Analysis of Conceptual Framework Standards

Question: Discuss about the Analysis of Conceptual Framework Standards. Answer: Introduction The primary purpose of developing general purpose financial statements is to disclose the information related to financial growth and development of a business corporation. The primary users of financial reports of a corporation includes investors, creditors and other stakeholders who need the information to make decisions about selling, buying or holding their equity or debt instruments. In addition to this, the primary users of financial statements also need to assess the financial information for gaining an analysis of the efficiency of management in carrying out their roles and responsibilities (Titilayo et al., 2014). The IASB (International Accounting Standards Board) has developed and established conceptual accounting framework that describes the principles and standards to be adopted by the accountants at the time of preparing financial statements (Persons, 2013). In this context, the present report evaluates the need and effectiveness of accounting framework for supporting t he decision-making process of end-users. This is done in the report by analyzing the compliance of annual reports of Medibank health insurance ltd and Virtus health ltd with the conceptual framework and AASB standard requirements. This will help in examining the effectiveness of conceptual framework in meeting the financial reporting requirements of business corporations. Also, the report examines the need of including Prudence in conceptual framework to overcome any type of disparity in corporate reporting. Examining Compliance of Medibank health insurance ltd and Virus health ltd with the conceptual framework and AASB standard requirements The major principles of conceptual framework of accounting are reliability, relevance, consistency and comparability that need to be followed by business entities during financial reporting. The reliability principle states that financial statements must provide true and realistic information to the external parties with no concealing of financial facts and figures. As per the relevance principle, the information disclosed must be complete and relevant to be used by external parties in decision-making (Burton and Jermakowicz, 2015). The consistency principle states that financial information disclosed on an annual basis by a business corporation must be consistent with that of previous year. At last, the comparability principle states that financial information disclosed must be comparable with the previous year results in order to demonstrate the net financial growth. The Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) holds the responsibility within Australia to ensure that all busine sses should comply with the IASB standards (Hoffman, 2016). The annual reports of Medibank health insurance ltd and Virtus health ltd are analyzed to examine their compliance with the above mentioned principles of conceptual accounting framework. Medibank health insurance is a leading private health insurer of Australia actively involved in providing varying range of health insurance options for individual, couple and family. The annual report analyses demonstrates that the company have prepared and published its remuneration report, directors report, corporate governance statement, auditors report as per the AASB standards. The remuneration report of Medibank health insurance is developed in accordance with the AASB standards as analyzed from its annual report. The remuneration report is as per the relevance principle of conceptual framework as it provides complete information related to compensation of board members. Also, the remuneration policies adopted by the company for controlling and reviewing the remuneration of board members are also discussed in the report. The role of remuneration committee in deciding the compensation including incentives of executives and non-executive directors is clearly mentioned in the repo rt (Medibank: Annual Report, 2016). The remuneration report also illustrates that the reward and incentive system of employees is directly linked with their performance. Thus, the company has shared all the information related to compensation and reward in an honest and transparent manner in order to comply with AASB standard of honesty and integrity (Knight, 2004). The corporate governance statement of the company has also disclosed all the necessary information related to corporate rules and policies adopted for managing the workplace diversity. The auditors report discloses the standards adopted by the company to maintain integrity and quality of the financial reporting (Kieso et al., 2010). The company has established an independent audit and risk management committee for irks management, compliance and internal control. Thus, it can be said that Medibank effectively complies with reliability and relevance principle of conceptual framework by disclosing all the relevant and reliable information to the stakeholders (Medibank: Annual Report, 2016). The company also complies with the consistency and comparability principle of conceptual framework as it discloses all the financial information that is in consistent and comparable with that of previous years. The financial information is disclosed through preparation of cash flows, statement of changes in equity, income statement and balance sheet. The accounting policies and procedures adopted for the preparation of the financial statements are also disclosed properly in the annual report of the company. The directors report also declares that financial statements comply with the Corporations Act 2001 as per the AASB standards. The annual report of the company meets the different needs of stakeholders through demonstrating a link