Origins of World War I Essay Example for Free

Origins of World War I EssayThe World War I fought between 1914 and 1918, is considered the largest of any war in human history and ever since, many refer it as the Great War. It was a culmination of activities and competition across European nations. Its estimated that 14 one thousand million people lost their lives on the First World War. The causes of the World War I were complicated which includes 1.Imperialism- The scramble for Africa and some other parts of Asia for raw materials by European countries led to a competition and this pushed the world into the World War I. 2. Defense alliances-most countries all over Europe had formed defense agreements that if one countrified was attacked, allied countries would join and fight back. For example when Hungary say war on Serbia, Russia joined to defend Serbia and German started to attack Russia.3. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand from Hungary and his wife in June 1914 by a Serbian national is considered to be a n immediate cause. It took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and which was part of Hungary. This was followed by protests as Serbia wanted to take control of Bosnia then Hungary declared war on Serbia leading to an expansion of the war trough the mutual defense alliances.Its not exactly known which country was responsible for the war though Germany is strongly believed to be responsible for the out break of the war. Through the Schlieffen plan German was supposed first to invade France by dint of Belgium then Russia onwards it had mobilized. Germany was also a major partner in the triple alliance and its perceived that Hungary would not have risked war with Serbia without full backing of Germany through the blank check given on 6th, june1914.However, on the other hand the war started first as conflict between Hungary and Serbia after the assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Hungary. In all fairness historians argue that all senior powers were responsible for war. In conclu sion, other than trade, peace alliances and coalitions between nations should be formed and promoted to parent peace and understanding. This will prevent t an out break of another war. References Henig Ruth, 2002, The Origins of the First World War, Routledge.

The China Trade Act Of 2000 Essay Example for Free

The chinaware Trade Act Of 2000 EssayThe China Trade Act of 2000 was introduced in Congress to allow free trade with China as with other favored nations. Trade with communist countries was currently allowed only on a year-to-year backside under the Trade Act of 1974, unlike the permanent basis offered other countries. Many members of the business community, and then President Clinton wanted this stipulation lifted erst China joined the World Trade Organization, which was forthcoming. This required an act of Congress. Since republicans typically favor big business, this allied President Clinton (D) with many Republicans and against many members of his own party, as well as labor unions. The president desired to push this government note through before his term in office ended.Clinton gathered support for this bill by speaking with hundreds of lawmakers, either individually, in groups or by phone. A $10 million ad compaign, the largest ever, was launched by the Chamber of Comm erce and the Business Roundtable. in that respect were many in the legislature concerned about granting permanent free trade to China due to Chinas history of human rights violations including religious persecution, denial of policy-making rights and labor issues. The bill was closed to amendments and most Republicans supported the bill. However, it was not clear if there would be enough votes to underwrite passage of the bill.Organized labor was the biggest obstructer of the bill. Even Vice President Al Gore broke ranks with the president and said the bill would only move American jobs to China. Large corporations lobbied heavily in support of the bill. Governor George Bush and General Colin Powell were even asked to help convince undecided Republicans to support the Democratic presidents goals.The bill passed the House with no amendments by a surprisingly wide margin. The business community unleashed an unprecedented campaign that was hard for anyone to match, said the presiden t of the United Auto Workers. The bill was then handed to the Senate and immediately several opponents of the bill began a filibuster. A cloture, motional requiring 60 Senators to cutoff debate, was activated and scores of amendments offered by Senators failed. The bill passed without amendment with an 85-15 vote. The process for passage of the China Trade Act of 2000 took about 1 year from start to finish.Opinion It is interesting that a Democratic president lobbied heavily for a historically Republican platform. I am also glad to see that many from both parties worked together to accomplish an important goal. The process to pass a bill is a lengthy process. Lawmakers and special interest groups felt passionate about his issue, causing some to split from their party alignment, join ranks with the opposing party, and lobby heavily to ensure passage of this bill.

