Feasibility study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Feasibility study - Essay Example A Feasibility study is an investigation of a proposed solution and the benefits of undertaking such an activity. The main Reasons why an organization conducts a study of such kind is that it helps them consider all the aspects associated with the activity and allows them to see whether they have the time and resources to implement such a system. Although it is done at the beginning of the project it can be detailed analysis (wisegeek) In this report we will analyze the current system that Bundberry uses to control their transport facility availed by the clients and the staff of the organization and then devise a plan to implement a new system that will integrate its entire system into one system using an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system such as SAP in order to improve their booking system. We will also integrate an online booking system that will allow quick and easy way for the clients to use the service. Currently the organization is working on a very basic system that needs to be upgraded in such a way that it allows it to monitor and control their transport facility on a more real time basis so that they can ensure that there are no unnecessary costs incurred by the organization and that the booking system is efficient enough to provide timely service to the customers total satisfaction. An ERP system is a combination of core business practices and functions with the latest technology. (topbit). It integrates the core processes of the organization, enabling it to achieve its objectives using resources effectively and efficiently. These systems previously were only feasible for large organizations and companies to implement, However now with the help of online technologies, ERP can be virtually implemented by any kind and size of organization. It is software architecture at the heart of which lies the information that is the key to an organization’s success. At

Lebanons History, Culture and Diversity

Lebanons History, Culture and Diversity Some people migrate to the United States and just forget their home country. They find their way to assimilate in the American mainstream. However for me, even though Ive been in the U.S. since birth but I would still be pleasured to write on most of the things that I really would feel interested about; Lebanon. Modern-day Lebanon is like a mosaic, characterized by a diversity of cultures, traditions, and religions. Because of its location at the crossroads of Asia, Europe, and Africa; Lebanon has been shaped by many civilizations throughout its long history. These diverse influences are evident in the extraordinary richness of the countrys archaeological sites. From Stone Age settlements to Phoenician city-states, from Roman temples to rock-cut Christian hermitages, from Crusader Castles to Mamluk mosques and Ottoman Hammams (traditional clubs that include sauna, Jacuzzi, and steam rooms), the countrys historical sites are a true encyclopedia of ancient and modern world history. Modern Lebanese society is characterized by this same cultural and architectural diversity. As you walk the streets of downtown Beirut, you will pass domed mosques and steeple churches, French cafes and Arab Souqs (traditional markets). Cultural diversity is reflected in language, cuisine, the arts, and the countrys religious heritages Sunni, Shiia Muslims, and Druze; Maronite, Eastern Orthodox and other Christians; and many others (Helena 72). A visit to any of Lebanons ancient archeological ruins, traditional villages, or religious sites will truly give you a taste of the cultural mosaic of this captivating country. Lebanon is an ancient land that has embraced two of the worlds major religions, Christianity and Islam. Lebanons Christian heritage can be traced back to the Old Testament (Collelo 45). The Bible mentions the land of Lebanon on 70 occasions, and the famed Cedars of Lebanon are frequently cited as a symbol of beauty and strength. In addition to the many Biblical sites located in southern Lebanon, the Qadisha Valley, also known as the Holy Valley, reveals a wealth of hidden, rock-cut monasteries, grottoes, and sacred sites from the earliest days of Christianity. On the other hand, Lebanons Muslim heritage can be traced to the 7th century AD, when Islam was introduced by the Umayyad caliphate from the Arabian Peninsula. The Umayyad dynasty was the first of two major Muslim dynasties following the prophet Mohammed. The Umayyads and their successors, the Abbasids, ushered in a rich period of Islamic art, architecture, learning, and culture, and this tradition continues to flourish today. There are numerous mosques and spiritual places from the Sunni, Shiite Muslim traditions throughout the country. An ancient land, Lebanon features prominently in writings from the Old Testament to the History of Herodotus (440 BC). Its cities were major Mediterranean outposts and seaports in Phoenician, Greek, Roman, and Umayyad times. Consequently, the Lebanese countryside is awash with majestic and historically fascinating ruins. Five of the most outstanding sites Aanjar, Baalbeck, Byblos, Tyre, and the Qadisha Valley/Cedars Forest are listed as UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites. To explore Lebanon is to discover archaeological wonders that are windows into