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Case Studies: Business Operations and Systems Management

Pages:3

 

  1. Case F7: Rolls-Royce designs a revolution on the factory floor

Managing a project needs expertise, experience, and professional skills. This management activity is managed by the organization, and it is built on organizational effectiveness. The business performs under the stability forces of project management. Rolls Royce is a global engineering firm that is using advanced technologies for its products. This case study will discuss main concepts, like, product innovation, project management, operations improvement, and lean manufacturing, and process design. The company Rolls Royce is involved in the improvements of its operations to stay competitive in the lean networking. The company has been focusing on the state of the art facilities under its labor-intensive laboratories.

The process design involves key operations flow under various degrees of process dedication. The process design involves visual control, safe working, and the flexibility of layout, short conveyance, built-in quality, and ease of team working. The company has great rivals like General Electric, so it has to maintain its process design cost to set up profit margins. Manufacturing operations of Rolls Royce are getting modernized, and due to research and innovation in its product, it has become the second-largest aero-engine maker. In the past ten years, its factories are making jet engines too. In the company, lean manufacturing techniques were started in 2013. With the improvement of these techniques, the production and design processes experienced benefits.

Operation improvement is a key term used under managerial practices that produce economies of scale. For instance, it worked for Rolls Royce to increase the volume of long & short-haul aircrafts engines. The process design is working on smart operations such as cutting edge is improved from 24 hours to 25 minutes. The operation improvement has allowed the company to work on highly sophisticated blades of turbines, so the overall production of the company is increased. Another example is the use of temperature and wax structures for molding. This structural change in the performance of the company is due to its project management. Modernization of Rolls Royce’s manufacturing was started in 2009 that involved huge experimentation and process design. Project management has a central role in modifying current operational practices in any firm. This activity allows a firm to work on inherent behaviors and align organizational involvement. The scope of project management is extensive because it undertakes key disciplinary actions and prevailing practices.

  1. Case Study

This case study is selected to explain the key business scope. Here term inventory is used for the products offered for sale and material used to manufacture products offered for sale. Inventory is one of the most significant assets of a company because the inventory turnover represents one of the basic revenue generation sources and further making profits for the business’s shareholders. Charlie Mash uses the FIFO (First in First Out) method in its inventory system. As they are one of the biggest suppliers of fresh vegetables, this method allows them to supply the vegetables fresh to their customers.

The maximum number of products that a company can produce or sell in a provided period with the resources available is called capacity. The term capacity can also be used as warehouse capacity where a company can store its ready to sale products. Argos is one of the biggest retail suppliers in the UK. Their storage capacity allows them to supply as many products to their customers in a really short period. They are using different stores in London as last-mile storage warehouses for online orders. This way, it is easy to make their delivery and take away service more efficiently. Resource planning and control refer to the understanding between what market demand and what the resources of business can deliver. It provides the procedures, system, and decisions that bring different features of demand and supply together. Resources include raw materials, workers, etc. for example, Amazon is the biggest example of resource planning and control. They are operating in many countries around the world, with over half a million employees and seventeen supply chains. Resource planning and control is an important aspect to work with good business strategies to increase the profits of a company.

Product and service innovation refers to the development of new products and services by a company. The market environment is constantly changing, with new demands of customers around the world. The manufacturing companies are rapidly developing and innovating new products to meet marketing challenges. The same is with service providers who are working hard to provide new and innovative services to their customers. For example, Wasabi, a Japanese restaurant, is growing really fast in the UK. They are continuously working to improve their quality and services to their consumers. They are offering a variety of food to their consumers and establishing new restaurants all over the UK.

 

Business Model Analysis and Patterns

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Introduction

The business that has been chosen for the purpose of this report is called AT&T. It is situated in the United States. The company is a digital media giant, especially in America, where it widely provides mobile, telephone, and television services all across the country. The company is also a manufacturer of technological gadgets and telecommunication devices. It is prominent not only in America but around the rest of the world as well. The full form of AT&T is American Telephone and Telegraph Company, and it was founded in 1885. The company is related to Alexander Graham Bell himself, who invented the telephone. Today AT&T has made its position at the top of the Fortune 500 list of companies in the world. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, United States(Cleverism).

Customer Segment

As discussed above, AT&T is a giant telephone, mobile, and television services providers in the United States. So, it deals with mass markets and has a vast customer base. It provides different packages that offer a different combination of these services. The company also offers wireless network services such as the internet. The customer base has reached and surpassed 100 million people. There is a wide range of customer groups that avail AT&T services, which include private subscribers to retailers to government organizations as well. AT&T uses demographic and psychographic strategies to reach more people(Bhasin, 2018).

Value Propositions

The services that AT&T provides are well established and reliable. Their plans and packages are also attractive to customers as they fit different customer demands, such as affordability ranges. The support network of the company is also quite durable and is accessible online as well, apart from the stores and over phones. AT&T is also attractive for business owners precisely as well because, for them, AT&T offers services that have higher efficiency and provide more security to them as well. Hence, overall, it generates a lot of value for its customers. However, there is rising competition for the company as well. Many domestic companies offer the same services for cheaper rates and may be more attractive to consumers in that regard(Cleverism).

Channels

The company is widespread throughout the United States and various spots around the world as well. In America, there are a total of 2200 stores and many other retailers. Another approachable network is the company sales team and the website, both of which are easily accessible. The sales team can be contacted through phones or online. Subscribers can also manage their accounts and adjust changes by logging into the website. The app for AT&T is also available on android and iOS both. Personal statements and apps are the most convenient for users(Cleverism).

Customer relationships

As discussed above, customers can directly contact the supports team of AT&T via stores or phones. Other than that, they can manage their accounts either on the website or the app. Closer relationshipsare needed by the customers that are businesses because they have specific requirements that need to be met so, they are in more frequent contact with the sales and marketing team. Apart from all this, the company also maintains a presence on social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, where it posts updates and other important news(Cleverism).

Revenue streams

Revenue is generated through the mobile, telephone, television, wireless services that the company provides to private users and businesses. The business solutions that AT&T offers are especially fruitful for the company and earned them an annual revenue of 71 billion dollars in 2015. Business solutions include a wireless network, security services, and speedy broadbands. The second place is secured by entertainment services, which include television services, and thirdly, revenue is generated by mobile and other wireless services (Cleverism).

According to the 2018 annual report, the overall revenues for AT&T were 170.8 billion dollars. This was a 6.8% increase from the previous year. The revenue segmentation seems to be different here, though. “The Communications segment can further be divided into Mobility, making up 39% of revenues; Entertainment Group, making up 25%; and Business Wireline, accounting for 14%.” (McFarlane, 2018).

Key resources

As digital service providers, the critical resources for AT&T are its workers, suppliers, and cell towers and cables. The working team includes its sales team and marketing team, and also workers who take over the installations for customers. If these critical resources were to be segmented, then the cables and cell towers are resources for value propositions. The sales and marketing team is required for revenue streaming and customer relationships. The middlemen or retailers are also a vast resource as they help in integrating luring in more customers for the company(Cleverism).

Key activities

Critical activities for AT&T include providing mobile, telephone, television, and wireless broadband services for customers in America. A unique combination of these services, including security, is offered to business owners as well. As technology is advancing day by day, the company also remains up to date. It continues to come up with more innovative ways to provide their services, which make things easier for their customers. They also build trust in their customers through an energized team of workers (Mccorcle, n.d).

Key Partnerships

AT&T has numerous partnerships with many businesses, both big and small. The selection of partners is made based on the advantages the organization would provide the company, such as enhance its services or products. The partnership contracts are mostly structured in a way that the partner is authorized or has to provide AT&T services to its customer base and clients. In return, the partner company receives bonuses, discounts, funds, or other support from the company. Some partner companies include “IT solutions company Merrill Hill Lynch, mobile data service provider DatXoom and IT infrastructure firm Alliant Technologies.” AT&T also has supplier partners who are again both big and small. Technology partners are also present that provide computer and network devices.

Cost Structure

AT&T incurs a lot of cost by providing its services as they have to be installed and maintained via various channels and networks. So, support services take in a lot of expenses. Costs for employees are also skyrocketing. Being such a large company, AT&T has over 10000 employees, so their salaries incur a lot of costs as well. Moreover, expanding and maintaining the business across the entire country takes a lot of operations and marketing costs.

Business model pattern

There are five distinct business models, which include unbundled business models, extended tail business models, multi-sided business models, free business models, and open business models. The business model that most resembles AT&T is the unbundles business model.

