Resistance to Change in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay example

   Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart chronicles the life of an individual whose carefully constructed world crumbles as his culture is assimilated into a colonizing society. This character, Okonkwo, is prestigious within his community, and in most respects views himself and is viewed by his neighbors as an honorable man. Yet for all his seeming honor, Okonwko self-destructs when his world begins to change. Although the value system held by Okonkwo's village may differ somewhat from that held by other cultures, his particular experience during colonization is universal. When Okonkwo defines himself as an honorable man and thinks back upon his life achievements that have made him so, he focuses most strongly upon his ferocity. He has "brought honor to his village by throwing Amalinze the Cat" in a wrestling match (Achebe 3). Furthermore, his "impatience with unsuccessful men" causes him to "pounce on people quite often" (4). Although it is sometimes problematic for him, Okonkwo's violent and impulsive nature generally earns him great respect in his society. par tab Okonkwo's second most obvious trait is his "inflexible will" (24). This trait enables him to survive the year of the yam famine and build up his prosperous compound, despite his "grim struggle against poverty and misfortune" (27). Okonkwo becomes very proud, knowing that this success "was not luck." He thus believes that he controls his own fate: "Okonkwo said yes very strongly; so his chi agreed. And not only his chi but his clan too, because it judged a man by the work of his hands" (27). As a self-made man, Okonkwo has learned that he can attain his goals through ferocity, violence, tenacity, and stubbornness. His repeated successes have made ... ...ten, to preserve their integrity to their self-image and heritage, individuals intensify their ethnic behavior in the face of obliteration. For many such as Okonkwo, this is a suicidal act, if not literally, then at least socially, politically, and economically. Sources Cited and Consulted: Achebe, Chinua.   Things Fall Apart. Oxford: Heinemann, 1996. Culross, Melissa. "Chinua Achebe and Things Fall Apart." Postimperial and Postcolonial Literature in English. Internet. http://landow.stg.br/ own.edu/post/achebe/ things.htm l. Irele, Abiola. â€Å"The Tragic Conflict in the Novels of Chinua Achebe†. In  ChinuaAchebe’s Things Fall Apart:  A Critical Companion. Delhi: Worldview, 2003. Kortenar. Neil Ten, â€Å"How the Center is Made to Hold in  Things Fall Apart†.  In  Chinua Achebe’s  Things Fall Apart: A Casebook. Ed. By Isidore Okpewho. Oxford; OUP, 2003.

Partners Healthcare Case Aanlysis Essay

Partners Healthcare had established several financial resources pools, such as the short-term pool (STP) and the LTP, so that they can satisfy different needs of the several hospitals in the network. In more detail, the STP was invested with very high-quality, short-term fixed-income financial instruments. The average maturity of these instruments is about one to two years. STP is always treated as the risk-free part of the hospitals’ holdings. On the other hand, the LTP is thought as the risky part of holdings. It consists of different forms of equity and a smaller fixed-income part. In order to diversify the risks of the LTP, the Partners Investment Committee introduced a new type of assets, real assets, into the original LTP during the past years. Both of the assets’ performance turned to be excellent during 2004. As a result, the Investment Committee was considering expanding the real-asset segment of the LTP. Michael Manning, the deputy treasurer of Partners Healthcare System, was asked to recommend the size and the composition for the real-asset portfolio contributed to the $2.4 billion long-term pool (LTP) in the Partners. Facts and Analysis Due to the fact that different Partners Healthcare hospitals might have different acceptable risk levels for their investment portfolio then the most reasonable solution would be to invest both in risk-free STP and risky LTP. By choosing different mixes each hospital could achieve their acceptable risk level. Since the STP has a nearly fixed rate of return considered to be risk free for each hospital’s own portfolio, the variation from LTP would ultimately determine the risk and return level of individual portfolio. Using long-term historical data, Manning and his staff calculated average annual returns, volatilities, and correlations for each of the asset classes (exhibit 3). Since real assets belong to LTP, there is no direct impact on the STP returns from investing in