Small Business vs Big Business - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 1988 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/09/21 Category Advertising Essay Type Compare and contrast essay Tags: Information Essay Did you like this example? Big Business Starts as Small Business Software to support a growing enterprise There are two certainties in life – death and taxes. While both are unavoidable, at least the taxes issue can be managed. But managing taxes, and business finances in general, takes detailed information. Considering how most small businesses get their start in accounting for their business operations, it is not surprising that information gathering becomes one of the most time -consuming and frustrating tasks around tax time. Fixing the problem from the beginning and keeping a system with the detailed data you need on an ongoing basis is the key to avoiding the rush and to building a business information framework that spans the life of the business entity. In order to understand how to solve the problem, it is important to understand the evolution of business accounting. Not how the concepts or practices have evolved, but how technology has (or has not) been applied to certain problems, and where the gaps are. Just starting out – the business in infancy The first things a new business owner generally does is get a business license, get a computer, and run down to the discount store to buy a copy of QuickBooks or maybe Microsoft Excel. Now, this business owner isn’t necessarily prepared to properly handle the accounting for the business, but he understands that he has to do something. Keeping a check register, at the minimum, lets him know how much money is in the bank. And that’s what it’s all about for the small business person – cash flow and cash availability. But the focus on the checkbook frequently causes the business to postpone implementing deeper, more beneficial processes. With a focus on the checkbook, the business manages cash by counting payments out and receipts in. But the nature of the payment or the receipt is the true question that must be answered and accounted for. It is surprising how many businesses sti ll keep ledger cards – those manual 35’s in a box where customer and vendor information is kept. It is a simple method, and provides the business a way to keep individual account records. But the fact that this detail information is not part of an integrated system creates a greater potential for lost or inaccurate data. Further, the greater the volume the more difficult and error-prone managing the information becomes.  © InsynQ, Inc. 2005 Page 1 of 5 Appgen Business Software It is at this point that the business seeks to find a more comprehensive means to manage the additional business data. This is another buying decision the business owner must m ake, introducing a new system which can handle the additional activities around accounts receivable, accounts payable, inventory and sales orders, etc. The business was already keeping track of products or services, customers and vendors. But here we are at a step where new systems and processes must be introduced . A belated effort, this after-the-fact implementation of customer, vendor and item tracking, establishes the means to manage more business activities as part of an integrated system. The difficulty comes in loading the historic information and learning new systems . Depending on volume, the quality of the manually-kept data, etc. , it may be determined that historic transaction details are not to be entered. So, the business moves forward with a better system for managing business activities and data, but loses the value of the early transaction detail. The next steps – handling volume and growth The business has implemented an accounting system which helps to keep track of customers, vendors, items, and cash. More detailed processes are introduced as the business requirement grows – offering perhaps more specific information on costs of certain products, or summaries of customer purchases or item sales activity. This data provides a much mo re informed basis for b usiness decision- making, but also impacts the systems as the volume of data to be managed grows. Growth may present itself in many ways – growth in the number of products or services offered, growth in the number of transactions processed regularly, growth in the dollar value of transactions, or growth in the number of employees who need access to the system. All of these areas impact the ability of the system to continue to support the business requirements. Quite frequently, a certain â€Å"density of data† is reached and the current system is not able to efficiently manipulate and manage the volume. Here again is another buying decision. Can the existing system be expanded to handle the additional volume? Or must a new system yet again be introduced? The business process requirements may not have changed, but the earlier choice of systems may cause a forced change simply due to business volume or number of users. The frustrations of changing business systems are compounded the further into the business lifecycle the change comes. Much of the historic intelligence of the business is derived from the earlier days of the business; data which reflects the stages and activities of the business over time. When a business reaches a point where data volumes force a systems change, a worst-case scenario occurs: The volume of historic data is too great for the current system, and loading it into a new system  © InsynQ, Inc. 2005 Page 2 of 5 Appgen Business Software takes a huge amount of time and effort. Unfortunately, this task often proves too daunting for the company, so again valuable historic detail information is lost and summary information is loaded into