Analysis of Marks and Spencer Group PLC

Analysis of Marks and Spencer Group PLC The principal activities of the company are retailing clothing, food and home products. Marks Spencer operates in the secondary and tertiary sectors. It operates in the secondary sector as it manufactures finished goods and it is associated with textile production. It operates majorly in the tertiary sector as it provides goods and services to the population and to other businesses. A group of companies is one which consists of two or more companies between which there is a parent/subsidiary relationship and they are usually under the same ownership and maybe management. The group balance sheet will differ from that of the company since it includes the total of each individual company balance sheet of all the companies together us one compared to the company balance sheet which includes all the transactions of the company. i) total assets  £7258.1 millions total liabilities  £5157.5 millions net assets  £2100.6 millions ii) The difference between the total assets and the total liabilities is the net assets which can be also called as the groups capital. When you add the fixed assets with the current assets and then subtract the current liabilities from the Balance sheet, the total that you write down is called Net Assets. i) profit after tax (52 weeks ended 28 March 2009)  £506.8 millions (52 weeks ended 29 March 2008)  £821.0 millions Net profit margin 2009 5.6% 2008 9.1% ii) The net profit margin has significantly fell because of the exceptional costs incurred to the firm during the current accounting period due to the economic recession that affected considerably the markets MS operates in. The firm had to spend  £135.9 millions on exceptional costs, due to a change in its strategies, compared to 2008 when it had no exceptional costs. i) MS uses straight line method which is a method that allocates the amount to be depreciated evenly over the useful life of the asset. Some of MSs uses of depreciation are the following: Freehold land not depreciated Freehold and leasehold buildings with a remaining lease term over 50 years depreciated to their residual value over their estimated remaining economic lives Leasehold buildings with a remaining lease term of less than 50 years over the remaining period of the lease Fixtures, fittings and equipment 3 to 25 years according to the estimated life of the asset. ii) The straight-line method of depreciation is a method that allocates the amount to be depreciated evenly over the useful life of the asset. For example for something with a total cost of  £500 and an estimated useful life of 5 years, using the straight-line method, the annual depreciation charge will be  £100. On the other hand the reducing balance method is the method in which the depreciation is expressed as a fixed percentage on the reducing balance of an asset. In simpler words the amount of depreciation gets reduced every year. For an asset of a total cost of  £500, using the reducing balance method by 20%,it means that the value of the asset will decrease 20% of its value each year. After year 1, the net book value will be  £400 and then for the next year the value will drop to  £320 and so on. iii) Property, Plant and Equipment as at 29/3/2009  £4.834.0 millions (a)  £725.1 millions straight line depreciation (b)  £1450.2 millions reducing balance depreciation iv) By using the straight-line method of depreciation the reported profit of the group will be reduced by about  £400 million as depreciation is placed under the expenses category in the income statement and it will also be deducted from the assets current value in the balance sheet. On the other hand, by using the 30% reducing balance method, profit will decrease even more and the assets value on the balance sheet will be reduced even more. The more depreciation they charge the less net profit they get for the current period. i)  £285.2 millions ii)1371.9/365=3.76 millions/day 285.2/3.76à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‹â€ 76 days worth of sales. iii) The ratio of trade debtors and customers to sales is about 20%. This seems quite high but for such a large company like Marks and Spencer, which generates so much cash from operations (sales), is not much of a concern. However it would be better for the company to try and minimize this ratio in the next years. Stewardship accounting is the provision of information by managers to owners for the purpose of avoiding a potential conflict between managers and owners. Directors act as agents of the shareholders, or as stewards on their behalf. The stewardship function requires directors to act in the best interests of the company at all times. Where shareholders are remote from the management of their company there is potential for the directors to take action that benefits themselves rather than benefiting the shareholders. This is one of the potential problems of the stewardship relationship. If directors wish to manipulate financial information they are well placed to do so. Shareholders can be assured that the annual financial information they receive has not been distorted by requiring an audit by an independent auditor. Until recently all companies were required to have an audit of their annual financial statements. i) current Ratio= Current Assets/ Current Liabilities = 1389.8/2306.9= 0.60:1 Quick Ratio= (Current Assets- Stock and prepayments)/ Current liabilities = (1389.8-536.0)/2306.9=0.37:1 ii) The current ratio and the quick ratio are both liquidity ratios. They are commonly used to assess the liquidity of a business. As a general rule, a current ratio of 1.5 or greater can meet near-term operating needs sufficiently. A higher current ratio can suggest that a company is hoarding assets instead of using them to grow the business not the worst thing in the world, but its something that could affect long-term returns. The Quick Ratio is a much more exacting measure than the Current Ratio. By excluding inventories, it concentrates on the really liquid assets, with value that is fairly certain. An acid-test of 1:1 is considered satisfactory unless the majority of your quick assets are in accounts receivable, and the pattern of accounts receivable collection lags behind the schedule for paying current liabilities. i)There are many factors that determine the share prices but only some factors can directly influence them. One of these factors is demand and supply. The price is directly affected by the trend of stock market trading. When more people are buying a certain stock, the price increases and when more people are selling the stock, the price falls. Secondly news is a huge factor that influences the shares price. Positive news about a company can increase buying interest in the market while negative news can decrease it. It is the overall performance of the company that matters more than news. The earning per share is the profit that the company made on the last quarter and it is also a huge factor that can affect the share prices. Every public company needs to publish a quarterly report that states the earning per share. By this way they influence the buying tendency in the market resulting in the increase in the price of that particular share. So, one needs to watch on the quarterly reports of the companies and before buying any shares. ii) MarksSpencer Share prices My evaluation of Marks and Spencers performance thus far for this current accounting period is positive. First of all the company uses a long term plan and any short term decreases in revenues or profits is acceptable. The profit margin ratio has increased in 2009 from 13.43% to 23.45% so despite the recession MS managed to increase its profit margin. On the other hand the earning per share has decreased for 2009 from  £0.49 to  £0.32 per share. Though the profit margin has increased the earning per share has decreased and that is not positive for us investors. The firm might have a long term plan that is indeed promising but thus far this season we investors are concerned about the effect of the recession on the firm and more specifically on our earnings per share.