The unbundled business is which groups several models into one. The three main parts of an unbundled business model are customer relationships, product innovation, and infrastructure management. It is apparent why this is the best fit for AT&T. The company also focuses on building relations with customers as only then will they be able to convince them to acquire their digital services. A huge focus in AT&T is on innovation when it comes to the services they provide. The aim is to make things simpler and more accessible for the customer base, whether it be private consumers or business owners. Infrastructure management includes tasks related to “building and managing facilities for high-volume, repetitive operational tasks.” Since these three conditions satisfy for AT&T, we can conclude that it follows an unbundled business model. The company has to continuously work towards bettering customer relationships, coming up with updated services that are also cost-effective, and they also have to face competition as well. Plus, telecommunication or mobile communication companies generally do follow an unbundled business model (Yatskevich, Matyunina, 2018).

(Mousavi, 2020)

References

Yatskevich, O., and Matyunina, J., 2020. Five Business Model Patterns For Online Enterprise. [online] Web and Mobile Development Company – CodeTiburon. Available at: <https://codetiburon.com/business-model-patterns-online-enterprise/> [Accessed 10 May 2020].

Salesforce.com. 2020. How AT&T Successfully Maximized Revenue Through Indirect Channels. [online] Available at: <https://www.salesforce.com/quotable/articles/successfully-maximizing-revenue-through-indirect-channels/> [Accessed 10 May 2020].

McFarlane, G., 2020. How AT&T Makes Money: Mobility, Video, Broadband, And More. [online] Investopedia. Available at: <https://www.investopedia.com/insights/how-att-makes-money/> [Accessed 10 May 2020].

Bhasin, H., 2020. Marketing Strategy Of AT & T – AT & T Marketing Strategy. [online] Marketing91. Available at: <https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-strategy-att/> [Accessed 10 May 2020].

Cleverism. 2020. AT&T. [online] Available at: <https://www.cleverism.com/company/att/> [Accessed 10 May 2020].

Cathy Mousavi. 2020. AT&T Business Model. [online] Available at: <https://catmousavi.wordpress.com/2011/08/25/att-business-model/> [Accessed 10 May 2020].

Effective Leadership

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1.

Prior to this, as per my understanding, Leadership is a process as per which a chosen person who is unique & creative gets the opportunity to make the team & give them order. He just directs them & orders the team under him. As per his influence, he makes them in attaining the specified goals set for the organization. He is just a stiff & organized person who makes decisions. He just doesn’t plan but gives orders. His plans are his own & directed towards his targets. He is not emotional & is taciturn in his attitude towards others.

On the other hand, after reading this course, I have a completely different perception of a leader. The definition itself has changed over the years, time & again. Now I realize that it is a proper process that we go through & work alongside them. He is focused & very professional in his ways. Yet he leads from the front when it comes to following rules. He revolutionizes the whole processes of the workplace & motivates the team to work collectively in the direction set for the organization. He leads them in all sorts of times & guides them like a mentor.

He doesn’t push them to the limits, yet he makes them grow. He helps his team members in setting individual goals & aids them in achieving them. He leads them in every step of the way & helps them not repeat the mistakes. Hence the definition that I used to have of a leader as a control freak & someone who makes them grow. He is a helper & motivator rather than someone who only fights to justify his position. He is an example for the team to follow & work alongside for the common interest of the company.

2.

Leaders need to know the following things regarding their followers in order to lead them effectively. Firstly, he needs to know the most pertinent needs of his followers that they would give anything for to movie in their lives. He also needs to know their motivational factors that keep the followers up & running. He needs to know their common goals & what would motivate them to walk side by side with him.

From all the typologies, I consider Chaleff’s like the perfect one. He is the one that believes the fellowship consists of 5 steps. First, a follower is a resource; he feels associated with the cause of the leader & for that, he follows him. He considers the leader as someone he looks up to. Secondly, he thinks of him as an individualist. He moves around as an individual & promotes the leader. Unlike the resource who is available for the leaders during the times of need, he is someone who works alone yet is enough to leave his mark.

Thirdly comes the implementers who help implement & execute the ideas that are presented. They are the ones that plan the implementation of the goals & scheme set by the leader to make plans work. The practically execute the projects & make the leader succeed with their physical efforts. Partner & Diehard ones are also equally essential & they also play integral roles in the success of a leader. From a personal perspective, I am a resource. I like helping others & that is what I am best at. I feel pleasure helping others & help them succeed. I am always a good team player & usually, I am assigned all resource-related tasks in any goals that are set. I make sure that the task is well provided for & whatever is assigned to me is done in time.

This attitude has affected my leader immensely & he has trust in me every step of the way. He is self-motivated & so am I. This makes him so much related to me as we share this common factor that unites us & makes us highly competitive. We are combined due to the common goals &interests as well. These traits of mine are always appreciated by my leader & still being there to help what makes me such a support to the whole team.

They automatically have impacted the outcomes as my help in achieving the goals is highly appreciated by him. This study of fellowship has helped me to rethink my actions & make efforts to improve in terms of other skills as well. It has made me into a different person, and I would learn to adapt to other traits in my fellowship & turn myself into a good follower than I already am. I would sharpen these skills & one day; if I become a leader of any sort, I would use these understandings to my advantage as well.

3.

I am inclined towards the more efficient leadership model that needs to be immersive as per modern day needs of a leader. My model will also have the traits of that the personality traitsrequired foe a modern day leader.

Attributes Competence & Outcomes
Visionary It is most important for a modern day leader to have a vision.
Risk-Taking Risk taking leader will not fear defeat and fight fearlessly
Problem Solving A leader that is active listener, does analysis & research, will understand &have problem solving skills
Self-Motivated. A modern day leader should have self-motivated. This will keep him connected with making the team strive towards the common goals.
Decisiveness A leaders should not have a confused state of mind. He should be very decisive about his decisions.

 

I learned from the adaptive method of leadership that makes it clear to makes it clear for the leader to have nature as such. The five attributes that I see in a leader that I envision are pertinent considering the skills all modern days leaders should have. They should have these as they are the need of the day & their outcomes are also required to lead. They need the relevant consecutiveness as that makes them feel connected. Competence is deeply associated with modern-day leaders to walk side by side with other leaders to strive for collective goals.

I also learned from the skill model that it also works in a similar fashion. The skills approach to aid the leader in knowing & acquiring all the relevant skills to compete in the modern-day world. He needs to learn the skills that make him the right guy for all these responsibilities.  The social skills alongside the conceptual skills are also integral for a leader to succeed. That is what has also influenced my model formulation. It has aided me in focusing on the most relevant five attributes that I see fit for a modern-day leader to be judged on. The theory that has influenced my model is path-goal theory, as it focuses on the vision part of my model.

It is pertinent that a leader must be a visionary person that focuses on the collective goals & understands the relevant skills & traits that are required. A Vision gives a clear path to the leader & helps him guide the team/ followers to the collective goal that is set for the whole team. He needs to have the vision in order to make decisions that are focused & unquestionable. He needs to solve the problems within the team by listening to them & provide the most suitable solutions for the team & the whole organization. This will make the leadership process effective & efficient & the leader will have the power as well as the conviction to lead the team with a clear mind. He will utilize all his skills & abilities to the best of his understanding & make maximum use of the resources available to him as a leader at every level.

Financial Business Case for Wildlife Conservation Society

Pages:8

Requirements:

1. The Not-for-Profit entity is Wildlife Conservation Society.
2. Research financial environment( Fund-raising environment, Registration requirements (Types of Registration) , Bank lending rates )Currency exchange rates, Inflationary conditions,Country risk )
3.Develop a fundraising strategy for the nonprofit organization
4.Forecast a three-year quarterly operating budget for the entity (spreadsheet with supporting assumptions)
5.Create a monthly Cash Flow Budget for year one (Spreadsheet with supporting assumptions)
6. Prepare a three-year annual pro forma Activity Statement and Balance Sheet (spreadsheet with supporting assumptions)
7.Calculate relevant financial ratios for the entity (current and forecast years)
8.Create scenarios for two possible investments and using discounted cash flow analysis evaluate each scenario
9.Identify two of the greatest risks that non-profit faces and assess their implications on financial performance using sensitivity analysis on your pro forma financial statements

Introduction

Our globe is an amalgam of enticing landscapes with majestic wildlife and vast biodiversity. Such creations have provided humanity not only the joy of witnessing eye-catching sceneries but also the much required ecological system for the sole purpose of survival.

Wildlife Conservative Society is a Non-Profit/Non-Government Organization to preserve, conserve, and protect ecologically intact places with the most exceptional biodiversity and resilience to climate change. It started over a century ago from the city of New York but has expanded to over 60 countries worldwide. Till now, WCS has managed to protect 372 areas globally, including terrestrial and coastal/marine; WCS has also assisted in establishing 268 national parks over the world. (Wildlife Conservative Society, 2019)

Mission:

To protect wildlife and wild places around the world through science, education, conservation actions, and inspiring people to value biodiversity. The mission can be further elaborated in two phases;(Wildlife Conservative Society, 2019)

  1. To conserve fourteen ecologically intact areas/region of land and sea;
  2. To hamper the decline of six species groups, including Big Cats, Elephants, Sharks/Rays, Apes, Whales/Dolphins, and Tortoises/Turtles.

