Department of Economics Essays - Economics, Economy, Macroeconomics

Department of Economics Essays - Economics, Economy, Macroeconomics Department of Economics Howard University Principles of Economics I Econ-001 Kristen E. Broady, Ph.D. Academic Support Bldg. B, Room 323 Howard University Email: [emailprotected] Personal Email: [emailprotected] Office Phone: 202-806-7740 Cell Phone: 803-920-3072 Office Hours: TR 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Other times by appointment TEXTBOOK: Paul Krugman and Robin Wells, Economics in Modules , 3rd edition, Macmillan, 2014. Supplementary Readings: Thomas Swartz and Frank Bonello, Taking Sides, Clashing Views of Controversial Economic Issues, 11th edition, The Dushkin Publishing Group Inc., 2004. Ellen Frank et al, eds., Real World Macro, 26th Edition, Dollars & Sense Economic Affairs Bureau, 2009. Campbell R. McConnell, Stanley L. Brue and Seam M. Flynn, Economics, CUSTOM edition, McGraw Hill, 2009. mcconnell18e.com Course Description: Principles of Economics I is the first course of a two semester course sequence in introductory economics. These courses introduce the student to the basic principles of economic theory and policy. Economics is a systematic discipline, which studies the production and distribution of goods and services in a world with unlimited human aspirations but finite productive resources. How economists conceptualize the diverse problems arising from the tension between unlimited desires and fixed resources will be discussed. The basic methods of thought and tools of analysis which economists use will be described. The students will be introduced to the important policy issues which make economics a lively and controversial field. The main body of economic theory is typically divided into macroeconomics and microeconomics. Principles I is mainly focused on macroeconomics, the study of how aggregate (large) units of the economy behave. Macroeconomics studies the behavior of such important aggregate variables as total household consumption and savings, total business investment, government expenditures, the level of wages and employment, and the overall stock of money and credit. Macroeconomic theory studies these questions by dividing the economy into three types of inter-related markets; the market for labor, the market for goods and services, and the market for monetary and financial assets. Macroeconomic policy is concerned with unemployment, inflation, economic growth, and economic equity at the national level. On the other hand, microeconomics (principles of economics II) is concerned with the study of individual households and firms, and specific industries and markets. Students can find a vast amount of economics related material on the internet. Some selected links (URL's) are given in the Economics Department web site coas.howard.edu/economics/ Objectives of the Course: The purpose of this course is to introduce the student to the basic principles of macroeconomic theory and policy. Upon successful completion of the course, students should become familiar and comfortable with: . The methods of thought and tools which facilitate economic analysis. . The historical and contemporary facts of the economy at the macro-level, such as the history of the business cycle, inflation, productivity, economic growth, income distribution, and structural change. . The most important institutions of the economy such as the household sector, the business sector, the financial system, the tax system, and the federal budget. . The economic relationships used in macroeconomic theory such as the consumption function, the investment function, the aggregate expenditure function, the aggregate demand function, and the aggregate supply function. . The concept of macroeconomic equilibrium and disequilibrium . Alternative theoretical models of macroeconomic behavior such as the classical model, the Keynesian model, and the monetarist model. . Important historical episodes of macroeconomic policy application such as the Great Depression of the 1930s, wage and price controls during World War II, the Kennedy tax cut of the 1960s, the oil price inflation of the 1970s, "Reaganomics" of the 1980s, the Clinton economic program of the 1990s, and the Great Recession of the late 2000s. General Course Requirements: The program of study consists of lectures, class discussions, reading assignments, written assignments and written examinations. Students are responsible for attending classes regularly and completing all assignments in a timely manner. A minimum of three examinations will be given during the semester. A departmental comprehensive final examination will be given at the end of the semester. The final examination will count for thirty percent (30%) of the final grade. Any student who does not take a quiz or examination must obtain permission of the instructor in order to take a substitute or a make-up test. A student who does not secure such approval will receive a grade of `F' (or zero) for the quiz or examination missed. Your instructor may require additional readings during the course. Final Grade Determination: The final grade of the student in this course will be based on his/her overall

Cashier vs. Sales Assoicate

