How the Representations of Women Differ in Mens Magazines...

How the Representations of Women Differ in Mens Magazines Compared to Womens Magazines Hypothesis; Due to the changing roles of women, the media should reflect this in their representations. My intention is to find if there is a difference in the way women are portrayed in men’s magazines and women’s magazines. I would expect that men’s magazines would be more stereotypical of women (sex objects, domestic, vulnerable) whereas woman’s magazines would be more feminist (women power, independence). My first concept is Angela McRobbie’s pluralist idea of target audience demands (advertisement attraction due to audience demands). My second concept is Marjorie Ferguson’s cult of femininity†¦show more content†¦While Ferguson claims that it is only men that are instructed in this way, a similar approach is now being applied to men. However, this does not suggest there is an increasing equality in representations of gender roles; rather the magazines aimed at men simply increases gender stereotyping. These studies are relevant to mine because they show how women are portrayed in women’s magazines. Women don’t want to see other women as sex objects but as successful and guided on how they can be successful too. Articles such as ‘how to get a man’ and ‘how to get a body like Angelina Jolie’ help them to achieve this consumer cult of femininity. The target audience dictates what they want in their magazines, if they don’t like the content they won’t buy it. The advertisements reflect the consumer culture of the target audience – women like to know what products to buy to give them a sense of belonging. Men’s magazines differ in the fact that they don’t like being told how to act, how to style their hair, or what clothes to wear to be in fashion. Men like magazines that feature attractive women posing half naked in promiscuous positions, and the latest video games with strongmen working their way through levels of violence and destruction to rescue the damsel in distress. They are produced by men for men; so they reflect what men portray as important (and how theyShow MoreRelatedGender Roles Are A Conception Of Femininity And Masculinity Essay1157 Words   |  5 PagesWomen in Advertisements Gender roles are a conception of femininity and masculinity. The gender roles for men and women in society are partially constituted of individual thinking. These conceptions and gender roles are not completely biological but also social and cultural. Women are earning advanced degrees and are entering careers which have been traditionally dominated by men. But women are still depicted as images of beauty and sexuality in movies, video games and advertisements. This paperRead More Fashion Magazines and Body Image Essay5340 Words   |  22 PagesFashion Magazines and Body Image Research indicates that exposure to thin ideal images in womens magazines is associated with heightened concerns for body shape and size in a number of young women, although the medias role in the psychopathology of body image disturbance is generally believed to be mediated by personality and socio-cultural factors. The purpose of this research study is to know and gather solid facts and reasons about fashion magazines affecting the teenagers’Read MoreThe Representation of Females in the Media Essay2715 Words   |  11 PagesThe Representation of Females in the Media It is generally accepted that the media, primarily television, lags behind reality and current social trends (Butler and Paisley, 1980) (Gunter, Television and Sex Role Stereotyping). However, This does not make the way women are portrayed in the media any better. Women are not only under-represented in the media but more importantly are portrayed to be half clad, half witted and needing to be rescued by quick thinkingRead MoreGender and Advertising7641 Words   |  31 PagesAdvertising How Gender Shapes Meaning The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, â€Å"It’s a girl.† —Shirley Chisholm Men are dogs and women are cats. Women are from Venus and men are from Mars. Writers, filmmakers, psychologists, and advertisers all have used the idea that men and women are different to develop stories, create conflict, and provide persuasive imagery. Not only do advertisers view men and women differently, but men and women also bringRead More Gender Essay2202 Words   |  9 Pagesgenders and how language has changed, if at all, in relation to these points. Women’s roles in society have changed considerably over time, and they are now valued more than ever in society. It has been claimed that this has largely arisen due to the media. It has been said that newspapers and magazines now largely avoid sexist language, and even advertisers have changed their depiction of both genders to some degree. Universities have expanded their curricula to include courses for women, even hospital’sRead MoreThe Glass Ceiling Effect: Women’s Career Advancement in Puerto Rico4525 Words   |  19 PagesThe Glass Ceiling Effect: Women’s Career Advancement in Puerto Rico à ngela Ramos Pà ©rez May 7, 2008 2 Index Chapter One .....................................................................................................................................3 Introduction..................................................................................................................................3 Purpose for the Study.......................................................................Read MoreGender Differences Of Romantic Relationships1722 Words   |  7 Pagesrealistic; at least that is what Amy learned from her father. As a little girl, Amy was drilled with the idea that monogamy is not realistic by her cheating father and she truly took that to heart. Amy portrays a happy, promiscuous women working in New York City as a men’s magazine writer. She goes through life happily sifting through guys or ‘serial’ dating to prevent commitment. Her muscular, very well built â€Å"boyfriend† (pro wrestler John Cena) is shattered when he finds out Amy has bei ng seeing otherRead MoreEssay on The Zara Business Model2190 Words   |  9 Pagesmany of its outlets