Florences Market in the Renaissance - 2362 Words

THESIS STATEMENT During the Renaissance, Florence profited from a mercantile economy due to the guilds, the quality and variety of goods and the style and management of the market place. PURPOSE STATEMENT Through historical and economic data this research paper will express how Florence flourished from a mercantile economy in the Renaissance. INTRODUCTION The Renaissance was the rebirth of Europe and it all started in the city of Florence. Florence and everything that made a standard Renaissance city: painters, sculptors, writers, architects, and a vivid culture. Soon all of Europe would follow in Florence’s footsteps and â€Å"the setting is so rich, varied, rambunctious, and inventive as Italy in the Renaissance† (Cohen 1). The†¦show more content†¦(Brucker 84) Young merchants were encouraged to travel abroad at a young age so they can become familiar with the region because later in life they would have to make a decision to either stay in their home city or go live in a foreign city. â€Å"Although luxury goods continued to be imported from the Far East, merchants wanted to produce exotic goods, such as silk cloth, within Europe† (Langley 17). Most merchants chose to live abroad because there was more business than in their home city but were required to send the money back to their own city. Apprentices were young people in a profession. If they wanted to make their profession their life they had to join a guild and become someone’s apprentice. When you were and apprentice you usually had to do small jobs for example getting paint ready if you were a painter, but as the years progressed you might be able to add the finishing touches to your masters work. (Lecture – Apprenticeships). The guilds were famous and they commissioned people to do certain things. When the guilds were told to build something for their city, for example Florence, they would commission someone to do something. â€Å"The magistrates of the merchants guild of Florence commissioned [Andrea del Verrocchio] to execute a bronze Doubting of Thomas† (Verrocchio, Andrea del). Guild members were very powerful in the government of Florence or theShow MoreRelatedThe Story of Bianco Alfani: Reflecting the Nature of 14th Century Florentine Society 1530 Words   |  7 Pageslives of Pitti, Dati and Alfani. Next, the rise of commerce in Renaissance Florence was marked by key alliances and the development of the wool industry in the 13th century. The international banking web used by Dati and Pitti was developed earlier when; â€Å"[Florence] took over the papal banking monopoly†¦ and established themselves as tax collectors for the Holy See. The papacy’s influence stretched across the whole of Europe. Florence’s position as their tax collectors established international connectionsRead MoreThe Ugly Renaissance Discussion Of Italy1575 Words   |  7 PagesThe Ugly Renaissance Discussion 1. Why did the Renaissance originate in Florence and prosper for so many years? In many ways, Italy had benefits over northern Europe in detaching from the feudal system and accumulating enormous amounts of wealth. I think that above all else, geography was Italy’s anchor in this respect. Being a projecting land mass sticking out into the Mediterranean Sea, and beneficially located between the main part of Europe and the Byzantine Empire, cities within Italy had littleRead MoreThe Medici s Influence On The Renaissance Period1318 Words   |  6 Pagescommonly as the house of the Medici was a wealthy merchant class family who gained their wealth and political power through its success in commerce and banking. With the rise to power of Cosimo de’ Medici in Florence, the city was launched into the Renaissance period as the family’s support of the arts and humanities were a big influence. Until the late 14th century the leading family of Florence was the House of Albizzi. The main challengers to the Albizzi family were the Medicis. The Medici controlledRead More Middle Ages Economy Essay1392 Words   |  6 Pages the same level of economic activity and, as early as the middle of the thirteenth century, the economy was beginning to weaken. By early in the fourteenth century and continuing well into that century, a declining population, shrinking markets, a decrease in arable land and a general mood of pessimism were evidence of deteriorating economic conditions. This trend was far from universal and it was certainly less severe in northern Italy. Also, north of the Alps, some communitiesRead More The Tao-te Ching by Lao-Tzu and The Prince by Machiavelli Essay1760 Words   |  8 Pages For example, a capitalistic, laissez-faire approach to governing, particularly the form advocated by American Republicans. However, cases of removing regulations and adopting the leadership standards Lao-Tzu advises have been strictly applied to market economics, not to each and every facet of government. Refraining from absolute negativity about Lao-Tzu’s work, the Tao does have many redeemable qualities. The emphasis Lao-Tzu places on the attainment of individual happiness is extremely honorable

