The financial analysis of CVS Caremark Corporation - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2467 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? CVS Caremark Corporation (CVS Caremark) is a health care provider in the United States. It is a pharmacy that provides health care options for its consumers through various outlets. CVS.com, mail orders, retail locations, Caremark Pharmacy Services and its clinic subsidiary are just a few ways that CVS keeps its name out there as one of the most leading pharmaceutical companies. According to Reuters website the Company competes with Medco Health Solutions, Inc., Express Scripts, Inc., United Healthcare, Aetna and CIGNA. CVS is a large pharmaceutical company that has about 7000 pharmacy retail stores in over 25 states. The purpose of this paper is to probe the companies financials and determine if I would in fact invest my financial capital in CVS as a shareholder and if I would invest myself as a whole in CVS as an employee. Researching the past financials of CVS will assist me in finding out this information and assessing the organization as a whole. Evaluatio n of Internal and external financial statements Company Overview Cvs Caremaker is one of the largest provider of health care services and offerings that impacts everything from pharmacy plan design to the ultimate delivery of products and services to customers. CVS Caremark (symbol: CVS) is the result of a merger between CVS pharmacy and Caremark in 2007. Filling over 1 billion prescriptions annually, it is the number 1 provider of prescriptions in the United States. It operates over 6900 retail outlets across the US and under CVS pharmacy. It is also into drug retail store, pharmacy benefit management, mail order and specialty pharmacy division. It is headquartered in Woonsocket, Rhode Island and employs about 200,000 people. The Company sells their products through CVS retail stores and through their online store. They also provide pharmacy benefit management services which include mail order pharmacy, plan design and administration, specialty pharmacy and other services .Th e Company operates in two business segments which are Pharmacy Services segment and Retail Pharmacy segment. Accordingly, the management of the company sees to it that they are able to handle their company through effective management. However the internal and external factors affect the functioning of the company. Business CVS Caremark has two primary business segments: Retail Pharmacy Segment CVS Pharmacy provides approximately 7,000 retail pharmacy locations around the United States. Medicines and other products can be conveniently purchased. Pharmacy Services Segment Caremark provides Pharmacy Benefits Management services to a variety of companies. A PBM works to reduce prices of drugs and increase the efficiency of distribution. Another aspect of the business worth mentioning here is Minute Clinic. Minute Clinic is a collection of 570 locations, many of which within CVS pharmacies, where patients can walk in without an appointment and receive basic medic al care. Staffed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants, Minute Clinic offers safe but fairly low-cost service for many simple health issues. Colds, allergies, sprains, infections, rashes, and so forth can be treated at these locations, and they also offer preventative care in the form of vaccinations and health screenings. Impact of Internal and External Factors The internal factors may be viewed as the strength or weaknesses depending upon their impact on the organizations objectives. Management, specifically strategic management has four functions . These include planning, organizing, leading and controlling. The functioning of these functions within the organisation upshots the operation of the business activities. The external factors which includes the competitors and factors like economic, social and political as well as technological change ,cultural changes, changes in market places or competitors position. Swot Analysis Internal analysis of CVS Stre ngths: 1) Significant investment in technology 2) Loyalty card program 3) Diversified retail stores 4) Strong brand equity Weakness: 1) Inconsistent store experience and execution 2) Sales mix focuses on lower margins 3) Leveraged from acquisitions 4) Real estate (when compared to Walgreens) External analysis of CVS Opportunities: 1) Turn around acquired stores 2) Beauty 360 3) New target markets with minute clinics 4) Private label expansion Threats: 1) Traditional stores like Walgreens and Non-Traditional stores like Walmarts as competitors 2) Pharmacists shortages 3) Further PBM market share loss. Financial Analysis and Evaluation Financial diagnostic categories Chosen company vs. Benchmark competitor 1.) Liquidity of short-term assets-Current ratio-1.5x -Cash ratio-.083x -Quick ratio-0.5x-Current ratio-1.60x -Cash ratio-0.25x -Quick ratio-0.58x 2.) Long-term debt-paying ability-Debt ratio-0.30 -Debt-eq uity ratio-30.4-Debt ratio-0.40 -Debt-equity ratio-41.2 3.) Profitability -Net income/sales (profit margin)-.013 -Net income/assets (ROA)-6.3% -Net income/shareholder equity (ROE)-9.59%-Net income/sales (profit margin)-.036 -Net income/assets (ROA)-10.3% -Net income/shareholder equity (ROE)-16.4% 4.) Asset utilization/ management efficiency-Total asset turnover-1.6x -Inventory turnover measures-7.5x -Accounts receivable