How Does the Kastle-Meyer Test Detect Blood

The Kastle-Meyer test is an inexpensive, easy, and reliable forensic method to detect the presence of blood. Here is how to perform the test. Materials Kastle-Meyer solution70 percent ethanoldistilled or deionized water3 percent hydrogen peroxidecotton swabsdropper or pipettea sample of dried blood Perform the Kastle-Meyer Blood Test Steps Moisten a swab with water and touch it to a dried blood sample. You do not need to rub hard or coat the swab with the sample. You only need a small amount.Add a drop or two of 70 percent ethanol to the swab. You dont need to soak the swab. The alcohol does not participate in the reaction, but it does serve to expose hemoglobin in blood so that it can react more fully to increase the sensitivity of the test.Add a drop or two of the Kastle-Meyer solution. This is a phenolphthalein solution, which should be colorless or pale yellow. If the solution is pink or if it turns pink when added to the swab, then the solution is old or oxidized and the test will not work. The swab should be uncolored or pale at this point. If it changed color, start again with some fresh Kastle-Meyer solution.Add a drop or two of hydrogen peroxide solution. If the swab turns pink immediately, this is a positive test for blood. If the color does not change, the sample does not contain a detectable amount of blood . Note that the swab will change color, turning pink after about 30 seconds, even if no blood is present. This is a result of hydrogen peroxide oxidizing the phenolphthalein in the indicator solution. Alternate Method Rather than wetting the swab with water, the test may be performed by moistening the swab with the alcohol solution. The remainder of the procedure remains the same. This is a nondestructive test, which leaves the sample in a condition such that it may be analyzed using other methods. In actual practice, it is more common to collect a fresh sample for additional testing. Test Sensitivity and Limitations The Kastle-Meyer blood test is an extremely sensitive test, capable of detecting blood dilutions as low as 1:107. If the test result is negative, it is reasonable proof that heme (an ingredient in all blood) is absent in the sample. However, the test will give a false positive result in the presence of an oxidizing agent in the sample. Examples include peroxidases naturally found in cauliflower or broccoli. Also, it is important to note that the test does not differentiate between heme molecules of different species. A separate test is required to determine whether blood is of human or animal origin. How the Test Works The Kastle-Meyer solution is a phenolphthalein indication solution which has been reduced, usually by reacting it with powdered zinc. The basis of the test is that the peroxidase-like activity of the hemoglobin in blood catalyzes the oxidation of the colorless reduced phenolphthalein into bright pink phenolphthalein.

The Identity Theory Of Mind - 1385 Words

The development of the Identity Theory of Mind is representative of materialist philosophy’s shift towards questions of human consciousness. Within philosophical and scientific circles, discussions of the mind and body have supplanted discussions of what constitutes the world around us. Staggering technological innovation, alongside the establishment of superior of scientific research methodologies, has given rise to this philosophical trend – Identity Theory is, indeed, the culmination of this trend. Throughout the course of this essay I will both define and defend Identity Theory against what I consider to be two superficially convincing counter-arguments; namely, the invocation of the ‘Leibniz Law’ (otherwise referred to as The Identity of Indiscernibles) and ‘The Problem of Other Minds’. Though seemingly persuasive, the invocation of the Leibniz Law, at its core, consists of a semantic trick. As a general ontological principle the Leibniz L aw may possess some validity; in its specific application to Identity Theory however, it remains destitute of substance. On the other hand, The Problem of Other Minds relies on a radical scepticism irreconcilable with current understandings of the brain. Based on the degree of scientific knowledge available regarding the composition of the brain, Identity Theory, at this time, provides a logical and coherent account of the relationship between mind and body. The Identity Theory of Mind asserts that â€Å"states and processes of the mindShow MoreRelatedThe Mind Body Identity Theory1668 Words   |  7 Pagesnature of a human person; this has lead to various theories and speculation about the nature of the human mind and body. The question they are tying to answer is whether a human being is made of only the physical, body and brain, or both the physical or the mental, mind. In this paper I will focus on the mind-body Identity Theory to illustrate that it provides a suitable explanation for the mind and body interaction. Identity Theory Identity theorists hold the view that the mental events are nothingRead MoreThe Mind Brain Identity Theory1096 Words   |  5 Pagesof the mind have been made for and against, whether or not the mind and the brain are the same entity. The mind-brain identity theory is the view that the mind is the brain and that mental states are brain states (Mandik 77). Therefore, we can identify sensations and other mental processes with physical brain processes (Blutner 4). I argue, that the mind is not identical to the brain, and the conceivable idea of zombies, as well as the multiple realizability argument, can disprove this theory. InRead MoreThe Mind Brain Identity Theory1371 Words   |  6 PagesPhilosophy October 29, 2015 In this paper, I will argue that the Mind-Brain Identity Theory provides sufficient grounds to accept Epicurus’ argument for death being annihilation. I will argue my thesis by referring to Peter Carruthers’ The Mind Is the Brain to establish that one’s mental states are in fact brain states and will also refer to Epicurus’ Death is Nothing to Us. Next, I will explain that if one accepts the Identity Theory then one should also accept, as Epicurus argues, that death shouldRead MoreThe Mind / Brain Identity Theory1718 Words   |  7 PagesA person relates to the world through different mental and corporeal experiences. The former is associated with one having a (non-physical) mind, which contains beliefs, desires, feelings and so on, while the latter involves having a (physical) brain. The Mind/Body problem questions whether the mind and brain are the same or different objects. For a long time, the interpretation of these experiences has been much debated by philosophers and scientists. One influential interpretation is Descartes’sRead MoreThe Mind Brain Identity Theory1689 Words   |  7 Pagesargument that dealt a â€Å"considerable blow† to the Mind-Brain Identity Theory—a theory developed by J.C.C Smart—in which he [Putnam] stated â€Å"mental states are multiply realizable.† His argument is driven by functionalism. His functionalist account of mental states like pain differs from what is explained by the Mind-Brain Identity Theory. In turn, he also avoids the issue of multiple realizability, an issue that was proven to be problematic for the Identity Theory. This leads into John Searle s argument againstRead MoreThe Mind Brain Identity Theory Essay1977 Words   |  8 Pages The mind is a complex myriad of thoughts and psychological systems that even philosophers today cannot entirely grapple. It is composed of the senses, feelings, perceptions, and a whole series of other components. However , the mind is often believed to be similar or even the same as the brain. This gives rise to the mind-brain identity theory, and whether there exists a clear distinction between the physical world and the non-material mind. In this paper, I will delineate the similarities and differencesRead MoreThe Identity Theory Of Mind With Dualism1259 Words   |  6 Pagescontrast the physicalist identity theory of mind with dualism about the mind. â€Å"Physicalism is the position that everything that exists does so within the limits of its physical properties, and that there are no other kinds of things other than physical.