Working capital is the life-blood of any successful business. In the simple terms, it can be the actual cash that a company uses to operate and/or produce the products the company sells or provides for intended profit or payment. Working capital management is the process of managing an individual companies working capital resources to, hopefully, the maximum advantage. The individual charged with managing the working capital of a business must take several items into consideration. The main aspects of the process include inventory, accounts receivable, and accounts payable. In fact, these components of working capital are so important that analysts look to the combined health of all of these areas of operation as an indicator of an individual company's level of efficiency

In The House of Mirth, Edith Wharton presents the New York society at the dawn of the 20th century. It is a New York that is divided into strict social classes, where old wealth is being overshadowed by new wealth. The ones below aspire to move higher while those do everything in their power to stay where they are. For women like Lily Bart, however, being rich and beautiful is a tenuous prospect. As they grow older, many find that the only way they could go is down. Though she is still wealthy at the beginning of the novel, Lily is in a difficult position, one foreshadowed by her meeting with the destitute woman in the streets. Through this juxtaposition, Wharton shows the reader that in many ways, Lily Bart is as constrained as her street woman counterpart. For example, because she is comes from old wealth, Lily could not work without losing social status. When Lily is further estranged from her rich au

We often talk about the way we talk, and we frequently try to see the way we see, but for some reason we have rarely touched on the way we touch. --D. Morris The largest organ in the human body is not the heart, the lungs, or any other part that is usually considered to be the most vital of organs; in fact the largest and perhaps the single most important organ in the human body is the skin. The skin makes up about 15 percent of the body's total weight, and occupies an average of 21 square feet of surface area. (Givens, Touch Cue) The human skin experience is also unique from other mammals because the skin is almost completely exposed due to the small amount of human body hair. This uniqueness of the human skin leads to the possibility of a very unique experience: the human touch. "'Touch' is by far the longest entry in the Oxford English Dictionary, covering fourteen full columns. The word covers access to our emotions, o

The Storm by Kate Chopin is a classic example of effective use of setting. the author chooses a absolutely remarkable setting that not only highlights the significance of the actions taking place during the story but also accentuate the intensity of passion and emotions that the two characters Calixta and Alcee share. This story takes place during a stormy night when Calixta's husband Bobinot is away from home with his son and has not yet returned. it appears that he has been caught in the storm. During this night, her ex-lover comes to her place to seek shelter and as is usually common in such situations, Calixta is drawn to Alcee who is also a married man by now. Both renew their passion with the storm raging outside. The setting is tied to their passion and emotions because as the storm gets intense, so does the passion between the couple. "While the storm burst. It shook the wooden store and seemed to be ripping great furrows in the distant field" (Chopin, 96), and also again "The rain beat on the low, shing

The Microsoft Corporation is widely recognized as one of leaders of corporate success world-wide. In addition, within the industry, the managerial style of its huge pool of managers is widely considered to be as innovative as the company itself. In interviewing Ibrahim, a Test Manager located at Microsoft's Redmond, Washington campus, I had the opportunity to note his management style, and draw many parallels to contemporary management theory. Ibrahim currently oversees twelve "test leads," who, in turn, oversee a pool forty-seven testers for the Microsoft Office product. He was asked to answer several of the following questions: 1. What is your management philosophy' How do you motivate your employees' "I never really thought about it. I guess my management philosophy is a kind of "light touch" approach. I believe that for an employee to be really productive, they have to have a sense

As a system of belief, Zen Buddhism arrived in Japan in the 14th century as the result of liberalization of trade relationships between Japan and China. (Kitagawa, 1966) Zen Buddhism was, and is a system of belief which was meant to give the practitioners influence and control over suffering in the world by teaching then to have greater control over themselves. The combined effect was to help the Buddhist to respond differently to the suffering around him, and thereby less entangled in it, and less affected by it. In Medieval Japan, a place which was rule by militaristic lords and frequently experiences civil uprisings, and territorial battles, suffering was an element of life which the Japanese had little to no control over. So the Buddhist treatise, which taught the Japanese citizen that they could affect influence over the pain and suffering of their world thorough their life style held immediate emotional attraction for the average citizen. As a result,