Teenagers Frustrations Free Essays

Teenager’s Frustrations -Stress From studying -Peer Pressure -Cyber Bullying As competition in the career world increases, the pressure to do well in studies and be a straight-A student also increases. As such, nowadays many students who actually want to be a step higher than the rest are putting too much pressure on themselves as to Juggle with many extra curricular activities and extra subjects on top of the usual 9 that students take. With the burden of doing well in all these objects, students get overworked and a few cases like these actually end up in suicide. We will write a custom essay sample on Teenagers Frustrations or any similar topic only for you Order Now Such stress from studying are one of the frustrations teenagers face. Peer pressure might be a common term to many of us but this is a huge problem amongst students in school. Peer pressure can be either good or bad in many ways. One benefit of peer pressure would be when a student is motivated through peer pressure to do as well as his friends are doing thus being helpful to his/her academics. Another would be when a student mingles with the wrong company such as smokers and thus peer pressure without mind control would actually motivate him to smoke which is absolutely not beneficial to him in anyway. Thus, peer pressure is a big challenge teenagers around the world face. In the 21 -SST century where technology makes the world go round, lies technology negative points. One of such negative points would be cyber bullying which is commonly seen in social networking sites such as Backbone, Twitter and Namespace. These cases of cyber bullying usually come in forms of threats to the person which might embarrass or depress the victim by any sort. Thus, not being able to take the embarrassment, many have died. One of such cases would be the cyber bullying of Megan Meier which resulted in her hanging herself 3 weeks before her 14th birthday. Some teenagers are faced with such challenges on a daily basis and must seek help before anything gets out of hand. Red-topic sentence blue-concluding sentence How to cite Teenagers Frustrations, Papers

Business Law Text and Cases

Questions: 1.Why did Isabel Arnett make the business decision that she made? Justify your answer.2. This scenario illustrates one of the main reasons why ethical problems occur in business. What is the reason?3. Would a person who adheres to the principle of rights consider it ethical for Arnett not to disclose potential safety concerns and refuse to perform additional research on Kafluk? Why or why not? Give reasons.4. If Kafluk prevented 50 Asian people who were infected with bird flu from dying, would that change the ethical consideration in this scenario? Why or why not? Give reasons.5. Did Tamik or Arnett violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in this scenario? Why or why not? Justify your answer. Answers: 1. The decision which was made by Isabel Arnett in order to refuse the individuals to make an investigation in the organization was made in order to correct its mistake as she knew that the vaccine has negative effects. Other reason for taking such decision was that she was afraid that if investigation would be done then it would harm the reputation of her own self and her trade. Therefore, such a decision would be considered to be against business ethics as it only made the vaccine in order to earn profit, did not made the vaccine with proper precautions and did not conducted a assessment of the same (Katsos, 2016). 2. From a numerous number of ethical issues which exist in an organization one of such issues which prevail in this case would be profit earning. Isabel only thought to earn profit by manufacturing such a vaccine which could cure bird flu as people in order to be protected would definitely buy it. But it was purely unethical as it did not conduct a test of the effects which the vaccine could have and also did not tell people before buying the same. Also, it was engaged in unethical act as it was stated that an organization could not get away with it thinking that no person could ever obtain knowledge of the immoral act (Clarkson, Miller, Cross,2014). 3. No, any person who stick on to the standard of rights believing it to be ethical for Isabel to not to disclose the budding protection anxieties and repudiate to carry out extra study on Kafluk. As it was suspected that a chief problem in formulating whether a decision of an organization which was executed was ethical or unethical would be administered by stating that how the decision harms the rights of other people. Consumers, workers and society were considered as other individuals. In this case the decision was considered as unethical, as the decision was taken for earning profit which was a private benefit as a result of which the welfare of the society was averted. 4. Even if the vaccine would have limited 50 Asian people who were affected by bird flu from dying then also, the ethical consideration as in this case would not have been changed. It was not altered because of the Duty Based Ethics which prevails in a business. It affirms that customarily when the standard of actions derives from disclosed truths, it comprises of the concept of correct or incorrect. Therefore, it could be affirmed that the conclusion even if the people would not have been harmed by the intake of the vaccine then also the decision would have been considered as unethical (Malachowski, 2001). 5. No, Tamik or Arnett did not disobey the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in this matter as the Act exclusively limit the corruption of most of the executive of foreign management if the endeavor of making such payment was to stimulate the executive to provide trade prospect which did not take place in this matter. In the present case only welfare of society at large was covered up by profit making of the organization (Trevino, Nelson, 2006). References Clarkson, K.W., Miller, R.L., Cross, F.B. (2014). Business Law: Text and Cases. (13th ed.). USA: Cengage Learning. Katsos, J. (2016). AUS Business and Peace Conference: A Special Theme Issue of Business, Peace and Sustainable Development. UK: Greenleaf Publishing. Trevino, L.K. Nelson, K.A. (2006). Managing Business Ethics: Straight Talk About How To Do It Right. USA: Cornell University. Malachowski, A.R. (2001). Business Ethics: Critical Perspectives on Business and Management. London: Taylor Francis.

