Risk Management in the Airline Industry - 2570 Words

BACKGROUND There are few industries that are exposed to such a diverse assortment of risks as the airline industry. Ever since the first powered human flight in 1903, the progress of aviation and air travel has been inextricably linked to economic and political developments. The airlines of today face all of the four major categories of risk; operational, strategic, operational, financial and hazard risks. During the past 50 years, the airline industry has gone through several major changes. In the 70’s and 80’s, the North American and European airline industries were deregulated. This allowed new airlines to compete more freely with the established major carriers. This put a pressure on the profitability of airlines, and subsequently†¦show more content†¦Today, low-cost airlines dominate the regional markets in North America and Europe. By outsourcing non-essential operations such as baggage handling and catering, and employing standardized and simple procedures, they have been able to cut costs and simplify their operations. Doing this enables these companies to stay competitive even in bad times, and maximize their ability to react to changes in their business environment. (Zea, 2002) Airlines are dependent on the loyalty of their employees. Strikes and labor unrest has plagued the industry for many years. A strike doesn’t only have a direct detrimental effect on revenue; it also tarnishes brand reputation and generally discourages people from flying. The US low-cost carrier Southwest has been very successful in increasing employee loyalty through a â€Å"fun-culture†, profit sharing, and a generally people-centered style of management. (An example showing the hazards of unhappy employees: A friend of mine who actually works as a pilot for a European airline told me that whenever they were unhappy with company policy, they would nudge the throttle a bit too much forward on every takeoff, burning a few extra tons of fuel! True story.) Due to the complex nature of the industry, there are many inherent risks in the day-to-day operations. A large number of people and equipment need to be at certain places at certain times, otherwise schedules break and operations are interrupted. Everything from aShow MoreRelatedThe Cost Of Risk Management Aviation1391 Words   |  6 Pages The cost of Risk Management Aviation integrated framework expands on internal control providing a more robust and extensive focus on the broader subject of Aviation management. Both costs of risk management and financing involve promises to pay that need to be Collateralized, resulting in a financing versus cost risk management trade-off While it is not intended to and does not replace the internal control framework but rather incorporates the internal control framework within it, companies mayRead MoreThis Is a Summary on the Risk Management Case Study of Air Canada1730 Words   |  7 PagesREPORT ON RISK MANGEMENT OF AIR CANADA SUBMITTED TO : MRS.VANDANA MEHROTRA SUBMITTED BY: KUNAL KOTHARI MOHITA AGARWAL SAIMA AHMED APURV SHARMA NAINA SINGH SONAKSHI RATHI AIR CANADA- RISK MANAGEMENT INTRODUCTION: Colin Rovinescu, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), for Air Canada was reviewing the Risk Management program of the company because the scheduled board meeting was approaching soon. He needed to deliver a comprehensive presentation in front of the board members. CHALLENGESRead MoreOligopoly Behavior in the Airline Industry. Case Analysis647 Words   |  3 PagesOligopoly Behavior in the Airline Industry. Case Analysis This case illustrates the pricing behavior of firms that are oligopoly whose market is characterized by the relative few participating firms offering differentiated or standardized products or services. Such firms in an oligopoly have market power derived from barriers of entry that wards off potential participants. As seen in the case, it is clear that because there are a small number of US Airlines firms competing with each other, theirRead MoreHedging Strategies And Effects On Mncs Valuation1550 Words   |  7 Pagesfirms to be able to forecast their business and earnings against the backdrop of uncertainties. A direct result of these challenges lies in the methods that organizations utilize financial vehicles in an effort to offset any unforeseen financial risks that may arise. MNCs utilize various hedging or arbitrage strategies to stabilize financial earnings or firm value especially when there are obvious inconsistencies in global exchange movements. This paper contributes to the literature by providingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Financial Analysis Of American Airlines1639 Words   |  7 Pages American Airlines Financial Analysis Luigi Vittatoe Florida Institute of Technology June 13, 2016 â€Æ' American Airlines Financial Analysis The paper will focus on the financial analysis of American Airlines to enable us make a decision on whether it’s viable to invest in the company. One of the tools that will be used for the analysis is the financial ratios. The financial ratios of the past three years will be calculated to determine the capital structure of the company, liquidity, profitabilityRead MoreSouthwest Airlines Hedging Activity For The Years 2000937 Words   |  4 PagesGiven the background of airline risk exposure and risk management practices, it is apparent that airlines have a variety of options available to minimise fuel price risk. Most of their hedging activity involves over the counter (OTC) instruments which are largely unregulated and difficult to study. Market activity in futures exchanges presents a safer option whose activity is monitored and regulated. The rest of the paper focuses on Southwest Airlines’ hedging activity for the years 2000 – 2014Read MoreSwot Analysis : The Airline Industry1377 Words   |  6 PagesVincent Oram Strategic Management Five Forces 9/30/16 When considering to enter a market or not, one of the smartest things a company can do is run a five forces analysis. This analysis looks over the level of competition in an industry to find the intensity of it, which in turns shows the attractiveness of entering this industry or not. This analysis looks over five categories; the threat of new entrants, the threat or availability of substitutes, the power of buyers, the power of substitutesRead MoreTaft Hartley Act1296 Words   |  6 Pagesbeen several laws passed in the United stated pertaining to employees, employers, and unions including The Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure act of 1959 (LMRDA) and the Taft-Hartley act (Hero, 2015), (Legal Dictionary, 2015),. These laws and acts serve as a guidelines in making union, employer, or judicial decisions (Department of Labor, 2015). 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Behavior Of The Children And It Leaves Me Disgusted

As I walk around public places such as schools, restaurants, malls, grocery stores, etc., I spectate the behavior of the children and it leaves me disgusted. Little boys and girls running around grocery stores screaming and knocking things over, kids rolling on the ground in tantrums because their mother said no to buying the toy they want while shopping for groceries, teenagers at the mall disrespecting others, cutting in line, cursing, you name it. What I absolutely abhor the most has to be the disrespect these children have, especially towards adults and/or their parents. The problem with kids these days don’t lie within the kids themselves: it is the parents and their methods of raising that is the problem. The issue with the young†¦show more content†¦That is how children operate and act. From what I have seen, parents try to ignore or appease their children to temporarily halt this behavior. When a child is acting in this sort of way, parents shouldn’t as k them to stop or appease them; they should yank that kid over and give him or her some bruises. â€Å"Once you begin hitting the child who is pushing your buttons, you will experience enormous relief. And that pleasant relief can drive you to hit even more, even harder,† says Denise Cummins, a PHD, psychiatrist, author, and parent. By hitting children, you aren’t just disciplining them, you are also allowing yourself to take out all of your negative emotions such as anger. It is truly a win-win situation: you discipline your child and feel better afterwards. Even a certified PHS and psychologist would admit that. As someone who writes books about parenting and has a PHD, Dr. Cummins clearly knows what she is talking about when she discusses the emotional benefits of hitting your children. Adrian Peterson, an NFL player, spurred a storm of controversy when he disciplined his four year old son with a switch. Reports in the news stated that â€Å"the beating was so seve re that it left welts on the child’s body.