How WCS Operates:

WCS core operation spans over operating zoos and aquariums, assisting in conserving areas globally, educating and spreading awareness, collaborating with governments and institutes to help to stop the extinction of rare species, and carrying out research about veterinary science, wildlife health, and disease surveillance. (Wildlife Conservative Society, 2019)

To carry out the activities mentioned above, WCS has the following sources of revenue;

  1. Charities, donations, and grants from individuals, corporations, and governments.
  2. Revenue from the sale of Zoos and Aquarium tickets.
  3. Merchandising and sale of other promotional stuff.

Financial Overview:

Source: Annual Report 2019

Critical Aspect:

For the successful continuation of operations, WCS direly relies on external funding, which includes donations and grants from individuals, institutes, and governments. Hence, any hindrance in the external environment, which WCS doesn’t have any control over, can severely hamper the operations of the WCS. In 2019, revenue from other sources such as zoos and aquarium ticket fees, merchandise licensing, and royalties only accounted for 32% of the total revenue generation. (Wildlife Conservative Society, 2019)

Source: RedLAC

Therefore, for the management, it is of crucial importance to be well aware of external factors. The administration should know what the critical external factors are and how they can impact the funding.

Vital External Factors Impacting on Funding:

Economy:

Operations and profitability of every organization are heavily reliant on the performance of local and global economies. The same is the case with NGOs; even the impact can be more severe as the primary source of cash inflow for most of the NGOs, including WCS, is external donation and funding.

1.      GDP Growth:

Source: Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU)

GDP growth is one the critical parameter of the health of an economy; a country having a high and stable GDP growth can be more inclined towards donations and funding to NGOs.

As currently, due to COVID-19, GDP growths of all of the countries in the world have slowed down, and it is expected that the recovery will only be possible by 2021.

2.      Unemployment rate:

As similar to GDP Growth rate, increased unemployment can also trigger a shortfall in the anticipated donations and charities. A sharp hike can be seen in 2020, which is primarily due to COVID-19; however, the impact is expected to mild by 2021.

Source: Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU)

3.      Lending Rate:

Source: Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU)

Another critical aspect of raising funds is the lending and borrowing environment. Low borrowing rates can be beneficial for NGOs as it can significantly reduce the cost of borrowing money. In developed countries, historical and forecasted lending rates are lower than those of emerging countries like India, Ghana, and Nigeria. NGOs operating globally should take significant benefit from the vast differences between the lending rates of developed and developing countries while raising or borrowing funds.

4.      Country Risk:

Source: Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU)

Developing countries have higher lending rates to compensate for higher risk; there are several kinds of risks when it comes to investing and operating in emerging countries. NGOs that do operations in countries located in Africa and South Asia need to be extra cautious regarding their risks. These risks can be due to political uncertainty, law and order situation, weak financial institutions, and rampant corruption.

Another critical aspect which NGOs should consider while raising money for projects in developing countries is how they will ensure the transparency, as there is a lack of proper documentation and weaker system of controls in emerging countries which can increase the chances of mismanagement of funds.

5.      Other Aspects – Inflation Rate and Currency Exchange Rate:

Source: Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU)
Source: Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU)

Usually, inflation and currency exchange rate are interlinked with the country’s lending rate. Unexpected high or hyperinflation rates can make forecasting difficult for NGOs, which can result in variance in budgets; the currency exchange rate also plays a vital role when NGOs are investing money from a developed country in a developing country. Usually, it is beneficial for NGOs that do business and maintain books in USD and invest in developing countries, as 1 USD can have a higher purchasing power in these countries.

Registration Requirements – Legal Aspect

Establishing a Non-Profit Organization might seem like a simple task. Still, in actuality, it is indeed severely technical and requires a lot of support in terms of legal and financial aspects. If one wants to start an NGO or NPO in the United States of America, it has to acquire a 501c3 status.(Dr. Saumya Arora, n.d.)

501c3 status:

A “501 C” organization in the USA is a Tax-exempt entity that doesn’t have to pay any kind of taxes. The most common among these organizations is “501 C 3,” which are known Profitable Charity organizations; these organizations are exempt from Federal Income Tax and hence allow donors to deduce their taxable incomes. Such exemptions only occur in cases when the organizations are doing charitable operations related to education, literary, religious, environmental, et cetera. (Dr. Saumya Arora, n.d.)

An organization can claim the status of “501 C 3” by filing and submittingIRS Form 1023. A filing fee would be charged, which would depend on the past annual gross receipts of the organization. Previous financial records and a forecasted budget would also be required while filing for this status. (Dr. Saumya Arora, n.d.)

Potential Risk for Fund Raising

Non-Profit Organizations currently face several challenges amid slowing down of the global economy, increasing requirement of transparency, growing competition among NGOs, and rapid increase in global warming.

The sluggish economic growth of the world can hinder NGOs’ abilities to raise potential funds, which can hurt the anticipated and planned programs and events. In this current time, NGOs might face the challenge of a shortage of cash inflows. Another critical problem for today’s Non-Profit Organizations is to maintain transparency over the proper channeling and utilization of donations and funds. Amid rumors of increasing corruption and mismanagement of funds have pushed the legal institutions globally to improve the regulations over raising and usage of funds collected through donations and charities.

The rapid growth rate of global warming has further intensified the operating environment for NGOs working for the conservation of wildlife and wild areas. Amid such happening, NGOs need to fasten their efforts toward their environmental causes, resulting in increased needs of funds and donations.

In order to understand the implication of above mentioned two risks; we can take assistance from the forecasted financial of WCS. There are three hypothetical scenarios; a base case, when everything happens as planned and no severe risk takes place; risk case 1, it is a case when due to COVID-19, donations shrink by 30%; risk case 2, when due to extreme increase in global warming, WCS has to spend 30% more over its global conservation program.

Fund Strategy for a Non-Profit Organization

Non Profit Organizations can’t talk about their plans and programs to support their causes until or unless they also talk about how they would raise enough funds to operationalize those plans. These NPOs and NGOs even can’t succeed in availing significant funds without showcasing their past projects.  Every new successful program or event of an NGO is a promotional change to demonstrate its effectiveness and capability to take on more such projects. There is a global need for innovative ways to spend transparently for the causes like wildlife and wild regions conservation; much of the awareness has been created by international treaties, climate change conferences, and NGOs which are working for such purposes. The ability of any NGO to raise funds successfully direly depends on its capability to strategize and carry out effective programs, harvest partnerships with governments and critical institutes, and market itself efficiently. (Latin America and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds, 2011)

1.      Know your potential audience

Before devising any successful fundraising strategy, it is of crucial importance that the NGO knows about potential investors or donors. Following is the funding mix for NGOs working for the cause of protecting the environment;

Source: RedLAC

 

2.      Understanding the wants of potential donors:

Organizations looking to raise external funds must study and analyze the needs and wants of potential investors and donors; much of the donors look for following aspects in an NGO while making the donation decisions;

  • Institutional stability
  • Transparency and integrity
  • Expertise
  • Alignment with the donors’ objectives

3.      Clarity over the mission and goals:

After understanding the potential donors and their respective needs, NGOs should work on internal assessments and should develop a clear mission and goals. The goals should SMART; specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and time-bound. (Latin America and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds, 2011)

4.      Forecasts and budgets:

The next step is to quantify your ambitions and make estimated forecasts and budgets. A forecast would help in telling investors what this program would be able to achieve in the end and how much capital would be required to implement the plan. (Latin America and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds, 2011)

5.      Analyze the fundraising environment:

This includes having a substantial understanding of current scenarios, including economic, political, and social happenings. This will further help in finessing the fundraising strategy and objectives. (Latin America and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds, 2011)

  1. Implement:

Now as the NGO has a clear understanding of;

  • who might be the potential donors
  • what are donors looking for in a donation opportunity
  • what it wants to achieve
  • how it will make the goals mentioned above and mission and how much it would cost
  • how the external environment is working

Once an NGO has a firm grip on all the aspects mentioned above, it can proceed further by approaching potential investors and donors. (Latin America and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds, 2011)

 

 

Possible Cases of Investments:

Let’s consider two hypothetical investment scenarios for Wildlife Conservative Society.