the cradle of civilization. Believed to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, the picturesque seaside city of Byblos is built upon multiple layers of ruins, dating back to as early as the Stone Age (5,000 BC). The kings of Byblos from the Phoenician period are buried in nine underground tombs in the royal necropolis. Columns lining the main thoroughfare, a theater, and a public fountain are among the architectural contributions left by the Romans. The Crusaders built their castle and a moat upon large Roman stones. Later, the castle was renovated and reused by the Mamluks and then the Ottomans. Lebanons official language is Arabic, but French, Armenian, and English are also widely spoken. Many Lebanese in fact speak a patois of some combination of these four languages, most commonly an Arabic-French mixture. Virtually all Lebanese are bilingual. Spoken Arabic is one part of a grouping of dialects called Levantine Arabic, differing greatly from the literary Modern Standard Arabic. It is a fusion between Syriac and Arabic, as well as some Turkish and thus in this respect can be more correctly classified as a language from Arabic, albeit very similar due to its relationship on the tree of Semitic languages. Regional influences and occupations throughout the centuries could possibly explain the reason why Lebanese people speak so many languages, even incorporating them into their own. Due to the importance of the Lebanese Diaspora and business interests of Lebanese worldwide, it has always been important to master languages other than Arabic. Lebanese music is known around the world for its soothing rhythms and wild beats. Traditional and folk music are extremely popular as are western rhythms. Perhaps the best-known and listened to Lebanese singer is Fairuz. Her songs are broadcast every morning on most radio stations and many TV channels, both in Lebanon and other countries in the Middle East and the Arab world in general. Other artists are also well known and loved like Majida El Roumi, Marcel Khalife who is also a composer, Oud player, and Julia Boutros. Over the ages, skilled Lebanese artisans have perfected the art of creating beautiful blown glass, jewelry, inlaid and engraved wooden boxes and furniture, textiles, and linens. The colorful, blown-glass decanters, water carafes, and glasses particular to Lebanon date back to Phoenician times. Wood workers carve intricately designed boxes and furniture and inlay them with mother-of-pearl or small pieces of wood. Traditional olive oil soap, increasingly popular here in the west, comes from traditional small factories that make this soup from the olive trees of Lebanon to be entirely natural, pure, and moisturizing. Lebanons primary religious groups, very roughly, are Shia Muslim (the largest group), Sunni Muslim, Christian, and Druze. Muslims represent roughly 60% of the total population, while Christians make up the other 40%. Of the muslims, the predominant Shia make up 60%, while the Sunni make up most of the remainder. Druze and Alawis are minorities. The division of political power between the religious groups is an interesting problem. The Lebanese have solved this by making different high ranking government positions represented by the different religious groups. The President must be Catholic, the Prime Minister must be Sunni, and the Speaker of the Parliament must be Shia. Some Lebanese nationals, particularly some Christians, tend to emphasize aspects of Lebanons non-Arab history as a mark of respect to encompass all of Lebanons historical makeup instead of only that which began during the Arab conquests, an attitude that prevails in the rest of the Arab world. In this respect, it would be wrong to dismiss Lebanons mosaic culture as merely Arab when it is clear that it is a blend of indigenous and invading or foreign cultures that have given it the title of the crossroads between east and west for centuries. This picture is seen most clearly in Lebanon, a land of complete contrasts and a land that cannot be defined by one culture alone, except if one were to bring them altogether and classify them as Lebanese. In a concession to Lebanons Eastern and Western heritage, some Lebanese prefer to see Lebanon as part of Mediterranean or Levantine civilization, neither Arab nor European. Everyone born and raised in Lebanon communicates using Arabic in a Leban ese dialect. This applies to its Islamic, Christian, Druze, and other religious practices. Language, food, music, arts and various cultural facets are local Lebanese and performed practically all in Arabic. The youth today are quite westernized and modernized breaking away with traditions like most other larger cities in the world (dating, western music, food, etc.) Compared to other Arab cities, Lebanese cities (especially Beirut) are more westernized and tolerant, and overt towards men-women relations than most Arab cities, like Damascus, Cairo, Baghdad Like other areas of the Middle East, Lebanon has a heritage almost as old as the earliest evidence of mankind. Its geographic position as a crossroads linking the Mediterranean Basin with the great Asian hinterland has conferred on it a cosmopolitan character and a multicultural legacy. Lebanon has an Arab culture colored by Western influences. As some Lebanese proudly say about their tiny country, Lebanon is small in size but huge in its influence.