† This is a biased statement to turn parents away from physical discipline. Welts and bruises are common when giving beatings. That is what makes this form of discipline so effective. Joyce Maynard stated that out of all of the parents she interviewedShow MoreRelatedAunt Mary, An Analysis of the Joseph Imperiale Short Story Essay728 Words   |  3 Pagescharacters. In Aunt Mary written by Joseph Imperiale, we might identify three arguments here. The first argument is that children can only grow as far as their boundaries will allow them. This is supported when Joshua nearly electrocutes himself by sticking a knife into a plugged-in toaster in order to get his muffin out. At that time, Mary says: If you need help, get me or Nonna (Imeriale357). Obviously, Joshua is limited in his knowledge of physics. In this case, he should be told aboutRead MoreSex Crime Essay1176 Words   |  5 Pagesabnormal sexual deviancy. We are provided with current concrete legal definitions of normal, acceptable standards of sexual behavior. These standards are judged and justified most importantly in the subjective standard. This standard legitimizes behavior at a personal level. Here is where each of us as humans will rationalize, justify and legitimize the elements of sexual behavior. This is where the cost-benefit analysis of Criminal Justice finds it roots. If we were in fact able to differentiate betweenRead MorePlato Essay1058 Words   |  5 Pages Aristocles was born into a great political family (Friedlander 14). His father being the descendant of Codrus, the last king of Athens, and his mother was descendant from the great Athenian law maker Solon (Friedlander 15). Like most adolescent children his ambitions were far from anything his parents had ever done. Aristocles wanted to be a wrestler. 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Installing 70/30 Copper-Nickel Pipe Free Essays

Installing 70/30 copper nickel (cuni) pipe sometimes can be a test of human patients, mechanical knowledge, and dexterity. It is, however, well worth the effort, because once you complete the job whether you’re a novice or connoisseur of the art you gain a sense of pride for a job well done. Additionally, you will have confidence in knowing that your pipe will stand the test of time and vigorous challenges they’re used for. We will write a custom essay sample on Installing 70/30 Copper-Nickel Pipe or any similar topic only for you Order Now The only problem that comes with working with 70/30 cuni pipe is, having a concrete way to approach even the minutest step(s) when installing, cleaning, and inspecting your pipe. Initially, you should have gathered your tools that will you need for this job. Assuming that you have the proper tools for the job we will begin by taking the copper nickel pipe a prepping it for installation. To prep copper-nickel pipe you want to start by gathering your pipe and you’re fittings, so you can obtain the measurements for the length off your pipe, square it off, and then touch it up. By doing this it eliminates dirt and debris, and allows for cohesiveness between the mechanical joints when you’re mating them together. Too do this you’re going to measure out the proper length of your pipe by taking your ruler (which should be measured in inches) and mark on your pipe how much you’re going to need. Once you have done that you’re going to cut the pipe at its designated mark. At the same time, be careful not to cut too much off, because if you do then you will have to either buy more pipe or go through another process of adding the pipe back. You can cut copper pipe with a regular hacksaw or a copper tube cutter. Although both will make a satisfactory cut, the tube cutter ensures a square cut every time. Use a jig or miter box when you’re cutting copper pipe with a hacksaw. This helps to ensure a square cut in the pipe. After making the cut, remove the burrs inside the pipe with a half-round file. A pipe cutter usually leaves more burrs in the pipe than a hacksaw. When cutting pipe for a specific run, be sure to make allowances for the distance of pipe that fits into the fittings. Also, remember to add the extra length the fittings will give the entire run of pipe. Figure about 1/2†³ for each fitting. In addition to doing this your also simultaneously doing something else called chamfering (chamfering is the process of filing the tip of the inside of the pipe so that the flux and stick to the pipe). Now that your pipe is squared off your going to take a strip of emery cloth and clean the outside of the pipe a half-inch away from the tip of your pipe (doing this allows for proper flow of the soldering ring between the fitting and pipe) until you have a bright gold shade of pipe, which is the natural color of copper-nickel pipe. Now that your pipe is ready for mating, you know have to prep your fitting for mating as well. To do this you’re going to take another piece of emery cloth a clean the inside of your fitting up to a half-inch in diameter on both sides of the fittings. Once you’re done with that procedure use a different strip of emery cloth to clean your brazing rings, and then place them in the slots inside your fittings. Once you have prepped your pipe and fittings you’re ready to mate the pipe and fitting together. Apply a light coat of soldering paste or flux to the cleaned end of the copper pipe. Use a flux brush, an old toothbrush or a wooden paddle for spreading the flux. Flux or soldering paste ensures a firm bond between the copper and the solder. Also apply flux to the inside of the cleaned fittings. The flux or soldering paste will keep the copper from oxidizing when heated. Place the copper fitting on the pipe only after it is thoroughly cleaned and coated with soldering paste). When the fitting is firmly in place, rotate both the pipe and the fitting several times to spread the flux evenly. A propane torch is an ideal tool for mating copper pipe. If you look at the flame of a propane torch you will notice there is a lighter blue, well-defined flame in the middle of a darker blue flame. The tip of this light blue flame is the hottest part of the flame. Play (move) the flame along the fittings and the pipe to bring them up to soldering heat. Then concentrate the heat in the middle of the fitting. The light blue flame should be just touching the fitting. You can do both ends of the fitting at the same time by heating in the middle like this. Do not apply the heat directly to the solder or the area that has been fluxed. Do not overheat the copper pipe. If you look at the flame on the side of the pipe away from the torch, you may notice a green flame develop. This means the fitting is ready to solder. Another way to tell is to touch the solder to the hot pipe. If the solder melts and begins to run, the pipe is at soldering temperature. Remove the flame from the pipe and apply the solder to the pipe where it joins the fitting. The solder will flow into the fit. Keep melting the solder until it appears completely around the fitting. The old saying, â€Å"If a little is good, then a lot is better,† does not apply here. Excess solder can run down inside the pipe, causing a restriction or even a blockage. You can experiment with different tips on your propane torch until you find the one that spreads the heat evenly along the pipe you are using. After you have successfully measured, square-off, and used a propane torch to mate your pipe and fittings you’re ready to clean your pipe. Cleaning your pipe throughout this procedure is a nonstop evolution. After mating your pipe together cleaning it is extremely important, it’s the first step in recognizing any malfunctions. You should be able to notice the thin black film that’s coated around the pipe and the fitting. This black coat of film comes from the rise in temperature of the pipe after you have heated it properly. To clean your pipe now you are going to have to have a bucket of water and a wire brush. Take your wire brush and dip it in the water and start cleaning the pipe and fitting(s) where you brazed at. You should continue to do this until both the pipe and fitting(s) becomes bright gold. In the meantime, while you’re cleaning your pipe you should have adequate lighting