Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Summary On Niccolo Machiavelli s The Prince - 1109 Words

Chastity Kolmorgan History 111 The World: Antiquity-1500 Dr. Christopher Levesque Primary Secondary Source Evaluation Assignment - April 19, 2015 Niccolà ² Machiavelli’s The Prince and Ian Johnston’s Lecture on Machiavelli’s The Prince Niccolà ² Machiavelli, a Florentine, lived between the years of 1469-1527. In 1513, Machiavelli wrote The Prince and gifted it to the Medici family with the original title of About Principalities. He first dedicated the work to Giuliano de’ Medici and later to Lorenzo de’ Medici. It was a political critique that was later printed under the title of The Prince in 1532. The treatise was controversial due to Machiavelli’s lack of regard for the morality behind his advice. In his composition, he†¦show more content†¦Politics played a significant role in his life. They not only provided him with the experience, but the character and will, with which he wrote. Evidence of his republican attitude are prevalent in his other works on principalities and republics (Strauss 182). In Ian Johnston’s Lecture on Machiavelli’s The Prince, he asserts his belief that Machiavelli wrote his treatise with satirical intent. â€Å"...The book is, first and foremost, a satire, so that many of the things we find in it which are contradictory, morally absurd, and specious are there quite deliberately in order to ridicule two things-first, the Medici family itself and, second, the very notion of tyrannical rule embodied in the government of the Prince (hence, the satire has a firm moral purpose-to expose tyranny and promote republican government)† (Johnston Lecture on Machiavelli’s The Prince). Due to the immorality advocated for in Machiavelli’s writing, along with what is known of Machiavelli’s politics, individuals often succumb to one of two beliefs regarding The Prince. The first is that he wrote The Prince in mockery of the princely states, specifically the Medici family. It was meant as a sort of caricature of their rule. The Medici family had long interfered with the republic of Florence. â€Å"Cosimo, Piero, and Lorenzo, three successive generations ofShow MoreRelatedThe Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli2045 Words   |  8 Pagessignificant as Niccolà ² di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, was born into the nobility in the Republic of Florence on 3rd May 1469. He was educated in Latin and then studied at the University of Florence. This fuelled his interest in political theory and so the Medici. During his childhood, Lorenzo de Medici, Il Magnifico, had vast power and influence over the fortunes of Florence fortunes. In awe of the ‘magnificence of the Medicean ruler’ Lorenzo, Machiavelli would later, dedicate The Prince to Lorenzo’sRead MoreThe Origin Of Modern Political Thought1935 Words   |  8 Pagesthis is false. The origin of modern political thought was, in fact, introduced to the world during the time of the renaissance. In the Italian city of Florence lived the political philosopher Niccolà ² Machiavelli, who is the man responsible for shaping t he view of modern political thought. Noccolà ² Machiavelli was born May 3, 1469 in the Tuscan town of Florence. Florence was a major town in the Tuscan areas during the 12th century. By the time the renaissance came around during the 13th century, FlorenceRead MoreMacbeth And The Prince By Niccolo Machiavelli1801 Words   |  8 PagesMacbeth and The Prince Niccolà ² Machiavelli describes the actions and qualities of a glorious prince in his novel The Prince. His assertion about a leader for a country can be used to evaluate Macbeth as a king in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth. Macbeth took similar actions and had similar qualities of the ideal prince that Machiavelli characterizes. In light of reading Macbeth, the conclusion can be made that Machiavelli is wrong in the case of Macbeth because he is not a noble or memorable leaderRead MoreGame Of Fortune And The Role Of Virtu1793 Words   |  8 Pagesmade. The philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli spoke of â€Å"virtu† and â€Å"fortuna† in book 2 in his scholarly piece â€Å"The Discourses†. With â€Å"virtu† being the knowledge or skill that a man possesses, and this skill can be learned from studying history. Man had the ability to actually hone virtu and perfect it. However, â€Å"fortuna† was more like mother nature or chance. However with fortuna being an unrelenting force man could manipulate fortuna for his own gain by using his virtu. Machiavelli argues that fortunaRead MoreThe Nature Of Armed Conflict2289 Words   |  10 Pagessides need to be equally represented. War has been said to a natural part of human nature. We are prone to conflict with one another and cannot be easily avoided. According to Niccolo Machiavelli, â€Å"There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others† (Niccolo Machiavelli, 1513, ch. 3). Machiavelli believed war to be unstoppable essentially, if conflict arises between two or more parties it can only be postponed to better mitigate any issues that immediate conflict wouldRead MoreMitigating Human Rights and Security Abuses1930 Words   |  8 Pagespermanent five members of the UNSC. The Syrian conflict highlights some of the major obstacles when it comes to policing human rights through bodies such as the United Nations. Niccolo Machiavelli’s take on realism can be applied here when he says that, â€Å"promises must be broken when there is an interest to do so.