in Portugal, Italy, Greece, and France. Not only Zara brand is very well-known in those countries, but also due to the large number of tourists in many places, sales revenues are high. Zara products are segmented by women’s line (60%), men’s line (25%) and the fast growing children’s (15%) department. Zara’s target market are young (18-40), urban, price-conscious people with active life-style and middle-range income, who are highly sensitive to the latest fashion trends. LikeRead More Gender Roles in the Media Essay3973 Words   |  16 Pageslook at how the medias representation and portrayal of males and females affects children. Gender differences are the sets of attributes socially and culturally constructed on the basis of birth assignment as male or female (Creedon, 1993, p.5). When a baby is born and wrapped in a colored blanket based on their gender, one of the first things many parents think about his how perfect their little boy or girl is; How strong and handsome their son will be with his dads strong hands; How beautifulRead MoreBusiness Journalism in India26104 Words   |  105 PagesBusiness and Magazine Journalism (combination of Niche I and II) 1 Growing importance of business journalism, a brief history (2) 2 The structure of financial management in the country starting with the Finance Minister, (5) rest of the bureaucracy, RBI governor, Planning Commission, SEBI, Banking sector 3 The Budget preparation and presentation, factors influencing the annual budget, role of (5) subsidies and foreign exchange reserves 4 Companies, balance sheets, AGMs window dressing

Panera Bread Strategy Essay - 1230 Words

Running head: PANERA BREAD CASE Title: Panera Bread Strategy Ron Johnson March 1, 2009 Southwestern College Professional Studies Abstract This case study is about Panera Bread Company and its strategy it wishes to employ to become the best brand name of fresh bread in the United States. Panera Bread’s use of a broad differentiation strategy has helped their profitability and growth and rivals have found it hard to compete with the competitiveness of Panera Bread. A SWOT analysis will reveal the competitive advantage Panera Bread has and why this company is in an attractive situation and what Panera Bread must do to strengthen its competitive advantage against rival chains. Panera Bread Strategy Neighborhoods and cities†¦show more content†¦In this case Panera Bread has set itself apart from its rivals by offering specialty type foods that are outside the norm. The bakery menu offers pastries and sweets, granola parfait, baked egg soufflà ©s, breakfast sandwiches and of course, freshly baked breads to include bagels. They also have a cafà © menu that offers hand tossed salads, sandwiches, drinks, and soups. To top things off, they even offer a kids menu, so Panera Bread caters to the entire family. Panera Bread Company went as far as starting a catering program to extend its market reach (Thompson, Strickland, Gamble, 2008, pC-92). â€Å"Everyone enjoys choices, especially when theyre fresh, fun and spontaneous. Right now at Panera Bread, there are plenty of tempting selections to captivate, tantalize and energize your bread-lovers soul as we celebrate the delicious rewards of the bakers craft† (Panera Bread, 2009). What competitive edge does Panera Bread have if any? Panera is attempting to achieve a longer lasting, more profitable competitive advantage by their capability to offer unique or specialty type items. Also, their commitment to put there all into everything they offer their customers. For example, Panera offers 4 different flavors of coffee, dark and light roast, hazelnut, and decaf. What is important is the work they put into making the coffee. â€Å"We believe that coffee is sacred. And that making it requires the utmost attention —from the bean to the cup. So we roast our coffee beans inShow MoreRelatedPanera Bread Company And Its Strategy2297 Words   |  10 PagesThis strategy term project is about Panera Bread Company and its strategy to become more than just â€Å"great food and superior customer service.† Based in St Louis the company is committed to create in its bakery-cafes a warm and welcoming environment. Panera Bread’s strategic leadership together with by top level management has gai ned and sustained the company’s competitive advantage, and continues to implement the company responsibilities in menu transparency creating food as it should be. The keyRead MoreEssay about Business Strategy Panera Bread801 Words   |  4 PagesBusiness Stratgery / Case: Panera Bread Company / Igor Maas / 02.15.2008 The main challenge is to determine how Panera Bread can continue to achieve high growth rates in the future. Panera Bread is operating in an extremely high competitive restaurant market which forces the company to improve and to grow steadily for staying profitable. The company’s mission statement of putting â€Å"a loaf of bread in every arm† is just underlying Panera’s commitment for growing. They are now in a good financialRead MorePanera Bread Business Strategy1371 Words   |  6 PagesThis paper is about Panera Bread Company and the strategy it employs to become the best brand name of fresh bread in the United States. Panera Bread specializes in providing fresh goods, made-to-order sandwiches, salads, soups, custom roasted coffees and other cafe beverages. The company generates revenues through three business segments: company bakery-cafà © operations, franchise operations and fresh dough operations. The company’s bakery-cafà © operations segmen t is comprised of the operating activitiesRead MorePanera Bread Is Implementing A Broad Differentiation Strategy795 Words   |  4 PagesIDENTIFICATION: Currently Panera Bread is implementing a broad differentiation strategy. Panera’s target market focuses on urban workers and suburban dwellers. Panera’s core concept is to create a unique cafà © experience, while providing high quality fresh baked goods. Panera’s long term strategy includes increasing it’s brand awareness, and to become the leader in the specialty bakery-cafà © segment. In order to achieve this goal, Panera plans to expand its locations, boost earnings per share 15%-20%Read MoreMarketing Strategy of the Panera Bread Company Essay882 Words   |  4 PagesAs mentioned in the case study, Panera Bread Company is known to be one of the leading bakery/cafà © that offers freshly baked pastries and French inspired entrà ©es across various states in the US. However in the recent years, Panera Bread faced a decrease in their usual high growth rate from 9.1% and 12.0% in the year 2000 to merely 0.2% and 0.5% of comparable sales and annualized u nit volumes respectively. The company likewise has already employed various strategies in order to maintain the high growthRead MoreCase Study: Panera Bread Company Essays1267 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to the Panera Bread website (2011), the company mission is simply â€Å"A loaf of bread in every arm.