Sale associates have task that have to be done, such as zoning, putting freight away and helping customer find products. I can connect to this because Im a sales associate in the crafts and fabrics department. It takes a lot of determination to get the tasks done in the time we are schedule for. By zoning we are making our department look good and to make sure we have the products in stock. This is why we get freight to put away so we never run out of items that the customers want to buy. It also helps the associate know where items are so then when a customer asks for help; the associate knows where the product is located. Another difference between a cashier and a sales associate is the location. A sales associate is assigned to a department. As for me being a part of a crafts and fabrics associates Im located in the back of the store next to electronics and pet supplies. There are different locations for departments that sale associates attended to do their duties. Associates cant stand in one spot a time because there either helping Begg2 a customer or making there department look better. Time, time, time. Time is key in a sales associate’s job. They have to be on time because the associate that came in before them either is leavening soon or need you to cover the area while they go on lunch or break. Sale associates are assigning a lunch time, but they have freedom for taking their breaks. You take your break two hours after the associate signs in for the day and two hours before they leave they can take another break, depending on how many hour you work. This is where sale associates differ from cashiers. The front end of the store gets the money. These are your typical cashiers. Checking out customers items. Cashiers scan products, bag the products, and take the money. As a cashier you need to know how to do this while also communicating with the customer. It sounds like a boarding job. This is one difference of why sale associates are different. A cashier has one location and thats in the front of the store. They may have different registers, but there stuck in one spot all day. Cashiers dont get to walk around like a sales associate. Sales associates get assigned lunches and freedom to choose their own break times. However, cashiers dont get that privilege. Cashiers have to be told to take a break or a lunch. They have to wait until it slows down with the traffic of customers checking out and then an assist manger tells the cashier that they can go on break or lunch. Cashiers have very different schedules then a sales associate. For instances you are a cashier and you can only work mornings, but not nights then you only get mornings. For sale associates you put the hours you are free and then you’re scheduled to work whatever hours you’re free in the days of the week. This is unfair to sales associates, however, more hours means more money. This is why cashiers get paid less money than associates. Cashiers will always be differing in different situation then sale associates. Begg3 Sale associate and cashiers work together to make the store move smoothly. Without each other the store would be a mess. When a customer comes in and looks for stuff they need, but dont know the items are located in the store the customer may ask where the item is located and then the sale associate and either explain where the item is or show the customer what aisle the item is located. The customer is done shopping and then they proceed to the cashier. The cashier then cashes you out and the customer is on their way out the door. See how the sale associate and the cashier make it easier for the customer and the store to move smoothly. Another similarity with the two sub cultures are that we both have the same code we have to follow in case of and emergency. For example brown is a shooting situation, white is an accident in the building, and red is for fire and so on and so forth. The similarities for a cashier and a sales associate help the store do the job its needs to do which is to serve the customers , be respectful to one another and to work safely at all times. Wal-Mart stores are a big culture and there are many sub- cultures inside of Wal-Mart. Being a sale associate and a cashier are a few of the sub cultures in Walmart. These two groups may be different, but theyre very much alike. At end of the day, sale associates and cashiers always work together to make the store move smoothly.

Racial Prejudice in Cuba Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Racial Prejudice in Cuba - Essay Example The idea race was used to reconcile the ideology â€Å"All men were created equal but sanctioned slavery† because, at the time, most of the American slaves were African who supplied labor to the superior whites. In this case, the word race was constructed to explain why one group (African) labeled the inferior group was destined to slavery against one group (whites) labeled the superior group.2 Response to Question 3 The distinction between the races was initially created by the European when they conquered the new world and the American slave system. Thomas Jefferson (the man known to be the apostle of freedom) who was a slaveholder was famously known for being the first ever American public figure to justify between races through articulating the theory that supported the natural Africans’ inferiority (California Newsreel, episode3). Following the establishment of racial hierarchy in the American society the ethnics of the Jews, Italians, and other Europeans immensely benefited from the Federal policies and funding. It is noted that the real estate practices, as well as the regulations of the Federal government, gave directions that so white homeowners benefit from government-guaranteed loans. This made them increase in equity and wealth following increased wealth in their homes. Additionally, the white race enjoyed the services of the black slaves who worked on their coffee firms as laborious and home guards. The white race, as well enjoyed all the freedom, liberty, freedom, and democracy at the expense of the