between governance and shareholder value creation. The directors report states that companys leaders satisfy their statutory duties well by promoting its long-term development. The company also develops and publishes its consolidated financial statements as per the Corporations Act 2001. The development of consolidated financial statements is required to integrate the financial reports of all subsidiaries in a single economic entity (Medibank: Annual Report, 2016). On the other hand, Virtus Health ltd is an Australian company involved in providing hospital and pathology services. The company is recognized to be largest in vitro fertilization provider in Australia. The annual report of the company publishes and discloses effectively all the information related to the compensation of executive directors and non-executive directors. The remuneration committee holds the responsibility of deciding over the matters related to compensation of board members. However, the company has not disclosed its corporate governance statement in the annual report. The disclosure of corporate governance policies followed within the workplace is required by a business entity in order to comply with the AASB standards of ethics and integrity (Persons, 2013). The auditors report of the company also has not published complete information about the procedures adopted for risk management. The company has not disclosed concise information about the control systems impleme nted for monitoring and controlling its internal business procedures (Virtus Health: Annual Report, 2016). The company though has published all its financial information as per the AASB standards through developing its statement of cash flows, statement of financial position, income statement and balance sheet. It has also published its consolidated financial statements as per the Corporations Act 2001 mandated by the AASB standards. Thus, it can be said that there is some difference in the financial disclosure of both the corporations. The companies are operating within Australia and thus need to comply with AASB standards effectively. However, as analyzed from the annual report of both companies, only Medibank health insurance ltd effectively complies with all the AASB standards and principle of conceptual framework (Medibank: Annual Report, 2016). Vitrus health ltd does not comply with all principle of conceptual framework such as relevance and reliability. The company has not disclosed all information related to the accounting policies and procedures adopted for the preparation of fin ancial statements. Also, the pattern of disclosing financial information is different in both the companies due to their varying nature of business operations (Virtus Health: Annual Report, 2016). Thus, it can be stated from analysis of annual report of both the companies that they develop their financial reports in accordance with the conceptual framework and AASB standards. The adoption of conceptual framework of accounting has enabled them to meet the needs of end-users of financial reports through providing complete and concise financial information. However, Virtus health ltd has not effectively complied with all the accounting standards and principles of conceptual framework and AASB (Virtus Health: Annual Report, 2016). The complete disclosure regarding the remuneration, risk management, internal control, operating income and expenses is provided in the annual reports through the adoption of conceptual accounting framework. Thus, it can be stated that conceptual framework principles effectively meets the needs of end-users of financial reports (Whittington, 2008). Inclusion of Prudence to address Disparity in Corporate Reporting The accounting transactions are related with uncertainties and require to be reported in time. The uncertainties in financial transactions need to be reported by making proper estimates during financial reporting. The accountants need to be very cautious and prudent at the time of taking financial decisions (Mbira and Tapera, 2016). In this context, prudence is a major accounting principle according to which assets and income should not be overstated and liabilities should not be understated during financial reporting. The concept states that expenses and liabilities should be recognized immediately after their occurrence but revenues should be reported only when they are actually realized. This concept was included in the conceptual accounting framework in order to meet the varying needs of different stakeholders of a business corporation. The main objective behind the development of conceptual accounting framework is to protect the stakeholders interest by promoting transparency an d integrity in financial reporting. The implementation of prudence principle ensures that businesses do not report overstated revenues or understated expenses during financial reporting (Malley, 2014). The concept is in accordance with the conservatism principle of accounting according to which expenses and liabilities should be reported immediately when there is uncertainty about the outcome. However, revenues and assets should be recognized only when they are assured of being received. The concept was removed from the conceptual accounting framework on the basis as it opposes accrual basis of accounting. Accrual basis of accounting states that businesses should prepare themselves in advance for the occurrence of any uncertain condition through creation of hidden reserves. Thus, the concept of prudence was removed from the conceptual accounting framework as it received criticism from some financial experts as it was found to be against accrual basis of accounting. However, the increasing evidence of corporate scandal worldwide due to manipulation of accounting information has caused its inclusion