Amazon.com, Essay Example for Free

Amazon.com, Essay The firm Amazon.com opened its proverbial doors for business in July 1995 with nothing more than a few people to pack books into shipping boxes out of a residential garage. Since that grandiose opening in Bellevue, Washington, Amazon.com has graduated from an extremely small business to one of the largest online retail stores in the entire world. As previously stated, Amazon initially only sold books and other reading materials and became a major competitor to firms such as Barnes and Nobles. Slowly at first Amazon began to expand the variety of merchandise available for purchase on their website. Today, because of the bold expansion of merchandise, Amazon.com sells everything from diapers in bulk to big screen televisions sets. It is obvious that people enjoy Amazon’s large online selection with over 150 million United States citizens purchasing from the website in 2009 (Webley, 2010). Along with a bold expansion strategy, Amazon’s rapid success is also attributed to the ethical and moral standards it holds itself to. Ethics play a major role in the Amazon Company. Their corporate governance page stresses the important of their â€Å"Code of Business Conduct and Ethics† (Corporate Governance, 2013). There is a link from their main site that explains what is expected of their employees and their finances. This is a readily available document for anyone to view, from the employees to customers just visiting the site. This clearly shows the importance of this topic and also their efforts toward living up to them. Procedures that the Amazon organization has put into place can be seen with this link off their main site. This is their corporate governance therefore everyone must follow it in the company. Sections in the document cover compliance with laws, rules and regulations; conflicts of interest; insider trading policy; price fixing; bribery; payments to government personnel; recordkeeping, reporting, and financial integrity. These are just a few that are relevant to the financial environment (Corporate Governance, 2013). One of the most relevant is the fact they point out recordkeeping, reporting, and financial integrity. This section of their corporate governance stresses  the points that are important to Amazon. They want to make sure that records are kept with the appropriate amount of detail. They do not want just minimal information. This section also explains how recordkeeping will comply with all laws and also with the company’s internal controls. Amazon has financial accounting and legal groups; the purpose of these groups is to create procedures to maintain control of the integrity of the financial reporting system. Amazon shows that they are really looking to maintain control of their finances and the integrity of their finances by creating these groups. Therefore, being responsible with financial reporting is a high priority. The employees are urged to report any discrepancies they see within the system and also violations they see from other employees to anyone in their management chain. This open door policy makes sure that anything that may happen that would go against their policies will be properly reported and fixed. The U.S. financial markets consist of many separate markets for diverse products offered on a range of trading platforms and exchanges. Among the many products traded are fixed-income securities, equities, foreign exchange, and derivatives. Fixed-income securities are financial instruments issued by various companies to raise money as a debt. Investors buy fixed-income securities to receive interest payments over time and for the return of the full investment principal if securities are held to maturity. Interest paid by security issuers as a form of income for investors remains fixed during the term of the securities, and investors may sell their holdings prior to maturity for a gain or loss on their investment principal. Equities are another form of instrument that signifies an ownership position in a corporation. It also represents a claim on its proportionate share in the corporation’s assets and profits. Foreign exchange and derivatives are instruments that lock in a future foreign exchange rate. These can be used by currency or forex traders and large multinational corporations. The Securities and Exchange Commission is in charge of protecting investors and to maintain a fair and efficient capital market. The SEC regulations oversee activities of individuals and organizations involves in the sale of securities, including brokers and brokerage firms. The SEC operates at a high level and does not recoup losses for individual investors. The SEC has enforcement activities that are conducted by its Division of Enforcement. This office conducts  investigations on individuals and corporations that are in a potential of violations of securities laws. Then they prosecute both civil suits and administrative proceedings. The SEC also runs an Office on Investor Education and Assistance. This office works to discourage investor fraud by educating investors. They also receive complaints from individual investors and will send an inquiry on behalf of an investor seeking information concerning a dispute There are three different types of ratios that were used to analyze Amazon.com in this paper. These types are Liquidity ratios, Solvency ratios, and Profitability Ratios. According to The book Financial Management, â€Å"Liquidity ratios are used to address a very basic question about the firm’s financial health: How liquid is the firm? A business is financially liquid if it is able to pay its bills on time.†(Titman, Keown, Martin, 2011, p. 80). The liquidity ratios used were the current ratio and the day’s receivable ratio. The current ratio is a very broad ratio that gives a general sense for how liquid the business is within a given time frame. The current ratio for Amazon.com shows that their current liquidity is shrinking a bit but not enough to cause concern. The day’s receivable ratio shows how long it takes for Amazon.com to collect on their receivables. The amount of days it takes Amazon.com to collect their receivable s has increased by about eight days. Although it is never a good thing to take a significant amount of time to collect, 92 days is still not a cause for concern. The next type of ratio used was a solvency ratio. The solvency ratio used is the Debt to Asset Ratio. This ratio measures the proportion of Amazon’s assets that were financed by borrowing or debt financing. According to the ratio, Amazon.com has seen about a 5.5% increase in the amount of assets financed. However, the amount is still less than the total amount of assets which is a good sign. The next type of ratios used is the profitability ratios. The profitability ratios used are the return on equity ratio and the operating profit margin ratio. The return on equity ratio measures Amazon’s profitability by showing how much profit they generate with the money invested by shareholders. This ratio is where we see a cause for concern. Amazon has dropped by 7.4% in this department down to -.4%. The operating profit margin ratio shows how much profit is generated from each dollar of sales. This is also dropping quite considerably. After viewing all of the ratios above, Amazon does not need to be concerned with  the overall health of the business but needs to work on becoming more profitable for investors. In conclusion Amazon.com is one of the foremost pioneers and trailblazers of the online retail market. As many pioneers of industries do Amazon.com began in a small two car garage and has graduated to operating one of the largest online retail companies worldwide. From selling books and other reading materials, to offering big screen televisions and diapers, Amazon.com is a household name. Although Amazon has experienced great success over the years, a deeper look into the firm’s liquidity, solvency, and profitability ratios has shown some signs of trouble. The firm’s liquidity ratios have been on a slight downward trend, although not significant, the ratios show some trouble. The Solvency ratios are also rising slightly, which shows that the firm is financing about 5.5% more of its assets than before. This rise in solvency ratio is little to no concern because of the firms total assets are larger than the amount financed. Profitability ratios for Amazon are a bit of a concern and headed downhill. Profitability of Amazon.com has dropped from 7.4% to -.4%. With such a dramatic fall in profitability, Amazon must immediately look to correct this issue in order to stay ahead of the online retail industry. References Corporate Governance. (2013). Retrieved from http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=97664p=irol-govConduct The Investors Advocate: Retrieved from http://www.sec.gov/about/whatwedo.shtml Titman, S., Keown, A. J., Martin, J. D. (2011). Financial Management. Principles and Applications (11th ed.). : Pearson Education Webley, K. (2010, July). Online Shopping. Time, (), . Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2004089,00.html

Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of Needs :: Psychology Sociology Maslow Essays

Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow is known for establishing the theory of a hierarchy of needs, writing that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be satisfied. Maslow studied exemplary people such as Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Frederick Douglas rather than mentally ill or neurotic people. This was a radical departure from two of the chief schools of psychology of his day: Freud and B.F. Skinner. Freud saw little difference between the motivations of humans and animals. We are supposedly rational beings; however, we do not act that way. Such pessimism, Maslow believed, was the result of Freud's study of mentally ill people. "The study of crippled, stunted, immature, and unhealthy specimens can yield only a cripple psychology and a cripple philosophy" (Motivation and Personality). Skinner, on the other hand, studied how pigeons and white rats learn. His motivational models were based on simple rewards such as food and water, sex, and avoidance of pain. Say "sit" to your dog and give the dog a treat when it sits, and-after several repetitions--the dog will sit when you command it to do so. Maslow thought that psychologists should instead study the playfulness, affection, etc., of animals. He also believed that Skinner discounted things that make humans different from each other. Instead, Skinner relied on statistical descriptions of people. Maslow's hierarchy of needs was an alternative to the depressing determinism of Freud and Skinner. He felt that people are basically trustworthy, self-protecting, and self-governing. Humans tend toward growth and love. Although there is a continuous cycle of human wars, murder, deceit, etc., he believed that violence is not what human nature is meant to be like. Violence and other evils occur when human needs are thwarted. In other words, people who are deprived of lower needs such as safety may defend themselves by violent means. He did not believe that humans are violent because they enjoy violence. Or that they lie, cheat, and steal because they enjoy doing it. According to Maslow, there are general types of needs (physiological, safety, love, and esteem) that must be satisfied before a person can act unselfishly. He called these needs "deficiency needs." As long as we are motivated to satisfy these cravings, we are moving towards growth, toward self-actualization. Satisfying needs is healthy; blocking gratification makes us sick or evil. Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs :: Psychology Sociology Maslow Essays Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow is known for establishing the theory of a hierarchy of needs, writing that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be satisfied. Maslow studied exemplary people such as Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Frederick Douglas rather than mentally ill or neurotic people. This was a radical departure from two of the chief schools of psychology of his day: Freud and B.F. Skinner. Freud saw little difference between the motivations of humans and animals. We are supposedly rational beings; however, we do not act that way. Such pessimism, Maslow believed, was the result of Freud's study of mentally ill people. "The study of crippled, stunted, immature, and unhealthy specimens can yield only a cripple psychology and a cripple philosophy" (Motivation and Personality). Skinner, on the other hand, studied how pigeons and white rats learn. His motivational models were based on simple rewards such as food and water, sex, and avoidance of pain. Say "sit" to your dog and give the dog a treat when it sits, and-after several repetitions--the dog will sit when you command it to do so. Maslow thought that psychologists should instead study the playfulness, affection, etc., of animals. He also believed that Skinner discounted things that make humans different from each other. Instead, Skinner relied on statistical descriptions of people. Maslow's hierarchy of needs was an alternative to the depressing determinism of Freud and Skinner. He felt that people are basically trustworthy, self-protecting, and self-governing. Humans tend toward growth and love. Although there is a continuous cycle of human wars, murder, deceit, etc., he believed that violence is not what human nature is meant to be like. Violence and other evils occur when human needs are thwarted. In other words, people who are deprived of lower needs such as safety may defend themselves by violent means. He did not believe that humans are violent because they enjoy violence. Or that they lie, cheat, and steal because they enjoy doing it. According to Maslow, there are general types of needs (physiological, safety, love, and esteem) that must be satisfied before a person can act unselfishly. He called these needs "deficiency needs." As long as we are motivated to satisfy these cravings, we are moving towards growth, toward self-actualization. Satisfying needs is healthy; blocking gratification makes us sick or evil.