Analysis Of A Leader Management Essay

Analysis Of A Leader Management EssayIsadore Sharp is the Founder of The Four Seasons Hotels Resort. Currently he is dowry as the Chairman and CEO of The Four Seasons Hotels Resort. He was born in Ontario, Canada in October 8, 1931. Sharp is one of Canadas most winnerful businessmen. He completed his gradation in architecture from Torontos Ryerson Polytechnical Institute. After lending in real states for five years, he decided to take a new direction and pondered the idea to number a hotel on his own. He was just 29 years obsolescent when he opened his first 125 room motor hotel (motel) in Toronto which was profitable and popular (Martin R, 2009).Mr. Sharp has build and managing a chain of 83 hotels that includes some of the worlds most impressive properties across 35 countries in 5 continents. Doing thing in own way Sharp has changeed the idea of service and quality of hotel industry. Mr. Sharp was non interested in following his competitors path he demonstrable his own mana gement techniques and tendency which facilitated him to build the worlds largest chain of luxury hotels. Sharp was mainly foc utilise on quality non the quantity. He believed in grammatical construction medium sized hotel with excellent service and quality. In 2009, he authored a book name Four Seasons The Story of a Business Philosophy, which gives an insight of the stage of his successful five star Four Season Hotel chain (Morassutti W,2009).Mr. Sharp has obtained and earned so many r for each one outments and awards in his field till now which includes point of Canada, the second highest honor for merit and many more Lifetime Achievement Award .He is Honorary Director of Scotia bank, Clairvest Group Inc., Canadian Unity Council, Canadian Council of Christians and Jews, and support Sinai Hospital. Mr. sharp has given Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from University of Guelph, 1992, University of Toronto, 1994 and York University, 2009 (Businessweek, 2012).Leadership makes and eachows a viewpoint for what must be do, why it is important, and how it can be achieved. It is someone who is alive(predicate) of current government and company circumstances, possibilities, and issues. Leadership demand therefore having the right mind-set along with the right viewpoint. Leadership is an important function of control which totallyows to advance performance and to accomplish company objectives. Leadership is very important in taking effort, motivating, offering support, creating assurance, creating relaxation, creating fantastic office, and co-ordination. Leadership is important in every establishment at every level to improve their growth win the competitors. Organizations want draws, who atomic number 18 value inspired individualities, who can control the circumstances by making the surprising happens ,develop organizations, win the expendees commitment with the DNA i.e. purpose, viewpoint and ethical concepts, create better design with proper work way of life and lead the individuals towards the success of company objectives and objectives (Saxena S, 2010).Leadership is a sue by which an executive can direct, guide and influence the behavior and work of others towards accomplishment of specific goals in a given situation. Leadership is the ability of a manager to induce the subordinates to work with confidence and zeal. Leadership is the potential to influence behavior of others. It is also defined as the capacity to influence a group towards the realization of a goal. Leaders are required to develop future visions and to motivate the organizational members to want to achieve the visions (Anonymous, 2009).According to Keith Davis, Leadership is the ability to persuade others to seek defined objectives enthusiastically. It is the human factor which binds a group together and motivates it towards goals.(asia hotelier, 2010)Leadership and management are oftentimes considered to be the similar term. Leadership is very important in order to have effective management. Leadership focuses on building an environment in which each and every employee should be able to develop and excel. Leadership is basically influencing and driving the group efforts towards achieving the goals. A manager should have original attractership qualities. Leaders enounce strategies that are competitive and which can give them a competitive advantage in the present as well as in the future. Therefore it is essential for Organizations to have strong leadership and strong management for maintaining organizational efficiency (md, 2012).All the good leaders are good mangers but not all the good managers are good leader, its not necessary that an effective manger can be a good leader. Many Administrators, supervisors and executives are performing their duties and responsibilities in effective way without being a good leader. Managers follow what has been told by their leader, they think about their department where as a leaders thinks abou t the undivided organization. Managers deals with ongoing, day to day challenges and complexities of organizations. Managing requires costing and planning and leading requires creating a mission and vision for the organization. Good leaders lead their people towards ultimate vision and booster as well as motivates them in obstacles whatever come in the way (Coleman P, 2007).Good leaders are able to develop their work as a aggroup. The first and most important function of a leader is to create and maintain that he and a pleasant working environment by needs a close look at his subordinates abilities, needs and potential capabilities. The second function of a leader is to serve as a turn over representative. The head of a working group to work as a liaison and coordination between the group members and senior management. The desired condition, a leader is judge to communicate problems and complaints with their subordinates to senior management. The third function of leaders is to act as a consultant to help in the work for his people. Here are a leading company expects will accompany and advise his subordinates who face problems in terms of their performance in the workplace problem are not inescapably technical, but may also contain naturally emotional. The fourth important function leader manages time effectively (Anonymous, 2010). The function of leader is to check whether the employees are completing their work within the give time frame and also need to check if the work groups are providing quality and efficiency in their work. The 5th most important function of a leader is using his power in the right way. A leader should be a good observer. A leader should reward