A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee Proposal Essay -- delicate balance,

My proposal to the class is the play A Delicate Balance by Edward Albee. It is a psychologically based drama dealing with the issues and complexities of upper-middle-class suburb dwellers. There are six characters, including two men and four women. All of the characters are in an adult age range. The plot of the play takes place in the living room of Agnes and Tobias, a middle-aged married couple as their life is disrupted by the coming and going of friends and family with many problems to face. The story opens with Agnes and her husband discussing madness and how easy it would be to go insane. Agnes suddenly finds the notion silly, remembering that she has her husband to take care of, so she cannot go mad. Agnes’ younger sister, Claire, lives with the couple permanently. She is an alcoholic. Drinking serves as a motif throughout the play, many of the characters holding drinks most of the time. In conversation, Claire predicts the ending of Agnes and Tobias’ troubled daughter, Julia’s fourth marriage. Soon Agnes announces that Julia will be coming home because her marriage, in fact, has ended. Tobias then tells the story of a cat he once had that he had to put down because it no longer liked him. Following this, Harry and Edna arrive. They are Tobias and Agnes’ best friends. They ask if they can stay in the house for a while to escape some unnamed fear. In act two, the scene begins with Agnes and Tobias discussing the fact that Harry and Edna will be occupying Julia’s old room. This upsets Julia, and she makes this known to Tobias. Tobias brings up all of Julia’s failed marriages. Julia’s brother, who died at a young age, is brought to light. Claire enters and nags Julia about her disordered life. Julia retorts about Cla... ...t are relevant to everyone. They are universal— existing throughout humanity and throughout the ages. People could be touched, moved, and changed by this piece. I’m a total advocate for that. â€Å"Theatre is to disturb the comfort and comfort the disturbed,† right? I love that quote. This, I think, would cause a few comfortable people to call their own lives and sanity into question. It would also remind the insane that they are indeed not alone or really crazy at all. We all have issues. They are just not as good at hiding it as the rest of society. It may be a challenge, but I say we go for it. Maybe we’ll even be surprised. The awards A Delicate Balance has won are as follows: 1967 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 1996 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play, 1996 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play, and a nomination for the 1967 Tony Award for Best Play.

