Accounting for Managers Financial Performance

Question: Discuss about the Accounting for Managers of Financial Performance. Answer: Introduction Interpretation of company financial performance over the years using ratios provides the increase or decrease in overall performance of company. Competitor analysis is also important to measure the relative performance of company in the same industry. The Present report has been undertaken in order to conduct financial analysis of publically listed companies for developing an in insight into its financial performance in year 2014 and 2015. The company selected in the report for the purpose is Qantas Airlines and Virgin Australian Airlines. Company Description Qantas Airlines Qantas Airways Limited is an Australian based company that offers both international and domestic transportation and freight services globally. The company has presence mainly in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. It has a workforce diversity of about 28,000 people belonging to various ethnic backgrounds. The company is headquartered in New South Wales and is publically traded on Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) with the code QAN (Qantas, 2016). It has a fleet of about 299 aircraft that includes about 11 freighters and provides services to domestic as well as international destinations. Qantas is recognized as largest domestic as well as international airline of Australia and thus has attained a strong brand position in the country as well as on a global level. The good brand position of the company is due to its excellent quality customer services in terms of safety, operational reliability, engineering and maintenance (Annual Report 2015: Qa ntas Airlines Limited). The company conducts its transportation services through the use of two airline brands that are Qantas and Jet Star. The main objective of the company is to expand its business operations through continually investing in new aircraft and products for optimizing operational efficiency and become one of the worlds largest airlines. The company is also recognized as one of the topmost airline of Asia-Pacific region (Qantas, 2016). The company aim to compete effectively across all sectors of the aviation marketplace and become one of the strongest global brands in the aviation sector. Virgin Airlines The strongest competitor of Qantas airline is Virgin Australian Airlines Limited in Australia. Virgin Australian is airlines based in New Zealand and is a fully owned subsidiary of Virgin Australian Holdings Limited (Annual Report 2015: Virgin Australia Limited). The company was previously known as Pacific Blue Airlines (NZ) Limited and was renamed as Virgin Australian Airlines (NZ) Ltd in the year 2011 (Virgin Australia Holding Limited, 2016). The company mainly operates its transportation services between Australian and New Zealand and too many other international destinations. The main international destinations of the airline include Brisbane, Gold Coast, Middle East, Pacific Island and South East Asian routes. Virgin airline is emerging as one of the strongest competitor of Qantas airlines having its own Boeing 737 and Boeing 777 aircraft to provide high quality services to the customers. It has also undertaken loyalty program similar to that of Qantas Airline and is also engage d in the operation of both domestic as well as international business (Virgin Australia Holding Limited, 2016). Thus, Virgin airline is also one of the strongest brands in Australia in aviation sector. Financial Analysis of financial report of Qantas Airlines and its competitor Virgin Airlines In this part of section interpretation of financial statements of the Qantas Airlines and its competitor Virgin Airlines will be performed in order to provide complete view of financial performance of the both the companies. The main motive is to evaluate the performance of Qantas Airlines and it is the reason why financial performance of Qantas Airlines is compared with the performance of Virgin Airlines. It will provide the actual performance of Qantas Airlines when compared with the industry average. In order to perform the financial statement interpretation financial data have been extracted from the annual report of both the companies for the years 2014 and 2015. Both the annual reports have been taken from the company websites and necessary details are presented in section of analysis. Financial Ratio Analysis Using ratios analysis as the financial tool to interpret the financial performance of the entity helps investors to gain the insight view of company overall performance in current year as compare to past years. Liquidity Analysis The analysis of liquidity ratios helps to know the company ability to pay the short term liabilities over the one year time period. Short term liabilities means liabilities that have to be paid in the one year span of time. The most common ratios that are used to determine the liquidity position of the company are current ratio and quick ratio. It can be said that higher the values in liquidity ratio means higher safety of margin and it shows the perfect position of company to meet their short term liabilities (Brigham and Ehrhardt, 2011). Items 2014 2015 Qantas Airways Limited Current Assets $ 4,932,000,000.00 $ 5,049,000,000.00 Current Liabilities $ 7,525,000,000.00 $ 7,470,000,000.00 Inventory and Prepaid Expenses $ 317,000,000.00 $ 431,000,000.00 Quick Assets $ 4,615,000,000.00 $ 4,618,000,000.00 Cash and Cash Equivalents Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd Current Assets $ 1,235,000,000.00 $ 1,586,000,000.00 Current Liabilities $ 1,921,000,000.00 $ 2,300,000,000.00 Inventory and Prepaid Expenses $ 113,000,000.00 $ 113,000,000.00 Quick Assets $ 1,122,000,000.00 $ 1,473,000,000.00 Ratios Formula 2014 2015 Liquidity Ratio Current Ratios Current Assets/Current Liabilities Qantas Airways Limited 0.66 0.68 Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd 0.64 0.69 Quick Ratio Quick Assets/Current Liabilities Qantas Airways Limited 0.61 0.62 Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd 0.58 0.64 Current Ratio Current ratio represents ratio of current assets divided by the current liabilities. Current refers to the assets that are convertible into cash and cash equivalents within one year span of period. It is ability of company that how frequently inventory can be converted into cash and cash equivalents. Current liabilities represent the amount that have to reimburse within one year time through using the working capital. On calculating the current ratio of Qantas Airlines for the year 2014 it has been found that results drawn are not satisfactory and it continue the same position in year 2015 through minor increase in proportionate values of current assets. The current ratio of Qantas Airlines in year 2014 was 0.66 and it increased to 0.68 in year 2015 that shows company has no sufficient current assets to pay the current liabilities (Annual Report 2015: Qantas Airlines Limited). On the other hand current ratio of Virgin Airlines was 0.64 in year 2014 and 0.69 in year 2015 (Annual Report 2015: Virgin Australia Limited). It reflects that both companies maintain same level of current assets in both the year. Overall comparison shows that current ratios of both the companies are not satisfactory and they need to put more focus on the level of working capital. Quick Ratio Quick ratio is also called as acid test ratio and it is similar to current ratio as it also measures the liquidity position of the company. The only difference between current ratio and quick ratio is that quick ratio measures the liquidity position in much better way as compare to current ratio. Quick ratio ignores inventory and prepaid expenses they cant be treated as cash and cash equivalents due to time taken by inventory to be turned into cash. Both Qantas Airlines and Virgin Australian Airlines keeps low level of inventory as both companies belong to service sector that requires no inventory or very low inventory depending upon the level of service they provide. Quick ratio of Qantas Airlines was 0.61 and 0.62 in year 2014 and 2015 respectively and on the other hand the quick ratio of Virgin Australian Airlines was 0.58 and 0.64 in year 2014 and 2015 respectively (Annual Report 2015: Qantas Airlines Limited). Looking at values of quick ratio in both the years it can be said that liquidity position of Qantas Airlines and Virgin Australian Airlines was not satisfactory and there is need to maintain good amount of current assets in order to easily render the amount of current liabilities (Annual Report 2015: Virgin Australia Limited). Profitability Analysis Profitability analysis checks the companys ability to earn the revenue through use of capital employed by the owners of the company. It tells the company profitability position over the period of time generally one year through measuring the net profit earned using assets and equity of the company. The two profitability ratios that are used to measure the earning capacity of the company are net profit margin ratio and return on equity (Buckle, Buckle and Thompson, 2004). Items 2014 2015 Qantas Airways Limited Net Revenue $ 15,155,000,000.00 $ 15,532,000,000.00 Gross Profit $ 7,552,000,000.00 $ 8,389,000,000.00 Net Profit $ (2,843,000,000.00) $ 560,000,000.00 Shareholders Equity $ 2,862,000,000.00 $ 3,442,000,000.00 Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd Net Revenue $ 4,303,000,000.00 $ 4,706,000,000.00 Gross Profit $ 3,095,000,000.00 $ 3,514,000,000.00 Net Profit $ (356,000,000.00) $ (111,000,000.00) Shareholders Equity $ 1,048,000,000.00 $ 1,077,000,000.00 Ratios Formula 2014 2015 Profitability Ratios Return on Equity Net Profit/Equity Qantas Airways Limited -99.34% 16.27% Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd -33.97% -10.31% Net Profit Ratio Net Profit/Revenue Qantas Airways Limited -18.76% 3.61% Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd -8.27% -2.36% Net profit margin ratio Net profit Margin ratio tells the profitability position of the company by reflecting the percentage of profits earned by the company from its operations after meeting all the expenses. It is vital to note that positive profit are essential to keep pace with the on going market conditions and to provide tough competition to the competitors. Here net profit ratio of Qantas Airlines and Virgin Australian Airlines was analyzed and it was found that both have poor profitability in both the years. It was Qantas Airlines that has earned positive 3.61% net profit in year 2015. Apart from it, both Qantas Airlines and Virgin Australian Airlines have faced negative returns in both the years. It shows that airlines industry in Australia had faced tough time during year 2014 and 2015. Return on Equity Return on equity is one the most important profitability ratio as it tells profit earned by using the own capital i.e. share capital. It shows the percent of profits earned using the shareholders equity. It has been found that both Qantas Airlines and Virgin Australian Airlines have employed very share capital as compare to debt capital. It shows that both the companies earn maximum part of revenue using the debt capital as the source of finance. Return on equity was -99.34 % in year 2014 and 16.27 % in year 2015 in case of Qantas Airlines whereas in case of Virgin Australian Airlines it was -33.97% in year 2014 and -10.31% in year 2015 (Annual Report 2015: Virgin Australia Limited). Overall analysis shows that profitability position of both the companies had been worst in year 2014. In year 2015, there was some improvement in profitability position in case of Qantas Airlines but no change was recorded in case of Virgin Australian Airlines (Morning Star: Qantas Airlines, 2016 and Vir gin Australia Holding Limited, 2016). Asset Efficiency Analysis Asset efficiency analysis is important as it tells how asset has been exploited by the companies to earn the maximum revenue. It has been noted the airline industry in Australia have faced many downturn due lack of passengers and increase in price of crude oil internationally. It is