Cadbury Company An Analysis of Financial Statements

Cadbury Company An Analysis of Financial Statements This analysis is to examine the performance of Cadbury in 2007 and 2008 from their financial statements which are shown below. There is a significant improvement in Cadburys confection revenues which increased 15% to  £5.4bn. Cadbury increased their price in their selling in 2008 for balancing the rise of their input cost and besides increased the price of their product, Cadbury also sleek their cost base, by decreasing in sales, to save their cost from labours, raw materials, and electricity, also Cadbury reduced their general and administration cost and in central overhead. Because of this movement, from the table of income statement and balance sheet, there is a significant change in their operating margin which is 278 million pounds in 2007 and it increased to 388 million pounds in 2008. There is also a big increase in discontinued operation from 2007 to 2008, which Cadbury made profit 258 million pounds in 2007 but loss 4 million pounds in 2008, this was happened because in 2008, Cadbury got a transaction cost of separation of the Americas Beverages business, in this year, Cadbury completed the demerger of its American Beverages business and sell the Australia Beverages business. From the table data that we had from Cadbury website, here are calculations to know about performance of Cadbury that each calculation has its own purpose. Mainly ratios have three important functions which are: From ratios, it is easier for us to make a conclusion than from a financial statement itself, because sometimes financial statement is very complex, and it is hard for us to draw a conclusion from that. Ratios provide a good benchmark that makes us easier to compare from one company to another. Here are some ratios about performance of Cadbury which all calculation is in million pounds. From this ratio, we compare 3 years financial statements and the ratios are: Profitability Efficiency Investment ratios PROFITABILITY Return on ordinary shareholders funds (ROSF) In 2007 Average shareholders fund = (3696+4173):2 = 3934.5 ROSF = (407 : 3934.5) x 100 = 10.344% In 2008 Average shareholders fund = (4173+3534):2= 3853.5 ROSF = (366 : 3853.5 ) x 100 = 9.5% Return on Capital employed (ROCE) In 2007 Average total assets less current liabilities = ( 6855 + 6724 ) : 2 = 6789.5 ROCE = (278 : 6789.5) x 100 = 4.095% In 2008 Average total assets less current liabilities = (6724 + 5507) : 2 = 6115.5 ROCE = (388 : 6115.5) x 100 = 6.345% Operating Profit Margin In 2007 Operating profit = 278 Operating profit margin = 278 : 4699 x 100 = 5.92% In 2008 Operating profit = 388 Operating profit margin = 388 : 5384 x 100 = 7.21% Gross Profit Margin In 2007 Gross profit margin = (2195 : 4669) x 100 = 47.01% In 2008 Gross profit margin = (2514 : 5384) x 100 = 46.69% EFFICIENCY Inventory days In 2007 Ratio = (821 : 2504) x 365 = 119.67 days (120 days) In 2008 Ratio = (767 : 2870) x 365 = 97.54 days (98 days) Total asset turnover In 2007 2006 = Fixed assets + current asset = 7815 + 2396 + 22 = 10233 2007 = Fixed assets + current asset = 8667 + 2600 + 71 = 11338 Average = (10233 + 11338) : 2 = 10785.5 Ratio = 4699 : 10785.5 = 0.448 In 2008 2007 = Fixed assets + current asset = 8667 + 2600 + 71 = 11338 2008 = Fixed assets + current asset = 5990 + 2635 + 270 = 8895 Average = (11338 + 8895) : 2 = 10116.5 Ratio = 5384 : 10116.5 = 0.532 Net asset turnover In 2007 Average total assets less current liabilities = ( 6855 + 6724 ) : 2 = 6789.5 Ratio = 4699 : 6789.5 = 0.688 In 2008 Average total assets less current liabilities = (6724 + 5507) : 2 = 6115.5 Ratio = 5384 : 6115.5 = 0.88 INVESTMENT RATIOS Dividend cover In 2007 Profit available for dividend = 149 + 258 = 407 Ratio = 407 : 311 = 1.31 In 2008 Profit available for dividend = 370 + (-4) = 366 Ratio = (366 : 295) = 1.24 Dividend Payment Ratio In 2007 Profit available for dividend = 149 + 258 = 407 Ratio = (311 : 407) x 100% = 76% In 2008 Profit available for dividend = 370 + (-4) = 366 Ratio = (295 : 366) x 100% = 81% Summary Based on calculation above, we can summarise a few things. There is a relation between profitability and efficiency, which is ROCE = operating profit margin x asset turnover In 2007 ( 278 : 6789.5 ) = ( 278 : 4699 ) x ( 4699 : 6789.5 ) In 2008 ( 388 : 6115.5 ) = ( 388 : 5384 ) x ( 5384 : 6115.5 ) It means that to improve ROCE, Cadbury has to improve their operating margins, from this Cadbury has increased their sales (increase their price of their product and reduce their cost), this method is effective, that we can see from their turn over which had increased from 4.7 billion pounds to 5.4 billion pounds in 2008. Return on ordinary shareholders funds (ROSF) ROSF means to compares the profit that available for shareholders with their investment in business. ROSF uses average investment in the business, from the calculation