Ragtime: Black People and E.l. Doctorow Essay

This novel written by the well-known novelist named E. L. Doctorow is about the race relations in turn-of-the-century America and reflects many of the changes the nation faced at that time. E. L. Doctorow addresses several major social changes in turn-of-the-century America in his novel Ragtime. Ragtime is centered around several very different people, from rich to poor. He conveys the effects of these changes through the reactions of the characters. Some characters welcome and accept change, while other reject and struggle with it. This novel is narrated in the third person and the tone of this extract is ironic, rhetorical. The plot of this extract revolves around Coalhouse Walker, the black musician from Harlem. He has incredible import to the main themes of the novel. His characterization provides insight into race relations in (Ð ½Ã °Ã'‡Ð °Ã »Ã ¾ Ð ²Ã'€Ð µÃ ¼Ã µÃ ½Ã ¸) turn-of-the-century America. Many characters react strongly to his mannerisms, as they believe his social position does not warrant such behavior. Because Coalhouse conducts himself with a sense of pride atypical of African Americans at this point in history, his expectations of how he should be treated repeatedly come into direct conflict with others’ expectations of how African Americans should be treated. Coalhouse Walker, then, represents all African Americans who challenge the expectations many whites have of them. In the exposition of this extract the author describes the scene when Coalhouse Walker arrived at Broadview Avenue – a district where rich and â€Å"white† people lived. Everything in that scene of arrival – beginning at his car â€Å"†¦a new model T-Ford†, his â€Å"gloved hand†, dressed â€Å"in the affection of wealth† and ending at the manner of his behavior (â€Å"†¦resolute†¦self-important in the way he asked†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) – shows us how earth-shatteringly and improperly the â€Å"black man† conducted himself. Because in turn-of-the-century America black people had no rights and even more so had no right to â€Å"†¦presume to come in the door† in spite of standing â€Å"†¦at the back door†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – such behave of a Negro got Mother’s dander up. He came there to see a girl named Sarah. When she refused to meet Coalhose he left the house but not for a long time. In the complication of this extract we found out that Coalhouse beginning with that Sunday appeared every weak â€Å"†¦always knocking at the back door†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The Father and the Mother – the representatives of the Old America – were disposed against him firstly. But when he left a bouquet of expensive flowers which had to have cost him â€Å"a pretty penny† – the Mother decided to give him chance. This extract is full of irony tone which describes the negative attitude towards Black’s at that time – Father’s consideration â€Å"a nuisance†, prevailing word combination â€Å"colored man† or â€Å"Negro†, Father’s irritation and abrupt questions – we can feel the negative atmosphere of this Avenue, of this Old World. In the climax of this story we see not a â€Å"Negro† – â€Å"White’s† slaves – but a cultured, self-conscious good musician playing the piano which â€Å"†¦had never made such sounds†¦Ã¢â‚¬  in spite of the fact â€Å"†¦this piano is badly in need of a tuning†. These words made Father’s face reddened – WHAT? A NEGRO DARED say such words? It was inconceivable for those period that such lowest society dared say such things. But manners of Coalhouse were full of elegancy – his way of pattering his lips with the napkin, placing the napkin beside his cup. The Ragtime – the music of nightlife New-York. This music in Coalhouse’s performance made all the Family gather in the room. In this extract we can see the personification of the end of emancipation from slavery – â€Å"†¦everyone applauded†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – the new time had come – the time of freedom and independence. How people can change (â€Å"†¦ Father noted that he suffered no embarrassment by being in the parlor†¦ on the contrary, he acted as if it was the most natural thing in the world†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) and how this is all intertwined with the major events and people of this time in America is the main theme supplied by E. L. Doctorow.

Memorandum

This memorandum is written to assist the decision making about to raise capital for further growth and recapitalize the ownership structure of TRX thorough Initial Public Offering. The analysis is examined from two scenarios. One is that TRX keep on IPO at lower price of $9 per share; another is that it postpones the IPO in 2006. I would project the IPO price of 2005 and 2006, respectively based on the management plan. According to the TRX’s balance sheet and financial data, TRX was a very young technology-integration company which founded in 1999. By 2004, TRX generated $113. m in total revenues and the ensuing half year it generated about $62m which was already ahead of the last year’s pace. Not only had the top-line revenue growth in industry, the company created the surprised high mean margin growth of EBITDA which was 188. 