again in the conceptual framework (Araujo and Gomes, 2015). The inclusion of prudence concept will ensure that there is no biasness in the financial statements and the information presented is fair and transparent. This will help in overcoming the increasing evidences of corporate scandal that are occurring due to misrepresentation of financial statements. The IASB has again adopted the principle of prudence in the accounting framework so that potential investors and creditors get fair representation of a business financial position. This is necessary so that there is no manipulation of accounts and stakeholders get a clear demonstration of the financial position of a business entity (Ataman et al., 2014). The occurrence of corporate scandals such as Enron, World.com etc has lead to the downfall of investors and creditors as they suffered huge losses by financial misrepresentation. This caused IASB to adopt strict accounting standards that need to be followed by businesses during financial reporting. This has caused the need of including prud ence in conceptual framework again for overcoming disparity in corporate reporting (Prudence and IFRS, 2014). Recommendations On the basis of analysis of annual reports of Medibank health insurance and Virtus health ltd, it can be said that conceptual framework principles adequately meeting the needs of stakeholders. The companies are complying with conceptual framework principles and AASB standards and thus have achieved a good brand image in the country. The main advantages of adopting conceptual framework of accounting principles by businesses are increasing the users confidence and gaining a realistic image of the financial performance of the business organization (Macve, 2015). However, IASB still need to develop more strict guidelines for business corporations for meeting the needs of end-users of financial reports. This is because adoption of conceptual framework principle is very difficult for all organization as it is very expensive and time consuming (Unegbu, 2014). This can be demonstrated from the fact that Virtus health ltd has also not effectively complied with all the principles of conceptual framework (Virtus Health: Annual Report, 2016). Also, it will restrict the business to develop new idea of financial reporting as they will be mandated to report their financial performance using same standard accounting practices. Thus, IASB still need to consider all the above mentioned points for improving the financial reporting system of businesses worldwide (Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting 2010, 2017). Conclusion It can be summarized from the overall discussion that the adoption of conceptual accounting framework principles by businesses promotes transparency and honesty in financial reporting. However, there is still need of improvement in accounting standards so that all businesses are able to implement sound financial reporting system that is able to meet the varying needs of stakeholders. References Araujo, V. and Gomes, A. 2015. Analysis of Opinions Issued in Comment Letters on the Term Prudence. Journal of Education and Research in Accounting 9(2), pp. 209-225. Ataman, B. et al. 2014. Preparedness for and perception of IFRS for SMEs: evidence from Turkey. Accounting and Management Information Systems 13(3), pp. 492-519. Burton, G. and Jermakowicz, E.K. 2015. International Financial Reporting Standards: A Framework-Based Perspective. Routledge. Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting 2010. 2017. [Online]. Available at: https://www.iasplus.com/en/standards/other/framework [Accessed on: 17 April 2017]. Hoffman, C.W. 2016. Revising the Conceptual Framework of the International Standards: IASB Proposals Met with Support and Skepticism. World Journal of Business and Management 2 (1), pp. 1-32. Kieso, D. E. et al. 2010. Intermediate Accounting: IFRS Edition. John Wiley Sons. Knight, J. 2004. Internationalization Remodeled: Definition, Approaches, and Rationales. Journal of Studies in International Education 8 (5), pp. 5-29. Macve, R. 2015. A Conceptual Framework for Financial Accounting and Reporting: Vision, Tool, Or Threat. Routledge. Malley, A. 2014. Opinion: Is prudence still a virtue? [Online]. Available at: https://www.theaccountant-online.com/news/is-prudence-still-a-virtue-4276220 [Accessed on: 17April 2017]. Mbira, L. and Tapera, J. 2016. Key Success Drivers for Microfinance Institutions in Zimbabwe: Developing Core Competences for Financial Inclusion. International Journal of Business and Social Science 7 (3), pp. 128-136. Medibank: Annual Report. 2016. [Online]. Available at: https://www.medibank.com.au/content/dam/medibank/About-Us/reporting-centre-2016/Annual%20report/Medibank_Annual_Report_2016.pdf [Accessed on: 17 April 2017]. Persons, O. 2013. A principles-based approach to teaching International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Journal of Instructional Pedagogies. Whittington, G. 2008. Fair Value and the IASB/FASB Conceptual Framework Project: An Alternative View. ABACUS 44 (2), pp. 139-168. Prudence and IFRS. 2014. [Online]. Available at: https://www.accaglobal.com/content/dam/acca/global/PDF-technical/financial-reporting/tech-tp-prudence.pdf[Accessed on: 17 April 2017]. Titilayo, D. et al. 2014. International Financial Reporting Standards (Ifrs) For Smes Adoption Process In Nigeria. European Journal of Accounting Auditing and Finance Research 2 (4), pp.33-38. Unegbu, A. O. 2014. Theories of Accounting: Evolution Developments, Income Determination and Diversities in Use. Research Journal of Finance and Accounting 5 (19), pp. 1-15. Virtus Health: Annual Report. 2016. [Online]. Available at: https://www.virtushealth.com.au/sites/virtushealth.com.au/files/reports/vrt-annual-report-fy16.pdf [Accessed on: 17 April 2017].

