Prestige Telephone Company free essay sample

Bradley felt only more time was needed but Rowe felt action was necessary to reduce the drain on company resources. The subsidiary was originally established as a mechanism by which high and nonregulated returns could be used to boost the profits as well as to provide the computer services. Since the Public Service Commission had encouraged public utilities to seek new sources of revenue as a step toward deregulation and to reduce the need for rate increases which higher costs would bring, the PDS had begun selling computer time not needed by the parent company to other businesses. However, Public Service Commision restricted that the average monthly charge for service by the subsidiary to the parent not exceed $82,000, which was the estimated cost of equivalent services used by the parent company in 1994. By the end of 1996, income of Prestige Telephone Company was low enough giving the lowest return on investment. Rowe felt it was time to reassess Prestige Data Services. We will write a custom essay sample on Prestige Telephone Company or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Bradley on the other hand asked for more time as she felt the subsidiary would be profitable by the end of the first quarter of 1997. But when the quarterly reports came, the three months ended March 1997 all reported a loss. Rowe resolved to study the subsidiary’s operations and assess its performance first before deciding whether PDS be closed down or sold. II. Problem Statement Based on the subsidiary’s current performance and quarterly reports, should Prestige Telephone Company discontinue the operations of its subsidiary? If not, how can Ms. Bradley prove that Prestige Data Services is still profitable despite its losses and can contribute that much to the company, n order to avoid the top management from what other measures should the company take in order to lead the subsidiary into having profits in the near future. III. Methodology First, an analysis of the current reports have been made in order to understand the nature of the subsidiary’s expenses and revenue. Costs were identified and classified for decision-making. Then an incremental cost-benefit analysis was done to weigh whether it would be more beneficial for the company to discontinue the subsidiary’s operations . Also, various alternative courses of action and scenarios were laid down aside from shutting it down and effects of these courses of actions were also assessed whether it would contribute profits for the subsidiary. Lastly, recommendations were given on how to redesign the reporting system in order to have the most relevant presentation of figures needed in decision-making for the top management. IV. Analysis To discontinue or not? By using incremental cost analysis, it is determined that the company would be better off if they would continue operating its subsidiary rather than to sell or shut it down. Both alternatives would incur losses however shutting it down would result to larger amounts of losses which includes the costs needed to outsource the data services and the contribution margin forgone from the subsidiary. Based on the first quarter reports of PDS, space, equipment costs (not including power), and salaries and the fixed portion of expenses the subsidiary incur every month. On the other hand, power and operation wages vary according to the use of computers. The overall cost of running Prestige Data service is quite high as the expenses are more than the revenue thus incurring net losses for the first quarter of 1997. In analyzing the cost-benefit of discontinuing the subsidiary, only the variable costs are relevant and will be considered as well as the opportunity costs. -DISCUSS EXCEL- Also, the non-cancelable leases on computer equipment has still four more years to run. If the company would discontinue the subsidiary, they will still have to pay for the lease without earning revenues from them. In addition to, the bottomline for the month of March would happen to be a profit if the depreciation is added back, giving a hint that the subsidiary can give inflows to the company and that time may still be needed to prove its profitability. To conclude, there is no need for the company to discontinue the operations of its subsidiary. How can the subsidiary be more profitable? CVP analysis Variable costs include power, operations wages, materials and sales promotions. Needed hours per month to breakeven? Sensitivity analysis a. ncrease price, decrease demand b. decrease price, increase demand c. increase promotions, increase demand d. 2 shifts (16 hours) rather than operating at 24 hours V. Conclusion and Recommendations It is therefore concluded that there is no need for the Prestige Telephone Company to discontinue its subsidiary, the Prestige Data Services, as it is promising to bring the company profits and savings. With just the right changes in relevant factors such as price s and variable costs, the subsidiary can make it to have positive bottomlines. It is recommended for the management of PDS to prepare a statement of cashflows in order to assess the actual inflow or outflow of cash from the subsidiary. Also, the financial statements can also be presented with the contribution margin the subsidiary brings. It would also be helpful if both the balance sheets of the parent company and subsidiary are shown for better analysis. With the decision to continue the subsidiary, it is also recommended to assess again its profitability after four years or when the computer leases has already expired. Prestige Telephone Company free essay sample Prestige Telephone Company Scott Johnson, Nicole Phillips, Ashton Shuler, Brandy Watts February 25th, 2014 Group Contributions Responded to all texts, discussion boards, and emails Participated in online chat and conference call Answered question 3 Provided the framework of how the case would be set up Suggested new ideas for later projects on how to discuss our topic Responded to all texts, discussion boards, and emails Participated in online chat and conference call Answered question 2 Set up a conference call, but we could not all attend, so we decided on a later time Came up with the idea we all should write a short conclusion for each question to make it easier to write a bigger one at the end of the case Responded to all texts, discussion boards, and emails Participated in online chat and conference call Answered question 4 Formatted the case into the format needed Set up the FaceBook message we used to check in with each other and share ideas Responded to all texts, discussion boards, and emails Participated in online chat and conference call Answered question 1 Set up a conference call where we confirmed what question each person would answer Made sure everyone was up to speed on what the individual expectations of the group would be QUESTIONS 1. We will write a custom essay sample on Prestige Telephone Company or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ) Appraise the results of operations of Prestige Data Services. Is the subsidiary really a problem to Prestige Telephone Company? Consider carefully the differences between reported costs and costs relevant for decisions that Daniel Rowe is considering. In deciding whether Prestige Data Services is a problem to Prestige Telephone Company, we must look at the benefits and costs that are associated with both the company as a whole and as separate functioning parts. While the subsidiary looks to show a loss while standing on its own, it was initially created to provide services to the parent company. The benefits that it provides to the parent company allow them to operate at a lower cost of service. When we look at the shared costs that the data company and the telephone company have (accounting, payroll, etc) we have to remember that if the data company was not there, the costs of the shared services would be completely associated to the telephone company. Also, the services that the data company provides are at a much lower cost to the telephone company. It is hard to look at the activities in the two companies separately because they are dependent upon one another for services and that is why the subsidiary was created initially. Prestige Data Services allows Prestige Telephone Services to reduce their costs in two ways – shared expenses and reduced supply chain costs. From this point of view, the subsidiary is not a problem for the parent company; it is a benefit to them. 2. ) Assuming the company demand for service will average 205 hours per month, what level of commercial sales of computer use would be necessary to break even each month? In order to determine the level of commercial sales of computer use needed to break even each month, we had to start by determining and separating the companies fixed and variable costs in order to apply the break even calculation: Contribution margin 🙠 800-4. 53-80. 13) = $715. 34 Since the Prestige Telephone Company has an agreement with the Prestige Service Commission (PSC) to cover $82,000 of the total costs, we had to consider their contribution when calculating the breakeven point: (total FC) – [(PSC contribution) – (average monthly hours of demand*VC / unit)] / Contribution Margin FC = (9240+95000+5400+25500+680+12000+9000+11200+7677+15340) = 191,037 191,037–[(82,000–(205*84. 66)] = 176. 69 hour By taking the 176. 69 hours times the $800 per hour for commercial sales would = $141,532 in sales needed each month in order for the company to break even. 3. ) Estimate the effect on income of each of the options Rowe has suggested if Bradley estimates as follows: a. Increasing the price to commercial customers to $1,000 per hour would reduce demand by 30%. In March 2003, demand was for 138 hours, and a 30% reduction would put demand at 97 hours (138 hours x . 70 = 96. 6 hours). $5 Variable Op. wages + $25 Fixed Op. Wages = $30 (Power) Demand x Contribution per hour = Contribution 97 hours x ($1,000 $30) = $94,090 Compared to present 138 hours x ($800 $30) = $106,260 The monthly contribution to fixed costs and income at $800 is greater by $12,170 than the contribution expected at $1,000. Therefore, income will be greater if we retain the $800/hour price to commercial customers. b. Reducing the price to commercial customers to $600 per hour would increase demand by 30%. In March 2003, demand was 138 hours for commercial customers, so a 30% increase would put demand at: 179 hours (138 hours x 1. 30 = 179. 4 hours). 179 hours x ($600 $30) = $102,030 Compared to present contribution of $106,260, a price reduction would reduce income by $4,230 per month. c. Increased promotion would increase sales by up to 30%. Bradley is unsure how much promotion this would take. (How much could be spend and still leave Prestige Data Services with no reported loss each month if commercial hours were increased 30%? ) This increase would also move the hours up to 179 hours per month. At $800 per hour, the total contribution would be: 179 hours x ($800 $30) = $137,830 An amount up to the difference between this new contribution and the present contribution of $106,260 or $31,570 could be spent without reducing income. d. Reducing operations to 16 hours on weekdays and eight hours on Saturdays would result in a loss of 20 of commercial revenue hours. Reducing hours would reduce demand for commercial revenue hours by 20%, from 138 hours to 110 hours. At that level, the total contribution would be: 110 hours x ($800 $30) = $84,700 or $21,560 less than current costs. A loss of $21,560 would not offset the savings of variable costs each month. 4.  ) Can you suggest changes in the accounting and reporting system now used for operations of Prestige Data Services which would result in more useful information for Rowe and Bradley? Clearly seen in the case, Prestige Data Services has chosen to use the absorption costing method. The variable costs and the fixed costs are all mixed in through the different categories of costs. When you use absorption costi ng, you do not get the true value of your expenses when it comes to an internal point of view. The operations and power costs need to be set apart from the rest of the costs. As of right now, there is an excess of power and operations costs that are not being used. This excess of expenses takes away from the revenues, but really nothing is being used. The best option for Prestige Data Services is to switch to a simple allocation based costing model. By switching to the ABC method, Prestige Data services will be able to allocate the variable costs accordingly. They will not be reporting costs that are not even being used. The switch will also help set a proper price to clients and to their parent company Prestige Telephone Company. Prestige Telephone Company free essay sample They provide data services, data processing and computer services to commercial companies as well as to Prestige Telephone Company. The data services company was supposed to be profitable by March of 2003. They have been unable to do so. It is up to Mr. Rowe to convince Ms. Bradley to allow Prestige Data Services to stay in business. In order to assist with the preparation of this meeting, we have reviewed several scenarios to decide about the future of the subsidiary. Assessment of Strategies The subsidiary has failed to show a positive net income for the first quarter of 2003. It has also failed to keep the monthly computer usage billed to the telephone company under the promised $82,000 per month. Granted, February did show fewer revenues, however, it is a shorter month and therefore fewer billable hours available. In light of the continued net losses, we feel that the subsidiary is a problem to the telephone company and they will continue to be so unless significant changes are made. We will write a custom essay sample on Prestige Telephone Company or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page If we assume that the telephone service demand will continue to average 205 hours per month, the level of commercial sales of computer use necessary to break even each month will need to increase 27. 5 hours to 170 hours per month. This will increase the computer use revenue to $136,000. Assuming everything stayed the same as in March, this would allow them to break-even but not profit. He outlined four possible scenarios that might possibly make the subsidiary an asset to the company. The first scenario was increasing the price to commercial customer from $800 to $1000 per hour. The increased cost would reduce demand by 30%; from 132 average hours to 92. 4 hours per month. The monetary effect this would have would drop revenues to $92,400. This creates an elastic demand of 1. 2, which is unadvisable. Ed = . 3 / . 25 = 1. 2 An elastic demand shows that customers are more willing to leave and take their business elsewhere. Next, he looked at reducing the price to commercial customers from $800 per hour to $600 per hour. This reduction would increase demand by 30%; from 132 average hours per month to 171. 6 hours per month. The increased hours at $800 per month would only bring in $102,960. Even though this creates an inelastic demand (. 05) and increases customers, it is still below the revenue that is currently brought in. Ed = . 3 / -. 25 = . 05 This inelastic demand shows that customers are still willing to stay with the company at this reduced cost and it will attract new customers. Rowe determined that increased promotion would increase sales by up to 30%. We determined that increased sales of 30% would equal revenue of $137,280. The difference between the current revenue of 105,600 and forecasted revenue is $31,680 which, if added to the net loss in March, would give $10,242 net profit that could be spend on promotion and advertising (assuming all things stayed the same). Reducing operations from 24 hours to 16 hours on weekdays would result in a loss of 20% of commercial revenue hours. The current hours of 512 hours reduced by 20% would drop to about 410 hours. If we were to assume that a drop of 20% in hours would also mean a drop in variable costs it would still not be enough of a reduction in expenses to cover their net loss. (See Exhibit 1 for calculations). The changes to the accounting and reporting systems that are now used that we think should be made are accounting for the activities of the subsidiary separate from the parent company. We think that a more accurate picture of the revenues would be shown by showing the fees paid to the parent company as opposed to combining the payments to the parent company within the body of the financial statement. Conclusion After careful consideration of all the data and different scenarios proposed by Mr. Rowe, we have concluded that Prestige Data Services should not remain in business. It is apparent that they are unable to stay within the forecasted budget to charge to Prestige Telephone Company of $82,000. As well, they continue to show a considerable net loss month to month. Each scenario proposed did not show a sustainable formula for ongoing success and profitability.