† (para 7). Panera Bread Company is a bakery-cafà © that serves specialty sandwiches, gourmet soups, and sweet treats. The founders of Panera, Shaich and Kane, have consistently developed the company around a strategy of growth. The Shaich and Kane initially operated Au Bon Pain; a bakery served large urban areas. Seeking to extend into other markets, the pair obtained St. Louis Bread Company, seeingRead MorePanara Breads Essay1319 Words   |  6 Pages| â€Å"Panera Bread Company in 2011: Pursuing growth in a difficult economy. | | Module II | | â€Å"Panera Bread Company in 2011: Pursuing growth in a difficult economy. | | Module II | MGT 495 March 30, 2013 Nate Huffman 127203 MGT 495 March 30, 2013 Nate Huffman 127203 Table of Contents What are the strategy elements of Panera Bread Company? How well do the pieces fit together? The two best indicators of how well a company’s strategy is working are whether theRead MorePanera Braed Case Analysis1223 Words   |  5 PagesThe overview of Company situation : Panera Bread Company Panera Bread company is one of the leading fast-causal restaurant and widely recognized as the nationwide leader in the baked breads, made-to-order sandwishes, salads, custom roasted coffees and cafe beverages. The company targets to urban workers and suburban dwellers who looking for a quick service meal, qualify foods and environment. In 2004, the customers ranked Panera Bread highest among quick-service restaurants in the Mid-west and NortheastRead MoreHistory of Panera Bread1861 Words   |  7 Pages PANERA BREAD HISTORY Panera Bread started in 1981 as Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. Founded by Louis Kane and Ron Shaich; the company prospered along the east coast of the United States and internationally throughout the 1980s and 1990s and became the dominant operator within the bakery-cafe category. In 1993, Au Bon Pain Co., Inc. purchased Saint Louis Bread Company, a chain of 20 bakery-cafes located in the St. Louis area. The company then managed a comprehensive re-staging of Saint Louis Bread Co.Read MoreEssay on Panera Bread Case784 Words   |  4 Pages 9/17/2013 Panera Bread Company 1. What is Panera Bread’s strategy? Which of the four generic competitive strategies discussed in Chapter 3 most closely fit the competitive approach that Panera Bread is taking? What specific kind of competitive advantage is Panera Bread trying to achieve? Driving concept: to provide a premium specialty bakery and cafà © experience to urban workers and suburban dwellers. Generic: Broad differentiation strategy. Competitive advantage: striving to

Chesapeake Energy Corporation Free Essays

string(31) " gas holdings and reduce risk\." Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK), headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, â€Å"owns 1.1 trillion cubic feet equivalent (tcfe) of proved oil and gas reserves, one of the largest inventories of onshore U.S. We will write a custom essay sample on Chesapeake Energy Corporation or any similar topic only for you Order Now natural gas† {Chesapeake Annual Report, 1998, p. 1}. Recently, Chesapeake finished the transformation from an aggressive exploration company focused on developing short-reserve life, to a lower-risk, longer reserve life natural gas producer. Chesapeake†s operations are focused on â€Å"developmental drilling and producing property acquisitions.† These operations are â€Å"concentrated in three major areas: the Mid-continent, the onshore Gulf of Mexico and far northeastern British Columbia, Canada† [Chesapeake Annual Report, 1998, p. 1]. Aubrey K. McClendon is Chesapeake†s Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer and Director. Tom L. Ward is the President, Chief Operating Officer and Director. â€Å"McClendon met cofounder Tom Ward in the 1980†³s. Both were independent oil producers; they teamed up in 1983† [Morgenson, p. 2]. They each have more than 16 years of experience in the oil and natural gas industry. All other members of the management team have multiple years of experience in the industry. Chesapeake has concentrated on expanding its holdings in natural gas since the company†s incorporation in 1989. Chesapeake thinks that natural gas will be the fuel choice of the 21st century. The company has been highly competitive in both its exploration activities and efforts to increase its inventory of undeveloped leasehold land. This combination should enable Chesapeake to remain a competitive force in the energy producing industry. New technology in the oil and gas industry has made exploration and production more profitable. This is key for the survival of American businesses that compete with OPEC and other foreign cartels that have very low production costs. New technology, including three-dimensional imaging, which has greater resolution than the previously existing technology, will enable Chesapeake to detect reserves more accurately. Also, horizontal drilling has enabled companies to drain more than one reserve at a time. With profits continuing to be squeezed within this industry, new technology is necessary to help American businesses compete on a global scale. The oil and gas industry is truly a global market. The industry boosted gains in 1999 from increased production efficiency and a decrease in the current supply. U.S. firms, along with OPEC, have voluntarily