turnover-18.0x-Total asset turnover-2.90 x -Inventory turnover measures-5.56x -Accounts receivable turnover-20.2x 5.) Market measures-Price/earnings ratio-12.6 -Earnings per common share-1.08 -Price/earnings ratio-14.2 -Earnings per common share-1.14 Results of Evaluation CVS Caremark is the result of the merger between CVS pharmacy and Caremark in 2007. Filling over 1 billion prescriptions annually, it is the number one provider of prescirptions in United States According to the statement of financials such as balance she et, statement of income and loss and cash flow statement, the following interpretations are drawn including 2005-06 prior merger 2007-10 post merger: 1) The gross profit dollars were increasing from last five years i.e from 2005 to 30th sept 2010 at the rate of 1.6%. however the gross profit were essentially flat in both the 3 and 9 months ended sept 30 2010 as compared to the prior years period.. Gross profit as a percentage of net revenue increased 70 basis point to 21.0 in the three months ended sept 30 2010. 2) The Net income for 5 years annual average is 32.60 exhibiting an increase in the amount of revenue on 3) Between 2007 and 2009, revenue grew by an average of 13% annually, during the same period the earning grew by an average of 18% annually. 4) In 2009, CVS experienced a multi billion dollar loss of contract for 2010, due to over- pricing and communication issues. Management for that segment since has changed 5) For 2010, CVS Caremark revenue and earning a re slightly down and CVS revenue and earnings were slightly up. 6) The uncertainity has resulted in a low stock valuation i.e. profit/earning less than 11. 7) The company has a currently dividend yield of about 1.25% with 15% annual dividend growth over past couple of years. 8) Before the merger, CVS 5 year EPS growth rate 71.26% has surpassed the industry average of 28.28% 9) From the period 2007-09, CVS Caremark has grown operating cash flow by an average of nearly 12% annually. 10) CVS has a very clean balance sheet with total debt-equity ratio of only 0.33% 11) Over the period 2007-09 i.e. after the merger, the net income has grown by an average of 18% annually. 12) However the sales for the year 2005-06 is equal to 28479.2 and 29476.0 respectively showing an increase of 3.5%. Result of ratio analysis 1) The Liquidity of short-term assets which includes Current ratio, Cash ratio and quick ratio shows that CVS Caremark is in a better position to meet th e firm s current obligations. The current ratio of CVS being greater than 1 shows the firm has more current assets than current claim against them. However, the Liquidity ratio of Wallgreen is slightly higher than CVS. 2) Long term debt paying ability is to determine the proportion of debt in total financing. The debt ratio of CVS is 0.30 which means that the lenders have financed 30% of CVS Caremark s net assets i.e. capital employed.The total debt equity ratio shows firms total debt in the relation to the total dollar amount owners have invested in the firms. 3) Profitability ratio indicate the firms ability to generate returns on its sales , assets and net profit margin. The net profit margin ratio is measured by dividing profit after tax by sales. Operating profit after tax to sales ratio is .013. Net profit margin ratio establishes a relationship between net profit and sales and management s efficiency in manufacturing, administering and selling the products. The return o n asset for CVS is 6.3% and for Wallgreen 10.3% which implies on the operating performance and ignores that how the firm is financed and taxed. The ROE for CVS and Wallgreen 9.59% and 16.3% respectively 4) The asset turnover ratio indicate how effeciently the fiem is utilising its assets to produce revenue and sales. CVS has a asset turnover of 1.6 times where Wallgreen has 2.9 times. Inventory turnover measure indicates whether the inventory is out of line in relation to the volume of sales when compare against industry norms. The CVS has 7.5 times and Walgreen has 5.56 times which shows that CVS has more inventories in respect to the volume of sales. 5) The price earning ratio is the market price of the firm s common stock divided by the annual earning per share.Comapring the P/E relative to that of the stock market as a whole or the firm s competitors indicates the market s perception of the true value of the company. The P/E for CVS and Wallgreen is 12.6 and 14.2 respectiv ely. Assessment of Financial activities and their effects on organisational performance CVS Caremark is an interesting company. The merger of CVS and Caremark resulted in a company that is complex, and many investors and lawmakers are uncertain about whether this merger was appropriate. Time will only tell, but due to the uncertainty, the stock valuation is quite low, and this could be a nice opportunity. With a P/E ratio of under 13, combined with large growth between 2007 and 2009, the investment looks easy. With these numbers, investment returns should be spectacular. The catch, however, is that in 2009, CVS Caremark announced that its Pharmacy Services segment (the Caremark aspect of the business) lost $4.8 billion in contracts, and the Medicare part D contracts also fell sharply as well due to overpricing. This combination resulted in a change of management of that business segment. The error is largely blamed on poor communication of the new business