his subordinates so that they get motivated towards doing the job which in turn can create a positive and livelier working environment (Malhotra J, 2009). contrary leaders have different leadership demeanors which differ in the manner and approach in which they provide direction to the p eople, and how they implement the plans and how they motivate the people. The three old approaches of leadership are Authoritarian or Autocratic, Participative or Democratic, Delegative or Free Reign.Leader who informs his employees about what needs to be done and how it needs to be done is an Authoritarian and Autocratic type of leader. Such a leader never takes advice and suggestions from others. This direction of leadership is useful in situations when the leader has all the information and resources to thrash the problem efficiently and altogether needs the work to be done by his employees. This style of leadership helps in saving time. This style is successful only when the employees are thoroughly motivated to do the work. A good leader knows when he needs to use this style and when not to (Cherry K, 2000).Leader who involves his employee in the process of conclusion making by taking their opinions and suggestions in how to do the work, uses the Participative style of lead ership. Although he takes the opinions, the final decision remains with the leader and he can chose not use the suggestions if he thinks that it doesnt help the cause (Cherry K, 2000). Mr. Sharp believed that in order to achieve significant productivity gains, he needs to empower his employees to a certain extent. One of the first tasks that he did was to create a united purpose amongst his workers. Sharp knew that neither he nor anyone else could command the dedication of his employees. Leader who uses this style should not be considered a weak leader but on the contrary its a sign of strength. Using this style, a leader gains the respect of his employees. This style is used when the leader doesnt have complete information and other employees have some information which will be useful for achieving the goal. A leader should always employ employees who are knowledgeable and skillful as the leader is not expected to know each and everything. This style helps the leader to become a pa rt of the team and it helps in getting towards a better decision (Lewin K., 1939).A leader who allows the decisions to be made by his employees uses the Delegative style of leadership. Although the decisions are made by the employee(s), the right of the decisions rests with the leader since he is the person in-charge. This style should be used by a leader only when he can completely trust the decision making capabilities of his employees and has confidence in their knowledge and skills (U.S. Army Handbbok, 1973). Mr. Sharp believes that in order to gain the success one needs support. Mr. Sharp, the leading luxury hotelier in the world, didnt become so all by himself. In the 50 years of service in the hotel industry, he has developed a leadership style for himself which is unique and has encouraged his employees the world over to completely devote themselves for the betterment of the company in all regards. He has created a working environment which has been construct on trust, cre dibility and integrity. This has inspired his team to work with more dedication to cater to the needs of the guests in all of his hotels across the world. Mr. Sharpe realized very readily that this is the secret which will help him to get the best results for his company .New approaches of leadership are Transformational Leadership, Charismatic Leadership, Transactional Leadership, People Oriented Leadership. Leaders can posses all of this styles in some manner.Transformational leadership style is very inspiring. This type of leaders expects best from all employees as well as themselves which will lead to a good productivity and involvement of everyone as a team. Transformational leadership is very useful in the organization to take initiatives and add new values. Transformational leader needs support from their people or employess. This type of leaders uses other leadership styles as well depending on the situation and the people (Johnson R, 2010).Charismatic leadership style is o ne of the modest approaches of leaders to his employees. Charismatic leader steers enthusiasm towards his employees and motivates them to move forward. The only difference between charismatic leaders and transformational leaders is their intention. Transformational leaders wants to transform their teams and organizations where as Charismatic leaders are regularly focused on employees and do not want to change anything. The tsunami crisis in Southeast Asia in 2004 was a good example of Sharps commitment towards his team. Waves pounded the Four Seasons hotel in the Maldives and within 24 hours, all employees and guests were safely evacuated from the island. But, the damage didnt stop there. Resort went to shutdown and hundreds of employees were out of work all of a sudden. Sharp subsequently sent all his employees to other Four Seasons hotels around the world in order to keep them employed (Sharp I, 2008).Transactional leader work through such a structure in which it is clear what is to be done by his employees and what reward they will get after finis of the given task. This leadership style starts with the idea that team members agree to obey their leader when they accept a job. This leadership style clears employees roles and responsibilities (Tegborg M, 2010). In this leadership style employees are given rewards after achieving the goal and same way employees fail to achieve the given task, then they are fully responsible for the failure not the leader. This type of style focuses on short term tasks. The downside of this leadership style is that team members can do little to improve their job satisfaction. It can spirit stifling, and it can lead to high staff turnover (mindtools, 2010).People-oriented leader completely focuses on organizing, supporting, and developing the people on their teams. People oriented leader deal out every employee equally in a friendly and approachable manner which tends to encourage good teamwork and creative collaboration. Te am members of a people oriented leader are often more productive because they know that the leader will provide support if they need it (mindtools, 2010). Same way Sharp has showed his people oriented leadership at the time recession. At that time other organization were downsizing the labor cost to recover the loss and unpressurized the situation, Sharp maximized employees value to show him commitment toward his people (Isadore Sharp, 2009).