Spring 2005 :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first section of essays the authors discuss how and why feminist scholars do research is grappled with in each selection. The authors/feminist scholars discuss the importance of research and methodology.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sandra Harding asserts in her essay, â€Å"Is There a Feminist Method?† Harding argues that it is â€Å"difficult to define a distinct feminist method because method and methodology have been intertwined with each other and with epistemological issues.†(2) Moreover, it is, she argues difficult and potentially dangerous to identify anything as a distinctive method—her argument is that â€Å" it is not by looking at research methods that one will be able to identify distinctive features of the best feminist research methods.† In other words it is dangerous to mystify feminist research because it locks researchers, students, scholars and critics into rules and ideas that don’t necessarily encompass all facets of feminist scholarship and the efforts that are made to understand it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The idea of there being a single â€Å"feminist method† assumes that there is a single thing, or several concrete things/ideas feminist scholars must be searching for. Harding’s argument is supported by author’s Greene, Khan in â€Å"Feminist scholarship and the social construction of women†. Greene/Khan assert—that â€Å"feminist scholarship undertakes the dual task of deconstructing predominately male cultural paradigms and reconstructing a female perspective and experience in an effort to change the tradition that has silenced and marginalized us†¦feminist scholars work to expose and the collusion between ideology and cultural practices.† (1) She asserts that there are two premises about gender, the first is, â€Å"the inequality of the sexes is neither a biological given nor a divine mandate, but a cultural construct,† and the second is, â€Å"the male perspective has dominated fields of knowledge shaping their paradigms and methods.† Here the authors are illustrating the constraints ideology and methodology place on feminist research and substantiating the claim that ideology and methodology are emblems of constraint in the feminist discipline because of their universal assumptions and dependence on the paradigm for the purposes of legitimizing their claims. The authors, Greene, Khan, Harding, and Cannon all deal with the issue of being tied down to methodology and method that would define feminist work, and solidify its direction while at the same time not allowing it to be fluid enough to evolve as a legitimate academic discipline.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As it the issue is raised in â€Å"Race and Class Bias in