reduced their total production, which has increased the price. OPEC currently supplies approximately 40% of the world oil production. If OPEC chooses to produce at a lower output, Chesapeake could easily increase production with its low production costs and huge reserves. Many other nations are emerging as competitors, such as the former Soviet Union and Latin American countries. The continuing increase in supply from other nations would potentially saturate the market, causing lower prices and lower profits. Demand is expected to rise only slightly more than two percent through the year 2005. The outlook for this industry is for increased competition domestically (from smaller companies) and internationally from emerging nations. The U.S. has superior technology, which will help keep profits up as supply increases and demand remains relatively constant. Natural gas makes up 72% of Chesapeake†s revenue. They usually sell the product to third parties and are not dependent on any one buyer. Less than 10% of their revenues are generated from two buyers. Governmental Regulations – Operational and Labor Relations The oil and gas industries are subject to considerable government regulation. These laws and regulations are primarily directed toward â€Å"the handling and disposal of drilling and production waste products and waste created by water and air pollution control devices† [Chesapeake 10-K, 1998, p. 10]. The oil and gas industry is accountable to numerous government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Energy, the State Department and the Department of Commerce. Virtually every aspect of operations is subject to complex and ever changing regulations. The oil and gas industry is tightly regulated in regard to labor relations by government department and agencies, including the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Some states have their own state sponsored occupational safety plans, while the remainder must comply with federal OSHA regulations. Some of the topics covered under OSHA include personal protective equipment, hazardous communication (HAZCOM) and safety process training. Chesapeake had 453 employees as of March 15, 1999. None of these employees were represented by organized labor unions. The company considers its employee relations to be good [Chesapeake 10-K, 1998, p. 13]. Unocal (NYSE: UCL) employed 7,880 people as of December 31, 1998, of which 575 were represented by various U.S. labor unions [Unocal 10-K, 1998, p. 12]. Both companies are subject to new laws and regulations regarding the environment and labor. Chesapeake and Unocal cannot predict what adverse financial conditions the new laws and regulations will bring. However, short-term and long-term costs will increase as companies improve existing operations to become and remain compliant with government regulations. As a result, all companies in petro-chemical industries are experiencing tremendous difficulty operating profitable businesses. Several businesses have ceased operations as a result of increased regulation coupled with poor profit margins. Chesapeake is at a higher risk regarding this scenario since most of its operations are domestic. Unocal, although a U.S. based company, operations are concentrated primarily overseas, and therefore experience increased leniency regarding environmental and labor regulations. During the last two years, Chesapeake Corporation took a significant hit in terms of earnings, stock price and credit ratings. Positive 1996 earnings turned to a loss in 1997 and tumbled to a bigger loss of $10 per share in 1998. This earnings decline caused the stock price and credit rating to plummet. The company also faces a class action lawsuit stemming from alleged violations of federal securities laws. Top management and directors are accused of using insider information to sell personal holdings in the company at artificially inflated prices. Chesapeake had very disappointing years in 1997 and 1998 as evidenced by the fall in the stock price. The company underwent a substantial repositioning to increase natural gas holdings and reduce risk. You read "Chesapeake Energy Corporation" in category "Essay examples" As a result of this repositioning, Chesapeake incurred considerable debt and is dependent on the market prices of oil and natural gas to increase, and in effect, improve profit margins. Additionally, in 1997, Chesapeake changed their fiscal year end from June 30th to December 31st. As part of the repositioning, Chesapeake increased long term debt over $400 million to a total of $920 million, coupled with a short-term indebtedness of $25 million. This increased borrowing drastically reduced the company†s ability to obtain additional financing. Standard Poor†s and Moody†s placed Chesapeake on review with a negative outlook. The ability to meet obligations for this additional debt will depend on the production and financial performance of the company, market prices of oil and natural gas, and general economic conditions. Common Size Income Statement Analysis Chesapeake had an extremely large write-down of assets (impairment) as a result of reduced oil and gas prices during the past few years. This charge increased operating costs by over $1.2 billion during 1997-98 with 72% of that cost coming in 1998. The asset write-down, combined with expense increases in production, marketing and interest, were the main contributors of total operating costs to be over three times total revenue. The result was 1998 EBIT of ($920) million, and a non-existent ROE, since the company had a net loss approaching $1 billion. Unocal†s ROE was 5.9% in 1998 and 25.1% in 1997. The impairment cost reported by Chesapeake is questionable because of the very large amount that was charged. In perspective, Unocal with over $5 billion in property assets recorded an impairment charge of $97 million during 1998. If oil and gas prices rise in the near future, the impairment costs may be reversed giving the impression that the company is doing very well. Future investors of Chesapeake equities should consider this fact prior to making any investment decisions. Chesapeake had a $140 million