Investment Scenario 1:

In this scenario, WCS’s management decides to establish another national park like Borx Zoo in another city of USA. In order to build such a gigantic park, WCS would require an investment of $1 billion which it plans to collect by a consortium of donors, organizations and government. As per estimates, it will require three years to construct this park and then it would be able to receive 2.5 million visitors in the first year of its operations which will grow annually by 2% for the rest of the projected tenure. Annual operating expense will increase at 3% whereas the park management would also have to incur capital expenditure nearly equal to 10% of the total annual revenue. Following are the details regarding this investment opportunity;

 

Investment Scenario 2:

In this scenario, the management doesn’t have a strategy to collect massive amount like $1 billion to construct a park like Borx Zoo as in scenario 1; the management only have $750 million from donations and charity. The management of WCS decides to build another aquarium like “New York Aquarium” in a city of USA. It will take a construction time of two years and will attract 1.2 million visitors in its first years which will further grow at 5% annually. Annual operating expense will increase at 6% whereas the park management would also have to incur capital expenditure nearly equal to 8% of the total annual revenue. Following are the details regarding this investment opportunity;

 

 

 

Financial Results of both the Scenarios:

Investment Scenario 1:

Investment Scenario 2:

 

Bibliography

Dr. Saumya Arora, n.d. How to set up 501(c) 3 non-profit in the United States, and what are its advantages?. Funds for NGOs.

Latin America and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds, 2011. Fundraising Strategies Fundraising Strategies, Dar es Salaam: RedLAC.

Wildlife Conservative Society, 2019. WCS General Booklet, New York: Wildlife Conservative Society.

 

 

 

Academic Communication

Pages:3

Requirements:

In your discussion-topic paper, identify the page number of the passage you are writing about and then explain what caught your interest and why, your impressions of what’s being conveyed, and even if you are only trying to understand something confusing about a passage and would like to raise questions about it to follow up on later in class. Write informally, there being no rigid structure to follow, and write in a conversational style appropriate for academic communication, i.e., no cursing, slang, texting shortcuts, emoji, etc. So, despite the informality, do write with a sense of logical purpose and concentration, communicating clearly, precisely, and effectively in standard English prose. I’ll see how you fare with this Monday’s batch, and, as needed, will provide further instructions to the group or to individuals. 

  1. 2. Part 2, chapter VII, page 253-278

Chapter seven starts a new turmoil on the protagonist Raskolnikov as he is reminded of his own accident when he sees the incident that happens to Marmeladoy. Here it is very interesting to note that Raskolnikov’s compassion overshadows his other selfish worldly desires as he helps the man and even pays him money to help Katerina. This part is highly important as it reveals that even though Raskolnikov is a murderer but despite that, he is compassionate and is actually very tender from the inside as he despite being in an economically hard position, still helps the poor family out and from the money that his mother gave him for his own expense. This part humanizes Raskolnikov’s character and strengthens it by adding dimensions and showing that he is not just a heartless being but is actually far more than that.

This also reveals a universal message that the author Dostoyevsky wanted to convey to his writers that humans are not simple beings who are merely good or bad but are profoundly complex in their behaviors, values, thoughts and ultimately actions as well. For instance, the protagonist can make sense of the murder he committed but cannot face seeing the suffering of another human being.

The metaphorical importance of the part when Raskolnikov is drenched with blood while aiding Marmeladov is very significant. It is important because it draws interesting parallels between the blood that granted him a moral dilemma and the blood that gave him life in a way. The former being the blood on his hands from the murder of Alyona and the latter being when he decides to commit to an extremely good deed that brings back life to him to an extent.

The dialogue, “Life is real! haven’t I lived just now? My life has not yet died with that old woman!” reveals these feelings of his and convey the recurring theme of the dual nature of a human being who is a combination of both good and bad.

The ending of part two is important as the surprise visit from Raskolnikov’s mother and sister overwhelm him so much that he faints.

  1. Part IV, page 397-506

Part four reveals the protagonist’s views on religion and familial ties. This part brings with itself uncertainty for Raskolnikov as he cannot differentiate if he is dreaming or not because his sense of morality has clouded his reality of the world. This part plays a crucial role in developing the character of the protagonist as despite the fact that he leaves his family, mother and sister behind, he asks his trusted Razumikhin to take care of them in his absence. This shows that the protagonist Is actually sincere from the inside but still has some weak spots and it is this dual nature of the character that makes him realistic and this portrayal is possible thorough the genius of Dostoyevsky’s writing.

It is important to note that this part also marks the redemption of Raskolnikov as he leaves his family behind and goes to visit Sonya. Although this part shows us that Raskolnikov mocks Sonya’s faith but it must be kept in mind that what marks his character arch towards redemption is his absolute choice to go in the first place. He makes fun of Sonya’s faith because he does not really understand it. His condescending bahavior is also eveident when he talks to Porfiry but this exchange also reveals the protagonist’s inner change towards finding the path of change, towards salvation and redemption. Despite feeling superior in the starting conversations, his tone changes when he realizes that Porfiry knows much more than him and thus his air of superiority sheds.

It is when Nikolai discloses the fact that he brought about the murder, Raskolnikov understand what really is happening that Porfiry might be intellectually superior than him, but they have no solid evidence against him in the role he played in carrying out the murder of the old lady Ivanovna. This changes Raskolnikov’s behavior again but it must be acknowledged that this is the first time his character broke and hence although it might not be one hundred percent evident that Raskolnikov has redeemed himself, he definitely begun his journey towards a better path or at least had a glimpse of the right path.

 

Social Distancing

Pages:4

 

Prompt 2

“The phrase ‘social distancing,’ which shows up in the film Contagion (2011), has dominated American reality over the past several months, leading to extraordinary modifications in our individual and collective behavior. But here’s a curious thing: when we look back through the works on our syllabus this term, it turns out that social distancing, in one form or another, has been with us for much longer that we might have realized–at least since Huck and Jim lit out for the raft in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Removing ourselves from specific ‘ill’ individuals and social groups, and from society as a whole, is a central American endeavor, in fact.”

Yes, I agree that the phrase ‘social distancing,’ shown in the film Contagion, has dominated American reality over the past several months, leading to extraordinary modifications in our individual and collective behavior. It has changed the way we interact with others. It has changed our overall attitude towards others. Workplaces have become remote, yet it is a fact if we look back through the works on our syllabus this term, it turns out that social distancing, in one form or another, has been with us for much longer than we might have realized yet this time it has become much more magnanimous as compared to older times. Unlike ancient times, this time, the people have reshaped their whole lifestyle, and the idea of social distancing is realized & accepted before the predicament is getting too complicated.

Yes, this is one thing that we were unable to remove ourselves from specific ‘ill’ individuals. That is a predicament that we most certainly are unable to comprehend. These ill individuals are a part of our lives in many different predicaments. The movie contagion is almost dangerously close to the idea of explaining social groups and social distancing. The concept of social distancing in the current predicament as a solution to this is not a Central American endeavor, as per the film as well as it started in China, just like the in global pandemic being faced by us across the world. The movie clearly communicates the epidemic transmitted through socializing.

The movie explains the importance of social distancing in a predicament as such. The film as an example of how it can spread, which the movie tells as well as how it’s covering can be minimized. It was eerie if we see the movie Contagion. One of the peculiar things about the film is that even though it recognizes all our fears, yet the idea that it is not a movie theater but watching it at home gives a different sense. The feeling that it could have happened to us, and we are sitting in a socially distant environment is highly comforting.

In the light of this predicament, they are concerning it as a movie that can make people germ-o-phoebes after the mess is over can occur. Hence the importance & relevance of the film is pertinent. Even the first sound from the movie is of the actress coughing. How relevant is that as corona starts with the same characteristics. It is true that this phobia impacted a great deal upon the American lifestyle & made them modify their lifestyles to a considerable extent in the light of the social distancing rule & regulations. These regulations, despite their relevance, have proven to be highly effective. While referring to the syllabus, there are a lot of relevant notions as well.

From the short story, “Soldiers Home,” there was a scene where Kerb came back to his town and saw girls already made up alliances. People had changed a lot & they were looking at him differently. This social distancing had made people make new friends. (Hemingway) Relating to that, it is integral to realize the impact it is going to leave on society. The Soldier came home after fighting in the First World War & saw that the whole predicament had changed. It is relatable to how I think the relationships will change over the coming few years. The world had turned into very socially active, yet there were communication gaps. Staying at home and keeping this sort of social distance will impact the whole society & people will realize the importance of having real-life relationships.

Kerb, upon his return, turned anti-social himself & the war had changed a lot in him as well, turning him into someone who stays at home a lot. The girls of his time had grown up, yet h decided to stay away from them. His whole idea of the world after the war had changed as he had lost all his interest in politics & court order. He was turning into this sort of a person with no goals & aims. His life had scattered. This is one aspect of the social distancing that I understand is harmful & unhealthy. It does make the person lazy & that is very dangerous considering the pace of modern-day society.