model to clients. The odd merger, and poor communication to clients of what that merger means to them, spooked clients into dropping contracts for 2010 during this period in 2009. What this means is that although 2009 revenue and earnings were excellent, the numbers for 2010 aren t as good because of a loss of contracts. This is the reason for the low stock valuation, as when this was announced, the stock price dropped 20-25% in a single day and hasn t recovered. For the first half of 2010, CVS has indeed experienced minor reductions in revenue and profits, but has kept EPS in a state of moderate growth. Full year estimates for 2010 EPS are very close to what EPS was in 2009, and 2011 EPS is expected to increase once again. The good news is that there is a silver lining. The company is focusing on having an effective pharmacy services bidding season for 2011 (unlike their disaster for the 2010 bidding season). The company indicates that the incident was isolated, and with new management this may very well be the case. In addition, CVS retail pharmacies are performing very well. Even while the pharmacy services segment reported decreased revenue and profits for 2010 (as predicted by the company last year), the retail segment continued to grow. CVS retail pharmacies had 6.3% same-store sales growth in 2005, 8.1% same-store sales growth in 2006, 5.3% same-store sales growth in 2007, 4.5% same-store sales growth in 2008, and 5.0% same-store sales growth in 2009. They are also constantly increasing their total number of CVS retail pharmacy locations. There were 6,301 locations in 2007, 6,981 locations in 2008, and 7,074 locations in 2009. What this means it that CVS is both increasing their number of retail pharmacy locations AND obtaining more revenue from each of their locations. This is consistently impressive, and great news for shareholders. The CVS pharmacy is a great business model. They primarily provide prescription drugs (and increasingly generic drugs to save cu stomers money) and over-the-counter medication, but also provide various things like toothpaste, birthday cards, toys, food, and beauty supplies, all in a very small store that is often located very close to where people work and live. The prices are pretty good even though they aren t quite as competitive as Wal-Mart, and they make up for this by providing their own brand of products at reduced prices compared to identical national brands. It s also a lot more convenient to stop in at a retail pharmacy to grab a few quick necessities on the way home from work than it is to go out of one s way to enter the lumbering parking lot of Wal-mart and deal with all of the hassle and lines there. So retail pharmacies do have their important niche. Minute Clinic is another great business, with simple and inexpensive medical treatment in convenient locations without the need to make appointments. Lastly, the company is growing its dividend and buying back shares, channeling a lot of its cash flow back to shareholders. Risks CVS Caremark is a fairly uncertain investment. The retail segment is fairly sturdy, with a solid name brand embedded in a growing industry, and faces primarily demand and commodity cost risks. The pharmacy services segment, however, is the riskier of the two, as the industry is intensely competitive and there are a variety of questions about whether this merger was a good idea or not. 2009 saw a large drop in stock price due to poor performance of this segment. It is said that there is a risk of the company being divided, but some may view that as an opportunity rather than a risk. Final decision and Conclusion CVS Caremark may be a moderately speculative investment. The retail pharmacy segment is rather clear-cut and healthy, while the pharmacy services segment is unstable and skittish. The last year s performance was poor, and the hope is intact that with new management and improved communication to clients, they vastly improve thi s year. The good news is that this stock is very cheap. With a P/E of under 13, CVS Caremark stock is at a reduced price compared to competitors like Walgreens (WAG) with a P/E of over 13 (which is still fairly low). The 20-25% drop in stock price that resulted from the announcement of lost contracts was an overreaction, as earnings are still strong. Most of the drop was due to uncertainty and the validation of long-term fears that the merger was not a good idea, rather than a massive 20-25% loss in company value. The uncertainties of the merger, along with the poor performance of 2009 have been factored in, and I expect the company to do quite well over the coming years. All segments of the company are great businesses, with the primary question being whether they are great together or better off as separate entities. I find the current stock price in the upper $20s to be very attractive as an investment. So I would like to make an investment in the share stock of CVS Caremak er as it is expected to yield higher returns as compared to previous years. Since the company has changed its management with new policies and improved communication with employee relation I would prefer to be an employee of the organization to the position eligible to me. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The financial analysis of CVS Caremark Corporation" essay for you Create order

Importance of Good Precedents for Sustaining Democracies...