WordPress vs Joomla Which CMS to Choose for Your Website

Choosing a Content Management System (CMS)  is an important decision that can have huge repercussions for your website. There are a number available, each with their own pros and cons, and fanatical fanbases pulling for their chosen platform. That being said, there are two platforms that stand out among the pack that can be directly compared:  WordPress  vs  Joomla.Both platforms are renowned for their ease-of-use, extensive customization opportunities, and active communities. While  WordPress and Joomla  have their respective pros and cons, they can both be employed to build modern, feature-filled sites – so how are you supposed to choose which one is right for you?Dont worry! Were here to help you by comparing both platforms in four adrenaline-filled rounds (we might be exaggerating a bit here) to determine which one reigns supreme. Without further ado, lets get started with WordPress vs  Joomla! Bluehost.If you want to build a website, the key aspect to think about is how comfortable you are with web software configuration, working with servers, and dealing with technical aspects of the process in general.Traditionally, Joomla is more geared towards developers who arent afraid to get their hands dirty working with servers. WordPress, on the other hand, is more beginner friendly and uber-easy to get started with.For example, the common path to starting a website with WordPress is as follows:Choose a web host for your site and sign up for an accountDuring the registration process, select an option to have WordPress installed automatically on your hosting account (yes, you dont have to install WordPress by yourself)Complete the hosting setup and log in to your WordPress dashboardConfigure your site, install a theme and some much-needed plugins(Heres an in-depth guide on how to make a website using WordPress.)Joomla, on the other hand, doesnt give you this sort of a hands-free approach. The hosts that do allow Joomla dont usually have those custom installation processes, meaning that youll have to do most things on your own.Not yet sure which is better for you between WordPress vs Joomla? Heres a detailed comparison:1. Search engine optimizationIf we compare the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) capabilities of both platforms out of the box, Joomla takes a slight edge due enabling its users to set meta descriptions and keywords for new articles, like so:That being said, the true SEO capabilities of either platform arent readily apparent unless we take a look at the plugins or extensions available for the task. On WordPress side, weve got the incredibly popular Yoast SEO plugin – its powerful, offers lots of features, and best of all anyone can get to grips with it in a matter of minutes.Yoast categorizes your SEO score in different areas using a traffic light system of red, yellow, or green colors. Furthermore, the plugin tells you exactly how to improve your score in each area – and if that wasnt enough, it also rates your posts readability.During our testing, we found Easy Frontend SEO (EFSEO) to be the best Joomla equivalent to Yoast. It enables you to carry out many of the same tasks – such as editing your meta information – directly on the front end of your site, and also includes a handy automatic mode for generating this data without your input.However, its clear that as handy as EFSEO is, its no match for Yoast. Due to this, round one of WordPress vs  Joomla goes to WordPress.2. SecurityWhen it comes to security, any system is only as strong as its weakest link – so the question is: which platform is more secure out of the box?Due to its popularity, WordPress has a giant target on its back when it comes to security vulnerabilities. Each WordPress install is unique thanks to the thousands of plugins  (theres a plugin for everything, from making charts to using pig latin) and themes available for the CMS.While this is a definite positive, its also a nig htmare from a security standpoint – its impossible to make sure that every plugin employs proper safety standards, and remains compatible with newer versions of the platform.Moreover, WordPress doesnt ship with basic features such as forcing a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) connection on its dashboard – you need to modify its core files to enable it – or Two-Factor Authentication (2FA). In fact, most of its advanced security features rely entirely on plugins.On the other hand, Joomla ships with both an option to force connections over SSL and another one for 2FA. In addition, it offers its own set of security extensions, and its developers maintain a list of those extensions with  known vulnerabilities.Round two of WordPress vs  Joomla goes to Joomla.3. Customization potentialWeve already covered some ground when it comes to WordPress plugins and Joomla extensions. Both CMSs have their own roster of plugins for the most conceivable of use cases – although WordPress wins hands down due to sheer number.However, when looking into the top plugins on each respective CMS, we feel WordPress offerings have a greater subjective polish. You dont need to take our word for it – a simple side by side comparison of two tools weve already mentioned, Yoast SEO and EFSEO (shown in that order), reflects this:While the latter offers just as many features as its