available, so you’re able to spot check for insufficient mating around the radius of your pipe and fittings. If you have thoroughly cleaned your pipe and notice small holes around your pipe then you need to go back a re-heat your pipe and apply more solder using a soldering stick. Once you have reached the point where you have no pen holes between your pipe and fittings, then you have completed the installation and cleaning of your 70/30 cuni pipe job. You are now ready to perform a system and inspection check of your project. Now that you have successfully installed and cleaned your pipe it’s now time to inspect your pipe for mechanically cohesiveness and system performance. This process is very important, because your craft is successful only if it can pass inspection. It requires a great deal of attention to detail when inspecting the pipe and fittings, so that you’re careful to not miss any pen holes. To this inspection, you have to do is submerge the part of the pipe that you brazed in clean and clear water. After doing this, if you notice water pockets form in the water remove the pipe and clean it with a rag and try it again. When you have tried it again and you notice water pocket again then that means you have tiny pen hole between your fittings and pipe. To fix this problem you will have to locate where the water pockets are forming at and solder that part. Once you have done that submerge your pipe and check for water pockets. After you have successfully corrected the pen holes you can now begin to clean up your job and apply the finishing touches to your pipe. In conclusion, installing pipe can be difficult if you don’t have a proper foundation of rules to follow. Having an easy to understand guide line for performing such a job can be cost effective, uncomplicated, and less time consuming. Learning how to install, clean, and inspect 70/30 copper-nickel pipe can prepare you for the rigorous challenges that comes with working with pipes and fittings of different sizes and materials. Whether you’re an apprentice or authority of the art of pipe fitting, this guide line for installation, cleaning, and inspect 70/30 cuni will be of great assistance to you. How to cite Installing 70/30 Copper-Nickel Pipe, Papers

Managing Yourself and Leaders and Managers †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Managing Yourself and Leaders and Managers. Answer: Introduction: Depending on the type of the website under testing, a usability test may include the collecting of personal data if the researcher is requiring the participants to enter accurate data. However, this may be highly unlikely since most of the data collected will be just for testing whether the tool in question is working properly. It is subjective to the ICT department to determine whether or not it will be necessary to allow a consent form for the internal workers. Since the testing is within the company and for the company, it may not be necessary for the internal workers to need the form. However, it would be necessary to consider the feelings and the opinions of the internal participants before they begin participating in the testing in regard to the code 1.2.2 (c) which dictates that understand, and give due regard to the perceptions of those affected by your work;. It would be necessary to design a different consent form that is specific to the internal group. While indeed a conse nt form is necessary for participants to understand in entirety the terms of the testing, it is also the subjective decision of the ICT department to know what will bring maximum satisfaction while at the same time meet the goal of the testing. In addition, usability testing should be seen as a task that every employee in the company should feel obliged to participate in since their views might be more useful in increasing their satisfaction than the external participants. However, the main determining factor is creating a clear platform for all the participants to willingly agree to the terms of the usability testing while respecting and protecting their privacy. The speaker uses a number of techniques to pin his persuasion. First, he helps his audience understand and appreciate the topic by painting it out to them in words. He acknowledges the Aboriginals' identity and the fact that they are indigenous and the oldest culture. Second, he seems to understand all the sides of his audience. On one side, the indigenous people which he is trying to persuade to forget and on the other side the perceived wrong doers who might not agree that they are at fault. By putting himself in the wrong-side and taking the blame, he is likely to convince the audience from both sides. He as well acknowledges all the side including the opposition, the government, the indigenous people, non-indigenous, Commonwealth, and state. The speaker attempts to win the language game by simply putting himself in the event, accepting being at fault and urging the wronged people to forgive and move on as a continent. The speaker uses a number of linguistic devices to deliver his point. For example, he uses colloquialism when he says For the future we take heart.... Although the word itself is not formal, he uses it relates to his audience more. Another colloquial example used is righting the wrongs. Another device used by the speaker is pathos. He describes the injustices of the aboriginals in great details to enlist emotions among the audience. There is also a great use of word choice employed by the speaker. Words such as great country, equal opportunities and so on are used to create a mood of togetherness and unity throughout the speech. Procrastination refers to the perpetual delay of tasks that are due. It is a serious psychological issue that might hinder the progress and development of an individual. Procrastination comes about as a result of conflicting decisions between the desire to complete the required task and the lack of motivation for doing the same task. It is important to distinguish procrastination and forgetting. While forgetting means you did not remember the task, procrastination, on the other hand, involves being fully aware of the task and what is required to be done. In my experience, most of the task I have procrastinated were tasks that I could have achieved with moderate effort. Lecture 2 was the best lesson to me. It was about self-management and leadership management. The lessons in the lecture taught an understanding of the hierarchy of needs, scheduling oneself, stress management techniques and goals planning. The lecture was very practical making it easy to apply the knowledge as almost instantly. The concepts were easy to grasp and since they involved day to day life, I began practicing them one by one. However, the lecture was long with many concepts put together in one lesson. This made it difficult to apply all the concepts from one lecture. One has to note them down and practice them with time. Understanding the principles of time management and learning about prioritizing has enabled me to develop. Although I am picking the concepts at a slow pace, I am trying to practice each principle at a time. I have started by keeping a journal. In it, I record inspiring moments whether good or bad. Reflecting on these moments has enabled me to understand where I need to correct and not. In addition to that, I have improved in prioritizing the most important tasks before embarking o other tasks. I believe with time I will be able to grasp all the concepts and put them into practice. I am planning to take the following steps to ensure that I further develop as far as self-management and professionalism is concerned: Keep an active diary to note daily tasks before going to sleep. This will allow me to plan my day prior. Prioritize my long term and short term goals and have them written down in a notebook. This will be important to ensure I keep myself on track. Note all significant memories down. Reading about what I have done through the day will help identify what I need to improve on. Have a yearly planner with my school time table included. With a yearly planner, I will be able to know what will be due in time and be able to plan my time well. References Code of Professional Conduct v2, vol. 122. Australia: Australian Computer Society, 2017. B. Chowdhury, "Managing Yourself Leaders and Managers", Melbourne Institute of Technology, 2017. "What are linguistic devices?", https://www.apastyle.org, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/linguistic-devices.aspx. [Accessed: 27- Aug- 2017].