the new system. Operationally Specific Systems As the business matures – and in order for the business to mature in a healthy manner – specific and detailed information must be captured and analyzed. Systems which take a broad view of the business, offering only gene ral information and process support, frequently do not supply the business with the levels of intelligence truly required. For example, a manufacturing business needs to fully understand and manage the manufacturing processes and materials supply to ensure profitability and consistent product quality. A retailer needs to know which products sell in which markets in order to ensure product stock and availability to key ustomers. And all of this information is time-critical if the business is to make necessary adjustments in time to benefit from them. This level of detail can only come from a system which incorporates a certain specific orientation towards the operational processes of the business. The fact of selling a product to a customer is an activity which gets recorded, but the additional details of the customer location, pricing levels, purchasing levels, salesman, inventory item, and warehouse location tell the rest of the story. Over time, the business owner can then bett er understand customer purchasing habits, inventory item turnover, supplier dependencies a wealth of business intelligence. This data is then used to assist the business owner or management in determining the specific activities or actions necessary to keep the business moving forward and improving performance. In the end, it is the demonstration of well-defined processes, deep insight into the business operational metrics and financial performance, and the ability to effectively and accurately report on this information that creates a basis for proveable business value. There is One When looking at the business accounting and finance systems available in the market – particularly considering those which have earned a level of market share – there are visible gaps – big ones. This is clearly reflected in the numbers, where Intuit QuickBooks leads in the small business market, but has no reciprocal in the midrange or enterprise markets. QuickBooks fits into t hat early space, where the business is just starting out and, maybe, extending into keeping more detailed customer, vendor and item information. MS Excel is also a winner for very small and new businesses, as the spreadsheet is a simple and easy solution to creating an electronic check register. But there comes a point where a business has  © InsynQ, Inc. 2005 Page 3 of 5 Appgen Business Software requirements that extend beyond the ability of the small business software. Sometimes, the mere thought of change is so abhorrent (usually based on a bad initial implementation experience) that the business attempts to use the software far beyond what it was built to handle. Other application makers offer systems that have a number of small business features, but that also offer more in-depth or complex capabilities to handle the growing business. These systems, too (such as Peachtree, MAS2000, etc. ) have a great potential to be outgrown, and can be costly implementations which han dle only a portion of the business lifecycle. Larger, module-based systems (such as Great Plains, Oracle, etc. ) offer a broad range of functionality, integration, and data management capability. They typically address more – and more detailed business processes, and can scale to very large sizes. But the cost and complexity of these systems is often the barrier, and given that there is no clear seed product (small business version of the big business software), the upgrade path is unclear and problematic. Microsoft is seeking to impact this area, preparing to offer a small business accounting system which would in concept seed to the much larger Microsoft Business Solutions applications. Given the huge gap between the â€Å"typical† small business system and the upper-levels in the MBS catalogue – the transition from very small to very large is not likely to be made in the single step Microsoft may envision. Each stage of business requirement typically d rives to a buying decision. This buying decision is met with anxst, as considerations include not only cost, but data conversion vs re-loading, new process or system design and setup, user training, proofing the system (running parallel? ) and a host of other issues, not the least of which is the business benefit to be derived. All the anxst, the frustrations, and the repeated buying decisions can be avoided. There is a system which scales – from the very small business to the very large business – and that has been proven in high availability, high performance, large volume systems for over 25 years. And this system offers flexibility – ease of use for the new or small business user, a broad range of feature-rich and functionally powerful business and finance applications, and a comprehensive development tool to allow even the most complex business requirement be crafted as part of the system. And the best feature is the database – which grows with th e business throughout the business lifecycle. Information is power, and this system provides you with the ability to capture all your valuable business information from the inception of the business through growth and on to maturity.  © InsynQ, Inc. 2005 Page 4 of 5 Appgen Business Software The system is from Appgen. For the small business, it’s the MyBooks Professional system, offering a broad range of functionality within an easy-to-understand interface. Simple flowcharts help describe the accounting process, and assist new and novice users with effectively managing business activities within the system. As the business requirements increase, the MyBooks Pro suite of applications may be customized, or may be replaced with the full-featured modules from the Appgen Custom Suite of applications. The database is the same, however, so there is no loss of any level of data or detail. As the business needs more specific functionality to support its processes, the Appgen 4G L development system is used to make modifications to standard applications, or to create completely new customized applications, designed and suited for the unique and particular requirements of the business. Again, the database is the same, but may be extended to capture any number of additional data elements desired. Appgen offers the business a single buying decision: a single database; a clear application migration path; and a way to taylor the system to meet specific business needs. And for the cost, there is no comparable alternative. Visit www. Appgen. com and discover the only accounting system your business will ever need. Appgen Business Software Always-On Technologies, powered by InsynQ www. Appgen. com 866-206-1781  © InsynQ, Inc. 2005 Page 5 of 5 Appgen Business Software Don’t waste time! 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Essay about Idiot Nation - 886 Words

In â€Å"Idiot Nation,† Michael Moore discourses on the collapse of American education system and the three main reasons behind it: politicians’ ignorance, shortage of teachers, and the rise of Corporate America. Moore first points out how ignorant the President and politicians are by stating that the President cannot simply identify whether Africa is a nation or a continent. Next, Moore attributes the lack of funding in education to the fact that politicians prefer to build bomber than to improve our education system; this leads to shortage of resources, overpopulated classrooms, and decrease of books available for students. He then notes that the low salaries of teachers, which are caused by the insufficient funding of education, result in†¦show more content†¦Eisenhower’s nominee as ambassador to Ceylon,† being â€Å"unable to identify either the country’s prime minister or its capital during his Senate confirmation hearing† (130). Moore’s use of examples here not only helps elucidate his point, but also clearly supports his claim that American officials are ignorant. Thus, Moore’s strategy of using exemplification is successful both in clarifying his argument and convincing readers of his position. Throughout his excerpt, Moore also uses surprising statistics as an argumentative strategy to efficaciously deliver his message to readers and stimulate us to reflect on the point he brings out. For example, he uses some astonishing statistics to show us how people are wasting their time doing trivial things instead of learning and reading. He states that â€Å"[t]here are forty-four million Americans who cannot read and write above a fourth-grade level,† but in the meantime, a considerable number of people know sports and â€Å"can answer all thirty obscure trivia questions in less than 120 seconds† (129). Reading these surprising statistics can stimulate readers’ reactions and arouse them; readers will be surprised to find out that they are wasting so much time doing useless things and be impressed by the astounding result that they may reflect on how they use their time. As a result, Moore’s use of surprising statistics can effectively convey his messag e and stimulate readers to reflect on his point. A third strategy that Moore uses isShow MoreRelatedIdiot Nation Essay995 Words   |  4 Pagesurged to go on to college. This leads many people to believe that it will help our country reach the goal of becoming a smarter nation. However, in his essay Idiot Nation, Michael Moore argues that the exact opposite is occuring. We are becoming a nation full of idiots. Sadly, Michael Moore is correct. The majority of the people in this country are, indeed, idiots. This is due to the nation’s poor educational system and the people’s lack of gratitude and motivation. 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Bush1922 Words   |  8 Pagesone of the most controversial presidents in history and prompted some of the loudest outcries from the public. The music world became very involved in this particular fight, many artists from multiple generations and genres protested Bush. American Idiot by Green Day is one of the best examples and the most well-known protest of Bush and his administration. However, despite its popularity and acclaim it did receive a lot of criticism. Going against such a powerful and influential person in societyRead MoreProblems and Aspirations of Youth as Highlighted in the Novels of Chetan Bhagat5079 Words   |  21 Pagesadapted into a movie called ‘3 Idiots’, though Bhagat has stated that he was not involved in the scriptwriting in anyway, and was involved in a controversy with the director and the producer of the movie over crediting his contribution to the script. Directed by Raj Kumar Hirani, and starring Aamir Khan, R. Madhvan, Sharman Joshi, Kareena Kapoor, and Boman Irani in pivotal roles, it was released on 25 December, 2009. About a week after the release of the movie, ‘3 Idiots’, Chetan Bhagat claimed for

Ventria Bioscience free essay sample