†* To concisely describe physicalism in my words, it is the idea that we agree to everything being physical or in â€Å"flesh†. â€Å"In the philosophy of mind, dualism is the theory that the mental and the physical—or mind and body or mind and brain—are, in someRead MoreThe Theory Of Personal Identity988 Words   |  4 Pagessame soul theory. By having the same soul, we are the same person. I will support this argument by giving a brief overview of all the theories of personal identity then stating the objection of the same soul theory using the same body and same mind theorist. Last but not least, I will then respond accordingly to the objection by stating the connection and unchanging qualities from the same soul theory. There are approximately four theories of personal identity: no self, same soul, same mind and sameRead MoreMental States Of The Mind Body Problem1725 Words   |  7 Pagesof the Mind-body problem Abstract: The mind-body problem is a highly debated topic in philosophy, and has resulted in the creation of many theories attempting to answer it. Applying the mind-body problem to a situation where a patient lacks a normal brain but appears completely normal questions the mental states that the patient has. Looking at the views based on different theories that five doctors express, the things that stand out to me are multiple realizability, Token Identity theory and functionalismRead MoreUsing Material From Smart And Armstrong1378 Words   |  6 PagesI will explain the motivations of the type-identity thesis (Occam s Razor, and explanation of the casual efficiency of mental states) using material from Smart and Armstrong. Third, I will go onto examining type-identity thesis merits (how it solves Descartes problem of mind and body and how it allows us to derive the casual role of mental phenomena) and drawbacks (violation of Leibniz s Law and Multiple Realizability Argument). The type-identity thesis holds that mental processes are brain

The Effect of Trade Balance on National Income Growth

INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY The attainment of balance of trade is always a critical factor in the economic development of many nations. This simply means that continuous trade deficits and surpluses are undesirable. The world has become a global village in which different countries interact with themselves and get involved in business transactions and trade. This kind of trade between countries is known as international trade which involves the exchange of goods and services between nations. Some countries are more or less deficit nations which mean they import more than they export, while some countries produce more than is absorbed by their domestic economy so they export the surpluses. Either of these actions means that a†¦show more content†¦He proposed as an example to suppose that he, a Frenchman, exported French wine and imported British coal, turning a profit. He supposed he was in France, and sent a Cask of wine which was worth 50 francs to England. The custom house would record an export of 50 francs. If in England, the wine sold for 70 francs, which he then used to buy coal, which he imported into France and was found to be worth 90 francs in France, he would have made a profit of 40 francs. But the custom house would say that the value of imports exceeded the value of exports and was trade deficit against the ledger of France. By reductio ad absurdum, Bastiat argued that the national trade deficit was an indicator of a successful economy, rather than a failing one. Bastiat predicted that a successful, growing economy would result in greater trade deficits, and an unsuccessful, shrinking economy would result in lower trade deficits. This was later, in the 20th century, affirmed by economist Milton Friedman. Trade deficits can be healthy if it is used in importing capital goods that increases output. Small trade deficits are generally not considered to be harmful to either the importing or exporting economy. However, when a national trade imbalance expands beyond prudence (generally thought to be several percentage of GDP, for several years), adjustment tend to occur. While unsustainable imbalances may persist for long periods,Show MoreRelatedU.s. Trade Pattern Is Affected By The 2008 Financial Crisis883 Words   |  4 PagesThe proceeding discussion elaborates how Sino-The U.S. trade pattern is affected by the 2008 financial crisis. There are few macro factors which are the driven forces behind financial crisis. From above sections, we conclude that the U.S. is more flexible to promulgate new country specific trade policy due to its imports centralization from few countries, and China is more sensitive to the protective trade policy due to its economic growth is more relying on the exp orts. The consumers’ purchasingRead MoreGovernment s Trade Protection As A Basic Economic And Trade Policy1383 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction: Trade protection is a basic economic and trade policy which is based on national benefits, domestic firms and economic situation. Trade protection is designed to protect domestic firms and limit other countries’ business development in all over the world. Trade protections’ measures are set up to enhance own nation’s economic and to prevent other nations’ economical aggression. Although there is always free trade during international trade, which makes the biggest benefits of free trade to stimulateRead MoreThe Republic Of South Korea1410 Words   |  6 PagesCharacteristics The republic of South Korea is located in East Asia, according to the World Bank it is a high-income developed country with a developed market, with a GDP of $1.449 trillion(US) and GDP per capita (ppp) of 25,977(US), averaging an annual growth rate of 2.9%. Over the past four decades the country has shown incredible growth and global integration to become a high-tech industrialized economy. South Korea is the world’s 4th largest car producers being home to Hyundai Motors, the largestRead MoreThe World Trade Organization ( Wto ) Essay1508 Words   |  7 Pagesworldwide movement toward economic, financial, trade, and communications integration.† (Businessdictionary.com) Globalisation enables vast growth within international trade, foreign direct investment (FDI) and standard of living (measured by Human development Index). Globalisation in relation to Indonesia has greatly expanded the country’s international relationships, improved standard of living for the na tion’s population and improved economic growth through assistance from strategies implementedRead MoreThe Trade Between East And West1650 Words   |  7 Pagesthat facilitated the trade between East and West. The modern territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan once hosted northern routes of fabled Silk Road and served as ancient trade hub, conjunction of trade channels, consequently supporting significant development of China, India, Europe, Egypt and others. Soviet period brought the region into integrated economic space with relatively efficient system; however, it was oriented towards the needs of Soviet economy meaning weakened trade with foreign entitiesRead MoreButler Lumber Case1404 Words   |  6 PagesStark’s share for $105,000 to be paid of in 1989 out of which $70,000 was raised by a loan carrying an interest rate of 11% and repayable at the rate of $7,000 over the next 10 years. Over the past five years, Butler Lumber Company has experienced rapid growth i n its business. It