Thursday, December 26, 2019

Cultural Dimensions of Brand Equity Formation - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2256 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Economics Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? CULTURAL DIMENSIONS OF BRAND EQUITY FORMATION: Research Design and Methodology Research Method Both qualitative and quantitative methods will be undertaken for data collection and data will be analyzed throughout the investigation process. Mixed methods approach is applied when the researcher tends to base knowledge on pragmatic grounds (e.g., consequence oriented research); In this study a mixture of qualitative research via semi-structured in depth interviews will be conducted along with a quantitative research using a Likert scale structured questionnaire Qualitative Research Qualitative research often has the aim of description and researchers may follow-up with examinations of why the observations exist and what the implications of the findings are. To extract deeper understandings of what in reality e: commerce managers, marketing managers, brand managers consultants and social media experts think about image branding, its impact on brand equity and e-business, and the role of cultural and marketing factors on brand equity formation The examined population consists of e: commerce managers, marketing managers, brand managers consultants and social media experts related to the Greek insurance market. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Cultural Dimensions of Brand Equity Formation" essay for you Create order They are specialized in the insurance market dealing with insurance products and services and they have determined opinions related to their experiences. A non-probability sample will be used to facilitate the qualitative research method. Convenience sampling is a non-probability sampling technique where subjects are selected because of their convenient accessibility and proximity to the researcher (Castillo, 2009). From the examined population a small sample will be selected consisted of 25 experienced professionals, more specific 7 e: commerce managers, 7 brand managers, 3 marketing managers, 3 brand consultants, 3 social media experts and 2 top executives from the insurance market (managing directors). The insurance companies which will participate in the study are: Allianz, Interamerican, Alico, Metro Life, Groupama à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Phoenix, Ethiniki Asfalistiki, Minetta, Generali . These are international insurance companies with rich clientele along with sufficient busi ness activities in the insurance market. . The selected research participants will be contacted through a semi-structured interview that will compose the topic guide for the qualitative research. In order to collect all required data for the research, participants will be asked questions which already have prepared and contained in the topic guide along others which will arise during the interview. Interviewing was chosen for the current project for the following reasons: It provides the opportunity to generate rich data; Language use by participants was considered essential in gaining insight into their perceptions and values; Contextual and relational aspects were seen as significant to understanding othersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ percept ions; Data generated can be analyzed in different ways. The medium that will be used to extract data from the participants of the sample will be the topic guide, consisting of questions that are relevant to the examined topic and will enlighten the particular research with unbiased, valid and reliable data- internal consistency and inter-codersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ realibility will be secured (Miles and Huberman, 1994). Participants will be asked about image branding, its impact on brand equity and e-business. Also participants will be asked to clarify and answer the following issues: Understand the effectiveness of branding impact in Greece as far as marketing insurance products in the internet; examine how industry experts react to brands, brand image, brand equity in a culturally diversified markets like Greece in presence of different consumer groups and minorities; examine if e-business can increase the performance of the insurance products and services within different minority consumer groups; identify whether cultural factors such as Long-term orientation, Masculinity, Collectivism, and marketing factors such as brand identity, brand meaning, brand response and brand relationships) will play a role in brand equity formation and development within the culturally diversified Greek Market; examine the level of importance that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"localisingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ brand strategies play in the Greek Insurance market; assess the importance of aforementioned cultural factors and its impact on consumer behaviour as far as purchasing insurance products and services over the internet Coding is a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“systematic way of developing and refining interpretations of the dataà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Taylor and Bogdan, 1984,p.136). The fist step is to use emergent coding after examining