kakinuma et al.12 measured the isokinetic musculus strength on articulatio genus extension and i ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡exion, and they observed isokinetic strength decrease on the side that is more greatly affected by PD. In another survey, Nallegowda et al.9 tested the bole, hip, and ankle flexor and extensor musculuss ‘ strengths utilizing isokinetic measuring, and reported a lessening in strength in all the flexor and extensor musculus groups. Pedersen et al.10 obtained lower isokinetic homocentric torsion consequences compared to command topics on quantitative appraisal of dorsii ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡exors. Inkster et al.11 observed that decreased strength at the hip muscles is an of import subscriber to the trouble in lifting from a chair among patients with PD. Finally, Nogaki et al.8,13 hypothesized that musculus failing in PD is likely to depend on motion speed. In contrast to the isokinetic ratings mentioned supra, there are some surveies in which quantitative isotonic and isometric musculus strengths have been evaluated.7,14,15 So far, there has been no survey in the literature that evaluated the isokinetic strength of the hip, articulatio genus, and ankle articulations together. There are some limited surveies, nevertheless, that evaluated the musculus groups at different isokinetic speeds in the lower extremity13, every bit good as the correlativity between musculus strength, and clinical position and falls9 among patients with PD. In this survey, we evaluate the lower appendage flexor and extensor isokinetic musculus strength at the hip, articulatio genus, and ankle articulations in patients with PD. We aim to happen out which musculus groups and motion speeds of the lower appendage are more greatly affected by the disease, and we seek to detect the relationship between musculus failing, and clinical position and falls.2. Materials and Methods2.1. Patients This survey was designed as a cross-sectional, controlled survey. The patients included in this work were from the outpatient clinics of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Neurology Departments, and were diagnosed with PD harmonizing to the United Kingdom Parkinson ‘s Disease Society Brain Bank criteria.9 The survey was approved by the local ethical commission at the Inonu University School of Medicine and carried out in conformity with the rules in the Declaration of Helsinki. Written consent was obtained from all the participants. Twenty-five patients ( 17 males and 8 females ) were included in the survey. The average age of the patients was 62.1A ±10.3 ( with a scope of 42-81 ) old ages. All patients were at Hoehn & A ; Yahr phase II or III, and were having intervention for PD. None of the patients had any serious orthopedic, neurological, vestibular, or ocular upset that could impact their musculus strength, and all of them could walk unsupported. Twenty-four healthy voluntaries ( 13 males and 11 females ) with no orthopedic, neurological, or other diseases constituted the control group, which was age-matched with the patient group. 2.2. Appraisals 2.2.1. The Unified Parkinson ‘s Disease Rating Scale ( UPDRS ) and Hoehn & A ; Yahr presenting Patients were assessed with the usage of the Unified Parkinson ‘s Disease Rating Scale ( UPDRS ) portion II ‘activities of day-to-day populating ‘ ( UPDRS-ADL ) and portion III ‘motor scrutiny ‘ ( UPDRS-ME ) 16, and Hoehn & A ; Yahr staging.17 2.2.2. Fall history We used a standard definition for autumn, which is â€Å" accidentally coming to rest on the land, floor, or other lower degree. â€Å" 18 For the interest of coherence with the definition, coming to rest against furniture or a wall was non accepted as a autumn. The figure of falls was determined utilizing self-reported autumn events during the past 6 months. 2.2.3. Isokinetic musculus strength Isokinetic musculus strength trials were administered in the forenoon before the patients took any medical specialty. Patients foremost warmed up for 10 proceedingss on a bike dynamometer with a burden of 1 W/kg. We used the Biodex System 3 Pro ( Biodex, Inc. , Shirley, NY, USA ) isokinetic ergometer for the isokinetic measurings. During the trials, the patients were stabilized with seat belts in order to supply joint stabilisation and to forestall them from falling off the trial chair. All trials were performed on both appendages. The isokinetic protocol consisted of trials at three angular motion speeds of 90, 120, and 150 degrees/sec at 10 revolutions per minute, with a 5-min remainder period between trials. We followed the same process for hip flexion-extension, knee flexion-extension, and ankle plantar/dorsiflexion. The articulatio genus and mortise joint trials were performed in a seated place, while a supine place was used to find hip flexure and extension strength. All trials were performed for homocentric musculus strength every bit good, where the maximal extremum torsion ( Nm ) was recorded at each angular velocity.9 2.3. Statistical analysis We used the