Machiavelli’s Life and Principles Essay Example

Machiavelli’s Life and Principles Essay Name: Tutor: Course: Date: We will write a custom essay sample on Machiavelli’s Life and Principles specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Machiavelli’s Life and Principles specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Machiavelli’s Life and Principles specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Machiavelli’s Life and Principles Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian scholar renowned for his military understanding and his views on leadership. Over his lifetime, he wrote many famous texts that scholars still revere top this day. His most famous work was The Prince, a title that mostly discusses the dynamics of power. In many of his works, Machiavelli discussed the different ways that a leader should behave and the values and attributes that they should have. Machiavelli practiced his own advice whenever he got the opportunity to do so. In The Prince, Machiavelli outlines the different ways that princes can succeed. He achieves this by using examples to show different successes in gaining and keeping power. One of the things that Machiavelli wrote about was the acquisition of power. Machiavelli claimed that it was best to use arms and virtue because when a prince acquired territory using his own troops and strengths, it would be easier for them to retain control of the land. One thing to note is that for Machiavelli, virtue mainly meant manliness and strength. Machiavelli also claimed that a leader should have evil qualities because that way it would be easier to hold on to power. For instance, he argued that it was better to be feared, but not hated, than to be loved. Lastly, he stated that a prince did not need to be trustworthy. In his life, Machiavelli adhered to some of the principles that he explains in his writings. Using his intellect and skills, he gained a series of promotions that helped him rise through the ranks of government in Florence. At one point he was in a close to the chief magistrate of Florence and in this position, he pushed for the use of local militia in the state. This conformed to one of the ideals that he stated in The Prince on the rejection of mercenaries in favor of local armies. When Florence had its own militia, Machiavelli was placed in charge of the militia. In this position, he showed great military understanding to capture Pisa (Unger 163). After Machiavelli lost his position, he was never able to rise to the same level of political prestige and was thus unable to apply his own principles. Work Cited Unger, Miles. Machiavelli: A Biography. New York, NY: Simon Schuster, 2011. Print. Class Struggles in the Contemporary World Scholars widely consider Karl Marx to be the father of Communism. His thoughts, works and ideas inspired leaders and political figures such as Josef Stalin, Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong. Marx’s works touched on a large number of issues affecting humanity such as governance, equality and wealth. To explain some of these issues, Marx introduced the concept of class struggles, or class conflict, to explain many of the issues that Europe was grappling with at its time. In his view, that many of the problems that were in Europe at the time, such as poverty, crime, war and unemployment could be explained by analyzing the concept of class conflict. Many of the issues that Marx talked about are still relevant in the contemporary world. Governments all over the globe are still struggling to deal with poverty, crime and unemployment and some of these crises seem to be worsening by the day. Class conflict can still be applied in the contemporary world to explain many of the problems th at humanity is facing. To explain class conflict, Karl Marx started by introducing two classes, the bourgeoisie and the proletarians. The bourgeoisie were the capitalists who owned Europe’s means of production. This meant that they were the richest people, had strong political connections and were the employers of the wage laborers (Marx and Engels 14). Marx argued that this class arose from the feudal society that had previously been in place in Europe (14). The feudal class had instituted class antagonisms and following its revival as the bourgeoisie, it was coming up with a new way of oppressing the people in lower socio-economic classes. The fresh system instituted new classes, methods of oppression and struggles within Europe (Marx and Engels 14). In contrast, Marx referred to Europe’s working class as the proletariat. This class provided the wage labor and worked in the companies owned by the bourgeoisie. Since they had no capital or means of production, these people were forced to provide labor for the upper classes as their only way of making a living (Marx and Engels 14). History shows that the feudal class, which became the bourgeoisie, had also been oppressing the working class in the previous feudal systems. This had come after most communities in Europe and Asia abolished the systems of common land ownership and replaced them with structures that created the antagonistic classes that Marx was discussing (Marx and Engels 14). Within this context, Marx explained that there was a perpetual