WordPress counterpart, the former provides a better experience overall.Moving on, when it comes to customizing your sites style there are WordPress themes on one side and Joomla templates on the other, and the same story repeats itself here as with plugins. Not only is it easier to find high-quality WordPress themes, but they also often offer a higher level of support and a mostly better experience.Round three goes to WordPress.4. Content management and potentialBoth WordPress and Joomla are complex CMSs, enabling users to create and manage just about any type of website. Although WordPre ss is often associated with simple blogs, its also a great solution for landing pages  and even more complex sites.On the other hand, Joomla is renowned for its complexity – although it does offer some  fantastic documentation. A site built with Joomla can evolve into anything it wants, but the learning curve is much steeper for users with no experience in web development.Despite being equal when it comes to sheer potential, its fair to say that WordPress enables its users to manage their content with relative ease. Anyone can install the platform and pick up how to create posts, pages, or custom post types  within minutes, whereas Joomla is less forgiving.Taking all of this into consideration, we must award the final round of WordPress vs  Joomla to the former, which gives the overall contest to WordPress!ConclusionIn some  ways, Joomla is more flexible than WordPress. It offers an incredibly customizable system that can  take almost any shape you want, and it en ables you to implement a lot of small customizations without relying on extensions. However, between WordPress vs  Joomla there can only be one winner, and the crown must go to WordPress.It beats out Joomla when it comes to SEO, customization possibilities, and content management – so the choice is clear. Furthermore, WordPress is just plain simpler to pick up for new users, and its popularity gives it the added edge of providing users with a better support structure – its the cherry on top of the WordPress sundae.Again, if you want to learn how to build a website on WordPress step-by-step, heres our guide.If youre looking for a affordable WordPress host with easy-start features, check out Bluehost.Do you agree with our assessment on the WordPress vs  Joomla debate? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below! * This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and then purchase the product, well receive a s mall fee. No worries though, youll still pay the standard amount so theres no cost on your part.

Sample Essay Questions For Development Specialists

Sample Essay Questions For Development SpecialistsWhile a program may include a tutorial or sample essay questions for development specialists on its website, you can find out more about them yourself. They can help you in your studies and help you develop your skills. But you can also find more of the sample essay questions for development specialists online. Here are some things you need to know about them.The sample essay questions for development specialists are written by professionals who have the expertise to take care of these questions. Most of them are non-commercial, which means they are written with the sole intention of helping a student to be able to answer the essay question and improve his/her writing skills. They usually are part of a specific course or even an entire career-building curriculum. Many students have benefited from their services, especially those who have been interested in computer programming.The topics that you will find on these essays usually incl ude topics like language, software, and technology. You can also find general questions on subjects like leadership, business, management, finance, and technology.There are many online samples and guides that will help you learn how to write essays and make your own. Some of them will even assist you with the formatting of your essay to get it approved by college, universities, and other institutions.You need to have the confidence and skills to ace a college career and acquire a degree. You need to know that a career in the field of technology is usually demanding and at times, you might also need to work as an intern or in a temporary job, which will mean having to work hard. It is therefore important that you master the basics, not only to answer the sample essay questions for development specialists but also to be able to have a better understanding of how to answer even tougher essay questions for doctors, lawyers, and accountants.As you can see, there are many things you can l earn from these samples. Most colleges award these assignments on a yearly basis. This means that if you have the patience to follow the instructions of your instructor, you can then decide to complete the assignment. The only thing you need to remember is that this assignment is usually designed in such a way that it is easier for students who have an interest in writing.With all of the information at your disposal, take advantage of it to get more from it and to learn more from the written and helpful advice sources. Start from the beginning and start on the right foot by doing a search on the Internet for samples and guides for writing an essay. Use the resources available to better understand how to use your writing skills.