SPSS 16.0 package for statistical rating of the trial consequences ( SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA ) . The normalcy for uninterrupted variables in groups was determined by the Shapiro-Wilk trial. We used Student ‘s t-test or Mann-Whitney U trial for comparings, whereas Spearman ‘s rank correlativity trial was used for analysis of informations. For correlativity analysis, the mean musculus strength was calculated at 90, 120, and 150 degree/sec angular motion speeds over the entire values for the hip, articulatio genus, and ankle musculuss. A p value of less than 0.05 was taken as the degree of significance.3. ConsequencesThe descriptive features of the patient and control groups are presented in Table 1. It can be observed from the tabular array that there was no statistically important difference between the two groups in age, weight, and tallness. The average disease continuance was 5.6A ±3.9 ( with a scope of 1-15 ) old ages. Fifteen patients ( 60 % ) were in Hoe hn & A ; Yahr phase II, and 10 ( 40 % ) were in phase III. In the patient group, the UPDRS ME and ADL tonss were 26.3A ±12 and 8.9A ±5, severally. During the last 6 months, the figure of lumbermans in the patient group was 12 ( 48 % ) , compared to merely 4 ( 16.7 % ) in the control group ( P & lt ; 0.05 ) . The mean figure of falls was found to be 0.9A ±1.1 in the patient group and 0.2A ±0.5 in the control group ( P & lt ; 0.001 ) . The isokinetic musculus strength of the patient and control groups is shown in Table 2. At all speeds, the musculus strength of hip flexors ( P & lt ; 0.01 ) and extensors ( P & lt ; 0.05 ) was found to be significantly less in the patient group. Similarly, compared with the control group ( P & lt ; 0.05 ) , we observed a important lessening in the musculus strength of articulatio genus flexors and extensors in the patient group, irrespective of the speed. Furthermore, the isokinetic extremum torsions of ankle plantar- and dorsiflexor musculuss exhibited significantly smaller values at certain motion speeds in the patient group ( P & lt ; 0.05 ) . We observed a considerable relationship between musculus strength and figure of falls ( P & lt ; 0.01 ) . The correlativity between musculus strength and Hoehn & A ; Yahr phase was statistically important. There was besides a strong correlativity between musculus strength and all UPDRS tonss ( P & lt ; 0.01 ) . However, there was no correlativity between musculus strength and disease continuance.4. DiscussionThe lower appendage musculus strength is known to hold a outstanding consequence on mobility. So far, there have non been any surveies in the literature that evaluated the overall flexor and extensor musculus strength in the hip, articulatio genus, and ankle articulations in patients with PD, although several surveies have evaluated the musculus strength in merely one or two articulations separately10,12,13. In this survey, we assessed musculus strength with an isokinetic ergometer in an effort to find which musculus groups were more greatly affected, and at which of the evaluate d motion speeds, and to measure their correlativity with clinical position and falls. While many surveies have evaluated isokinetic musculus strength before ( off province ) and after ( on province ) medicine, we chose to prove all the patients in the forenoon after backdown of medicine ( off province ) . The chief ground for this pick is to govern out the effects of medicine while measuring the musculus failing that exists as portion of the nature of PD. The positive effects of antiparkinsonian agents on musculus strength have already been shown in many studies9,19 and are outside the range of this survey. Nallegowda et al.9 evaluated the isokinetic musculus strength at the bole, hip, and ankle flexor and extensor musculuss at 90, 120, and 150 degree/sec angular speeds, which are the same as the 1s used in our survey. They found a important difference in all musculus groups between patients who did non take medicine and the healthy control group. In contrast, we evaluated the articulatio genus flexor and extensor musculus strength alternatively of the bole flexor and extensor musculus strength. As a consequence, we observed a important failing in all hip and articulatio genus musculuss at all evaluated speeds, every bit good as in mortise joint musculuss at some certain speeds. There was besides pronounced musculus failing in the hip flexors compared to the other musculus groups. Hip flexors are the major gas pedals in the swing stage of the gait.20 The trouble in gait induction in patients with PD may lend to the apparent failing of the hip flexors. However, Bartels et al.21 suggested that freeze of pace was non correlated with bradykinesia. Alternatively, ankle musculus strength is more of import in forestalling falls and for proper pace. Less terrible mortise joint musculus failing than the other musculus groups demonstrates the importance of other factors like proprioception. Zia et al.22 pointed out the damage of joint place sense in patients with PD. These