Stock Market and Disk Drive Operations

Question: – Why is Seagate undertaking this transaction? Is it necessary to divest the Veritas shares in a separate transaction? Who are the winners and losers resulting from the transaction? Solution: – Seagate is undertaking this transaction to generate significant wealth gains for Seagate shareholders. There is a value gap generates due to Seagate’s VERITAS stake. VERITAS stake value exceeds the entire market capitalization of the Seagate. Seagate faces two problems because of VERITAS stake. First, the company’s core disk drive operations were not receiving full value in the market. Second, the company would incur a significant tax liability if the company attempt to monetize its VERITAS stake be selling the shares. Yes, it is necessary to divest the VERITAS shares in a separate transaction. It helps the company to save itself from tax liabilities and distributing the VERITAS stock tax free to its shareholders. The Seagate shareholders are definitely winner if the two-step transaction will happen. The shareholders of Seagate get higher value of disk drive operations and tax free shares of VERITAS. The Seagate Management is also winner. They get rid of tax liabilities related to VERITAS stocks and get full value of disk drive operations. The VERITAS also feel like winner as they get higher number of stocks in exchange of lesser number of stocks. Question: – Does the negative value of Seagate’s operating assets imply markets are inefficient? Solution: – The negative value of Seagate’s operating assets implies that markets are inefficient. The core disk drive operations do not receive its full value in the market. Seagate’s Management thinks that disk drive operations value is larger than what the value is in market. This shows that markets are inefficient. Question: – Why might a negative value exist? Solution: – Tax liabilities: – The negative value of the Seagate’s operating assets is due to tax liabilities which the company is facing because of VERITAS stocks. Other liabilities : – Fear that managers will destroy value: – The negative value of the Seagate’s operating assets is not due to fear that managers will destroy value. Moreover, the investors have trust in the managers of the Seagate that’s why they want to retain the top management of the Seagate in the newly build company.

Reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 25

Reading response - Essay Example Such portraits provided a chance for an individual to self-express and self-seek (Rosen 866). However, there has been a drastic change in form of self-expression. The change has occurred through emergence of numerous social sites. The most common social sites are listed as MySpace and Facebook. The sites offer an opportunity for the viewers to look at individual life as well as offer comments on such life expressed through online community (Rosen 866). As a result, the author notes that these sites are used by individuals mostly to get attention. On the other hand, the author provides a history perspective of the online social networks. These networks are shown to change and emerge as time progresses. The earliest online social networks are listed as the Bulletin Board systems said to have started in 1980,s (Rosen 867). The network provided a platform for users to send public messages, send and receive private messages, as well as exchange of software (Rosen 867). However, more pronounces social sites emerged in the 21st century. Such sites include Friendster, MySpace, and Facebook. The sites attracted millions of uses in this era. Other social sites are expected to emerge in the future. On the other hand, social sites are shown to play various roles in the society. First, the sites have been shown to provide an opportunity for those that make it in life to get attention. Moreover, the sites have also laid a platform for advertisers to market their products such as record labels and film studios (Rosen 868). These sites are also shown to play a significant role in politics. Politicians are shown to use sites to enlist followers and express their policies. Additionally, the author offers a comparative analysis of the popular social sites. The most popular are shown to be MySpace and Facebook. The sites are shown to be simple in setting online identity (Rosen 869). On the other hand, majority of Americans are shown to be a heavy