derives its business from retail distribution of lumber products in the local area. A large portion of its business is based in repair services, and as a result, it should be somewhat protected from a downturn in the real estateRead More Role Of Government In Mixed Economies Such As Australia Essay1741 Words   |  7 Pageseconomic policy? Why is the government concerned about microeconomic reform? Synopsis: The role of government in Australia today has less influence on the market than they did a decade ago. It function now is to provide a stable internal and external balance under which the market can function. This is achieved through the use of fiscal, monetary and microeconomic reform. Australia currently operates under a mixed economic system. This means that the government has partial control over the economy andRead MoreEcon984 Words   |  4 Pagesthat country. A5-3. In Saudi Arabia, gross domestic product (GDP) is less than gross national product (GNP). This means that the nation produces domestically more than it is able to consume domestically. A5-4. If aggregate household saving is negative, the marginal propensity to save from disposable income must be negative. A5-5. If desired aggregate expenditure is greater than actual national output, national output will increase. A5-6. If the domestic price level decreases, the price of domesticRead MoreWhy Do Nations Trade Based On The Concept Of Comparative Advantage?1585 Words   |  7 Pages1-why do nations trade based on the concept of comparative advantage? When a company or someone can produce at a cheaper cost than anyone else that is a comparative advantage theory. In spite of there are many criticisms for comparative advantage theory, but some people supported comparative advantage theory and they have talked about the advantages its, such as Adam Smith and David Ricardo. The advantage of using comparative advantage in nations trade are: - The countries can select lower costRead MoreMonetary Policy And The Financial Crisis1583 Words   |  7 Pagesmarkets. This document will analyze the impact of a country’s net balance of payments on the exchange rate of the country’s currency. An analysis of the impact of a country’s net level of interest rates and nominal inflation rate on the country’s exchanged rate will also be reviewed. In addition, a review of the growth in a country’s Gross National Product will be analyzed to determine if there is any relationship to a country’s trade deficits. Finally, a recommendation will be presented on how monetary

Legal Issues Of Affirmative Action - 1528 Words

Student affairs and higher education professionals must be familiar with legal obligations in regards to their diversity efforts policies in order to be fully compliant and successful in their endeavors. Legal Issues Pertaining to Diversity in Higher Education Today When addressing legal issues of diversity in the modern day era, one main topic is brought to discussion, affirmative action. It was put into place by the federal government in the 1960’s and was initially developed to close the gap in relation to the privileged majority and the unprivileged minority in America (Aguirre Jr. Martinez, 2003). While it has been controversial since its origin, it remains controversial as critics argue it tries to equalize the impact of so many†¦show more content†¦ Martinez, 2003). The Supreme Court ruled that the University of California was wrong in the way they approached a special admissions program that was open only to minority applicants (Aguirre Jr. Martinez, 2003). The ruling argued that the special admissions program violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment (Aguirre Jr. Martinez, 2003). Justice Lewis Powell, Jr. stated in his opinion on the Bakke case that quotas â€Å"would hinder rather than further attainment of genuine diversity† (Aguirre Jr. Martinez, 2003, p. 141). Justice Powell, Jr. also wrote that race is only one part of many factors that an institution can consider in truly achieving a heterogeneous student population (Aguirre Jr. Martinez, 2003). By siding with Bakke in this case, the Supreme Court essentially outlawed the use of racial quotas in admissions processes in higher education, yet universities took this as it is okay to use race as a selective factor as long as there are no quotas (Aguirre Jr. Martinez, 2003). There are two recent lawsuits from 2003 that brought to the forefront college admissions using race; these include Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger (Bowman, 2013). Both cases involve the University of Michigan. In Grutter v. Bollinger, the court sided with the university stating that their admissions office can continue to use race-based initiatives in fostering an education benefit to the students (Bowman, 2013).

Analysis of Outsourcing Practices-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Write a Literature Review on Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourcing Business Functions. Answer: Introduction This section of the research is the key section where the ideas of different authors will be discussed on the topic Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourcing Business Functions. This section contains the secondary data which contains the views and opinions taken from various sources which will help in completing the research successfully. Outsourcing can be referred to the process which is used for reducing the costs of the business operations by transferring the business functions to outsiders rather than completing it internally. Outsourcing has been a topic of discussion from many years and it is often observed that it is used to achieve economies of scale. Different authors have given different views on the concept which will be discussed here as under. Literature Review Scope and Objective The scope of the literature review is wide because Outsourcing is a wide topic which can be discussed thoroughly. The advantages and disadvantages of the outsourcing business functions will be discussed in different business areas and the thoughts of various authors will be discussed on the topic which can cover the benefits harms of outsourcing to the business with the real life examples of the corporate world to make it clearer. The main objective of the project is to identify the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing business functions. This will be done by going through various articles, journals and web sources which provides a clear idea about what different authors think about the same. It also considers that how outsourcing has proved beneficial or failure for the real corporate giants. Comparative analysis According to Krstic and Kahrovic (2015), outsourcing of business functions improves the efficiency of the business and also provides the competitive advantage of the business. The author provides opinion that Outsourcing is now an important tool for the businesses and it provides the competitive advantage to the small or large scale businesses. There are many drivers for outsourcing which includes reduction of costs, savings, reduction in the capital investment, focus on core competence and flexibility. In simple terms, it can be said that it is moving the processes of business from internal service providers to the external service providers in return of fee paid to the service provider. Similar to this, Iqbal Dad (2013) added that the companies discontinue the production facilities of their own and handover these functions to other companies to seek better services, lesser costs and by this they can also pay attention to their core functions. It provides overall global cost advant ages which is a the most important factor for outsourcing the business functions which cannot be ignored. As per the author, there are four reasons which are responsible for outsourcing the business