What Are Business and Technical Reports

A report is a document that presents information in an organized format for a specific audience and purpose. Although summaries  of reports may be delivered orally, complete reports are almost always in the form of written documents. In Contemporary Business Reports, Kuiper and Clippinger define business reports as organized, objective presentations of observations, experiences, or facts used in the decision-making process. Sharma and Mohan define a technical report as a written statement of the facts of a situation, project, process or test; how these facts were ascertained; their significance; the conclusions that have been drawn from them; and [in some cases] the recommendations that are being made in Business Correspondence and Report Writing. Types of reports include memos, minutes, lab reports, book reports, progress reports, justification reports, compliance reports, annual reports, and policies and procedures. Observations H. Dan OHair, James S. ORourke, and Mary John OHair, Business Communication: A Framework for Success Reports can fulfill four different, and sometimes related, functions. They can be used as controls to ensure that all departments are functioning properly, to give information, to provide an analysis, and to persuade others to act. Characteristics of Effective Reports Shirley Kuiper and Dorinda Clippinger,  Contemporary Business Reports Effective reports are understood by the reader as the writer intended, and they influence the reader to act as the writer desired. The writers objectives are most likely to be achieved if they correspond with the needs and objectives of the reader. An effective report is empathetic, accurate, complete, concise, and clear. Above all, an effective report presents information ethically. Warren Buffet on Communicating With an Audience Warren Buffet, Foreword to A  Plain English Handbook One unoriginal but useful tip: Write with a specific person in mind. When writing Berkshire Hathaways annual report, I pretend that Im talking to my sisters. I have no trouble picturing them: though highly intelligent they are not experts in accounting or finance. They will understand plain English, but jargon may puzzle them. My goal is simply to give them the information I would wish them to supply me if our positions were reversed. To succeed, I dont need to be Shakespeare; I must, though, have a sincere desire to inform. Long  and Short Reports John M. Lannon, Technical Communication In the professional world, decision-makers rely on two broad types of reports: Some reports focus primarily on information (what were doing now, what we did last month, what our customer survey found, what went on at the department meeting). But beyond merely providing information, many reports also include analysis (what this information means for us, what courses of action should be considered, what we recommend, and why). For every long (formal) report, countless short (informal) reports lead to informed decisions on matters as diverse as the most comfortable office chairs to buy to the best recruit to hire for management training. Unlike long reports, most short reports require no extended planning, are quickly prepared, contain little or no background information, and have no front or end matter (title page, table of contents, glossary, etc). But despite their conciseness, short reports do provide the information and analysis that readers need. Sources Kuiper, Shirley. Contemporary Business Reports. Dorinda Clippinger, 5th Edition, Cengage Learning, February 6, 2012. Lannon, John M. Technical Communication. Laura J. Gurak, 14th Edition, Pearson, January 14, 2017. Office of Investor Education and Assistance. A Plain English Handbook. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, August 1998, Washington, D.C. OHair, Dan. Business Communication: A Framework for Success.  James S. ORourke, Mary John OHair, 1st Edition, Cengage Learning, April 7, 2000. Sharma. Business Correspondence And Report Writing. 5th Edition, Mc Graw Hill India, July 1, 2017.