interview data we will create appropriate codes that make them relevant to the work (Miles and Huberman, 1994). The second part of this coding process is to review all the field notes, summary sheets, transcripts and other documentation, allocating codes to the various statements and sections of reports. Emergent coding will be used in order the better classification and comprehension of the given answer s. Collected data will be analysed throughout the process of investigation. When coding is completed, the analyst prepares reports via a mix of: summarizing the prevalence of codes, discussing similarities and differences or comparing the relationship between one or more codes. Open-ended data, which usually consists of phrases, sentences and short paragraphs is usually subjected to content analysis and notions of inter-rater reliability are employed (Flick, (1998); Taylor Bogdan (1998); Reis Judd, (2000).Content analysis will follow the coding process. Content analysis method allowed the researcher to make replicable and valid inferences from the interview data and blog content (Kippendorff, 2004). Creswell (2002) points out that the advantage of using content analysis is that the researcher can gain in-depth understating of the language and words of the documents under investigation. Using this analysis we will identify from the transcripts the extracts of data and sort out th e important messages hidden in the mass of each interview. Each interview will be coded by highlighting the relevant word or phrase, and additional comments in the form of codes will be added to the side of the document. Hostli (1968, p608) describes content analysis as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“any technique for making inferences by systematically and objectively identifying special characteristics of a message. Quantitative Research The quantitative research method is aiming in gaining a clear image about the relationship between brand image, its impact on brand equity and e-business, and the role of cultural and marketing factors on brand equity formation by examining consumer judgment and feelings. That is possible by investigating the impression they perceived, for image and equity building process. More specifically, the instrument will focus on the examination of how consumers react to brands, brand image, brand equity in a culturally diversified markets like Greece; examin e if different minority consumer groups can purchase on line insurance products and services from insurance companies; identify cultural factors such as long-term orientation, masculinity, collectivism, and marketing factors such as brand identity, brand meaning, brand response and brand relationships) play a role in brand equity formation and development in the culturally diversified Greek Insurance Market; identify if consumer behaviour of different ethnic groups will be awaken by the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"localisedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ nature of brand strategies adopted by the insurance companies; assess the importance of aforementioned cultural factors and its impact on consumer behaviour as far as purchasing insurance products and services over the internet For this study a self administered questionnaire will be distributed to the participants. A population can be defined as including all people or items with the characteristic that needed to be examined. The people comprising the population of the survey are all possible insurance policy recipients who use e: commerce to purchase insurance services. Many customers use e: commerce application in order to purchase insurance services, so they are the certified population to answer what they think and how they form their image concerning insurance products and services, how they interpret brand equity and how they perceive the brand equity formation process, why they use e-business in selecting insurance products, and how cultural and marketing factors influence their purchasing habits. ISample will be selected randomly from the examined population. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The larger your sample size, the lower the likely error in generalizing to the populationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢. (Saunders and Lewis and Thornhill, 2009, pg. 210), that is why a sample of approximately 400 participants will be used for the survey. A self-administered group of questions comprising the questionnaire will be distributed to each member of the sample in order to get specific answers that will enlighten the investigated survey. When creating a questionnaire, it should always start with what are the aims and objectives of the study (Altinay and Paraskevas, 2003, p.120-121). To test the content validity of the instrument, 5 people will be selected in order to have a pilot testing. Pilot testing is produced in order to test if each question measures what was supposed to measure, if all words are understood and if all respondents interpret the question in the same way (Taylor, 2008). Bibliography Aaker, D. A. (1991). Managing Brand Equity, Free Press, New York Allan, T. (2000). Not much marketing before its time. Brandweek, 41 (18), 46-60. Altinay L. and Paraskevas A., (2008), Planning Research in Hospitality and tourism, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, Amsterdam Barsh, J., Crawford, B., Grosso, C. (2000) How etailing can rise from the ashes. The McKinsey Quarterly, No. 3. (Available online at URL www.mckinseyquarterly.com Beiske B., (2007), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Research Methods: Uses and Limitations of questionnaires, interviews and case studiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , GRIN Verlag Castillo J., (Sep 16, 2009). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Convenience Samplingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , Retrieved Dec 01, 2013 from Explorable.com: https://explorable.com/convenience-sampling CM Partners. (1998). The value of a meaningful relationship. Direct Marketing, 61 (6), 18-21 Cobb-Walgren, C.J., Ruble, C.A. Donthu N. (1995) Brand equity, brand preference, and purchase intent. Journal of Advertising, 24, 3, pp. 25à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"40. Creswell J. W., (2003), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approachesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , Second Edition, Sage Publications, Chennai, India Dannhaeuser, N. (1987). Marketing systems rural development: A review of consumer goods distribution. Human Organization, 46 (2), 177-85. Davis, S.M. (2000) Brand Asset Management. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Denzin N. K. and Lincoln Y. S., (2005), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Researchà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  , (3rded.), Sage.Joan, Thousand Oaks, CA DiMingo, E. (1988). The fine art of positioning. Journal of Business Strategy, 9 (March-April), 34-38 Douglas, S.P. Wind, Y. (1987). The myth of globalization. Columbia Journal of World Business, 22 (4), 19-29. Gardner, B.B. Levy, L.J. (1955). The product and the brand. Harvard Business Review, 33 (March-April), 33-39. Haigh, D. (1999) Understanding the Financial Value of Brands. Brussels: European Association of Advertising Agencies. Hostli O. D., (1968), Content Analysis In G. Lindzey E. Aaronson (Eds), The handbook of Social Psychology, Addison-Wesley, Reading (MA) Hunt, S.D. Morgan, R.M. (1995) The comparative advantage theory of competition. Journal of Marketing, 59, 2, pp. 1à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"15. Keller, K.L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. Journal of Marketing, 57 (January), 1-22. Kotler, P. And Keller, K.L., (2009), Marketing Management, Thirteenth Edition, Prentice-Hall, Inc Lemon, K. N., Rust, R. T. Zeithaml, V. A. (2001). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“What Drives Customer Equity?,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Marketing Management, 10 (1). 20-25. Leuthesser, L., Kohli, C.S. Harich, K.R. (1995) Brand equity: the halo effect measure. European Journal of Marketing, 29, 4, pp. 57à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"66. Macionis J. J. and Gerber L. M, (2011), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Sociologyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , Seventh Canadian Edition, Pearson, Canada Ogilvy, D. (1963). Confessions of an advertising man. New York: Ballantine Park, C.W. Jaworski, B.J., MacInnis, D.J. (1986). Strategic brand concept-image management. Journal of Marketing, 50 (October), 135-45. Park, C.S. Srinivasan, V. (1994) A survey-based method for measuring and understandingbrand equity and its extendibility. Journal of Marketing Research, 31, 2, pp. 271à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"288. Pelissier R., (2008), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Business Research Made Easyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Juta Co, NY. Porter, M. (1980) Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. New York: Free Press, 1980. Preference, and Purchase Intent,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Journal of Advertising, 24 (3). 25-40. Reilly M.D. Wallendorf, M. (1987). A comparison of group differences in food consumption using household refuse. Journal of Consumer Research, 14 (September), 289-94. Reynolds, T.J., Gutman J. (1984). Advertising as image management. Journal of Advertising Research, 24 (February-March), 27-38. Reynolds, T.J. Phillips, C.B. (2005) In search of true brand equity metrics: all market share ainà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t created equally. Journal of Advertising Research, 45, 2, pp. 171à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"186. Saunders M. and Lewis P. and Thornhill A., (2009), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Research Methods for Business Studentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , Fifth Edition, Prentice Hall, New York Shields P. M. and Rangarajan N., (2013), A Playbook for Research Methods: Integrating Conceptual Frameworks and Project Management, Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press. Note Shields Simon, C.J., Sullivan, M.W. (1993). The measurement and determinants of brand equity: A financial approach. Marketing Science, 12 (Winter), 28-52. Smith, D.C., Park C.W. (1992). The effects of brand extensions on market share and advertising efficiency. Journal of Marketing Research, 29 (August), 296-313. Snieder R. and Larner K., (2009), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Art of Being a Scientist: A Guide for Graduate