of ROSF, we can see that the profit for shareholders had decreased from 2007 to 2008 which was 10.344% in 2007 and 9.5% in 2008, this was happened because in 2008 there was loss because discontinued operation which has explained from above. Gross Profit Margin and Operating Profit Margin Gross profit margin calculates about the difference between cost of manufacturing and the selling price, from that we have calculated on above, there is a slightly decrease from 2007 to 2008 which was 47.01% in 2007 and it was decreased to 46.69%. for operating margin, it calculates about operating profit that Cadbury received in every 100 pounds of sales, in Cadburys financial statement, we can see that there is an increase from 5.92 in 2007 to 7.21 in 2008, which means that in 2007 Cadbury received 5.92% as operating profit and 94.08% going in cost, and also in 2008. Inventory days From this calculation, it calculated about planning how much inventory level that can cover for the sales, it means to calculate how many days that left before you run out your inventory and there will be nothing for your customers to buy. from the calculation, we can see that there was a decrease from 2007 to 2008 in inventory days, which was 120 days in 2007 and 98 days in 2008, it means that Cadbury in 2007 Cadbury had 120 days left to cover their selling so in that time if Cadbury did not produce their product, then they had 120 days to cover before they run out, and it had decreased in 2008 to 98 days. Total asset turnover and Net asset turnover Total asset turnover of Cadbury PLC in 2007 and 2008 were 0.448 and 0.532, whereas their net asset turnover in 2007 and 2008 were 0.688 and 0.88. Total asset turnover is based on total assets while net asset turnover is based on total assets less current liabilities. According to data in 2008, it showed that Cadbury got  £ 0.532 for every  £ 1 of their assets and got  £ 0.88 for every  £ 1 of their net assets. This situation indicated that Cadbury had loss  £ 0.468 per  £ 1 of their assets and had loss  £ 0.12 per  £ 1 of their net assets. Dividend cover and Dividend payment ratio Both of those ratios have same purpose which is to know how much money that the shareholders received from the profit of the company. In 2007, the dividend cover and dividend payment ratio were 1.31 and 76% while the dividend cover and dividend payment ratio in 2008 were 1.24 and 81%. It expressed that Cadbury got some profit which is  £ 1.31 per  £ 1 that Cadbury paid out as dividend in 2007 and they got  £ 1.24 in 2008. Those percentages expressed the amount of profit that is allocated to pay the shareholders as dividend, so 76% and 81% of their profit has been paid out as dividend. The Analysis of Financial Statements of Cadbury Competitor Cadbury has several competitors in confectionary business which are Nestle, Mars, etc. In this case, we would like to compare Cadbury with Nestle because Nestle is the largest food and beverage company in the world. Nestle also produces chocolate, gum, and candy same as Cadbury. The tables of financial statements of Nestle are shown below. According to table that is shown above, we can analyze the financial statements of Nestle. There are several ratios that we can calculate which are: Profitability Return on ordinary shareholders funds (ROSF) In 2007 = 20.79% In 2008 = 37.92% Return on capital employed (ROCE) In 2007 = 20.08% In 2008 = 34.58% Operating profit margin In 2007 = 13.42% In 2008 = 20.91% Gross profit margin In 2007 = 58.13% In 2008 = 56.93% Efficiency Inventory days In 2007 = 75.14 days In 2008 = 72.03 days Total assets turnover In 2007 = 0.98 In 2008 = 1.09 Net assets turnover In 2007 = 1.50 In 2008 = 1.65 Efficiency Acid test ratio In 2007 = 0.61 In 2008 = 0.71 Investment ratios Dividend cover In 2007 = 2.49 times In 2008 = 3.72 times In 2008, turnover of Cadbury and Nestle were  £ 5,384 millions and  £ 55,174.6988 millions, whereas the net profit of Cadbury and Nestle were  £366 millions and  £ 9,563.75502 millions. From those data, we can compare both of their performance in 2008. Cadbury = = 0.068 = 6.8% Nestle = = 0.173 = 17.3% Based on those results, it looks Nestle has a better performance than Cadbury. Nestle has a lot of variety of products that they have sold and Nestle company is also has wider market than Cadbury. The categories of Nestle products are baby foods, breakfast cereals, chocolate and confectionery, beverages, bottled water, dairy products, ice cream, prepared foods, foodservice, and pet care. (ANSWERS.COM http://www.answers.com/topic/nestl-sa). That reason is the one of many reasons that is causing Nestle performance is better than Cadbury. However, if we observe in one category such as chocolate and confectionary, Cadbury has a good market rather than Nestle. Cadbury is the second largest candy factory in the world after Mars and the second largest gum factory in the world after Wrigley.