Bioscience and the Controversy over Plant-Made Medicines In this paper I am writing on the Ventria Bioscience and the Controversy over Plant-Made Medicines Case. Ventria Bioscience is a company that is trying to commercialize pharmaceuticals made from genetically modified plants. While Ventria is gaining opposition from regulators, activist, and environmentalist; they could succeed if they use their relevant stakeholders and specific strategies, information, financial incentive, constituency building, to influence regulators. There are many groups that have a stake in Ventria’s action. There are some stakeholders that hold a lower salience such as, the environmentalist, consumer advocates, and food-safety activist. Which are, Friends of the Earth, and Environmental of California. As far as market stakeholders involved with Ventria, you have the rice industry, including rice farmers and producers. These groups are apart of the market in which Ventria wants to enter into. Rice farmers can be a family owned business, whereas, rice mills tend to be owned by larger organizations such as: Agribusiness giants, ADM, Far West Rice, Pacific International, and Sun West. The public is a market because they are going to be customers for Ventria’s product. However, there are most prominent stakeholders that each have a specific interest and source of power. Beginning with non-market, Ventria has a lot of regulations to abide by; for example, the FDA, EPA, and USDA regulation. Ventria needs all three of these regulatory approvals if they even want their business to evolve. The FDA is responsible for the safety and effectiveness of food and medicines. The EPA is responsible for the environmental safety of food crops that are genetically engineered. As for the USDA, they have oversight of genetically modified crops that are being tested in fields. Given that Ventria wants to grow their crops in California, they have to be aware of the CRC, California Rice Commission. The CRC is appointed under the Rice Certification Act to review any varieties of rice, to ensure the production and milling of rice is done with a public interest. These stakeholders are standing in the way of Ventria’s attempt to solve malnutrition. For the market stakeholders it begins with Scott Deeter, president and CEO of Ventria Bioscience, he built the company, analyzing proteins and coming up with ideas. Then you have Dr. Raymond Rodriguez, he is a molecular biologist that founded Ventria Bioscience. He approached Dr. William Rutter, founder and chairmen of the biotechnology firm Chiron, to become an investor in the company. As the company progressed, Dr. Rodriguez built a board of directors of biotech leaders and seasoned entrepreneurs. This included Dr. William Rutter and Dr. Pablo Venezuela. William H. Rutter, an attorney and venture capitalist. Ron Vogal, and bio-entrepreneur Dr. Robert Crea. Later recruited to the board were Thomas N. Urban, Melvin Booth, and David Dwayer. Together these board members and their organizations provide 85 percent of financing for the company. If these relevant stakeholders were to have a dialogue, many opinions on how to reestablish the company’s protocol would be said. Specifically, strategies how to get pass the regulation issues and gain the approval of different advocates. They will need to figure out a way to address their potential risk. Environmental and consumer groups feel as though Ventria will contaminate other rice crops. If GM crops were to contaminate other crops, California will be at risk of losing Japanese exports. They would have to talk to their research and development team to deal with the risk, and where money should be spent in doing so. The board of directors may come up with the option of growing the crop in another country opposed to California. This would be a good way to ensure non-contamination, and eliminate the risk of â€Å"super weeds† being produced in California. It will also eliminate the regulation from the CRC. This could gain activist and environmentalist approval, since those were their main arguments. Another opinion may come up to write an appeal to congress. Explaining to them how they can reduce harm in countries, from the benefits of their pharmaceutical. This would put pressure on congress or even regulators to change their mind. Like the Tobacco case, regulators intervened to help the citizens. Regulators are doing this to Ventria to protect citizens from possible health issues and the environment from harm. If Ventria wants to influence relevant regulators they can go about it in three different ways. However, I feel two of the three strategies will benefit the company most. They can do an information strategy. Ventria can provide the government and policy makers with information to influence their actions. They could hire a lobbyist that would be aware of the regulations and developments that may affect the company. This representative would communicate and persuade an organizations support as they consider a particular regulation. For example, Ventria could explain their case to the CRC. They would provide information explaining their objective and express the benefits that can come from their product. If the CRC is aware that this medicine can help with malnutrition, dehydration, and diarrhea they would understand the benefits. These factors could help a lot of countries that suffer from hunger. Ventria can also have some of their CEO’s give a testimony to regulators and organizations. Given that all of them have been involved with biotechnology to some degree, they will be able to provide a great amount of facts. They can provide data to educate and influence regulators to better understand their objective. Ventria can also promote a Constituency-Building strategy. They will seek support from organizations or people who are also affected by the public policy. Reading the Coca-Cola case, citizens of India felt as though Coke had money so they could do what they want. Coca-Cola became aware that they needed to create sustainable communities or consumers wont use their product. Ventria needs to enhance groups to meet their objectives. They need to reach out to them and clarify the safety of their project and the benefits from it. This will gain their support, thus allowing Ventria to have a greater influence on regulators once they see the approval of many groups.