Summary Of Back Pain And Pelvic Fracture

Back pain is a common symptom which is usually traumatic and work related. It can either be of acute or chronic form and it mostly influenced by different psychosocial factors. There has been a lot of different clinical evidence indicating the effects of various therapies such as Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory drugs usage and the use of Acupuncture. The epidemiology of the back pain indicate that about 70% of adult will experience the symptoms in their lifetime, 25% consult the doctor while about 75% have back pain a year later even after consulting their doctors.Those psychosocial factors include compensation issues, marital problems and work dissatisfaction. Acute and chronic forms of back pain are usually difficult to distinguish and once distinguished, the management is quite different. Management of acute back pain can be classified into major and minor forms of management. The major focuses on advising the patient to stay active, cognitive behavioral therapies and the use of N SAIDs and muscle relaxants while the minor management includes Acupuncture, back schools and TENS.Management of chronic back pain entails exercise, management programs (the patient taught how to handle the psychosocial issues, sleep hygiene), analgesics and ligament injections. Acupuncture and manipulation can also be used to manage all the chronic form of back pain but the effectiveness is yet to be ascertained. The hallmarks of managing both acute and chronic form of back pain are basically alleviating the pain and keep the patient active. This is as a result of the recurrent episodes of the symptom which is seen in most back pain patients.The patient can be taught how to manage the exacerbation associated with the condition. In recent times there has been evidences supporting a combination therapy in managing the forms of back pain. The roles of Acupuncture are to reduce pain and increase the patient’s activity. The patients that need acupuncture have been found to be thos e with mechanical problems, nerve root irritation and the red flag groups. Patients that can’t tolerate NSAIDs, Warfarins and those that don’t need urgent hospital admission can also be managed with acupuncture.The use of acupuncture in the management of the chronic form of back pain is much difficult than it use in acute conditions. Timing and the type of acupuncture are major controversies surrounding the administration of acupuncture. These two factors are majorly influenced by the practitioner’s training and experience, patient’s tolerance to the available types of treatments and availability of appointment. Pelvic fracture is a type of bone fracture involving the bones that forms the boundaries of the pelvic cavity (Pelvis).It is commoner in the growing teens especially those involve in the contact sports and the elderly mostly as a result of the osteoporosis( causing a less dense bones). The fractures could be as a result of avulsion of muscle tendo ns during sudden contraction or falling astride. Some results from from impact sustained during vehicular accidents. The symptoms ranges from severe pain, swollen parts to bruises with most affected individuals trying to adjust their limb to prevent the pain aggravation. Excessive hemorrhage when occur can lead to shock. Patient with this form of fracture needs an emergency care.

The Importance of Morphological Awareness and Phonological...

The research conducted on reading ease has indicated that there are two aspects in reading that are if extreme importance. These elements are morphological awareness and phonological awareness (Everatt and AL-Sharhan et al. 2011, pp. 127--133). The two skills in reading are important in that they affect the word decoding according to the alphabetic orthography. The orthographies act as the maps for the oral language. This means that the phonemes in the language ought to be attained in order for the student to have the ability to decode words in the alphabetic orthography. The phonemic awareness isevident in English language and other languages. The need of the phonemic awarenesscannot be disputedin the children that are bilingual. The alphabetic orthographies are also representative of the morphemic units. In the event that one is provided with a two layered language structure, the morphological awareness also contributes in a significant manner in the development of the reading sk ills in the alphabetic orthography (Schmid 2013, pp. 117--123). In the limited research conducted on the children that are predominantly English speaking, there is evidence that the children with the well-developed language has both well-developed morphological awareness and in the reading and in the speaking. The different languages that the students may have depict different levels of development in terms of the morphological and phonological awareness (Everatt and AL-Sharhan et al., 2011, pp.Show MoreRelatedMorphological Use as an Indicator of Reading Disability Essays1493 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Children with reading disabilities differ from children that read typically in their use of morphological forms. 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