Balancing Productivity and Quality Patient Care

Balancing productiveness and Quality Patient parcel outBalancing Productivity and Quality Patient C areAbstractThe purpose of this examination is to identify challenges balancing productiveness and quality persevering care as it stands from a executive programy position. Todays supervisors essential not only focus on their staff and patients, but likewise on the memorial tabletal business aspects such as increasing productivity and quality patient care. Supervisors are getting sandwiched between balancing productivity and quality care. In this somewhat daunting quandary the supervisors must strive to find ways to accomplish both missions. As I will propose this will require communication changes in organizational health care systems and a figure of speech shift in current ideologies in the health care industry.Lets start off in my own backyard so to speak, my organization is a breast feeding and Rehabilitation hospital. The Mission statement is, Come Here, Get Well, and Go Home. This is a 213 bed facility. There are approximately 135 employees throughout the organization working on any given day. The organization specializes in sub-acute care, long-term care and has a rehabilitation unit. Also the organization has physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy components to support patients recovery. All of these people in organization eventually may have some contact with a newfound patient at different times in the recovery process.It is obvious from a macro-perspective it would be difficult to realize any improvements in productivity or patient care without solid supervisory skills and knowledge. Nursing is my focus and professional occupation in which I will narrow the field to care for for this examination.As a nursing supervisor one has to continually be knowledgeable to accomplish both goals of productivity and quality patient care. Their responsibilities include planning, organizing and overseeing staff. Nurse supervisors provided leadership two staffs under their charge. The nurse supervisor implements and interprets organizational policies and procedures maintaining nursing standards and regulations. They also continually evaluate patient care and ensuring their satisfaction. A nursing supervisor skills also include budgeting, prioritizing duties and delegating responsibilities.Some of the obstacles that impede the ability of nursing supervisors out of their control is rising healthcare expenditures have motivated spending reforms such as Medicares payment system. While such initiatives aim to limit wasteful healthcare expenses, they may inadvertently result in lower-quality care providers may face an inducement to reduce the quality of their treatments to minimize costs and increase patient loads. (McDevitt, 2013)Unfortunately this is not the only pressure in which health care organizations have to do more with less. Supplies, operating costs, state and national legislation has placed a huge strain on t he healthcare system at large.In the ultimo nursing productivity has been the defined as the ratio of patient care per hour, per patient to salary and benefit costs paid out to staff by the organization. (Kohr, 2012) In the current economy this does not take into consideration the level of expertise in which nurses must process information to accomplish the goals of increased productivity and patient care. After all of that is saidNursing productivity models of any kind should take into account patients needs, nursing competencies, the availability of material resources, and services provided. Nursing workload is a direct reflection of these variables and affects the delivery of patient care, patient safety, as well as satisfaction of nurses and of patients and their family members. Many investigators have linked nursing staff indicators and nurse staffing with patients outcomes (Kohr, 2012)The problems of balancing productivity with quality patients care are reducing costs and emp loyee hours for the sake of protect the bottom line is that really protecting the patient?. Yet that statement has clearly infiltrated and grayed the area between professional ethical, moral boundaries.In attempts at optimizing for efficiency are we as supervisors ultimately must manage both dichotomies. Managing these dichotomies is seemingly overwhelming at first glance. This is what I mean by the proverbial sandwich effect, the danger here is being so overwhelmed that you are paralyzed into doing nothing. I contend that productivity and quality patient care are not at odds with one other they are both vital to the success of any healthcare organization.The essence of productivity vs. quality patient care dilemma is this Productivity is visible, continuous, readily-unders alsod and directly measured a daily metric. On the other hand, quality patient care is invisible, boring, discontinuous, indirect, and its success is measured by the absence of negative outcomes. (Appel, 2012) N ow thats somewhat of a quandary. Almost in the same breath organizations are willing to state quality patient care is our core principle. The problem, nevertheless, is turning that vision into action it is in the daily operations (Appel, 2012) and responsibility functions of the nurse supervisor, this is where the rubber meets the road.Nurse supervisors are critical to the surveillance and coordination that reduce such adverse outcomes. Much work corpse to be done in evaluating the impact of nursing care on positive quality care indicators, such as appropriate self-care and other measures of meliorate health status. (Mitchell, 2008)Nurse supervisors must instill in the people that they manage to continually gather information that can be correlated into data to determination that balance between productivity and quality patient care. Whether it be quantitative or qualitative data all must be brought together to accelerate to make informed decision for possible change. Harnessing this information could unlock knowledge that may elicit innovations striking that balance between productivity and quality patient care. Leave no stone unturned, is the mantra of nurse supervisors in