There are many different reasons why the partition of India occurred. When Britain oppressed India, they had a divide-and-conquer policy that exacerbated the religious and cultural rifts that already existed in the society. The Muslim League, which believed in the ideology of â€Å"Pakistan†, actively campaigned to gain more support for the Muslims in India, especially under the guidance of dynamic leaders like Jinnah. Pakistani leader and founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah believed that this partition was inevitable since â€Å"‘[a] united India would never have worked’† (Komireddi 2009). He and others thought that a unified state would only lead to the relegation of Muslims to the fringe of society and, ultimately, to violence and civil war. The Indian†¦show more content†¦The east and west sides of Pakistan were not divided over religion (they were mostly all Muslim), rather the division was on the basis of culture and language. West Pakistan was Punja bi while East Pakistan was Bengali. In 1971, there was a major war between India and Pakistan and the east side of Pakistan split off into what is today called Bangladesh. For the purposes of this essay, we will be focusing on just Pakistan and India. The people in both countries have very common and even interlocked backgrounds, so how is it that these countries have very divergent political atmospheres since partition? India, adapting from the legacy of British rule and the Government of India Act 1935 for its constitution, kept the idea of federalism and was also successful in operating its political system within the formal democracy. Except for 18 months between 1975 and 1977 India maintained its democratic institutions. In the five decades since partition, there have been twelve legislative elections and many more state assembly elections. There have been seven peaceful transfers of power between rival political parties at the central (federal) level (Varshney 1998). 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Communication Between The Employees And The Managers - Samples

Question: Discuss about the Communication Between The Employees And The Managers. Answer: Communication issues to be addressed: Many times in the company many employees face some issue regarding the usage of any particular domain. By providing a training session, the employees can get aware of the domain and work efficiently. In an organization giving feedback is must if an employee does not give feedback to the superiors then miscommunication can occur. This situation can lead to less productivity. Misinterpretation is one issue that leads to a communication gap between the employees and the superiors of the company. Managers and Employees Communication Areas: Training Sessions In this study, the employees and the managers are given some training, and all have to be attentive in this training session to be aware of the training topic. It will improve the performance of all trainees. Feedback: For effective communication to be made feedback is required. Feedback helps the sender and the receiver both to establish effective communication. Effective communication can improve the performance management system (Boud, 2015). Conduct Meetings: A two-way process of communication between the employees and the managers is needed to clarify the job role and their expectations from the employees to avoid misinterpretation in future. Importance of Employees to Understand His or Her Role: It is very important for an employee to know his or her role in the company unless the employee cannot achieve his or her goal. Then the employees are not able to meet the expectation of the company. An employee is determined by his efficiency and effectiveness towards the company (Sykes et al., 2014). The job description is not enough for the employee to know his actual role in the company; it is the mindset of the employee that can produce more productivity form the employee. For that, they need to know their role in the company properly. Barriers to communication: The major barriers to communication in an organization are lack of listening skill, bias, and misinterpretation. To build a good communication, a proper listening skill is required to listen and understands the message to avoid miscommunication. Many employees are suffered due to various biases in the company. This biasness can affect the communication in case of sending and receiving messages. In many cases like over a phone call or e-mail mainly misinterpretation occurs. Lack of listening leads to misinterpretation in many cases. To establish good communication, these barriers need to be addressed. Proper listening skill is required, superiors of the organization must be none biased, and good understanding skill is required to reduce the barriers to communication. References: Boud, D. (2015). Feedback: ensuring that it leads to enhanced learning.The clinical teacher,12(1), 3-7. Sykes, T. A., Venkatesh, V., Johnson, J. L. (2014). Enterprise system implementation and employee job performance: Understanding the role of advice networks.MIS Quarterly,38(1).

The Content Marketing Glossary

As a marketer myself, I know there are no two things marketers love more than buzzwords and content. And seeing as how content marketing isn’t going away, it’s worth getting to know the jargon. If you need to get up to speed with some of the terminologies, here’s a quick glossary: Above the Fold Above the fold refers to the portion of a webpage that is visible (without scrolling) when the page is first loaded. It’s an important concept because the content that’s above the fold need to persuade users to further engage with the page. For example, a blog post might have the hero image, headline and first couple sentences above the fold. Analytics The collection, measurement, and analysis of Internet data for the purpose of improving future strategies. Analytics tools like Google Analytics help you discover which content is attracting more traffic or getting more shares. Algorithm Update Google uses a very complex algorithm to value and rank content. Changes to their formula are called â€Å"algorithm updates.† Google’s algorithm is what determines how valuable your content is, and where it should rank relative to similar articles. So, any updates to this core formula can have massive implications to your content marketing. Attribution The customer journey isn’t linear. Instead, people bounce back and forth between a company’s website, social pages, and blog. But how much business did each of those channels generate? That’s where attribution can help. â€Å"Attribution models assign a value to various touch points a lead had with your company before converting. For content marketing, this means understanding the blog posts, white papers, social content or another type of content that a person engaged with before becoming a lead or customer.