Are We Academic Capitalists Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Are We Academic Capitalists - Assignment Example The current trend of education is grounded on academic capitalism. Faculty and students are viewed in terms of generating revenue and commercial value. Capitalism includes the reshaping the organizational sites, professional workforce, and terms of academic responsibilities to achieve the goals of the academic capitalists. The United States school program is integrated with the monopolistic capitalism. The line between the public and private institution was unclear. To financially survive, schools trained students to fill the needs of industry. Faculty members are defined as managed professionals. The following cases show capitalism is permeating the academic institutions. Case1. An increasingly part time profession. In Eastern Oregon State College and other academic institutions, the academic capitalists to hire terminated full time faculty members as part time teachers. Later, the part time faculty was reduced to teach only status. Lastly, the same faculty member was retrenched. Ca se 2. An increasingly managed profession. In 1982, the President of Sonoma State University insisted he had to revise the current programs. The school had to resolve the declining enrollment issue. Resolution included retrenchment of 53 full time faculty members. Senior was the basis for terminating faculty members. Case 3. An increasingly Capitalistic Profession, globally. Ronald Collins, New Wave University in Australia, Water Systems Institute head. Collins use direct product revenues, grants, and royalties to financially keep his group surviving. The institute generated more funds compared to the University. The institute hired more employees compared faculty members. Case 4. Increasingly commoditized faculty-graduate student relationships. At Nouveau University, commercialization of the academic institution widened the gap between faculty members and the students. Part time faculty members have increase by more than 43 percent. Businesses partnered with schools to generate mark ets for a new product or service. Full time faculty members were replaced by part time faculty members. PART II. The article The Neo-Liberal University (Slaugher &&Rhoades, 2000) emphasized public colleges and universities typify the neoliberalism-based entities. The academe supports the corporate competitiveness by playing major parts in the knowledge-based global economy. The academe trains students to blend with industry by becoming industry’s future leaders or managers of major corporations. Likewise, schools train students to create products and processes to fill the needs of the business industry players. Basically, the major goal of schools is to fill industry’s need for global competitiveness. Academic capitalism includes the public colleges and universities’ investment in business ventures. The ventures include startup companies precipitating from the cooperative efforts of the faculty and student s. with the academic setup, the schools’ startup companies do not have to suffer the pains of unprofitable or unsuccessfully business ventures, unlike non-academic business ventures. Public support cushions the ill effects of unsuccessful business ventures. The schools serve the educational needs of students who can afford to pay their school fees. The students use grants, loans and other sources to pay for their educational trainings. The academic institutions’ implementation of a market model translated to a restructuring that benefits the professional and high technology

Discuss the specific factors within the current external environment Essay

Discuss the specific factors within the current external environment that must be considered prior to the development of a new - Essay Example Teenagers drink and behave that way because of youngsters’ culture that is influenced by peer pressure. This behaviour is extended in order to get someone to act in a similar way, and often, teenagers drink because everybody else is doing it. Peer pressure encourages teenagers to change their behaviour either on a negative and positive way (Wise Geek). It may be dangerous to children, especially the younger or insecure children. In group gatherings of teenagers, they may be encouraged to take dangerous actions simply because everybody else is drinking alcohol. Another external environment that is a very important consideration is the competitive condition in the market. This requires an analysis of the competitive environment that the business will operate. Some businesses may offer similar products that the company is contemplating on doing. Thus, it becomes necessary that an analysis consist of study of the strengths and weaknesses of the soft drink industry in UK, as well a s the company’s own strengths and weaknesses; a study of the demographics and desires of marketplace customers, and barriers that can impede the introduction the new soft drink (Competitive analysis). First, it is important to discover the magnitude of competition in the soft drinks manufacturer in the market. Then, there is need to consider the chances of the new soft drinks on how it will compare and compete in this market. Second, what are the taste preferences of the teenagers when it comes to soft drinks? For instance, competition in the industry includes giants such as Coke and Pepsi. The study should look into reasons why companies like Coke and Pepsi succeed, or why others failed. For example, why did Pepsi â€Å"BLUE† fail in the market when it was introduced in 2004? It is worth looking into what are the motivational factors that encourage people to buy a product. Let us look at Pepsi â€Å"Blue† again. Pepsi spent a lot of money in its development, ad vertisements and promotions, but after a while, it lacked the needed luster to remain in the market (PepsiCo – bolt from the â€Å"Blue†) Technological factors are also vital consideration for development of new soft drinks in the market. We all know that technology is fast changing and this likewise change the production process and product innovations. The relevant factor here is the product presentation or packaging, its appeal and process needed. In the ready to drink category of the new soft drink, what is the most appropriate for the 11-15 teenage market; will it come in an aluminium can, tetra-packs or in bottles. Comes next is the appropriate theme in the brand labels to create an appeal. For instance, Mountain Dew became a popular drink when it turned into aluminium cans, and used eye appealing labels as well as durability, fast chilling capability and recyclability (Shelf Impact, 2008) Economic environment becomes an important factor of analysis because these are the taxation, government spending, general demand,