slaves who were predominantly of other inferior race. The distinction between races brought about both individual and institutional discrimination. In this respect, the unmarked race â€Å"white race† had accrued benefits not necessarily because of their merit or hard work, but because the laws, customs, courts and housing were all racial based. The Congress came up with laws that discriminated persons of an inferior race. For inst ance, the 1790 Naturalization Act, which made naturalization of citizenship mean free white heavily, discriminated against other groups destined not to be whites. Additionally, the Courts being institutions of justice were also discriminative. For instance, the Supreme Court discriminated against the Japanese when they acted against the naturalization act when it ruled that the Japanese was not white basing their ruling on science that classified the Japanese as Mongoloid but not Caucasian. It was the very court that had contradicted itself the year before, by ruling that the Asian Indians were not whites, even when according to science they were in the Caucasian category. There are various notable instances where individual discrimination was practiced. The first instance happened when Cherokee families were evicted from their own homes in Georgia which is to the west of Mississippi. This made one person out of the four evictees to die a long way. This showed clearly showed that pr esident Andrew Jackson as a representative of the executive discriminates against individuals since he defended the move claiming that it not the white settler’s greed that brought about the policy but the fate of the inferior race that was established midst the superior race. The ruling made by the Supreme Court in 1922 in Takawa Ozawa against the Japanese immigrant was also a clear demonstration of individual discrimination. There were various racial policies that were created to perpetuate white supremacy. One such dominant is the 1790 Naturali

Applying to the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies Personal Statement

Applying to the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies - Personal Statement Example The most memorable of these voluntary activities were participating in the Youth for Youth Foundation, being a delegate in for the European Youth Parliament, and taking part in the Junior Achievement Young Enterprise. As a result of my voluntary activities, I have been awarded a number of certificates among which are those related to the economy and social responsibility. I have also been an active participant in school Olympiads the most noteworthy of which were in English, Sociology, and Psychology. Moreover, since I was a child, I have always had a competitive spirit and this inspired me to participate in a number of sporting competitions, and most recently, I was a part of my high school handball team for four years. At the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, I intend to register for a diverse number of extracurricular activities in order to ensure my personal development. Among these is taking part in competitions, taking on voluntary activities, as well as participating in e xchange programmes so that I can broaden my horizons concerning other institutions of learning. It is my belief that at the Academy, I will be able to not only become a part of an institution with a long history of academic excellence but also have an opportunity to interact with a diverse number of people from different backgrounds. These interactions will enable me to become more effective in my professional life while at the same time helping me to develop into a more responsible global citizen.

Indecision, Hesitation and Delay in Shakespeares Hamlet - Hamlets Delay In Killing Claudius :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Hamlet: Theories Of Hamlet's Delay In Killing Claudius There are several theories about why Hamlet, the main character of Shakespeare's masterpiece, Hamlet, delays in killing his Uncle, King Claudius. As the son of a murdered noble, Hamlet is obligated to avenge the death of his father. However, the act is never performed until the end of the play... quite some time after Hamlet discovered Claudius was his father's killer. Some historians and literary experts would say Hamlet's strong religious bonds prevented him from performing the sinful deed. Others would have it that Hamlet was a melancholic and therefore was too intellectual to kill his uncle. Infamous psychologist, Sigmund Freud, felt Hamlet suffered from an Oedipal complex and could not kill Claudius because he himself wished to be in Claudius' place. Hamlet delays in killing Claudius not only because he's suffering from an Oedipal complex but also because he is far too sane or practical to commit an act of murder. In other words, basic sanity keeps him from killing Claudius. In society we are taught that those who commit murder are sick or insane. However, Hamlet's society believes the son of a murdered noble is responsible for avenging his father. When the ghost of King Hamlet appears and tells his son Claudius killed him by pouring poison in his ear, Hamlet does not act upon the word of the specter. He takes time to think about what the apparition told him. He contemplates whether it is a good ghost or a bad ghost. He plans things out; analyses situations. When the actors came to town, Hamlet implores one of them, "Dost thou hear me old friend? Can you play The Murder of Gonzago?" (88) The player agrees that he can indeed perform the play. "We'll ha't tomorrow night. You could for a need study a speech of some dozen or sixteen lines which I could set down and insert in't, could you not." (88) Here Hamlet has devised a scheme to discover whether his Uncle truly murdered his father. The play which Hamlet wishes to be performed is one involving a murder similar to that which the ghost described. "The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King." (90) Hamlet 's famous quote means he will study Claudius while the play is being performed. Should the King's manor change in accordance with the play, Hamlet will know the ghost's story is true through his well thought out scheme. Another example of Hamlet's cleverness is displayed when he switches the notes unbeknownst to Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. Claudius, realizing Hamlet is