The Cid

The Cid The Infants of CarriÂÆ' ³n and many other noble of all the kingdoms of Spain arrived at Valencia. The Cid did much honor to them. In individual it distinguished to his futures to sons-in-laws, the Infants. He sent that Pedro Bermudez and Muno Gustioz took care of and took care of the Infants personally.The weddings were celebrated in the great room of the palace. Throughout carpets, silk and purple were seen. The hour arrived and the horsemen of the Cid joined themselves there with great haste. The Infants inclined before the Cid and Do6na Jimena. Pondering the Cid said " Since we must do it, why we are it taking?" It ordered to Alvar Fanez that began the rite and that it gave to its daughters with its own hand. All to the church went later of Santa Maria where Don JerÂÆ' ³nimo, the bishop, gave its blessing.The Cid and his, to celebrate the event, made a great sample of their skill with the arms.Espaà ±ol: El Cid. Franà §ais : El Cid.Matches were made in a near sandy ground and, on the following day before eating, the horsemen broke seven wooden castles in the field.At the end of the fifteen days of celebration, the Cid gave rich gifts to all the present horsemen and these returned to their rich kingdoms and contentments. The Infants of CarriÂÆ' ³n remained to live in Valencia with their women and the Cid.

Alcohol a nectar of the Gods

Alcohol a nectar of the Gods The taste is pure satisfaction. It is advertised everywhere and sooner or later you are bound to try it. Just the smell of it can cause some lucky alcoholics to begin salivating at the mouth. Alcohol can lead to the wonderful world of addiction. If you are one of the selected few, you could become an alcoholic very quickly. Upon becoming an alcoholic, your life is bound to fall into place. Everyday will be packed with free time. Free time to drink all day and do as you please because you have most likely been fired from your job by now. If you are still working, just keep going in half tanked and hung over. The supervisors tend to really love this. Alcoholism can possibly make for tight funds. So drink cheap beer and get some rich, alcoholic friends to support your habit with. If you want to experience something totally euphoric, try driving under the influence. Driving gets much more interesting with blurred vision. If the cops catch you drinking and driving, they will haul you off to jail and lock you up in a cell for the remainder of the night. Its kind of like staying in a hotel if you think about it. If you have a chance to escape the law, put the pedal to the metal because they usually end up confiscating all your stash and a lot of beer money. My only tip is drive after each night out because you know what they say, practice makes perfect. Also, if you are a person who likes to change cars frequently, drinking and driving provides the perfect opportunity, because you bound to hit a telephone pole or two. Being an alcoholic is one sure way to get the women and be proud of yourself. Girls really get into the staggering and bad breath. Girls think it is really great when you need them to lean on, preventing you from falling to the floor. And if a girl smells alcohol on your breath you can bet they will be standing in line to make out with you that night. The glossy, red eyes from being drunk let girls know that you are really into them and think they are the most beautiful thing on the earth. Being drunk often brings words of wisdom and the best out of everyone. It is almost guaranteed that you will wake up in the morning and be so proud and pleased with everything you said and did the night before. Another great thing about drinking is when you fall asleep you will sleep better than when you were a baby. You know you ve reached the ultimate goal of any alcoholic when you like to drink alone just as much as with others. Drinking alone makes you so independent. Drunks set many good examples and hold moralistic values. It could be said that your typical drunk could be any model American. With so many great results from drinking, I can’t understand while anyone would hesitate to start. Drinking stimulates physical implications on the body. Waking up the next morning after a long night of drinking with a hangover is the perfect re ason to start drinking again. That pounding headache and nauseated feeling is enough to drive anyone to tip back a bottle of booze. Without another beer, it could be hours before you walk straight again. Repeated drinking episodes with hangovers will eventually lead to interesting internal defects. Topping the list would have to be dead brain cells, and a liver that refuses to work. You will know you fit into this category when you cant spell your name you are scheduling your dialysis. Alcohols effects over life are constant. From immediate results amplified through hangovers to lifetime disorders, it makes visiting the doctor a guessing game.When you feel your life is coming to end due to the effects of alcohol, do not fret, because you will have known you lived life to its fullest. The biggest legend of all would have to be the man that died of alcohol poisoning when he got up to see who was at his door. It was the Alcohol Anonymous group. He sure showed them. I hope that you now understand all the benefits tha t come from being an alcoholic. Please drink for the well-being of yourself, because beer isnt just for breakfast anymore.

DNA Practical Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DNA Practical - Lab Report Example One purine pair with one Pyrimidine with hydrogen bond to make the double stranded DNA. Adenine (A) pairs with Thymine (T) with double H-bond and Guanine (G) pairs with Cytosine (C) through triple H-bond. Isolation procedure requires disruption of cells so that the cell content comes out, followed by sedimentation of the cellular debris on application of centrifugal force and to collect the DNA from the supernatant. These DNA fragments are separated using gel electrophoresis. The process encompasses separation, based on their size, the pore size of the gel, the voltage gradient applied and the salt concentration of the buffer. Larger pore size is for the separation of fragments larger than 500- 1000 bp and smaller pore of agarose gels are used to resolve fragments smaller than 1000 bps and can be visualized. The technique of electrophoresis is based on the fact that since DNA contains phosphate group, it is negatively charged at the neutral pH. When electric potential is applied, it moves towards the positive terminal. The solidified agarose gel is inserted into the electrophoresis chamber and is just covered with buffer. The DNA sample is mixed with the loading buffer and then pipette in the sample wells. On application of the current DNA migrates towards positive (red colored) electrode. The distance DNA has migrated in the gel can be judged by visually monitoring migration of the tracking dyes. After adequate migration, DNA fragments are visualized by ethidium bromide. This is a fluorescent dye and it intercalates between the bases of DNA and RNA. It is incorporated in the gel so that staining occurs during electrophoresis. Bands appear on the gel and can be visualized. Results: Part 1 A fluffy white layer was formed at the boundary between the green and the purple liquids when the ethanol was added. It was made up of fine filaments. Part 2 After putting the electrical current, strands of the DNA become visible to the naked eye. It becomes like stains, or bands, on the gel. Discussion NaCl removes protein and carbohydrate in DNA and also act as lysing buffer. NaCl contains Na+ which binds with the negatively charged phosphate molecule of the DNA. It also stabilizes the pH and process the density of DNA. Washing liquid reduces the acidity of solution and remove CO2. Detergents remove the interfering cells and are used as a substitute for the chemical compound that is capable of damaging the cell wall and membrane. They act as emulsifying agents and can digest compound that causes stiffness of polymeric cells. Endiamin tetra ethyl acetate (EDTA) serves to remove the Mg+2 ion and proven enzymes which can damage cellular DNA, it protects the DNA from DNAse. It interrupts the interaction of polar cell membrane and unites as detergent. Gel electrophoresis is a powerful tool for the separation of macromolecules with different sizes and charges. DNA molecules have an essentially constant charge per unit mass thus they separate in agarose, based on the size, smaller the size more distance it can travel and larger the size of the DNA less it can travel. Increasing the concentration of a gel reduces the migration speed and enables separation of smaller DNA molecules. The