The decline of the dollar relative to the world's major currencies has caused concern among many executives, academics and policy planners in this country and abroad. The article from which this paper is based on is from the on-line version of BusinessWeek magazine titled, "The Falling Dollar's World of Hurt," dated January 26, 2004. The subtitle of the article, written by David Fairlamb, states that, "A continued decline would mean bad news for just about every part of the globe, and that has World Economic Forum attendees worried." The article follows the discussion that took place at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland at the end of January. The assumption of those at this meeting was that even though the U.S. economy continues to show strong growth, the dollar would continue to fall, especially against the Euro. A further assumption at the conference was that the dollar would continue to lose another 10% to 20% value against the Euro throughout the rest of this year, where many have pegged it at $1.40 to $1.50 per 1.00 by early 2005. The large dr

When discussing the concept of nation, there are two nuances of the word that come to mind. The first relates to politics and geography and explains the concept as a land separated by boundaries. The second is a much larger concept and describes more a people than a country. The second concept somewhat embraces the first and cover a larger number of people. Let's just briefly exemplify this and move on to refer to some of the textbooks and how they divide the concepts. If we are to consider the French nation, the geographical concept of nation strictly delimitates the French nation as belonging to the French state, that is, conscribed by the boundaries that have been traced with time and that are identified with the French territory. However, the French nation as seen in the second concept, is much larger: it takes into account the people of French nationality from Switzerland, from Belgium, those working at the science centers in Antarctica or those in diplo

Modernization refers to the transition of societies from agricultural days to hi-tech world of today where technology and knowledge have replaced manual labor. Modernization has brought many benefits to the western countries especially to the status and condition of women in wealthier nations. women who were once kept out of the workforce have now become an integral part of it and have reshaped the demographic make-up of western workforce. With more job opportunities, they have also seen a significant improvement in their living standard, education, power, social and financial status and their overall worth. on the other hand, modernization, which should have also proved beneficial to the third world countries, has not been able to deliver its p

Introduction Operating systems have evolved from simple standalone and command line programs like MSDOS to distributed multi-user systems like windows and Linux, which support graphical user interface. Every new version of the operating system tries to address the hidden loopholes and to improve the efficiency and security. The file allocation systems and the security implementation are also different between these operating systems. Today's multi user environment has literally stomped out the simple standalone operating system like MSDOS. Windows has also evolved a long way from 16 bit OS to 32-bit operating system. Linux being an open source system is evolving at a faster pace. A comparative study of these three operating systems in context of the important features like user interface, file management, memory management, security implementation would help us discern the similarities and differences between them. User Interface MS-DOS was a purely

In the study of sociology and politics of religion, Islam has been integral in analyzing how the unification of the church and state can be made possible under the Islamic setting. Indeed, Islam as one of the most dominant world religion, is more than a socio-political and religious philosophy; Islam is vital in that it is considered a society that has its own unique culture. Islamic society and culture has the social, political, and cultural components that allows it to establish its own institutions, governing people in accordance to the religion's ideology and philosophy. In order to provide a thorough discussion of Islam as a religion and nation- state, this paper discusses the essential components that determine Islam's unidimensionality in the domain of social and political structure and dynamics. One of the primary components that determine Islam as a religion is based on ethnicity, wherein people who share common norms and traditions group together. Ethnicity i

Like a living organism, democracy must be born into a time where the 'parents' or circumstances are right to understand the potential for such a 'child' and the 'social soil' may be described as the type of society that is ready to accept and nurture that 'child'. Metaphors aside, democracy is a product of social development and societal structure that is conducive to its development and growth. Democracy is commonly defined as a political process and associated with the mechanism of electoral rule, however, it is ineffably intertwined with the processes of government, economics and cultural mandates. "Rule by the people" is the idiom that many Americans think of as a summation of the democratic theory. This assumes that the people have the power, or at least sufficient input into the governing process, to influence public policy and laws. In actuality it is a process of electoral democracy whereby the people elect representatives to voice their opinion and carry out their will