If the collective behavior of the society turns out to be negative, it can adversely impact the whole predicament & soon as the lockdown is over, the entire world would turn upside down. As per this example, Kerb’s story & the impact this social distancing had on him indicates how the fear of the world post the pandemic would turn out. How the people will act & how the overall situation will be is what fears the most. The psychology of the people living in the society might change & this will impact the whole lifestyle of each community. Removal of the ‘ill’ individuals and social groups is an element whose value is undeniable.

With the modern-day idea of social distancing, each one of us had a chance to take a break from the routine & rethink our choices. It helps us plan the coming years & with time as people have turned into strategists, our decisions have also become like these. The people that we want to stay away from can be listed skipped from our social groups and circles post this lockdown. It can e concluded on the notion that, Yes, this social distancing has impacted our lives in many ways. It has changed the fabric of our whole society and the impact that these extraordinary modifications in our individual and collective behavior will be more visible now. The contemporary moment and earlier historical moments evoked in our course texts have certain similarities & differences that can’t be denied. It is still mere speculation regarding how the world would be. Only time will tell regarding that, depict the differences in society from where it was till it comes to normal.

Works Cited

 

Contagion. Dir. Steven Soderbergh. Perf. Matt Damon. 2011. https://slate.com/culture/2020/03/contagion-coronavirus-soderbergh.html. 8 5 2020.

Hemingway, Ernest. Soldiers Home. 1925.

 

 

Efficient Market Hypothesis

Pages:4

Requirements:

1000 word essay- efficient market hypothesis

It is a 1000 word essay regarding the topic: Efficient Market hypothesis. You have to explain the three forms of EMH – The weak form, semi strong form and strong form, and how to test the three forms with academic literature and empirical evidences. The attached PPT is the guideline/ structure for the essay. The information can be taken from the PPT. and use the key academic papers provided in the ppt. Harvard referencing format.

Answer:

Research suggests that most people tend to overreact to unexpected news and dramatic events. Bond and Thaller have initiated a study to find whether such behavior matters in the stock market. People indeed tend to give more weightage to recent information than prior data. One of the earliest observation in stock markets about overreaction was done by J.M. Keynes, who studied the daily variations in the returns of investments have more, and preposterous, effect on the stock mark (Keyens, 1964).  Moreover, a study done by William concluded that prices rely too much on earning capacity of the company, rather than on the long term dividend-paying capacity of the company (Williams, 1956).

Additionally, a study by Kleidon showed that the fluctuations in price are strongly correlated with the changes in earnings in the subsequent year, which depicts a clear pattern of an overreaction (Kleidon, 1981). Another study showed that the stock splits after an increase in volatility of investment returns is also linked to overreaction (Penman., 1983). For their findings, Bond and Thaller collected a portfolio of stocks that experienced extreme losses and extreme gains, for five years. They name it “winner’ and ‘loser.’ However, the portfolio was formed solely on past earnings on the investment. Hence, their study was based on three types of returns market-adjusted excess returns, residuals, and excess returns measured through CAPM. Moreover, the ‘loser’ portfolio is no different than the winner portfolio, in terms of the market value of equity, financial leverage, and dividend yield.

Nonetheless, the result showed that the ‘loser’ portfolio of the 35 stocks outperformed the market indexby more than 19.6%, thirty-six months after the portfolio was created. However, the ‘winner’ portfolio gave poor result than the market index by 5%; the difference of extreme portfolio was 24.6%. Furthermore, the overreaction effect was skewed – that is, it was much larger for ‘loser’ than for ‘winner.’ Most of the surfeit returns were calculated in January of each year. In month 1, 13, and 25, the ‘loser’ portfolio’s returns were 8.1%, 5.6%, and 4.0% respectively. Additionally, Bond and Thaller found that most of the overreaction has happened during the second and third years. Every December, both the portfolios are formed on the basis of previous residuals. Persistently, ‘loser’ portfolios earn higher returns in January, and the ‘winner’ portfolio earn comparatively fewer returns. This January phenomenon may occur because investors may wait years before comprehending dropping returns and the seasonal trends of the market. ‘Loser’ portfolio was less risky as well (THALER, 1985)

 

The Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) is an investment theory that elucidates that an investor might get lucky by achieving higher returns in the short run. Still, in the long term, he cannot obtain a return on his investment more significant than the market average. The main idea of the theory is that a stock price always reflects its real value. Moreover, Efficient Market Hypotheses gives no merit to technical analysis. The reason is that technical analysis is solely based on historical data of the stock, which, if Efficient Market Hypotheses holds, is reflected in the current price. Technical analysis is based on the investors’ anticipation of predictable patterns based on past performance. However, Efficient Market Hypotheses that even the investors’ sentiment is reflected in the current price.

Additionally, previous prices and returns have no relation to future returns and price. Therefore, there is no point in adopting technical analysis. According to Efficient Market Hypotheses, the best approach an investor can choose is to invest in a low-price passive portfolio.

Furthermore, fundamental analysis is based on a company’s financial information such as the income statement and balance sheet to evaluate the stock price. Under the assumptions of strong Efficient Market Hypotheses, information is depicted in the stock price. There information known to private and the public are the same, and there is no superiority. In this scenario, fundamental analysis has no use. Because the stock price already reflects the intrinsic value. Under the assumption of semi-strong Efficient Market Hypotheses, the information knows to the public is already reflected in the stock price. The company’s financials are aligned with the stock price. So there is limited merit to fundamental analysis in such cases. However, under the assumption of weak Efficient Market Hypotheses, only the market information is reflected in the stock price. If a company announces a big deal or its annual reports, it is immediately reflected in the stock price. With such a scenario, there is room for fundamental analysis to work when it is based on an information advantage. With the merits of both the techniques discussed, one can formulate that if Efficient Market Hypotheses assumptions hold, then fundamental analysis has more potential as compared to technical analysis.

The strong form version of Efficient Market Hypotheses has little merits. But, The Strong form efficiency is reflected in a study done on active investment funds, by Michael Jensen, who evaluated the performance of 115 investment funds. The study indicated that 58 out of 115 funds gave below the market returns. The deviation of ten years’ back from the line market average was -2.5%. The strong form efficiency holds the belief that no data, whether private or public, can alter the returns for an investor because they are already contemplated in the price. Inside information can help an investor in the semi-strong form of Efficient Market Hypotheses, but in case of strong Efficient Market Hypotheses, holding on to private information will do no good.

Even though under the assumption energetic form efficiency, all the information is displayed, there are still some ways to perform better than the market. For example, analyzing companies with a low P/E ratio produce higher returns. Moreover, the neglected firm effect implies that companies that are analyzed by market analysts are often priced wrongly. The January effect studied by Bond and Thaller showed that portfolios tend to have higher returns in January.

References

Keyens, J. M., 1964. The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, London: s.n.

Kleidon, A. W., 1981. “Stock Prices as Rational Forecasters of Future Cash Flows, s.l.: Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago.

Penman., J. A. O. a. S. H., 1983. Variance Increases Subsequent to Stock Splits: An Empirical, s.l.: Graduate School of Business, Columbia University.

THALER, W. F. M. D. B. a. R., 1985. Does the Stock Market Overreact?, s.l.: s.n.

Williams, J. B., 1956. The Theory of Investment Value, s.l.: Amsterdam .

 

 

Existentialism

Pages:6

The word metaphysics is derived from Aristotelian works and is defined differently by many. Generally, it means the stream of the academia of Philosophy that deals with the reality’s nature. There are many differences and similarities between the concept’s modern and contemporary approaches.

One of the significant differences is that where the modern metaphysics might be limited to “obstinate attempts to think clearly and consistently” (James), the contemporary metaphysics is harder to define as it encompasses more areas such as actions and behavioral patterns that make the term harder to frame in a limited way. Moreover, the evolution of metaphysics expands to a vast period, and the contemporary philosophy’s “hyper-specialization” of presenting a big picture of the concept poses an issue (Moore). The modern version delves into lesser oversimplification. On the other hand, one of the significant similarities between modern and contemporary is the intention behind studying the branch: getting to know the nature of the world and the present humans in it. This similarity unites the different periods’ version of metaphysics firmly.

The renowned German philosopher Martin Heidegger left a mark in the field of philosophy, especially about hermeneutics, phenomenology, and particularly existentialism. His existentialist concepts reject the notion of dualism while focusing more on holism by disregarding the duality between body and mind, including the theories of “consciousness,” “experience,” and “mind.” He stressed the concept of Dasein that is a German word meaning “being there”. His work primarily deals with finding authenticity or Eigentlichkeit that is German for “own-ness” by taking an ontological approach.