the reason why airline companies in Australia fail to utilize 100% of its assets and it results in decrease in revenue in year 2014 and 2015 (Houston and Brigham, 2009). Items 2014 2015 Qantas Airways Limited Net Revenue $ 15,155,000,000.00 $ 15,532,000,000.00 Fixed Assets $ 12,386,000,000.00 $ 12,481,000,000.00 Inventory $ 317,000,000.00 $ 431,000,000.00 Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd Net Revenue $ 4,303,000,000.00 $ 4,706,000,000.00 Fixed Assets $ 3,444,000,000.00 $ 4,194,000,000.00 Inventory $ 113,000,000.00 $ 113,000,000.00 Ratios Formula 2014 2015 Asset Efficiency Ratios Fixed Asset Turnover Turnover/Fixed Asset Qantas Airways Limited 1.22 1.24 Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd 1.25 1.12 Sales to inventory Turnover Turnover / Inventory Qantas Airways Limited 47.81 36.04 Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd 38.08 41.65 Fixed assets turnover ratio Fixed asset turnover ratio tells amount of sales earned upon total fixed assets applied by the company in the business. It shows the efficiency of fixed assets and how frequently they provide the revenue through proper use of assets. Larger the ratio will be more will be the efficiency of the fixed assets. In airline industry fixed assets make up the most important part for earning the revenue therefore this ratio is vital for he airline industry. The calculation of fixed asset ratio shows that Qantas Airlines has earned 1.22 times the revenue when compared with fixed assets in year 2014 while Virgin Australian Airlines has earned 1.25 times the revenue using its fixed assets in the same year (Annual Report 2015: Qantas Airlines Limited). It shows that performance of both companies is almost equal in year 2014 (Annual Report 2015: Virgin Australia Limited). Making comparison of ratio in year 2014 with ratio of year 2015, it can be said that performance of Qantas Airlines was almost e qual with ratio of 1.24 times in year 2015 while there was decrease in fixed asset ratio of Virgin Australian Airlines in year 2015 by 10.40%. It reflects that performance of fixed assets was decrease in case of Virgin Australian Airlines in year 2015. Other analysts believe that fixed assets turnover ratio behaves as the vital source for measuring the financial health of the airlines companies. As per the opinion of three party analysts the performance of Qantas Airlines was better when compared with the performance of Virgin Australian Airlines in year 2015 (Yahoo Finance: Qantas Airways Limited, 2016 and Yahoo Finance: Virgin Australia Holdings Limited, 2016). Sales to Inventory Ratio Sales to inventory ratio measures the performance of management through evaluating the use of inventory to make it convert in revenue. This ratio measures the efficiency of inventory for being convertible into revenue. More the ratio will be higher will the efficiency of inventory. In airline industry companies generally keep low level of inventory as main source of income comes from the fixed asset hold by the company. A sale to inventory ratio of Qantas Airlines was 47.81times in year 2014 and that of Virgin Australian Airlines was 38.08 times in the same year. It shows that performance of Qantas Airlines was far better than Virgin Australian Airlines in year 2014 as it was able to utilize maximum inventory to convert them into sales. In year 2015, the performance of Qantas Airlines goes down and it has not able to keep the same pace as in year 2014 (Annual Report 2015: Qantas Airlines Limited). The sale to inventory ratio of Qantas Airlines in year 2015 was 36.04 times showing a d ownfall by 24 %. While the sales to inventory turnover ratio of Virgin Australian Airlines in year 2015 was 41.65 times, reflecting increase in efficiency of inventory being used in year 2015 (Annual Report 2015: Virgin Australia Limited). Capital Structure Analysis Capital structure analysis helps to evaluate the proportion of capital being equity and debt used by the companies as the major source of finance their operation and to purchase the fixed assets. In the airline industry the major expenses occurred on purchase of fixed asset being planes for commercial purposes. Some part of capital is also been used in working capital for smooth working of operations (Bull, 2007). Items 2014 2015 Qantas Airways Limited Debt $ 6,931,000,000.00 $ 6,618,000,000.00 Equity $ 2,862,000,000.00 $ 3,442,000,000.00 Total Assets $ 17,318,000,000.00 $ 17,530,000,000.00 Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd Debt $ 1,711,000,000.00 $ 2,403,000,000.00 Equity $ 1,048,000,000.00 $ 1,077,000,000.00 Total Assets $ 4,679,000,000.00 $ 5,780,000,000.00 Ratios Formula 2014 2015 Capital Structure Ratio Debt Equity Ratio Debt/Equity Qantas Airways Limited 2.42 1.92 Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd 1.63 2.23 Debt Ratio Debt /Total Assets Qantas Airways Limited 0.40 0.38 Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd 0.37 0.42 Debt Equity ratio Debt equity ratio shows the proportionate amount of debt and equity being employed by the company in this business. Company must use equity as the major source of capital as compare to debt capital as it requires paying fixed rate of interest over the years. On the other hand equity is the owner capital and does involve payment of interest at regular intervals. Ratio of below 1.00 represents ideal proportion of capital being employed. Debt equity ratio of Qantas Airlines was 2.42 times I year 2014, while it was 1.63 times in case of Virgin Australian Airlines (Annual Report 2015: Qantas Airlines Limited). Therefore, it shows Qantas Airlines uses more debt capital as compare to Virgin Australian Airlines. In year 2015, the debt equity ratio of Qantas Airlines was 1.92 reflecting the decrease in debt capital when compared with year 2014. On the other hand, there was increase debt equity ratio Virgin Australian Airlines in year 2015 by 36.80% showing that company has raised debt capital to finance either purchase of fixed assets or to provide capital for smooth working of operations. Debt Ratio