this category. Given the current mix of Domestic Equities (55%), Foreign Equities (30%) and LT Bonds (15%) and our expected return for each category (exhibit 3), the expected return of the LTP is calculated from the following formula: e.g. E(Rp)= 0.55(0.1294)+0.30(0.1242)+0.15(0.054) = 10.8% In order to find the optimal portfolio allocation, the group needs to find the portfolio structured with lowest risk under a given return. This can be achieved by applying Mean-Variance Theory and Markowitz model find the efficient frontier, which yields the most optimal portfolio under given returns. It can be expressed in mathematical terms and solved by quadratic programming. [Appendix A] In this case, the Partner’s Treasury Department has computed all the portfolios for minimum level of risk with different types of assets, more specifically, adding Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), Commodities or both, from an undefined approach. Since the results are identical as calculated from Mean-Variance Theory, they should be the optimal portfolios for each target level of return. Therefore a graph with efficient frontier, which represents the optimal portfolios with different assets, is constructed based on Exhibit 5 to 8 for comparison. [Appendix B] Technically, any portfolio on the efficient frontier is an optimized portfolio and is indifferent from each other in terms of risk/return trade off. From the Risk VS Return graph, we can see that for any given return, the portfolio with both REITs and commodities would yield the lowest risk. Also, the portfolio with only commodities would outperform the portfolio with only REITs. For instance, if we invest in both REITs and Commodities, in order to obtain a return of 10%, the new proportion of the LTP will be portfolio 4 with approximately US Equity 14.3%, Foreign Equity 27.5%, Bonds 22.2%, REITs 13.8%, and Commodities 22.3%. It produces the lowest risk of 8.49%, comparing to original portfolio of 9.94%, REITs only portfolio of 9.69% and Commodities only portfolio of 8.49%. This is the basic concept of diversification, which means that the more assets with less correlation are introduced to the portfolio; the less risky the portfolio will be for any achievable rate of return. [1] For the overall portfolio, each hospital can allocate between the STP and the LTP. In fact, they can always construct the most efficient portfolio for their acceptable risk level with combination of LTP, which holds the risky assets, and STP, which holds the risk-free asset according to The One-Fund Theorem. [2] For example, if the shareholders want a total return of X, with a 3.2% return of STP and a 10% return of LTP, the proportion of STP and LTP can be obtained through X= w(0.032) + (1-w)(0.10) And it is guaranteed to be the optimal portfolio. Even though Mean-Variance theory can allocate the most optimal portfolio, there are several flaws with its assumptions. First of all, it assumes that assets returns are normally distributed. However, often times, it’s observed that asset returns are more like to be fat-tailed distribution, [3] instead of having thin tails like normal distribution. Second of all, it assumes there is a constant correlation between different assets. However, under certain conditions, for example, severe financial crisis like 2008, all assets tend to be positively correlated with decreasing rate of return. Depending on the total time period used for historical data, it can place an impact on the long term correlation. Aside from the assumptions, the time period of data can also affect each variable. In this case, the client uses data started from 1970 for the new asset classes, which might not be as representative as using long term historical data from 1926 as they did with the US equities and US long-term bonds. This can have some impacts on the returns, standard deviations, and correlations depending on the movement of assets from 1926 to 1970. Recommendation By comparing the data in the table of Exhibit 5a with the numerical results shown in Exhibit 6 and Exhibit 7, as well as the efficient frontier constructed, we can derive the conclusion that with the same expected returns, the most optimal portfolio is to add both REITs and commodities. In other words, we can control the risk of LTP by expanding the portion of real assets. If only one asset is allowed to be added to the real asset category, it’s more efficient to add the commodities than the REITs based on the position of the efficient frontier. Therefore, with a combination of risk free STP and the improved LTP, each individual hospital is able to construct the most optimized portfolio under any given risk level.