Srivastava, R. K. Shocker A. D. (1991). Brand Equity: A Perspective on its Meaning and Measurement, Marketing Science Institute, Cambridge Mass.. Society of Actuaries, International News , April 2011-Issue 53 Students and their Mentorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Statistics Canada, October 1998,Statistics Canada Quality Guidelines, 3rd edition, p7 Steinberg, J.I. Klein A.L. (1998). Global branding: Look before you leap. Brandweek, 39 (43), 30-32. Tan, C.T., Farley, J.U. (1987). The impact of cultural patterns on cognition and intention in Singapore. Journal of Consumer Research, 13 (4), 540-44. Taylor E. Powell, (10-08), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Program Development and Evaluationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension Tse, D.K., Wong, J.K., Tan, C.T. (1988). Toward some standardization cross cultural consumption values. In M.J. Houston (Ed.), Advances in consumer research, Vol. 15, pp. 387-95. Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research Van Osselaer, S. M. J. Alba J. W. (2000).à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Consumer Learning and Brand Equity,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Journal of Consumer Research, 27 (1). 1-16. 1988 Palmer.C Using IT for competitive advantage at Thomson Holidays, Long range Planning Vol 21 No.6 p26-29, Institute of Strategic Studies Journal,London- Pergamon Press [now Elsevier.B.V.] December 1988. Mooji MD (2010) Global marketing and advertising: Understanding cultural paradoxes (3rdedition) London, Sage Publications. Flick, U. (1998). An introduction to qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA.: SAGE Publications, Inc. Gubrium, J. F. Holstein, J. A. (eds.) (2003). Postmodern interviewing. Thousand Oaks, CA.: SAGE Publications, Inc. Reis, H. T. Judd, C. M. (eds.) (2000). Handbook of research methods in social and personality psychology. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Taylor, S. T. Bogdan, R. (1998). Introduction to qualitative research methods 3rd edition). New York, NY: John Wiley Sons, Inc.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain - 1831 Words

In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck struggles to conform to society’s views and expectations. Society pressures Huck Finn into earning a standard education, but through his worldly knowledge and common sense, he can view the world differently than the people around him. Through his perspective on Southern society, Huck struggles to accept the moral beliefs that have been instilled upon him at birth because he befriends an African American slave. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain effectively uses the motif of dead bodies to suggest that truth finally reveals the inconsistencies in society through Huck’s common sense. In multiple studies of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, many critics have closely examined Huck Finn’s struggles to conform to society’s expectation because he becomes conflicted between his true ideals and the ideals society has forced upon him. According to Johnson, Huck has his own flaws: He rarely t ells the truth, he steals, and he is gullible, particularly when it comes to superstition. But when faced with a dire situation, Huck usually does the right thing† (75). Although Huck repeatedly finds himself to be conflicted with Southern ideals at the end of the novel, Huck finally decides to follow his own beliefs. Davis states that, â€Å"Through Huck s innocent descriptions of white misbehavior, Huckleberry Finn implicitly condemns not only individual white characters but also the culture that they represent. Huck rarely fullyShow MoreRelatedThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain830 Words   |  3 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is â€Å"A Great American Novel†, because of its complexity and richness. Twain writes dialogue that brings his characters to life. He creates characters with unique voice and helps the reader connect to the book. Anyone who reads it is forced to develop feelings for each character. Even though there is a great amount of controversy over the use of some choices, such as the â€Å"n word†, it makes the book more realistic. In the beginning of the novel Huck,Read MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1103 Words   |  5 PagesDmitri Van Duine Jr English Mr. Nelson November 27th The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Written by Mark Twain filled his stories with many examples of satire as to convey a message while also writing an interesting story. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn revolves around the adventures of a young boy called Huckleberry Finn, who is about thirteen years old. Tom Sawyer is Huck’s best friend and around the same age as Huck. He is onlyRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain Essay1055 Words   |  5 PagesZambrano Mrs. Patmor AP Lit-Period 5 28 September 2016 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 1835 Mark Twain embodies realism in almost every aspect of his writing not excluding The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which in he portrays such a lifelike setting that it almost gives you this sense of reality through the point of view of a young man that has an urge for freedom yet struggles to conform to society s norms due to his adolescence. Twain s ability to unmask the true identities of the charactersRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain931 Words   |  4 PagesWolski Mrs. Goska English 2H Period 3 22 October 2014 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mob mentality is the way an individual’s decisions become influenced by the often unprincipled actions of a crowd. Mark Twain penned The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain grew up in America’s southern states during the early 1800’s, a time in which moral confusion erupted within the minds of humans. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn s protagonist is a young boy named Huck who freely travels alongRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1375 Words   |  6 Pagesmention the years spent growing and maturing physically. Teenagers are stuck in an inbetween state where they must learn who they want to become and what they want to be when they grow older. The same is true for Huckleberry Finn, from the book â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† by Mark Twain. This is a book that was written in a time of great confusion over moral codes and standards. It was a world split in half by two different worlds of people; those who opposed, a nd those who promoted slavery.Read MoreMark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn1575 Words   |  6 Pages Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Controversy Mark Twain, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, is a highly recognizable figure in American literature. Born in Florida, Missouri Mark Twain and his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri where Twain discovered and fell in love with the mighty Mississippi River. The river and his life in Hannibal became his inspiration and guiding light in most of his writing. Although Twain loved the river and did a great deal of traveling, he eventuallyRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain2083 Words   |  9 PagesSatire in Huckleberry Finn In the novel â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† by Mark Twain, we are told a story about a young boy and his slave companion’s journey down the Mississippi River and all of their encounters with other characters. Twain constructed a beautiful narrative on how young Huck Finn, the protagonist in the story, learns about the world and from other adult characters, how he is shaped into his own person. At the time this book was made however, this novel provided serious socialRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain810 Words   |  4 PagesBefore Mark Twain started to write two of his most famous novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark was known to use his characters to display his own thoughts and opinions. â€Å"This device allowed him to say just about anything he wanted, provided he could convincingly claim he was simply reporting what others had said.† (Twain, 1283). Mark Twain used this process to be a foundation of his lectures, by manipulating his popularly with his readers. During the storyRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1005 Words   |  5 Pages In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain in the 19th century is about a young boy named Huck Finn and Jim, a runaway slave who go on an adventure. The two travel on a raft along the Mississippi river creating a bond and making memories. Mark Twain presents Huckleberry Finn as a dynamic character who at first views Jim as property and eventually considers Jim as a friend, showing a change in maturity. In the beginning of the book, Huck Finn clearly sees Jim as nothing more thanRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain1335 Words   |  6 Pagesyear The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is placed in the top ten banned books in America. People find the novel to be oppressing and racially insensitive due to its frequent use of the n-word and the portrayal of blacks as a Sambo caricature. However, this goes against Mark Twain’s intent of bringing awareness to the racism in America. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is classified under the genre of satire and is narrated by a fictional character named Huckleberry Finn. The novel

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Security Analysis Of Wesfarmers Llimited †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Security Analysis Of Wesfarmers Llimited. Answer: Introduction: Investors invest into the financial securities and in the market to enhance the worth of their invested money. So, it becomes necessary for the investors to look over the up and down in the market, analysis of market, security analysis etc before funding in that security. This would help the company to save themselves from any sudden risk. Various tools could be used by the investors and the analysts to find the best security in the market such as gearing ratios, WACC, cost of equity and debt, market growth, market return, risk free rate etc. which helps the investors to make a better decision by considering the performance and profitability of that security (Hillier, Grinblatt and Titman, 2011). Wesfarmers: For this report, Wesfarmers limited has been taken into consideration. This company has been registered into the Australian stock exchange. Wesfarmers limited is one of