Debt ratio tells amount of debt the company holds as against the assets. Higher debt ratio represents the sign of leverage firm being charge on the fixed assets of the company. Debt ratio of Qantas Airlines was 0.40 in year 2014 and 0.38 in year 2015. On the other hand, debt ratio of Virgin Australian Airlines was 0.37 in year 2014 and 0.42 in year 2015. It shows that both companies keep more than 35 % of debt capital as the charge against fixed assets. Overall capital structure of both the companies was not sound as they use debt as the major source of capital and there was very less dependency on equity capital as source of finance (Annual Report 2015: Virgin Australia Limited). Market Performance Analysis Market performance analysis provides the vital source of information for the investors as it measures the relative performance of the companies based on market information. Ratios Formula 2014 2015 Market performance Ratio Earning Per Share Net profit for shareholders / Number of Shareholders Qantas Airways Limited $ (1.37) $ 0.27 Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd $ (0.11) $ (0.03) Earning per share Earning per share ratio tells net profit earned by the company over total number of shares issued in the market. It is calculated as net profit attributable to shareholders divided by total number of common shares issued in the market (Sagner, 2010). The EPS of Qantas Airlines was negative $ 1.37 in year 2014 and it got increased to $0.27 in year 2015. While in case of Virgin Australian Airlines the EPS was negative $0.11 in year 2014 and negative $0.03 in year 2015. Market performance of Qantas Airlines was better in year 2015 as compare to market performance of Virgin Australian Airlines in year 2015 (Morning Star: Qantas Airlines, 2016 and Virgin Australia Holding Limited, 2016). Conclusion Financial analysis using ratio helps to get the overall performance of company in the current year as compare to previous year. In his report financial performance of Qantas Airlines was evaluated for year 2014 and 2015 and it was than compared with performance of Virgin Australian Airlines. It was found that overall performance of Qantas Airlines was better than Virgin Australian Airlines in year 2015 and there was scope of increase in financial performance in case Qantas Airlines. It is recommended to investors to hold the shares of Qantas Airlines in order to earn a better return in future period. References Annual Report 2015: Qantas Airlines Limited. Retrieved 14 October, 2016, from https://www.qantas.com.au/infodetail/about/investors/2015AnnualReport.pdf Annual Report 2015: Virgin Australia Limited. Retrieved 14 October, 2016, from https://www.virginaustralia.com/cs/groups/internetcontent/.../annual-report-2015.pdf Brigham, E. F. and Ehrhardt, M. C. 2011. Financial Management: Theory and Practice. Mason: Cengage Learning. Buckle, M.J., Buckle, M. and Thompson, J. 2004 . The UK Financial System. 4th ed. New York: Manchester University Press. Bull, R. 2007. Financial Ratios: How to use financial ratios to maximise value and success for your business'. UK: Elsevier. Houston, J.F. and Brigham, E.F. 2009. Fundamentals of Financial Management. Cengage Learning. Morning Star. Qantas Airlines. 2016. Retrieved 14 October, 2016, from https://financials.morningstar.com/ratios/r.html?t=QUBSF Morning Star. Virgin Australia Holding Limited. 2016. Retrieved 14 October, 2016, from https://financials.morningstar.com/ratios/r.html?t=VAH Qantas. 2016. Our Company. Retrieved 14 October, 2016, from https://www.qantas.com/travel/airlines/company/global/en Sagner, J. 2010. Essentials of Working Capital Management. USA: John Wiley Sons. Virgin Australia Holding Limited. 2016. Reuters. Retrieved 14 October, 2016, from https://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/companyProfile?symbol=VAH.AX Yahoo Finance: Qantas Airways Limited. 2016. Retrieved 14 October, 2016, from https://in.finance.yahoo.com/q?s=QAN.AX Yahoo Finance: Virgin Australia Holdings Limited. 2016. Retrieved 14 October, 2016, from https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/vah.ax?ltr=1

Changes of family trends free essay sample

This essay will discuss some of the changes and trends in family life in Britain over the last 50 years. In order to do this, this essay will firstly define what is meant by the term family in this context. It will then go on to describe the main family types including the nuclear family, the extended family, cohabiting family and more. The family has changed over the years, the main change being the decline in the traditional nuclear family, the reasons of which will be discussed within the main body of this essay. Other changes of family types will also be discussed along with explanations and arguments of why these changes have occurred. Sociological perspectives on the family intend to shed light on the purpose of the family within society, this essay will outline and discuss two perspectives – one being functionalism and the second being social interactionism. Finally, this essay will come to a conclusion of the research into the changes and trends of family life in Britain. â€Å"A family is a group of persons directly linked by kin connections, the adult members of which assume responsibility for caring for children. † (Giddens, 1997) This definition also includes the kin connections through marriages which leads to step families. In today’s society there are a huge diversity of family types, these include:- The nuclear family a household where the parents are married and they live with their biological children. Extended family – a family which consists of three or more generations, grandparents, parents and children living in the same household. One person household one adult living alone without any other family members. Cohabiting family – a family where the parents are not married, live with either biological or step children. Lone parent family – this can be either the mother or the father responsible for raising the children. Same gender family – a family where the parents are