struggle and conflict between the two main classes. The bourgeoisie and the proletariat were constantly in opposition to each other and this struggle between them played out in a persisting fight that took place in the background of their daily relations. Marx argued that history had seen people occupying positions of slaves, serfs and plebeians engaged in a constant struggle with their opposites such as freemen, lords and patricians (14). At the time that Marx was developing this theory, many of these positions had changed. The introduction of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat had made class struggles a much simpler concept to grasp. The divisions within society were limited to the two groups, with the classes consistently becoming larger as they simultaneously grew further apart. Capitalism grew hand in hand with class conflict, and it allowed the bourgeoisie to expand their industries and employ more people from the working class (Dahrendorf 5) The class conflict that Marx described was mainly the result of contrasting fortunes between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. Marx argued that the upper classes, needed to revolutionize the means of production to ensure that they remained at the top of the system. This was followed by the domination of global trade and the world market to create consumption for the products that their industries created. This system continually expanded into a massive global force that forced the bourgeoisie to spread and settle in other parts of the globe (Marx and Engels 16). Since the bourgeoisie employed the working class in the industries and other means of production, the proletariat grew along with the system that the upper class was instituting. Marx claimed that the situation was very different for the proletariat (18). In their case, they could only survive as long as they found work and they were only employable as long as their labor created capital for the bourgeoisie. Additionally, the use of advanced technology had taken away the pride that workers formerly had in their work (Marx and Engels 18). This contrasting situation created a lot of tension between the two classes as the proletariat felt that the bourgeoisie was using them to advance its position at their expense. One of the key issues surrounding class conflict was inequality. Karl Marx felt that the situation with the bourgeoisie and the proletariat created a lot of inequality between the two classes. The proletariat worked hard within the industries owned by the upper classes, but were paid meager wages. In contrast, the bourgeoisie were able to make large profits from their industries through systems that Marx argued were oppressive. For instance, by underpaying their employees, the companies were able to make sure that the profits that they made were larger. Additionally, these profits all went to the bourgeoisie meaning that regardless of how well the industries did, the working class would still earn the same salary. In the modern world, inequality still exists in various forms. Racial prejudice and sexism are good examples of inequality. For some scholars, the reality is that there can never be a society or community in which all men, women and children are afforded equal chances (Dahrendorf 23). There are varying reasons for these disparities, with some people arguing that the diversity found in society cannot allow there to be complete equality. Within a single community, there exists a wide range of tasks that need to be done along with a large number of diverse interests and abilities. A combination of these factors is what causes the inequality (Dahrendorf 23). However, this still does not explain the reason why some members of society place themselves in positions of complete dominance over others by using oppressive systems such as the one that Marx described. Dahrendorf argues that in the modern world, the shape of class conflict has changed in some ways (24). During Marx’s time, the conflict was typified by a system of social immobility that was deeply entrenched with European society. The problem then was not just that the system oppressed the working class, but that the proletariat had no chances of moving upwards towards a higher social class. The structures within society confined them to an unsatisfactory life of hard labor and low wages. The situation is different in the modern world. The issue of entitlement has substituted that of social mobility (Dahrendorf 27). Class conflict is now about the status that people hold in society and the different opportunities attached to those positions. One real problem involving inequality in the modern world is income disparity. Income disparity can be used to show the inequality that causes class struggles within the same economic context that Marx used to apply the situation. The American society is currently struggling to contain a growing gap between the top earners and the bottom earners in the nation’s economy. The end of the World Wars and the economic depression that came in between them saw the American government develop economic policies that were supposed to deal with the issue of income inequality (Schmitt 1). The policies were able to cause a reduction in this disparity but the 1970s