† Machiavelli is correct in the sense that states can withdraw their support from the UN when situations don’t suit them. The major historical culprits of this are the permanent five membersRead MoreGlobalization Of The United Nations2464 Words   |  10 PagesGoals and the Sustainable Development Goals, actively analyzing the implications of limitations of power in global governance on the effectiveness of the United Nations Global Development ambitions. Following this I will offer conclusions both as a summary of my research, and reflections on the potential future of the United Nations Development Agenda. Chapter 1: Global Governance In this chapter I will look at the rise in the importance of global governance, and some of the reasons for itsRead MoreEssay about Commerce Case Study Report for David Jones Sexual Harassment3214 Words   |  13 PagesPrinciples of Responsible Commerce: Group 5 October 2010 Assessment 3: Case Study Report Sexual Harassment in the Workplace – David Jones and Pricewaterhouse Coopers Kristy van Duin, Li Yutao, Pablo Arenas, Jace Burgess Executive Summary The following report looks at the increase of Sexual Harassment claims within Corporate Australia that have been lodged with the Australian Human Rights Commission over the last decade. David Jones Pty Ltd and Pricewaterhouse Cooper are two prevalent casesRead MoreMilitary and Corporate Strategy7776 Words   |  32 Pagesattrition warfare, scorched earth action, blockade, guerilla campaign, deception and feint. Ingenuity and adeptness were limited only by imagination, accord, and technology. Strategists continually exploited ever-advancing technology. In 1520 Niccolà ² Machiavelli s Dell arte Della Guerra The Art of War dealt with the relationship between civil and military matters and the formation of a grand strategy. It was not until the 18th century that military strategy was subjected to serious study in EuropeRead MoreOrganizational Behaviour Analysis28615 Words   |  115 PagesORGANISATIONAL ANALYSIS: Notes and essays for the workshop to be held on 15th - 16th Novemeber 2007 at The Marriot Hotel Slough Berkshire SL3 8PT Dr. Lesley Prince, C.Psychol., AFBPsS University of Birmingham November 2007  © Dr. Lesley Prince 2007. Organisational Analysis: Notes and Essays Page i Page ii Please do not attempt to eat these notes. CONTENTS Introduction to the Workshop Topics And Themes The Nature and Scope of Organisation Theory Levels of Analysis The Metaphorical

Friday, May 15, 2020

Agency costs - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2139 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? 1.What are agency costs, and how are agency costs of financial distress different from agency benefits of leverage? Explain their impact on calculating the value of a firm with financial distress. Agency costs arise when conflicts of interest occur among stakeholders and must be paid out to an agent acting on behalf of a principal. There is an agency cost that exists in every business that has owners or shareholders and managers who are not necessarily owners. Agency cost means that shareholders and business managers may not necessarily agree on the actions that are best for the business firm and that there is an inherent cost to that disagreement. That leads to what is called the agency problem. When a firm has leverage, a conflict of interest exists if investment decisions have dissimilar consequences for the value of equity and the value of debt. These conflicts happen when there is a high concern of financial distress and can only arise when there is a chan ce that the firm will default. For example, if the firm managersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ actions are positive for the shareholders but negative for the firmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s creditors which, in turn, lowers the overall total value of the firm. Shareholders wish for management to run the company in a way that increases shareholder value. On the other hand, management may wish to grow the company in ways that capitalize on their personal power and goals that may not be in the best welfare of shareholders. Agency costs of financial distress are different from agency benefits of leverage because even though equity holders may benefit at the expense of debt holdersà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ from these negative NPV actions taken in times of distress, debt holders recognize this move and pay less for the debt when it is first issued, reducing the amount the firm can dole out to shareholders. The net result is a reduction in the initial share price of the firm corresponding to the negative NPV of the a ctions. Ultimately, it is the shareholders of the firm who swallow these agency costs. Agency costs represent an additional cost of growing the firmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s leverage that will affect the firmà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s optimal capital structure choice. The costs increase with the risk, i.e., the amount of debt held by the firm. Here are some agency costs of leverage: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Excessive risk taking and asset substitution à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Debt