Reaction response 6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reaction response 6 - Assignment Example Instagram encourages user engagement in the process. Compared with Facebook and twitter, Instagram allows the targeted audience to develop the necessary image because it employs the use of photos. People find reading boring, but the use of photos increase the rate of information transfer by allowing the audience to scheme through the photo provided. In addition, photos can be edited in Instagram thereby improving the quality. It can be used to offer better image of a product or service offered by the company, but target a smaller audience than Facebook. Sharing of photos and information on Facebook is challenging when restriction is required. In fact, Facebook shares the information with all the friends in the list. Instagram allows the user to identify the people to access thus limit access to the picture or information shared. Therefore, when targeting a small audience, Instagram will ensure fast information transfer while allowing the participants to offer their views on the idea presented. In conclusion, Instagram is highly effective when handling a smaller target group and is supported by

Thomas Hobbes’ conception Essay Example for Free

Thomas Hobbes’ conception Essay Thomas Hobbes’ conception of the natural state of man without the presence of a governing institution is primarily asocial; man is in constant war with other individuals, motivated by competition, self-preservation and reputation. These selfish desires remain present in man’s natural state that impedes the creation of a harmonious society. In Hobbes’ political treatise Leviathan, he mentions: â€Å"So that in the nature of man, we find three principal causes of quarrel; first, competition; secondly, diffidence; thirdly, glory† (Hobbes 84). Every individual is motivated by personal gain without any just cause to give importance with other individuals other than oneself. Man’s natural state is in constant conflict and may be considered primitive since the chaotic context provides no absolute conception of laws or moral codes in which to govern behavior among individuals. From the natural state, man progresses from its primitive consciousness, governed by reason, to aspire for peace. Thus, the creation of society comes from the individual’s initiative to impose a right that would not allow man to do harm upon himself and other people as well. Hobbes’ natural condition of man implies the presence of subjectivity in the midst of its primitive environment wherefore laws and moral codes represent the need for objectivity in order for a governing body to be formed. Indeed, man’s natural state is primitive and asocial; individuals naturally act upon instinct such as self-preservation, personal glory and other tendencies that leads to extreme individualism rather than an objective social reality. Man’s nature is selfish in essence as rational animals; however, reason separates the instinctive consciousness of the individual into forming social systems that naturally perpetuate man’s desire of peace and a harmonious society. Work Cited Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. Minneola, N. Y. Dover Publications, 2006.

Essay --

Over the years, scientists have wondered whether the Earth is the only space body that is capable of sustaining life. There is evidence to support both theories, but we still don't know for sure that we are not the only kind of life out there. There are different space bodies that are most important to have life in them; some of these places are Mars, Europa, Titan, Enceladus, and Ganymede and Calysto. One of the main reasons why scientists strongly believe that there is a good chance of life in Mars is because there is sufficient facts to imply that it had running water on its surface millions of years ago. There’s also evidence that ice and water existed on this planet. This evidence supports scientists who believe that life existed at some point on Mars. This data was discovered when the images taken from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured some characteristics of the planet's surface. Scientists believe it was created by the melting ice. Also in May 2009, images of an unmanned spaceship showed what it seemed to look like drops on the surface that appeared to be built during the time of the mission of the spacecraft on Mars. Another place that has scientists believes life is a moon of Jupiter, Europa. Some o f them believe that there is a giant, active salty ocean beneath its surface. This indicates that there is significant activity underneath that frozen surface. Another sign of life in Europe includes formations that looked like icebergs emerging from its surface, suggesting that oceans once covered the planet before it froze. The third space body where scientists think there is life is on one of Saturn's moons, called Enceladus. There are images taken by the Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn, proved that there are ice ... ...anisms found on Earth, there too. While there are many reasons to believethat there islife on other planets, however, there are some reasons that explain how extraterrestrial lifewould not be even possible. One of these arguments holds that extraterrestrial life should be very rare due to the time it takes for life to evolve is much longer than that of the existence of a star. Other reasons are that some planets in our solar system are eitherwaytoo hot orway too cold for life, and in some of them rains different kind chemicals, therefore, is potentially unlikely to life to exist on these space bodies. From my own point of view, I believe that there might be life on other planets. It may or may not be intelligent life, but life nonetheless. With evidence of water ice in the space bodies mentioned above there is a good chance that there could be life in those places.

Value of Codeswitching in an Interaction

MZUZU UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE TO : MR NTHALA FROM : ELEANOR MACHESO (BAE/2A/53/09) COURSE CODE: EEN 4703 COURSE TITLE: LANGUAGE CONTACT AND BILINGUALISM QUSTION : EXPLAIN THE VALUE OF CODE SWITCHING AMONG BILINGUALS IN TRANSACTION DUE DATE : 6th MAY 2013 In linguistics, code switching is changing between two or more languages, or language varieties, in the context of a single conversation. Multilinguals sometimes use elements of multiple languages in conversing with each other.Thus, code-switching is the use of more than one linguistic variety in a manner consistent with the syntax and phonology of each variety. According to Weinreich (1953), in the 1940s and 1950s, many scholars considered code-switching to be a sub-standard use of language. Since the 1980s, however, most scholars have recognised it is a normal, natural product of bilingual and multilingual language use. With this recognition in mind, Muysken (2005), states that switchi ng is not an isolated phenomenon but rather a central part of bilingual discourse.With regards to this view, this essay will examine the value of code switching among bilinguals in transaction. There are a number of different reasons why people code switch and thus code switching holds value for bilinguals. Firstly, during a transaction, code switching is of value because it can be used by bilinguals to show identity with a group. For example, (Di Pietro,1977) reports that Italian immigrants would tell a joke in English and give the punch line in Italian, not only because it is better said in Italian but also to stress the fact that they all belong to the same minority group, with shared values and experiences.Very often, people code switch both consciously and unconsciously to act or talk more like those around them. Code switching therefore allows the establishment of rapport among bilinguals involved in a transaction. With this rapport established it becomes easy for bilinguals t o participate in a transaction easily. Secondly, during a transaction, code switching is of great semantic significance. Gumperz (1982), stresses that switching at a particular moment conveys semantically significant information. It is a communicative resource that builds on participant’s perception of two languages.Lexical choice conveys meaning during code switching. Gal (1979) reinforced this view by stating that listeners interpret codes witching as an indicator of the speaker’s attitude, or communicative intents and emotions as code switching is a tool for conveying appropriate linguistic and social information. By the same token, David (2003) describes a range of speech acts like reprimands, directives, requests, and warnings that are conveyed by using different intricate strategies to show the semantic significance in certain specific situations.Another reason why code switching is of great value to bilinguals is that, it can be used when there is the need of ma king a point, that is, to emphasize or highlight the significance of a given word or topic in the speech event. These reasons may bear pedagogic significance because in many cases it is the use of emphasis or the intent of assigning importance to a word or a topic that directly correlates with the extent of a respondent’s knowledge about a given topic and his or her choice of language.For example Gal (1979) reports several instances in which code switching at the end of an argument not only helps to end the interaction but may also serve to emphasize a point. She has taken an example from English-German code switching and stressed that switching from English to German is a means of adding more force to the final statement. Lastly, code switching has the value of communicating the mood of a speaker during a transaction. According to Malik (1994), usually when bilinguals are for example tired or angry, code switching takes place with a new dimension.This means that, when the sp eaker is in the right state of mind, he or she can find the appropriate word or expression in the base language. Very often he or she knows exactly the word in both the languages that he or she is competent in but the base language may be more available at the point of time when the speaker has a disturbed mind. Such circumstances may create a hurdle in getting the appropriate word or phrase in the language in which the speaker may be more proficient if he or she is not mentally agitated.For example a bilingual competent in Tumbuka (base language) and Sena may use Tumbuka expressions more than Sena when he or she is angry. It can therefore be concluded that there are many values of code switching in particular social contexts. The ability of the interlocutors who are able to speak more than one language fluently plays an important role during their interaction. This essay has shown that the ability of bilinguals to use more than one language in a transaction is of certain value to t he speakers BIBLIOGRAPHY David, M. K. (2003). The Pakistani Community in Machang, Kelantan: Reasons for Language Shift.International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 161, pp47-53. Di Pietro, R. (1977). Codes witching as a Verbal Strategy Among Bilinguals. Washington, DC: Hemisphere Gal, S. (1979). Language Shift: Social Determinants of Linguistic Change in Bilingual Austria. New York: Academic Gumperz, J. J. (1982). Conversational Code switching in Discourse Strategies. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Malik, L. (1994). Sociolinguistics: A Study of Code switching. New Delhi: Anmol. Weinreich, U. (1953). Languages in Contact. The Hague: Mouton