reduction to both sides of the balance sheet. The repositioning of the firm focused on increasing inventory of natural gas reserves, â€Å"the fuel of choice for the 21st century† [1998 Annual Report, pg. 18]. Oil and gas properties nearly doubled from 1997 to 1998, totaling $2.2 billion. However, nearly $1.6 billion was depreciated, depleted and amortized. Additionally, cash decreased nearly $100 million, short-term investments were liquidated, and paid-in capital exceeded $1.1 billion over the past two years to provide additional cash for purchases of gas reserves. As a result, total property, plant and equipment was 85% of total assets in 1998 compared to 77% in 1997. In comparison, Unocal†s PPE was 66% and 64% of total assets respectively. Long-term debt increased over $400 million in 1998, totaling $920 million compared to $510 million in 1997. The $920 million was 113% in relation to total liabilities and owners equity of $813 million. In 1998, current liabilities were $131 million compared to current assets of $118 million. This resulted in a reduced current ratio of .90 from a 1997 ratio of 1.42. The Unocal current ratios during 1998 and 1997 were 1.01 and 1.29 respectively. Chesapeake has relied primarily on cash flow through financing activities during the past few years. Cash flow from operations was approximately $95 million in 1998 and $180 million in 1997, while cash flow from financing was $365 million and $278 million respectively. Sales accounted for $378 million in 1998 and appear to be rising approximately 35% annually from 1996 and 1997. However, an accurate comparison is unavailable because of the change in the company†s fiscal year end. Low oil and gas prices forced Chesapeake to borrow, sell equity, and liquidate short-term investments in order to continue operations and invest in oil and gas properties. The company is dependent on the rise of prices during 1999 to continue operations and provide shareholder wealth. The company has several restrictions from being able to borrow additional funds. Additionally, the price of stock has dropped from a high of $34 in 1996 to a low of $.63 in 1998. This has further reduced the company†s ability to generate cash. The current ratios for Chesapeake Energy are as follows: 1.00 (June 96), 2.03 (June 97), 1.42 (December 97), and .90 (December 98). Current liabilities remained constant over this period, ranging from a high of 19% (June 96) to a low of 15% (June 97), with the current level at 16% of total assets. Extreme levels of change in current assets caused the current ratio to fluctuate drastically. Current assets declined from a high of $297 million (31% of total assets) to a current low of $117 million (15% of total assets). This decline in current assets caused the deterioration of the current ratio. The acid test ratios are as follows: .94 (June 96), 2.00 (June 97), 1.37 (December 97), and .81 (December 98). As previously mentioned, current liabilities remained constant. Net accounts receivable remained flat as a percentage of total assets: 9% in 1996, 7% in 1997 (Both June December), and 9% in 1998. Marketable securities were sold off during the past three years, decreasing from 11% ($104 million) of total assets to zero. Cash decreased from 13% ($124 million) of total assets in 1997 (both June December) to 4% in 1998. The combination of severe decreases in both cash and marketable securities are the reasons that the acid test ratio decreased so dramatically. The quick ratios are as follows: .96 (June 96), 2.00 (June 97), 1.38 (December 97), and .86 (December 98). As mentioned previously, current liabilities remained constant and current assets declined. As with the current ratio, the main reason for the deterioration of the quick ratio is the continued loss of current assets. The above ratios and the reasons for their poor trends indicate Chesapeake is currently in a liquidity crisis. This, in combination with the increased debt liabilities, is an extreme warning to both investors and management. This condition also adds to the suspicion that assets are being sold off to fund current debt obligations. The firm†s ability to meet its obligations with cash, as they come due, is approximated by the cash flow liquidity ratio. As previously mentioned, solvency improved and then deteriorated as indicated by the current and quick ratios. The trends are confirmed when looking at cash flow. From 1995 to 1997, Chesapeake†s cash flow liquidity improved from 1.47 to 1.8. 1997 to 1998 showed a large drop in liquidity from 1.8 to 0.95. The company†s financial statement data gives an indication as to why. From 1995 to 1997, short-term solvency improved from 1.47 to 1.8. When looking at the data, cash from operations rose from $55 million in 1995, to $139 million in 1997. The 1997 rise was due to a change in the accounting period. During this same period, cash on hand rose from $56 million to $123 million and marketable securities rose from zero to $13 million. While cash was increasing, current liabilities rose from $75 million to $153 million. Current liabilities doubled during this period, while cash flow increased 150%. The larger increase in cash flow, relative to short-term obligations, accounts for the improvement in solvency during the 1995 to 1997 period. During the 1997 and 1998 periods, liquidity deteriorated as shown by the decrease in the cash flow liquidity ratio from 1.8 to 0.95. The data indicates that cash from operations dropped approximately 32% to $95 million. When looking at the Cash Flow Statement, the large decrease in operating cash is mainly due to the large net loss incurred during the period. At the same time, cash dropped 76% to $30 million while marketable securities fell to zero. Much of the cash appears to have gone to fund the company†s payables and accrued liabilities. Current liabilities were reduced 15% to $131 million. The larger reduction in cash flow relative to current obligations accounts for the deterioration in short-term solvency. The cash flow data confirms that Chesapeake†s liquidity suffered severe deterioration. A reduction in current liabilities is a good sign, but the little