todays tough economic and social times.How do we start? Communication, communication, communication is essential to produce any opportunity to balance a seemingly diametrically opposed processes. They can be integrated (productivity and quality patient care) to provide success for the organization and the patient. Tighter reins of communication and functions must be streamlined for optimal performance.Nurse supervisors can trigger a needs compend of the situation informing the employees and organization that on that point is a performance gap between productivity and quality patient care. This brings in the team concept of the organization as a whole (everyones job) needs to be the spearhead, focal point for systematic change and concern with both issues of productivity and quality patient care.A decision-making structures is needed, a paradigm shift. What is a paradigm shift? Stephen Covey suggests that a paradigm shift is what we might call the AHA experience when someone finally sees the composite picture in another way or finally sees the light. (Covey, 2004)The health care industry has been moving paradigm shift toward placing more value on quality and outcomes. This affect has changed in the way health care organizations do business. Higher quality can be the solution, said Dr. Michael Ogden, chief clinical integration officer with Cornerstone wellness Care during the discussion at High Point University. In health care specifically, higher quality could actually lead to lower costs. (Covington, 2014) As a nurse supervisor myself this sounds good but how do we get there?Some employers and health plans are pushing for greater price transparency. They argue that if consumers established that they could receive high-quality services from lower-cost provide rs, they would seek them out. This, in turn, could encourage competition among providers based on the value of care not just on reputation and mart share. (Unknown, 2012)Another aspect would be to empower the patients to be active participants making decisions about their own care. Empowerment of the patient also means to include them as a part of the health care team which may stimulate opportunities and innovation.As a nurse supervisors some of these ideas are not new, I however assert that nurse supervisors must educate themselves to perform their managerial duties at high levels, not only will the organization benefit, but so too will the patients. Nurse supervisors will need considerable intestinal fortitude to sustain balancing productivity and quality patient care.A nurse supervisor of the future will have to be multi-dimensional with traits like leadership and persuasion skills. Nurse supervisors must show empathy, creating trust with coworkers and patients. They must also h ave analysis skills, to be able to make fact-based decisions. Last but not least, a nurse supervisor must have performance management and coaching skills to pass off through on goals and objectives. Finally, I concludes this examination by making a statement that balancing productivity and quality patient care will forever be challenging.ReferencesAppel, M. (2012, April 20). KevinMD. Retrieved from The problem of mixing productivity with patient safety http//www.kevinmd.com/blog/2012/04/problem-mixing-productivity-patient-safety.htmlCovey, S. R. (2004). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. stark naked York Free Press a division of Simon and Schuster.Covington, O. (2014, March 21st). Health care providers tout paradigm shift as path to reining in costs. Triad descent Journal.Kohr, L. M. (2012, November Volume 21, No 6). American Journal of Critical Care. Retrieved from Building a Nurse and Productivity Measure Based on this Energy Model ht tp//www.aacn.org/wd/Cetests/media/A1221063.pdfMcDevitt, P. L. (2013, February). Productivity and Quality in Health CareEvidence from the Dialysis Industry. Retrieved from http//www.econ.psu.edu/plg15/gm_dialysis_Feb2013.pdf.Mitchell, P. H. (2008). Patient Safety and Quality An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. Rockville, Md Agency for Health Care Research and Quality.Unknown. (2012, April/May). The dry land fund. Retrieved from Quality Matters http//www.commonwealthfund.org/Newsletters/Quality-Matters/2012/April-May/In-Focus.aspx

Difference Between Role of Treasurer and Controller

Difference Between Role of treasurer and ControllerDifference between Role of treasurer and controller with treasure to Financial Corporate GovernanceOrganization Chart of the Financial ManagementThe chief finance executive works directly under the president or the managing director of the company. Besides routine network, the person in charge keeps the Board of Directors asserted about all the phases of occupancy activity, including economics, social and political developments affecting the business behavior. He also furnishes information about the fiscal status of the company by reviewing it from conviction to time. The chief finance executive may have many an(prenominal) officers under him to carry out his make for. Broadly his functions are divided into two typesTreasury functionControl functionsAn illustrative organization chart of finance function of management in a big organization is shown belowOrganization of the Financial Management FunctionRole of financial offi cerThe main single-valued function of Treasurer is that he refers to the financial officer and then looks at the task of financing and its related activities. Treasury al ways deals with liquid assets and so the main quality of treasurer is to look at the cash and its other liquid assets. round of the essence(predicate) tasks of Treasurer are as followsHe formulate the whole capital mental synthesis of the organization in accordance to goals of the organization and then to implement it to the organization.He also manages the amount of liquid assets and all type of cash.He basically acts as a cashier.He plays the role of an authority signatory on payment cheques including the authority to approve such cheques.Reconciliation in bank accounts.He manages the boilersuit credit function of the firm.He also has the authority to utilize the surplus cash of the