Us Postal Service – Insolvency

The United States Postal Service: At the Brink of Insolvency Business 510 – Managerial Economics Final Project Submission February 25, 2012 Executive Summary this report takes a look at the United States Postal Service financial problems, which brought it to the brink of insolvency, after losing more than $25B in the last 5 years. It analyzes factors and performance and postulates corrective actions to bring USPS back to financial solvency. Both microeconomic and macroeconomic factors affecting the firm were analyzed while identifying its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.USPS products and services demonstrate its strengths with its monopoly of the mailing industry and as a government franchise with an open line of credit with the Federal Financing Bank of up to $15B. Weaknesses include lack or very little diversity in its products and services, very restrictive delivery schedules and mandated large delivery points. Opportunities for USPS include increasing its product diversity taking advantage of the internet and other developing technologies it can use to improve its operating expenses. USPS is also experiencing external and internal threats.One of these threats is the wider acceptance of digital technology especially with the internet and email, smartphones and mobile internet, skyrocketing operating costs and inability to make timely changes and responses to mitigate continued losses without having to go through the Postal Regulatory Commission and Congress. In view of this, USPS is recommended to take a multi-prong approach to improve its revenues by increasing product pricing with its shipping services while staying competitive, using the theory of price elasticity of demand to appropriately price its mailing services and diversifying its products.Reduce operating costs by reducing numbers of employees, improving its fleet of vehicles to more fuel efficient vehicles or using alternate energy and also by reducing managed facilities a nd delivery schedules. And finally USPS needs to request Congress to give it authority to effect price changes resulting from out-of-the-ordinary changes in cost of fuel and other materials and resources used in fulfilling its mandate of providing a fundamental postal service to the nation. Overview Establishment and General Business Description Article 1, Section 8, clause 7 of the United States Constitution establishes the U.S. Postal Service. The current post office organization is operating under the provisions of the Postal Reorganization Act of July 1, 1971 designating the US Postal Service (USPS) as an independent establishment of the executive branch of the Government of the United States. The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, Public Law 109-435 made further revisions and the governing statute is codified in Title 39 of the United States Code. The same public law created the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) bestowing the PRC with regulatory and oversight obligatio ns in the management and operation of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS Annual 10-K Report, 2011). The mandate of the USPS is to offer a â€Å"fundamental postal service† to the entire nation at fair and reasonable rates approved by Congress. This mandate is fulfilled by offering different level of mailing and shipping services throughout the country. As of September 30, 2011, total employees number to 557,251 career employees, down 4. 6% from the year before of 583,908 and 88,700 non-career employees (Annual Report to Congress, 2011).More than 85% of career employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements through one of the following four management organizations: American Postal Workers Union (APWU), National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC), National Postal Mail Handlers (NPMHU) and National Rural Letter Carriers (NRLCA). Products and Services The United States Postal Service divides their services into two broad categories: Market dominant mailing services and c ompetitive shipping services. Mailing services include First Class Mail, Standard Mail, Periodicals and Package Services.Shipping Services include but not limited to Priority Mail, Express Mail, Bulk, Parcel Post and Bulk International Mail. Mailing services have set floor prices but generally doesn’t have any set ceiling price up to the allowed maximum size and weight limits (usually 70 pounds for each package). The same holds true for shipping services. All these services are offered through a network of more than 32,000 Post Offices, stations and branches, plus thousands of contract post units, Community Post Offices, Village Post Offices, retail establishments selling postage stamps and other services including the internet, www. sps. com. Additional services offered are sale of Postal Money Orders, leasing of Post Office boxes and sale of post cards or greeting cards. International mail and package services are also available to more than 190 countries (Annual Report to Congress, 2011). The current First-Class Mail stamp costs $0. 45 increased 2. 1% starting in January 2012 that was announced in October 18, 2011. Postal Service Mail pricing is set by the Board of Governors and approved by the PRC. Shipping services pricing is set by law covering both the institutional costs allocation and attributable costs.The institutional cost allocation is determined by the PRC and is currently set at 5. 5%. Thus the shipping cost is the sum of 5. 5% institutional costs (comparable to transaction costs) and attributable cost, representing the direct cost of the mailing or shipping services based from the weight and size of the package (USPS Annual 10-K Report, 2011). Current Financial Statement For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011, the United States Postal Service reported a net loss of $5. 067B from their operation, an improvement compare to the previous year’s loss of $8. 505B. This is despite a reduction of 4. % in the number of its career em ployees from 583,908 to 557,251 (USPS Annual 10K Report, 2011). Just like any other private businesses, the USPS was also greatly impacted by the global economy especially the deep and prolonged economic recession of 2008. Additionally, with improvement in technology, wider availability of internet broadband services, lower cost of personal computers, prevalent use of online banking and also surge in offering of online funds transfers, which not only offers convenience and speed but virtually free, has directly compete and won over some of the mailing services of the USPS.Mail volume deliveries have decreased by 5% in the last two years, 2011 and 2010 and the year before, in 2009, the decrease was a staggering 12. 8% (USPS Annual 10K Report, 2011). The expansion of mobile internet coupled with smart phones will only worsen USPS declining mail volume in the future. Finally, one of the biggest operating expenses of USPS besides transportation costs and plant equipment and facilities i s employee wages and retiree benefits. USPS employment costs makes up approximately 80% of its total operating costs (Kosar, 2012).Employee wages and retiree benefits costs are significantly impacted by wage inflation, health benefit premium increases, retirement and workers’ compensation programs, and cost-of-living allowances. In the last 5 years, the USPS suffered a total net loss of more than $25 billion including $21 billion of expenses for the pre-funding of the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund (PSRHBF) mandated by Public Law 109-435 (USPS Annual 10K Report, 2011). USPS current total debt as of September 2011 is at $13B which is only $2B from its statutory limit of $15B set by 39 U.S. C 2005(a) (Kosar, 2012). Financial statements reported to Congress for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2011: Years ended Sept. 30, 2011Percent change from preceding year (dollars in millions) 2011 2010 2009 2011 2010 2009 Operating revenue $ 65,711 67,052 $ 68,090 (2. 0%) ( 1. 5%) (9. 1%) Operating expenses * $ 70,634 $ 75,426 $ 71,830 (6. 4%) 5. 0% (7. 6%) Loss from operations $ (4,923) $ (8,374) $ (3,740) Operating margin (7. 5%) (12. 5%) (5. 5%) Net loss $ (5,067) $ (8,505) $ (3,794) Purchases of capital $ 1,190 $ 1,393 $ 1,839 (14. 6%) (24. 3%) (7. %) Property and equipment Debt $ 13,000 $ 12,000 $ 10,200 Interest expense $ 172 $ 156 $ 80 Capital contributions of $ 3,132 $ 3,132 $ 3,087 U. S. Government Deficit since reorganization $ (22,072) $ (17,005) $ (8,500) Total net deficiency $ (18,940) $ (13,873) $ (5,413) Number of career employees 557,251 583,908 623,128 (4. 6%) (6. 3%) (6. 0%) Mail volume (pieces in millions) 167,934 170,860 176,744 (1. 7%) (3. 3%) (12. 8%) New delivery points served 636,530 739,580 923,595 *P. L. 112-33 had a net impact of a $5. 5 billion reduction of expenses in 2011.P. L. 111-68 had a net impact of a $4. 0 billion reduction of expense in 2009. Graphical representation of USPS operating revenues and expenses from FY 2 004 – FY 2011 Market Structure Monopoly Salvatore D. (2012) defined a monopoly market as â€Å"an organization in which a single firm sells a product for which there are no close substitutes† (p. 388). And of the four sources of monopoly cited (Salvatore, p. 390) is one established by a government franchise like the United States Postal Service. Not all of USPS products and services are monopolized.USPS monopoly is only in their mailing service referring to as its â€Å"dominant mailing service†. No other delivery service company in the industry is allowed to deliver mail. And this includes delivery service companies like UPS and FedEx. Mailing services includes First Class Mail, Standard Mail, Periodicals and Package Services. The USPS’s has monopoly over letter delivery, mailbox monopoly and the ability to suspend the delivery in certain areas. It enforces this monopoly with its armed postal inspectors who can conduct searches and seizures if it suspect s breach of its monopoly.The only exceptions to this monopoly are â€Å"letters accompanying cargo† and â€Å"letters of the carrier† (interoffice correspondence) including bicycle messengers and overnight deliveries (Giddens, 2003). Monopolistic Competition Is defined, â€Å"as the form of market organization wherein there are many sellers of a heterogeneous or differentiated product and entry into and exit from the industry are rather easy in the long run† (Salvatore, D. , p. 396). Although the United State Postal Service does have a monopoly on â€Å"mailing services† it however does not have monopoly over â€Å"shipping services† which it shares with FedEx and UPS.However, this non-monopolized â€Å"shipping service† cannot be classified as â€Å"Monopolistic Competitive† market as there are only few sellers offering the products or services. Additionally, the same products and services are basically homogeneous. Instead it is cla ssified as an oligopolistic market. Oligopoly Is defined, â€Å"as the form of market organization in which there are few sellers of a homogeneous or differentiated product† (Salvatore, D. , p. 412). Products and services offered by the U. S.Postal Service in its â€Å"Shipping Services† division is classified as an oligopoly market. It shares this â€Å"shipping services† market with United Parcel Service and FedEx. With very few firms in the shipping industry, all three (USPS, UPS, and FEDEX) seems to operate more like interdependence firms rather than rivalries. This is evidence by the collaborating services of USPS and UPS called â€Å"UPS Basic† while the one between USPS and FEDEX is called â€Å"SmartPost†. This interdependency operation between these three firms mutually benefits all parties.Although it may look like USPS is getting the shorter end of the deal, but by conducting an incremental analysis it will show USPS is just actually syn ergizing its required mandate of providing fundamental postal services. On the other hand, UPS and FEDEX benefit also from the consolidation by sharing their â€Å"not so profitable† area of their shipping services to USPS to ensure continued services to their customers and at the same time customer loyalty. Competition and Alliances There are a number of communications media competing for the same types of transactions and communications in the mailing and delivery services industry.These include newspapers, telecommunications, televisions, e-mail, social networking and online electronic funds transfers. For the shipping services intense competition is offered by United Parcel Service and FedEx Corporations (USPS Annual 10K Report, 2011), although at the same time these two competitors are also its alliances as described above. United Parcel Service (UPS) Financial comparison Below is UPS’s financial statement for the last three years 2008 to 2010. Comparing U. S. Pos t Office 2010 and 2009 annual total revenues, UPS’s 2010 is only 73. 