The Challenges African States Faced at Independence

The Challenges African States Faced at Independence One of the most pressing challenges African states faced at Independence was their lack of infrastructure. European imperialists prided themselves on bringing civilization and developing Africa, but they left their former colonies with little in the way of infrastructure. The empires had built roads and railroads - or rather, they had forced their colonial subjects to build them - but these were not intended to build national infrastructures. Imperial roads and railways were almost always intended to facilitate the export of raw materials. Many, like the Ugandan Railroad, ran straight to the coastline. These new countries also lacked the manufacturing infrastructure to add value to their raw materials. Rich as many African countries were in cash crops and minerals, they could not process these goods themselves. Their economies were dependent on trade, and this made them vulnerable. They were also locked into cycles of dependencies on their former European masters. They had gained political, not economic dependencies, and as Kwame Nkrumah - the first prime minister and president of Ghana - knew, political independence without economic independence was meaningless.   Energy Dependence The lack of infrastructure also meant that African countries were dependent on Western economies for much of their energy. Even oil-rich countries did not have the refineries needed to turn their crude oil into gasoline or heating oil. Some leaders, like Kwame Nkrumah, tried to rectify this by taking on massive building projects, like the Volta River hydroelectric dam project. The dam did provide much-needed electricity, but its construction put Ghana heavily into debt. The construction also required the relocation of tens of thousands of Ghanaians and contributed to Nkrumahs plummeting support in Ghana. In 1966, Nkrumah was overthrown.   Inexperienced Leadership At Independence, there were several presidents, like Jomo Kenyatta, had several decades of political experience, but others, like Tanzanias Julius Nyerere, had entered the political fray just years before independence. There was also a distinct lack of trained and experienced civil leadership. The lower echelons of the colonial government had long been staffed by African subjects, but the higher ranks had been reserved for white officials. The transition to national officers at independence meant there were individuals at all levels of the bureaucracy with little prior training.  In some cases, this led to innovation, but the many challenges that African states faced at independence were often compounded by the lack of experienced leadership. Lack of National Identity The borders Africas new countries were left with were the ones drawn in Europe during the Scramble for Africa with no regard to the ethnic or social landscape on the ground. The subjects of these colonies often had many identities that trumped their sense of being, for instance, Ghanaian or Congolese. Colonial policies that privileged one group over another or allocated land and political rights by tribe exacerbated these divisions. The most famous case of this was the Belgian policies that crystallized the divisions between Hutus and Tutsis in Rwanda that led to the tragic genocide in 1994. Immediately after decolonization, the new African states agreed to a policy of inviolable borders, meaning they would not try to redraw Africas political map as that would lead to chaos. The leaders of these countries were, thus, left with the challenge of trying to forge a sense of national identity at a time when those seeking a stake in the new country were often playing to individuals regional or ethnic loyalties.   Cold War Finally, decolonization coincided with the Cold War, which  presented another challenge for African states. The push and pull between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) made non-alignment a difficult, if not impossible, option, and those leaders who tried to carve third way generally found they had to take sides.   Cold War politics also presented an opportunity for factions that sought to challenge the new governments. In Angola, the international support that the government and rebel factions received in the Cold War led to a civil war that lasted nearly thirty years. These combined challenges made it difficult to establish strong economies or political stability in Africa and contributed to the upheaval that many (but not all!) states faced between the late 60s and late 90s.

Abstract Thinking (4 Tips for Writing an Abstract)

Abstract Thinking (4 Tips for Writing an Abstract) Abstract Thinking (4 Tips for Writing an Abstract) An abstract is a short summary of a larger work, providing a convenient way for readers to quickly comprehend its contents. This makes abstracts an essential part of academic writing. In fact, students and academics have to write abstracts for everything from funding applications and conference papers to PhD dissertations and textbooks. Learning how to write an effective abstract is, therefore, highly advised. 1. Descriptive or Informative? There are two main kinds of abstract: descriptive and informative. A descriptive abstract briefly describes the subject area and issue addressed by a paper. This may include the aims of the research and methods used, but not the results or conclusions. An informative abstract, meanwhile, should do everything that a descriptive abstract does plus outline any results, conclusions and recommendations made by the author. This makes it like a shortened version of the paper, rather than simply a description. Make sure you know what kind of abstract you’ve been asked to write. As a general rule, descriptive abstracts will be shorter (often no more than 100 words), while informative abstracts can be longer (check your style guide or ask your supervisor if you’re unsure). 2. Keywords You may be asked to provide a list of keywords as well as an abstract. These are important terms used for indexing and searching articles, making them vital to your work being found. Even if you’re not required to provide a list of keywords, including important terminology in your abstract is a good way of making it easier to access via databases and search engines. 3. Keeping it Self-Contained An abstract should be self-contained and tell readers everything they need to know before deciding whether to read a work in full. As such, avoid vague statements that require further explanation or confusing terminology that needs defining. One tip here is to have your abstract checked by someone who hasn’t read your work. If they can understand what your research is about from the abstract, you’re on the right track. If they react like this, however, redrafting might be a good idea. (Photo: LaurMG/wikimedia) 4. The Anatomy of an Abstract The exact content of your abstract will depend on the type of abstract you’ve been asked to write. Nevertheless, we can set out a few questions that a good abstract should answer: Motivations – Why is the research important? Why should the reader be interested? Problem – What problem are you addressing? What is the scope of your argument? Methodology – How do you attempt to solve the problem? Which variables are tested? What kind of data is gathered? Results – What results did you achieve? Is there key data that can be included here? Conclusion – What conclusions are drawn on the basis of the findings? Are any recommendations made as a result? If you touch upon all these factors, while being careful to stick to the word limit, you should end up with a high quality abstract suitable for publication.