Literature Oregano

Oregano Oregano (Scientific name: Origanum vulgare) is also known as Wild Marjoram, Mountain Mint, Origanum, Wintersweet and Winter Marjoram. This erectly spreading plant has strong aromatic characteristics, with leaves and stems that are fleshy. The leaves of oregano are heart-shaped, with toothed edges, and which, grow for up to 9 meters in length. In other countries, the plant is primarily used as a culinary ingredient. However, in countries like the Philippines, Oregano is a known herbal medicine for its strong anti-oxidant properties.Plant family: Lamiaceae (mint family). Oregano is more popularly known for its aromatic and balsamic flavor and is commonly used as mint flavoring in Mediterranean and Mexican foods. Oregano as used as herbal medicine has its earliest beginnings even in early Egyptian times and has been traditionally used as herbal remedy for skin burns, cuts and bruises. Because of the minty flavor of oregano, it is also used as herbal remedy for sore throat, asthm a, colds, coughs and flu. Oregano was first used by the Greeks. In their mythology the goddess Aphrodite invented the spice.Giving it to man to make his life happier. The word â€Å"oregano† is actually derived from the Greek phrase, â€Å"joy of the mountains†. Just married couples were crowned with wreaths of it. It was also put on graves to give peace to departed spirits. Ancient Greek physicians discovered that the herb had beneficial effects and prescribed it for a variety of ailments. Hippocrates used it as well as its close cousin, marjoram as an antiseptic. The Roman's, who later conquered Greece, would adopt much of the culture of the region. They tasted oregano and thought that it was good.The ease of its cultivation coupled with the Roman proclivity for the expansion of Empire would spread its use throughout Europe and much of Northern Africa. In these regions it was used to spice meats, fish, and even as a flavoring for wine. In the middle ages people conti nued to use it. Sharp spices were not common at this time. Oregano was one of the few food flavorings available to give variety to the daily fair. The people of the dark age cast about for medicinal properties in whatever form they could find. They would chew the oregano leaves as a cure for rheumatism, toothache, indigestion, and as a cough suppressant.Oregano found its way to China probably via the spice road that wended through the Middle-East during the Medieval period. Here again it was a medicinal herb. Doctors prescribed it to relieve fever, vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, and itchy skin. Later, the English found a use for oregano as an additive to snuff (which was generally a tobacco concoction taken through the nose). It was also used as a perfume in sachets. In spite of its use in England, Oregano was little known in the United States prior to the Second World War. Soldiers discovered the flavors and aromas during the Italian Campaign and brought back the spice and the desir e for it.Related Studies Oil of Oregano According to Scott Gavura, the less evidence that exists to support the use of a treatment, the more passionate its supporters seem to be. I learned this early in my career as a pharmacist. One pharmacy I worked at did a steady business in essential oils. And king of the oils was oil of oregano. Not only were there several different brands of the basic oil, they were different forms, including capsules, creams and even nasal sprays. Not aware of any therapeutic benefits, I would ask customers what they were using it for.I rarely heard the same condition described: skin infections, athlete’s foot, head lice, colds, sore throats, â€Å"parasites†, â€Å"yeasts†, diabetes, allergies and ringworm were apparently no match against the judicious use of oregano oil. Intrigued, I took a closer look. Long before our scientific understanding of bacteria and antimicrobials, infected wounds were packed with different products in an att empt to minimize the odor, and hopefully speed healing. It’s likely that someone happened upon a fragrant herb and discovered that it seemed to help treat wounds (or at least, cover some of the smell).Given there have been some amazing drugs with powerful effects that have emerged from natural products, it’s certainly plausible that oil of oregano could have biological and therapeutic effects. Oregano (Origanum vulgare) leaves contain a wide variety of chemical compounds, including leanolic acids, ursolic acids, and phenolic glycosides. Phenolic compounds make up to 71% of the oil. Carvacrol, thymol, cymene, and terpinine and are found in oregano leaves and do appear to have biological effects. It’s these chemicals that are proposed to be the parts with beneficial effects. EffectivenessWhen we contemplate administering a chemical to deliver a medicinal effect, we need to ask the following: Is it absorbed into the body at all? Does enough reach the right part of the body to have an effect? Does it actually work for the condition? Does it have any hazardous, unwanted effects? Can it be safely eliminated from the body? These questions are usually answered through a series of investigations, starting with preclinical (test-tube) studies, and moving into to animal trials, and then to human clinical trials that start with validating safety, and then progress to investigating efficacy and safety.The short answer is that there’s little beyond animal studies to demonstrate that the ingredients in oregano oil have any effects. One of the best reviews seems to come from the McCormick Science Institute (yes, the spice company). They commissioned a paper on oregano by Keith Singletary that appeared in the journal Nutrition Today in 2010. Happily, though the journal is paywalled, McCormick is hosting the paper on its own website. 