Zappos-Amazon Acquisition

Amazon’s Acquisition of Zappos Acquisition regarding Amazon and Zappos Companies that want to be among the elite competitors in their particular fields have to be able to adapt and evolve in an always changing market place. In order to do so many large companies initiate mergers or acquisitions with smaller or similarly sized companies. They believe they can leverage and collaborate with each other in order to create more company value.The main difference between a merger and an acquisition is a merger is a situation in which two firms agree to unite as one single company rather than remain two separately operating firms owned by one company. The firms are usually the same size, and both companies’ stocks are surrendered creating new company stock issued in its’ place. An acquisition is when one company completely buys out the selling companies stock and makes itself the new owner of the company. Legally the selling company still exists as an independent legal en tity, but overall control is in the hands of the parent company.In July 2009 CEO of Zappos, Tony Hsieht made the announcement of Amazon’s acquiring of Zappos. In a lengthy e-mail Tony eloquently explains the future of Zappos and what will take place in the near future at Zappos. Throughout Amazon’s reign as online shopping powerhouse, they have been consistent in one of the most important aspects–growing and developing as a long-term contender in the online shopping world. Amazon has adapted and involved in the always changing markets by expanding market share through acquisitions.In 1998 Amazon expanded itself into new markets with three key acquisitions. Two of the acquired companies, Bookpages and Telebook, were bought to expand Amazon’s market share into Europe; and the third acquisition, The Internet Movie Database (IMD), was bought to expand Amazon into a new developing market of online video sales. Amazon has always stressed customer service and cu stomer ease as a main objective throughout their development. Zappos is a company known to be a customer service company since its inception.In fact, Tony Hsieh stated in a Harvard business review article that he does not think of Zappos as a shoe company, but rather a customer service company. On the surface this acquisition seemed like a good fit for both parties, but the reality of high failure rates of acquisitions signifies there are many things to think about when considering acquiring a company. Our team will give a brief analysis on pre-acquisition activity within both companies, analysis of the acquisition itself, and give an overview of the success or failure of the acquisition.The key aspects to consider in this acquisition are as follows: the simplest and most underestimated factor is what are the specific goals of each company in regards to a possible acquisition, can the two separate companies effectively leverage each other’s strengths to create a greater compa ny value, and do these two companies align with one another in order to carry out their objectives and grow long-term. A History Of Zappos Zappos is an online selling shoe company founded in 1999 by Nick Swinmurn, Alfred Lin, and Tony Hsieh.The company’s key concept is that they are in the customer service business, not a shoe company. Customer service is Zappos’ main asset. They do everything a little bit differently than any other company. Tony Hsieh encourages company culture which is the core of the company allowing them to be so successful. Before the acquisition, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh had to make sure that the company will remain unchanged. Many people thought it would be end of Zappos and their culture after Amazon bought them. Amazon took over Zappos, but allowed them to run separately, keeping their company name and culture.Zappos’s goal for the future is to deliver happiness to their customers and acquisition by Amazon allowing them to leverage each ot her’s strengths. Now with the merger Zappos has much better cash flow than before. Now they can refund people’s credit cards much faster than they could before and improve their customer service even more. With the acquisition they also gained lot of experience from senior staff of Amazon and vice versa. Prior to the acquisition, Zappos had to discuss their independence with Amazon.Zappos tried to stay unchanged by the acquisition as much as possible while keeping all the benefits from the acquisition as long as they could. Zappos had big plans before the acquisition, and now with Amazon they are still focusing on their goals, but with resources from Amazon they can achieve them much faster. Zappos’ net sales in the first quarter of 2010 were almost 50% higher than the same quarter of the previous year. To ensure Zappos can grow at this fast pace they had to hire the right people. Zappos’s way to make sure that their employees really want to work at the f irm is quite nontraditional.After few weeks of