The Theme of Love in The Sun Also Rises - 648 Words

Love is a universal language; it is something that everyone understands. It does not necessarily have to be spoken of; instead it can be shown through people’s action. In most novels love is an unseen character yet it plays this strong force that moves the story along. Ernest Hemingway writes about a group of people who are trapped in a wearisome game of love. In The Sun Also Rises Jake Barnes, the protagonist, is a journalist whose war injury causes him to be handicapped. He is madly in love with Lady Brett who loves him in return. However, they cannot complete their relationship because of Jake’s injury. Therefore all he can do is helplessly watch as Brett dates other men. Their forbidden love is similar to the story of Romeo and†¦show more content†¦This is because the woman he loves brought another man while she knows that he loves her. Hemingway did not have to describe the anger or frustration Jake was encountering instead he used dialogue to show us ho w angry was. Hemingway also uses dialogue as a way to distinguish a specific class in society. On page 69, Brett introduces an African drummer to Jake. This African drummer lived in France for a decent amount of time, however due to his poor education his dialect is slurred. I think that his skin color probably placed him on the bottom of the social ladder contributing to his poor education. Imagery also plays a significant role in this story. Unlike many authors Hemingway’s descriptions are simple. His imagery also enables the reader to understand the characters’ feelings. â€Å"Her eyes looked flat again† (35), Hemingway uses Brett’s eyes to describe her unhappiness. Throughout the novel the readers can â€Å"see† the way Brett feels through her eyes. Hemingway specifically uses her eyes to describe her emotions, while he uses dialogue for other characters. Hemingway also uses vivid and simple words to illustrate the setting. â€Å"[†¦]rolling and grassy[†¦]the grass was short from the sheep grazing† (121). Although his imagery is straightforward it allows the audience to experience a more realistic setting, rather than a over-the-top setting. His imagery also allows room for imagination, in many casesShow MoreRelated Ernest Hemingway Essay868 Words   |  4 Pages Ernest Hemingway: A Literary Marvel â€Å"One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth forever . . . The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to the place where he arose . . . The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits . . . .All the rivers run into the sea; ye the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they returnRead MoreThe Great Gatsby Modernism1513 Words   |  7 PagesOne strong theme of modernism in literature is the attack and or decline of The American Dream. The American Dream is the idea that everyone, men, and women, have an equal opportunity to achieve wealth, success and or happiness through determination, and hard work, in other words, the pursuit of happiness. Two writers that illustrate this theme of modernism are F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, and Ernest Hemingway, author of The Sun Also Ri ses. From the outside, one may think TheRead MoreThemes in The Sun Also Rises Essay835 Words   |  4 PagesThemes in The Sun Also Rises One theme that I found recurring throughout the novel, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, was love. Lady Brett Ashley was a beautiful woman who seemed to be irresistible to the men she became acquainted with. For example Robert Cohn, Bill Gorton, Pedro Romero, Mike Campbell, and last but not least Jake Barnes. Brett was ex ¬ tremely vulnerable to the charm that various men in her life seemed to smother her with. Brett was not happy with her lifeRead MoreEssay about Controlled Assessment of Love Relationships1291 Words   |  6 Pagessee many themes presented in the literatures I will be writing about in this essay. However, the themes we see in Romeo and Juliet, The Sun Rising and To His Coy Mistress are mainly similar. The main themes in these three pieces of literature that are similar are the way women are treated by men, marriage and love. These three pieces of literature all explore love or falling in love. However, in all three of these literatures, there is something that obstructs either the couples love to workRead MoreThe Sun Also Rises By Ernest Hemingway1649 Words   |  7 PagesThe Sun Also Rises Ernest Hemingway Introduction Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises is a classic work of American prose, and is essential to understanding the social climate of the 1920’s, and the â€Å"Lost Generation†. Hemingway’s motley cast of star-crossed lovers, rabble-rousers, expatriates, gamblers, and burgeoning alcoholics reflect the excitement, loneliness, and disillusionment experienced by Hemingway and his contemporaries. In addition, the post-war angst of young people of the time isRead MoreThe Sonnets Of Shakespeare s Sonnets1396 Words   |  6 Pagesthe poem itself. For instance, a man may be deeply in love, and yet if he does not change to be a poet, his expressions of that love will probably be high-flown†¦ On the other hand, a real poet may feel intense, noble, and lofty emotion over an imagined situation, as is proved by the very existence of the poetic drama.