1. Is oil of oregano absorbed? Some parts of the oregano do appear to be absorbed but the bioavailability of its diffe rent chemical constituents has not been verified.So we can’t be certain which components are reaching the circulation. 2. Does enough reach the right part of the body to have any beneficial effect? It’s not clear where the chemicals in oil of oregano act in the body, as no research has been done to show that it is adequately absorbed. However, there is some evidence to suggest that oregano may be implicated in inducing abortions in mice, so some parts of the herb must be absorbed, if this a causal effect. When applied to body surfaces or skin for topical effect, oil of oregano is more likely to reach high concentrations, at least locally, and then possibly deliver a medicinal effect.This makes topical effects seem much more plausible than ones that require ingestion. 3. Does it actually work for the condition? There is no published evidence to demonstrate that that oil of oregano is effective for any medical condition or illness. The McCormick review notes that that da ta for every condition evaluated is â€Å"preliminary, inconclusive. † There is some very limited evidence to suggest that it might be useful for parasite infections — but given the evidence consists of only one study with 14 patients, and no placebo comparison, we really have no idea if the oregano oil itself was effective.Let’s consider how oil of oregano might treat an infection. Bacteria are killed by antimicrobials based on a specific dose-response relationship. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) must be reached at the site of an infection. Then there’s a concentration range where the bacteria (or viruses, or fungi, or parasites, depending on what you’re treating) are killed, typically in rough proportion to the dose. Keep increasing the dose, and the effect plateaus.If you can hit the MIC without causing side effects or toxicity, congratulations: you have a potential therapeutic agent. There’s some evidence out there demonstrat ing that oil of oregano will kill different species of bacteria, etc in the test tube or Petri dish ( in vitro). If I pour a pile of salt, lime juice, Cointreau, or tequila on a Petri dish, it will likely kill most bacteria too — but that doesn’t mean margaritas can treat pneumonia. It’s not difficult to kill bacteria if you change the conditions enough that it cannot live.So while it’s easy to get high concentrations of oregano in a test tube and subsequent positive effects, these effects are meaningless in the human body unless we can achieve similar concentrations, without any toxicity. And this has not been demonstrated with oil of oregano, or its individual chemical ingredients. 4. Does oil of oregano have any hazardous, unwanted effects? Natural does not mean safe. There are some reports of gastrointestinal upset with oil of oregano. There are also reports of allergic reactions.There is no evidence to suggest that oil of oregano, used at high (medic inal) amounts, may be used safely in pregnant or breast feeding women. However, when used in cooking, and as part of a regular diet, there is also no evidence that causes harm in pregnancy or breastfeeding. Animal studies show that if you give enough carvacrol, it will kill, though. 5. Can oil of oregano be safely eliminated from the body? So little published research exists on oil of oregano there is no way to determine if oregano oil is non-toxic.Certainly, at low doses, when used as a food, there is no reason to have any concerns. But at higher doses, and particularly with regular use, there is no data to suggest it’s safe to consume all that carvacrol, thymol, cymene, and terpinine. As we have no idea if and how oregano oil works, we have no information to estimate what a proper dose might be. Doses published by manufacturers are not based on any published evidence. Conclusion Oil of oregano, and the claims attached to it, is a great example of how interesting laboratory findings can be wildly exaggerated to imply meaningful effects in humans.A few small studies have been conducted, mainly in the lab, and advocates argue this is evidence of effectiveness. The rest is all anecdotes. Despite the hype, there is no persuasive evidence to demonstrate that oil of oregano does anything useful in or on our bodies. And while it is popular, there is no science to support the use of oil of oregano for any medical condition. Suggesting that this herb is can effectively treat serious medical conditions like diabetes, asthma, and cancer is foolish and dangerous. If you’re ill, stick to the proven science, and save your oregano for cooking.