functions. These reasons include improvement in the cash flow, improvement in the payment control, staffing and improvement in the overall business performance (Bajec Jakomin, 2010). As per Manning, Massini Lewin (2008), outsourcing of business function has different views like Transaction- Cost view, Competence- Based view Relational view. The author further adds that the global scenario is changing which is also bringing a change in the process of comp0leting the business functions. Outsourcing is important because it reduces costs and brings economics of scale. In the business, it brings technological advancements in the business and the business is able to access the global talent. Outsourcing helps business to focus on its core competencies and this is how it makes itself capable to provide improved services to the customers which improve the customer relationship. In contrast to that Tayauova (2012) suggested outsourcing can lead to the loss of managerial control from the managerial operations and can also provide threat to the security and confidentiality of the organisations. The disadvantages of the outsourcing of business operations include the hidden costs as well which ultimately increases the cost of the operations and can also create quality problems. The execution of outsourcing is difficult. When an organisation outsources the services, it expects better quality of services from the service provider which sometimes influences the satisfaction level of the service user. In addition to this, Soriano-Meier, Garza-Reyes, Lal Rocha-Lona (2012) views that outsourcing of the business functions creates a fear of leakage of the confidential data of the company. It creates quality issues and problems or can also be slow in providing response. In the opinion of Brcar (2011), Outsourcing of the business functions can ensure the competitiveness of the firm. The author conducts a research by collecting information through survey and finds that outsourcing business functions is a strategic decision which ultimately affects the entire organisation. It is taking advantage of the global markets and the stronger strategies which ensure competitive advantage to the company in the global industries. It is found that outsourcing will increase in future and the areas where it will be used the most will be HR, quality and after sales services. The author concludes that it is increasingly important for the success of the business organisations and this sector of outsourcing will grow in future. According to Troac? Bodislav (2012), outsourcing has evolved in the last two decades and is continuously rising. The author discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the concept of outsourcing. The advantages of the concept are that Outsourcing is the strategic tool use in the business which provides competitive advantage to the business. It helps companies to increase their level of savings from 10 to 15% on the total costs incurred on the processes which is because of the economies of scale. Besides financial advantages, there are other benefits of outsourcing like it helps the business in focussing on the core processes and in accessing the resources. But there are also some of the concerns with Outsourcing like specially when the organisation loses control from its operations and also loses the performance which ultimately affects the image of the firm in the market and reduces the profitability. The results of outsourcing the business functions are not immediate. When a bus iness outsources its business functions, it loses the productivity of its labour because the time spent on the transfer of knowledge to the service provider could have been used in generating services by themselves (Marvin, 2011). In accordance with Sharma Loh (2009), outsourcing is a contributing factor in the success of businesses and in the year 2009, it contributed US $172 billion in the industry. The main drivers of the outsourcing activities like cost efficiency was considered important and it has been found that the multinational companies are taking more part in the outsourcing of services and the developing countries like India and China will be much ahead than they are right now. There will be competition in future in relation to the outsourcing industry. In US, the number of outsourcing companies doubled between 2005 to 2008 and 60% of the companies showed their willingness to expand their current outsourcing services in future. It is also found that smaller companies are more apt for outsourcing their business operations to gain specialisation and expert services on the services. It is seen in the last few years that the labour cost is reducing due to the outsourcing of services and cost saving is the primary motive of any company for outsourcing their business activities (Gotzamani, Longinidis Vouzas, 2010). It was also found that the firms which outsource the services have saved up to 3.5 times more than their actual savings. The affect is different in different industries, like in manufacturing industries, there is no such positive affect is seen on the performance but the lead time of the processes increased because the outsourcing helps the businesses to deal with the supply chain management (Smith, 2012). As per Wang, et al. (2008), around 145 UK and US organisations have been surveyed and among these 56 per cent of the companies did not see any cost reduction benefits while 23% experienced cost benefits in their business. The author suggests that the companies should not underestimate their in-house production capabilities and should only adopt outsourcing facilities if it provides benefits to the business. The survey conducted by the author came to a conclusion that among several UK based companies which took part in survey, 350 companies were pulled out of the outsourcing contract and held of these companies said that the quality of the outsourcing services were poor and remaining half said that there were no cost savings which bought them back to the in-house production facilities. According to Cowley (2004), JP Morgan in the year 2004 have cancelled the outsourcing contract of $5 billion with IBM and hired back the employees who were hired by IBM to process the functions. This shows that JP Morgan decided to start their operations in house instead of outsourcing them to IBM. IN house production facilities bought competitive advantage to the firm. Outsourcing provides swiftness and expertise to the businesses which helps in completing the work faster and helps in giving better output. It also helps in sharing the risks between the service provider and service user. But on the contrary, there are some hidden costs and it also provides risks of leakage of confidential information (Suraju Hamed, 2013). For e.g. there are many success stories of sousing the business activities and also the cases of failure. According to Muzychko (2015), there are many companies which have successfully used outsourcing services and created value in their businesses. For e.g. Procter Gamble is a leading company for fast moving consumer goods which is successful across the world. The company was facing a challenge in the global markets due to rapidly changing market of technology and innovation; the company outsourced its Research and Development activities and it proved to be one of the best decisions of the company. Outsourcing its Research and D evelopment function boosted the innovation activities. By 60 per cent and it created more than $10 billion revenue from its products. Today, more than half of the innovation for the company comes from an external source. On the contrary there are some other real examples of failure of outsourcing of business activities. One of the examples is of Royal bank of Scotland. In June 2012, the software update of RBS failed which left millions