training they offer their trainees money to leave. This price constantly raises and after the acquisition it was at $3000 not to take the job. Zappos didn’t change immediately after the acquisition, but now few years later we see some changes happening, but Zappos still keeps their culture untouched. The biggest change that happened in Zappos was handing over their Kentucky warehouse to Amazon. Tony Hsieh explained it as necessary move due to legal obligations. Zappos employees in Kentucky had to be transformed under Amazon with all their benefits changing.Usually during acquisition many people will get laid off due to efficiency for both firms. Zappos has actually grown since the acquisition and no one lost their job as a result of it. It was a risky move for Tony Hsieh, because in one interview he admitted that Amazon can technically sell Zappos at any time. Some of their agreement works on mutual trust and so far it works for both Amazon and Zappos. A History of Amazon Amazon. com Inc. sells just about everything, and lots of it. What drives Amazon is the desire to enhance the consumer experience, whether it's shipping or product availability or price.Over the past decade, Amazon has moved from strictly retail to both selling goods and then executing the orders, for itself and for third parties. Amazon, as much as people like to think of it as an e-commerce provider, is becoming a direct-to-consumer fulfillment company. How did Amazon become so successful so quickly? Strategy! Investing in the right plans at the right time and staying the course. Amazon embraced what is known as a â€Å"design school model† of strategy development. Despite the title, the model is simple to understand and can be highly effective.It is the one used most by professors and consulting organizations. Organizations often struggle in finding a compelling competitive position. Successful organization can begin to drift awa y and total fail at what it takes to be successful. This tool can begin to help an organization get into the game. The design school model calls for both external and internal appraisals. An external appraisal helps an organization to understand threats and opportunities that are out there in the market. The internal assessment helps the organization to understand its strengths and weaknesses. The â€Å"Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities andThreats† (SWOT) tool is one that most people are familiar with and stems from the design school model. Amazon conducted the external analysis using the following analysis frameworks: PESTEL Analysis, Industry and Competitor Analysis, Competitor Analysis, Global Internet Trends and GE Matrix. The â€Å"PESTEL† framework helped Amazon to identify trends that could impact them in six key areas: (P) Political factors: areas to focus on include political direction, taxes, trade restrictions. (E) Economic factors: includes GDP, inflatio n, interest rates, exchange rates and other macro and micro economic factors. S) Social factors: includes social trends, population growth rate, age distribution, career expectations, etc. (T) Technology factors: includes equipment, information technology, R;D. (E) Environmental factors: Includes weather and climate. (L) Legal factors: include health, safety, employment, discrimination, consumer and antitrust laws. Political, economic, social, technological progress indicates an increasing and attractive market? to be exploited by Amazon. com. The external appraisal includes Amazon looking at its competitive position to determine opportunities and risks and where it should focus.To do this, they used Porter’s 5-force tool that helped them to understand the strengths and weakness of its competitive position, and where they might consider moving forward. The competitive rivalry amongst the e-retailing industry is intense. From some of the largest to the smallest companies, dotc om businesses are abundant, making? competition intense. Amazon. com competes directly with big firms such as Barnes and? Noble and Ebay. In simplest terms, the model looks assumes there are five important forces that determine competitive power. Amazon has hundreds of competitors.The challenge is what ones to focus on. They focused on large-scale Internet retailers that offer a broad range of products. This exercise helped Amazon to better understand who their competition is. Ebay and Wal-Mart are examples. Global Internet Trends The Internet is Amazon’s key channel. The 20 top countries in Internet usage, and grow patterns were identified. A GE Matrix has been used to identify the attractiveness and competitive position of the? markets that Amazon. com operates in. GE Matrix: This is a matrix used to screen portfolios of business units.Both the attractiveness of the industry and the strength of each business unit within the industry are plotted. Industry attractiveness is d etermined by the following factors: Growth rate, Size, Demand, Competition, Profitability and Global opportunities. Business unit strength is determined by: Market share, Market share growth, Brand, Distribution channels, Production capacity and Profit margin comparisons. Knowing, constructing, and fully leveraging strengths in the best manner possible is an important key to creating long-term competitive advantage.Amazon is a great, leading-edge company that has successfully developed and implemented compelling strategies that we can learn from. Most large organizations conduct strategic planning, but in many cases real â€Å"strategy† and â€Å"planning† are missing. Instead too many strategic planning exercises are nothing more than budget positioning exercises. Not so with