the largest companies in the Australian retail industry. According to annual report of the company, revenue of the company has been enhanced to $ 56.93 billion. Currently, this company has been recognized as biggest empowerment company. This company offers its product into the supermarket of Australia and it is also operating its business in other countries as well. Calculation of WACC: For analyzing the value of the company and the security of the company, WACC has been calculated. For calculating the WACC, it is required for the investor to calculate various other factors as well such as cost of equity and debt, market growth, market return, risk free rate etc. the analysis and calculation of all of the above are as follows: Return on equity: Return on equity is calculated to investigate the value of equity of the company. This analysis depict about the entire cost which occurred in the company, if company enhances the funds from the equity. In this calculation, per share unit cost has been analyzed. Dividend discount model and CAPM model has been investigated for this report. Dividend discount model: DDMs calculation depict that Wesfarmers return on equity (ROE) is 2.014%. According to this, company would have to pay the total 2.014% of net profit as cost of equity to the shareholders (Morningstar, 2017). CAPM Model: CAPMs calculation depict that Wesfarmers return on equity (ROE) is 2.715%. According to this, company would have to pay the total 2.715% of net profit as cost of equity to the shareholders (Morningstar, 2017). Return on debt: Return on debt is calculated to investigate the value of debt of the company. This analysis depict about the entire cost which occurred in the company, if company enhances the funds from the debt. In this calculation, total cost of debt has been analyzed (Weygandt et al, 2015). According to these calculations, currently company is paying total 0.000973 from net profit to the debt holders of the company. Beta Coefficients: In addition, for calculating the WACC of Wesfarmers, beta coefficient has been measured. Currently, companys beta of last 5 years is 0.022795 (Yahoo finance, 2017). The graph of beta has been given below: Risk free rate: 10 years risk free rate (Rf) of the Australia is 2.75% (Bloomberg, 2017). G (Growth rate): Wesfarmers shares growth rate of each year has been analyzed. Currently, the growth rate is 5% of the company. WACC: Through the above calculation, it has been found that the weighted average cost of capital of Wesfarmers is 0.0192. For calculating the WACC of the company, cost of equity and debt, market growth, market return, risk free rate etc has been calculated. The calculation of every factor is in the appendix. Through the cost of debt and cost of equity of the company, it has been found that the cost of debt is quite lower than the cost of equity off the company (yahoo finance, 2017). Calculation of gearing ratios: Gearing ratio of a company is calculated according to the assets, equity, and debt of the company. This depict about the stability of the company in terms of finance. Gearing ratio has been calculated over Wesfarmers and it has been found that the gearing ratio is 0.19385 means 19.39% which is very lower and thus it could be said that the stability of the company is quite strong in terms of finance (Parrino, Kidwell and Bates, 2011). Various factors and figures have been investigated before for this analysis such as equity of the company, total assets and liabilities of the company, current liabilities of the company etc. It has been found that the gearing ratio is the best way to analyze the economical stability and financial stability of the company. Not any issues have been faced while calculating the gearing ratios of the company. Entire figures have been easily found from the annual reports of the company. The company is very stable so it would be beneficial for the investor to invest in this company. Findings: Decisions related to capital structure of a company are usually taken by the financial manager of a company as they have enough knowledge about the debt and equity ratio, gearing ratio, cost of capital etc. the decision made by them over the capital structure is way better (Strebulaev, 2007). Capital structure includes debt and equity of a company. The capital structure of a company could be best if the better combination is made of debt and equity. This impacts the total cost of capital of the company as the cost of debt is different and the cost of equity is also different. This analysis expresses that Wesfarmers capital structure ratio is quite impressive and financial risk of the company is lower still company could reduce the total cost through raising the funds more from debt. Company could raise the funds till 40% as till that level the financial stability of the company would be in control and the cost reduction could also been done. Recommendation: Thus according to the weighted average cost of capital and the gearing ratio of the company, it has been found that the company is performing well and company is just required to enhance the funds from debt to reduce the cost of capital and manage the financial stability of the company. References: Bloomberg. (2017). Australian bonds and rates. https://www.bloomberg.com/markets/rates-bonds/government-bonds/australia on 18th Sept 2017. Morningstar. (2017). Wesfarmers