of customers unable to access their bank accounts and they were unable to withdraw money from their accounts. Also, the bank was not able to carry n its transactions. The problem was converted huge backlog in the economy and it took several days to clear the mess up. It was all because of the IT vendor which was providing the software services to the bank and the bank did not have any back up plan which created the problems and it became worse. With all these pros and cons discussed, it is advisable that the businesses should consider the type of services which should be outsourced and the benefits and harms related to it. The streams which are commonly outsourcing its services are Information Technology, Outsourcing of legal matters, web designs and recruitment services (Weske, 2012). There should be a consistent communication between both the parties for increasing the overall effectiveness of the outsourcing decisions taken by the company. Also, the long term relationships need to be established in order to maximise the benefits of outsourcing the business functions. The companies can also make a business plan for building an optimum model for outsourcing. It may reduce the costs of outsourcing, capabilities and results of outsourcing the business functions. The improvements in the business functions might enhance more when it is done with proper planning and execution (Chew Gottschalk, 2013). Quality and currency of articles and sources used The quality of the research papers or other sources used for completing the literature review is high in quality which is helpful in conducting the research well. The sources used are supported with genuine references which show that these sources are valid. The references have the details of the author, year of publication, title of the source and from where the source has been taken. All the content which has been mentioned in the assignment is secondary in nature which means that it has been already used before. Currency of Literature Review By currency we mean the publication details of the material which has been used in the literature review. All the sources used in the literature review are recent. The sources used are of the year 2004 and after years. There are some recent researches which focussed on the uses of outsourcing of business functions and also the drawbacks of the business functions. Most of the researches are of the year 2012 and above. It depicts that the information used is not out dated and provides the latest information and views of different authors on the topic which helps in building up clear conclusion on the topic. Gaps identified Research gap is the missing or insufficient information which hampers the conclusions of the research. It also affects the ability of decision-making of the practitioners. It can also be referred to the gap between the existing research and the research to be done. It shows the missing information in the collected data for the research which could have been used to generate the final conclusions. The research conducted above covers the concept of outsourcing and the advantages disadvantages of same for the businesses of today. It has also been covered that how outsourcing has been proved success and failure for different business organisations. The research does not cover the drivers of the outsourcing of business functions and the critical success factors of the same. The ideas of different authors have been compered on the basis of similarities and differences in their views for outsourcing business functions. Conclusion It can be concluded from the literature review that Outsourcing business activities is a strategic tool for the business. It depends on the type of business and its internal capabilities that it needs outsourcing or not. Outsourcing business functions is both beneficial and harmful for the businesses. On one hand it may improve the effectiveness of organisational functions and the decision making and also minimise the business risks. On the other hand, it contains hidden costs and also risks the confidential information of the company. The literature review discusses the real life examples of the businesses which show how outsourcing can be success and failure for the business. Outsourcing business functions brings competitive advantage to the companies. For having benefits from outsourcing the business functions, the companies should consider the risk factors, their outsourcing partners and also the cost of outsourcing and should compare it with the benefits it gets from the same. The comparative analysis will let the company know that whether it should go for outsourcing or should develop in house capabilities References Bajec, P, Jakomin, I 2010, A make-or-buy decision process for outsourcing, PROMET-TrafficTransportation, 22(4), 285-291. Brcar, F 2011, The Perspective of Business Process Outsourcing in Slovenian Organizations, Organizacija, Volume 44. Chew, E, Gottschalk, P 2013, Knowledge Driven Service Innovation and Management: IT Strategies for Business Alignment and Value Creation, IGI Global. Cowley, S 2004, Update: J.P. Morgan cancels $5B IBM outsourcing deal. [Online] Available at: https://www.computerworld.com/s/article/95933/Update_J.P._Morgan_cancels_5B_IBM_outsourcing_dea l. (Accessed 17 August 2017). Garland, A 2015, Five of the biggest outsourcing failures, ITproPortal. Gotzamani K, Longinidis P, Vouzas F 2010, The logistics services outsourcing dilemma: quality management and financial performance perspectives, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 15, No. 6, pp. 438453. Iqbal, Z Dad, A M 2013, Outsourcing: A Review of Trends, Winners Losers and Future Directions, International Journal of Business and Social Science, Vol. 4 No. 8. Krstic, B. and Kahrovic, E., 2015. Business process outsourcing as a tool for improving enterprise efficiency. Ekonomika, 61(3), p.31. Manning, S, Massini, S Lewin, A Y (2008), A Dynamic Perspective on NextGeneration Offshoring: The global Sourcing of Science and Engineering Talent. Academy of Management Perspectives, Vol. 22 Issue 3, p35-54. Marvin, K T 2011, Global Trends in Outsourcing and their Impact (Doctoral dissertation, Worcester Polytechnic Institute). Muzychko, A 2015, 5 Successful Stories of Outsourcing, LinkedIn. Sharma, A Loh, P 2009, Emerging Trends in Sourcing of business services. Business Process Management Journal., Vol. 15 No. 2. Smith, A 2012, The Pros and Cons of Outsourcing. Soita, S Gichinga, L 2016, Factors Influencing Strategic Outsourcing Practice in Airline Industry: A Case Study of Kenya Airways, The International Journal Of Business Management, Vol 4 Issue 3. Soriano-Meier, H, Garza-Reyes, J A, Lal, J S Rocha-Lona, L 2012, An Investigation Exploring the Advantages and Disadvantages of Outsourcing the Development of New Products in the Indian Pharmaceutical Industry, Proceedings of the 2012 International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Istanbul, Turkey, July 3 6. Suraju, R Hamed, A B 2013, Outsourcing Services as a Strategic Tool for Organizational Performance: An Exploratory Study of Nigerian Food, Beverage, and Tobacco Industry, Journal of Management Policies and Practices, 1 (1). Tayauova, G, 2012, Advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing: analysis of outsourcing practices of Kazakhstan banks, Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 41, pp.188-195. Troac?, V Bodislav, D 2012, Outsourcing. The Concept, Theoretical and Applied Economics Volume, XIX (2012), No. 6(571), pp. 51-58. Wang, L, Gwebu, K L, Wang, J Zhu, D X , 2008, The Aftermath of Information Technology Outsourcing: An empirical Study of Firm Performance following outsourcing Decisions. Journal of Information Systems, Vol. 22 Issue 1, p125-159. Weske, M 2012, Business process management concepts, languages, arhitectures, Springer.