Labor Is A Driving Force - 921 Words

Lauren Lawson Dr. Scott Testa EC201.3 December 1, 2014 Unemployment in America Labor is a driving force in every economy. Wages paid for labor helps increase consumer spending and is essential for companies. Unemployed workers represent wasted potential inside an economy. Unemployment arises when factors of production that are willing and able to produce goods and services are not actively engaged in production. Unemployment means that the economy isn’t meeting its goal of full employment. There are four basic causes for unemployment in a working economy. These reasons are: minimum wage lages, labor unions, efficiency wages, and job search. The labor market is just like any other market. If there are a lot of unemployed workers who want jobs, the price of labor will drop until all that force is employed. In order to keep a certain standard of living, the government implements a minimum wage. However, raising the minimum wage can increase unemployment. The second reason for unemployment is based on efficiency wages. Firms benefit by paying their workers above the minimum wage so they can produce happier, healthier, and more productive workers. In turn, more people want to work for that position than there are actually seats for that position. Therefore, efficiency wages can increase the wages for workers who are employed but increase overall unemployment. Job search isn’t similar to the other causes of unemployment. When a person decides that they want to work, t hen heShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis of Uk’s Business Environment1018 Words   |  5 PagesAn Analysis of UK’s Business Environment 1. Introduction United Kingdom (UK) stands at No. 12 in ranking out of 134 countries from 2008 to 2011, and has a very good ranking on Infrastructure, Labor market efficiency, Technological readiness and Market size according to GCR (2011). 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The Briley Brothers Killing Spree

In 1979, Brothers Linwood Briley, James Briley Jr., and Ray Briley went on a seven-month  killing spree  in their hometown of Richmond, Virginia. When they were finally caught, there were 11 people dead, although investigators believed that there were as 20 victims. Childhood Years James and Bertha Briley were a hard-working couple when their first child, Linwood Earl Briley, was born in 1995.  Their second child, James Dyral Briley, Jr. was born about 18 months later followed by their youngest and last child, Anthony Ray Briley. From the outside looking in, the Briley family seemed well adjusted and happy. They lived in a nice two-story home located on Fourth Avenue in downtown Richmond. Unlike a lot of kids their age, the Briley boys came from an unbroken home where both parents were directly involved with their lives. Helping Hands During their preteen years, the boys would lend a hand to some of their senior neighbors by helping tend to their yards or help start a car.  The general consensus around the neighborhood was that the brothers were polite, helpful and all around good kids. That same opinion was not shared by their schoolmates. At school, the brothers harassed and bullied the other kids. The brothers seemed indifferent towards adult authority and would tend to ignore  whatever the punishment  was that was handed out by a teacher or the principle. But when they got home, their father James Sr., was clearly the one in charge and managed to invoke a level of fear in his sons. Bertha Moves Away   The Briley brothers had two major interests. They enjoyed collecting exotic spiders and snakes like tarantulas, piranhas, and boa constrictors and they habitually cut and saved newspaper stories about gang activity.   When the boys reached their teenage years, Bertha and James split up and she moved away. The split was apparently  amicable  and without drama. It was also during this time that James Sr. was weighed down with growing concerns about how Linwood was acting and the influence he had over the other boys. He developed a sense of fear of his sons. Worried for his own safety,  he began locking his bedroom door at night from the inside with a deadbolt.   Orline Christian On January 28, 1971, Linwood Briley was 16 years old and home alone, when he saw his neighbor,  57-year-old Orline Christian, outside hanging up her laundry. For no apparent reason, Linwood got a rifle from the closet, aimed it out his second-floor bedroom window towards Christian, and pulled the trigger,  fatally shooting  Christian. Somehow no one noticed that she had a gunshot wound in her back and it was assumed that stress led to her death after having recently buried her husband. Then during a viewing her body, some of her relatives noticed a spot of blood on her dress. Curious as to why the family asked for a second examination. It was during the second examination that a bullet was found lodged in her back and a murder investigation was opened. An investigation of the murder scene led the police straight to Linwoods bedroom window. A search of the house produced the murder weapon. With the solid evidence staring him in the face, Linwood confessed to the murder.  