amount of cash generated and being used to fund current obligations is not enough. Cash assets are being used to fund these obligations as well. In comparison to the industry debt ratio of .31, Chesapeake ended with a debt ratio of 1.31 in 1998 compared to .71 in 1997. The long-term debt to total capitalization ratio increased from .64 in 1997 to 1.37 in 1998, while the industry average was .44. The tremendous increase in debt was attributable to significantly lower oil and gas prices during the past three years, and a failed drilling venture known as the Louisiana Trend. The company was forced to liquidate assets and take on a substantial amount of debt to meet operational expenses and increase oil and gas field reserves. Chesapeake was added to the Standard Poor†s â€Å"CreditWatch with negative implications† [Yahoo Finance, Nov. 14, 1999] in December of 1998. The low price of fuel during fiscal years 1996 through 1998 was the primary reason for Chesapeake†s troubles. The debt incurred has covenants restricting the company from seeking additional debt and from paying dividends to preferred stock holders. Principal on a large portion of the outstanding debt is not due until 2004 allowing the company time to improve operations. This will also give fuel prices a chance to rise, which is determinant to the company†s survival. The industry average for times interest earned is 5.2, while Chesapeake†s operating profit was ($856) million. The ratio equated to well below zero in 1997 and 1998. In 1998, interest payments were more than $68 million. The financial leverage index could not be computed since there was not a return on equity. Chesapeake overextended their credit by substantially financing with debt and has jeopardized their ability to make obligated payments for their debt and fixed costs. How to cite Chesapeake Energy Corporation, Essay examples

Service to Elderly Community in Singapore

Question: Discuss about the Report for Service to Elderly Community in Singapore. Answer: Introduction Singapore's population is ageing dramatically, both rapidly as well as disproportionately (Choo et al., 1991). Hence, we will be looking at the elderly community in Singapore as our main research topic. Taken from a report on Ageing Population, it was stated that in 2005, one in 12 residence was above 65 years old, however in 2030, the number will be one in five residence will be age 65 years or older (Report on Ageing Population, 2006). This shows that there will be more elderly as compared to the younger population. Issues arise relating to elderly includes elder care, medical, housing as well as financial. Survey was done and concluded that elderly patients with dementia present with complex problems and management requires attention. The attention was not only to the patients' medical problems and rehabilitation strategies but also to education, emotional support and help for their frequently stressed out carers (Shadevan, Lim, Choo, 1999). 100 case records of elderly patients with dementia and that was admitted consecutively were systematically reviewed. The extraction of the patients demographic data, underlying cause(s) of dementia, carers difficulties and the patients functional disability was done. It was concluded that there is an important need for improvement in educating both the public and primary care physicians in Singapore about the early features of dementia (Shadevan, Lim, Choo, 1999). Research by Goh( 2011), focused on understanding the factors associated with utilization of post-acute care (PAC) services in Singapore and how these are woven into family care as well as the lived experience of elderly persons and their families (Goh, 2011). In his studies, it was noted that there is a downward trend in multi-generation household which means that different generation staying under one roof. This can be a combination of grandparents, parents and children. However, as compare to other Asian countries, Singapore is still at the high volume of multi-generation household (Committee on Ageing Issues, 2006; Knodel Debavalya, 1997). 299 elderly took part in the study and the research question in the study take into factors which includes physical, social, organizational, environment as well as phychological associated with the use of PAC. The results combined both quantitative and qualitative approached which was used in the research to explore the factor which is associated with the use of PAC services or also known as the mixed model (Tashakkori Teddlie, 1998). Goh(2011) studies brought up that there are only few studies which focuses the usage of either nursing home or day care centres. The studies done across the different population group that is the elderly in the nursing home and day care centre uses different perspectives and methodology. The nursing home studies show that the elderly persons physical and mental impairment and the social and psychological problems associated with caring for these dependent elderly persons are determinants for nursing-home use. Provider-related issues such as registration process, attractiveness of the program accessibility and whether the centers are ethnically or culturally sensitive, however, are found to be factors that either hinder or facilitate the use of the day centers. This made the comparison difficult and the sample size of the study was small and difficult to generalized (Goh, 2011). Another study that was done relating to elderly is by Ng, Luo and Heng (2014), whereby they make use of the Latent Class Analysis (LCA) with an aim to identify health status pro?les and examine the socio-demographic characteristics associated with each pro?le. After examining the profiles, the came into two objectives for their research study which are firstly, identifiying the health status profiles of older adults based on measures of health in the mental, physical and social dimensions. The second objectives were to examine the socio-demographic characteristic associated with each health status profile. (Ng, Luo Heng, 2014). 