Amazon. Amazon has developed common sense as an organization. Becoming clear as to what will provide you a competitive advantage is paramount. We chase after the hot new industries where the risk is highest. The key is to sustained focus on smart strategies.There are three simple tools that Amazon focuses on as part of its internal appraisal process. They include: Value Chain, Resources Based View and Financial Analysis. Amazon developed a value chain of itself to internal it can operationally best add value and maintain a competitive advantage. The value chain analysis undertaken examines the operational effectiveness of activities that? enable Amazon. com to perform better than its competitors; i. e. the distinctive value chain activities that are difficult to imitate. This analysis focuses on ‘value creation’ and ‘transaction cost economies’; where Amazon. om? configures its value chain activities to create unique value for customers, reduce its costs of? carrying out these activities and reduce the cost of its customers’ transactions. Some of Amazon’s competitive advantages from a value chain perspective include: Strong technologi cal infrastructure with a single platform, High investments in technology development (e. g. , Kindle) to best leverage digital products, Great product forecasting system, Print on demand, Constantly soliciting suggestions on new products, Easy and fast payment system, 24 hour operations and Free returns within 30 days.The resource based view helps an organization to determine where to invest in critical resources to have a competitive advantage. The more valuable and rare the right resources are in the right places, the more likely the firm may have a long-term advantage over its competition. A firm utilizes its resources and capabilities to create a competitive advantage. The organization’s resources and capabilities combined together constitute its distinctive competencies. Amazon successfully identified the right resources and developed its capabilities in key target areas.These investments resulted in: Sophisticated online retailing technologies, Personalization features for customers on its websites, Reliable and easily scalable IT systems all one platform, New products (100 different products in seven major geographic markets), Top customer relationship system, State of the art warehousing, New products (100 different products in seven major geographic markets). Gearing, Debt and Capital Structure Amazon’s investments are paying off. Their net sales continue to grow, their cost of goods decreases as a % of sales and their net income continues to increase.And, they continue to invest in initiatives that provide them a longer-term competitive advantage. Goals: The acquisition of Zappos by Amazon is equally beneficial in the long run for the two companies. Zappos’ goals after the acquisition are mainly focused on its own growth internally and externally. As their own independent firm they want to pursue their vision of delivering happiness to customers, employees, and vendors; and now they will be able to get their much faster.Amazon h as the capacity to help them grow at a pace they would not be able to by themselves. Zappos is going to remain its own independent entity and it will be run by the same owners the way they see fit. This is beneficial because one of Zappos’ best qualities is its unique culture and brand. Financially, Zappos wanted a shareholder and partner that thinks long term and will also do what is best for their existing shareholders. Amazon’s goals for Zappos are very similar to what Zappos themselves want. They like Zappos because they have a lot of growth potential.Zappos is very popular, however they are not as large nor do they have the capacity for shipping, storage, or personnel that Amazon does and they want to leverage their capabilities to help Zappos grow. Amazon wants to leverage the intangible assets that Zappos possesses; the people and the culture of the company. The Culture of Zappos is one of its best qualities that no other company can easily replicate; working to gether the companies can share and learn from one another to improve the workplace culture in both companies.Customer service is what Zappos hangs its hat on and Amazon can learn from them about their policies and even help them to provide better service. Metrics: It will take some time for Amazon and Zappos to be able to measure the effectiveness of the acquisition mainly because both firms emphasize the long term. The main focus for both sides is to grow the Zappos brand and their effectiveness in their goal to help customers. Zappos should see increased sales, more efficient distribution, and faster response times when customers have issues. Methods: Aligning the two companies and leveraging each company’s strengths to better each other.Amazon has resources, technology, and operational experience that Zappos does not. Zappos can leverage all of these to make their own operations faster and more efficient by bringing people in from Amazon and learning from them. Amazons imp roved technology will help Zappos fill orders faster and improve logistics. Zappos has a very large distribution center in Kentucky fairly close to the UPS shipping hub. Amazon now has a very important strategic advantage with access. They can now move product faster and easier making their own distribution faster and less expensive.Post- Acquisition Turnout On Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009, Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos. com, emailed all of his employees to share the great news of their acquisition with Amazon. His board approved and signed