His work “magnum opus Being and Time” searches for the meaning that is given to the concept of “being” and its connection with a human. He posits that this search only occurs because of the personal questions. Dasein exists because it is the “place” where the Being is found. This idea is different from the traditional school of thought that proposes that the existence of Being is possible as the “substantial” pulls together all the bodies and entities (Aristotle). The idea of Dasein encompasses the “way” human being is, as Heidegger mentioned, “The essence of Dasein lies in its existence.”

Moreover, the theorist argues that the concept and the manifestation of Dasein are unlike that of any substance in the sense that the former is not fixed while the latter is. This can be evidence using a human being as they acquire unfixed variable places and locations. It appears that the site Dasein acquires might be virtual, and that is not to say that it is not real or empty. Here virtuality entails that the place and space consist being that ontologically permit for Dasein. Dasein and the world we live are interconnected: Dasein cannot exist absolutely without the world, and neither can the world exist without Dasein as it allows for the experience that is necessary to feel the existence.

The existentialists look towards feelings such as anxiety to enhance their points. Anxiety isolates the Being as it builds up “angst” that triggers the feeling of loneliness, and that leads to the Being individualizing itself. Heidegger believes that a significant method to grasp the concept of Dasein in its original form is to expose it in the field of human being “moods.” This entails that Dasein is embedded in the idea of moods. Existence is not merely confirmed by the fact that human beings can think (Descartes) but is actually cemented by the fact that human feelings such as anxiety suggest the existence of self and being. Hence, human moods are given sheer importance in the concept of explaining existentialism.

The teachings of Heidegger are recognized in academia, and the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre has some similar teachings, but there are some areas of dissimilarity as well. The similarities in their works are there as well. Both appeared to be inspired by the great philosopher Edmund Husserl. Sartre encountered his writing in his youth and got attracted to phenomenology. Likewise, the works of Heidegger are suggestive of the fact that he too was a follower of Edmund Husserl, but the views of Sartre and Heidegger diverge when the latter’s works omit the usage of consciousness. Where the concept of consciousness can be traced in Heidegger’s works, he never utilized the direct usage of this word. However, on the other hand, Sartre rigorously used this concept, especially its offshoot idea of “intentionality.” Sartre’s view of the idea suggests that “consciousness is not to be identified with a thing (for example, a mind, soul or brain), that is to say, some repository of ideas and images of things. Rather, consciousness is nothing but a directedness towards things”. He believes that the notion of consciousness is not a substance; that is a bit similar to Heidegger’s ideas. Sartre recognizes the existence of humans as “for-itself” and the beings as “in-itself.” This puts his ideals forwards that consciousness might be considered as “nothingness” as it does not encompass the idea of “being conscious of.” This elaborates that if it is established that consciousness is not a “thing,” usual natural laws do not apply to it, particularly when it is not limited by the restrictions of “identity” and is not a “substance.”

Sartre believes that “Intentionality” exhibits itself. He points out the distinctive features of the passive, “static,” and “active desire and want of a being to not only observe and see the world but also be a participant and project him/her self. He gives the example of marriage: if one intends to commit in matrimony, then a commitment is required that becomes the part of life, but it works in two ways: by becoming a part of oneself and by becoming a part of the partner. However, the act may appear to be authentic. There is underlying inauthenticity involved concerning the act of projecting one’s own self. The person displays him/her self as being “married” in the future, such as being a fixed entity. This is where the tension arises. The act of projecting oneself in the future entails absolute freedom that is actually not there. Hence, this proposes the view of imbalance that the person appears to be what he/she really is not. However, contrarily, the projection also entails that “something” is being projected, and the fact that it is a thing that suggests the insufficiencies in the projection. The projection is indicative of both freedom and otherwise. Here, the act becomes preposterous, and the concept of “existential anxiety” surfaces because the being tries to contradict itself by aiming to become “for-itself-in-itself” as the act of freedom is proclaimed by a thing that is limited by its very nature of being a “thing.” Hence, Sartre believes that the existence of humans is in a persistent state of disconnection by delving towards its inauthentic self. Another similarity is found in the points of Sartre and Heidegger as the former’s ideas resonate with the latter’s ideas of inauthenticity being present.

The extent of their dis-similarity can be proved by the exchange of letters they had in the 1940s. Sartre, in his famous lecture titled “Existentialism is a Humanism,” suggested that the actions of humans are the definitive factor that defines his/her humanity. When another theorist, Jean Beaufret, wrote a letter to Heidegger inquiring about the connection he suggested existed between the existence of human beings, Heidegger’s response suggests that he denied the French form of existentialism that suggests the great divide between Sartre and Heidegger’s ideological conception of the concept. It is important to note that although Heidegger rejected to be recognized as an existentialist in the letter, it is commonly understood that he was addressing the French version of it as his many works and lectures point in the other direction as he gives the examples of moods, “anxiety,” “existence” and “crowd” to prove existence.

 

Sartre and Heidegger also disagree on the nature of the existence of Being. Sartre’s views are in sync with the traditional aspects of Descartes. It is to be noticed that from the view of Heidegger, Sartre’s view on existence resulted from the ideals and values presented in the humanism movement of the Renaissance era that propelled the human feelings to stick to a supreme level. Sartre’s definition of existence entails that a human is whereas Heidegger’s definition incorporates the language of Dasein that is in a state of connection with the world, and the nature of that connection is inseparable. “Man is not the lord of beings. Man is the shepherd of Being” (Heidegger 1993:245). This confirms the difference in the philosophers’ differences in the way they perceive existence, and hence their differences in the theories of existentialism arise.

 

It is interesting to note that even basic knowledge about human existence is still a hot topic in philosophy, and the transition from modern to contemporary metaphysics might seem subtle, but when looked carefully is reflective of the changes brought by time. The content on existentialism is essential in understanding the human world and can help in answering many crucial debating topics, including the necessity of material things for a thing. Also, the ideas discussed to shed light on the broader debate surrounding God and Immortality as the ideas of internal and external appearances and presences are brilliantly described by both Heidegger and Sartre. Hence, we can study these debates and teachings not only for their intended purpose but also for solving individualized daily life dilemmas efficiently.

References

Moore, A.W., (2012) The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics: Making Sense of Things

Hazlett, Allan, Contemporary Metaphysics

Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Encyclopedia Britannica

Stakeholders Rights and Corporate Governance

Pages:4

Shareholders are the legal owners of a company. Regardless of their position and rank, there are generally six legal rights bestowed to every shareholder of a company.

  • Economic Rights. People invest in companies for economic gain. These financial gains are of two types. First, most companies share their profits with their shareholders at a specific price, and this is called ‘Dividends.’ E.g., Microsoft corporation announced in December 2019, that it would pay a dividend of $0.51 per share (Center, 2019).
  • Voting Rights. Generally, shareholders do not take any active role in a company’s management, but they do have some controlling rights. Shareholders have the right to vote on important matters relating to the company’s business. The shareholders have the right to elect a company’s directors, the company’s mergers and acquisitions matter, and charter amendments (Velasco, 2006). E.g., if shareholders own 100 shares of a company, and three directors were running for election. The shareholder cannot vote more than 100 to one director. At max, he/she has 300 votes (100 per director)
  • Information Rights. Shareholders have the legal right to examine and evaluate the necessary information about the company’s performance and regulations. It includes the company’s bylaws, annual reports, minutes of board meetings. The security and Exchange Commission has made it mandatory for publicly traded companies to disclose their company’s report. This law has empowered the shareholders of publicly traded companies to protect their economic and controlling interest. An example of companies reports includes Annual Reports (Cooke, 2010)
  • Litigation Rights. Shareholders have the right to seek judicial enforcement. They have the right to sue for wrongful acts. When directors are conflicted, shareholders have the right to take action on behalf of the corporation. E.g., WorldCom faced a firestorm of its shareholders’ class-action in 2002. The management and directors discovered that they had overstated its earnings, giving its shareholders and investors a false sentiment (Tran, 2002)
  • Ownership Rights. The shareholders are legally allowed to share or transfer the shares to someone else, trading on a stock exchange. The ‘ownership right’ is linked with the stock’s liquidity (meaning how fast it can trader can sell it). This feature of stock vastly differentiates it from other investments like bonds and ETFs. E.g., stocks change billions of hands in one day on the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq (Nasaqtrader, 2020).
  • Capital Gain Rights. When a company thrives, the value of its assets rises, and shareholders own a piece of that. As the company generates profits, and instead of giving out dividends, it sometimes re-invest the profit in further assets; the value of the company rises, which gives rise to its stock price. An example of capital gain is Netflix stock price. At the start of 2020, Netflix was trading at $326, but this month Netflix stock is trading at the price of $437 (Anon., 2020)

 

The Board of Directors has a crucial role in a company’s corporate governance. There are some key features of effective corporate governance exercised by an efficient BOD.