2% to that of the U. S. Post Office while its 2009 revenue is only 66. 53% to that of the U. S. Post Office. This is proof positive even though the U. S. Postal Office is generally a local national firm, it has larger revenue than a multinational firm like UPS. However, when comparing operating expenses the U. S. Post Office edges UPS by a very large margin. U. S. Post Office total operating expenses of $75. 426B for 2010 more than doubles UPS’ $31. 989B. And for 2009, U. S. Post Office’s total operating expenses of $71. 83B dwarfs UPS’ $31. 692B!While UPS posted a Net income of $3. 488B and $2. 152B in 2010 and 2009 respectively, the U. S. Post Office posted a Net Loss of $8. 374B and $3. 74B in the same years. Income Statement All numbers in thousands Period EndingDec 31, 2010Dec 31, 2009Dec 31, 2008 Total Revenue 49,545,000 45,297,000 51,486,000 Cost of Revenue11,682,000 9,804,000 11, 878,000 Gross Profit 37,863,000 35,493,000 39,608,000 Operating Expenses Research Development- – – Selling General and 30,197,000 29,945,000 32,412,000 Administrative Non Recurring- – – Others1,792,000 1,747,000 1,814,000Total Operating Expenses- – – Operating Income or Loss 5,874,000 3,801,000 5,382,000 Income from Continuing Operations Total Other Income/3,000 10,000 75,000 Expenses Net Earnings Before 5,877,000 3,811,000 5,457,000 Interest and Taxes Interest Expense354,000 445,000 442,000 Income Before Tax5,523,000 3,366,000 5,015,000 Income Tax Expense2,035,000 1,214,000 2,012,000 Minority Interest- – – Net Income From3,488,000 2,152,000 3,003,000 Continuing Ops Non-recurring Events Discontinued Operations- – – Extraordinary Items- – –Effect Of Accounting Changes- – – Other Items- – – Net Income 3,488,000 2,152,000 3,003,000 Preferred Stock And Other Adjustments- †“ – Net Income Applicable3,488,000 2,152,000 3,003,000 To Common Shares Product and Services comparison UPS products and services are homogenous to U. S. Post Office products and services with the exception of mailing services in the United States. UPS is basically a package delivery company (shipping services) providing transportation, logistics and financial services in the United States and in other 220 countries.It also provides letter and document delivery but only those considered time constraint delivery exempted by the U. S. Post Office from its mailing service monopoly. Unlike the U. S. Post Office â€Å"shipping services†, UPS operates internationally thus providing import and export logistic services throughout the world. It also provides various technology solutions for automated shipping, visibility, billing, distribution centers (to various industries like healthcare), technology, retail/consumer and a portfolio of financial services. FedEx Financial co mparisonBelow is FEDEX’s financial statement for the last three years 2009 to 2011. Comparing U. S. Post Office 2011 and 2010 annual total revenues, FEDEX’s 2011 is only approximately 59. 81% to that of the U. S. Post Office while its 2010 revenue is only approximately 51. 80% to that of the U. S. Post Office. Just like with UPS, FEDEX annual revenue is just barely a little over half of the U. S. Post Office annual revenue. However, U. S. Post Office Operating Expenses more than triples FEDEX annual operating expenses hence resulting in huge annual Net Loss to the U. S. Post Office while FEDEX posted a Net Income of $1. 52B and $1. 184B in 2011 and 2010 respectively. Income Statement All numbers in thousands Period EndingMay 31, 2011May 31, 2010May 31, 2009 Total Revenue 39,304,000 34,734,000 35,497,000 Cost of Revenue14,266,000 11,908,000 12,672,000 Gross Profit 25,038,000 22,826,000 22,825,000 Operating Expenses Research Development- – – Selling General and20,598,000 18,852,000 18,899,000 Administrative Non Recurring89,000 18,000 1,204,000 Others1,973,000 1,958,000 1,975,000 Total Operating Expenses- – – Operating Income or Loss 2,378,000 1,998,000 747,000Income from Continuing Operations Total Other Income/(27,000)(25,000)15,000 Expenses Net Earnings Before2,351,000 1,973,000 762,000 Interest And Taxes Interest Expense86,000 79,000 85,000 Income Before Tax2,265,000 1,894,000 677,000 Income Tax Expense813,000 710,000 579,000 Minority Interest- – – Net Income From1,452,000 1,184,000 98,000 Continuing Ops Non-recurring Events Discontinued Operations- – – Extraordinary Items- – – Effect Of Accounting Changes- – – Other Items- – – Net Income 1,452,000 1,184,000 98,000 Preferred Stock And Other Adjustments- – –Net Income Applicable To1,452,000 1,184,000 98,000 Common Shares Product and Services comparison FEDEX product and services are als o similar to UPS and with USPS’s shipping services. Its services are divided into four segments: FEDEX Express, FEDEX Ground, FEDEX Freight and FEDEX Services. FEDEX Express, Ground and Freight generally deals with domestic and international shipping services while FEDEX Service provides sales, marketing , administrative, information technology and customer service support services including copying and digital printing services.Economic Factors Macroeconomic Factors Unemployment and recession The greatest recession in U. S. history since World War II was declared to have started as early as December 2007 and officially over by June 2009 per National Bureau of Economic Research (Beatty, A, Sept 2010). During the start of the recession, unemployment was at a 5. 0% (Dec 2007) and reached its peak of 10% in October 2009.However, these unemployment figures are misleading because as per Bureau of Labor and Statistics, â€Å"Unemployment† is defined as people who do not curr ently have a job, have actively looked for work in the past four weeks (from the time when the report is prepared) and are currently available for work (Amadeo, n. d. ). It also includes people who are temporarily laid off and waiting to be called back to work. People who are unemployed and have not looked for job in the last four weeks (from the time the report is prepared) are removed from the labor force and are not counted as unemployed.The Bureau of Labor and Statistics also releases â€Å"Alternative measures of labor underutilization† report divided into 6 sections as follows: * U-1 Persons Unemployed 15 weeks or longer as a percent of the civilian labor force * U-2 Job losers and person who completed temporary jobs as a percent of the civilian labor force * U-3 Total unemployed as a percent of the civilian labor force (official unemployment rate) * U-4 Total unemployed plus discouraged workers, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus discouraged workers * U-5 To tal unemployed plus discouraged workers, plus all other person marginally attached to the labor force, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all person marginally attached to the labor force *U-6 Total unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force Of these six sections, the focus is on the U-3 and U-6 figures. As of December 2008 the official unemployment rate as per BLS Report (U-3 figure) is at 7. 3% while the U-6 figure is at 13. 5%. The difference is 6. 2% meaning while 7. 3% of the work force is being reported as officially unemployed, another 6. 2% are not. And this unreported 6. 2% are mainly those who have stopped looking for jobs or those who hold part time jobs. By June 2009, when the last economic recession was officially declared over, the U-3 and U-6 figures are 9. 5% and 16. 5% respectively. And for the year ending, December 2011, U-3 was reported at 8. % and U-6 at 15. 2% for a difference of 6. 7%. This difference indicates 44. 0% (6. 7% / 15. 2%) of the unemployed is not reported in the official unemployment rate. This is an indication although unemployment rate has been reported to decline from its peak of 10% in October 2009 to 8. 5% in December 2011, there are still far more unemployed people being unreported or have continuously decided not to join the workforce. High unemployment adversely affects the national economy in general including delivery and shipping services firms like USPS. With consumers having less confidence and less money to spend, there is less business for delivery of goods.When unemployment rate is high, there are fewer consumers while still those employed has less spendable money. Hence, retailers’ sales decline so is the order of replacement merchandise directly translating to reducing shipping services both for the retailers and consu mers. In short, there will definitely be a negative impact on USPS revenue. Cyclical changes in the economy, i. e. recession and inflation is nothing new to USPS, however the effect of modern technology like the personal computers and internet is.At the height of the recession, 2009, USPS revenue declined by 9. 1% over the previous year with a total net loss of $3. 74B followed by another $8. 473B net loss in 2010. Unemployment rates peaked from 7. % in January of 2009 to 10% in October 2009 and declined to 9. 4% in December 2010 were in parallel with these revenue losses. The bulk of USPS operating expenses is mostly from its employee wages and retiree benefits and transportation. Of these, employee wages and retiree benefits are the least elastic. With more than 85% of its employees covered by Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA’s), USPS is strictly constrained to react promptly to sudden changes to the economy to reduce its operating expenses, i. e. laying off employees or reducing retiree benefits. Inflation Inflation is defined as a sustained increase in the general level of prices for goods and services.It is measured as an annual percentage increase. As inflation rises, every dollar you own buys a smaller percentage of a good or service. The value of a dollar is never constant and it is referred to as its purchasing power. With inflation there is a decline in the purchasing power of the dollar (Investopedia. com) For USPS, inflation also results in adverse effects on its revenues but mostly it affects the cost of health benefits it has to cover for its employees and retirees. For its operations, the cost of fuel also greatly affects its operating expenses. Cost of living allowances and workers’ compensation programs also add to increased operating expenses.But the most negative impact is the inability of USPS to readily adjust its product and services pricing based from inflation as it requires legislative actions to do so. Government Le gislations Since USPS is a government owned firm, it operates within the guidelines of public laws. Product and services pricing are approved by Congress. In addition, delivery schedules and delivery routes are also regulated by the Postal Regulatory Commission. With the implementation of Public Law 91-375 commonly known as the Postal Reorganization Act of 1971, the USPS became a self-supporting, wholly governmental entity designed to cover its operating costs with revenues generated through providing fundamental postal services to the entire nation (Kosar, 2012).It does not receive annual appropriation from Congress for its operating budget except for the annual $100M congress pays to compensate USPS for the revenue losses incurred for free mailing privileges to blind persons and overseas voters, as directed by Congress. The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA) established the Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund (PSRHBF) and required USPS to prefund its future retirees’ health benefits at a cost of approximately $5. 5B per year for 10 years with remaining balance amortized in the subsequent next 40- year period. For FY ending 2011, the unfunded obligation to this fund is at $46. 2B (the accuracy of this amount is still being debated depending on what valuation method is used) (Kosar, 2012). Below is the table for the RHBF payments under the PAEA: Table 1.Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Fund Payments Under PAEA Fiscal Year Payment Due Per PAEA (billions) Status of Payment 2007 $5. 4 Paid in full. 2008 $5. 6 Paid in full. 2009 $5. 4 $1. 4 billion paid 2010 $5. 5 Paid in full. 2011 $5. 5 No payment 2012 $5. 6 Due September 30, 2012. 2013 $5. 6 Due September 30, 2013. 2014 $5. 7 Due September 30, 2014. 2015 $5. 7 Due September 30, 2015. 2016 $5. 8 Due September 30, 2016. Source: Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (P. L. 109-435,  §803; 120 Stat. 3251-3252; 5 U. S. C  §8909(d)(3)(A). ) Due to solvency problems, Congress reduced the FY 2009 payment amount to $1. 