saw all of the progress come undone. Income disparity in the country started to rise again and this trend has continued to this day. Subsequent economic scandals and crises such as the late 2000s recession have worsened the situation making it harder for American’s in the lower social classes to cope in the prevailing econo mic conditions (Schmitt 1). Class conflict helps to explain these disparities in many ways. Firstly, the American economy still relies on a capitalist system. The only change that has happened is that the structure is no longer centered on means of production but on financial systems (Foster and Holleman 191). The oppressive systems that Marx described in his works still exist, albeit in a different form. The bourgeoisie now depend on other systems to dominate society. The capitalist systems have allowed the upper classes to control national, regional and global economy and this has caused friction between them and the working class (Foster and Holleman 192). Class conflict also explains this income inequality by showing that there is a competition between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat where the former are trying to sustain the status quo in their favor while the latter keep trying to gain dominance over the other. This conflict has translated itself into tensions between the two classes as the workers pu sh for governments to increase taxes on the higher classes. This whole situation has seen different presidents elected around the world on campaigns that appear to be against the rich (Schuman 1). In other cases, the tensions have escalated into mass protests against financial institutions and other organizations that are deemed to be under the control of the upper class (Leavitt 2). There are several arguments that can be made against the idea that class conflict still applies in the world today. Firstly, society has evolved over the past few years, leading to the formation of new classes that do not fall under the categorization of either bourgeoisie or proletariat. The rise of the middle class is a good example of these changes within the class system that is now found in the world. The middle class is usually seen to be apathetic and uninvolved in the struggle between the classes and this opposes the ideas put forward by Marx in some ways. One of the reasons why the middle class are uninvolved in the struggle is the fact that they are trying to break into the bourgeoisie as opposed to bringing it down. Another counter argument to Marx’s theories entails the fact that there have always been members of the lower classes who are in control of some means of production. These people may not have owned large industries or companies but they were employers themselves and they were not struggling as much as their companions were even though they were employed as wage laborers by the bourgeoisie. Dahrendorf notes that this contradiction was there when Marx was coming up with his views, even though his works completely failed to acknowledge the existence of these people (9). The fact that some workers are capable of owning their own businesses and industries negates one of the key arguments that Marx made concerning chances and opportunities within a class system. This situation implies that there are possibilities for the working class to create their own industries and take control of some means of production. It also suggests that social mobility was not as limited as Marx made it to be. The concept of class conflict has influenced political discourse within society for years and years. Karl Marx came up with the idea as a way of explaining the different issues that were affecting European society during the nineteenth century. Even though the concept was developed almost two centuries ago, the ideas it held still apply today. Our societies are still divided into social classes, and these divisions have been the cause of a perpetual state of conflict and never ending tension. The same problems that created the class conflict still exist today, as different countries are struggling to deal with inequality, particularly in the incomes earned by different citizens. These disparities have worsened the situation, as the conflict between the two classes has been brought out in the open. Works Cited Dahrendorf, Ralf. The Modern Social Conflict: The Politics of Liberty. New Brunswick, N.J: Transaction Publishers, 2008. Print. Foster, John Bellamy and Hannah Holleman. â€Å"The financialization of the capitalist class: Monopoly-finance capital and the new contradictory relations of ruling class power.† Imperialism, Crisis and Class Struggle: The Enduring Verities and Contemporary Face of Capitalism. Ed. James F. Petras and Henry Veltmeyer. Leiden: Brill, 2010. 191-202. Print. Leavitt, Gregory C. Class Conflict: The Pursuit and History of American Justice. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2013. Print. Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. London: Pluto, 2008. Print. Schmitt, John. Inequality as policy: The United States since 1979. Real-World Economics Review 51.1 (2009): 1-9. Print. Schuman, Michael. â€Å"Marx’s revenge: How class struggle is shaping the world†. Time. Time Inc. 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.