Week 3-4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Week 3-4 - Assignment Example Quality literacy learning happens when students are offered the opportunities to appreciate recreational and creative aspect of the entire literature and other kinds of texts (Nixon, Comber, with Grant, & Wells, 2010). The curriculum should therefore allow students to fully participate in the society. The program should involve among other forms of support an emphasis on independent reading and independent writing alongside critical literacy to achieve independent learning for diverse learners. This should be crowned by a proper ongoing assessment that involves the following: running records, observation surveys, observation checklists, rubrics, anecdotal records, and marking scales. Using an ‘inquiry stance’ permits teachers to analyze the dynamics and complexities of their classroom communities as well as to design curriculum basing on their knowledge/understanding of students in their circumstances (Nixon, Comber, with Grant, & Wells, 2010). This means, teacher-researchers in schools teaching diverse students bring social circumstance into the foreground; they take into social circumstance to be more than the ‘background’ to the lives of their students’. This approach makes the cultural and linguistic diversity of families a property rather than a deficit. The discussion here follows the work of a teacher who combines critical approach literacy with a property model of cultural diversity (Laura & Carol, 2008). This involves, foregrounding students’ cultural and linguistic resources in the curriculum to generate high quality literature results for diverse learners. The school I teach, it serves a diverse community of students. This includes significant numbers of languages speakers other than English in each classroom. This means that in there are collaborations between teachers to help linguistically and culturally diverse students to develop their literacy in English and other learning

Customer Service- Reflection Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Customer Service- Reflection Paper - Assignment Example My perspective on customer service centers on the immense benefits that it has on the organization. In this regard, therefore, I believe that it is essential for any organization to undertake customer service in order to equip employees with excellent customer relations qualities (Online Trainees, 2013). When I first learnt about customer service, I found some ideas quite interesting to me. One of the most interesting ideas was research; I came to learn that any customer training program has to incorporate research. This helps the organization to understand the needs of their customers. Another important idea is training; employees have to be subjected to training on a continuous basis as this helps them the needs of customers. My philosophy of customer service is based on the belief that customers are crucial in determining the success of an organization. As such, employees of the customer service department should possess the requisite knowledge on how to handle customers. As a customer service manager, I will apply the concepts of this course my job. The principles will help me manage my staff and teach them skills on how to handle customers with care. Apple can be credited as a company that provides excellent customer service. Over the years, Apple has provided customer service through an online platform that allows customers to get support from the staff. Through such a platform, customers can gain knowledge on the products offered by the company and the availability of the