SWOT Analysis of GM

Strengths GM, based in Detroit, is the second leading auto producer after Toyota. It was founded in 1908 and has been a market leader on a global scale for close to 80 years. One of GM’s strength is that it operates different brands i.e. Chevrolet, Hummer and Cadillac in America. This makes it easier for it to penetrate the market; furthermore, the company has other brand and subsidiaries worldwide. GM has guaranteed its global presence by entering into partnerships with different companies such as Daewoo.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on SWOT Analysis of GM specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It has also enhanced the levels of cooperation with Isuzu and Suzuki. It is not forgotten that GM has manufacturing ventures with different companies, like Renault. GM also has advanced technology cooperation with Daimler, BMW and Toyota. The company has close to 200, 000 employees worldwide with manufacturing and a ssembly plants in 34 countries. These contribute to its penetration of the market. Weaknesses GM pays remarkably high additional benefits to its employees. These amounts are much higher than what their competitors pay. With all other factors constant, they spend much more than their rivals such that a weaker balance sheet is guaranteed. Union agreements have also made GM absorb many employees thus a large workforce that may at times be redundant. Since general motors manufacture up to 70% of the spare parts used during assembly, they end up with higher unit prices since they have to recover their investment in the parts and the assembled vehicles. Their competitors buy ready made parts from other dealers and may bargain for discounts during purchase, thus a lower vote head. GM has outdated information structure that cannot be used effectively to communicate with each other. They should embrace Internet connectivity and use it to provide a host of other products. GM should also diver sify its products. Great emphasis has been placed on motor vehicle production and sale thus limiting market growth. Opportunities The company has a chance to improve on its current status in the market. This is because they have strong market bases in America, Germany, UK, Canada, China, Brazil and Italy. These markets have not been largely infiltrated by other automobile brands. GM should therefore, rethink and redesign its products in order to penetrate these markets. While individual buyers may not have a lot of power against such a large manufacturer, collectively buyers have enormous influence on the market trends hence may affect line success or failure. Taking this into account, GM should make customer satisfaction a priority.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Threats The biggest threat to GM is in the developing world, where brand loyalty is not existent, and shop ping habits are determined by price. The business was out of touch with the customer wishes thus manufacturing expensive units that could not be easily sold. This was the principal contributor to the company’s failure, as the units consumed more fuel, in addition to the, high purchase and maintenance prices. Workers may use their unions to extract proceeds from the company during the procurement of spare parts, a necessity for car assembly. As opposed to the United States, emerging markets have alternatives to car possession, like public transport, walking or biking. Purchasing vehicles is not a necessity in such settings. It is notable that vehicle purchasing is determined by complementary factors, including fuel prices, availability of space for parking, communications and insurance. Any deficiency or lack of access to the above mentioned privileges may negatively affect vehicle purchase. This assessment on SWOT Analysis of GM was written and submitted by user Lexie Pate to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Australia’s Industrial Relations System Vs. Unions

Australia’s Industrial Relations System Vs. Unions Industrial relations involves a body which employers makes regulations governing employment relationships. This enables employees and their unions, employers/ management and their associtions to resolve issues between each other and incorperate rules and regulations which will provide a fair environment for both the employees and employers. Industrial relations also provides a fair platform in which both parties can resolve issues paving way to higher industrial and employment standard. In order to answer the question as to whether or not a union has a decreasing role in such industrial relations, it is important to analyse the roles of the unions and the industrial relations commission. Unions for so long have represented disatisfied employees mainly in economic terms, working conditions and victimisation. Employees who feel powerless to the management approach esually seek the aid of unions. Especially in the case of low income or ow skilled jobs, which are commonly available. Employees ussually join unions s that there is a powerful representative of their vital interests, hence it is quiet clearly understood that unions sometimes leaving the management victiminized or forced to succumit to the demands of employee. Usually in most cases companies give into threats such as strikes, walkouts and reduction in productivity. This is one of the major reasons why industrial relations was set up. Australian Industrial Relations is dominated by three representatives. These are as given below:  § The government  § Employer associations  § Trade unions The Federal government and the industrial relations commission of Australia regulates everything from the pay rates and working conditions through to legislation and industrial awards. What the Australian industrial relations commission aims to achive is a fair platform for both employers and employees alike. The com... Free Essays on Australia’s Industrial Relations System Vs. Unions Free Essays on Australia’s Industrial Relations System Vs. Unions Australia’s Industrial Relations System Vs. Unions Industrial relations involves a body which employers makes regulations governing employment relationships. This enables employees and their unions, employers/ management and their associtions to resolve issues between each other and incorperate rules and regulations which will provide a fair environment for both the employees and employers. Industrial relations also provides a fair platform in which both parties can resolve issues paving way to higher industrial and employment standard. In order to answer the question as to whether or not a union has a decreasing role in such industrial relations, it is important to analyse the roles of the unions and the industrial relations commission. Unions for so long have represented disatisfied employees mainly in economic terms, working conditions and victimisation. Employees who feel powerless to the management approach esually seek the aid of unions. Especially in the case of low income or ow skilled jobs, which are commonly available. Employees ussually join unions s that there is a powerful representative of their vital interests, hence it is quiet clearly understood that unions sometimes leaving the management victiminized or forced to succumit to the demands of employee. Usually in most cases companies give into threats such as strikes, walkouts and reduction in productivity. This is one of the major reasons why industrial relations was set up. Australian Industrial Relations is dominated by three representatives. These are as given below:  § The government  § Employer associations  § Trade unions The Federal government and the industrial relations commission of Australia regulates everything from the pay rates and working conditions through to legislation and industrial awards. What the Australian industrial relations commission aims to achive is a fair platform for both employers and employees alike. The com...