Individual Project Essays

Individual Project Essays Individual Project Essay Individual Project Essay For your selected company you must provide a formal management review report that contains the following sections: 1 . Executive Summary a. You will need to provide a concise summary (or extract) of your findings followed by a general recommendation on how well this company performs the main functions of management and where any major Improvements could be made. 2. An overview of this company a. Its name, location of head office, location of subsidiary offices b. Its main line of work (services, products) 3. Governance a. Composition of its Board of Directors b. Committee Structures (such as whether It has a separate audit committee, insemination committee) c. Major shareholders or shareholder groups (such as Pension Fund Managers for example) d. How effective is its governance? Can you suggest improvements? 4. Ethics and Social responsibility a. Is this an ethical company? Is it socially responsible? You will need to support your position. B. Has the company ever been featured in the press in a negative way that was attributable, whether correctly or Incorrectly, to ethical or social responsibility Issues? If so, were these allegations founded? If not has your research uncovered any areas Tanat could pose a rills to tens company In accessibility or ethics? 5. Organization ten areas AT social a. How is this company organized? What is its organizational structure? B. Is there a prevailing organizational culture? How is this evident? If this is not obvious from your research what type of organizational culture would you expect to find and why? C. Link as much of the course material concerning organization to your research into this company d. How effective is its organization? Can you suggest improvements? 6. Planning a. How does this company conduct its strategic planning? Its operational planning? B. Link as much of the course material concerning planning to your research into this company. C. How effective is its planning function(s)? Can you suggest improvements? 7. Leading a. Who are the key leaders in this company? B. Which leadership styles are evident? If this is not obvious from your research, which leadership styles would be most appropriate and why? C. Link as much of the course material concerning leadership to your research into this company. D. How effective is its leadership? Can you suggest improvements? 8. Controlling a. What control mechanisms do you feel would be most critical to this company and why? B. Link as much of the course material concerning control to your research into this company. . How effective is control in this company? Can you suggest any 9. Written Assignment Grading Report a. Every assignment must be submitted with an academic attestation (as below) signed by every member of the group, and, b. A Grading Report Sheet as given on page 4 Your written assignment MUST: Clearly contain bold headers for each section; Be free of grammatical errors; Respect scholarship by appropriately referencing all material that is n ot original; Contain the academic attestation form, signed by all members of your group; and, Not exceed 15 pages, 12-pitch font, double-spaced, excluding cover page, bibliography and references. The outline of your written report must be as follows: Executive Summary Company Overview Governance Ethics and Social Responsibility organization Planning Leading Controlling The Academic Attestation MUST be the following and MUST be signed: Academic Integrity Integrity is a basic value of our society and of the business world. Academic integrity is also a key value of the Teller School of Management. To underline its importance, all assignment, report, project, or other work submitted in partial fulfillment of the acquirement of a course at the Teller School of Management must include on its front page the following signed statement (signed by each member of a team in the case of a group assignment or team work): Statement of Academic Integrity This work conforms to the rules on academic integrity of the University of Ottawa. Signature: add a signature sheet.