 

  • Diversity. No more than three directors should be the current managers. An outside member should be made a director who is genuinely independent of the company’s operations.
  • Open Elections. Shareholders have the right to elect their respective director(s), based on 50/49 votes. Some shareholders suggest the board of declassification where elections are held every year. Others suggested the ‘staggered term’ idea for each team of directors.
  • An Independent Lead Director. The independent lead director is entitled to hold meetings without the presence of the company’s management team. It incorporates the chance of candid discussion.
  • Performance-Based Pay. Directors should be paid based on the company’s performance. Coca Cola exercised this policy when it announced that it would pay off its directors only if the company meet EPS of 8 percent annual compound growth for three years (Weber, n.d.).
  • Performance Evaluation of Directors. Directors should be evaluated and assessed based on how competent they are. Many companies have adopted this policy after early 2000.

The above characteristics are considered a good ‘evaluation criterion’ for board members. However, the board structure differs in emerging economies – 35% of boards have majority have independent directors. While the US, the UK, and Australia has almost 93%, independent directors.

Insider trading is trading based on confidential information. Insider trading occurs when a trader gets some information (or a tip) about a company, such information is not known to the public, and use it to leverage himself by buying and selling of the respective company’s stock(s). According to the state’s law, trading stock (insider trading) is illegal if it is based on:

  • Information that is stolen or not known to the public.
  • A tip from someone who was obliged to keep the information confidential. E.g., a tip from one of the directors.
  • Passing information with the expectation of personal gains.

Moreover, if you have any doubt (or believe) that the information you are using, should not be using, then don’t use it (Mckenna, 2019).‘Insider trading’ covers a broad range of people – lawyers, secretaries, who learned the information they knew were confidential. However, it does not include people who come across the news by chance. The most known insider trading occurs during an M&A that has happened and the ‘front-running’ – trades that occur based on information from informants. Furthermore, it is illegal for the lawmakers as well to use the information for personal use.

 

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References

Anon., 2020. Netlix. [Online]
Available at: https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/NFLX/history?period1=1557160719&period2=1588783119&interval=1mo&filter=history&frequency=1mo
[Accessed 5 May 2020].

Center, M. N., 2019. Microsoft announces quarterly dividend increase and new share repurchase program. [Online]
Available at: https://news.microsoft.com/2019/09/18/microsoft-announces-quarterly-dividend-increase-and-new-share-repurchase-program/
[Accessed 5 May 2020].

cooke, R., 2010. Overview of Shareholders Rights, s.l.: s.n.

Mckenna, M. a., 2019. What exactly is insider trading—and how do you avoid it?. [Online]
Available at: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/what-exactly-is-insider-tradingand-how-do-you-avoid-it-2018-08-13
[Accessed 4 MAy 2020].

Nasaqtrader, 2020. NASDAQ Market Sumamry. [Online]
Available at: http://www.nasdaqtrader.com/Trader.aspx?id=DailyMarketSummary
[Accessed 5 May 2020].

Tran, M., 2002. WorldCom accounting scandal. [Online]
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2002/aug/09/corporatefraud.worldcom2
[Accessed 4 May 2020].

Velasco, J., 2006. The Fundamental Rights of the Shareholder, s.l.: s.n.

Weber, L. a., n.d. Business and Society. s.l.:s.n.

 

 

Security Implications for Aid Agencies and Non-Profit Organizations while combating COVID-19

Pages:11

Requirements:
A short piece on Security implications of the COVID pandemic (2000 to 3000 words) 

The events of recent weeks presented a wide range of challenges to the global community as the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, spread rapidly around the world. The initial response by many Govts was restrictions, curfews and lock-downs resulting in panic buying, shortages of medical supplies and in some cases xenephobic attacks.

Once the acute phase passes the world will settle into a ‘new normal’ that consists of longer term security implications. I require a projection/thought piece from a ghost writer who will develop an internal piece that’s not for public consumption. The piece will discuss a range of potential developing security threats and offer tips for the individual to kick start what is likely to be an evolving discussion. Headings are likely to include crime (xenephobic attacks), political fallout, economic fallout, implications and impact on international travel, infrastructure and most importantly national and individual security. 2000 to 3000 words max.
——————————————————————————————————

Introduction

Indeed, we can think and imagine the hardships of the health workers who have to continually risk their lives and deal with stressful situations while fighting at the front line with deadly and severely contagious viruses like Ebola or COVID-19, but it is not the complete story; unfortunately, there is much to the agonies of these healthcare workers. This paper explores the difficulties these healthcare professionals have to bear in different regions of the world and their probable root causes to understand how the severity of these attacks could be mildened. Furthermore, this paper would also highlight the chances of such incidents happening with the workers responding to COVID-19. (Lisa Reilly and Raquel Vazquez Llorente, 2015)(WHO Africa, 2019)

Ebola and growing violence against aid workers

When it comes to combatting diseases in parts of the world which are in warfare for several decades and where the writ of the insurgent groups exceeds that of local government, the job of a healthcare worker gets harder many times. As described by a doctor, Abdourahmane Diallo, working in the Eastern side of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC);(Al Jazeera, 2019)

“The fear we feel, and that the community feels does our job ten times harder.”

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is a severe fatal disease that was first discovered in 1976; however, it was only recently when the massive outbreaks started to occur. As per WHO, the average fatality rate from Ebola is 50% and can be transferred to one another through human to human transmission. In 2014, the Virus out broke in Guinea, which transmitted later to Sierra Leone and Liberia. Currently, the Virus is creating severe chaos on the Eastern side of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with threats that it might be transmitted to other parts of the country, which can be lethal.What makes this situation more complicated for Aid Agencies and Non-Government Organizations is the current level of anarchy widespread in DRC. In the first six months of 2019, the number of attacks on medical facilities and healthcare professionals in the Democratic Republic of Congo reached a staggering number of 174, the highest in the world, followed by 41 in Afghanistan and 34 in Syria. The aspect which makes these attacks more worrisome is that the primary reason for pushing this violence is not merely theft or creating terror but deep-rooted hatred. As happened in an incident in Beni (DRC) in late June 2019, when a hostile mob attacked the Ebola response team and later burned down the car when the team had fled. As mentioned by Christian Bada, a medical hygienist, “People threw rocks at us; it was merely to kill us.”(Humantarian Outcomes, 2019)(United Nations, 2019)(Max Bearak , 2018)

As per the World Health Organization, these attacks can be attributed to increased armed conflict in the region, civil unrest, and community resistance caused by mistrust between the locals and authorities. Not only such rebellion and resistance are creating life threats to the healthcare professionals but also hindering the response towards Ebola, which can be lethal as the Virus can spread to other provinces of DRC and even to other countries if not contained adequately. (Adelicia Fairbanks, 2020)(BBC, 2019)

Such a situation has worried local and global institutes, including Aid Agencies and Non-Government Organizations, that why these incidents are occurring in the first place and how they could be restrained. Several studies and surveys have been conducted through research agencies to unleash the root cause of such incidents cast towards healthcare professionals as without hampering the violence, it might be severely challenging to contain and combat deadly viruses like Ebola and COVID-19. (Kinshasa/Butembo, 2019)

Why Healthcare Professionals have to deal with these attacks?

Attacks on healthcare professionals massively hinder their abilities to function correctly and effectively towards to sole goal of eradication of the disease. Not only these acts of violence put a constraint on the mobility of these healthcare workers, but also they make aid organizations and NGOs spend more money on the security and well-being of these professionals. As per the International Humanitarian Law (IHL), aid workers and healthcare professionals performing their duties in armed conflicted regions must be protected, however above mentioned incidents of attacks and violence tell another story. To make any set of solutions to curb these sorts of events, the first step should understand the reason and root causes of these attacks, only then any institute or government would be able to draft any set of solutions. (David Child, 2019)(Insecurity Insight, 2019)

 

 

  1. Community Distrust

One key reason for these attacks is based on the distrust between the communities which are affected by these diseases and the aid/health organizations, mostly foreigners, which are trying to curb the spread of these diseases. Reports of local people threatening and harming directly to aid workers and healthcare professionals while they carry out their duties in the Ebola-affected regions are increasing. (Catherine Saez, 2019)(Emmanuel Freudenthal , 2019)

The root cause of this distrust is the belief that is commonly found in the people of DRC that Foreigners, including non-Congolese and Congolese people who are not habitats of the affected areas, have falsely fabricated this Virus to exploit financial and political benefits. The matter gets further exacerbated as the majority of the Ebola-affected areas weren’t allowed to participate in the elections of 2018, which happened in December, and most of these aid workers and healthcare professionals don’t speak the local language. It is the local conception that the outside agencies, including aid agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations, are working for the sole agenda of further destabilizing the region. (United Nations , 2019)(Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee, 2019)

  1. Financial exploitation on the name of Ebola

Another reason for the rift between the locals and these aid workers is the community widespread belief that these workers and agencies are not honest with the financial aid coming from global organizations like the UN and WHO. This has been further substantiated by a research conducted by WHO through a third-party research firm, which concluded that a majority of the response community believes that the conception fuels these violent attacks that the primary reason and motivation of these aid organizations and NGOs is to gain financial benefit. (Emmanuel Freudenthal , 2019)(Rebecca Ratcliffe, 2019)

  1. Just to create anarchy

Rebel groups have dominated the eastern province of Congo like Allied Domestic Forces (ADF) and Mai Mai Militia, which adore creating disorder and chaos in their regions to demonstrate their writs and enforce their rulings. Attacking and using violence against foreign aid agencies provide them with much-required hype not only in the regionally but also globally. (Emmanuel Freudenthal , 2019)

Are health workers fighting COVID-19 facing the same incidents of violence?