4B (P. L. 111-68) while in FY2011, Congress delayed the payment to August 1, 2012 as per H. R. 112-331.By front loading the RHBF, USPS has switched from funding its RHBF from â€Å"out of pocket† cost to pre-funding. It’s this prefunding causing a tremendous financial strain on the firm. It’s also an indicator on how much leverage and control government legislations have over the firm. And this is just one of the two biggest entities having control over the firm’s operations. The other one is employees’ unions. Collective Bargaining Agreements More than 80% of USPS operating cost is due to its employees’ wage; and more than 85% of its employees belong to one of the four unions or referred to as management organizations, i. e. , APWU, NALC, NPMHU and NRLCA.Unfortunately for USPS even though it enjoys benefits from federal regulations like monopoly of mailing services and having the ability to borrow money from the Federal Financing Banks up to $15B or as set by Congress; the same federal laws also put constrains in its ability to increase revenue by increasing prices without prior approval; or decreasing its operating costs by reducing mail delivery schedule; or closing non-performing post offices; or by having power to control labor costs. Statutory processes for resolving disputes between labor and management frequently results in arbitrators being empowered to make binding decisions heavily favoring employees (USPS Annual 10K Report, 2011). With declining revenues since 2007, USPS has been unable to reduce employee numbers to desired sustainable strength, its main operating cost, without having to rely solely on attrition or buy outs due to collective bargaining agreements that heavily favor employees. Future strategy calls for attrition or reduction in employees’ numbers to an additional 120,000 positions by FY2015.However, USPS is unable to achieve this with out overriding current CBA’s and it doesn’t have the power to do so. Microeconomic Factors Personal Computers and Internet In their 2009 annual report, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, approximately 68. 7% percent (81. 939 million households) of all U. S. households have internet access. Out of this 68. 7%, 63. 5% uses broadband service while 4. 7 % uses dial up service with the remaining 0. 4% using either satellite or dish access (BLS, 2010). And the numbers will only continue to grow as personal computers become more affordable and internet services continue to be made available in the rural areas.With internet comes email and social networking services. Although email is a differentiated product from regular paper mail or commonly referred to as â€Å"snail mail†, its purpose and function is completely the same. In short, email is almost a perfect substitute product for regular paper mail. The decline in first-class mail volume started to tak e center stage when the volume of First-Class mail, where USPS gets the majority of its money from, fell below junk mail volume for the first time in 2005 (Leonard, 2011). Total mail volume declined 20% between 2006 and 2010 resulting in a total net income loss of $25B. 1-From 2011 Report on Form 10-K USPS So is email killing USPS?Although decline in First-Class mail alone cannot postulate this to be accurate, there is however undisputed evidence email has delivered a severe financial blow to USPS. Like this is not serious enough yet, digital communications continue to evolve and quickly becoming mainstream. Mobile phones or smartphones are not only capable of making a phone call but also able to send emails just about anywhere they can find service signals from their providers. The phone can also be used to send text (â€Å"texting†), providing not only faster communication than regular paper mail but even better than regular email as it requires no computer to access it and is in real time.To make matters worse for USPS, most businesses are already moving to â€Å"paperless† bill and payment delivery meaning the 20% decline in first-class mail volume in the previous years, not only will it be probably irreversible but will most likely worsen before it gets better. And then there is yet still another evolving technology that could also adversely affect USPS’s other business model, â€Å"shipping services†, and this is with the digital or electronic books. According to Amazon, the largest retailer on the web, Kindle books are just now starting to outsell printed books (Leonard, 2011). Everyday Low Pricing strategies If you are looking for the cheapest postal rate around the world, look no further than the U. S. Postal Service.For a universal rate of 44 cents (before January 12, 2011, where it rose to 45 cents), for the first ounce, a First Class letter mail can be delivered anywhere in the United States and its territories. In compa rison, for the same letter mailed locally, in Norway it would cost the sender $1. 63; in Japan it would be $1. 06, in France it would be $0. 81, in Germany it would be $0. 77, in UK it would be $0. 74 and in Canada it would be $0. 61 (Annual Report to Congress, USPS, 2011). Like this is not cheap enough yet, the Standard Mail is even cheaper consisting mostly of advertising and periodical mails. So is everyday low pricing causing financially losses USPS?In comparison to other postal services it would seem so. An analysis of this dilemma is presented in the business strategies section of this report. Outsourcing and global competition Although most U. S. companies have adopted globalization and have included outsourcing in their strategy to compete in the global market, the U. S. Postal Service remains a sole government franchise operating only nationally. As such it does not include outsourcing as a part of its business model and do not compete globally. Business Analysis Current Fi nancial Performance USPS current financial performance in the last 5 years and especially in the 2011 is in â€Å"dire straits†.With over $25B in net losses over the past five years including $21B of expenses for the prefunding of retiree health benefits, it ended 2011 with only $1. 2B in total cash and only $2. 0B of remaining borrowing capacity. The projected payments for the PSRHBF for 2012 is a staggering $11. 1B ($5. 5B for the deferred 2011 and $5. 6 for the upcoming 2012 contributions) and then there is the payment for workers’ compensation for approximately $1. 3B by September 30, 2012. Even with all the re-structuring tools available for the USPS put into place including price increases just recently approved, USPS will not be able to meet all its current year financial obligations.Unless, congress makes changes to the current requirements of prefunding USPS’ PSRHBF, the firm is technically insolvent even prior to the end of its 2012 accounting period a nd will remain so at least until 2016. Previous Financial Performance The last time USPS posted net income from its operations was in FY2004 ($3. 1B), FY2005 ($1. 626B) and FY2006 ($969M), (USPS Annual Report 2007). It was in 2006 P. L. 109-435 became a law relieving USPS of the $27B in pension liabilities for workers with military service (USPS workers with military pension used to be paid by USPS vice the U. S. Treasury) but at the same time USPS agreed to make annual payments of $5. billion for the next 10 years to build up a fund for future retirees. When this bill was signed into law, USPS was ecstatic. So for FY 2006, USPS finished the year with a net income of almost $1B. Little did it know it will be the last time USPS will ever finish the year in â€Å"black†! Future Financial outlook Future financial outlook for USPS is dimmer than ever. With decline in First Class mail volume continuously declining, there is no indication this is not permanent or worse yet decline more in coming years, even if the economy improve. So far USPS seems to be more focus on increasing its revenue by increasing prices in both of each services, i. e. , mailing and shipping services.At the same time, it also wants to reduce its operating expenses by reducing its number of employees and closing or converting some of its branches into â€Å"village post offices†. However, even with all these business strategies, USPS doesn’t seem to focus on how it can re-structure its business model to adapt to digital technologies and the use of Internet. Although, it has adapted its shipping services and selling of stamps into the digital world USPS is yet to make headways into a profitable business model. Business Strategies Product pricing One of the business strategies of USPS and usually most of businesses do is to increase product pricing everytime the end of the accounting period reports â€Å"Net Loss†! This seems to be a knee-jerk reaction since itâ€℠¢s the easiest logic to recoup â€Å"net losses†.And this is because supposedly increase in product pricing directly correlates to increase revenue thus increased profit or having to post â€Å"Net Income† instead of â€Å"Net Loss† at the end of each accounting period. However product pricing is not as plain and easy as it looks. In the case of USPS product pricing, the elasticity of each product pricing should be taken into account. USPS has validated the fact that technology, increased availability of broadband services, growing internet access in homes, declining prices in personal computers, and expanding mobile services has caused a decline in its mailing services. This is directly attributed to e-mails and online banking billing and payments.In short, email and other electronic online banking transactions, although differentiated from regular paper mail are direct substitute products. As such, it can be postulated increasing the price of USPS â€Å"maili ng services† will not necessarily translate to increased revenues. With price elasticity of demand (EP), the more there is a close substitute to a product the higher is the elasticity of demand. This is shown in the below graph: Figure 2: Managerial Economics in Global Economy (Salvatore, D, 2010) With EP greater than one (highly elastic as shown on the upper portion of the blue demand line) the demand line indicates an increase in price (PX) will result in decrease in quantity demanded (QX). With decrease in quantity demanded means reduction in total revenue.Based from the mail volume decline since 2006 (when mailing was cheaper than last year and this year) up to the present it’s almost conclusive further increase in the cost of mailing will only exacerbate the decline in mail volume; making it easier for business managers to make the decision to switch to â€Å"paperless† bill statements and delivery. Although current statutory requirements limit pricing incre ase on â€Å"shipping services† (including mailing services) to rate of inflation, USPS should request Congress to include a direct authority for USPS to increase prices (with approval from the Postal Regulatory Commission, PRC) based from increased cost of transportation, i. e. , fuel, the same strategy used by the airline industry. The airline industry started using surcharges for baggage checked in when the cost of fuel surge to unsustainable levels.USPS should have the same authority to make time sensitive changes to its pricing as it deems necessary for its continued operations with the approval of the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC). Even if given this authority, USPS should still consider the competition before it can raise shipping prices and by how much. By having the authority though, USPS can be a flexible firm able to respond in time to stop massive losses while waiting for Congress to give it an approval. Product diversity With technology, USPS has started to adapt the internet for some its product offerings. Customers can go at USPS. com and fill their forms online and even print their mailing or shipping stamps.Additionally, customers can also request home or station pick up by USPS meaning customers need not even to get out of their houses to receive mailing or shipping services. However, these shipping services are also available with USPS competitors like UPS and FEDEX and seem to be doing a better job than USPS. There is however, one product USPS offers that its competitors do not offer and this is Postal Money Order. U. S. Postal Money Orders are very popular and reliable people up to this day prefer them as a form of payment over credit or debit cards or even online fund transfer companies like Western Unions or Paypal. USPS should conduct a study on how to establish a business model allowing it to offer a digital version of its Postal Money Orders.With USPS monopoly on money orders this is almost a sure winner if it can design a digital or online business model for its money orders. In 2010, Paypal posted total revenue of $3. 4B and expects to double this revenue by 2013 (Galante, 2011). On the otherhand, Western Union posted a Net Income of $909. 