consequences suggest the possibility of different underlying diseased mechanisms. Pedersen et al.10 evaluated the mortise joint dorsiflexor isokinetic musculus strength both concentrically and eccentrically, and found significantly lower values for the homocentric musculus strength at all motion speeds compared to the control group, while the bizarre musculus strength was different from the control group merely in male patients. Kakinuma et al.12 separated the topics into two groups harmonizing to their holding more- or less-affected appendage, and found that the isokinetic musculus strength decreased at both the slow and fast motion speeds during the early period of the disease. They besides observed that the difference in musculus strength between the more- and the less-affected appendages decreased in the advanced phase of the disease. Our survey and the surveies mentioned above 9,10,12 demonstrated no relation between the reduced musculus strength and the motion speeds. Nogaki et al.13 found a important lessening in the peak torsion of the isokinetic musculus strength compared to the less-affected appendage at high motion speeds but no difference between the two appendages at lower motion speeds. Therefore, the observation of increased musculus failing at higher motion speeds, which was proposed in the survey by Nogaki et al.13, is comparable with the determination in our survey. Although Corcos et al.23 indicated an asymmetric distribution of musculus failing, our survey has shown the common musculus failing in patients with PD to be similar to those found in the survey by Nallegowda et al.9 In some studies9,13, the importance of the cardinal consequence on musculus failing was emphasized, but the consequence of immobilisation was non considered in patients with PD. The effects of immobilisation on musculus failing should be noted, particularly in aged patients with PD. Assorted surveies reported the hazard of falling in those with PD to run from 38 to 70 % 2,4,9. Our consequences sing the per centum of patients who have suffered from falls were similar. There was a important relationship between falling and musculus strength, but we have non come across any surveies on the association of musculus strength with falls in patients with PD. Some authors24,25 have observed musculus failing at lower appendage as a hazard factor for falling. Therefore, the hazard of falling may be examined in connexion with lower appendage isokinetic musculus strength in patients with PD. We found a pronounced correlativity between musculus strength, and UPDRS ME and ADL tonss. Since the UPDRS ME and ADL tonss are related to clinical position, we had already expected to happen such correlativity between these parametric quantities and musculus strength. The UPDRS is a often used measuring for measuring the clinical state of affairs of patients with PD.26 Given the important correlativity between musculus strength and the UPDRS, isokinetic musculus strength may be used to measure clinical position of patients. Disease patterned advance in PD was evaluated utilizing Hoehn & A ; Yahr presenting. Increased disease badness ( a†°?stage III ) leads to more pronounced locomotor system abnormality.27 Most of our patients were in Hoehn & A ; Yahr phase II. As can be seen in Table 3, there appeared a important correlativity between isokinetic musculus strength and Hoehn & A ; Yahr phase. Muscle failing in our patients was non outstanding, as they were at an early phase of PD. It seems musculus failing is related to clinical badness instead than disease continuance. The chief restrictions of our survey are the unequal figure of patients and the absence of lower speeds, such as 60 degrees/sec, at which isokinetic musculus strength could be evaluated. In drumhead, we found a important lessening in bilateral hip, articulatio genus, and ankle flexor and extensor isokinetic musculus strength, which was particularly outstanding in the hip muscles at 90, 120, and 150 degree/sec angular motion speeds. In add-on, we detected a relationship between disease badness and musculus failing. Furthermore, a important correlativity was besides present between musculus strength, and UPDRS ME and ADL tonss. Finally, there was a pronounced association between musculus strength and figure of falls.5. DecisionsTaking the consequences of our survey into consideration, we have shown that although musculus strength decreased in the lower appendage, particularly in the hip and articulatio genus, musculus failing was non associated with the speeds at which it was evaluated in this survey. We have demonstrated that the rating of musculus failing degree may be a utile tool for the appraisal of clinical badness and autumn hazard in patients with PD. It should be noted, nevertheless, that conflicting old consequences and the deficiency of specific criterions necessitate farther surveies.RecognitionThe writers would wish to thank Associate Professor Saim Yologlu ( Department of Statistics, Inonu University School of Medicine ) for his sort part to this survey.