How are women represented in The Winters Tale Essay Example For Students

How are women represented in The Winters Tale Essay The Winters Tale is a sixteenth-century comedy of William Shakespeares containing many possibilities of a tragedy occurring throughout the play, such as when Hermione dies and Perdita is left in an unpopulated area. The various female characters representations are significant for the plot. More importantly, with the exception of Paulina, they are portrayed as being passive, obedient characters who are inferior to their male counterparts. A modern-day audience would perhaps disagree with the oppression of women evident within this play, but in the cultural context of Shakespeares society, women were inferior to men and subsequently expected to obey them without question. The character of Paulina, however, is welcomed by the modern audience as being a more modern character who defends the rights of women, for example Hermione and the abandoning of Perdita. At the time Shakespeare wrote the play, women, more specifically Mary and Elizabeth I, had held the position of monarch in England and it is possible to suggest Paulina is the personification of a new contemporary idea of a female. Paulina, is portrayed as being very strong emotionally, as she is willing to stand up to Leontes and make him see his own faults, but she could also be considered extremely cruel for the emotional punishment and torture she inflicts on Leontes during the sixteen years that he is without Hermione. Paulina also manages to convince the male characters that Hermione is innocent, indicating a reasonable degree of power. Leontes insults anybody who agrees with Paulina or, more importantly, anybody who disagrees with him, for example, Antigonus, who is Paulinas husband. Shakespeares portrayal of Leontes, who has a low opinion of the women in the play, reflects predominant contemporary male attitudes. His statement to Antigonus regarding Paulina shows that he expects the man to be dominant, What? Canst not rule her? Hermione is the opposite of Paulina as she appears to be very weak, always forgiving Leontes, but she is perhaps stronger than Paulina as she is willing to accept her oppression and remain dignified throughout. Upon being accused of adultery with Polixenes by Leontes, Hermione is given the simple reply, No, by my life, Privy to none of this. This is a highly ironic statement. Leontes has condemned Hermione to death and Hermione is swearing on her life that she is innocent. The effect of this irony is a reinforcement of Hermiones innocence, showing Leontes to be an unreasonable, jealous tyrant. This technique employed by Shakespeare is illustrating a clear division between which of the characters upon stage we are to support in the court case. It is certainly possible that Shakespeare based the character of Hermione on the medieval idea of female Patience. Female Patience is a concept that women will allow themselves to suffer in order to please their husbands. For example, patient Griselda from the Clerks Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer shows this virtue. Hermione is portrayed as being a forgiving, obedient lady who will forever remain loyal to Leontes, similarly to Griselda. Another response of Hermiones while she is on trial is: The emperor of Russia was my father. This ironic statement would likely cause a contemporary Shakespearean audience, or a modern audience to feel more sympathy for Hermione, as her calmness and unexpected argument with her husband convince us that she has done no wrong. Although her father is powerful, she is weak and defenseless, creating a form of irony. Also, Shakespeare is showing that Hermione hails from an honourable family. However, although it is admirable that Hermione manages to remain calm even during this traumatic time, with the way Leontes has been treating her there is a feeling amongst a modern audience that Hermione should not be so calm and should perhaps let Leontes know exactly what she thinks of him and his actions, as women would be more likely to do during recent times. However, her silence would have been considered virtuous by a contemporary audience, creating a high level of respect between the character and its audience. The audience is led to believe that, although Hermione has won the case with the Oracle, Leontes has won the battle when Hermione faints, apparently to die. This is perhaps Shakespeares most literal display of Hermiones character as although she appears strong and