limited. Viewed from https://financials.morningstar.com/valuation/price-ratio.html?t=WESregion=ausculture=en-US on 25th Sept 2017. Reuters. (2017). Wesfarmers limited. Viewed from https://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=WES.AX on 25h Sept 2017. Wesfarmers. (2017). Home. Viewed from https://www.wesfarmers.com.au/ on 25th Sept 2017. Yahoo Finance. (2017). Wesfarmers limited. Viewed from https://au.finance.yahoo.com/quote/WES.AX?p=WES.AX on 25th Sept 2017. Strebulaev, I. A. (2007). Do tests of capital structure theory mean what they say?. The Journal of Finance, 62(4), 1747-1787. Parrino, R., Kidwell, D.S. and Bates, T. (2011).Fundamentals of corporate finance. John Wiley Sons. Weygandt, J. J., Kimmel, P. D., Kieso, D. E. (2015).Financial Managerial Accounting. John Wiley Sons. Hillier, D., Grinblatt, M. and Titman, S., (2011).Financial markets and corporate strategy. McGraw Hill.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Louisiana Purchase Essays - Great Plains, Midwestern United States

Louisiana Purchase Several great American Statesmen were pivotal in shaping and molding the government of the United States. History has since forgotten some of these founding fathers. The ones remembered throughout history are those we hold up for their accomplishments. Thomas Jefferson is one of the American Statesmen that stands out from the rest as being one of the greatest contributors to our present form of government. Historian Robert Tucker described Jefferson's life as being a paradox. He was a slave holder that was not necessarily in favor of this form of servitude. He also associated himself with the yeoman farmer, yet he traveled in company with a cosmopolitan flair. So it is to this President that we look to as he faced one of his greatest dilemmas. Jefferson, the third President of the United States, remembered primarily for two great accomplishments: he authored the Declaration of Independence and made the greatest land acquisition in our nation's history, the Louisiana Purchase. Both subjects, have been written about extensively, yet one question persists: did Thomas Jefferson exceed his fiduciary duty to the Constitution of the United States when he started the proceedings that led to the Louisiana Purchase? Thomas Jefferson was a pragmatic, articulate, and, at times, capricious leader of a young nation that had recently gained its freedom from the monarchical Great Britain. Jefferson, a Democratic Republican, made his ascension to the presidency at a time when the Federalist Party was in decline. The Louisiana Purchase would bring a great deal of discomfort to the Party. The only opposition to the purchase would consequently be the Federalist Party which, ironically, had always been in favor of a broad construction of the Constitution. The broad constructionist believed that the Constitution held implied powers to the central government. The people who interpreted the Constitution in this fashion backed the notion of strong centralization of power. The strict constructionist, like Jefferson, believed that if something in the Constitution was not described then it was unconstitutional. They also feared the abuse of power obtainable by the central government by a broad interpretation of the Constitution. Since 1493, France and Spain alternately held the Louisiana Territory. Towards the end of the 18th century the jurisdiction of the territory was under Spanish rule. New troubles were brewing on the European continent and the Americans feared that the Louisiana Territory would fall into the hands of the British. This would place the British on three sides of the Americans and they were prepared to go to war to avoid this. The Spaniards, uncertain of their British ally and fearing an insurrection from within the Louisiana Territory, signed the Treaty of San Lorenzo or Pinckney's Treaty with the Americans in 1795. Under terms of the treaty, Americans were allowed to deposit goods for overseas shipment at the port of New Orleans free of duty. The Spanish also ceded control of the Ohio River Valley to the Americans. This pleased the majority of Americans who were in favor of westward expansion, many of who were by now settling illegally in the Louisiana Territory. Securing the Mississippi River for commercial purposes was of the greatest importance to most Americans at the time. The desired peace of the country to be protected from outside interference was also the goal of those in favor of expansion. In 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French government and assumed control of France and her colonies. Bonaparte was anxious to build a western empire, perhaps to make up for his previous losses in Egypt. Bonaparte saw the conquest of the Caribbean island of Santo Domingo as his first step in his western expansion efforts. From Santo Domingo the French could support troops that they intended to post in New Orleans. By early 1801 American whites made up more than half of the population in upper Louisiana. In 1802 the first migration of Americans west of the Mississippi River begun and by now the Americans looked to wrest the Louisiana Territory away from the Spanish. To this dream of conquest of the Spaniards by Americans is to what Jefferson responded. He was not alone in his supposition of the need for expansion. Indeed, the one area that Jefferson and his