of the same sex, they may be in a civil partnership and are responsible for children. Multi-racial family – a family where the parents are members of different racial groups. Adoptive family – a family where one or more of the children has been adopted. Immigrant family – a family where the parents have immigrated with their children. The traditional family types 50 years ago were mainly the nuclear family and the extended family, whereas due to divorce, an increased tolerance towards homosexual couples, unmarried parents, immigration and couples of different racial groups having children, modern family types have become extremely diverse, with certain modern family types becoming more popular than the traditional types. In 2012 the office of national statistics found that 38% of families with dependent children were married, compared to 39% of families with dependent children being cohabiting couple families. (Office of National Statistics, 2012) This shows how values towards marriage in recent decades have changed and as a result has affected the family values, no longer does the family value traditional beliefs that parents should be of opposite sex, where the father works and the mother stays at home to rear the children. Modern society has diverse beliefs which directly affect family types and in turn increases the diversity within society as a whole. Through research and studies the Family Policy Social Centre found similar findings â€Å"today it is estimated that nuclear families make up only 36% of British families† (Family Policy Social Centre, 2009) Another argument for this decrease of nuclear families is that modern society has introduced legislation related to divorce, contraception and abortion which has affected the nature of women’s roles within the family. Women were starting to realise they were able to choose when they wanted to have children, they were able to get divorced more easily and as a result get remarried. These legislations led to an increase in divorce, abortion rates and woman getting remarried, therefore as a direct result led to an increase in single parent families, step families and women waiting until later in life to have children and families. A major change contributing to the structure of the family is the high rate of divorce in Britain. The causes of the rate of divorce include the difference in priorities and expectations amongst married couples. Another issue may be sharing the responsibilities of rearing children, and the conflicts caused by working mothers and their traditional family roles. Couples also divorce over financial issues, disagreements about responsibility and unequal status. Married couples may become disinterested with each other and deceive their partner with someone else. As couples become preoccupied with their frustrations and disappointment within their marriage, they may not think about the consequences. ‘For children, divorce is a watershed that permanently alters their lives. The world is newly perceived as a far less reliable, more dangerous place because the closest relationships in their lives can no longer be expected to hold firm. More than anything else, this new anxiety represents the end of childhood’ (Meng, 2008). Marital breakdown can in itself cause even further problems, as many women become lone parents and their financial situation affects the family’s lifestyle. Many lone parents enter into new relationships and often result in remarriage. ‘In this way reassembled or blended families are created which contain step parents and step children’ (Hill Irving, 2009). Parents that have been affected by divorce either through loneliness or financial problems may remarry. ‘The tragedy is that second marriages with children are much more likely to end in divorce than first marriages’ (Meng, 2008). The causes of high divorce rates are arguably caused by the ever increasing acceptance of divorce and single parents by society and as a result teaches the children involved that divorce is a normal part of marriage and life and therefore reinforces the norm divorce and lack of value towards marriage within society. More recently Government has brought about the Civil Partnership Act 2004 and nearly a decade later the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. (Parliament. uk, 2013) These acts have resulted in a sudden increase of civil partner couple families – statistics show that from 2003 to 2013 civil partnership couple families have risen from N/A to 63,000. These findings resulted in research into same sex cohabiting couple families which also showed a rise of N/A in 2003 to 89,000 families in 2013 (Office of National Statistics, 2013). Due to the increase in these types of family, other family types have been affected. This could be due to either by these couples adopting which also increases the number or adoptive families or by homosexual persons leaving their current established family units to live their chosen lifestyle, meaning an increase in lone parent families. These factors are results from the values, norms and expectations of society changing and accepting same sex couples getting married and adopting children. With the change in diversity of family types has come change in the families’ role within society. Although the family still mainly provides children with primary socialisation, other aspects of a child’s life also influences their primary socialisation. Due to the increase of working mothers and lone parent families, children are being put into nurseries and daytime care younger, meaning primary socialisation is also being provided by nurseries where the child may learn norms and values which the parents would not necessarily regard as their own norms and values. This shows how in some cases the family serves less of a role within society, leaving primary socialisation to be provided by the society, however this could lead to an easier and more understandable process into secondary socialisation for the child when starting school. The main role of the family in society is to provide the children