How to Quit College and Drop Classes with Minimal Risk

How to Quit College and Drop Classes with Minimal Risk No one wants to quit college, but sometimes dropping out is the only option. Illness, family issues, financial problems, or other hardships may make it impossible to continue with your classes. When it comes to quitting college, there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it. Don’t just stop showing up and turning in your assignments. The long-term consequences of a disappearing act may haunt you for years to come. Instead, use this time-tested advice: Talk to Your Teachers Depending on your situation, professors may be able to cut you a bit of slack and make it possible for you to have an extension on your work instead of dropping out. Many colleges allow professors to create a contract with students, allowing them up to a year to complete late assignments. This might give you enough time to resolve outside issues and still stay on track. Extensions are less likely at the beginning of the semester, but if you only have a few weeks or one big project left, there’s a good chance your teachers will show leniency. Meet with a Counselor If receiving an extension from your professors won’t work, college counselors can walk you through the steps necessary to withdraw from the university. Be sure to ask about any tuition and fees that you’ve paid. Will you receive the full amount or a prorated portion back? Will you be expected to pay back any ​financial aid or scholarships if you leave university? Does a hardship situation change the way the school treats cases like yours? Don’t take your name off the rolls until you have solid answers.​ Try to Get Away with a Clean Record Aside from getting an extension, the best thing you can do for your future college career is to make sure that your transcript stays spotless. If you simply stop going to class (or logging in to your assignments), you’ll probably receive an entire semester of F’s. That’s bad news if you ever want to come back to college, enroll in another school, or become a grad student. Recovering from a semester of F’s is extremely difficult, and your college may even put you on academic probation or suspension. You may not care now, but it could become a problem years down the road. If you’ve passed the deadline for a clean record, you may be able to get a special exception if you’re going through some sort of hardship. If That Doesn’t Work, Aim for a â€Å"W   If you cannot get away with a clean record, at least try to get a line of W’s on your transcript in place of failing grades. A â€Å"W† means â€Å"withdrawn.† While a lot of W’s may indicate unreliability on the student’s part, they generally have no effect on your GPA. Your transcript won’t be pretty, but it’s better than being put on academic probation or having difficulty re-enrolling in college. Ask About a Leave of Absence or Deferment Do you think you might want to return to college? If there’s any question in your mind, ask about a leave of absence or deferment before you withdraw from the university. Many schools have a program in place to allow students to leave for up to a year and return to the school without re-applying. There are programs designed specifically for hardship cases. There are generally also programs available for students that don’t have any extenuating circumstances. That means, if you want to drop out just to spend a year on the beach, you may be able to pick up classes a year from now without any penalty. Just make sure that you submit the papers before you leave; deferment doesn’t work in reverse.

Financila Performance and Positioning Assignment

Financila Performance and Positioning - Assignment Example A projected profit and loss account of Clinton Cards plc has also been included in this part to add to the analysis. Shareholders need to analyse the management's performance and efforts put into the company affairs through the financial results so as to realise its strengths and weaknesses. Riahi-Belkaoui (1998, p11) says, "the profitability ratios portray ability of the firm to efficiently use the capital committed by stockholders and lenders to generate revenues in excess of expenses". Therefore, the analysis for the shareholders has been done with the help of following profitability ratios: The above chart depicts the profitability ratios for Clinton Cards plc indicating the financial performance of the company over the last five years. Shareholders are interested in the company's profit records and being the real owners of the firms, they constantly need to appraise the company's performance. If the company is able to generate a stable profit for its shareholders out of its business activities, then it is said to be a good performer in the financial sense. The Gross Profit Margin Percentage evaluates the percentage of profit earned by a company on sales after the production and distribution activities (Mcmenamin, 1999). It shows how well the company manages its expenses so as to attain maximum profit out of its total sales. Clinton Card plc's gross profit ratio shows that the company is sustaining a stable profit margin with a slight increase in profitability. It further illuminates that the company manages to keep about 11% of its total sales revenue out of all the production and distribution expenses. This can also be inversely stated that the company loses about 89% of the total turnover in meeting cost of sales. The Net Profit ratio shows what percentage of profit a company earns on its sales (Mcmenamin, 1999). It reveals the profit retained by a company after accounting for its various operating costs. The difference between the company's net and gross profit ratios indicate the amount of profit foregone by them in the course of meeting various selling and administrative expenses. Thus the above graph shows that the company manages to retain about 6% of the total sales after accounting for various operating costs. The company's net profit margin is also rising sparingly at a stable rate showing the management's efficiency in managing costs. Riahi-Belkaoui (1998, p11) says that the return on capital employed ratio "indicates how efficiently the capital supplied by the common stockholders was employed within the firm". Clinton Card plc's return on capital employed ratio reveals that the company is having a slightly fluctuating rate of profit on the funds invested by the shareholders. However the rate of fluctuation is not high and thus the graph shows that the company gains profit as about 30% of the total equity funds. The return on asset ratio indicates the returns or profits generated after utilising the financial resources of the company determine the company's financial performance throughout the year (Meigs & Meigs, 1993). The company in consideration has had a significantly