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Business Communication - Essay Example The organisational structure of BED is as follows: Theoretically, communication involves the encoding of information by a sender, transmission of the information and decoding of information by the receiver (Golio, 2002: Begeron, 2011). Information in the organisational setting must prompt the required action and in any cases where the required action is not carried out, there is said to be some â€Å"noise† in the communication loop (Schiova, 2010: Koontz, 2008). Noises could be anything that obstruct communication and this include issues with decoding the message, poor transmission systems and interruptions in the flow of the message (Allender et al, 2012). Communication is said to be complete if the information sent prompts a feedback as per the initial message sent (Narula, 2010). There are various issues with the communication channel and the communication system of BED and these are discussed below. First of all, there are natural communication issues between the administrative staff and the engineering staff. This is because the Engineering Managers and the Administrative Managers have limited horizontal communication channels and systems through which they can have discussions and communications. Thus, they hardly conduct lateral communication. To this end, the administrative staff members tend to communicate more within themselves whilst the engineering staff members communicate with each other in a much more frequent manner. Due to this, if a manager in the lower tier of the company needs to communicate, there is a challenge. Secondly, there are times where there is friction between the Engineering Managers and Administrative Managers. This causes a hold up of information flow and there are various problems and issues in the operations. This has blocked upward and downward information flow, and there is so much resentment. Thirdly, the Engineering unit is used to using

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How Investment Opportunities Affect Cash Holdings

How Investment Opportunities Affect Cash Holdings Introduction In recent years the interest of financial researches raised to firms cash policy, cash positions; if more accurate they are paying more attention why do firms hold so much cash. These issues have a long history and are the basis of corporate finance.  Indeed, from the day to day operations to finance long-term investments, own funds are just the most important source of funding. In particular, observers have recently serious doubts about the validity of so much cash.  This problem has led to important research aimed at clarifying the multifaceted aspects of monetary policy firms.  Although the rapid development of significantly enriched our understanding of the factors that stocks of companies the funds, the literature has paid little attention in the form of cash policys real impact on the daily activities of firms. In the 2007-2008 credit crunch business leaders and the media have made the phrase cash is sovereign back in vogue.  Although the firms internal cash flows decline, the stock markets collapsed and the credit markets nearly frozen, the lack of money has become a reality for many firms.  For example, General Motors (GM), based in the U.S. automaker, announced on 7 November 2008 that he could escape from the liquidity, despite the ongoing restructuring process. GM eventually reorganized through bankruptcy, but their fate was to demonstrate the importance of cash holdings.  Although the reduction of cash flows, as a rule, inevitable in many industries during the economic downturn, the symptoms can be removed by a sufficient amount of cash as a buffer to the crisis.  Nevertheless, for several reasons shareholders do not always want to see the firm to save money and sit on it.  The shareholders outlook on firms cash holdings and the cost they place on it will be examined in this research. The determinants and consequences of corporate cash holdings have attracted enlarged interest of scientists over the past ten years.  One key issue was that the relationship between cash and the value of the company.  Broadly speaking, two main factors in the equation of the advantages of liquidity of the company and the agency cost of managerial discretion.  Both these arguments have their supporters. For example, Myers and Majluf (1984) argue that costly external financing means that firms must maintain a sufficient cash reserve, which provides liquidity to take advantage of new projects a positive NPV.  However, according to Jensen (1986) the agency costs of managerial consolidation means that large amounts of cash should be paid to shareholders to keep managers overinvesting negative NPV projects.  Apparently, there is no single truth, which will apply to all companies at once, as the needs of both the firm and its managers are not uniform. Understanding the value of cash is of interest not only for researchers and scientists, but even more so for practitioners.  Equity analysts, financiers and corporate chief financial officers must all be very interesting to know which factors affect the cost of cash holdings in the company and why. Most equity analysts simply add cash to the top of the value of the company, without giving attention from what could be the reason why money should not be evaluated at face value. However, researches show, markets, monetary values in different firms in different ways, and, consequently, analysts may be too especially if the company has a large amount of liquid assets.  For corporate financiers situation is somewhat different, because they often give the conclusion that the value of the target firm is the acquirer, thereby eliminating the influence of the prevailing corporate governance and financial policies.  Nevertheless, it can be valuable to understand the value of cash when as sessing the market value of the firm.  Finally, the financial department of a firm must know why their cash cannot be appreciated at face value, and that they could do if they want.  This allows us not only to understand the preferences of shareholders, but perhaps an opportunity to meet them. Problem Statement In this research I want to find answers to the questions like: What is the reason of holding so much cash than needed? What kind of effects it could cause? How the financing constraints and investment opportunities together affect the value the shareholders place on cash? How firms investment opportunities affect the marginal value of firms cash holdings? How firms the state of external capital markets affect the marginal value of firms cash holdings? 1.3 Research objectives The aim of this work is the approach to the cost of cash holdings of firms in two directions. First, subsequent to Faulkender and Wang (2006), who studied the cross-section changes in the marginal value of corporate cash, which arises from differences in corporate financial policy. Secondly, inspired by the credit crunch of 2007-2008, I examine how changes in the external capital markets affect the cost of money over time.  As far as I know there have not been previous studies on the time changes in the value of cash.  There are several reasons why the loan should affect any results related to the companys cash holdings.  First, Almeida et al.(2004) show that financially constrained firms maintain a significantly higher proportion of their cash flow, the following adverse macroeconomic shocks than before.  This means that the relationship between the preserve cash flow and earnings of the company is dynamic and may change over time.  Second, the importance of cash is emphasized in a recession.  When a loan is becoming more rationed, the company in which a lot of cash does not need to worry about the inability to finance daily operations.  Intuitively, firms with more cash are less likely to be downgraded credit rating and are able to maintain acce ss to capital markets.  In addition, these companies can take advantage of the plight of the weaker firms, which may be less liquid assets, through active competitive actions and acquisitions.  Thus, it seems appropriate to us a treasure load of cash in good times to be able to strike when the economy turns.  Finally, as credit becomes more and more rationed, it also becomes more expensive.  