Kant and Hegel on the Foundation of the State Essay Example for Free

Kant and Hegel on the Foundation of the State Essay Kant and Hegel could not be farther from one another on the question of the state and its moral foundation. It is uncertain even if they define the term â€Å"state† in the same way. Kant remains within the Enlightenment contract tradition, while Hegel leans more towards an intellectual rendering of the romantic and nationalist approach to states and their foundations. (NB–the citations below refer to paragraphs, not pages) Kant holds that there are two major reasons why the state must exist. First, while mankind is not violently predisposed one to another prior to the development of legislation, disputes will have no competent judge prior to the development of the state (44). Hence, even a gentle disposition will render the state necessary in that public right must have a means of enforcing its claims. Here, â€Å"public right† is defined as those sum of laws that bring human beings into rational and orderly contact with one another (43). But further, regardless of the actual condition of man in the state of nature, Kant holds that, at the very least, the only real motive for action is â€Å"that which seems right† to each person, and each group of persons. But these two entities, the individual and groups of persons, both demand the creation of a state: the individual for the sake of rational laws, and the group for the sake of mutual protection against aggression. Either way, the only maxim is â€Å"that which seems right† to the entity in question. The major difference between the state of nature (in which Kant seems to lean towards the Lockeian view) and the civil world is that the laws and agreements that may well develop prior to the state are given the sanction of public law. They are given the means of enforcement. Without enforcement, the same reason that Locke gives for leaving the state of nature holds: the each is the judge in his own case, rendering there no objective and impartial standard (or agency, more accurately) of justice. Kant offers a subtle typology of the nature of civil life, far different from what will develop in Hegel. First, the sum of laws, manifesting a rightful, pre-political relation among individuals under an objective agency is the public right, and living in this state is a civil mode of life. Kant seems to overlap the definitions of constitution and civil right substantially, but at least, the concept of the â€Å"civil† is not an institution, but a state of living and a state of mind where the civil agency is considered right and just, and thus has the right to enforce public right. The state is the sum of all of these: the civil society under a constitution that manifests the proper and rational relations among citizens. There is nothing in Kant that rejects the idea that these relations will develop in a pre-political state as in Locke. Hence, it is rational to hold that Kant is a Lockeian, the state simply existing to judge disputes over property. Even more, in paragraph 47, the legislature is to be the highest form and expression of the state in that the people are fully and completely represented. Here, Rousseau is to be found, since, in this paragraph, the â€Å"people† and the â€Å"legislature† are really one in the same. Rousseau would reject the idea of representation both in Locke and Kant, but the idea is the same: the legislature is the highest organ of the state, the very objectification of the constitution and the popular will. Hence, given the above definitions, the legislature is really the manifestation of the constitution and the civil condition, and a smoothly functioning legislature would be the objectification of the state. To some extent, the legislature being the â€Å"united will of the people† (47) is the real de-ontological basis of state authority. Regardless of the social contract, the legislature can be united with Kant’s more abstract ethics by holding that the legislature is the manifesting of duty: the condition of both universality and autonomy, the latter referring to the lack of any â€Å"special interest† connected to either moral judgements/maxims or civil legislation. If the legislature is the â€Å"united will of the people† then it fits nicely into a de-ontological box, since universality is the maxim of civil legislation in this case. Hegel takes a completely different approach. The Philosophy of Right is a far more satisfying approach to the state than either Kant or Locke, since the state is not merely a sum of laws representing the population, but a synthesis of all other forms of social life and historical development. For Hegel, the development of the state (and one can be suspicious as to whether or not Kant would even define the state this way), is not merely a historical process, but a psychological one as well: the stat is the highest manifestation of human nature manifest in history. It is easy to see how the development of the three general stages in morality, the family, the free market and the state itself, all develop from a specific schema of history. Familial relations were long dominant in social life, but the Enlightenment broke these down, leading to the minds of Locke and Kant, the state is a synthesis of these two, and the completion of the development of human nature as a moral entity. While the history is simple and a little arbitrary, it follows a common Hegelian pattern of unreflective community (the family), individualism ( the market, or â€Å"civil society†), and the concrete, reflective community in the state. There is a far more complex history of European development that Hegel deals with, though it is not found in the POR, but in other writings. The family is the principle of unreflective unity (158). This is in that the family is not based on rational principles (though it does play a rational role), but is united only in love and the willingness to sacrifice. Only when the children grow and the family breaks down does reflection enter into the human person as they function in civil society, the free market where the main motivation is no longer love, but gain and â€Å"expressing oneself. † This is an abstract individualism that can not last. Dialectically, the individual in civil society realizes that a society cannot be based on the individual since social life and economic production are based on a communal approach to living: society can only function as a unit, not a collection of individuals arbitrarily doing their thing. Hence, the corporation develops (250-251), which is a largely economic entity similar to a guild, that manifests the community latent in civil society,. It is the corporations that eventually reveal the seeds of the state, or the unity of corporate bodies, and though here, the development of civil law and right. Hegel does not accept the idea of a contract. The mythology of the state of nature is something that may be found in psychology, but not in history. In the beginning of the POR, the will is seen as â€Å"purely abstract,† that is, completely free, having no restraints, but also having no purpose or end (15). The development of ends for ht will is the real foundation of the POR and Hegel’s mature social theory. The will demands content, that is, guidance and direction. History has given humanity this in the three states of family, market and state. These mentalities have all developed throughout history, but only in the first half of the 19th century have humanity been able to see how they all rationally fit together in an all inclusive unity. Previous societies merely held a one sided approach to things, where one entity was given dominance over everything else. The will seeks content, moral purpose, but it also seeks unity and balance in a rational schema of relations. None of the entities of family or civil society are swallowed in the Hegelian state, they remain, but they remain secondary elements in the broader state, having their latent potential manifest in the state itself (260). This is in that the love of the family is given its reflective basis in the state as an ethic unity, manifesting its own history and struggles, but it also completes the abstract individualism of the market, in that the unity is a reflective one, based on reason and the development of this social reason in the market itself, where communitarian ideas develop in the actual behavior of economic production and consumption which is a communal idea. This paper is far too short to do justice to these giants, but the basic outline is clear: Kant remains in the Enlightenment tradition, being a good generation before Hegel. Kant pictures a simple state of nature which requires a rational legislature, representing the concept of universality, to judge disputes. On the other hand, Hegel approaches the state as an organic unity, not a creation of contract. Ultimately, the two are irreconcilable, and the Romantic era had its rarified champion in Hegel. References: Kant, Immanuel. The Metaphysics of Morals. Trans Mary Gregor. Cambridge University Press, 1996 Hegel, GWF. The Philosophy of Right. Trans TM Knox. Oxford University Pres