Microsoft As A Monopoly :: Economics

Since the early 1990’s, the United States government and the Microsoft Corporation have ensued upon a battle in the United States courts. The main issue at hand is ultimately money, but one more importantly, the supposed "Microsoft Monopoly." The federal government maintains that Microsoft's monopolistic practices are detrimental to United States citizens, creating higher prices and potentially downgrading software quality, and should therefore be stopped. Microsoft and its supporter’s claim that they are not breaking any laws and they are just doing what they do; making money and providing a service. The only thing Microsoft is guilty of is taking advantage of free enterprise. There have been many arguments and issues that have been raised with the controversy over Microsoft and the U.S. Department of Justice’s claim against Microsoft of monopolistic practices in bundling its internet browser â€Å"Internet Explorer† into its popular Windows computer ope rating system. By doing this, Microsoft would effectively crush its competitors and acquire a monopoly over the software that people use to access the Internet. Sherman Anti-trust Act was passed in 1890. The Sherman Act says â€Å"Every contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, is declared to be illegal. The Sherman Act also provided for "Every person who shall monopolize, or attempt to monopolize, or combine or conspire with any other person or persons, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, shall be deemed guilty of a felony. The Sherman Act put the responsibility in the hands of the government to investigate and prosecute those suspected to be guilty of this crime. In 1914, the Clayton Act was passed in conjunction with the Sherman Anti-trust Act to assist with anti-trust cases. The Clayton Act prohibited price discrimination between different purchasers if such discrimination substantially lessens competition or tends to create a monopoly ion any line of commerce. The Act also prohibits sales on the condition that the buyer or leaser not deal with the competitors of the seller or lesser â€Å"exclusive dealings†, or that the buyer also purchases another different product, but only when these acts substantially lessen competition. Mergers and acquisitions where the effect may substantially lessen competition are prohibited also by the act. The last prohibition of the act is that no person can be the director of two or more competing corporations.

Earthquakes & Subduction Zones Lab Report

Earthquakes and Subduction Zones Lab Amy Paret Mrs. Igo 9th Grade Periods 3 and 4 Even Date: 2/14/13 Background Research: This lab uses earthquake data to construct profiles of two convergent boundaries: the Tonga Trench and the Peru-Chile Trench. Where two tectonic plates converge, if one or both of the plates is an oceanic lithosphere, a subduction zone will form. When crust is formed at a mid-ocean ridge, it is hot and buoyant meaning it has a low density. As it spreads away from the ridge and cools and contracts, or becomes denser, it is able to sink into the hotter underlying mantle.When two oceanic plates collide, the younger of the two plates, because it is less dense will ride over the edge of the older plate. The density of the rock that makes up the subducting plate determines the way in which a plate behaves. A plate with a greater density subducts into the mantle faster and at a steeper angle than a plate with a lower density. The age of the crust involved in the subducti on also affects the rate at which it subducts. Older crust is cooler and denser therefore it suducts at a steeper angle and faster than new crust at a subduction zone.The three key features associated with a subduction zone are a deep ocean trench, a volcanic arc on the overriding plate parallel to the trench, and a plane of earthquakes, shallow near the trench and descending beneath and beyond the volcanic arc. Most earthquakes occur at tectonic plate boundaries. The largest earthquakes are associated with subduction zones because they have long continuous fault lines. The depth of its focus can classify an earthquake. Earthquake depth range is divided into three zones: shallow, intermediate, and deep.Shallow earthquakes are between 0 to 70 km deep, intermediate earthquakes are between 70 to 300 km deep, and deep focus earthquakes have foci at more than 300 km. Terms Introduced and Defined: – Subduction zone: the place where two lithospheric plates come together, one riding over the other – Density: mass per unit volume – Earthquake: the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. – Subduction: the process in which one plate is pushed downward beneath another plate into the underlying mantle when plates move towards each other Plate boundaries: found at the edge of the lithospheric plates and are of three types, convergent, divergent and transform – Deep ocean trench: a portion of the Earth's crust in which a tectonic plate is being sub-ducted (pushed down) below another plate – Shallow earthquake: more damaging than deeper earthquakes due to there being less rock to absorb the shaking – Deep focus earthquakes: occur within the subducting oceanic plates as they move beneath the continental plates Hypothesis:The East Pacific Rise Material at the two convergent boundaries: the Tonga Trench and the Peru-Chile Trench is older than the crust created at the East Pacific Rise but the Tonga Trench material is older than the Peru-Chili Trench material. Materials: – Earthquakes and Subduction Zones Lab – Sharpened pencil with eraser – Graphing Paper – Ruler – Calculator Procedure: 1. Take out a sharpened pencil, ruler, blank sheet of graph paper, and a calculator. 