Dependency is a process associated with the economies of many Third World countries that is formatted in terms of external factors. Dependency exists when a country relies on a single (or a limited few) exports that are sold to more industrialized countries, manufactured and then resold to the country of origin for a higher price. This means that a country's income from exports is continually insufficient to meet the cost of imports. The nature of dependency theory categorizes countries into one of two types: dominant and dependent. Many formally colonized countries (such as India) were organized along this type of economic structure. The primary state was automatically the imperialist overseer and the dependent state was the colony. Single export economies were also common within the colonial network (consider coffee from Brazil or sugar from the Caribbean). Dependent states tend toward a low per capita GNP as direct result of their dependency. "The dependent states supply cheap mineral

Does Huckleberry Finn, the main character in Mark Twain's American classic, deserve to be nominated for the "Individual of the Year" award' Considering that the judges for this award are Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the great American civil rights leader, and Henry David Thoreau, the famous American writer best known for his Walden, it would appear to be a foregone conclusion that Huck Finn would indeed receive the award as the "Individual of the Year," mainly due to the principles and ideologies expressed by King in his "Letter From Birmingham Jail" and the essay by Thoreau entitled "Civil Disobedience," both of which highly reflect the experiences of Huck Finn as the young non-conformist and avid seeker of justice. As Kenneth S. Lynn points out, Huck Finn symbolizes "every young boy who ever lived and is also an individual worth knowing, due to his non- conformist attitudes and his ability to allow the reader to see himself in what he does, what he says and h

Peggy Orenstein's seminal book has become a clarion call for change within the public school systems regarding the disparity of treatment between boys and girls. The book draws felicitous attention to the critical issue of American culture's deleterious effects upon its young women. According to Orenstein, within the educational system boys and girls are treated differently, and the results are damaging to the self esteem of ht the latter. Orenstein focuses on the American educational systems' approach to girls and subsequent effects on the girl's self-esteem. In addition she discusses parental influences and examines coping styles, or adaptive propensities of various cultural subgroups in relation to the effects these issues have on the developing self confidence of young women. Orenstein uses two west coast school system populations to draw her observations. However, with such a small sampling the conclusions of her results could be considered suspect. Her

The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the chapter "Po Sandy" in the novel "The Conjure Woman" by Charles Waddell Chesnutt. Specifically, it will look at he relationship between truth and illusion in the story. Truth and illusion are sometimes difficult to tell apart, and this story is no exception. Realistically, the story of "Po Sandy" cannot be true, and yet, there is something that makes it stay with the reader, just as it stayed with Annie, who decided against using the wood of the old schoolhouse for her new kitchen. What is truth and what is illusion' It is difficult to say, and even more difficult to write about.

The thesis that I propose to explore in this paper is illusion and reality. The illusion of personality and society is replaced by the reality of life as the main characters experience and learn from their various errors of "pride and prejudice". The theme of illusion and reality is also explored in the social aspects of the period as well and through the novel we are given an insight into the realities and prejudices in the society. The progress of the novel is a process of uncovering the reality of individuals and society that lies hidden behind ignorance, prejudice and pride. Jane Austen's England was polarized between the various classes. The upper class or gentry enjoyed all the privileges while many of the poor went hungry. Between 1790 and 1819 several bread riots occurred; many people in England were concerned with the disparity between the rich and poor, and an unjust system that prejudiced against the poor in favor of t

Jean de Brebeuf's composition on his travels and life during his missions to Huronia, land of the Huron Indians in Canada, is an illustration of the lives of Christian missionaries in the world of the natives of Huronia, the Indians. Brebeuf's narratives in Huron Relations of 1635 is also a historical document that marks the arrival of European influence in the New World, the term used for the land of Americas after its discovery. Brebeuf's analysis of Huronia and its inhabitants is a product of numerous missions conducted by Europe in its attempt to Christianize' the natives of Americas, which included Huronia, the land area which is now known as Canada. Like most of the colonies of European countries during this period, colonizers use religion as a propaganda technique to subjugate the native inhabitants of a territory, thereby subjecting them to fore

This is a paper that outlines the marketing strategies adopted by KLM and Continental Airlines in this age of Internet technology. It has 7 sources in APA format.