In a flat, unemotional voice, the 16-year old said to the detective:  I heard she had heart problems, she would have died soon anyway. Linwood was found guilty and sentenced to one year in reform school. The Murder Spree Begins In March 1979, the Briley gang had a plan to do a series of random burglaries and home invasions. The plan was that the group would get in and out fast and not leave any witnesses alive. William and Virginia Bucher March 12, 1979- The Briley gang went to  Henrico County and randomly selected the  home of William and Virginia Bucher. Linwood knocked on the Buchers door, and when William answered it Linwood claimed that he had car trouble and needed to borrow a phone to call Triple A. Williams said he would make the call and asked Linwood for his Triple-A card, but when he opened the screen door to get the card, Linwood rushed towards him and forced his way into the house. The rest of the gang followed behind Linwood and they took control of William and Virginia and tied them up in separate rooms. They then went through each room and took any valuable that they wanted and saturated the rooms with kerosene. When they were finished stealing what they wanted, Linwood poured kerosene all over Williams legs, then lit a match as he was leaving the house. The Buchers were left tied up inside to burn to death alive. Somehow William Bucher managed to untie himself and he was able to get himself and his wife to safety. The Buchers are the only known victims of the Briley gang that survived their attack. Michael McDuffie March 21, 1979- Michael McDuffie  was the victim of a home invasion. The Briley gang forced themselves into his home, assaulted McDuffie and robbed the home and then shot McDuffie to death. Mary Gowen April 9, 1979 - Mary Gowen was walking home from a babysitting job when the Briley gang spotted her and followed her to her home. They then forced their way into her home and beat, robbed and raped her repeatedly, then shot her in the head. The 76-year-old woman managed to survive the attack, but fell into a coma the next day and died a few weeks later. Christopher Philips July 4, 1979 -  Christopher Philips, age 17, lingered around Linwoods car a minute too long. Assuming that he was planning on stealing it, the Bailey brothers forced the boy to a field where they beat and kicked him and then Linwood killed him by crushing his head with a  cinderblock. Johnny G. Gallaher   September 14, 1979 - Popular disc jockey John Johnny G. Gallaher was playing in a band at a nightclub when he went outside during a break. The Briley gang saw him and forced him into the trunk of his  Lincoln Continental, then drove to an old paper mill out by the James River. Gallaher was pulled from the trunk, robbed and shot in the head at close range. His body was discovered floating in the river two days later. Mary Wilfong September 30, 1979 - Mary Wilfong, age 62, was working as a private nurse when the Briley gang saw her and followed her home. Just as she was about to enter her apartment, the Brileys assaulted her, then beat her to death with a baseball bat, after which they burglarized her apartment. Blanche Page and Charles Garner October 5, 1979 - On Fourth Avenue, not far from the Briley home, the brothers  assaulted  then  bludgeoned to death 79-year-old Blanche Page, then beat and stabbed to death her boarder, 59-year old Charles Garner. According to investigators, the beating and murder of Garner was one of the most brutal that the investigators had ever seen. The Wilkersons October 19, 1979 -  Harvey Wilkerson and his wife, 23-year-old Judy Barton and her five-year-old son lived around the corner from the Brileys home. Wilkerson and the Briley brothers had known each other for years and were friends. The four would often talk about snakes since, like the Briley brothers, Wilkerson also owned pet snakes.   