overhang and under investment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Cashing out Debt maturity and covenants can help to mitigate the agency costs of debt. The degree of agency costs frequently depends on the maturity of debt. Agency costs are highest for long-term debt and smallest for short-term debt. Debt Covenants are conditions of writing a loan in which creditors place limitations on actions that a firm can take. Covenants may help to reduce agency costs; nonetheless, because covenants hinder management flexibility, they have the possibility to avert investment in positive NPV opportunities and can have costs of their own. 2.When securities are fairly priced, why would the original shareholders of a firm pay the present value of bankruptcy and financial distress costs? In the realm of finance, a security refers to any proof of ownership or debt that has been assigned a value and may be sold (The Street, 2014, 1). For the holder, a security represents an investment as an owner, creditor or rights to ownership on which the person hopes to gain profit, such as stocks, bonds or financial options (The Street, 2014, 1). When a company files for bankruptcy or faces a time of financial distress, every individual with a stake in that respective company à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" from employees to creditors to stockholders, etc. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" is essentially linked to the future of that company in terms of how a bankruptcy proceeding may unravel. As such, individuals who hold securities in certain companies have varying change s of getting repaid. It is in this capacity that original shareholders of a firm may pay the present value of bankruptcy and financial distress costs in order to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“curbà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  the effects that an escalating financial issue may have on individual stakeholders as well as the overarching company. Research has found that a shareholder in a company or firm à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" especially those who have signed on and been a part of that company since the beginning à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" hold a priority position in relation to assets of the debtor corporationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s estate and their ability or inability to realize on their interests and securities (Kelch, 1993, 264). Thus, when shareholders have been permitted to retain economic interests in debtor or financially unstable companies, those individuals maintain a respective say in what happens to that company, in other words, acting on good faith (Kelch, 1993, 264). 3.What are the dividend payment process an d the open-market repurchase process? In your answer, be sure to explain the effects they have in a perfect world. The dividend payment processes, or dividend payment procedures set a procedure that follows: declaration date; ex-dividend date; holder of record date; and payment date. Declaration date is the announcement that a companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s overseeing board of directors has approved the payment of a dividend. The ex-dividend date is the date is the date upon which investors are à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“cut offà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  from receiving a dividend. For example, if an investor purchases a stock on the ex-dividend date, that investor will not receive the dividend, as this date is two business days before the holder-of-record date (Investopedia, 2014, 1). The ex-dividend date is important as from the day it is issued and forward, new stockholders will not receive a dividend, and as a result, the stock price of a company will be reflective of this. The holder of record date is the date upon which the stockholders who are able to receive the dividend are recognized. Finally, the payment date is the date upon which an actual dividend is paid out to the stockholders on record. The open-market repurchase process, on the other hand, is the reacquisition by a company of its own stock. Open market repurchases are legal transactions to reacquire a company which are generally encouraged by regulators to avoid instances of insider trading or liability. In terms of a repurchase, the open market method is largely considered to be the most common share method in the United States. In cases where this is an option, a firm or company will announce that it will repurchase some shares in the open market from time to time as market conditions dictate. In this capacity, a company or firm holds the upper hand in terms of repurchasing, as it will decide when, where, and how much of a company to repurchase, and this tactic can take upwards of months and years to be complet ed. 4.What are the benefits and drawbacks of accumulating cash balances rather than paying dividends and what effects do dividend policy have on this type of decision? Today, many companies are accumulating cash balances rather than paying dividends in the wake of an uncertain fiscal and economic future. As dividend policy is largely concerned with financial policies regarding paying cash dividends in the present or paying an increased dividend at a later stage, many companies remain uncertain about their respective statuses