† (Sutherland. â€Å"The Sincerity of Shakespeare s Sonnets) Simply put, someone who is not a poet is likely to portray their love in flamboyant ways and hyperbolic statements, whereas aRead MoreMasculinity in Hemingway ´s The Sun Also Rises756 Words   |  4 PagesHemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises has his male characters struggling with what it means to be a man in the post-war world. With this struggle one the major themes in the novel emits, masculine identity. Many of these â€Å"Lost Generation† men returned from that war in dissatisfaction with their life, the main characters of Hemingway’s novel are found among them. His main characters find themselves drifting, roaming around France and Spain, at a loss for something meaningful in their lives. The charactersRead MoreThe Four Of Us Are Talking About When We Talk About Love By Raymond Carver1258 Words   |  6 PagesTalk About Love† by Raymond Carver is a story about four friends having drinks and conversing about what love means to them. Terri tells a story of her former partner, Ed, who used to phy sically abuse her and claims that he did so out of love. Mel, who is a cardiologist, tells a story of this who couple who was in a terrible car accident, and while healing the old man was saddened because he could not turn over and look at his wife due to the casts restricting his movements. Mel also goes on to sayRead MoreErnest Hemingway s The Sun Also Rises1353 Words   |  6 Pagesemotion or to get an important lesson or theme across to the readers. Other authors write to create a picture for others to see as the author sees it. Ernest Hemingway creates The Sun Also Rises to do both jobs. It’s a lot harder to visualize something if there is not enough description, but Hemingway uses the right amount of detail to paint a picture of every lesson he wants to teach. Colors are a very important part of describing how things look, and they can also be used relatively with a strong characteristicRead MoreEssay on Disillusionment in Hemingway ´s The Sun Also Rises1433 Words   |  6 PagesThe Sun Also Rises, grasps this very subject in a subliminal way; one must accurately analyze Hemingway’s somber tone and sparse writing style in order to find the hidden symbolism and themes captured within this literary work. His protagonist, Jake Barnes, has certainly experienced prodigious pain, but according to Hemingway, he must heal himself fully in order for the pain he endured to be worth it whatsoever. Through its contrasting concepts and facade of leading a fulfilled life, The Sun Also

Ann Taylor Survival in Specialty Retail

Question: Discuss on focus on value concepts that appeal to customers in the current market scenario? Answer: ANN operates LOFT as well as factory outlet stores which carry products priced lower than those offered by the Ann Taylor brand. Pricing at LOFT is significantly lower than its sister concept Ann Taylor, and it has significantly better value proposition. ANN made a conscious decision to continue to expand the LOFT concept given its broader appeal. The company opened 38 LOFT stores in FY2014. Ann Taylor Factory and LOFT outlet stores offer past season best sellers from the Ann Taylor and LOFT merchandise collections, respectively, and are extensions of those brands in the outlet environment. The company opened 14 new LOFT outlet stores and seven Ann Taylor factory stores in FY2014. Over the past several years, the outlet business fared comparatively well as consumers increasingly visited outlet stores seeking deeper value over traditional malls and strip centers. Consumer spending has been depressed due to the economic downturn and there has been an increase in the price sensitive customer base. The factory outlets and LOFT stores with presence in the value segment increase the potential customer base for the company. Additionally, ANN is better positioned to sustain competition from discounters and other value retailers without diluting its brand image. Reliance on third-party manufacturers ANN does not own or operate any manufacturing facilities and depends on independent third parties to manufacture its merchandise. Therefore, the continued success of the company's operations is tied to its timely receipt of quality merchandise from third-party manufacturers. If the manufacturer is unable to ship orders on time or meet the quality standards, it could cause delays in responding to consumer demands and negatively influence consumer confidence in the quality and value of the company's brands. Furthermore, ANN is susceptible to increases in sourcing costs from manufacturers which the company may not be able to pass on to the customer. All of these reasons could have a material adverse impact on the company's financial condition and its competitive market position. Dependence on a single distribution center and third party distribution in the US For majority of its merchandise, right from the receipt to its distribution to the stores in the US, ANN depends on a single distribution center located in Louisville, Kentucky. A portion of ANN's merchandise is distributed to the stores through third-party distribution centers located in City of Industry, California and Toronto, Canada. Merchandise sold on the company's websites www.anntaylor.com and www.loft.com is delivered by a third-party fulfillment vendor located in Bolingbrook, Illinois. Any interruption in the operations of the Louisville distribution center or of the distribution operations of these third parties could adversely impact ANN's ability to distribute merchandise to the stores. This could result in lower sales, loss of brand loyalty, increased costs and inventory issues which, in turn, could have a negative impact on the company's Consumer traits A number of industry players, including Chico's FAS Inc. and Ann Inc., specifically target affluent women through private-label brands with high prices. The success of these brands depends on the income levels of consumers and their willingness to spend more on clothing than is necessary. Underpinning an anticipated 2.0% increase in industry revenue in 2015, consumer confidence and per capita disposable income are both expected to rise in the coming year, indicating healthy retail conditions in the United States. Growth in a specialized stores industry requires a strong consumer economy. Women's clothing stores' reliance on wealthy customers is illustrated by consumers from lower income brackets spending less on women's apparel in 2013, while consumers earning $150,000 or more increased these expenditures. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), average annual expenditures on women's apparel decreased by 12.7% from 2011 to 2013, while total industry revenue increased an es timated 5.2% over the same period. Many consumers looking for clothing at lower prices will choose alternative retailers over specialized clothing stores. Another important success factor for industry stores is the ability to keep up with consumer trends within their target demographic and provide the styles that customers desire. Many of the industry's major players market their products to young to middle-aged women, making the number of consumers within these demographics an important figure. Declining mall traffic is an ongoing concern for retailers with these target markets, with a number of well-known brands in the industry recently dissolved or in crisis. Industry competition IBISWorld expects the number of industry enterprises to grow at an annualized rate of 2.8% over the five years to 2015, reaching an estimated 33,079 companies. Internal competition is high, with industry stores competing for sales through advertising, comparable pricing and limited-time promotions. Many industry players are small and run only one establishment, and 60.6% of stores have fewer than 10 employees. Since the recession, larger industry players and private equity firms have acquired small companies that did not fare well in times of declining sales and increased purchase costs. Competition from businesses outside the industry has also made survival difficult for smaller players, some of which cannot compete with low prices from discount retailers and used goods stores. Many consumers on a budget have less discretionary income to spend on fashion and base their choices on price. People and places According to the BLS, jobs within the retail sector provide employment for over 4.0 million people. In total, the Women's Clothing Stores industry is expected to employ 421,272 workers in 2015, with employment having grown at an average annual rate of 5.2% over the past five years. The BLS reports the median hourly wage to be $10.16 for retail salespersons. While these wages might seem to be a small expense in an industry with billion-dollar major players, IBISWorld estimates that they account for 14.4% of industry revenue. This is attributable to the many boutiques stores with fewer costs than larger operations, with wages taking up a large portion of a boutique's budget. The geographic spread of industry stores is concentrated in metropolitan areas, particularly within New York and California. Fashion hubs like New York City and Los Angeles provide specialized clothing stores the opportunity to network with designers, merchandisers and fellow retailers, and gain exposure in the industry. This networking can lead to changes and improvements in a store's supply chain, and enable the store to effectively follow trends within the industry. Consumers with higher incomes are also concentrated around these areas, supplying high-end operators with their preferred customer base. References: 1. Armstrong. M. A (2006)Human Resource Management Practice (10th edition) 2006, Kogan Page , London ISBN 0-7494-4631-5 2. Brassington, F. and Pettitt, S. (2006). Principles of Marketing. 4th Edition. Pearson. ISBN: 978-0273695592 3. Gupta, Sunil, Lehmann and Donald R.(2005) Managing Customers as Investments: The Strategic Value of Customers in the Long Run, pages 70-77 (Customer Retention section). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education/Wharton School Publishing. ISBN 0-13-142895-0 4. Gilad and Benjamin (2009). Business War Games. Career Press. 5. Finch Julia (2 February 2010). "Tesco opens its first zero carbon store". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved 1 September 2010. 6. FerrelO.C.and Hartline M.D (2010) Marketing strategy 7. Kotler P. Armstrong G.(2010), Principles of Marketing 13E , Pearson Prentice Hall, p.293 ISBN 978-0-13-607941-5 8. Harker M. (2009) Marketing an introduction 9. Wind J. and Mahajan V.(2002)Digital marketing global strategy from the worlds leading export

Case Study on Financial Accounting AASB 138 Intangible Assets

Question: Discuss about the Financial Accounting for AASB 138 Intangible Assets. Answer: Intangible asset is the asset that is not physical in nature. The AASB 138 intangible assets explain how the intangible asset are recognized, estimated and disclosed within the financial statements. It outlines the treatment of both non identifiable and identifiable intangible assets (Berk and DeMarzo, 2007). Companies frequently incur liabilities or expend resources on the enhancement, maintenance, development, acquisition, of intangible resources such as scientific or technical knowledge, design and implementation of processes or new systems, intellectual property, trademark, market knowledge and licenses (Hillier, 2010). The disclosures of intangible assets are very much important for a company as it shows the asset value during a period of time. The intangible assets of AGL energy has been disclosed in the balance sheet of the financial statement of the organization. The balance sheet shows the assets and liabilities of a company during a period of time. The balance sheet shows property, plant and equipment of amount $6,482 million disclosed in the Note 18 and the intangible assets is around $3232 million that includes goodwill of amount $2791 disclosed in the Note 19 representing significant recorded balances in the consolidated financial position statement (Holton, 2012). The evaluation and analysis of the recoverable amount of the assets requires judgment to determine the assumptions to support the expected flow of cash and utilization of relevant assets. The valuation of the assets is also very much important for the company and the finance department plays a significant role in evaluating the value of the assets. The key areas that the AGL energy focuses are as follows: Acquiring the understanding of key control management that has placed in order to measure the unbilled cost accrual Challenging and understanding the assumption of the management relating to tariffs and volume used to determine the costs accrual by: sample basis including calculation of volumes in to sales, purchases and other systems as well as testing the control system within the departments (Moles, 2011). Prices are compared applied by the distributors with the current tariff tables Critically evaluating