On October 19, the Brileys were in a celebratory mood. J.B., the middle brother, had been paroled earlier that day. Throughout the day the brothers had been hanging out on Fourth Avenue, drinking and smoking pot, and as night fell they began to talk seriously about finding another victim that night. They decided on Harvey Wilkerson, possibly because they thought he had been dealing drugs and wanted the money or his customers or both. Wilkerson was outside when he saw the Briley brothers and 16-year-old Duncan Meekins headed his way. He went inside and locked the door, but the group kept coming. When they got to Wilkersons apartment, they knocked on the door and despite his fears, Wilkerson opened the door and let them inside. As soon as the gang got inside they began attacking the couple. They bound them with duct tape and gagged them, and then Linwood Briley raped Judy while in close proximity to her son and husband. When he was finished, Meekins, who was considered one the gang, continued to  sexually assault  and sodomize  the pregnant woman. The gang then went through the house and took whatever personal belongs that they wanted. Linwood put J.B. in charge and left the apartment with some of the stolen goods. J.B. told his brother Anthony and Meekins to cover Wilkerson and his wife with sheets. They left 5-year-old Harvey on the couch. J.B. then ordered Meekins to shoot Wilkerson. Meekins grabbed a pillow and shot through it multiple times and killed Wilkerson. J.B. then shot Judy, killing her and her unborn child. Anthony allegedly shot and killed the boy. The Brileys didnt know that the police had the area under  surveillance  and were aware that the gang had gone into Wilkersons apartment. When the police heard gunshots go off, they could not tell where the shooting was coming from and started canvassing the area. They spotted Meekins and two of the Briley brothers leaving Wilkersons apartment. They did not think that it was connected to the gunshots that they heard. Arrest Three days later the police received a request to do a welfare check on Wilkerson and Judy. As they approached the apartment, they found the front door was slightly ajar. Entering the apartment they walked into a macabre scene that, for even hardened police officers, was hard to handle. Apparently, before leaving the apartment the Briley brothers had let loose Wilkersons pet snakes. Also left inside for three days to fend for themselves were two Doberman puppies. Before the forensic team could begin their work, animal control had to come and clear the apartment. But the crime scene was so badly compromised by the puppies that much of the evidence collected was of little value. Having seen the Briley gang leaving the Wilkersons apartment on the day that the Wilkersons were murdered, made them the prime suspects in the murders. An arrest warrant was issued for the three brothers and for Meekins. When the police went to serve the warrants, Linwood, his father and Meekins took off in a car with the police following close behind. Linwood was the driver and he refused to pull over and continued to lead the police down several streets. Concerned about public safety, the police finally decided to force the car into a pole. Once the car crashed, Linwood continued to make run for it but was soon captured. Later, they found out that the other two Briley brothers had turned themselves into the police. Interrogation At this point, the only crimes that the police connected the Bailey brothers to were the Wilkerson murders. With so much tainted evidence, they knew that their best shot for convictions would be if one of them would enter into a plea agreement in exchange for pointing the finger at the killers. Duncan Meekins was just 16 year old and his background did not fit that of a cold-blooded killer. He lived with his parents in a nice home; he was a good student and attended church regularly. With the encouragement of his parents, he accepted a plea deal where he would be given a life sentence with the possibility of parole in exchange for all the details surrounding the crime. If he kept himself out of trouble in prison, he was looking at doing 12 to 15 years behind bars. As agreed, Meekins began talking and not just about the Wilkerson murders. He also provided details about other unsolved murders that had gone on during the worse crime spree that had ever hit Richmond. Prior to Meekins confession, investigators had not connected  what they thought were random acts of crime. The rapes and murders happened in different areas around Richmond. The race, sex and ages of the victims seemed to be random. Victims of serial killers often share a physical quality. Gang-related murders are usually rival gangs. When looking at the people raped and murdered by the Bailey brothers, the only major link that could be found was the brutality and  viciousness that had been shown by the murderers themselves.   Interrogating the Bailey brothers was frustrating. They were arrogant, defiant, and liked to push the patience of the interrogators. When questioning Linwood Bailey about the murder of  Johnny G. Gallaher, he mocked the investigator and told him he would never be convicted of the murder because there was no evidence linking him to it. The investigators then brought in a retired detective to interrogate Linwood. He had been a longtime friend of Gallahers.  