with the correct norms, values and morals to live by within that society. Whether or not the family causes society to change or whether society is the cause of changes within families is unknown however it could be argued that changes in society and family go hand in hand. The family seems to change as society changes and vice versa, for example, multi-racial families were once unheard of, however due to the acceptance of different races within society came the acceptance of multi-racial families which in turn led to the re-enforcing of this acceptance within society through primary and secondary socialisation. There are many sociological perspectives on the family. Functionalism is one of these perspectives. â€Å"The functional perspective emphasizes that social institutions perform several functions to help preserve social stability and otherwise keep a society working. † (Barkan, 2012) Therefore in the context of the family, functionalism refers to the part in which the family plays in the functioning of society. The family mainly provide the primary socialisation for children which gives the children the correct norms and values which help them integrate into society. Functionalists would argue that the nuclear family is the ideal family type in today’s society. Parson’s argues that the nuclear family is now the most important part of society, for the operation of industrial society as a system. (Chambers, 2012) Suggesting that the extended family is no longer needed since the industrialisation as the nuclear family is more mobile and able to move in order to find work. However research shows that both the nuclear and the extended family is decreasing as other types of families are increasing, as a result of the diversity and change of norms and values within society today. Another perspective is social interactionism which â€Å"examines how family members and intimate couples interact on a daily basis and arrive at shared understandings of theirs situations. † (Barkan, 2012). In the context of social interactionism, families have changed over the last 50 years in the way in which they interact with each other, whether it be how husbands and wives communicate or how parents and children interact. Although divorce rates have risen, studies show that the increase of gender equality has affected the way in which married couples interact – more women are working than ever before leaving men to take on more domestic chores, which in turn has brought about more emotionally expressive men within society. This in itself has impacts on the family structure, for example, woman attempting to find a more desirable man in relation to his emotional ability to express himself can mean woman are single for longer and therefore meaning less family units. However the main impact is that these new values will be passed down to future generations, leading to new trends within the family for the future as well as the present. In conclusion, the family has seen many changes and trends in family life in Britain over the last 50 years. Whether it be increased rates of divorce leading to an increase of lone parent families or the decline of the traditional nuclear family through the change of norms and values within society leaving the traditional family type becoming less desirable. The family is continuously changing in society, some would argue that the family plays less of a role within society however whether or not this is advantageous is debated. Functionalism emphasizes the part in which the family plays in the functioning of society whereas social interactionism examines how the family members and couple, married or not, interact with each other and have shared understandings. (Barkan, 2012) Overall the family plays a vital role in society through providing children with the social norms and values which are continuously changing with time and therefore are necessary in order for society to move forward.

The Benefits of Having Gender Essay Topics

The Benefits of Having Gender Essay TopicsThere are a lot of good gender essay topics for those who are writing them. No one should worry too much about that as long as they keep in mind that they are just supposed to be essays. The ideas may not be for an exam but for personal use and amusement.Although there are a few very good topic for those who are writing their gender essay, it is a really tough decision to choose one. Just by looking at the list of topics there are so many choices out there. While you might find some very good topics, it is still hard to select one. How do you find a good topic?Firstly, you have to decide what you will use the essay for. Some people would look for specific topics like parents' reaction to their daughter getting married, or girls' college experiences, or a list of girl names, for example. Others would choose topics based on how their opinion relates to the topic.They would pick topics that are related to their own experience or to their experie nces of how they relate to the topic. Whether you want a work of fiction or serious essays about the topic would be determined by what you are trying to achieve with the essay.On the other hand, if you are looking for essays that have a basis in reality, there are many good topics out there. You can choose topics such as this, which include medical emergencies, job interviews, personal tragedies, the 'boy's' preference, teen births, oral sex, and so on. These topics are based on real events. If you choose this category of essay topics, it would be appropriate for use in a class or perhaps an interview.However, these topics are more suitable for essays for personal use and they would not be suitable for writing for a research paper. So in such cases, you would be better off sticking to what you are good at - writing.Of course, you can go through your essay topics and choose topics that fit in with what you are good at. The biggest issue with essays is that they can be difficult to wr ite and most writers, regardless of their educational background, do not learn how to write essays well.