2,444 community survey was done at Marine Parade, Singapore for respondent who are 60 years old and above. The LCA was performed with seven health indicator which is the number of chronic conditions, pain, depression, social isolation, activities of daily living (ADL) dependency, cognitive and frequent of socialization to identify the distinct classes of health status profiles. It was noted that those with primary and lower education, and were unemployed or not employed were more likely to be Health at risk. With this indicator, it was then categories under the social-demographic characteristics associated with each profile (Ng, Luo Heng, 2014). The World Health Organisation (WHO) has de?ned health as not merely the absence of disease or in?rmity, but a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. Elderly has often be associated with health. Looking at health status from a multidimensional perspective would allow for the identi?cation of different healthcare needs so that resources can be adjusted or utilised to meet the various healthcare demands. According to Ng, Luo and Hend (2014), there have been no studies that used LCA to investigate the health status of the elderly in Singapore (Ng, Luo Heng, 2014). Taking into consideration on 2 focus points of the research study, we will look into the ageing population and the disease which not only include physical illness but includes the psychological illnesses. In Singapore, there is organisation as well as government bodies which have been looking into the ageing population issues such as the Singapore Silver Pages which is an initiative by Agency for Integrated Care as well as the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). Research Question Does elderly population who received assistant from government or organisation bodies have a better ageing life. Hypothesis Elderly population in Singapore who are above the age of 60 years old who received financial help from the government or organisation bodies have a better ageing life? Elderly population in Singapore who are above the age of 60 years old who gets proper medical health care which includes physically, mentally and psychologically have a better ageing life? With proper government or organizational bodies intervention to help the ageing population, helps in given elderly above the age of 60 years old a more secure ageing life? B. Data and Research Design i) Sampling: Sample refers to the targeted group that can reflect exact perception of the entire population. It is highly important to select an appropriate sample in order to attain most efficient research findings. The academic social research work extensively focuses on two major type of sampling techniques in order to ensure the quality research findings. These sampling techniques are probability sampling technique as well as non-probability sampling techniques (Bazeley Jackson, 2013). Probability sampling techniques uses biasness in order to select a pertinent set of respondents. On the other hand, non-probability sampling techniques randomly select the respondents in order to ensure that no amount of human emotion can contaminate the collected data. The probability sampling technique is highly useful to select the most appropriate respondents, where the expert of inside information is needed. The random process cannot ensure that every respondent will have somewhat knowledge regarding certain research topic. In this context, the current social issue is related to the service provided to the social community. The information will be naturally available to the families of elderly people that have received the service of safety net of Singapore (Cleary et al., 2014). Therefore, snowball probability sampling technique will be most effective for collecting the particular information. The families of the clients, who have received help from social safety net of Singapore, will be asked to take part in the research. 50 knowledgeable respondents will be selected from there in order to evaluate their responses. ii) Unit of Analysis and Measurement: Unit of analysis plays a very crucial role in the context of pertaining social science research. There are ranges of thing that can be considered as unit in the research. However, in social science research the following are mostly recognized as the unit of analysis. Groups Individuals Artifacts Geographical Units Social Interactions In the current context the condition of the each elderly people in Singapore will determine the result of the study. However, the individual score would not be considered in the analysis. Rather, it would use the segregate of the elderly communitys opinion. Therefore, it can be easily confirmed that for the current study the group, which means the elderly community will be unit of analysis. The measurement is another most important part of the social research study. There are two most integral part of the measurement, which are level of measurement as well as reliability of measurement. Academic research exclusively uses four kinds of different levels of measurement, which are nominal, ordinal, interval as well as ratio. In the current study, the segregate of the elderly peoples score will define the research outcomes. Therefore, the interval level of measures will be most effective for the current research work. On the other hand, reliability of measurement is highly effective to estimate how far the research findings can be reliable (Mackey Gass, 2015). In this context, the inter rater reliability will be used. The academic social research work also face a greater concern in regard with the validity of measurement. Often, it has been noticed that the research work has been failed due to the wrong question format or wrong group. Therefore, the current research work mu st consider every angle in the context of validity. iii) Research Design: There are two types of data collection method which are primary and secondary. Primary data means fresh information that is collected from several respondents. On the other hand, secondary data is collected from previous research works, published journal articles and newspapers. In this research, it is important to collect opinion of people in order to understand the current scenario of the service provided to