Cyber Bullying Essay Essay

â€Å"Give me some nude pics or I’ll post the picture of you last night at the party on Facebook †. This is an example of cyber bullying and nearly 43% of kids have been bullied online, 1 in 4 has had it happened to them more than once. However, you hold the power to change someone’s life with small actions. In other words, â€Å" Change can begin with simple actions/gestures â€Å". Nevertheless, everyone must be aware of how cyber bullying could affect somebody, to be alert of the situation, and how to prevent it from happening or helping a victim. Cyber bullying causes psychological, emotional, and physical stress. It can cause a higher risk of depression and anxiety. Being a victim of this abuse can lead to lower confidence, self-esteem, and your sense of security. It can affect your performance in school, also destroy your reputation, but worst of all, cyber bullying can lead to suicidal thoughts. Multiple teens have gave up their lives because of cyber bullying and for what ? A coward hiding behind a computer screen ? This needs to sto therefore if you stand up for your peers it does help and YOU can start a chain reaction. If you get trapped in cyber bullying, it is hard to get out because it is an on-going cycle and the bully can see you as a vulnerable target. It can affect you for the rest of your life if you don’t take action or help a friend. 1 in 10 victims will inform a parent or teacher, but what about the other 9 ? They hide it in until they are mentally suffering. We must change our actions and stand up to these bullies. Many others have been waiting for someone brave enough to take a stand, all it takes is one person and others may join to help stop it. However, if you are the victim don’t get deeply involved before its to late so show no emotion and interest in the situation and inform a trusted parent or guardian. One way to prevent cyber bullying is to know what to look for. Such as, signs of impression, harassment, and public humiliation. Afterwards, take immediate action. For example, attempt to identify the cause, stop responding to the bullies message, block the bully, change your account  settings and most importantly save the evidence. Next, get outside help but don’t wait too long or else it would be too late. If it gets that serious inform law enforcement. Finally, the best way to prevent cyber bullying would have nothing against you so the bully can’t work with anything. Also don’t participate in cyber bullying. For example, your friend is teasing someone online don’t participate, tell them to stop. If you stand up for others, others will too, it all starts with a simple action and people will join in. They are just waiting for someone brave enough. We must be aware of this situation and it all starts with a small action. If everybody joins in on this, those small actions can turn into a great opportunity to open the door and help these victims and resolve the matter. Everybody can help so we must stand by each other because together we are stronger. This is a serious situation and 90% of teens seen social-media bullying and said they have ignored it. We must change these actions to help our society.