a definitive agreement, in which all of the existing shareholders and investors of Zappos will be exchanging their Zappos stock for Amazon stock. After the exchange took place, Amazon became the sole shareholder of Zappos stock. Post-acquisition, Zappos continued to run their operations the same, doing what they believe is best for their brand, their culture, and their business.By leveraging each other’s strengths, Zappos reached their visio n even faster—delivering happiness to customers, employees, and vendors. By merging with Amazon, Zappos was able to accelerate the growth of their brand and culture. Amazon supports Zappos in continuing to grow their vision as an independent entity, under the Zappos brand with their unique culture. Hsieh also aligned his company with a shareholder and partner that think long term, just like Zappos. Zappos continued to run as an independent entity. In legal terminology, they became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon.Therefore, all of their jobs were as secure as they were pre-acquisition. The Zappos brand continued to be separate from the Amazon brand. Although they now have access to many of Amazon’s resources, they continued to build their brand and their culture just as they always have. Zappos has continued to grow their headquarters out of Las Vegas, attracting the right talent for each of their departments. After acquiring Zappos, Amazon has seen more profitabili ty, more market share, greater growth and revenue, and most importantly, a better brand image.By encompassing the unique customer service aspect of Zappos, Amazon has become one of, if not the biggest, online company. Amazon has seen substantial growth in net revenue since acquiring Zappos in 2009. Online business is a growing industry—the percentage of households with at least one computer has gone up from 64% in 2004 to 87% present day. In 2009, Amazon’s revenue was $24. 5 billion. This past year, they finished with total revenue of $61. 09 billion. In 2009, Amazon’s cost of goods sold was $18. 97 billion. This past year, it has grown to $45. 97 billion, a growth of $27 billion in just three years.In 2009, before the acquisition of Zappos, Amazon’s gross profit was $5. 5 billion. Three years later, it has escalated to a staggering $15. 1 billion. Although debt as a percent of total capital increased at Amazon. com Inc. over the last fiscal year to 34. 8 7%, it is still in-line with the Internet and Catalog Retail industry's norm. Additionally, even though there are not enough liquid assets to satisfy current obligations, operating profits are more than adequate to service the debt. Accounts Receivable is typical for the industry, with 17. 78 days worth of sales outstanding.Last, inventory levels, relative to its Cost of Goods Sold, are typical for the industry and have shown a consistent decrease during the last 4 years. This implies that management is becoming more efficient. Amazon’s acquisition of Zappos was clearly a smart move on both ends. Zappos and its employees were compensated fairly, and Amazon has seen a steady increase on the balance sheet and income statement. There is no limit to Amazon’s potential, now that they have acquired the amazing and unique company that is Zappos. Closing Remarks It is clear from our analysis that Amazon’s acquisition of Zappos is a good fit for both parties.Each company ’s goals of the acquisition were made clear through pre-acquisition negotiations. Zappos wanted to expand their operations through the use of Amazon’s large market share and also be able to use Amazon’s large array of assets to create a better costumer experience. Amazon wanted to learn the intangible and effective costumer service methods that have proven to be Zappos competitive edge. So far, each company has been able to effectively leverage each other’s strengths to achieve their goals. Furthermore, these companies align with each other in moving forward to achieve long-term growth.

Sexual Education in Public Schools - 760 Words

Sexual education has long been a topic of debate among many different in our American society. The public schools system offers sexual education or sex ed to all students, and offer parents the option to exclude their children from these class rooms. Discussions to making these classes mandatory has drawn some positive supports and negative supports in the forum disputes of sex education topic. Due to the high number of teen pregnancies (As of 2012, the teen birth rate was 29 births per 1,000 teen girls (age 15-19), and there were 305,388 births to teen girls), Sex education should be made mandatory throughout the public and private school systems as a prevention measure. Sex education can be a preventable measure for the spread of diseases and early pregnancies. Parents are not teaching their children about the dangers of irresponsible sexual relations. Diseases have become deadlier nowadays than it was in the past. Many commonly know diseases have early warning signs that can be se en and treated before the disease is full blown and cause irreversible damages. The recognizable way to discover potential disease in a partner or become comfortable enough to talk about diseases are both functions of an expert. The high readiness level and the vast knowledge of our youths about disease, will decrease the potential hazardous results. Furthermore, implementing mandatory sex education in our schools systems limits or prevents teen pregnancy. Studies states that a wellShow MoreRelatedThe Effects Of Sexual Education On Public Schools1702 Words   |  7 PagesI. Abstract Sexual education being enforced in public schools is important and it