Technology and Television Essay Example For Students

Technology and Television Essay Technology has created many good things for humanity such as cures for illnesses,ways to make transportation faster and many other things. Yet technology has also doneharm to human culture, and it is easily spread to many people all over the world. Thisdark side is communication, either by television or radio, violence is spread everyday. Themost affected are children because they are young, easily persuaded and their innocencecan not distinguish right and wrong. Children tend to see violence as a funny factor andpractice it not only at home but also in other places like school, playgrounds and stores. Children are more likely to be affected by cartoon violence. This is because in acartoon a character can easily be destroyed and revived five minutes later with no seriousinjury. Not only do children think this is funny, but think it is true because no one tellsthem that it is make believe. Reports say that this might cause children to commit seriouscrimes because their is little or no consequence. (Official AAP website pg. 1) Violence iswhat sells these days from every day cartoons like Power Rangers to Pokemon, each showcontains someone being seriously injured and in seconds being cured. Networks shouldexplain to children that the acts of violence are made up: in a fun and simple way that theyTelevision violence leads to many problems. CYFC stated in an article that Justas children learn from their family they also learn from their super heroes. (Official CYFCWebpage pg. 1) children tend to become either fighters or victims and may encourage orprovoke fights among friends. Many sch ools began to ban Pokemon trading cards notonly because children did not pay attention in class, but because they would fight eachother for the cards. This type of violence is encouraged by commercials because if a childdoes not have the product they are not cool or part of the group. Also the more a childsees violent acts of crime the more they become immune to it. For example a child willlose all emotions and will have no sympathy to the victims of crime. They might also thinkthat it is funny and laugh at people just as they would if they were watchingViolence is not only in cartoons it is also in movies like Austin Powers the SpyWho Shagged Me. The name itself has a hidden meaning, the word shagged is notappropriate. Their one bit in the movie that shows a woman being shot, blown up with abazooka, and thrown out a window. When the bit is over Austin asks her why dont youwant to die? Another bit shows a rocket in the shape of the male genitalia and is thendescribed in many forms. A child may see their parents laugh and repeat these words in aplace where they should not be spoken. What if the child finds a gun in their parentsdrawers and decides to shoot their brother or sister? No longer would it be funny and thechild may become traumatized. Parents, not only the networks, should take the time toexplain to their children that it is only make-believe. This can prevent a horrible accidentfrom ever occurring, because now a child knows better. We will write a custom essay on Technology and Television specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Violence is not only on television it is also on the radio and the music people liketo hear. Many songs portray women as low creatures that are beaten by their pimps orhow drugs, alcohol and guns are cool and solve every problem. their are times when aperson turns on the radio and does not notice what the lyrics mean. While the music is ona child can be listening and slowly will begin to decipher what the singer is implying. Asthe Child begins to make sense of what the singer means they might end up practicingwhat their role models sing. They might use drugs or commit acts of violence because thesingers do it in their songs. Before a parent even realizes what has happened their childmight have become a menace to society. .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e , .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e .postImageUrl , .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e , .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e:hover , .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e:visited , .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e:active { border:0!important; } .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e:active , .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ue24ae93b23222d8c049d1bdb87ad058e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Grand Slam Record! EssayAnother reason that evil and violence is spread so easily through television andradio is because all the violence is justified. This means that all the fighting is done in thename of justice and good in other words good vs. evil.(Official EdmontonjournalWebpage) In the eyes of children beating up other people is all right as long as the otherchild did something wrong. Though it is wrong a child feels glory and happiness becausethey are doing what their violent super heroes would do. technology has helped the world but has it done harm to the innocent minds of thechildren. Many groups and studies like CYFC, say yes, and have used technology tocreate object such as the V-chip to regulate the amount of violence a child sees ontelevision. Even though an adult can distinguish the difference between real violence andfake violence a child can not and their innocence should not be taken for granted. Notonly are they blackening the minds of the children they might help create violent membersof society if not corrected. This does not mean that a child should go without televisionradio but that a parent should be more cautious and regulate what their children watch. The Changing Face of T.V. Violence. Journal Extra. 14 Jan. 1998. http://www.edmontonjournal.comMedia Violence and Media Literacy. American Academyof Pediatrics. 23 Nov 1999. http://www.aap.org/advocacy/child healthmonth/media.htmT.V. Violence and what can Parents Do. CYFC. 23 Nov 1999. http://www.cyfc.vmn.edu/DocumentsBibliography:The Changing Face of T.V. Violence. Journal Extra. 14 Jan. 1998. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/archives/011498tv.htmlMedia Violence and Media Literacy. American Academyof Pediatrics. 23 Nov 1999. http://www.aap.org/advocacy/child healthmonth/media.htmT.V. Violence and what can Parents Do. CYFC. 23 Nov 1999. http://www.cyfc.vmn.edu/Documents/C/C/CC1016.html/

Criminal Justice and Injustice essays

Criminal Justice and Injustice essays The Declaration of Independence stated, "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights" (Jefferson). But how much of that is true? Since the very beginning of the legal system in the United States, there has been inequality. Appearance has held such precedence for Americans. Now, with the threat of terrorists, many use racial stereotypes to determine who is accountable for our unsafe environment. Color remains a powerful instrument for discrimination in the criminal justice system. Discrimination has been a large part of our society. But how can we overcome discrimination while the forces that protect us are one of the major causes? Police are using differential treatment upon minorities. In one case, which happened on March 3, 1991, four Los Angeles police officers brutally beat African American, Rodney King. When they brought the case to court, they moved it to a nearly all-white community without any jurors whom were African Ame rican. Some believe there are two justice systems: one for whites and one for people of color. Many feel the system is administered almost exclusively by whites and designed to protect the white lives and property but provide minimal protection to the life and safety of minorities like Rodney King. Because of the recent terrorists attacks, now more than ever, police are using racial profiling on anyone they feel is a threat or looks suspicious. The criminal justice system groups together all members of a particular race according to the actions of a relative few. By casting a negative light toward being Arab, Black, Mexican, Asian or any number of other ethnic races, the criminal justice system clearly demonstrates a great deal of ignorance and disrespect for that individual; just because someone is a member of a certain race does not mean that he or she represents any of the negative insinuations associated with that race. The September 11th terrorist ...