dignified on the outside, on the inside she is weak, which is shown by Hermione fainting to her apparent death. The death of Hermiones son, Mamillius, is also a large factor in Hermiones death. Hermione was very protective of Mamillius; feeling that Leontess allegations against her would have a detrimental effect on his reputation. Using your analysis of Shakespeare's text, suggest ways in which act 3 scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet could be performed EssayTime as a healer is a main theme of the play. Shakespeares effect of the sixteen-year gap on stage emphasises the fantastical nature of the play. Despite the obvious potential for a tragedy within this play, the supernatural re-birth of Hermione by the end is likely Shakespeares distinction between comedy and tragedy. I also disagree that the final scene balances this fact as although they are reunited, gain Perdita as a daughter and Florizel as a son-in-law, they will never be able to replace their son and heir to the throne, Mamillius, as he is and will always be dead. No matter how much Leontes repents for his sins, Mamillius cannot be brought back. Leontes matching of Paulina and Camillo might also seem joyful in theory, but these two are not in love and matching them up is simply a demonstration of Leontes power returning to him. In fairness to Leontes, he may not intentionally be controlling Paulina and may have paired Paulina off with Camillo to give her a good, worthy husband. The union of Paulina and Camillo could also be a sign of nature taking its course, as marriage is viewed as a natural union. The reconciliation of Hermione and Leontes could also be deemed as natural. However, this first criticism is definitely accurate in that the last scene cannot possibly excuse Leontes previous actions towards Hermione. Hermione is always willing to take back Leontes no matter what sins he has committed, but Leontes is not willing to forgive Hermione for sins that she is not even guilty of. Hermione is the stronger character of the two as a result of this. It is possible that Shakespeare has intended to portray the females as emotionally-stronger characters as a way of ridiculing the male attitude towards females during this time. However, Queen Elizabeth I was recognised as a dominant and powerful ruler, which Queen Hermione was not. Queen Elizabeth was never married and subsequently not the subject of any oppression, but Hermione was oppressed by her husband. This could be a suggestion by Shakespeare that if men had listened to women more and treated them as equals, perhaps Leontes would not have enraged himself to such a degree over Hermione and Polixenes friendship. Hermione does exactly what is asked of her by Leontes and is accused of adultery for it. Women were vastly underappreciated by men back in the 16th century and The Winters Tale illustrates this perfectly. One critic has suggested that, The action of the play is to repair the damage caused by Leontes jealousy, however, Camillo flees, Hermione endures, and Paulina, though she criticizes the king, will eventually restore his wife to him. However, Leontes areas of power are shared between the various female characters within the play and this gives the impression that Leontes has lost control and makes the audience feel that the women are in power rather than Leontes. As soon as Leontes loses Hermione and Mamillius he becomes vulnerable and Hermione and Paulina capitalise on this more than anyone. However, Leontes does have the final say as, although Paulina would like for Leontes to wait for her permission before marrying again, he is under no real obligation to do so and can just as easily refuse as accept her proposal. His intense vulnerability is what causes him to give in to Paulina. In conclusion, it could be argued that women are presented as being worthy of more power than they actually possess. In the cases of Paulina and Hermione, the two characters are extremely sensible and know how their roles are limited by the laws of Sicilia. Shakespeare asks the contemporary audience to respect these women and support them over jealous tyrants such as Leontes. I believe that Shakespeares addition of these characters shows that he believes that despite being expected to be the calm, calculating characters, men can often get out of control and this is ironic as it is not expected of them but it can often happen anyway. The undervaluing of women could be a mistake as they, like Paulina and Hermione, have plenty of intelligence to offer.