Unfortunately, violence, abuse, and hatred couldn’t be stopped from reaching the nurses and doctors working at the frontline to defeat one of the most significant pandemics of human history – Corona Virus (COVID-19). In some countries, it is indeed true that these healthcare professionals are treated as superheroes for putting their own lives at stake to save others; doctors and nurses are getting praised from all world over the social media, but several incidents of violence and abuse have been reported too all over the world. After facing several cases of assaults and backlash from the general public in Mexico City, Fabiana Zepeda Arias, quotes that; “Please stop assaulting us. Please help us take care of you, and for that, we need you to take care of us.”(Kirk Semple, 2020)

Fabiana Zepeda is a Chief of Nursing Program in Mexico, according to her, nurses working under her have been assaulted, verbally, and physically, 21 times; people are accusing nurses of spreading Virus. She further added that many nurses now have stopped wearing their medical outfits while going to and from work as they are afraid that people might hurt them.

On April 1, as reported on BBC, a team of medical staff was assaulted and attacked by an angry mob in Indore, India. As quoted by Dr. Zakiya Sayed, “I had never experienced scenes like these before; it was indeed frightening. We somehow managed to flee away from the agitated mob.” An ambulance driver was shot earlier in April in the Quezon province of the Philippines as it was feared that the ambulance was spreading Corona Virus in the vicinity. (DAWSON WHITE, 2020)(Reethu Ravi, 2020)

Such incidents are not happening in developing parts of the world, but also in a city like New York. When nurses went to their cars in the parking lot after finishing their shifts in Hudson Valley Hospital, they found that the tires of their vehicles were slashed. (DAWSON WHITE, 2020)

Above mentioned cases of violence, abuse, and assault are just a few examples of reported hate crimes against the professional healthcare staff who are tirelessly working to help the world fight with COVID-19. Historically, it has been substantiated that during pandemics, health care professionals are targeted, whether it be Spanish flu, Yellow fever, Ebola, or Corona, people have been verbally and physically violent to them as the due false stigma that these professionals can spread the Virus to them. (Stephanie Nebehay, 2020)(Mary Beth Sheridan, Niha Masih and Regine Cabato, 2020)

These incidents can severely halt the process of containing such lethal viruses. Not only the performances of medical staff can be deteriorated by these stigmas, but also the number of these professionals will decrease with time. In India, the Association of Doctors wrote, “We, the healthcare professionals, are not as scared by the virus itself as we are afraid of the community we treat.”

What we can do to mediate between the communities and healthcare professionals

In any circumstance, hate and violence against medical professionals shouldn’t be tolerable. Without the assistance of these brave healthcare professionals and aid workers, no one can imagine the proper containment and cure of fatal diseases like Ebola and COVID-19. To find ways to mediate between the communities and these healthcare workers and to bridge the gap between them, we need to understand the beneath reason for such stigmatization and assaults; only then organizations could come up with any solid solution.

  1. Acknowledge, promote and glorify

The foremost step to bury the hate and xenophobia against the aid workers and the healthcare professional is to acknowledge their roles and efforts at the federal level. Governments all over the world should announce support packages, which can take several images like permanent employments or a pay raise for the medical staff who are at the front line combatting diseases like Ebola and Corona Virus. Institutions, including the general public, should renounce and promote the duties these medical professionals are performing. In the last, we need to glorify the efforts, bravery, and courage of aid workers and healthcare professionals to decimate the hate and xenophobia against them.

  1. Re-emphasize the punishment for assaulters and abusers

After several cases of verbal and physical abuse were reported in India, the government promulgated an ordinance to make amendments to the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897. It introduced a new sentence for criminals who are involved in any kind of assault and violence against medical professionals. As per the new ordinance, any act of hate and violence would be non-bailable and cognizable; further to increase the intensity of the crime, the government has ordered to complete the investigation within 30 days. Moreover, the offender will also provide compensation to the healthcare professional for any injury, loss, or damage to the property.(Special Correspondent, 2020)

To reduce the number of violent cases, governments all over the world should increase their efforts to amend or introduce new laws and legislations, which will make these sorts of crimes more condemnable.

  1. Communication

To hinder the mistrust between health organizations and communities, proper programs of communication should be launched. The goal of such programs should be to clarify the image of aid workers and healthcare professionals in the visions of communities. These sorts of applications would be more fruitful in the case of societies like the Democratic Republic of Congo, where mistrust is so rampant that people have started to attack aid workers and medical staff directly by themselves. These programs will help in transmitting the main agendas of these organizations and try to align the interests of both communities and health institutions.(Catherine Saez, 2019)

References

Adelicia Fairbanks, 2020. Security and access in the DRC: implementing an acceptance strategy in the Ebola response. Humanitarian Practice Network, March.

Al Jazeera, 2019. Deadly DRC protests target UN as Ebola workers pulled out. AL Jazeera, November .

BBC, 2019. DR Congo crowd burns UN base and Beni town hall. BBC, November .

Catherine Saez, 2019. New Plan For Ebola Outbreak Response To Ensure Safety Of Respondents. Health Policy Watch, June.

David Child, 2019. WHO warns Ebola could breach DRC’s borders unless attacks stop. Al Jazeera, May.

DAWSON WHITE, 2020. Slashed tires and violence: Health care workers face new dangers amid COVID-19 battle. Miami Herald, April.

Emmanuel Freudenthal , 2019. ‘Ebola Business’: How Mistrust Is Fueling Attacks on Health Workers in Eastern Congo. World Politics Review, November .

Humantarian Outcomes, 2019. Aid Worker Security Report 2019. Humantarian Outcomes.

Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee, 2019. IOAC Mission report Democratic Republic of the Congo 24 April – 2 May 2019, s.l.: WHO.

Insecurity Insight, 2019. Attacks on health care in the context of the Ebola emergency response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, s.l.: Insecurity Insight.

Kinshasa/Butembo, 2019. United Nations strengthens Ebola response in Democratic Republic of the Congo. World Health Organization, May.

Kirk Semple, 2020. ‘Afraid to Be a Nurse’: Health Workers Under Attack. New York Times, April.

Lisa Reilly and Raquel Vazquez Llorente, 2015. Organisational risk management in high-risk programmes: the non-medical response to the Ebola outbreak. Humanitarian Practice Network, June.

Mary Beth Sheridan, Niha Masih and Regine Cabato, 2020. As some health workers get ovations, others come under attack during coronavirus pandemic. Washington Post, April .

Max Bearak , 2018. ‘Like a horror film’: The efforts to contain Ebola in a war zone. Washigton Post, December.

Rebecca Ratcliffe, 2019. Senior WHO official accused of using Ebola cash to pay for girlfriend’s flight, s.l.: jANUARY.

Reethu Ravi, 2020. Abused, Attacked, Beaten: Frontline Workers Are Risking Their Lives Everyday In India. The Logical Indian, April.

Special Correspondent, 2020. Coronavirus | Attacks on health workers to attract up to 7 years in prison. The Hindu, April .

Stephanie Nebehay, 2020. Nurses must be protected from abuse during coronavirus pandemic: WHO, nursing groups. Reuters, April .

United Nations , 2019. Ebola emergency chief decries new attacks on frontline staff, after DR Congo worker death. UN News, November.

United Nations, 2019. Armed groups kill Ebola health workers in eastern DR Congo. UN News, November .

WHO Africa, 2019. The Ministry of Health and the United Nations condemn attack on health worker supporting the Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. World Health Organization, November.

 

 

 

 

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