at this à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“later stageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  in the game and are choosing to opt out of dividend policy all together. As dividend policy as well as the time and extent of these dividend policies must be chosen by a companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s management team, various factors must be taken into account by these managerial higher-ups in order to impose dividend policy on the entirety of a company, often effecting stocks, shareholders, taxes, and the opt ion to gain or maintain securities. For many companies, the future is generally unstable and indeterminate, and as such, many companies are choosing a less-risky option, accumulating cash balances. CNBC notes that amid recent lackluster earning seasons, that featured many companies missing sales expectations, cash balances have swelled significantly, and corporations are now stowing away cash at record rates, reluctant to invest in their businesses or hire new workers as uncertainty continues to cloud the future (Cox, 2012, 1). This research, as well as an overarching uncertainty regarding the future of fiscal policy and economics in general in the United States and across much of the western world has found that many people are far less concerned about financial risks and are more concerned about the capacity for growth, both on an individual as well as a corporate level. In a post-recession environment, investors and businesses seem to be on a separate page, but both in underst anding as to why certain companies are holding onto cash. For instance, CNBC notes: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Thereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s this free-floating waiting period . . . waiting for certaintyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Cox, 2012, 1). 5.What impact does asymmetric information have on the optimal level of leverage? In your answer, be sure to describe the implications of adverse selection and the lemons principle for equity issuance, as well as the empirical implications. Asymmetric information is found in a situation in which one party in a transaction has more or superior information as compared to the other party in that transaction. For instance, asymmetric information can occur when a seller knows more than a buyer or vice versa, and such an instance can become harmful due to the fact that one party has the opportunity to take advantage of the other. In this case, the party with the increased level of information essentially has all the leverage in a financial deal, because he or she can ta ke the excess information into account and force the hand of the other member of the transaction, in effect. In this capacity, there comes a chance of adverse selection, in which undesirable results can occur when buyers and sellers possess the aforementioned asymmetric information, and because individuals have access to different information, undesirable products or services are more likely to be selected in the respective transaction. Also into play comes the lemons principle, which says that in the presence of people in a market who are ready to offer bad or inferior goods, these inferior goods tend to wipe a market out of existence if it isnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t empirically possible to distinguish the good products from the bad. As such, if a seller is in a lemons situation, that seller has to send the right signals to the prospective buyers in order to distinguish oneself from others to gain a customerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s confidence in the services and terms of an agreement tha t is being offered. In this manner, typically, good companies and products are able to distinguish themselves from the bad, empirically paying higher dividends, higher returns, and the like. 6.Compare and contrast mature profitable firms with stable cash flows with firms with higher risk (dependencies on economy) with unstable cash flows. What risks do they take in regards to leverage use, tax shields, and trading information between managers and investors? Mature profitable firms with stable cash flows are far more reliable in terms of fiscal and economic responsibility to shareholders than are higher risk firms with unstable cash flows. In certain situations, these high-risk firms, which are largely dependent upon the economy, have the ability to provide their shareholders with extreme levels of success and wealth, should the economy be in a state of influx and prosperity. In such cases, significant increases in cash flow allow shareholders to believe à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" albe it irrationally à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" that these firms are extremely successful and will reap these kinds of benefits for years to come, essentially making their shareholders rich. However, such prosperous situations are not the norm, and occur only in situations of economic prosperity, which sets shareholders up for instances of exceeding loss as well as success, which can leave these shareholders only breaking even or finding themselves at a loss. As such, the more reliable investment appears to be the more reliable and stable companies, which bring in reasonable and steady cash flows over time. Just as a shareholder takes on a risk in becoming involved with these high-velocity companies, so do managers and higher-ups within these firms. For instance, taxation, trade and everyday business may seem easy enough when a company or firm is experiencing high levels of cash flow and success, but when this success goes away; companies like this are prone to implode upon themselves. As suc h, these times of uncertainty significantly harm investors, managers, employers and all shareholders, who exist at the mercy of a volatile company. References Cox, J. (2012). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Companies are sitting on more cash than ever before.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  CNBC. Web. Retrieved from: https://www.cnbc.com/id/49519419 on 23 May 2014. Investopedia. (2014). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Dividend payment procedures.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Investopedia. Web. Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2863context=mlr on 23 May 2014. Kelch, T. (1993). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Shareholder control rights in bankruptcy.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Maryland Law Review, Web. Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/cgi/viewcontent .cgi?article=2863context=mlr on 23 May 2014. The Street. (2014). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Securities Definition.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  The Street. Web. Retrieved from: https://www.thestreet.com/topic/47042/securities.html on 23 May 2014. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Agency costs" essay for you Create order

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

A Public Health Nutritionist Dietician - 1435 Words

Introduction This essay describes a position for a Public Health Nutritionist Dietician working in Primary Health Care Outreach in West Arnhem Maningrida, Darwin and was advertised by the Northern Territory Government Department of Health position. The position of a Public Health Nutritionist Dietician working in rural or remote areas can be associated with many issues including working remotely and practising cultural safety. Dietician’s working in rural or remote locations are more likely to leave their jobs due to personal reasons, poor management and lack of dietetic staff, therefore increasing the workload of rural dieticians. Practising cultural safety has greater importance when working in rural areas due to the larger population†¦show more content†¦These personal reasons included lifestyle, personal issues, proximity to family and friends and social isolation. This is a welfare state issue as these health professionals personal issues such as social isolation are mental h ealth issues which could lead to impact on these employees with depression for example (Vogel, 2013; Brown, Williams Capra, 2010; Brown, Mitchell, Williams, Macdonald-Wicks, Capra, 2011). Poor management from direct line managers was also frequently linked to causing distress to dieticians due a lack of professional support and development. The study explained the low quality of management may be due to many managers having no background in allied health, reporting they did not understand or respect the dieticians’ needs. This issue relates to economic rationalism as the government system is not employing managers of rural dieticians to effectively support the rural health system (Brown, Williams, Capra, 2010; Brown, Mitchell, Williams, Macdonald-Wicks, Capra, 2011). Rural dietician’s workload compared dieticians working in the metropolitan is generally larger due to a lack of staff backfill. The Better Health Commission recommends the ratio of dieticians to the p atient population to be 14:1000 000, however the ratio is 12.4:100 000 in rural Australia which places a greater load of work onto the dietician, a Workforce Issues as work related stress in dieticians should be prevented (Wilson

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Goals of Smart Specialisation

Question: Discuss about the Goals of Smart Specialisation. Answer: Introduction: In order to improve or work on the skills, the SMART goal will be to actually focus on using the limited resources and producing better results. This can only be achieved by working more effectively and with critical analysis of the situations or challenges I face during decision making (Worden, 2014). Action plan: The action plan will be to follow the same guidelines as per the required policies and assist others as well in developing key skills to achieve their goals (Foray and Goenaga, 2013). Plan would also include the encouragement to work as a team instead of work on individual basis. My plan to grow and develop My personal plan for developing myself and growing in my own position include hard work and through bringing some innovation in my field. This is how I can improve and grow more productively in my professional career. Hosts Comments: Working as a manager in this company has helped me a lot to grow and learn. Also, they provide a competitive environment which keeps challenging you to achieve your goals. References Foray, D. and Goenaga, X., 2013. The goals of smart specialisation.Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. Worden, J.M., 2014.An analysis of training focused on improving SMART goal setting for specific employee groups. EDGEWOOD COLLEGE.