As the interview began, the detective noticed Linwood was wearing a  turquoise  ring that belonged to Gallaher and one that he always wore. In fact, the detective had been with his friend when he bought it. With that evidence and more that was slowly uncovered, the Bailey brothers were charged with various crimes and some of the murders. Guilty Linwood Bailey was found guilty and given multiple life sentences and the death penalty for the murder of Gallaher. J.B. Bailey was also given multiple life sentences and two death penalty sentences for the murders of Judy Barton and her son. Anthony Bailey was given a life sentence with a possibility of parole. It could not be proven that he was directly responsible for any murders. Linwood and J.B. Briley  were sent to death row at Mecklenburg Correctional Center. It wasnt long before the pair had profitable drugs and weapons racket going on from the confines of death row. Escape It has been said that Linwood Briley had a certain magnetism about him and the prisoners and some of the guards liked to be on his good side. The guards probably thought it was of little consequence to keep him happy. After all, they were in a prison that had the most sophisticated security system in the state. But Linwood had spent several years paying attention to how things worked, the wording that guards would use when making requests to other prison units, and which guards were the least attentive and those who were friendly towards the inmates. On May 31, 1984, Linwood managed to get a guard to keep the door of the control room opened, just long enough for another inmate to rush in and release the locks on all of the death row cells. This allowed for there to be enough manpower to overtake the 14 guards that were assigned to that block. Ordered to strip down, Linwood, J.B. and four other inmates put on the guards uniforms and after a series of events were able to drive away from the prison in a prison van.   The plan was to go to Canada, but when the escapes reached Philadelphia, the Briley brothers separated from the group and met up with their uncle who had made arrangements for a place for them to stay. The brothers managed to stay free until June 19, 1984, when information retrieved from a wiretap placed on the uncles phone left the authorities to their hiding place. Executions Within months of being returned to prison, both Linwood and James Briley exhausted their appeals and execution dates were set. Linwood Briley was the first to be executed. Depending on which version you read, he either walked to the electric chair without assistance or he had to be sedated and dragged to the chair. Either way, on October 12, 1984, Linwood was executed. James Briley followed in his older brothers path as he had always done and was electrocuted in the same chair that his brother had died in months earlier. On April 18, 1985, James Briley was executed.   Anthony  Briley  remains in a Virginia prison. All efforts for his release have been denied by the parole board.

Marlee Matlin - Deaf Actress, Cultural Icon - 1249 Words

Perry Miles Professor Parker English 1010 Composition 1 24 June 2009 Paper I: Marlee Matlin - Deaf Actress, Cultural Icon Marlee Beth Matlin was born on August 24, 1965 in Morton Grove, Illinois to Libby and Donald Matlin. She is the youngest and the only female of three children. She is an Academy Award winning actress and a world renowned spokesperson for various organizations. Marlee lives in the greater Los Angeles area with her husband, law enforcement officer Kevin Grandalski, and their four children, Sarah, Brandon, Tyler and Isabelle. These facts are not very different from millions of other Americans across the country. The one fact about Marlee that makes me admire her is that at the tender age of 18 months, she had a†¦show more content†¦It was here that Marlee auditioned for and was cast into their production of the Wizard of Oz as the only character suitable for her personality, Dorothy. She later attended college and got a degree in Criminal Justice, preparing for a real world career but continuing to perform throughout the Midw est in pursuit of her dream of becoming an actress. After one of her performances, Marlee got an opportunity to meet Henry Winkler, who would eventually become her mentor. Unashamed and not intimidated by this famous actor, Marlee approached him and told him that she wanted to be an actor as well. He encouraged her that she could be whatever she wanted to in life. All she had to do was imagine it in her heart and her dreams would come true. I am sure that the ‘Fonz’ had no idea how big of an impact his words of encouragement would have on Marlee’s life. That this young lady would be the first Deaf actress to win an Academy Award for Best Actress at the age of 21. Not only did Marlee become the first Deaf actress to win an Oscar for her performance of ‘Sarah’ along side actor William Hurt in the 1986 movie â€Å"Children of a Lesser God†, but she was also the youngest actresses to win an Oscar and one of only four actresses to win an Oscar in h er debut role. Marlee Matlin not only deserved the attention of the