Untitled Document Essay

Untitled Document Essay Untitled Document Essay Mercutio is one of the cleverest, wittiest characters in all of Shakespeare's tragedies. He is constantly poking fun at Romeo's lovelorn melancholy, using bawdy sexual double entendres and puns that would have delighted Shakespeare's audiences. When Romeo is hiding in the Capulet's garden, for example, Mercutio tries to goad him into revealing himself through sexual references to Rosaline, the former object of his longing: I conjure thee by Rosaline's bright eyes. By her high forehead and her scarlet lip, By her fine foot, straight leg, and quivering thigh, And the demesnes that there adjacent lie, That in thy likeness thou appear to us! Later, in a long and comical speech on love, he mockingly describes love in explicitly sexual terms: ...For this drivelling love is like a great natural that runs lolling up and down to hide his bauble in a hole. Later in one his more famous scenes, he relentlessly mocks the Nurse by comparing her dress to a sail (suggesting she is massively overweight) and begging her servant Peter to give the Nurse a fan to hide her face. Mercutio, then, is a foil for Romeo, who is always moaning about love, and he serves as a consistent source of comic relief throughout the play. A notable exception is his death scene, when he recklessly provokes a duel with Tybalt, and in his poignant speech blaming the Montagues and Capulets for his death. Mercutio is one of the cleverest, wittiest characters in all of Shakespeare's tragedies. He is constantly poking fun at Romeo's lovelorn melancholy, using bawdy sexual double entendres and puns that would have delighted Shakespeare's audiences. When Romeo is hiding in the Capulet's garden, for example, Mercutio tries to goad him into revealing himself through sexual references to Rosaline, the former object of his

Good Will Hunting essays

Good Will Hunting essays We could not be where we are today if great minds like Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton didn't exist. These individuals helped create who and what we are today. Without their help our world would be a far more primitive one. These incredible people are said to have a gift, which few could only dream of. But what if these individuals decided in not using this gift. Then where would we be today? In the film "Good Will Hunting" Will Hunting is blessed with having this gift, but isn't convinced if he should use it. Will kept his gift to himself. He wasn't what society sees as a typical mathematical intellect, being well dressed, law biding, unathletic, and antisocial. Instead he played sports, fought a lot, used foul language, and drank excessively. He acted this way because it was the way he grew up and he didn't want to be treated differently because of his gift. When a Hartford professor sees Will's capabilities he can only think of the possibilities a great mind like Will's could create. Will, on the other hand would rather work a labor-oriented job for the rest of his life. He believes his job as, a janitor or demolition laborer, are just as noble as any other. The truth is Will isn't psychologically stable and therefore he doesn't know what he really wants. His whole life he lived in different foster homes and was abused excessively by different people. This abuse leads him to live a life where he pushes people away because he's scared of getting hurt. When Skylar, his girlfriend, asks him to move with her to California he automatically acts in his defense mode of pushing her away. He convinces himself that if they did go away together she would eventually leave him for a more economically stable guy that her mother would approve of. His psychologist (Robin Williams) realizes the psychological problem Will faces and understands that this problem must be dealt with before Will can decide what he really want...

A Lesson in Spelling Definite

A Lesson in Spelling Definite A Lesson in Spelling Definite A Lesson in Spelling Definite By Maeve Maddox Next to the possessive adjective its, the word definite is possibly the most misspelled word in English. If I had a nickel for every time Ive circled the misspelling definate in a students paper, Id have enough money to buy a house. Perhaps one way to impress the correct spelling of definite on the mind would be to consider the family of words to which it belongs. finite: having bounds, ends, or limits infinite: having no limit or end infinity: the quality or attribute of being infinite or having no limit define: to settle the limits of And, of course, theres definite: Having fixed or exact limits Look at all the i words in these definitions; Something that is infinite has no limits. Something that is finite has limits. To define is to limit. Something that is definite is limited. There! Go forth and spell definite with two is. For babies and children, whose nutritional needs are extraordinary, the risks are definite and scary. The breast milk of vegetarian and vegan mothers is dramatically lower in a critical brain fat, DHA (www.nytimes.com) one of the more useful words in the English language, but according to research by a linguistics professor, use of the definite article â€Å"the† has declined â€Å"radically† over the last century. (www.theguardian.com) of state for public health, committee chairman Neil Parish wrote: â€Å"We are disappointed with the lack of definite action taken by the FSA [Food Standards Agency] and wider government to date. We trust that the further response (www.theguardian.com) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Does [sic] Mean?How to Play HQ Words: Cheats, Tips and TricksFew vs. Several