9M (Yahoo Finance). With potential revenue at this level just from its money order business, USPS is posed to increase its annual business revenue tremendously compare to just increasing its product pricing. Resource utilization USPS resource utilization is obviously not at its optimal level considering the amount of losses it incurred in the last 5 years.Probably the worst resource underutilization is in the excessive number of employees and its huge fleet of gas guzzling trucks and delivery vehicles. USPS was very slow to adapt to new technology and didn’t quite see the effect of the internet with its mailing services and continued rising cost of fuel. This is in spite of the significant decline in First-Class mailing volumes as early as 2005 and the mor e than $100 a barrel of crude oil in 2008. USPS did not initiate to stop Saturday’s mail delivery until 2010 when it was already losing tens of billions in income. USPS tries to optimize its resource utilization by working interdependently with its â€Å"Shipping Services† competitors like UPS’ â€Å"UPS Basic† and FedEx’s â€Å"Smart Post†.However, USPS should strive instead to get as much of this business for itself instead of having to share it with its competitors. This doesn’t mean it has to get rid of this interdependency relationship as it helps in its resource utilization but should try to get as much as it can so as to enjoy the revenue for itself instead of sharing with others. And it can easily accomplish this through pricing, which it has an advantage over the competition. With oil price increases in 2008, USPS should have started switching or equipping its delivery vehicles either to more fuel efficient vehicles or those equipped to use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). According to Consumer Energy Report. om (Rapier, 2009), based from EPA reports, a gallon of gasoline contains approximately 115,000 BTU’s of energy while a Standard Cubic Feet (SCF) of natural gas contains 1,000 BTU’s (hence 115 SCF of CNG equates to 1 gallon of gasoline). In November 2011, the national average price of gasoline was $3. 37 a gallon while for diesel it was $4. 01 a gallon (Consumer Report, 2011). On the same period, the price for natural gas is $8. 60 per thousand SCF for commercial rate and $4. 53 for industrial rate (EIA. gov, 2012). A thousand SCF of natural gas equates to 8. 7 gallons of gasoline or diesel (1,000 divided by 115), meaning had USPS converted some of its vehicles into CNG, it would only be paying approximately 98. 85 cents to equivalent gallon of gasoline or diesel at the commercial rate price, and even less if given the industrial rate price.At present, price of natural gas has declined al though not significantly but it might as well be because on the other end of the spectrum the price of gasoline rose to almost $4 a gallon from $3. 37 in November 2010, an increase of 18. 7% and it is just starting to get worse. USPS has the largest civilian fleet of vehicles in the world numbering to 215,625 burning through more than 399 million of gallons of gasoline/diesel for a total of 1. 25 billion miles driven (Postal Facts, 2011); it could have easily saved tens of millions of dollars with the use of CNG. USPS should continue with its strategy of reducing its number of employees and post office branches or converting some branches into â€Å"Village Post Offices†. Additionally, it should also strive to reduce its delivery service from a 6-day to a 5-day delivery.Although this may sound like an easy feat to accomplish, i. e. , to reduce operating cost due to reduced mail volume, it is not. This is because although there has been a decrease in mail volume there is howev er an increase in delivery points. So the bottom line is although reducing operating cost is a positive step, USPS can only reduce it for so much and for so long before it starts failing in providing fundamental postal services to the nation; its primary mandate and reason for existence. The other strategy for USPS besides operating cost reduction is synergized on what it is currently accomplishing now and for the future. Cost Volume Profit Analysis Cost-Volume-Profit analysis or breakeven analysis is a process of determining the output where a firm breaks even or earns a target profit from the total revenue and total cost functions of the firm† (Salvatore, D. 2012). Unlike manufacturing or production firms, or any private firms, the USPS has a constant mandate to provide â€Å"fundamental postal service† to the nation. As such, it requires a minimum number of employees, material and other resources to accomplish this task, hence an absolute minimum operating cost. In p rivate sector, when a firm CVP analysis indicates a decline in total revenue (TR) compare to total cost (TC), its tendency is to reduce TC until it is low enough to gain profit.Even better for the firm it has the option of totally abandoning some specific operations or productions if it cannot gain profit despite drastic reductions in TC. However, this is not the case for the USPS. With minimum requirements to provide fundamental postal service to the nation, the USPS cannot reduce its TC to the point it will cease some or even a single part of its operation, despite heavy net losses in income. When USPS is operating at a loss and has done just about everything to minimize its TC, its only other option is to increase the volume of its business to at least break even. With decline in mail volume still yet to hit bottom, USPS needs to venture to different products especially those taking advantage of the internet and other evolving technologies.It is only through additional products o r improvement in current existing products USPS can increase volume of its business to at least cover its minimum operating cost. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats Being a government own firm, USPS has some inherent strengths in its business model as follows: 1. Monopoly of the mailing service industry 2. Open Credit lines or borrowing up to $15B from the Federal Financing Bank, which can also be increased in due time with the approval of Congress 3. Large operating capacity with more than 33,000 facilities throughout the nation 4. A non-profit organization whose only financial objective is to break even giving it the strength to undermine the competition through low pricing 5.Highly resilient to cyclical changes in the economy brought by recessions and inflations 6. Modern technological network infrastructures and highly computerized distribution systems USPS should utilize its strengths to increase revenue especially with its business goal of only requiring breaking even. It can also flex its strength in pricing to beat the competition when it comes to its shipping services. With its large operating capacities it should plan to expand its business model to achieve â€Å"economies of scale†. USPS weaknesses also come mostly from the same institution that gave some of its strengths: 1. Large operating cost due to large required coverage in mail and shipping deliveries as mandated by Congress 2.Very little diversity in products and services despite large operating capacities and highly technological networked infrastructure 3. Very little to none bargaining power with employees management organizations or unions 4. Very restrictive operating schedules and product pricing flexibilities 5. Slow adaptability in a highly changing business environment brought by newer technology due to restrictions placed upon the firm by Congress through the Post Office Regulatory Commission 6. Large number inefficient fleet of vehicles 7. Very expensive emplo yee pension and retiree health benefit plans Weaknesses in large number of inefficient fleet of vehicles unnecessarily contributing to high operating cost can be easily avoided with the use of alternate energy like CNG.Congress should give temporary authority to USPS to effect price changes as a result of out of the ordinary changes in fuel costs and other materials and resources it uses to fulfill its mandate. The two most readily available opportunities for USPS mostly come only in two forms, i. e. product diversity and more use of the internet as another source of business revenue. This can be as simple as developing a business model to the current postal money orders so it can be transformed to something like e-Money Order that can be used for online fund transfers the same as Paypal’s or Western Unions business model do. As for product diversity, USPS should start looking into expanding its shipping services to aggressively compete directly with UPS and FedEx.The biggest threat facing USPS is the continuing decline of its mailing services. Despite the big proposal of increasing prices supposedly supplementing losses, it’s more likely the more USPS continue to raise prices in its mailing services the sooner it will decline more. The threat of defaulting with its PSRHBF funding for this year and probably for the following years is imminent. The possibility of a government bailout seems to be very more likely starting this year and the years thereafter. USPS needs to face the reality of the internet technology and should start restructuring its business model so as to treat the internet as an ally instead of an adversary. ConclusionAn expeditious and short term solution to the Unites States Postal Service current financial problem is way out of reach of the sole capability of the firm and requires a congressional legislation to make it happen. This specifically with the firms mandated annual $5. 5B prefund contribution to its PSRHBF where $11. 1B is due by September 30, 2012. In addition there is also the $1. 3B Workers’ Compensation Fund required to be paid to the DOL at the end of the fiscal year. To keep USPS financially solvent and operational at least for the time being, Congress should legislate to postpone payments to the PSRHBF and to the Workers’ Compensation for the next three years.This should give enough â€Å"breathing room† for USPS to stay â€Å"afloat† while at the same time implementing its multi-prong strategies of reducing its operating costs, increasing revenues, diversifying its products and improving its processes and methodologies to attract more customers. References: 1. Amadeo, K, (n. d. ) U. S. Economy, How is Unemployment Defined. Retrieved February 18 2012, from http://useconomy. about. com/od/supply/f/unemploy_define. htm. 2. Average gas prices – – November 21, 2011, Retrieved February 23, 2012 from http://news. consumerreports. org/cars/2011/11/averag e-gas-prices-november-21-2011. html. 3. Beatty, A, (September 20, 2010) U. S. Exits Longest Recession SinceWorld War II, retrieved 19 February 2012 from http://www. commondreams. org/headline/2010/09/20-5. 4. Bentley, M. (April 2010), Carrier Consolidation Services: An inside guide to OPS basic and FEDEX SmartPost, retrieved February 19, 2012 from http://www. parcelindustry. com. 5. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, (February 2010), Current Population Survey, October 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2012 from http://www. census. gov/hhes/computer/publications/2009. html. 6. Galante, J. (Feb 10, 2011). Paypal’s Revenue Will double by 2013, Thompson Says, Bloomberg. Retrieved February 20, 2012 from http://www. bloomberg. com/news. 7. Geddes, R. R. , (June 01, 2003).Opportunities for Anti-Competitive Behavior in the Postal Services, AEI Online retrieved February 12, 2012 from http://www. aei. org/article/opportunities-for-anticompetitive-behavior-in-postal-services/. 8. Inflation: Wha t is Inflation? retrieved February 19, 2012 from http://www. investopedia. com/university/inflation/inflation1. asp#axzz1mtwFSACX. 9. Income Statement, Western Union Company, Yahoo Finance. Retrieved February 20, 2012 from http://www. yahoo. com/finance. 10. Kosar, K. R. (January 27, 2012) The U. S. Postal Service’s Financial Condition: Overview and Issued for Congress, retrieved February 20, 2012 from http://www. fas. org/sgp/crs/misc/R41024. pdf. 11.Leonard, D (May 25, 2011) the U. S. Postal Service nears Collapse†, Bloomberg Businessweek, retrieved February 19, 2012 from http://www. businessweek. com/print/magazine/content/11_23/b4231060885070. htm. 12. Natural Gas Prices Retrieved February 23, 2012 from http://www. eia. gov/dnav/ng/ng_pri_sum_dcu_nus_m. htm. 13. Postal Facts 2011 Retrieved February 23, 2012 from http://about. usps. com/who-we-are/postal-facts/welcome. htm. 14. Rapier, R. (Jun 19, 2009) How Much Natural Gas to Replace Gasoline? Retrieved February 23, 2012 from http://www. consumerenergyreport. com/2009/06/19/how-much-natural-gas-to-replace- gasoline/. 15. Salvatore, D. (2012).Managerial economics in a global economy (5th ed), New York, NY: Oxford University. 16. United States Postal Regulatory Commission, Annual Form 10-K Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 for FY ended September 30, 2011. 17. United States Postal Service 2011 Annual Report to Congress, retrieved February 16, 2012 from, http://about. usps. com/publications/annual-report-comprehensive-statement-2011/annual-report-comprehensive-statement-2011. pdf. 18. United States Postal Service Annual Report 2007 retrieved February 20, 2012 from http://about. usps. com/strategic-planning/cs07/chpt5-002. htm.