GDP |Year |United States |China | |1999 |4.1 % |7.1 % | |2000 |3.8 % r0 % | |2001 |0.3 % |7.3 % | |2002 |2.45 % |7.0 % | |2003 |3 % |7.4 % | Source: http://www.worldbank.org/prospects/gdf2003/gdf_statApp_web.pdf and "Asian Development Outlook 2002" The first thing that we should perhaps mention in an analysis of growth rates over the last years in the United States (1999-2003) is that the United States had experienced in the 1990s a period of economic boom almost without precedent until them, only briefly interrupted at the beginning of the 90s. The victory in the Cold War, its appearance as the only global superpower, the continuous de

1. Generate two examples of validity in student assessment. The first example should be positive, and the second example should be negative. Explain in a short paragraph why your example is positive or negative. One of the most difficulty things to assess about a student is his or her development over the course of a semester in writing. An excellent and valid example of student assessment in this area is that of a writing portfolio, whereby a teacher may examine the development of a student's prose over the course of a semesterâ€"how it has improved and areas that still must be developed. In contrast, to give a student an assessment of writing purely based upon essays on tests, where students may not shine in pressured situations and do not hav

Introduction American History is full of struggles and the fight for equality for all people. The civil rights era was among the most memorable battles in American History. It involved many sacrifices on the part of minorities and those that fought for their civil rights. The civil rights battle was complicated by several Supreme Court decisions and presidential responses to these decisions. The purpose of this discussion is to examine important Supreme Court cases that involved the civil rights of American citizens. Our discussion will focus on: Dred Scott v Sanford (1847-1857), Plessy v Ferguson (1896), amd Brown v Board of Education(1951-54). Dred Scott v Sanford involved the fate of a slave and congress' power over the federal territories. We will discuss how this case shaped public opinion and the civil rights of blacks. We will also focus on the life of Dred Scott and how why he felt that he should be freed. Our investigation will then exam

At first glance, the similarities between these two men may not be evident, but surely the differences are quite obvious. Professionally, both Mahatma Gandhi and Adolf Hitler were political leaders of high caliber, one being the leader of the Nazi Movement before and during World War II and the other being the political/social leader of the people of India during the time when the country was under the control of the British Empire. And like most leaders, both Gandhi and Hitler were highly admired and often imitated by those who either knew them personally or were part of their environment. Both men also changed forever the very face and character of their individual countries, with Gandhi initiating and leading the movement to force Great Britain from the control and manipulation of India which eventually led to complete independence, and Hitler as the supreme master of the Nazi Movement and instigator of some of the most atrocious crimes against humanity ever recorded in world histo

One of the most vital factors that influence an improving and dynamically developing organizational system in the business sector is business communications. The emergence of business communication as an essential factor in improving and organizing the activities of people everyday resulted to the integration of communication as an element that must be considered in promoting effective organizational management. More importantly, business communications via the Internet (technological) media are considered the most flexible and effective forms of communication, making it easier for organizations to communicate and constantly interact with its members. Information dissemination and exchange among and within organizations also improves with the proliferation of e-mailing and Inte

As customer service manager for a home building manufacturer, I am confronted with a unique set of challenges. Not only am I required to demonstrate exceptional interpersonal communication skills, I also have to be intimately familiar with our product line and inventory so that I can efficiently serve our customers. One of the biggest boons to our business has been the sets of software that we use to catalog inventory and conduct sales transactions. In addition to these basic functions of company software, which is custom designed, computers help managers deal with massive personnel records an