Managerial Accounting Triton Corporation

Question: Discuss about the case study Managerial Accounting for Triton Corporation. Answer: Introduction The following report evaluates the financial state of Triton Corporation in bringing business sustainability to the enterprise. As such, the product divisions as well as the required capital investments that would be needed to ensure smoother flow of operations is stated. Besides this, the assignment states the implications for the usage of low-value added items for achieving greater financial returns and profitability. Necessary strategic decisions shall be made regarding the selling of the bathroom accessories as well as the pipe divisions. This can be determined by examining the market share and the profitability of these segments. A decentralized market program shall be established to aid decision making and reduction in headcount of the staff. It is expected that these procedures shall enable a business organization to increase the financial strength of the organization and reduce the cost of production. The financial ratio analysis as well as the budgetary controls shall be est ablished to assess the financial condition of the business enterprise and respond appropriately. Evaluating six division of the company Identifying the product division that are producing low value added items and require high working capital investment: The overall profitability of Triton Corporation is mainly generated from Industrial Services, which employs low cost of materials and produces the highest profits from other divisions. Furthermore, the Electrical products could be identified as the low profit producing division, which needs huge investment. In this context, Phillips (2012) suggested that identifying the manufacturing process with low return could help the company in making adequate investment decisions. On the contrary, Weygandt et al. (2015) argued that due to intense competition sometimes companies use low pricing methods , which in turn reduces its overall profitability. Electrical Products Floor Boards Car Accessories Industrial services Bathroom services Pipes Revenue 40 25.4 17.1 33.7 7 6 Expenses 37.8 24 14.1 25.7 6.5 5.9 Income 2.2 1.4 3 8 0.5 0.1 Return on investment 5.50% 5.51% 17.54% 23.74% 7.14% 1.67% Table 1: Showing income generated from different divisions (Source: as per case study) The above depicted table mainly represents the overall revenue, expenses and income that are generated by the different divisions of Triton Corporation. Moreover, the pipes division is identified as the lowest income generating process that is being used by the company. However, the overall investment that is used by pipes division is relatively lower than other manufacturing process used by the company. Maher et al. (2012) mentioned that evaluation of the manufacturing process mainly help companies to identify the excess expenditure, which is reducing the overall return from investment. On the other hand, Warren et al. (2013) criticises that high investment conducted in products with low demand could result in inventory and investment blockage, which might increase overall cost of production. In addition, with the help of table 1, Electrical products division of Triton Corporation is identified as the manufacturing process having low return on investment compared to its other processes. Moreover, Electrical division mainly uses $37.8 million in investment and produces $2.2 million in profits. In this context, Zimmerman and Yahya-Zadeh (2011) stated that manufacturing process with low return could reduce capacity of the company in generating enough revenue to attain suitable growth. In addition, Triton Corporation has the highest market share in Electrical products, which enables the company to generate higher revenue from all its divisions. However, the company could input new technologies to reduce cost of production and attain more return from its investment. On the contrary, Ahmed and Duellman (2013) mentioned that increasing expenditure on new equipments could reduce the overall cash reserves and working capital of the company and in turn negatively affect its product ivity. Moreover, Floor board division is also identified as one of the manufacturing processes that employees investment of $25.4 million but generate return as Electrical Product. However, the reduced return on investment is mainly hinders capability of the company to attain suitable profitability and growth. According to Kaplan (2011), some companies uses zero based budgeting method to reduce the overall expenditure conducted by their manufacturing process and in turn increase their profit generation capacity. However, WeiBenberger and Angelkort (2011) argued that zero based budgeting mainly reduces the overall working capital of the manufacturing process, which might increase the overall completion time finished products. Evaluating the implications of low value added items for financial return and profitability of the company: The identified low value added manufacturing process mainly helps Triton Corporation to evaluate its financial return. Moreover, the low return on investment is mainly affecting the overall growth prospects of the company. In this context Bargate (2012) argued that some companies to achieve higher market share uses low pricing strategy, which in turn reduces the overall return from investment. These low returns on investment mainly have certain implications on profitability and future growth of the company. These implications are as follows: Reduced investment capacity: The low return on investment mainly blocks capital of the company and reduces its capability to make sound investment decisions. In addition, low return on investment mainly reduces profits of the company, which in turn affects its decision making process. Chiarini (2012) mentioned that some companies effectively use activity based budgeting to reduce the overall expenditure on their manufacturing process and increase their cash reserves. In addition, Triton Corporation could effectively use Zero based budgeting to reduce the overall cost of production. Moreover, with the help of effective marketing tools the company could also increase its market share and in turn increase its return on investment. On the other hand, Phillips (2012) criticises that without higher product quality products, investment in marketing activities could only increase expenditure of the company and hamper its overall profitability. Reduction in cash reserves: Reduced return on investment could also affect cash reserves of the company, which in turn might negatively affect its future investment decisions. Nevertheless, Maher et al. (2012) criticises that reduced cash reserves could also indicates a higher interest payment conducted by the company due to accumulation of high interest loans. In addition, low cash reserves mainly reduce capacity of Triton Corporation to make adequate investment decisions. Zimmerman and Yahya-Zadeh (2011) mentioned that during recession overall cash reserves and capital employed by the company is negatively affected, which in turn affects its profit generation capacity. Low profits projected on financial report: The low return on investment could also be projected on the overall financial report of the company. This reduced profitability from investment could negatively affect the decision making process of its investors and affects its overall share price. In this context, Weygandt et al. (2015) mentioned that some companies to maintain high share price mainly uses unethical measure and inflate their balance sheet. Moreover, low return on investment could result in low dividend, which might reduce interest of investors in the company. Thus, it could be evaluated that low return on investment mainly affects growth prospects and future investment decision of the company. Critical Evaluation of the arguments for selling the two divisions The bathroom accessories as well as the pipes have been essential constituents of the Triton Corporation. These divisions have been a profitable part of the business enterprise and have contributing positively towards the sales revenue. However, it has been decided that both of these departments have to be sold, since substantial capital expenditure to retain its efficiency. In addition, it can be said that the selling of these two divisions, shall contribute positively to the business sustainability of the business enterprise. As per the financial reports of the company, the bathroom accessories and the pipe divisions has been occupying a 8% market share and 3% market share respectively. 