8% from 2002 to 2005 as well. (Figures show in Appendix 1) Although TRX still represented the negative net income right now, the company must have tremendous profit potential to be expected, because TRX will completely remove low-margin business in 2008 in order to generate strong cash-flow and the more of higher-margin business would stems from TRX’s four top clients. Thus, in order to fuel the rapid growth of the business, TRX should be considered as a good candidate for going public. Nevertheless, TRX first failed to go public in 2000 attributed to the overall stock market conditions were awful since the dot-com bubble burst in the late 1990s. From travel industry condition performance, TRX encounter the recession of travel industry, which affected its fortunes since the company closely related with the overall health of the industry. From the overall stock market conditions, the performance of NASDAQ was volatility throughout 2004, even dropped a low in August 2004 and thereby the pricing of IPO was poor when the company prepare to IPO. Even though the rebounded of stock market in the first half of 2005, the market conditions still acted unstable with weak performance of IPO. Once again, TRX experienced the bad news of industry during its road show. These broader market climates were seemed like unfavorable for the company’s IPO. In reposed to the first filed IPO, TRX turned to raise capital from outside strategic investor Sabre with issuing 15m convertible note and another 5m was from its original investors BCD and Hogg Robinson in order to support company’s growth until it attempted the second time to IPO. Actually, Going public gives these investors the opportunity to exit, proving an attractive harvest strategy especially when the TRX’s stock price closed at a higher price in the post-IPO. However, the final price range of IPO offered by CSFB was $9 per share which was lower than the price Sabre paid for its share. Here, I use comparable analysis to estimate the IPO price based on the management plan in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Since a perfectly comparable company can’t be found, I chose primary sectors’ multiples which most close to TRX with online travel and payment processing. Moreover, the average median multiples are calculated the reason I used median multiples over mean is that more accuracy projections will estimated without outliners involved in mean. Also, I chose the next years’ EBITDA and net income, respectively due the stock prices reflect the present value of future earnings. He company could offer the lender partial ownership in the venture in exchange for loan principal by swapping their debt for equity. The improves the profitability of the venture by lowering debt service payments while lowering debt liability on the balance sheet and replacing it with equity. Also, the lender is trading fixed-rate debt for equity with a potentially higher total return. If the firm is doing very well , and lenders fell that the return on investment will likely be better with equity position, this becomes an attractive option for debt holders. Memorandum My background and interests are fairly diverse and require a more in depth explanation and presentation and this is the rational behind my presentation of this exploratory memo. Hopefully, this memo will clearly address all issues in a manner that will shed light on my background. My primary academic focus is economics and international trade and I approach these avenues in a manner that is significantly different from the way many other people may approach said disciplines. I am a foreign national who was born in Korea and I believe this gives me a different perspective on international trade and economics as I have a great deal of experience seeing the actual â€Å"international† aspect of trade and economics while many people who have limited experience with foreign economies may have a limited understanding in regards to how it works abroad. More than just interested in things that involve politics and the economy, I have also invested a great deal of my time in charitable pursuits. I served as vice President of my church and from this position I was able to invest a great deal of time in charitable pursuits. These pursuits included helping out with individuals who were infirmed and in need of assistance. This experience proved very rewarding on levels that were professional, personal and spiritual. I also place a significant emphasis on my life towards the pursuit of athletic excellence. In particular, I enjoy skiing and snowboarding and have invested a great deal of time developing a proficiency in these sports. A healthy mind only remains healthy when the body that supports it is equally strong so I take the development of an athletic cardiovascular system very seriously. An inability to properly communicate remains one of the more damaging aspects that could undermine an individual’s ability to achieve maximum potential in the workplace. More than anything, I would prefer to develop the enhancement of my grammar, syntax and communicative language in a manner that would effectively be quite impressive to the reader. This does not mean that I would like to master the English language for the sole purpose of being able to misrepresent my knowledge on a particular subject by burying and hiding a lack of knowledge within the confines of excellent grammar and syntax. What I wish to do is to make my knowledge of a particular subject matter and my ability to communicate my knowledge, feelings and ideas within the confines of the business community in such a way that it becomes clear I have a solid and serious pragmatic ability to apply my knowledge on the subject. This is not to say, however, that I have extremely limited experience in business or professional communication. On the contrary, I have a fairly expansive degree of experience with business communication. I do, however, realize my limitations in this area and I will to expand my skills and capabilities in order to eliminate any limitations I may have. While some may assume (erroneously) that the Snowboarding Club that I served as president of would be exclusively a leisure pursuit, this is about as silly of a statement as stating the multi-million dollar snowboarding industry is nothing more than a leisure pursuit. As President of this club I would perform my duties as professionally as I would have performed the same duties for a more ‘established’ club such as an economics club, etc.   