2. Pick up the earthquakes and subduction zones lab from your teacher. 3. Read the background information. 4.Read the hypothesis information. 5. View Figure 1 at the top of the Lab. 6. Form a hypothesis about the relative ages of the East Pacific Rise material at the two convergent boudaries: the Tonga Trench and the Peru-Chile Trench. 7. View table 1. 8. Divide your graph paper into two sections. 9. Label the left section Tonga Trench and the right section Peru-Chili Trench 10. Draw a vertical line (y-axis) and a horizontal line (x-axis) on each section of the graph paper. 11. Label both vertical lines (y-axes) Focus Depth (km). 12. Label both horizontal lines ( x-axes) Longitude ( °W). 13.On both sections of the graph paper (Tonga Trench and Peru-Chile Trench) create a scale for the vertial axis (focus depth) ranging from 0-700 km. Going by intervals of 50 km, label zero at the top of the y-axis and 700 at the bottom of the y-axis. 14. On the left section of the graph paper (Tonga Trench) create a scale for the horizontal axis (longitude) ranging from 173-180  °W. Going by intervals of 1 °W, label the right end of the x-axis 173 and the left end of the x-axis 180. 15. On the right section of the graph paper (Peru-Chile Trench) create a scale for the horizonal axis (longitude) ranging from 61-71  °W.Going by intervals of 1 °W, label the right end of the x-axis 61 and the left end of the x-axis 71. 16. Plot the earthquake data from the region associated with the Tonga Trench from Table 1 on the left section of the graph paper, using a dot to represent each data point. 17. Plot the earthquake data from the region associated with the Peru-Chile Trench from Table 1 on the right section of the graph paper, using a dot to represent each data point. 18. Draw a best-fit line for the Tonga Trench data. A best fit line is a smooth line that shows the trend of the data; the line does not have to pass through the data points. 19.Draw a best fit line for the Peru-Chili Trench. 20. On the left side of the graph (Tonga Trench) label the Pacific Plate (right side of the line of best fit) and the Indian Australian Plate (left side of the line of best fit) 21. Draw an arrow to show the direction of motion of the Pacific Plate (subducting under the Indian Australian Plate) 22. On the right side of the graph (Peru-Chile Trench) label the Nazca Plate (left side of the line of best fit) and the South American Plate (right side of the line of best fit) 23. Draw an arrow to show the direction of motion of the Nazca Plate (subducting under the South American Plate) 24.Complete analyze questions # 1-5 (4 & 5 completed in steps 20-23) 25. Check and analyze your hypothesis 26. Answer conclude and apply questions # 1-2 Preparing a Lab Report: The lab report is to be written in the same format as any scientific publication. There is to be 5 minumum sections and they should be labeled: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Literature Cited. The report must be composed on a word processor, printed, double spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt. font. The metric system should be used throughout the report. All parts of the report should be written using complete sentences in paragraph format.The first section of your lab report should be labeled with the word â€Å"Introduction. † This section can be used to educate the reader so he or she can understand the rest of the report. A hypothesis is proposed to explain an observation. It should be a statement, not a question. The next section is labeled â€Å"Methods. † This section should provide enough information for readers to repeat the experiment if th ey desire. It should include the specific procedures and materials needed to carry out the lab. The next section should be labeled â€Å"Results. † Put all results, statistical analyses, graphs, and tables in this section.Use sentences and paragraphs to describe general trends and summarize the tables and graphs. The next section should be labeled â€Å"Discussion. † In this section discuss whether you accept or reject your hypotheses and explain why. If you reject a hypothesis, state an alternative. Explain why your results came out the way they did. If your results did not come out as they expected, explain why and what should have happened. In addition, explain what your results mean. The last section is â€Å"Literature Cited. † Everything mentioned in a scientific publication should be varifiable.This helps readers that have questions and it ensures that the information presented is accurate. The literature cited section contains a list of publications that you cited in the report. Instructions on Using a Table, Setting Up, and Preparing a Graph: To begin take a blank sheet of graph paper. View Table 1, which includes the Longitude and Focus depths of the earthquakes at the Tonga Trench and Peru-Chile Trench. Divide the graph paper into two sections labeling the left side Tonga Trench and the right side Peru-Chile Trench. Draw a vertical line (y-axis) and horizontal line (x-axis) on each section of the graph paper.Label both