Business Law Final Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Law Final Case Study - Essay Example In addition to this view, in a case where the defamation involves a very public person and or is a matter of public concern, the plaintiff, as the complainant in the case, has to provide or give proof in the court of law that the claims or comments made by the defendant are false, and also that the defendant has either known of the truth of the claim and has simply acted recklessly and disregarded the truth out of pure malice towards the complainant or plaintiff. The statements that Knarles has made to his friends and colleagues are by all means just personal opinions, rather than facts; they are far from facts. If this is the case, then by all means, there is no case of defamation at all (Defamation. Ewell v. Boutwell, 1924). If Knarles was not simply stating his opinions about the person – the plaintiff who is Ian Chetum, then in that case his statements and comments could be considered as defamatory in nature. This is because in as much as his statements and comments could have been simple, fair comments to an issue that is of public interest and concern, Knarles had no proof of any kind that his statements were or are the truth. Therefore, as such, Knarles’ statements were made in high disregard of what is the truth, and this is utter recklessness. Consequently, Knarles can be sued for defamation by Ian Chetum. Chetum v. Stucko The next legal issue arises between Ian Chetum and Stucko. The legal issue at hand is still defamation. Just as, stated above, a case of defamation has to be backed by proof that a false statement of a fact has been made about the complainant, and have been made by a third party and caused damage to be liable in court (Defamation. Ewell v. Boutwell, 1924). The statements made by Stucko are obviously factual. If we assume that he made the statements with knowledge that he was falsifying them or blatantly disregarding the truth, then in that case he would be very liable to be charged for defamation. Nonetheless, the truth is often used as a defense for defamation claim – therefore, if the claims and statements are the truth, then Stucko has no case to answer on the grounds of defamation. The Residents v. Chetum This is the next case that the business conflict has brought up. The legal issue at hand is that of Battery. The rule of common law on Battery is that it is the intentional and or offensive act of touching of a third party without their privilege or consent to any way (Battery. Cavuoto v. Buchanan, 2004). When the building owner Ian Chetum tells the plumber from Knarles and Barkley’s company to ‘fix it’, – when referring to the broken boiler, and at the same time knowing that the broken boiler is highly defective, and the manufacturer had recalled their product, Ian Chetum, as the owner of the building is intentionally engaging in a harmful ‘touching’ of all of the residents of his building

The encounter between the Europeans and the American Indians Essay

The encounter between the Europeans and the American Indians - Essay Example The first source is divided into three phases. The first phase talked about the exploration and contact of the Europeans with the Amerindians till 1600, the second phase talked about the cultural identities of the New World and the settlement of the Europeans till 1700 and the third phase talked about the events that took place in Native America in the eighteenth century (Castillo & Schweitzer, 2001). On the other hand, the second source talks about the Columbian voyages, the Columbian exchange, the biological metamorphosis of the New World due to their interaction with the Europeans and infectious diseases that arise due to this interaction (Crosby, 1994). The first source did a great job in correcting people’s perspective on the cultural diversity of the Amerindians (Castillo & Schweitzer, 2001), while the second source did a great job in showing the biological transformation of the New World (Crosby, 1994). The two sources showed that it was actually greed that motivated the interaction of the Europeans with the Amerindians as they sought to exploit these people. Though the two primary sources talked about similar and different issues, but the fact remains that, the accounts are reliable as they are coming from renowned historians. They provided ample evidence to support their assertion and this is what adds to the reliability of their accounts. Thus, the accounts of the two primary sources are reliable.