0.5% profitability has been achieved on the sales of the bathroom accessories when compared to a 3% profitability on the sales of the pipes. Thus, the bathroom accessories have been facilitating greater profitability than the pipe division. Besides this, the market share occupied by the bathroom acc essories has been far greater than the pipe division. Thus, it would be essential to sell the bathroom accessories segment for consolidating the existing market position of the brand. As such, the bathroom accessories have been a profitable market segment for the brand.. In the case of the pipe division, the Triton Corporation has to incur a considerable capital investment to enhance the operational policies of the business entity. Besides this, the pipe divisions have been showing lesser profits when compared to the six divisions in the business enterprise. The brand shall increase its financial strength if the pipe division has to be sold to assess the financial strength of the business enterprise. The ratio analysis of the company has shown that the company has been finding difficult to pay-off the short term as well as the long-term loans of the company. According to Brigham and Ehrhardt (2013), it shall be better to consolidate the market position of the company than to pursue the expansion opportunities. Thus, the selling of the pipe division shall assist the firm to reduce the operational expenses of the business entity. Besides this, the capital expenses that would be required to run the pipe division shall also be significantly reduced. In this regard, it can be said that the organization has been competing in an extremely competitive market environment. Therefore, to ensure survival in an extremely competitive market environment the brand has to take certain pertinent measures. Therefore, it shall be effective to sell these divisions to achieve the market sustainability. However, it shall be necessary to analyze the financial viability of these two divisions in the long term basis. The bathroom accessories shall have a positive market position when compared to the pipe division in the company. As such, it can be said that the year ended financial statement of the company reveals that the bathroom accessories shall facilitate greater profitability and financial revenue. Thus, the long term viability of the bathroom accessories can be decided by the potential market performance of the brand. Several economic factors have to be considered in making a strategic decision, regarding the selling of bathroom accessories and the pipe division. According to Healy and Palepu (2012), the several economic factors that includes are inflation, the nature of the product and the service line as well as the existing financial condition of the business enterprise. Thus, these factors have to be assessed in a proper manner to evaluate the selling of the brands. The recent trends in the sales revenue has also been a determinate factor in assessing the sales viability of the bathroom accessories and the pipe division. As such, both these divisions have been achieving profitability as well as sales revenue in the existing market conditions. However, it is a necessary that a distinction has to be made in evaluating the sales procedures of these two divisions. In this regard, it can be said that the operational policies of the business enterprise. The debt asset ratio of 0.6 reflects the prese nce of assets in the business enterprise. This indicates that a there is a substantial presence of assets in the organization. As such, the selling of these divisions in the business enterprise shall not affect the level of assets present in the business organization. The debt to equity ratio of 1.5 in the business enterprise reflects the adequate presence of equity in the business enterprise. According to Delen et al. (2013), an adequate debt equity ratio shall refer to the substantial amount of debt that is greater than the equity of the firm. In this regard, it can be said that the Triton Corporation has adequate equity in the business enterprise. Thus, the selling of these two divisions shall have an impact on the operational policies of the business entity, thereby, assisting the business organization to achieve further growth. Analysis of Reduction of the financial gearing and investment in development projects The company intends to spend huge amount of capital for equipment replacements and modernisation programmes, investment in new projects as well as new product developments. The company therefore can check the feasibility of the investments using capital budgeting techniques. Payback period is a traditional investment appraisal method of capital budgeting that can assess the investment proposals. Bekaert and Hodrick (2012) opines that Payback period is essentially defined as the total number of years required to recover the amount invested initially by means of the stream of annual cash flows generated by different investment projects. The payback period is calculated using the formula: Payback Period = Initial Investment/ Cash Inflow per period (Bhimani 2012). The company can accept the equipment replacement and new development programmes only if the payback period of the particular project is less than the target payback period (Drury 2012). Therefore it is necessary to ascertain the target payback period for the new development programmes. The target payback period for different projects with uneven cash flows is generally the point at which the cumulative cash flows from the investment project alter from being negative to positive (Epstein and Lee 2012). The management of Triton Corporation can also select the projects that have the payback within the specific time period and choose alternatives based on the fastest payback period. The factors that affect the length of the payback period for the equipment replacements programmes and new development projects primarily include the cash flow of the business and the requirement of the initial outlay (Epstein and Lee 2012). The cash flows per period for the new investment projects can affect the length of the payback period. Therefore, the management of Triton Corporation can take into consideration the factors that affect the cash flows. The factors include the taxes, debt, core capital and distributions (Grieve 2013). Furthermore, the assets and the liabilities of the business concern can also affect the cash flow from the project. Therefore, the management of Triton Corporation can take into consideration the alterations in the account receivables, inventory, prepaid expenses, depreciation and the operating liabilities for assessment of the cash flows per period from the project (Grieve 2013). The accounts receivables express the amount of money the company owes for the products sold in credit. This asset is therefore a promise of cash but does not increase the cash flow until the business receives the money (Hampton 2011). The increase in the overall inventory also affects the flow of cash adversely and the decrease in the inventory increases the cash flow. The increase in the prepaid expenses for the development programmes can also affect the cash flow unfavorably and a decrease might possibly favorably affect the cash flow. In addition to this, the operational liability is an important factor that can affect the cash flow per period for the investment projects and the payback period. The increase in the operational liability can help the cash flow and decrease the payback period (Madura 2012). However, the decrease in the operational liability can hurt the cash flow and thereby increase the overall payback period. The loan capital that the company can use for funding the new investment projects can also affect the payback period of the p rojects. The total loan capital for the year 2014 was recorded to be $48m. Therefore, the increase in the borrowed fund for financing the projects can increase the overall leverage of the company and raise the riskiness of investment. The financial gearing concentrates on the capital framework of the business concern (Seal, Garrison and Noreen 2012). This refers to the proportion of funds provided by debt capital in comparison to the finance provided by the equity capital. The gearing ratio also focuses on the liquidity and the long term financial stability of the business. The financial gearing also known as leverage enumerates the total proportion of assets invested in a business concern that are funded by long-term borrowing (Seal, Garrison and Noreen 2012). Therefore, the financial gearing can also be calculated by the formula: Gearing Ratio = Debt/ Equity. The company Triton Corporation needs to diminish the financial gearing that is currently too high. As per the financial reports of 2014, the financial gearing ratio of Triton Corporation stands at (48/32=1.5) that is 150% that is very high. Hence, it can be hereby ascertained that Triton Corporation has a higher level of borrowed funds in comparison to the equity funds. The greater proportion of the borrowed funds therefore imposes higher risk of operation as the payment of interest as well as debt pay offs are not optional (Madura 2012). The management of Triton can therefore