vertical lines (y-axes) Focus Depth (km) and label both horizontal lines (x-axes) Longitude ( °W). On both sections of the graph paper (Tonga Trench and Peru Chile Trench), create a scale for the vertical axes (focus depth) ranging from 0-700 km. Going by intervals of 50, label zero at the top of the y-axis and 700 at the bottom of the y-axis. On the left section of the graph paper (Tonga Trench) create a scale for the horizontal axis (longitude) ranging from 173-180  °W. Going by intervals of 1, label the rig ht end of the x-axis 173 and the left end of the x-axis 180.On the right section of the graph paper (Peru-Chile Trench) create a scale for the horizontal axis (longitude) ranging from 61-71  °W. Going by intervals of 1, label the right end of the x-axis 61 and the left end of the x-axis 71. Plot the earthquake data from the region associated with Tonga Trench on the left section of the graph paper, and plot the earthquake data from the region associated with the Peru-Chili Trench on the right section of the graph paper, using a dot to represent each point. Data and Results: Pacific Plate Pacific Plate Indian-Australian Plate Indian-Australian Plate South American PlateSouth American Plate Nazca Plate Nazca Plate Analysis and Synthesis: 1. Question: How far is the Tonga Trench from the East Pacific Rise? Note that one degree longitude equals about 100 km. If the seafloor spreads at 3 cm/year, how long would it take material on the plate to travel this distance? Answer: The Tonga Tr ench is 6,500 km from the East Pacific Rise. If the seafloor spreads at 3 cm/year, it would take material 216. 67 million years to travel this distance. Work: 65 °W = 65 x 100 km = 6,500 km. 6,500 km x 100,000 cm = 650,000,000 cm 650,000,000 cm / 3 cm/year = 216,666,667 years 2.Question: What is the depth of the deepest earthquake in the Tonga data set? Estimate the rate of descent of the East Pacific Rise material at the Tonga Trench in centimeters per year. Answer: The depth of the deepest earthquake in the Tonga data set is 675 km. The rate of descent of the East Pacific Rise material at the Tonga Trench in centimeters per year is 0. 312 cm/year. Work: 675 km x 100,000 cm = 67,500,000 R = 67,500,000 cm / 216,666,667 years R = 0. 312 cm/year 3. Question: Estimate the rate of descent of East Pacific Rise material into the Peru-Chile Trench in centimeters per year. Answer: 5 °W = 45 x 100 km = 4,500 km 4,500 km x 100,000 cm = 45,000,000 cm 450,000,000 km / 3 cm/year = 150,000,00 0 years 540 km x 100,000 cm = 54,000,000 cm R = 54,000,000 cm/ 150,000,000 years R = 0. 36 cm/year Interpret and Explain Data The data represents the focus depths and longitudes ( °W) of the earthquakes that occur at the Peru-Chile Trench subduction zone, and the Tonga Trench subduction zone. On the Tonga Trench as longitude ( °W) increases, or moves further from the prime meridian, the focus depth also increases, or becomes deeper. This creates a steeper slope, and the line appears to be moving upwards.On the Peru-Chile Trench as longitude ( °W) increases, or moves further from the prime meridian, decreases, or becomes shallower. This creates a smoother slope that appears to be moving downwards. On the Tonga Trench graph, the best-fit line is an estimate of the location of the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the Indian-Australian Plate. The Pacific Plate is subducting, or moving under the Indian-Australian Plate as this plate overrides the Pacific Plate. On the Peru-Ch ile Trench graph, the best-fit line is an estimate of the location of the boundary between the Nazca Plate and the South American Plate.The Nazca Plate is subducting, or moving under the South American Plate as this plate overrides the Nazca Plate. The Peru-Chile Trench and Tonga Trench have similar earthquake focus depths (km), but the longitude ( °W) of these earthquakes is different. Summary of Data As two tectonic plates converge, if one or both of the plates is an oceanic lithosphere, a subduction zone will form. The Tonga Trench has a steeper profile than the Peru-Chile Trench. This is because older crust is cooler and denser than younger crust therefore it subducts at a steeper angle.The Tonga Trench has the steeper and older material. As observed from the charts, the Tonga Trench has a steeper profile than the Peru-Chile Trench. This means that the crust at the Tonga Trench is older and denser than the crust at the Peru-Chile Trench, therefore it subducts faster and at a s teeper angle. The density of the rock that makes up the subducting plate determines they way in that a plate behaves. A plate with a greater density subducts into the mantle faster and at a steeper angle than a plate with a lower density.The age of the crust involved in the subduction also affects the rate at which it subducts. Older crust is cooler and denser therefore it subducts at a steeper angle and faster than new crust at a subduction zone. Conclusion: Check Your Hypothesis: My data supports my hypothesis. I predicted that the East Pacific Rise material at the two convergent boundaries: the Tonga Trench and the Peru-Chile Trench is older than the crust created at the East Pacific Rise but the Tonga Trench material is older than the Peru-Chile Trench.This is true because the Tonga Trench and Peru-Chile Trench will have older material, as they are further away from where the crust is created. In addition, it