As part of my duties as President, I would routinely communicate with various entities and individuals by way of traditional business writing (I.E. pen and paper) and by way of electronic communication (email, etc) In terms of why I am taking this course, the primary reason is that the course is required. So, yes, it is a mandatory course designed to facilitate my graduation, but that is not entirely the whole case. There is much more to it than merely taking a course designed with one sole goal of graduating and receiving a degree. To do this without having developed any real or significant skill would be ludicrous and totally self defeating in terms of the way such an attitude would undermine my entire education. So, regardless of the administrative reason why I am taking this course, all courses are electives as I have elected to attend the University in order to develop my professional skills. In other words, my attendance in this course is primarily to learn the material and then take the material and develop it into functional skills that can carry into the workplace and in life in general.                                                                Memorandum This memorandum is written to assist the decision making about to raise capital for further growth and recapitalize the ownership structure of TRX thorough Initial Public Offering. The analysis is examined from two scenarios. One is that TRX keep on IPO at lower price of $9 per share; another is that it postpones the IPO in 2006. I would project the IPO price of 2005 and 2006, respectively based on the management plan. According to the TRX’s balance sheet and financial data, TRX was a very young technology-integration company which founded in 1999. By 2004, TRX generated $113. m in total revenues and the ensuing half year it generated about $62m which was already ahead of the last year’s pace. Not only had the top-line revenue growth in industry, the company created the surprised high mean margin growth of EBITDA which was 188. 8% from 2002 to 2005 as well. (Figures show in Appendix 1) Although TRX still represented the negative net income right now, the company must have tremendous profit potential to be expected, because TRX will completely remove low-margin business in 2008 in order to generate strong cash-flow and the more of higher-margin business would stems from TRX’s four top clients. Thus, in order to fuel the rapid growth of the business, TRX should be considered as a good candidate for going public. Nevertheless, TRX first failed to go public in 2000 attributed to the overall stock market conditions were awful since the dot-com bubble burst in the late 1990s. From travel industry condition performance, TRX encounter the recession of travel industry, which affected its fortunes since the company closely related with the overall health of the industry. From the overall stock market conditions, the performance of NASDAQ was volatility throughout 2004, even dropped a low in August 2004 and thereby the pricing of IPO was poor when the company prepare to IPO. Even though the rebounded of stock market in the first half of 2005, the market conditions still acted unstable with weak performance of IPO. Once again, TRX experienced the bad news of industry during its road show. These broader market climates were seemed like unfavorable for the company’s IPO. In reposed to the first filed IPO, TRX turned to raise capital from outside strategic investor Sabre with issuing 15m convertible note and another 5m was from its original investors BCD and Hogg Robinson in order to support company’s growth until it attempted the second time to IPO. Actually, Going public gives these investors the opportunity to exit, proving an attractive harvest strategy especially when the TRX’s stock price closed at a higher price in the post-IPO. However, the final price range of IPO offered by CSFB was $9 per share which was lower than the price Sabre paid for its share. Here, I use comparable analysis to estimate the IPO price based on the management plan in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Since a perfectly comparable company can’t be found, I chose primary sectors’ multiples which most close to TRX with online travel and payment processing. Moreover, the average median multiples are calculated the reason I used median multiples over mean is that more accuracy projections will estimated without outliners involved in mean. Also, I chose the next years’ EBITDA and net income, respectively due the stock prices reflect the present value of future earnings. He company could offer the lender partial ownership in the venture in exchange for loan principal by swapping their debt for equity. The improves the profitability of the venture by lowering debt service payments while lowering debt liability on the balance sheet and replacing it with equity. Also, the lender is trading fixed-rate debt for equity with a potentially higher total return. If the firm is doing very well , and lenders fell that the return on investment will likely be better with equity position, this becomes an attractive option for debt holders.