This is especially true for financially constrained firms. I use a sample of around 1000 Malaysian firms for the last decade from 1999 to 2009 to test the hypothesis in Faulkender and Wang (2006), impact of investment opportunities on the value of cash, and the change in value of cash over the economic cycle. The usable observations begin from 1999 because for most of the variables I require a change throughout a fiscal year. The extraordinary state in the financial markets during 2007-2008 allows me to study how it may have impacted the value of cash. The following terms interchangeably I use in this thesis. First, in a few ways, mainly as cash holdings, cash reserves, or simply cash I refer to firms cash holdings. Nevertheless, cash level is used to refer to cash ratio (cash to net assets). Second, I use the value of cash, the marginal value of cash, value of additional cash, value of an extra dollar of cash, and the value the shareholders place on cash while referring to the value of firms cash holdings. Third, since most of the previous studies have been done with U.S. data, I discuss the value of a dollar in the introduction. However, my data are from Malaysia, and therefore in the empirical part I am examining the value of a ringgit. I review the related literature in the next section. Section 3 develops theoretical framework of the study, the main hypothesis, illustrates the methods and details the sample selection. LITERATURE REVIEW The literature on market value of cash can be divided into research focus on the benefits of liquidity, or agency costs.  The former approaches through the studies of financial policy and corporate decision making of companies, whereas the latter evaluates the degree of agency conflicts on the basis of corporate governance factors.  Despite the general division between the two issues, both are at least implicitly always present during the tests and conclusions. Although much effort has recently been devoted to studying the determinants of cash policy of firms, data on the impact of reserves firms cash remains relatively small.  However, there are a few notable exceptions.  Blanchard, Lopez-de-Silanes and Shleifer (1994), who studied a small sample of companies that received cash windfalls from lawsuits, and Harford (1999), studied the acquisition of the company with unusual cash, the document that managers with weaker incentives to maximize  value, tend to spend large amounts of cash is inefficient. Opler, Pinkowitz, Stulz and Williamson (1999) argue that corporate cash can be attributed to a compromise, the theory of financial hierarchy and agency theory.  Kim, Mauer and Sherman (1998) develop a model of compromise and argue that the optimal amount of corporate cash holdings is determined by the tradeoff between lower income and benefits to minimize the need for costly external financing.  Almeida, Campello and Weisbach (2004) believe that corporate cash holdings affected by financial difficulties.  Pinkowitz and Williamson (2001) believe that the bank authorities can affect the cash holdings of Japanese firms.  Faulkender and Wang (2006) consider changes in the marginal value of corporate cash holdings related to differences in corporate financial policy.  Foley, Hartzell, Titman and Twite (2006) offer tax-based explanations of corporate cash. Most of the literature to evaluate the relationship between financial policy and the exact market value cash holding focused on companies in the United States of America (USA) Pinkowitz and Williamson (2004), Faulkender and Wang (2006), and Denis and Sibilkov (2007) all  study how the financial characteristics of the company, and the cost of cash to play together. Pinkowitz and Williamson (2004) show that the average market value of the dollar held by a firm at roughly $ 1.20, which indicates that shareholders believe that the benefits outweigh the potential liquidity problems of the agency associated with it.  Faulkender and Wang (2006), using different methodologies to find the market value of the dollar at $ 0.94 on average.  Their results suggest that the potential costs of institutions, as well as tax effects outweigh the benefits to the average firm.  Denis Sibilkov (2007) focus on the financial difficulties of the company and the investment opportunities and find consi stent results.  Nevertheless, there is significant cross-section changes in the market value of money, thus focusing on the mean values shows only a little about the relationship between fiscal policy and the value of cash. The other branch of value of cash literature focuses on the effect of corporate governance.  For example, Dittmar and Mahrt-Smith (2007) use U.S. data show that the additional $ 1 cash for badly managed companies worth between $ 0.42 to $ 0.88, while good governance doubles the value.  Pinkowitz et al.  (2006) used a cross-border data and found that an additional $ 1 is associated with an increase in company value of $ 0.29 to $ 0.33, depending on the criteria of corporate governance in countries with weak protection of shareholders, while an additional $ 1 in cash  associated with an increase of $ 0.91 to $ 0.95 in the value of the company in countries with good shareholder protection.  In addition, Kalcheva and Lins (2003) found that a minority of investors who are not very well protected by applicable discounts for firms in high levels of cash.  This is consistent with the findings Fresard and Salva (2009), which show that the value of $ 1 of excess cash of typical non -US companies is U.S. $ 0,58, while it is $ 1.61 for the firms listed in the U.S. through exchanges means that  investors discount the value of corporate cash reserves when they are at high risk of turning into private profit. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Theoretical Framework Here I will talk about the early literature related to the value of cash holdings of the company, as well as provide relevant theory.  I begin with outlining the background to understand why firms hold cash. It is necessary to identify with why firms hold cash in order to understand how the shareholders determine the importance they attach to the cash.  Then I will present before the relevant studies and conclusions contained in the value of the cash literature. 3.1.1 Cash holding motives If all firms operating in the world of perfect capital markets, cash holdings will have no value.  If the firm was in need of cash for operations or investments, it can raise funds at zero cost. While there is no liquidity premium in such a world, holdings of liquid assets have no possibility of cost.  Consequently, if a company borrows money and invests it in liquid assets, shareholder wealth is unchanged. Nevertheless, in the real world markets are not perfect and the holding of liquid assets has its costs.  Thus, a firm must strike a balance between the marginal cost of holding liquid assets and the marginal benefit of holding these assets. Here, I present five theories of why firms hold cash and which have been shown in earlier literature. 3.1.1.1 The transaction motive Transactions motive for holding cash is due to the cost of converting money substitutes into cash.  According to Keynes (1936), a company can save on transaction costs by using cash to make payments without liquidation of assets.  Miller and Orr (1966) model the demand for cash to finance daily operations, and the required level of cash.  The company short of liquid assets has to raise funds in capital markets, liquidate existing assets, reduce dividends and investment, the revision of existing financial contracts, or use a combination of these actions.  Since there are both fixed and variable costs in increasing cash, the company must hold a buffer of cash to avoid raising cash often, and thus to avoid the associated fixed transaction costs. Myers and Majluf (1984) argue that the increase in external financing is more costly than using internal resources in the presence of asymmetric information.  Since outsiders know less than the management, they may discount the price of securities more than management was willing to accept.  Thus, the management may find it more profitable not to sell securities, and even reduce the investment.  For this reason, it may be optimal for companies that conduct a certain level of cash to meet the needs of investment spending. 3.1.1.2 The agency motive Jensen (1986) argues that entrenched managers have incentives to retain cash rather than an increase in payments to shareholders, even if the firm has limited opportunities for investment.  Opler et al.  (1999) tender reasons why managers can use the optimal cash policies.  First, managers can accumulate funds to pursue their personal interests.  Cash allows managers to invest in external capital markets would not be willing to finance.  They usually spend one dollar in cash in hand, even if they cannot raise financing from the markets.  Consequently, they could make investments that may have a negative impact on the value of the company.  Jensens (1986) free cash flow problem predicts that managers with surplus cash are probably to overinvest.  Thus, a one dollar increase in cash holdings of firms can lead to significantly less than one dollar increase in the value of the company.  As the outsiders do not know, whether managers are accumulating cash to increase the value of the company or pursue their own goals, the cost of external capital is likely to increase. 3.1.1.3 The tax motive In recent studies by Foley et al. (2007) shows that U.S. companies which will bear the tax consequences associated with the repatriation of foreign earnings hold a high level of cash. Affiliates referring to the highest tax consequences of repatriating also have the highest level of cash.  This means that multinational companies are more likely to accumulate cash.  The extent this applies to the Malaysian firms has yet be studied. 