Business strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Business strategy - Essay Example To start with, political and legal factors such as government instability, taxation law, legislation law, employment law, safety regulation, and foreign policy regulation. It is already been observed that future political decisions, such as alteration to taxes, will affects the trade of these retail businesses. As this is not enough, the retailers have found themselves following safety regulation policies (Carpenter, 2011:74). The report released by Reuters Business Insight shows that retail businesses continue to grow, but economic challenges seem to heighten up. The records on inflation rates, unemployment ratios, collapse of the global economy have characterized the industry. The Reuters have narrowed this trend as resulting in worldwide change in trade economies. The same conclusions carry the load of blame for the resultant changes in the retail industry. Notably, the financial instability affected sales of expensive product and consumer spending rate cut down. During recession, according to Euro monitor Market Research, inflation is inevitable hence affecting the trend in market prices of goods (Amato and Amato, 2012:436). Social factors still pose as a challenge to the Trade Industry. According to Reuters Business Insight, population statistics, lifestyle changes, consumer trends, and income distribution ratings have all influenced the Retail Industry. Even though the inclusion of technology comes as a boost in Today’s world, it has influenced the modalities of Retail Industry. The speed of technology, use of the internet, and innovation of new technologies in everyday business world create a challenge to the Retail Business. This has affected the supply chain since the promotion, and supply chain management links innovative come too quick to some retailers. Majority of them though offer their products through online (Newman & Cullen, 2002:120) Moreover, environmental factors hamper the development of these Retail Industries. Through company repor ts, the issues related to sustainability, environmental protections, desertification, and recycling impede their progress. Competitive Environment The internal competition in the retail industry is inevitable given the existing market and foreseeable innovations. The diversification of the market has rendered it so competitive, and this has seen the installed independent retailers overpowered by the continual rise of chain stores. In order to reach a wide variety of customers, the retailers have resulted in stocking large in these chain stores. This creates a barrier for the beginners. The industry is mature enough in terms of the industry life cycle making it impossible for fresh entrance to survive with the already existing stores. In addition, the power of suppliers has created a relevant competition, especially the bargaining power between retailers and suppliers on prices and supply. The probability of existing retailers taking more from existing and new suppliers is much possi ble as you compare this with any new vendor. Suppliers can easily establish links with existing product manufactures leaving an open chance to the power of buyers on the same product. Because of available alternatives, the buyer is able to go for the best available alternative. This results from standardization and undifferentiated products in the markets leading to lowering of products (LOUIS and Christie, 2012:438). Substitution of product is another way through which competition has entered

Survey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Survey - Essay Example This is possible since it obtains data from Google maps and tweeter and thus utilizes them as one. This paper is a summary of a thesis by Mahtab Arafat who proposes the development of a DaaSMashup Model, which will work with multiple DaaS providers to improve efficiency of data extracted from single DaaS Provider while maintaining high standards of privacy. Privacy-Preserving DaaSMashup framework should ensure that different DaaS provider have a platform where they can share data from their database with other DaaS on a secure platform. DaaSMachup systems will be very effective where DaaS provider cannot solely provide consumer’s data requirement. The result of integration of different DaaS providers can result to provision of clients with data high levels of accuracy, efficiency, and reliability. Some of the reasons that cause reluctance to the willingness of DaaS providers to share their data include data quality, privacy concerns, and the ability to match a data request. Cloud based framework for the preservation of the DaaS mashup is critical for enhancing the security of the DaaS providers. This paper is critical in providing information on greedy algorithm to the providers’ of DaaS mashup. In essence, the paper explores the measures of securely integrating the data from many DaaS providers. These providers are critical in preserving the security and privacy of the resultant mashup data. A client may be willing to pay a price for a specific nature of data however the DaaS provider may lack enough data on their database to present to the client. Even with privacy issues put to concerned care should be taken to ensure that the data quality obtained after the integration of the systems is not compromised. The privacy concerns about data involves the fact that private data on respondents being licked. Most organizations are against private data of their getting on to the wrong hands as this poses