the elderly people in Singapore. That is why primary research method will be used in this research by using survey questionnaire method. It will be helpful to grasp the exact scenario of the elderly community in Singapore Primarily, four types of research philosophies are vastly used in most of the researches which are positivism, realism, pragmatism and interpretivism. Pragmatism research philosophy concentrates on the respondents awareness. On the other hand, realism mostly focuses on authenticity of the current condition along with current belief regarding the research issue (Bazeley Jackson, 2013). Pragmatism research issue deals with the relation between the research contributors and respondents in the particular research work. Positivism research philosophy helps a research work to work through an appropriately developed path. For this research, positivism research philosophy is selected as it will help to gather relevant and realistic data related to the research topic. In order to conduct the research in a rightful manner, it is important to select a proper research approach. It will help to gain precise idea and guideline to choose appropriate research activities at all time. Two most popular research approaches are deductive research approach and inductive research approach. Deductive research approach mostly relies on empirical research findings in order to test the research expectations. It also deals with the testing of hypothesis in order to figure out the current conditions of the research issue (Cleary et al., 2014). As it uses empirical research findings, it will help to determine whether the developed hypothesises are true or false. On the other hand, inductive research approach serves so that new ideas and theories can be developed related to the research issue. This research work that is related to understand the current scenario of the service provided to the elderly community will be explored productively if deductive research approac h is used in it. This research has no intention to develop new theories and ideas and on the other hand, empirical research will help to figure out several situations associated to the service provided to the elderly community (Lewis, 2015). As a result, it will be possible to find most realistic research findings with the presence of deductive research approach. There are three types of research designs available that mostly used in research works. They are descriptive, exploratory, and explanatory. Exploratory research design tends to explore aim and objectives of the research, where research aim is incomplete (Punch, 2013). On the other hand, explanatory research design aims to describe the issues of research in a manner that the research outcomes would be capable to explain aims and objectives with a clear understanding. For this research work, descriptive research design will be used as it is the most effective way to describe the research aim (Mackey Gass, 2015). In order to conduct the research properly and to get expected results, descriptive research will help to understand every aspect of the research issue. iv) Method of Data Analysis: Data analysis one of the most essential part of any research project. Therefore, every research work must focus on effective data analysis that would ensure most positive outcomes. In this context, the descriptive statistics will be used for interpreting the data. The descriptive statistics uses central tendency, after converting it into tabular format, for analyzing the data. Based on the research questions, the responds will also be converted into percentage format to figure out whether the responds are indicating positive or negative feedbacks (Flick, 2015). C. Concluding Remarks Ethical Consideration As this research will follow primary research method, ethical consideration will play a major role in it. People from different race, sex and background will participate in this research. Their responds miay put their lives in danger (Gajjar, 2013). That is why; it will be taken care of that any data related to this research will be kept as classified as possible. In no condition, personal information of the participants, such as name or contact details will be shared with any third party. Besides, participants will never be involved without their full consent. The use of force will be strictly prohibited within the research premises. They will have the full right to quit the survey at any point of time (Ritchie, 2013). They will not be coerced to take the survey and reason behind the survey will be clearly told to them. In addition, the research workers would not participate in any monetary transaction with the third party regarding the research work. Research Limitations Every research work is bound to face several challenges and this one is no exception. In is assumed that the current research project is most likely experience two major issues, which are finance and time constraint, while doing the research were. It is evident that without the money the quality of the research project will bound to be compromised. Money will be most important challenge as the budget is quite low. In addition, this research project will experience a severe shortage of time and as a result, it will not be possible to evaluate the research issue properly (Panneerselvam, 2014). Besides, Government of Singapore is directly involved in their service provision to the elderly community. That is why; it was almost impossible to gather data from government offices without proper permission. Due to lack of time, it will be also difficult to research a lot of literature in order to find out the proper one. References Bazeley, P. Jackson, K. eds., (2013).Qualitative data analysis with NVivo. Sage Publications Limited. Choo, P. W. J., Sahadevan, S., Chee, Y. C. et al. (1991) Health care services for the elderlya Singapore perspective. Singapore Med. J. 32, 319-323. Cleary, M., Horsfall, J. Hayter, M. (2014). Data collection and sampling in qualitative research: does size matter?.Journal of Advanced Nursing. 70(3),473-475. Committee on Ageing Issues. (2006). 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