† B2B Marketing B2B marketing simply refers to business-to-business marketing. The idea here is that a business is selling a product or service to other businesses. For example, MailChimp sells email marketing services to small businesses. Salesforce sells cloud-based CRM solutions to enterprise businesses. For content marketers, operating in a B2B industry is much different from a B2C role. B2C Marketing Short for â€Å"business to consumer marketing,† B2C marketing is when a business uses various marketing strategies to promote its products or services directly to consumers, rather than to other businesses. Buyer Journey The buyer journey identifies the different stages prospects move through, from first discovering a company to becoming a customer. From the â€Å"awareness† and â€Å"consideration† stage, through to the â€Å"decision† stage, prospects have different content needs. Blog Short for a web log, a blog is web page content that is updated frequently, featuring articles, opinions, discussions, and links to other useful pages. They strengthen brand personality and credibility, drive traffic, boost SEO, and build customer relationships. Buyer Journey The buyer journey identifies the different stages prospects move through, from first discovering a company to becoming a customer. From the â€Å"awareness† and â€Å"consideration† stage, through to the â€Å"decision† stage, prospects have different content needs. Call to Action (CTA) An image, a button, or a line of text meant to prompt the user to take the desired action. This could be to share your content, subscribe to your blog, or download an ebook. Case Study Aimed at building customer trust, a case study is a written account of a real customer’s experience with a business, showing how a product or service effectively helped a customer overcome a specific problem. Click-Through Rate (CTR) The percentage of users that click on a link, button, or ad. The data can help you see which content types and subjects engage your readers more. Content Curation Gathering, organizing, and presenting content that is relevant to your audience or is focused on a particular topic. A debatable concept used by some marketers to describe how content marketing may not be a sustainable strategy for some businesses. Similar to â€Å"information overload,† it’s the idea that we’ll be so flooded with content we’ll start to turn away from it. Content Marketing Creating, publishing, and promoting valuable free content to attract prospects and convert them into customers. It aims to inform, educate, and entertain prospects to increase brand trust and loyalty. Content Strategy The process of planning, developing and delivering content. It involves creating, distributing, and promoting content on appropriate channels to attract and engage prospects and support the buyer journey. Conversion Rate The measurement used to see how many visitors complete a specific action, such as sign up to your newsletter or make a purchase. Copywriting The production of written text for marketing or advertising purposes. The copy should highlight the benefits of a company and its products and services, and persuade readers to take a particular action. Customer Persona Also referred to as â€Å"buyer persona,† the customer persona is a description by a business of their ideal customer, based on existing customers’ demographics, behavior, and motivations. It helps businesses create appropriate, targeted content. Ebook Often used by marketers to generate leads, an Ebook is a downloadable piece of informational content that is longer than a whitepaper, from 20 to 100 pages long. Editorial Calendar Keeping you focused on your content marketing goals, an editorial calendar details what subjects your content should cover, the content format, and when and where to publish each piece. Evergreen Content Content that remains relevant to your audience in the long term. For this reason, it has more long-term marketing value. FAB FAB stands for features, advantages, and benefits. FAB statements are used in copywriting to help potential customers understand why a product or service is a better buy than competing offers. Ghostwriting Content produced by a writer, which is then credited to another person. The original writer agrees to forfeit the credit to get paid for writing the content. Hashtag Frequently used on social media platforms, a hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the hash symbol (#). Users can insert a hashtag to associate their posts with content on similar topics or search for content based around a hashtag. HTML Short for Hyper Text Markup Language, HTML is the universal language used to build every web page online. It gives web pages their structure and helps search engines crawl and index web content. Inbound Link A link on another website that points to a page on your website. Google often uses link data like this to rank your website. Links from â€Å"quality† websites can help you appear higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Infographic These are graphic visual representations of data or other information that can be easier to consume than chunks of text. Keyword Keywords or keyword phrases are words that searchers type into search engines to find specific information. They are also included in the content to show search engines that your content is relevant. The overuse of keywords can now harm your search engine rankings. Landing Page A page on a website designed to receive visitors directly from organic or paid links on other online channels. The goal of the landing page copy and design is to encourage visitors to take a specific action. Lead A prospective customer that has shown an interest in a business, a product, or a service. Typically, leads are captured when they respond to an ad or a call to action within content. Newsjacking Creating content based around a news story to draw attention to your content. This type of content can rank well in SERPs. SEO techniques that are applied directly to a web page to improve visibility in search engines. On-page optimization strategies include keyword optimization and inserting HTML meta tags. Personalization This is tailoring your content to match specific segments of your audience. It can involve delivering content to different channels depending on your marketing goals. Promotion Any type of marketing communication that aims to inform or persuade a target audience of the merits of a company, product, or service. Promotion also refers to any act of drawing attention to existing content. Quality In terms of content, quality refers to any content that is original, well written, concise, and delivers value to the target audience. Quality content also addresses the needs of the target audience, increases user trust, and is highly shareable. Quantity The frequency a brand publishes content depends on the content needs of the audience and the brand’s ability to consistently create quality content. Content marketers should focus on creating high quality content, rather than publishing a high quantity of content. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) SEO covers all strategies that are aimed at making a website easier for search engines to index and rank. The purpose of writing SEO articles is to make content and websites rank higher in search engine results pages. SEM Short for search engine marketing, SEM is the practice of using paid advertising to increase the visibility of a business and its content in search engine results pages. Social Media Optimization (SMO) Using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ to increase brand awareness, promote content sharing, generate leads, and boost SEO. Snackable Content This is typically short-form and visual content such as infographics, images, videos, and short blog posts. It’s designed to quickly and clearly convey an idea or message. Storytelling Storytelling in content marketing is a powerful way of writing that includes a narrative to help readers identify with a brand and see the benefits of its products or services. Compelling stories engage consumers, elicit emotion, and foster brand loyalty. Technical Content Content that aims to communicate more complex information to readers that need help to accomplish a specific goal. Technical writers can transform complicated, jargon-heavy content – such as user guides – into accessible content. Templates A content template is a pre-made design that provides a framework for writers, covering all the information that should be included within a web page or article. Using templates improves content consistency and output. 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Women and the Evolution of World Politics

Synopsis Thesis statement:Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Women and the Evolution of World Politics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In a status hierarchy, men are closely associated with such phenomena as aggression, intense competition, violence, and war1. Main points of the article In the animal kingdom, violence within a species is rare but when it occurs, it is often limited to infanticide by males who desire to mate with the mother and eradicate a rival’s offspring. In chimps, like in humans, males are the ones involved in coalition building and violence Whereas male chimps practice realpolitik, their female counterparts have relationships Male bonding is to a large extent, genetic, and tends to predate the human species The noble savage idea holds that patriarchy and violence are either rooted in capitalism or the Western-Judeo Christian tradition The systematic mass killings of women, men and children that took place in Neolithic times were largely due to violence perpetrated by men. The same could be said of Cambodia, Bosnia, and the Holocaust. All Western and postindustrial societies are moving towards a world run by women, which would essentially follow different rules from one run by men. 1. Francis, Fukuyama, â€Å"Women and the evolution of world politics†, Foreign Affairs 77, no. 5 (1998): 24-40 Although women have risen in terms of leadership positions, men are still expected to play a pivotal role in matters governance, especially in postindustrial countries Males and females experience profound differences and these are mainly genetic, more than culturally rooted. One of the clearest differences between the sexes (male and female) is with respect to aggression and violence. Because men are more prone to violence and aggression compared with women, in a truly matriarchal; world, we are likely to witness less conflict, more cooperation and concil iation that is the case today. Men harbor aggressive tendencies towards each other and it is very hard to eliminate this. Connections to Environment The article has addressed the issue of environment adequately. For example, the author reports of a study carried out by Frans de Waal, a primatologist, on a chimp colony at a zoo in Netherlands where a young male chimp formed a coalition with another younger and energetic male chimp to unseat the aging alpha male of the colony1. The article has also talked of how a group of chimps in a national park in Tanzania. In a study that was carried by Jane Goodwall, the aforementioned group of chimps broke into two factions- the southern faction, and the northern one. 1. Francis, Fukuyama, â€Å"Women and the evolution of world politics†, Foreign Affairs 77, no. 5 (1998): 24-40 The article reports how a group of chimps from the northern gang would pounce on unsuspecting members of the southern group and kill them in a grisly attack. Thi s happened until all the males and several females had been murdered. Other females joined the northern gang.Advertising Looking for critical writing on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Culture The article has also addressed the issue of culture at length. For example, it talks of the higher murder rates among the Kung San who inhabits the Kalahari Desert. It also talks of how the American men have always been more supportive of the country’s involvement in war, such as the Gulf War, and the war with Iraq, compared with their female counterparts2. Moreover, the author of this article talks of how as human beings, we have been socialized to think of a man as being superior to a woman, despite the fact that women can also accomplish similar fetes to those accomplished by men. Governance and security With regard to the issue of politics, the author talks of the desire by nearly all feminists to see enhanced female participation in political affairs. The article further observes that such female leaders as Margaret Thatcher proved to be more determined and tougher than her male opponents and as such, she managed to beat them at their own game3. Additionally, the article talks of the need for masculine policies to govern the people in the future so that they can deal with deal with male leaders who rule with an iron fist. 2. Charli, Carpenter, â€Å"Gender Theory in World Politics: Contributions of a Nonfeminist Standpoint?