Kotler Ch. 1 Jetblue Company Case 14th Edition Free Essays

1. The need being met by JetBlue is mainly transportation. In today’s world consumers need to be able to travel long-distances quickly and JetBlue’s practices ensure customer comfort/satisfaction along the journey. We will write a custom essay sample on Kotler Ch. 1 Jetblue Company Case 14th Edition or any similar topic only for you Order Now The wants of JetBlue’s customers are to safely and quickly travel on an airplane. They also want to be comfortable and treated well. JetBlue accomplishes this by providing leather seats and entertainment with great customer service. The demands of this airline’s customers are pretty low. They are already flying on a â€Å"discount airline,† yet they have great amenities such as more legroom. There are not really any wants that money needs to back in this scenario. JetBlue has done a good job at ensuring everything from email is available at no extra charge. 2. Consumers exchange money and time for a flight with JetBlue. They also give up the ability to fly with another airline. In exchange, however they get the â€Å"happy jetting† experience. This includes amenities such as plush seats and snacks combined with excellent customer service. From the terminal, to the plane, JetBlue employees are courteous and nice. This overall experience is highly valued by JetBlue and is supported by all the smaller facets of their market offering. 5. JetBlue should certainly be able to continue building customer relationships successfully. While Southwest is a competitor, JetBlue does have the competitive edge in cost. Also, their fun culture combined with loyal customers who spread the word certainly helps continue this success. It’s not easy to offer such great amenities while also having low fares, but JetBlue also places a lot of value on their intangible wonderful customer service. How to cite Kotler Ch. 1 Jetblue Company Case 14th Edition, Essay examples

Elements of Financial Management

Question: Discuss about the Elements of Financial Management. Answer: Some of the measures to Minimize the Opportunities for Fraud and Abuse are as follows:- Development of a corporate culture- A little amount of fraud is inevitable for every organization. However, a major concern is the fraud in which the top management is involved which may result in an overall damage to the business reputation and operations as well. The early detection of fraud and its prevention at every level brings a sense of satisfaction and trust among the customers, employees, vendors and stakeholders. The exposure of a serious fraud may cause long term adverse effects on the business. For a sound ethical environment and culture, BOD should consider formulating a mission statement which defines the expected culture, the policy statements which defines certain anti-fraud activities which needs to be maintained, a channel which is able to identify a fraud when it penetrates within the system and a board who will be responsible to oversee the maintenance of such policies.(CIMA, 2009) Separation of Authority and Responsibility- This is the major issue which needs consideration. The authority responsibility relation within the organization should be adequate. When an individual gets more authority compared to its responsibilities in the organization he is expected to commit some fraud. Such frauds should be prevented. There should be chain system of authority which provides a proof of correctness of each and every level. Such system should inculcate a culture of cross checking and allocating authority to different individuals or rotating authorities. Implementation of continuous Auditing and monitoring- A proper control mechanism plays a very important role in early detection of fraud and their continuous monitoring. The implementation of continuous and independent auditing can test the efficiency of business decisions. This process initiates by setting up standards of working, then testing the actual work against the standards and monitor the deviations. This process helps in maintaining a continuous check on the working of the enterprise.