the methodologies of management and their key assumptions are utilized in the valuation model that are described in the Note 19 The identification of the cash generating unit includes allocation of property, plant and equipment and associated allocation and identification of the cash flow for the purpose to assess the recoverable amount of cash generating units (Paramasivan and Subramanian, 2009). The assumption for the long term growth rate in forecasting the flow of cash by comparing them to the historical results, industry and economic forecasts The applied discount rate The appropriateness of the unbilled cost accrual s based on the calculation of the expected accrual to utilize the supplied information. The finance department evaluates the models of cash flows and forecasting the flow of cash as well as assessing the historical accuracy (Spiceland, Sepe and Nelson, 2011). The sensitive analysis helps to determine and evaluate the key drivers of the growth rates uses in discount rate and cash flow forecast. The sensitive analysis includes key assumptions that either collectively or individually required for the assets to be impaired and likelihood of movement in the arising key assumptions (Stittle and Wearing, 2008). The annual report of the company shows the intangible assets in the balance sheet at the end of the financial reporting period. The financial reports is prepared as per the AASB standard. The intangible assets of Medibank is also shown in the balance sheet of the company. The disclosure of intangible assets includes: Goodwill Goodwill is estimated as described in the Note 3(f)(x) of the annual report. The intangible asset includes goodwill on the acquisition of the subsidiaries. It is not amortized but it is evaluated for impairment and it is carried at the cost less the impairment losses (Wolf, 2008). Losses and gains on the disposal of an organization includes carrying amount of the goodwill related to the company sold. The goodwill is allocated to the CGUs for the objective of the of the impairment testing. Software The costs incurred in obtaining licenses and software will contribute to the financial benefits in future period through cost reduction and revenue generation are capitalized to the software intangibles. The capitalized costs include direct costs of service and material and payroll related costs and direct payroll of the employees (Berk and DeMarzo, 2007). The software intangibles are commonly carried at the cost less impairment losses and accumulated amortization. Customer relationships and contracts Customer relationship and contracts acquired as the part of the business are separately recognized from goodwill. The customer contracts and relationship are carried at the fair value acquisition dateless impairment losses and accumulated amortization (Hillier, 2010). The amortization of the customer relationships and contracts is estimated on the basis of the straight line method over expected useful life that for the assets owned currently by the group is around 10 to 12 years and is determined in amortization and depreciation expense in income statement. Impairment of assets Intangible assets and goodwill have useful life and are not subjected to the amortization and annually tested for the impairment. Other assets of the company are tested for the impairment whenever changes in situations or events show that carrying amount cannot be recoverable. The impairment losses are determined for the amount at which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the recoverable amounts (Holton, 2012). Therefore, the recoverable amounts are higher of the fair value of the asset less disposal cost and value in use. The estimated flow of cash are discounted to the present value of the assets using the discount rate which reflects the assessment of current markets time value of money and specific risk to the asset. The main purpose of assessing the impairment is that the assets are appropriately grouped at low level for which there are inflow of cash that are independently largely of the inflow of cash from other group of assets. Provisions Provisions are determined and recognized when a company has a constructive and legal obligations as a result of the past event and it is important that the outflow of the resources would be required to reconcile the obligations and amounts has been estimated reliably. The provisions are not determined for the future operating losses. Thus, there are number of obligations for the company and the outflow of resources would be required to be settled by considering the obligation class a whole (Paramasivan and Subramanian, 2009). The provisions are estimated at the net present value of the estimates of the management of expenditure that is required to settle the obligations at the end of the financial reporting period. The expected payments in future are discounted using the market yield at the end of the financial reporting period using the corporate bonds with the maturity terms that matches the estimated future outflows of cash (Stittle and Wearing, 2008). The increase in provision du e to the time passage is recognized as the interest expense. The annual report of the company shows the intangible assets in the balance sheet at the end of the financial reporting period. References Berk, J. and DeMarzo, P. (2007).Corporate finance. Boston: Pearson Addison Wesley. Hillier, D. (2010).Corporate finance. London: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Holton, R. (2012).Global finance. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Moles, P. (2011).Corporate finance. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Paramasivan, C. and Subramanian, T. (2009).Financial management. New Delhi: New Age International (P) Ltd., Publishers. Spiceland, J., Sepe, J. and Nelson, M. (2011).Intermediate accounting. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Stittle, J. and Wearing, B. (2008).Financial accounting. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications. Wolf, M. (2008).Fixing global finance. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins University Press.