aim at reducing the gearing ratio by concentrating on profit maximization as well as cost minimization. The gearing ratio can also be reduced by repayment of long-term loans, retention of greater proportion of profit, issuance of shares and conversion of loans into equity (Bhimani 2012). The strategic aim of reduction of the gearing is significant as it is indicative of high leverage where the corporation Triton Corporation uses debt capital for financing and continuing its daily operations. Therefore, during business downturn, the company Triton Corporation might possibly face difficulties in their debt repayment schedules and face the risk of insolvency (Epstein and Lee 2012). Again, the circumstances generated out of the high leverage can be dangerous at the time when the company has engages in acquirement of debt at variable rate of interest. An unexpected rise in the rates therefore can pose serious interest payment problems. Furthermore, t he lenders are mostly apprehensive about the firms gearing ratio, as an extremely high gearing ratio can put the loans at risk of not getting repaid (Bhimani 2012). Probable requirements of the lenders to offset this difficulty are the application of restricted covenants that rule out the disbursement of dividends, affects the cash flow and debt repayment, limitations on other alternative applications of cash, and a prerequisite for financiers to inject more equity into the corporation. Again, the creditors also face similar kind of difficulties but are not capable of bringing in changes on the overall performance and actions of the company. Therefore, the decision of reduction of the gearing ratio can help in reduction of the overall risk of the operation. The company can achieve the strategic aim of reduction of the gearing ratio by selling shares to pay off the debt obligations of the corporation, reduction of the working capital, levels of inventory along with increase in the length of the period of the accounts payable. In addition to this, the company can also concentrate on increasing the overall profit of the business concern. Therefore, the aim of investment in the different profitable development projects can help the company to increase the profitability. The management can therefore examine the capital budgeting techniques such as the payback period for investment appraisal. Financial Ratio Analysis and Budgetary Control The financial ratio analysis helps an analyst to understand the financial condition of an organization. It also guides an organization for its future operation and regulation as the various types of ratios indicate different aspects of an organization. In this report, the financial analysis of an organization named Triton Corporation has been highlighted. It has been found that the particular organization aims to reduce its expenses by reducing its total numbers of head office employees from 48 to just 20. However, the managing director of the firm Triton Corporation finds that the particular organization might face various risks and difficulties due to the implementation of decentralization program within Triton. The management of the organization can overcome these challenges by having a regular reporting system by using financial ratios and budgets. The reasons behind this are firstly, the financial ratio analysis helps the management of an organization to understand and analyze all the financial statements (Weaver 2012). This analysis of the financial statements helps to understand the financial position of the firm at the present situation (Seal, Garrison and Noreen 2012). In addition to this, the various users like management, investors, creditors and bankers can use the financial ratios in order to analyze the financial condition of the firm for their decision-making. Secondly, the financial ratios are also useful for judging the efficiency of the company in terms of its management and operations. This financial analysis also helps to determine whether the firm is able to utilize its earned profits and assets in a proper way (Robinson 2012). Moreover, the financial ratio analysis also helps to analyze the past performance of the firm and on this basis, the future plans of the company are formulated. In addition to these, the ratio analysis also helps to compare the performance of an organization to another of the similar field. On the basis of the data provided for the company Triton Corporation, the ratio analysis has been performed. All the four types of ratio i.e. Liquidity ratio, Solvency ratio, Profitability ratio and Efficiency ratio have been calculated in order to understand the financial condition of the firm on the basis of its liquidity, solvency, efficiency and profitability (Groot and Selto 2013). The calculations of the ratio are provided below: Types of Ratios Formulae Constituents Values Ratio Liquidity Ratio: Current Ratio (Current assets/ Current Liabilities) Current Assets 35 1.75 Current Liabilities 20 Net Working Capital Ratio (Current Assets - Current Liabilities)/ Total assets Current assets - Current Liabilities 15 0.1875 Total Assets 80 Solvency Ratios: Debt to Assets Ratio (Debt/ Total Assets) Debt 48 0.6 Total Assets 80 Debt to Equity (Debt/ Total Equity) Debt 48 1.5 Total Equity 32 Efficiency Ratio: Asset Turnover Ratio (Sales/ Total Assets) Sales 129.2 1.615 Total Assets 80 Fixed Asset Ratio (Sales/ Total fixed asset) Sales 129.2 1.987692308 Total fixed asset 65 Profitability Ratio: Return on Equity (ROE) (Net income/ Shareholders' Equity) Net Income 15.2 1.52 Shareholders' Equity 10 Profit Margin ratio (Net Income/ Revenue) Net Income 15.2 0.117647059 Revenue 129.2 From the above calculation, it can be said that the financial condition of the firm is healthy as the current ratio is 1.75, having higher current assets. However, the solvency or gearing ratio implies the weak financial condition of the firm Triton as it has a high debt to equity ratio i.e. 1.5. On the other hand, the firm has high efficiency ratios. Thus, it indicates that the firm has the ability to run effectively and efficiently in future. In addition to this, the high profitability ratios of the firm also indicate that Triton Corporation will run successfully and profitably in future. Therefore, the firm is running profitably and efficiently, having a high liquidity ratio but the high gearing ratio indicates that the firm should lower its total debt amount in order to strengthen its financial position in the competitive market (Drury 2013). In order to reduce the total debt, the firm should reduce its expenses and thus it has decided to reduce its numbers of staffs in the head office. Similarly, it has been found that the budgetary control helps to control the expenses of an organization and also aims the firm to earn more in future by reducing its costs. The preparation of budget helps to identify the forecasted costs of the firm and also the revenue it might earn in future. Thus, it can be said that the budgetary control helps in planning the future of an organization (Epstein and Lee 2012). Triton Corporation aims to reduce all its costs including the salary expenses. Thus, it decided to reduce its total numbers of staffs in order to reduce its expenses and accordingly a budget has been prepared as follows: Triton Corporation Budget ($, million) Actual ($, million) Variance ($, million) REVENUE Sales 135 129 5.80 Salaries and Wages 12 12 0.50 Materials 81 84 (3) Other Costs 14 19 (5) Cost of Goods Sold 107 114 (7) Profit Before Interest and Tax 28 15 12.80 EXPENSES General Administrative Expenses 3 4 (1) Employment Expenses 3 7 (4) Occupancy Costs 1 2 (1) TOTAL EXPENSES 7 13 (6) NET PROFIT 21 2 18.80 It has been found that the company Triton Corporation has intended to expand its business and operations to a number of various low-cost countries. However, Bhimani (2012) stated that this will lead to decrease in the cost and various expenses of the organization. The reason behind this is that in the low-cost countries, the expenses of the company regarding the raw materials, labor, and even the occupancy costs, employment expenses and all the general and administrative expenses of the firm will get reduced. The economic condition of the low-cost countries will help the firm to manufacture products at lower cost but here ethical issues might take place if the firm plans to manufacture their products at low-cost countries and sell them in high-cost countries. The reason behind this is that the particular company will be able to reduce their manufacturing cost or cost of production by manufacturing their products in low-cost countries and by selling them in high-cost areas as this wil l increase their selling price as well as their profit percentages (Drury 2012). Therefore, it can be said that this situation will have a positive impact on the management accounting function of the firm. 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