†, International Studies Review, 4, no. 3 (2002): 153-165 3. Bruce, Russett, Harvey, Starr, and David, Kinsella, World Politics: The Menu for Choice. (Stamford, Mass: Cengage Learning). The author has also observed that the interaction between demographic trends and the feminization of democratic politics will result in the emergence of elderly women as an important voting bloc in the future. Resources and development The article has also dwelt on the issue of r esources whereby there is a battle for domination in order to determine who takes control of scarce resources. For example, the article has given example of groups of chimps who have had to fight over a territory whereby the weaker of the two groups loses not just their territory, but also the resources contained therein4.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Women and the Evolution of World Politics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The same case goes for countries or communities that go to war in order to capture certain territories for the control of resources. Among savage communities, there are reports of young men fighting over a female. Critique and reflection Critique I am in agreement with the author’s thesis statement to the effect that in a status hierarchy, men are closely associated with such phenomena as violence, aggression, intense competition, and war. This is because women are rarel y portrayed as being aggressive, perhaps because society has conditioned us to accept that men are the ones who should be aggressive and violent, and not women. Most of the times, women, fall under the shadows of their male counterparts because we are living in a patriarchal society. 4. Ann, Tickner, â€Å" Why Women Can’t Run the World: International Politics According to Francis Fukuyama†, International Studies Review 1, no. 3, (1999): 3 – 11. On the other hand, this is not to say that women cannot be equally aggressive and intensely competitive as their male counterparts; the only expectation is that women can do so without portraying instances of violence. We have also had women leaders such as Margaret Thatcher who triumphed as a political leader in an area hitherto dominated by men. Conquering and dominating the weaker race appears to be the forte of men but it would be interesting to see whether this would change if women were to dominant global politics. Reflection The implication that one gets after reading the article is that we are lily to witness a shift in global power from a predominantly male dominated society to one where females have more say on issues of politics and governance. In the next few decades, there will be more elderly women among the population in European countries and for this reason these women will undoubtedly aspire to form a formidable political bloc. This is likely to affect their voting pattern and depending on the path that they choose to take, one thing that we can be user of is that there will be more women leaders occupying elective post, compared to the current number. Such women leaders will in effect try to champion their own policies with the aim of achieving gender parity. Bibliography Carpenter, Charli, â€Å"Gender Theory in World Politics: Contributions of a Nonfeminist Standpoint?†, International Studies Review, 4, no. 3 (2002): 153-165Advertising Looking for critical writing on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Fukuyama, Francis, â€Å"Women and the evolution of world politics†, Foreign Affairs 77, no. 5 (1998): 24-40 Russett, Bruce, Starr, Harvey, and Kinsella, David. World Politics: The Menu for Choice. (Stamford, Mass: Cengage Learning). Tickner, Ann, â€Å" Why Women Can’t Run the World: International Politics According to Francis Fukuyama†, International Studies Review 1, no. 3, (1999): 3 – 11. This critical writing on Women and the Evolution of World Politics was written and submitted by user Yehuda V. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. 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Mahdist War and the Siege of Khartoum

Mahdist War and the Siege of Khartoum Siege of Khartoum - Conflict Dates: The Siege of Khartoum lasted from March 13, 1884 to January 26, 1885, and took place during the Mahdist War (1881-1899). Armies Commanders British Egyptians Major General Charles Gordon7,000 men, 9 gunboats Mahdists Muhammad Ahmadapprox. 50,000 men Siege of Khartoum - Background: In the wake of 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War, British troops remained in Egypt to protect British interests. Though occupying the country, they allowed the Khedive to continue overseeing domestic affairs. This included dealing with the Mahdist Revolt which had commenced in Sudan. Though technically under Egyptian rule, large parts of Sudan had fallen to Mahdist forces led by Muhammad Ahmad. Considering himself the Mahdi (the redeemer of Islam), Ahmad defeated Egyptian forces at El Obeid in November 1883 and overran Kordofan and Darfur. This defeat and the deteriorating situation led to Sudan being discussed in Parliament. Assessing the problem and wishing to avoid the cost of intervention, Prime Minister William Gladstone and his cabinet were unwilling to commit forces to the conflict. As a result, their representative in Cairo, Sir Evelyn Baring, directed the Khedive to order the garrisons in Sudan to evacuate back into Egypt. To oversee this operation, London requested that Major General Charles Chinese Gordon be placed in command. A veteran officer and former governor-general of Sudan, Gordon was familiar with the region and its peoples. Leaving in early 1884, he was also tasked with reporting on the best means for extracting the Egyptians from the conflict. Arriving in Cairo, he was re-appointed Governor-General of Sudan with full executive powers. Sailing up the Nile, he arrived at Khartoum on February 18. Directing his limited forces against the advancing Mahdists, Gordon began evacuating women and children north to Egypt. Siege of Khartoum - Gordon Digs In: Though London desired to abandon Sudan, Gordon firmly believed the Mahdists needed to be defeated or they could overrun Egypt. Citing a lack of boats and transport, he ignored his orders to evacuate and began organizing a defense of Khartoum. In an effort to win over the citys residents, he improved the justice system and remitted taxes. Recognizing that Khartoums economy rested on the slave trade, he re-legalized slavery despite the fact that he had originally abolished it during his earlier term as governor-general. While unpopular at home, this move increased Gordons support in the city. As he moved forward, he began requesting reinforcements to defend the city. An initial request for a regiment of Turkish troops was denied as was a later call for a force of Indian Muslims. Increasingly agitated by Gladstones lack