3.1.1.4 The theory financing hierarchy The theory of financing hierarchy implies that there is no optimal amount of cash, based on arguments similar to the hierarchy theory of capital structure (Opler et al. (1999)).  According to theory, firms are not willing to issue shares, because it is too expensive because of the asymmetry of information.  They sell the debt when they do not have sufficient resources, and when they can do so.  When they have sufficient resources to invest in profitable opportunities available, they pay the debt which becomes due, and to accumulate more cash or else.  The theory assumes that the cash holdings of firms are less strategic choice but more a result of a dynamic, endogenous process. 3.1.1.5 Investment opportunities and the value of cash Pinkowitz and Williamson (2004) were the first who studied the market value of cash holdings.  They focus on firms investment and financing opportunities.  They find that the growth of the company have the possibility of a positive attitude to the market value of money.  Firms with greater investment opportunities have a higher cost of cash.  They also show that firms with higher uncertainty of investment have a higher valuation.  In addition, firms in a difficult financial situation have lower valuation on cost. Faulkender and Wang (2006) confirm this conclusion, as they show that firms with lower leverage, a proxy for financial distress, have higher value put on cash.  Finally, Pinkowitz and Williamson (2004) argue that access to capital markets does not affect the market value of cash.  However, they note that their proxy for access to capital markets, company size may not be perfect. Consequently, Faulkender and Wang (2006) show that the difficulties in obtaining ac cess to capital markets play an important role in the market value of cash.  Liu and Chang (2009) show similar proof on the impact of financial constraints on the market value of cash.  Faulkender and Wang (2006) also show that the marginal cost of cash reduces with the amount of cash holdings.  They argue that this is associated with an increase in the probability distribution of cash to shareholders, and consequently incurring transaction costs and taxation, to reduce the cost of cash. Hypothesis After I studied the theory of the value of cash holdings, I turn to the empirical predictions.  I present hypotheses for the impact of financial policy and investment opportunities on the value of cash.  These hypotheses relate to previous work in the field of corporate finance and the value for cash. Hypothesis 1: The marginal value of cash is decreasing in the level of the firms cash position After Faulkender and Wang (2006), I initially hypothesize that the marginal value of the shareholders place on cash holdings of the company reduces as the level of cash holdings increases.  The reasons are based on agency and tax considerations.  As firms cash level rises it becomes more likely to distribute the cash to shareholders who then as a result incur a dividend tax.  In addition, the company with high cash holdings becomes more vulnerable to face agency costs as shareholders begin to worry about the interest and ability of managers to invest in positive NPV projects.  Thus, the marginal cost of cash should reduce as the cash level of the company increases. Hypothesis 2: An extra ringgit of cash holdings is less valuable for shareholders in highly levered firms than in firms with low leverage. The second hypothesis from Faulkender and Wang (2006), which I test in my Malaysian sample, is the negative relation marginal cost of cash and firms leverage.  The cost of cash for shareholders in high levered firms is likely to be less than in firms with low leverage as contingent claims analysis predicts that most of the value of these firms is in the hands of debt holders. Additional ringgit is likely to go mostly to increase the value of debt and therefore, the value for shareholders is low. Hypothesis 3: An extra ringgit of cash holdings is more valuable for shareholders in financially constrained firms. The last hypothesis which follows Faulkender and Wang (2006) is that the simplicity of accessing to external capital markets should have an impact on the value of cash.  Access may be limited for various reasons, but often associated with asymmetric information about the state of the company, which may occur for smaller firms, firms without any credit rating or equity research coverage and the firms that do not pay dividends.  These firms can be considered as financially constrained and can be thought of having higher costs in raising external funds.  Thus, with its own funds, i.e. cash in hand, should be more valuable to these firms than financially unconstrained firms, which are likely and able to obtain external financing. Hypothesis 4: An extra ringgit of cash holdings is more valuable for firms with good investment opportunities. I examine whether firms with better investment opportunities have a higher valuation on their cash holdings than firms with weaker growth potential by following Pinkowitz and Williamson (2004).  Pinkowitz and Williamson argue that the main theoretical determinant of the value of cash holding should be the investment opportunity set of the firm.  First, liquidity is important, because without liquid assets of the firm will be forced to abandon a positive NPV project (Myers and Majluf (1984)).  This should increase the cost of cash as it is expected to increase in value of assets.  Secondly, Jensens (1986) free cash flow problem arises when the firm has a few good opportunities for investment.  If a company with sufficient cash reserves has positive NPV investment opportunities, it is likely to use these advantages instead of wasting money on unproductive ventures.  Intuition is that when two identical firms except that one has a positive NPV investment opportunities and th e other one does not have the opportunity to invest, it is likely that the first firm will spend its cash in ways more valuable to the shareholders. Hypothesis 5: The marginal value of cash is high for financially constrained firms with good investment opportunities. One of the arguments in Faulkender and Wang (2006) having a higher marginal value of cash for financially constrained firms is that when firms have positive NPV investment opportunities. The higher the cost of raising external capital is, the more likely these opportunities are foregone. Though, they do not test for it empirically. I hypothesize that the reason why financially constrained firms and firms with better investment opportunities have a higher value placed on cash when examined separately, is in fact due to the combined effect of these two criteria.  A financially constrained firm without investment opportunities is unable to make return for the cash, while a financially unconstrained firm with good investment opportunities can simply increase external funding when it needs to. Thus, financially constrained firms with good investment opportunities should have a high value placed on their cash holdings by their shareholders compared with other firms. Hypothesis 6: Firms cash holdings, on average, decrease when the cost of external capital increases. When conditions in the corporate credit market deteriorate, it often leads to a reduction in the economy (Fisher (1933)).  As firms generate less internal cash flows and at the same time, corporate credit becomes more expensive and rationed, cash reserves of firms, on average, should decline.  It was also suggested by Opler et al (1999). Hypothesis 7: When the cost of external capital is higher an extra ringgit of cash holdings is more valuable. As the supply of credit becomes more rationed and therefore more expensive, the cost of raising capital increases.  The increase in the cost of capital makes firms more likely to give up positive NPV projects due to lack of funding.  Therefore, when a credit is more rationed, cash holdings should become more valuable because they can help companies take advantage of positive NPV investment opportunities without incurring high costs of raising external capital. Methods I follow Faulkender and Wang (2006) who developed a methodology which estimates the extra value the market incorporates into equity values that result from changes in the cash position of firms over the fiscal year to measure the impact of corporate financial policy on the value of cash holdings. Since stock returns are influenced by the common risk factors, as well as changes in firm-specific characteristics it is necessary to control for both to be able to estimate the magnitude change attributed to the change in cash. The change in the value of a firm is measured by the excess return for the firm i during fiscal year t less the return of stock is benchmark portfolio during fiscal year t. Then the excess returns are regressed on changes in the characteristics of the firm.  In this case the main interest is in the estimated coefficient corresponding to the variable measuring the ratio of unexpected changes in cash of the firms lagged equity value.  