should be taught in all schools. Young adults are learning that it is important to wait until marriage to have sex. Sexual education taught in public schools does raise a couple of eyebrows because some parents think that young adults should not learn about sex at their age. Sexual education is very important for young adults to either use abstinence or condoms. Sexual education in schools are the proper classes forRead MoreThe Effects Of Sexual Education On Public Schools908 Words   |  4 PagesHow Sexual Education In Public Schools Benefit By: Michelle Schlichting English Composition I November 2015 Sexual education in public schools has many benefits. This is of course if every public school would be willing to provide their students with the opportunity to be able to take this class. Therefore I believe that some sort of sexual education class should be provided to all high school students in public schools. Sexual Education should be taught in high schools for quite a numberRead MoreEssay on Sexual Education in Public Schools1915 Words   |  8 PagesSex education has been an ongoing debate for decades. In the early 1970’s, twenty states voted restricting sex education from the school curriculum, leaving the District of Columbia and only three states (Maryland, Kentucky, New Jersey), requiring schools to teach sex education. By the mid 1980’s, a deadly disease permitted through sexual intercourse was recognized; the fear of catching a disease sex education quickly became accepted. In 1986, Surgeon General C. Everett Koop felt sex education shouldRead MoreShould Sexual Education Be Taught Public Schools?863 Words   |  4 PagesShould Sexual Education be Taught in Public Schools At the expense of leaving students entirely sexually uninformed, public schools efforts or absence of sexual education leaves today’s youth misinformed and at risk to find themselves facing the real harsh realities of STDS and unexpected pregnancies, which could have simply been prevented if they were only given simple protective methods, instructions and guidance. In this day in age where sex sells, teenagers need to be properly educated so theyRead MoreThe Benefits of Sexual Education in Public Schools2013 Words   |  9 Pagesthat there is a problem with sexual education and urges his readers to do something about it. Teens should be able to make educated decisions, so they can protect themselves and their partners from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and be able to maintain that safety from teenage years to adulthood. The bulk of sexual education programs within the United States are not assisting teens to achieve and uphold these standards. Sexual education curriculum in the United StatesRead MoreSexual Education Should Be Taught At Public Schools1219 Words   |  5 Pagesnewest debates is whether or not sexual education should be taught to our youth of today in public schools. Sexual education should be taught to our youth in public schools. Many children aren’t being educated at home to, there is a lack of parent education, adolescents are becoming more sexually active at a younger age, and the number of teen pregnancy is at a lower level than in the past, but still at an alarming rate. An additional point would be parent education. Most don’t think about havingRead MoreSexual Education Is An Invaluable Part Of The Public School Curriculum1196 Words   |  5 Pagesprovide. In particular, when it comes to sexual education, there are many adverse effects that could arise should that child never be given the thorough discussion that the topic surely needs. Sexual education is an invaluable part of the public school curriculum. I know this not only from my personal experience as a teen but also from the research confirming it’s positive effects on teen pregnancy. In my personal experience it was beneficial when I was in school to be taught about the topic. Being thatRead MoreShould Sexual Risk Avoidance Education Be Taught At All U.s. Public Schools?3848 Words   |  16 PagesMadeline Martinez EQ: SHOULD SEXUAL RISK AVOIDANCE EDUCATION BE TAUGHT IN ALL U.S. PUBLIC SCHOOLS? Introduction The following words were shown and defined in a textbook: BDSM, bondage, dom/domme, sub, top, bottom, switches. These words, which are related to the sexual practice of BDSM, happened to be presented in Your Health Today, a health textbook that was proposed to be used in Fremont, California just this past summer. The words and those like it, unlike in this paper, were defined and discussedRead MoreThe Canadian Guidelines For Sexual Education1665 Words   |  7 PagesSexual education is an important topic which as to be addressed due to the growing debates as to weather it should be implemented within the school system. The Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education states that sexual education curriculums addresses a range of topics including â€Å"puberty, effective contraceptive methods, prevention of STI/HIV, communication skills, sexual orientation, interpersonal relationships, and media literacy† (Public Health Agency of Canada). Children need to addressRead MoreSho uld Sex Education Be Taught? Essay1360 Words   |  6 Pagesaddressing sex education in my classroom. The state-mandated teaching standards promoting a biased, abstinence-only program, however, do little to communicate reliable and inclusive information about sexuality. Texas provisions and education codes relating to sex education should sustain amendments that fully address the sexual health needs of every student, regardless of their gender identity, sexual orientation or sexual expression. Sex Education in Texas The topic of sex education in the United