company whenever there is any type of short term right investments.He also makes the companies policies according to decision o n trade discounts and vendor payment.He also maintains relationships with bankers and vendors.All of the above menti cardinald functions of treasurer are implemented with the dish out of cash manger, finance manager and credit manager.Role of controllerAs we have already seen that the treasurer deals with liquid assets, the controller of the organization has to record the legal proceeding of these liquid assets. It is the combined and effective working of both the departments that give rise to an effective system of internal controls. Controller is a financial officer prudent for accounting and control.He does the following functionsRecords all the transactions in the world(a) ledger, the accounts receivables and the accounts payables, sub-ledger, transaction with respect to fixed assets such as depreciation, inventory control, etc.He looks into the aspects of levyes and insurance.He also keeps track of companys short term investments by recording and reconciling the transactio n with those of the brokerage firms.He carefully looks into the regulatory aspects and implementation of the companys polity on trade discounts and recievables aging.He always acts as the planning director.He keeps a record of the attendance of the employees, their movement timings so as to facilitate in preparing the payroll.He reports information to the management.The office bearer who assists the controller in accomplishing the above tasks is tax manager, data processing manager, cost accounting manager and accounting manager. indeed the functions of financial accounting, internal audit, taxation, management accountings and control, budget-planning and control are accomplished in this manner.Controllers and Treasurers functions in the Indian ContextThe controller and the treasurer are essentially Ameri whoremaster terms. Basically the American pattern of dividing the financial executives functions is non be widely followed in India. We do have a number of copies having office rs with the designation of the controller. The controller or the financial controller in India, by and large performs the function of a chief accountant or management accountant. The officer with the title of treasurer can also be found in a few companies in India.The controllership functions can prove to be useful under the Indian context, save instantly some of these duties are performed by the company secretary in India. His duties, for eccentric includes asset control and protection, maintaining records and preparing reports and government reporting. The economic appraisal function is generally performed at the top level in India. Some other functions, such as internal audit, can be brought within the fold of the controllership functions, if this concept is developed in the Indian context.It should be realized that the financial controller does not control finances he or she develops, uses and interpret information- some of which will be financial for management control and planning. For this reason, the financial controller may simply be called as controller. Management of finance or money is a separate and important activity. Traditionally, the accountants have been involved in managing money in India. But the difference in managing money resources should be appreciated.In the American business, the management of finance is treated as a separate activity and is being performed by the treasurer. The title of treasurer has not found favor in India to the design the controller has. Some of the functions performed by the treasurer in the American context are again discharged by the company secretary in India. Insurance coverage is an example in this regard. The function of maintaining relations with investors may now assume significance in India because of the development in the Indian capital markets and the increasing awareness among investors.The general title, financial manager, seems to more(prenominal) popular in India. This title is also better than the title of treasurer since it conveys the functions involved. The main function of the financial manager in India should be the managements of companys funds. The financial duties may often be combined with others. But the significance of not combining the financial managers duties with others should be realized. The managing of funds- a truly valuable resource- is a business activity requiring extraordinary skill on the part of financial manager. He should mark off the optimum use of money under various constraints. He should, therefore be allowed to devote his full energy and time in managing the money resources only.Functions of Treasurer and the ControllerCASE STUDYThe role of the corporate treasurers has changed from a traditional one of securing funds and managing financial risk to a strategic one of driving overall business initiatives. In this new role, treasures have the gush responsibility of advocating better corporate regime principles in the company, both a s a means to improve the shareholder value and to enhance investor confidence. This has become very important because the corporate governance practices of the companies are being placed under heavy scrutiny from the regulators and investors following revelations of corporate malfeasance, deception and fraud. This article discusses the role of the treasurers in building a sound governance structure in the companies.DescriptionThe debacle in Satyam Computers Limited, Indias fourth largest software company, has brought the issue of corporate governance in limelight more particularly in India. It is however unfortunate that such important issues gain prominence only after incidents of corporate frauds. The issue of corporate governance was earlier debated when the developments at Enron and WorldCom rocked the world.As India is on a growth trajectory and is having ambitions of being ranked in the counters of the developed economies, the issue of corporate governance only being surfaced after the Satyam scam is a grave concern. We may claim that the Satyam scam is an isolated case in corporate India, unless it