of support, Gordon began sending a series of angry telegrams to London. These soon became public and led to a vote of no confidence against Gladstones government. Though he survived, Gladstone steadfastly refused to become committed to a war in Sudan. Left on his own, Gordon began enhancing Khartoums defenses. Protected to the north and west by the White and Blue Niles, he saw that fortifications and trenches were constructed to the south and east. Facing the desert, these were supported by land mines and wire barriers. To defend the rivers, Gordon retrofitted several steamers into gunboats which were protected by metal plates. Attempting an offensive near Halfaya on March 16, Gordons troops faltered and took 200 casualties. In the wake of the setback, he concluded that he should remain on the defensive. Siege of Khartoum - The Siege Begins: Later that month, Mahdist forces began to near Khartoum and skirmishing commenced. With Mahdist forces closing in, Gordon telegraphed London on April 19 that he had provisions for five months. He also requested two to three thousand Turkish troops as his men were increasingly unreliable. Gordon believed that with such a force, he could drive off the enemy. As the month ended, the tribes to the north elected to join with the Mahdi and cut off Gordons lines of communication to Egypt. While runners were able to make the journey, the Nile and telegraph were severed. As enemy forces surrounded the city, Gordon attempted to convince the Mahdi to make peace but with no success. Siege of Khartoum - Fall of Khartoum: Holding the city, Gordon was able to somewhat replenish his supplies by raiding with his gunboats. In London, his plight was played up in the press and eventually, Queen Victoria directed Gladstone to send aid to the beleaguered garrison. Acquiescing in July 1884, Gladstone ordered General Sir Garnet Wolseley to form an expedition for the relief of Khartoum. Despite this, it took a substantial amount of time to organize the needed men and supplies. As the fall progressed, Gordons position became increasingly tenuous as supplies dwindled and many of his more capable officers were killed. Shortening his line, he constructed a new wall inside the city and tower from which to observe the enemy. Though communications remained spotty, Gordon did receive word that a relief expedition was en route. Despite this news, Gordon greatly feared for the city. A letter that arrived in Cairo on December 14 informed a friend, Farewell. You will never hear from me again. I fear that there will be treachery in the garrison, and all will be over by Christmas. Two days later, Gordon was forced to destroy his outpost across the White Nile at Omdurman. Made aware of Gordons concerns, Wolseley began pressing south. Defeating the Mahdists at Abu Klea on January 17, 1885, the men met the enemy again two days later. With the relief force approaching, the Mahdi began planning to storm Khartoum. Possessing around 50,000 men, he ordered one column to wade across the White Nile to attack the citys walls while another assaulted the Massalamieh Gate. Moving forward on the night of January 25-26, both columns quickly overwhelmed the exhausted defenders. Swarming through the city, the Mahdists massacred the garrison and around 4,000 of Khartoums residents. Though the Mahdi had expressly ordered that Gordon be taken alive, he was struck down in the fighting. Accounts of his death vary with some reports stating he was killed at the governors palace, while others claim he was shot in the street while trying to escape to the Austrian consulate. In either case, Gordons body was decapitated and taken to the Mahdi on a pike. Siege of Khartoum - Aftermath: In the fighting at Khartoum, Gordons entire 7,000-man garrison was killed. Mahdist casualties are not known. Driving south, Wolseleys relief force reached Khartoum two days after the citys fall. With no reason to remain, he ordered his men to return to Egypt, leaving Sudan to the Mahdi. It remained under Mahdist control until 1898 when Major General Herbert Kitchener defeated them at the Battle of Omdurman. Though a search was made for Gordons remains after Khartoum was retaken, they were never found. Acclaimed by the public, Gordons death was blamed on Gladstone who delayed forming a relief expedition. The resulting outcry led his government to fall in March 1885 and he was formally rebuked by Queen Victoria. Sources: BBC. General Charles Gordon. Fordham University.  Islamic History Sourcebook: Death of General Gordon at Khartoum. Sandrock, John.  Windows to the Past: Siege of Khartoum.

Operations Management course. Memo Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Operations Management course. Memo - Case Study Example Although CX Technologies has been able to maintain its position in the market, growth has plateaued and with the incoming recession, business is set to go down further. Bhole e.al states that the company’s expansion into the Asian market recently and considering the positive outcomes of this expansion, the probability of succeeding into the automotive industry is high (7-8). According to observers, the automotive industry faces a bleak future, considering that many people are more apprehensive about rising gas prices, a factor that has led to lower vehicle purchases. The situation has been aggravated by the fact that the largest three manufactures have approached the government in search of caution against the recession. According to Bhole et.al, possibilities for success are raised by the sheer size of the industry in the United States is a major motivating factor in this expansion (7). This allows for CX Technology to penetrate the market and offer competitively lower prices, since the company’s personnel are enough to provide the needed labor. With branches in Asia already, the company is in a good position to tap into the Chinese market and take advantage of the growing economy and demand for automobiles. This is a risky project because it puts the entire future of the company at stake. If the decision is made to follow up with the plan, then the company risks running bankrupt, especially considering the current recession. If the proposal into expand to the automotive industry is passed, then feasibility studies need to be undertaken as soon as possible. The company’s entire workforce is to be notified about the new enterprise, so as to be prepared to provide the necessary labor. In conclusion, every business needs to take a risk once in a while and test new opportunities; otherwise it risks stagnation and monotony. Venturing into the automotive industry seems like a worthwhile risk for CX Technology, in an effort to grow the company’s