is true that Tonga Trench has older material than the Peru-Chile Trenc h because it has a steeper slope, which means it is older and denser. Errors and Fixes: In this lab report, I researched more on my background information to enhance my understanding of the topic. In addition, I explained and analyzed my data to make it easier to understand the trends and what the data actually means.I also provided instructions on using a table of data, setting up, and preparing a graph, and preparing a lab report. The errors I had in my lab report were with the math work on the first three analyze questions, the direction in which the plates subducted, and my hypothesis did not clearly state an answer to my question. I revised these errors by paying attention in class as the math problems were reviewed as this gave me a better understanding of how to solve the problems correctly.In addition, I had the direction of which the Pacific Plate moves against the Indian-Australian plate as moving upward, but since the plate is being subducted under the Indian-Australian p late I changed the direction to downwards. Lastly, I revised my hypothesis by correctly stating the question asked which was to compare the relative ages of the East Pacific Rise material at the two convergent boundaries: the Tonga Trench and the Peru-Chile Trench. In my original hypothesis, I only stated the relative age of the East Pacific Rise material.

55 House Idioms

55 House Idioms 55 House Idioms 55 House Idioms By Mark Nichol The integral nature and the ubiquity of houses in our culture has given rise to a number of idiomatic expressions that include the word house. This post lists such terms. 1. A house divided against itself cannot stand: A statement from a speech by Abraham Lincoln based on biblical scripture and alluding to the impending conflict between the North and the South over slavery 2. A house is not a home: A saying that differentiates a physical building from a dwelling identified with a family 3. A house of cards: a precarious situation, from the notion of an activity in which one or more people try to build a structure out of vertically placed playing cards without causing it to collapse 4. A plague on both your houses: A curse, based on a line from Romeo and Juliet, in which the speaker expresses disgust with both parties in a dispute 5. As safe as houses: In British English, a reference on the presumption that a house is secure, to satisfactory protection 6. Basket house: A music venue in which performers earn only money collected in a basket or other receptacle as donations 7. Big house: Slang for prison, or a reference to the main residence of an estate 8. Boardinghouse reach: An especially long reach across a table, alluding to the relaxed table manners of a boardinghouse, a lodging in which meals are provided 9. Bottom the house: A reference to thoroughly cleaning a place 10. Brick house: A sexually attractive woman, from the notion that she, on the analogy of a sturdy structure made of brick, is well built 11–12. Bring down the house/bring the house down: A reference to a performer being so entertaining that everyone in the venue in which the person is performing responds so enthusiastically that the performance is temporarily interrupted 13–15. Call house/house of ill fame/repute: Euphemisms for brothel 16. Clean house: A reference to thoroughly reforming an organization by replacing employees or members or changing policies or traditions 17. Crack house: Slang for a house from which crack cocaine is sold 18. Dream house: A house one considers ideal as a residence 19. Eat (one) out of house and home: Deplete all the food in a house 20–21. Fox guarding the henhouse/in the henhouse: A proverbial reference to the folly of allowing a person inimical to an organization to lead it or be involved in it 22. Full house: Said of an entertainment venue with the audience at capacity 23. Get (one’s) own house in order: An admonition to improve one’s own situation before criticizing another person for theirs 24. Get along like a house on fire: Become friends immediately upon meeting 25–26. Go around/round the houses: An expression, synonymous with â€Å"beating around the bush,† alluding to a person talking about trivial matters to avoid bringing up a sensitive topic 27. Halfway house: A residence for rehabilitating ex-convicts, drug addicts, or mental patients; by extension, a midpoint 28. Hash house: An inexpensive restaurant 29. Haunted house: A house thought to be inhabited by ghosts or spirits 30. House band: A musical ensemble hired to play regularly at a venue on its own, backing up visiting performers, or both 31. House music: A style of electronic dance music similar to disco but with few or no lyrics 32. House of correction: A euphemism for prison 33. House of many doors: Slang for prison 34. House poor: Able to afford housing costs but little else 35. House specialty: A menu item or other product that a business takes pride in offering 36. House wine: Any type of wine offered as a specialty of a restaurant or bar 37. Housebreak: Train a pet to use a special receptacle or go outside to urinate or defecate; by extension, make polite or submissive 38. Housewarming party: A celebration to commemorate moving into a new residence 39. In the house: Present (usually in the context of an entertainer being in a performing venue) 40. Keep house: Manage a household 41. Keep open house: Said of a residence in which visitors are always welcome 42. Lady of the house: A woman who manages a household 43. Like a house on fire: Quickly, from the notion that a burning house will swiftly become engulfed in flames 44. My house is your house: An expression of hospitality to make a guest feel welcome 45. On the house: Free (meaning that the house, or establishment, will on a special occasion pay for a product offered in the establishment) 46. Open house: An event in which visitors are welcome, either for a house party, a showing of a residence for sale, or an event in which members of the public are invited to visit an organization’s headquarters 47. Out of house and home: Evicted or otherwise deprived of shelter 48. Outhouse: An outdoor toilet 49. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones: A proverb that discourages hypocrisy; compare â€Å"put (one’s) own house in order† 50. Play house: Pretend to engage in activities associated with being part of a family (usually said of children role-playing domestic behaviors such as cooking and cleaning) 51. Put (one’s) house in order: Manage one’s affairs; contrast with â€Å"Put (one’s) own house in order† 52. Put (one’s) own house in order: An expression exhorting people to take care of their own affairs before criticizing how others handle theirs; compare â€Å"Those who own glass houses shouldn’t throw stones† and contrast with â€Å"Put (one’s) house in order† 53. Rock the house: Elicit an enthusiastic response from an audience 54. Shotgun house: Slang for a long, narrow house built with rooms in a straight line, from the notion that a shotgun shell could be fired through the front door and out the back door 55. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house: A reference to a dramatic performance that causes everyone in the audience in a performance venue to cry Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and Numerals20 Rules About Subject-Verb AgreementOne Scissor?

The Dinosaurs of Flaming Cliffs

The Dinosaurs of Flaming Cliffs Location Mongolia Date of Fossil Sediments Late Cretaceous (85 million years ago) Dinosaurs Discovered Protoceratops, Oviraptor, Velociraptor, Therizinosaurus About the Flaming Cliffs Formation Not all parts of the world had substantially different climates 85 million years ago than they do today. During the late Cretaceous period, for example, Antarctica was much more temperate than it is now, but Mongolias Gobi Desert seems to have been as hot, dry and brutal as its always been. We know this from the fact that so many of the dinosaur fossils unearthed at the Flaming Cliffs formation appear to have been buried in sudden sandstorms, and that very few large dinosaurs (which would have needed equally large amounts of vegetation to survive) lived here. Flaming Cliffs was explored in 1922 by the buccaneering explorer Roy Chapman Andrews, who made one of paleontologys enduring mistakes when he accused Oviraptor of stealing eggs belonging to Protoceratops (it was determined, decades later, that the Oviraptor specimen had been guarding its own eggs). This site is also close to the region where researchers unearthed the tangled remains of a Protoceratops and a Velociraptor, which appear to have been locked in a death struggle at the time of their sudden demise. When dinosaurs died at Flaming Cliffs, they died quickly: burial by fierce sandstorms is the only way to account for the discovery of this dinosaur pair (as well as numerous, near-complete Protoceratops skeletons found standing in the upright position). One of the things that makes Flaming Cliffs such a romantic fossil destination is its utter remoteness, geographically speaking, from any nearby outposts of civilization; the most densely inhabited regions of China are at least a thousand miles away. When Andrews made his historic trip a century ago, he had to take along provisions worthy of a polar expedition, including a large team of local guides mounted on horseback, and he set off in a blizzard of press coverage and popular adulation (in fact, Andrews was at least partly the inspiration for Harrison Fords character in the Indiana Jones movies.) Today, this region of Mongolia is a bit more accessible to devoted paleontologists, but still not a place the average family would choose to go on vacation. Some of the other dinosaurs discovered at Flaming Cliffs (beside the famous ones related above) include the long-armed Deinocheirus (now identified as a bird mimic dinosaur, along with its Mongolian contemporary Gallimimus), the tyrannosaurs Alioramus and Tarbosaurus, and the bizarre, shaggy Therizinosaurus.