is more important to see how the rest of world assesses our seriousness towards the ethics of corporate governance. Do we take the ethics of corporate governance seriously and deeply and slog it away from its ornamental value to run an enterprise towards the principal goal for which the corporate governance term was coined? Largely the practice is to decorate the board, which is at the channelise of affairs of corporate governance, with people whom the promoters of the company believe will add some ornamental value to the enterprise. Many a times the promoters induct cognize people onto the board. Having said that companies prefer the decorative value of the board over its usefulness. Thus one can easily conclude that the Satyam fiasco is nothing but a true reflection of what routinely and pervasively passes for corporate governance.The role of treasurer is crucial to todays business especially in ensuring that the company has the cash that it of necessity to operate the business, adequate risk management systems are in place and finally ensuring that the company complies with the various international standards. The treasurer and cash have a consanguineous relationship and the recent fiasco of Satyam Computers reveals a story of siphoning the cash from the companys balance sheet which puts the role of the treasurer or CFO nothing but on dubious distinction. By the mere definition of a treasurer one understands that wherever there is cash in the company, the treasurer has to be stand for there. Though the Satyam fraud appears to be a systemic fraud by the senior management, nevertheless such frauds can be mitigated to some extent if corporate governance is compiled by the treasurer. In such a scenario it becomes altogether more important for corporate treasurers to revisit the basics of corporate governance and their role in inculc ating the principles of corporate governance in a company. This article highlights and revisits the role played by the treasurers or CFO in the compliance of corporate governance.Treasurer in DetailThe Treasurers role is the second most important function on the Board after that of the Chair. Financial accountability is fundamental to not-for-profit organisations. If your atoms have no confidence in your ability to control and account for finances, they will have no confidence in the organisation as a whole.The Treasurer may find a reluctance amongst non-financially trained board members to take any responsibility for finance. As a Board or governing committee however, the multitude as a whole has to share responsibility and decision-making and it will therefore be an important part of the Treasurers role to ensure that others understand the information that is being presented and the implications thereof. It is particularly important that the Treasurer attends meetings regularly in order that others can ask questions and be sure that they have a full understanding of the associations financial position.PurposeTo manage and report on the associations finances.ResponsibilitiesTo carry out the responsibilities of a member of the Board of Directors.To lead budget planning and preparations.To monitor the budget and inform the Board as to whether projections are turning out as predicted in order that joint decisions can be made on appropriate adjustments.To ensure the Boards financial policies are being followed.To report to the Board of Directors and the general membership on finances.To prepare any required financial reporting forms.To ensure tax regulations are complied with VAT.To manage and maintain bank accounts, ensuring the association is getting the best rate of return for funds held and moving money between accounts asTo monitor all financial transactions.To sign cheques (with a second signatory from the Board or staff).To chair finance sub-committee, if one exists.TREASURER WORKING WITH A BOOKKEEPER. or so treasures do not have bookkeeping expertise, and they need not and ideally should not spend their time on day-to-day financial administration. Wherever possible, a suitably experienced/qualified paid (or volunteer) bookkeeper should be responsible for banking, for processing payments, for keeping full and accurate accounts of all receipts and expenditure and for producing financial reports.This leaves the Treasurers time for the more strategic and managerial aspects of the role, in particular budgeting and planning. The Treasurer does however need to monitor the work of the bookkeeper as ultimate responsibility for the accuracy of records lies with his or her role.If your association needs to submit formal annual statements to tax or other government authorities, these may be prepared by your bookkeeper or by external accountants. Requirements will vary in different countries. In the UK, all limited companies must have their final accounts prepared by a charter accountant.Becoming a Good TreasurerA treasurer does not have to study accounting or business in order to do well at this position.A good treasurer will be characterized by the following traits1.Honesty and IntegrityAs treasurer you are not given free liberty to do whatever you like. Rather, you are accountable to God, the fellowship and the committee. Therefore, perform your task decently and professionally.2.CarefulnessThis characteristic will financial aid you maintain accurate and up-to-date records. Be careful to record all transactions. Be careful when handling money because ultimately this money belongs to God.3.Common geniusCommon sense is necessary in order to catch errors early.4.Open booksIt is good to maintain an open book policy concerning financial matters. Any member of the fellowship, after consultation with the committee, should be able to see the financial state of the fellowship. This will help build accountability and cre dibility for the entire fellowship.5.Watchful nitty-grittyThe treasurer needs to be vigilant in tracking income and expenses. These amounts should be compared with the current budget.6.Faithfulness to GodUltimately, the treasurer brings honor to God by the proper exercise of his/her task. Therefore, view your position of treasurer as a way to show your faithfulness to