Basic Finance :: Business Finance Analysis

The main purpose of studying finance is to gain an understanding of the financial performance of a company, corporation or industry. By looking at a company's financial performance, decisions can be made about many things by many different players. Corporations are rated by different agencies that examine financial records and potential for growth. Fitch ratings are a good example of this. My employer has an A++ Fitch rating. This high rating allows a non-profit company to borrow money at lower interest rates. In a publicly held company, which is one that has shareholders, the main concern is to keep the shareholders happy. Shareholders infuse corporations they believe in (usually based on financial performance) with capital. When a company is considered a poor financial risk, the public will not be in a hurry to buy its stock. So who is affected by finance? Shareholders, as mentioned previously, are the focus in publicly traded companies. They are not the only people who think about financials, however. The CEO, CFO and any other "C" position have accountability to report to the board about the financial performance of the company. Management is responsible for creating and maintaining both capital and operational budgets. Employees are required to maintain certain standards of productivity. Customers are affected by finances as well. Consider gas prices, and how increased costs in production are passed on to the consumer. When looking at a company's finances, there are essentially four items to consider: the income statement, the price earnings ratio, the balance sheet, and the statement of cash flows, (Block, 2005). The income statement is a tool used to measure profitability over a given period of time, i.e. quarterly, annual. The income statement evaluates the cost of producing goods or services and the money that was made as a result of selling those goods/services. Gross profit and net earnings are two key features to look at. The price earnings ratio measures the relative valuation of earnings, (Block, 2005). This is a way of looking at how your company's stock earnings compare to other companies both within and outside your industry. This ratio is affected by many variables like marketability, sales growth, and the debt-equity structure of a company.

Renewable energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Renewable energy - Essay Example In the 1970 though, the first awareness of the need to raise awareness on the use of natural sources of energy had been realized through the first Earth Day. The said need is due to the discovered negative effect of the scarcity of fuel to power the planet’s need for energy. From the said concern, sustainability had been a trend but is continuously becoming a need (Maczulak, 2009). The study is aimed to explore the concept of renewable energy which specifically includes the definition of the concept, the different types, the effects and the implementation of the methods. Methodology The study is undertaken through library-based research of both primary empirical data and secondary references. The main aim in the search for references to be used in the research is to find sources that generally explore the concept of renewable energy. There are two types of references used namely reference books and journal articles. The reference books are used for the definition of the differ ent concepts and other secondary data while the journal articles are used to gather both primary empirical data and secondary review data. Results The use of renewable energy is related the concept of sustainability which is related to the proper use of resources such as land, clean water, clean air, and the species diversity in nature. One of the main issues of sustainability is the sources of the energy needed to answer the needs of the world. Energy sustainability is the specific concept that targets the efficient use of energy and the implementation of techniques that can both save the two types of energy sources, the natural fuels and the renewable resources (Maczulak, 2009, p.26). Types of Renewable Resource Renewable sources of energy are materials that can be replenished easily such as sun or solar energy; wind power; ocean waves; water flows and tides; heat flows and stored heat; and biomass (Sorensen, 2004, p.210). For each of the said sources of renewable energy, there ar e techniques and methods used to extract and store energy. There effectiveness of the method lies on the application and optimization of available resources. Thus, every nation and locality needs to efficiently use the locally available renewable resources to increase the sustainability and to lessen the costs involved (Wengenmayr and Burhrke, 2008). One of the main renewable energy sources promoted on the basis of sustainability is the solar energy. This is considered as the most basic and readily available. Thus, the technology that can capture, store and utilize the power of the sun can make a significant difference. Different developments regarding the use of solar energy are being undertaken in various places around the world. An example is the development of solar concentrators by the engineers of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) which will be combined with solar films thus surfaces such as windows can gather solar power (Maczulak, 2009, p.108). In the European region, sustainability and the use of renewable energy sources is considered as an important part of the social policies. In 2007, the use of renewable sources of energy had been set on a comprehensive directive to intensify the 2001 directive thus covering the electrical power, heat and mobility. In Germany, Austria, and Greece, solar thermal usage is the main energy source. Biomass is the main source of energy in France specifically used to answer the heat consumption of the country. In other countries such as Sweden, Finland, and

Leading and Managing in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leading and Managing in Nursing - Essay Example The use of improved technologies enables our organization to reduce the risks of the healthcare-associated diseases, helps to identify the individuals who have severe conditions during admission to the hospital. According to Yoder-Wise (2015), the use of better electronic technologies enables the medical staff to apply universal protocol to avoid wrong procedures, wrong sites, and wrong patient in non-surgical and surgical procedures. The hospital in New York is among the best in the area because they have a systematic plan meant to maintain quality services for the patients since it is essential for the provision of improved healthcare. Our facility has various formal quality committees that ensure the provision of better services at the health center. The committees in my hospital include; the risk management and patient safety, ethics, infection control, quality of care, and disaster committees among others. The nurses are involved in the quality committees by complying to the rules and regulations set by the heads of the committees, for instance the ethics committee advocates for patients and members of staff to be treated with respect and provided with affordable health care while the quality care committee ensures that patients are safe and get the right medication when they are sick. Issues are brought to the attention of the quality committee when the patients complain about the conduct of a certain employ ee at the hospital, when the employees feel they are overworked and need more resources and manpower to help in the delivery of services, and when the hospital needs to upgrade their facilities due to advancement in technology. I think the quality improvement process could be enhanced by ensuring that all members of staff are part of at least one or more committees and take part in the decision making roles in order to feel appreciated and strive to meet the  goals and objectives of the facility.