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Alternative Dispute Resolution - Assignment Example Mediation and arbitration are applicable in different scenarios and have a number of advantages and disadvantages as the discussion below portrays. Litigation refers to the use of courts in resolving conflicts. An aggrieved party initiates the process by reporting a matter at the law enforcement agencies who in turn investigate arrest and prosecute the suspect. The nature of litigations varies depending on the rules and laws in every jurisdiction. Litigations are systematic and strive to uphold justice for both the victim and suspect. Ligations are appropriate in a number of circumstances. They are useful in high stake cases. Political conflicts, murder cases, defamation and economic conflicts among companies always end up in courts owing to the intensity of the conflicts and the seriousness of the damages that victims incur from such cases. Key among the advantages of litigations is the fact that the proceedings are systematic. As explained earlier, litigations begin with investigations (Kerley, Joanne and Paul 78). In every stage, the law enforcers among other parties involved such as the prosecutors must always uphold the di ctates of the law that help protect the interests of both the victim and the suspect. Proving a case beyond reasonable doubt makes litigations just and fair. The judges or jury must consider the evidence and the witnesses’ accounts as they make their determination. Miranda rights and the right to appeal help enhance the quality of the justice system since it provides both the victim and the suspect with a number of basic privileges that enhance the exhaustively of the investigations and the quality of the court proceedings in order to improve the quality of justice. In case a defendant is not satisfied with the ruling, such individuals have the rights to appeal the rulings and the courts of appeal must institute appropriate benches and rehear the cases. Despite the numerous advantages,

Advertising in context Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advertising in context - Essay Example Advertising is very important for every kind of business.Every businessman is constantly looking for the new advantageous ways to attract new customers and get more profit with low expenses.In the modern world information technologies offer new opportunities and new kinds of advertising. According to recent researches, ‘online advertising to consumer time ratio is circa 50%’, which is quite significant amount and thus, implies great advertising possibilities hidden in internet marketing (Walters, 2009). This point of view was confirmed with general opinion expressed in BBC News in 2006 that print and TV media are not able to meet current marketing needs, which could be satisfied with online resources. It can be explained by low cost of internet advertising and by the fact that now when people spend much time in the internet, internet advertising can be used not only for internet business but for any kind of business (Walters J., 2009). Origin of internet advertising It i s commonly accepted that history of internet advertising originated in far away 1991, when CERN presented their brainchild – World Wide Web in Switzerland (Abbate, 1999). Firstly, internet was exploited by grass roots around 1994, when such companies as AT&T, MCI, Sprint, and Volvo asked HotWired  to develop online ads for their sites (Singel, 2010). However the practice was not very popular because online connection was pretty slow, internet resources were not developed, which caused serious inconveniences. At the end of 1994 Roy Schwedelson, one of the first promoters of internet usage for commercial goals, made a speech about online marketing possibilities at the Information Superhighway conference in order to stimulate more agencies to exploit the Web for advertisement goals. In January 1995 Prodigy firstly put their online site on commercial base for the subscribers. Soon, such companies as MCI, Air Walk,  and Jim Beam followed their example. In response for increase d interest in online ads NetScape, Google, and InfoSeek started to develop structured official platforms for advertising. In 1996 further initiative in internet marketing was taken by Microsoft, which became the leading Web advertiser in short time (The history of internet advertising, 2007). Probably, the first noticeable online advertisements appeared at AT&T and Procter & Gamble  sites, when they realized advantages and great future of internet technologies and started to invested serious money in their web pages development (Herman & McChesney, 2004). Gradually, more companies and marketing agencies appreciated how they could gain from internet advertising and it could be said that at the end of 1997 – beginning of 1998 the industry got general commercial acceptance. By 2001 such dinosaurs of World Wide Web as Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, American Online, and Amazon achieved record number of views, which contributed about 125 to 442 million users. (Silk, Klein, Berndt, 20 01) Types of internet advertisements There are several types of internet advertising, which are widely applied nowadays: banner ads, unicast, sidebar, blogging and social network ads, pop-up ads, search engine submission and optimization, text links, floating ads, e-mail ads and many others (Rivers). Banner ads were developed to favor direct sales, which are also called branding sales, primarily. This kind of ads is similar to brick and mortar billboard ads, which main task is to provide consumers with certain information about particular brand briefly and awake their interest (Harris). Moreover, online banners usually imply that users would undertake some actions like clicking the banner or searching for further information. However, recent researches showed that nowadays banner ads are supposed to be quite ineffective: just 2-5 people out of 1000 click the banner while others simply ignore it (Wilson, 2009). Unicast ads are supposed to be more effective than classic banner ads and are presented with some kind of mini video commercials,