God. Heres an excellent maxim Gods work done in Gods time will receive Gods provision.Controller Vs TreasurerWhile the term Controller is used differently in Sweden than in America, there is reason for a undefended explanation of the differences between Controller and Treasurer. The fact that a Controller in Sweden has a broader role than the Controller in America can be explained more often than not by the function of the treasurer that has those duties overlapping those of the Swedish Controller.In large firms, the financial operations overseen by the CFO will split into two branches, with one headed by the treasu rer and the other by the controller. The Controllers responsibility are primarily accounting in nature. Costs accounting as well as budgets and hope concerning internal consumptions, lies within the area of the Controller.The treasurers responsibility fall into the decision areas most commonly associated with financial management, invest financing and asset management. The organization chart may give you false impression that a clear splits exists between controller and treasurer responsibilities. In a well-functioning firm, information will flow easily prickle and forth between both branches. In small firms the treasurer and controller functions may be combined into one position with a resulting commingling of activities.Traditionally the role of controller has been that of a number cruncher, computing financial data in order to prepare reports. The assignment associated with the controller role is in no way set in stone, different organizations have different duties attached to the Controller.The final statement where the controller should be seen as a long range developer of executives, hints at a prominent role when it comes to developing human resources within organizations. In order for the controllers department to become developers of accounting and operating executives they have to have an signify relation to the personnel of the organization.

Curves - Situation Analysis Essay -- essays research papers

Situation AnalysisClient AnalysisCurves International is a world-renowned womens only fitness center, a pioneer in the express workouts. Curves target client base consists of all types of women from the busy executive to the ultra busy association football mom, and most importantly, Curves caters to women who overall want to be healthy. Curves makes exercise fun and beneficial for women regardless of fitness goals. Curves clients perceive it more than a gym, but as a support group and a social outing for some. Its a place that for an hour a woman can feel intelligent about herself and the goal shes working towards. Customers like the no frill, no hassle workouts. Its a place where women could feel comfortable. Curves offers a oasis where women can feel comfortable to let their guard down and have a good sweat. Women be also drawn to Curves because Curves has strong brand equity. Their tonus of service, revolutionary design to the express workout is number one in the womens fitn ess industry. In todays day and age, there are more women in the workforce, along with more working mothers, all which lead to a fast paced life style trying to juggle career, family, and home, which represent a very similar lifestyle for women in National metropolis. The market for womens fitness services and products has never been greater and continues to grow. Women represent 50.8% of the US population. National City has a population of 56,472, with 50% of the population being female. Of the ...

Essay --

Currently in international market place and domestic market, there be two types of the purchasing methods purchaser uses. One method for the buying the products from the market is spot market buying and the second method of buying the products is with upcoming exact. The on the spot method is also called cash in market or physical market, where the products, currencies or commodities sold for cash and delivers the products immediately or in spite of appearance short period of time. For example, oil, grains, silver, beef, sugar, natural gas, milk, and gold are done through the spot market, where the prices are the set by open market and the transfer of cash and goods takes place immediately, and deliver as requested date in the future or within short period of time. The spot market is an instantaneous exchange for the current list or spot price for a particular commodity. With the integration of internet technology, the spot market has become even much efficient and useful espe cially in the energy industry. If energy companies have large surpluses of energy, the internet can give them a chance to find buyers in current need almost immediately. Though the spot market is good for company I need right now, its drawback is the fluctuating prices that can get chaos when calculating the logistics over the long term.There are several pros and cons of on spot buying, such as it conducts the market research and supplier recognition quickly in new market. Also, it provides easy access for lower value purchases. Moreover, it improves the sourcing productivity as well as alleviates the capacity issues that enhance the productivity of whole caboodle and category buyers. Also, it provides easy platform ability for market tests across geographiesThough apro... ...vent of the futures contract negotiated by Calpine, it did not fulfill the need for sodium hypochlorite, which implementing the spot market as a way to assure the efficiency of operations that would be the decision most logically made. If Calpines buyers or sellers know that they will be buying certain chemical in future, and selling certain number of products or energy, then they should consider taking a long term future contract for purchasing, and short tern future contract for selling the products which hedge its positions in market. So, operations ramp up, more energy needs to be supplied for the increased take up that was not accounted for in the purchase of the particular chemical Calpine ordered. Supply of the chemical dwindles and it up to the men and women at Calpine to search the spot market to find a company with a surplus looking to sell on the spot.