(Millar, 2010) Whistleblower Hotline(AICPA, 2016)- The whistleblower Hotline is made effective by the Sarbanes Oxley Act, 2002. This hotline provides continuous and trending tips on detection of organizational risk by effective control measures. Further, the knowledge of application of such hotline by the organization may inculcate a sense of fear among the staff and clients that their actions are under continuous check by the directors. Such hotline encourages the working staff to deliberately come forward a pin point an existing fraud which is very favorable for the business going concern policy. Hiring of Certified Professionals- Certified professionals like Certified Public Accountants, Certified Fraud Examiners and Certified Financial Forensics can play an important role in fraud detection and prevention. They can establish certain anti fraud policies and provide a number of services which assists in effective internal and external audit procedures.(Reed, 2014) Practice of Exception Reporting- Exception reporting means highlighting those transactions which are different from the regular nature of transactions. They help in identifying the events which does not fall within the set parameters or standards. Different individuals may be assigned the responsibility of reporting such exceptions to the audit committee so that appropriate audit plan can be made to check the operating effectiveness of the business.(Intranet, n.d.) Computation of comparative Ratios of performance of Quick Sell Electronics Limited for two years:- Gross Profit Percentage- The gross profit percentage is calculated to measure the trading efficiency and the basic profit generating capacity of the business. The higher side of this ratio indicates that the business is able to cover the trading costs and has a visible margin. This is also known as Margin Ratio.(Agrawal, 2017). Gross Profit Percentage = Gross Profit X 100 Net Revenue from Operations = Sales-COGS X100 Sales Inventory Turnover- The Inventory Turnover shows that how many times the inventory in the form of finished goods has been converted into the sales. This reveals whether the inventory lying with the business is under the limit. Higher the ratio is the better since it indicates that less inventory is required to earn more revenue reflecting the earning efficiency of the business.(Agrawal, 2017) Inventory Turnover = Cost of Revenue from Operations (COGS) Average Inventory at cost Accounts Receivable Turnover- Receivable Turnover ratio shows how many times the average receivables have been converted into sales. It shows the liquidity of the receivable i.e. how quickly they can convert into cash. The higher ratio is an indication of collection efficiency and increased liquidity position of the business. (Agrawal, 2017) Accounts Receivable Turnover = Net Credit Revenue from Operations (Sales) Average Trade Receivables The given table represents three ratios of Quick Sell Electronics Limited according to the information provided- Quick Sell Electronics Limited Ratio Year2015 Year2014 Gross Profit Ratio (%) 34.00 33.11 Inventory Turnover (times) 4.50 4.00 Average Receivable Turnover (times) 5.00 6.10 Interpretation of Ratios- The ratios computed above indicate that the performance of the company in terms of its operating activities has enhanced in one year. The company has been able to improve its trading activities by 0.89%. Further, the Inventory Turnover has also increased by 0.50 times which shows that companys effectiveness has increased. The operating efficiency is positive according to these two ratios. However, the declining receivable ratio is an indicator of accepting longer credit duration to the debtors. Thus, the liquidity has declined over one year but working efficiency has enhanced. Bibliography Agrawal, M., 2017. Ratio Analysis. In: S. Computers, ed. Elements of Financial Management. Jaipur: Garima Publications, p. 794. AICPA, 2016. Managing the business risk of fraud: A Practical Guide. [Online] Available at: https://www.acfe.com/uploadedFiles/ACFE_Website/Content/documents/managing-business-risk.pdf [Accessed 12 February 2017]. CIMA, 2009. Fraud risk management- a good practice. [Online] Available at: https://www.cimaglobal.com/Documents/ImportedDocuments/cid_techguide_fraud_risk_management_feb09.pdf.pdf [Accessed 12 February 2017]. Intranet, G.-t. B., n.d. Exception Reporting. [Online] Available at: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140122145147/https:/www.levesoninquiry.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Exhibit-BBC166.pdf [Accessed 14 February 2017]. Millar, P., 2010. 7 STEPS TO JUMP START YOUR ANTI-FRAUD PROGRAM. [Online] Available at: https://www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com/7-steps-preventing-detecting-fraud/ [Accessed 14 February 2017]. Reed, S., 2014. Six strategies for fraud prevention in your business. [Online] Available at: https://www.cgteam.com/blog/six-strategies-for-fraud-prevention-in-your-business [Accessed 14 February 2017].