Free Exercise Clause Freedom and Equality

Free Exercise Clause Freedom and Equality Freedom Exercise Clause With regard to the Free Exercise Clause, stipulating that the government should not limit the religious’ rights of individuals, prisoners’ religious rights should not be restricted either. Such a position also underlines the importance of considering the prohibition imposed on the government to interfere with religious issues. These two basic arguments justify the Court decision uphold prisoners’ religious rights (Johnson, 2005).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Free Exercise Clause: Freedom and Equality specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, the concern might arise in case prisoners’ faith can bring in disorder to the institutions to which a person is confined. This is of particular concern to case when religious implies racial separation, Satanism, and a Wiccan witch (Johnson, 2005). The problem, however, could be eliminated as soon as a golden medium is found. Specifically, the government will have to provide all necessary resources and tools for prisoners to uphold of their religious beliefs. Similar concerns should be raised in case of detainees during the War in Iraq. The prisoners’ religious and human rights were severely abused because of failure to follow the provisions of the First Amendment. Certainly, some of the actions initiated against the Iraqi soldiers were explained by the subjective attitude of the U.S. government and their concerns with terrorist attacks. Even under these circumstances, the policies against prisoners will regard the U.S. actions as discriminative ones. Once again, prisoners’ religious rights in Iraq should be concerned unless they undermine the security of the Untied States. Due to the fact that the Muslims have a number of rituals and traditions that could threaten the safety of other individuals, the prisoners’ religious rights should be reconsidered in accordance to the Amendments and provisions of the U.S. constitutions. For instance, individuals should adhere to the moral principle and do not interfere with the freedom and rights of other individuals. Freedom and Equality The Patriot Act focuses on enforcement of laws protecting the U.S. citizens from terrorist attack. Initiated after the events happened in September 11, 2001 and since that time, the government is working on the strengthening security in public places, as well as development of effective databases that would monitor information exchange (U.S. Department of Justice, 2004). Such an action is justified in terms security of the country because it allows the citizens to adjust to the new dangers and threats of the reality, as well as learn the strategies to reduce the safety risk. Intelligence officials have applied to advanced technological devices to take greater control of the governmental and public processes. Improvements are necessary to better confront terrorism, but not at the expense of liberties and equalities of the U.S. citizens. This is of particular concern to transparency policies as far as private records of people are concerned.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, excess focus on security and protection against terrorism interferes significantly with the privacy rights of Americans, which also violates their constitutional rights as well. According to research introduced by American Civil Liberties Union (2005), there is much inconsistence in regard to the policies introduced by the Bush administration. In particular, the law enforcement does not justify interference in privacy issue of innocent Americans. Neither does this law justify the measures taken to prevent terrorism. Therefore, by implementing security measures, specific attention should also be given to previously adopted laws, particularly those that concern liberty and equality of individuals living in the United States. Therefore, the U.S. Constitution should undergo reasonable shifts that would not violate its major principles. References American Civil Liberties Union. (2005). ACLU Says President’s Patriot Act Push Again Ignores Americans’ Concerns about Privacy, Calls on Congress to Resist Pressure and Protect Innocent Americans. Web. Johnson, M. A. (2005). Court Upholds Prisoners’ Religious Rights. NBC News. Web. U.S. Department of Justice. (2004). Report from the Field: The USA PATRIOT Act at Work. Web.

Assignment 4 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

4 - Assignment Example The cost factor allegedly includes the monthly premiums, as well as out-of-pocket costs. It has been noted from various news items and article regarding the health care that increasing number of Americans could not avail of health insurance plans due to the exorbitant costs. Of course, if these plans could be availed at very minimal costs, most of the people would prefer to avail of plans that would provide the greatest benefits for the least cost possible. However, the type of plans that could be availed depends on the income level or earnings generated by individuals or family members. Therefore, if an individual would have excess funds after taking care of basic necessities (food, clothing, shelter), only then could portions of excess funds be earmarked for health care. Thus, inasmuch as the article provides relevant information regarding finding the health insurance plan for readers, it is actually presumed that the plan that is to be selected depending on the income level or earnings or the capacity to pay. How to find the health insurance plan that’s right for you. (2014, March 20). Retrieved from HealthCare.gov:

Hyperbola Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hyperbola - Research Paper Example Different conics have different ranges of eccentricity. Hence a type of conic is identified by the value of eccentricity and if the value of eccentricity is greater than one then the conic is named as hyperbola. Hyperbola is logically very close to that of ellipse in all its mathematical features. The basic and fundamental difference between the ellipse and a hyperbola is enumerated by the difference in the eccentricity value since ellipse eccentric value is greater than zero but less than 1. Actually this difference can be understood in 2D as for ellipse the sum of distances from foci and a point on that of ellipse is fixed. Whereas in hyperbola it is the difference in the distances from foci and a point on hyperbola is fixed. The diagram of a hyperbola reveals the fact that a hyperbola is actually composed of two parts which are disjoined with each other and two parts are positioned on equal distances with each other. As the value of the eccentricity of hyperbola come closer to 1 t he edges of the cups of the hyperbola are lessened with each other coming closer on the other hand if the value of eccentricity increases the edges of the cup widens and the two ends of cup go more far with each other. 1. Mathematical And Geometric Features In Hyperbola Hyperbola has many geometric and mathematical features as that of ellipse. ... There is another axis at the centre of hyperbola which is perpendicular to that of traverse axis and is called as conjugate axis. The conjugate axis is just like a minor axis as in the case of ellipse. Likewise the transverse axis in a hyperbola is just like a major axis in the ellipse. The centre is a point across which all geometric features are located. This centre point is the intersection of the two axes i.e. the traverse axis and the conjugate axis. The centre point can be located at origin as well as it can be replaced to some point like (h, k), in such case of replacement of centre point the equations and calculations are made accordingly and become bit difficult to solve. The traverse axis is normally parallel to X axis (horizontal) or exactly placed on it, but in other cases the traverse axis can be shifted to Y axis (vertical) for this reason a new hyperbolic curvature is obtained. When the transverse axis is placed on X axis the conjugate axis will be placed on Y axis. Bu t when traverse axis is placed on Y axis the conjugate axis will be shifted to X axis. When traverse axis is placed on or parallel to X axis (horizontal), the ‘x’ component in standard equation of hyperbola is taken as positive. If the transverse axis is placed on or parallel to Y axis (vertical), the ‘y’ component in standard equation of hyperbola is taken as positive while the other ‘x’ component is taken as negative. 2. Hyperbolic Classification There are different types of hyperbola categorized on the basis of their orientation and characteristics. Hyperbolae centre can be placed on origin and as well as any where except origin. Hyperbole transverse axis can be parallel to X axis (horizontal axis), can be made parallel