Since the dependent and indepe ndent variables are standardized by lagged market value of equity, the coefficient measures the dollar change in shareholder value resulting from a change of one dollar of cash held by the firm. Faulkender and Wang (2006) methodology is in effect a long-term event study, in which event is unexpected changes in cash holdings, controlled for other factors that may impact returns over the assessment window of one year. 3.3.1 Controlling for risk-related market-wide factors To control for risk-related factors excess returns are examined that may impact a firms discount rate and return. Fama and French (1993) show that size and the book-to-market of equity clarifies ordinary variation in stock returns. To arrive at the estimate of the excess return I use the 25 Fama-French portfolios (Fama and French (1993)) formed on size, measured as market capitalization, and book-to-market value of equity ratio (BE/ME henceforth) as my benchmark portfolios. First firms are sorted by size and divided in five size groups, and then firms are sorted by BE/ME ratios and divided in five BE/ME quintiles for each year. Then I group every firm into one of BE/ME portfolios and 25 size based on the intersection between the BE/ME and size independent sorts. Firms excess return is calculated by subtracting the firm is benchmark portfolio return during fiscal year t from the firm is stock return during fiscal year t. The fiscal year, or yearly, returns are calculated using the monthly returns. Hence, the dependent variable for the baseline regression is (1) where ri,t is the stock return for firm i during fiscal year t and is stock is benchmark portfolios return during the corresponding fiscal year t. 3.3.2 Controlling for firm-specific factors It is necessary to control for variables that could be correlated with both change and returns in cash holdings to be able to examine how much the change in cash holdings impacts the change in equity value. Hence, in addition to change in cash should be regressed the excess stock return over the fiscal year on changes in a firms profitability, investment policy, and financing policy. The subsequent equation describes baseline regression: = (2) where the ΔX term indicates unforeseen change in variable X. The dependent variable is described above. The independent variables are firm-specific factors that control for sources of value other than cash or may be correlated with cash holdings. The dependent variable was described above.  Independent variables are firm-specific factors that control the sources of value, except for cash and can be correlated with cash holdings. ΔCi,t is the unforeseen change throughout fiscal year t in firm is cash holdings in balance sheet and the most significant variable in the regression. I suppose that the unforeseen change in cash holdings equals to the realized change in cash holdings throughout the fiscal year. ΔEi,t is the change throughout fiscal year t in earnings before interest and extraordinary items, and controls for profitability of firm. Firms investment changes policy are controlled by ΔNAi,t, the change throughout fiscal year t in total assets net of cash, and ΔRDi,t, the change throughout fiscal year t in RD expenditure. The financing policy is controlled by ΔIi,t which is the change throughout fiscal year t in interest expense, ΔDi,t which is the change during fiscal year t in sum dividends, Ci,t-1 which is firm is lagged cash holdings at time t-1, Li,t which is market leverage at the of fiscal year t, and finally NFi,t which is the firms net financing throughout the fiscal year t. As the stock return is also by definition divided by Mi,t-1, the standardization allows for understanding the estimated coefficients as the dollar change in value for a one-dollar change in the relevant independent variable. Sample Selection For my empirical analysis of the marginal value of cash in Malaysia and how it may have changed over time with the availability of capital from the external market I use a sample of publicly listed Malaysian firms from 1999 to 2009. The sample includes both active and inactive firms to avoid a survivorship bias. In this section I describe how I calculate the variables and from where I obtain the data. Here I will first describe how the dependent variable is calculated, and then describe the independent variables in detail. 3.4.1 Dependent variable The dependent variable is the excess return of a firms stock (Eq. (1)). The stock return for a firm i through fiscal year t, ri,t, is calculated using Total Return Index (item ReturnIndex) from Thomson Reuters Datastream database (referred as Datastream after this). The index regulates for stock splits and dividends, and therefore the most accurate measure of increase in firm equity value. 3.4.2 Independent variables The change is basically the difference between fiscal years t and t-1. In addition, all variables excluding for leverage and net financing are deflated by one-year holdup market value of equity. The variables used in Eq. (2) are measured as below: a) Ci,t and Ci,t-1 One-year holdup cash holdings and cash holdings are measured as cash and short-term investments (CashAndSTInvestments). Ever since this is the most important variable, it should be noted that firms cash holdings are considered to include marketable securities and cash in majority of academic studies. Depending on the source, these can be listed as cash and equivalent, cash and short-term investments or marketable securities and cash. Though, in addition to cash the definition can include items such as commercial papers, treasury bills and other money market investments. In general databases adjust the reported records from firm financial statements in order to make the data comparable across the firms. b) Ei,t Earnings before interest and extraordinary items are calculated as earnings before extraordinary items (IncomeBefExtraItemsCFStmt) plus interest expenses (InterestExpenseOnDebt). c) NAi,t Total assets net of cash or net assets, are calculated as total assets (TotalAssets) minus cash holdings (CashAndSTInvestments). d) RDi,t RD expenditure is simply RD expenditure (ResearchAndDevelopmentExpense). It is set to zero if missing. e) Ii,t Interest expense is measured as interest expenses on debt (InterestExpenseOnDebt). f) Di,t Total dividends are measured as common dividends paid (CommonDividendsCash). g) Li,t Ma

Homers Odyssey Essay -- Homer Odyssey Odysseus Temptation

Homer's Odyssey On a ten-year voyage across cold and choppy seas with nothing but the bitter wind at one’s back, physical strength is a necessity. The chances of successfully trekking home with weak limbs are not great. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is the epitome of power. His brawny physique undoubtedly grants him the strength to swim, climb, run and even kill his way back to his wife. But Odysseus cannot return home on physical force alone, as many of the obstacles he faces are mental. Perhaps the greatest of these obstacles is temptation. The "battle-weary" man’s odyssey is brimming with temptations of the mind, body and soul that he must not only grow out of, but conquer, in order to return home and stake his glory. The first blatant example of temptation in Odysseus’ journey happens on the island of the Lotus-eaters. The delicious but devious fruit of the lotus, he and his men discover, has the power to muddle one’s memory so that he forgets about home. While some of the men succumb to the fruit, Odysseus demonstrates remarkable self-control. This is in stark contrast to the way he handles himself in other tempting situations along the voyage. In this scene, though, Odysseus does not forget his longing for home and that is why his reaction to this temptation is interesting. It immediately shows us that he does possess self-control and has a goal he is eager to reach. It suggests that the willpower he lacks later in the poem is, in fact, always inside of him. It is not something he needs to learn, but something he needs to improve upon and make a permanent part of his identity instead of a fleeting one. This scene proves that Odysseus has the power to be confronted by something all uring and not be taken in by it. Nonp... ...e voyage, the cunning fighter is not hasty at the end of the poem. Disguised as an old beggar, he could have revealed his true identity much earlier than he does. Instead, he waits for the right moment to strike. The suitors test his patience and perhaps his temper seethes within, but he does not make his fury known until the perfect moment. When the time comes to strike, he combines the cunning he has had all along with a newfound sense of control. The belief that what does not kill someone can only make them stronger is especially true in Odysseus’ case. His journey is peppered with temptations that collectively build up his will. Some of them temporarily distract him, while others are meant to seal his doom. And even though he falls down, makes mistakes, and tests the limits along the way, his courage and his yearning for home lead to his ultimate enlightenment.