FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF SEARS VS. WAL-MART - 5339 Words

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS OF SEARS VS. WAL-MART Table Content Background Analysis------------------------------------------------ 3 Financial Ratio analysis--------------------------------------------- 4 Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC)--------------------- 12 Working Capital Management--------------------------------------20 Dividend Policy and Tax Treatment------------------------------- 23 Conclusion------------------------------------------------------------24 Background Analysis Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., incorporated in 1969, is an international retailer. In the United States, the Company operated 1,568 discount stores, 1,258 Super centers, 525 SAMs CLUBs and 49 Neighborhood Markets as of January 31, 2003. Wal-Marts†¦show more content†¦But Wal-Mart has a lower gross margin that is because Wal-Mart believes in higher volume and low mark-ups. Operating profit/sales Operating profit is for a certain period divided by revenues for that period. Operating profit margin indicates how effective company is at controlling the costs and expenses associated with their normal business operating. Refer the exhibit 1-1, We can observe that Wal-Mart and Sears performed the costs and expenses controlling effectively almost in average situations. However, Wal-Mart has a little bit higher than Sears in 1998. But Sears had caught up in 1999 and still growing up in 2002. EBIT/sales EBIT is a measure of companys earning power from ongoing operations, equal to earnings before deduction of interest payments and income taxes. EBIT ratio is examined for how profitably a company produces and markets its goods, particularly useful for those determining whether a company can pay its interest expense and with what degree of safety. Comparing with operating profit/sales ratio, it implied the interest expenses had more impact on Sears operation than Wal-Mart. EBITDA/sales EBITDA is a good measure and widely to use to evaluate the core profit trends. This ratio can be used to evaluate the profit potential between companies because it eliminates some of the extraneous factors and all the outside influences and timing effects on the companys profitability figure. ReferShow MoreRelatedSears vs Wal-Mart Essay758 Words   |  4 PagesSears vs. Wal-Mart Sears and Wal-Mart are both nationwide retailers, but their similarities are only skin deep. Sears started to lose its dominance in the early 1980s. In an attempt to boost the dwindling market share, Sears started to issue proprietary Sears Card, which gave customers payment flexibilities. A new slogan focusing on the softer side of Sears, and a revised product mix, were created to appeal to the middle-class female shoppers. On the other hand, Wal-Mart focused to achieveRead MoreSears, Roebuck and Co. vs. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc684 Words   |  3 PagesSears, Roebuck and Co. Vs. 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Target Corporation competes against online retailers as well as â€Å"big box† stores to remain competitive. As Target Corporation is evaluated, one must observe market analysis, the current situation of the organization compared to its market performance, and SWOT analysis, to gain a better understanding of the company. Target Corporation is a retail chain specializing in household goods, clothing, food, and accessories at discounted prices. The retail chain’s history

Refugee Blues Essay - 1013 Words

Refugee Blues W. H. Auden’s poem of despair, misery, and isolation, â€Å"Refugee Blues†, describes the hardships faced by two German Jewish refugees attempting to escape Hitler’s Germany. Published in autumn, 1939, Auden is surrounded by the anti-Sematic hatred that is growing in Germany six months prior to the outbreak of World War II. Auden utilizes this environment and the experiences of German Jews to express the abuse of human rights and the sentiments of refugees. For the near two thousand years that the Jewish people have lived in Europe, they have constantly battled anti-Semitism, having to defend themselves, physically and emotionally, time and time again. In 1920, Jewish people encountered anti-Semitism from the Nationalist†¦show more content†¦Stanza seven focuses on Hitler’s horrific regime, expressed metaphorically. His command for all Jews to be killed is personified as the rumbling of thunder that can be heard just before light ning strikes, and the world descends into the chaos of a political storm. The last stanza of the poem describes Jewish people being hunted, either by death squads or by soldiers looking to put them into labor camps. Throughout the poem, Auden uses contrast to demonstrate the struggle of the inequality of Jewish people. He juxtaposes Jewish people with animals, displaying the disdainful perception of German Jewish refugees through the lines, â€Å"Saw a poodle in a jacket fastened with a pin. Saw a door opened and a cat let in, but they weren’t German Jews my dear† (22-23). The speaker reflects that cats were welcomed into open doors, yet they were not. Additionally, the refugee speaks of how he, â€Å"Saw the fish swimming as if they were free† (26), and how the fish in the quay are free, yet they were not. Auden shows that animals were treated with more compassion than Jewish refugees. Also, Auden considers one of the most prominent contrasting parts of th e poem – the Jews’ condition of hanging between legal and biological death. The legal death that Auden refers to is depicted throughout the poem; describing loss of home (3), country (4), and documentation. In the fourth stanza he describes a consul, violentlyShow MoreRelatedThe Refugee Blues And Inside Dachau Essay1500 Words   |  6 Pagesthe â€Å"Refugee Blues† Experiences, emotional events, and imaginations are often condensed into poetic forms of expression. In Refugee Blues and Inside Dachau, W.H. Auden and Sherman Alexie brought to the fore the struggles and conflicts that characterize humanity through the dynamics of political plots and human biases. A refugee is a psychologically or physically displaced person from their conceived home or country either by reason of tribe, war, religion or politics. 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Auden write about the tales of Jewish refugees living in the time of holocaust during WW2 in their two pieces, ‘The Last Night’ and ‘Refugee Blues’. By using literary techniques such as imagery and tone both writers, Auden and Gray create a sense of alienation for the characters portrayed in their writing. Both Auden and Gray create aRead MoreRefugee Blues by W.H Auden878 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Refugee blues† is 1 of the poems written by W H Auden. It is about a sad and terrible plight of being a Jew in the wrong place at the wrong time. Obviously, as a refugee, the couple has lost their home, their country and their identity. The melancholy feeling comes through strongly in the blues - a sad song. 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Owen refers to death and questions him, â€Å"Why don t they come?† suggesting that he would rather let death take him than live life as a cripple. ‘Refugee Blues’ has a distinct theme of war; iconic world war two images are shownRead MoreThe Refugee And Asylum Seekers2220 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction: I have chosen the topic about the refugee and asylum seekers health issues as refugee health considering one of the important health problems in Australian. The review will focus some issues on refugee health base on the relevant and substantial literature. 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Dealing with Complaints free essay sample

You know I have just moved to a new region and noticed the advertisement near by my house. I would like to know about your internet services. Sure. first of all I want to know for what do you need the internet? For work? For communication? or may be for online games? well, I think mostly for communication with my relatives abroad. -Ok, then how often do you use internet? -every day. I have choose some variants for you. What kind of tariff do you prefer? limited or unlimited? unlimited, I think. so there are 23$ and 17$ variants. Â  a days ago I have bought a new coat and didnt noticed that there is a big hole inside! oh, we are really sorry for it. ou can choose from several options: to refund, to replace or to repair it. -I think replacement is what I want. -wait me a minute. Ill be back soon. We will write a custom essay sample on Dealing with Complaints or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Here it is. thank you. -we apologies again for this defect How can I help you? I would like to choose a mobile phone for present for my wife. -Well I can offer you this models. Women like it most of all. -Very good. My wife like to make a photos, so I need good camera within the phone. -ok, this models have a 16 megapixels camera. But I would recommend you this phone. It has wi-fi and 3g functions, big sized screen. Moreover this screen can react on nails! thats what I need. What is the price for it? -oh, lucky you! Right now we have sale on all phones of this series. It costs only 640$!!! -great. Can you say some words about the guarantees? Of cause, it has a guarantee on 2 years. With opportunity to refund or replace it if something will go wrong. I forgot to said that it is available in 5 colors: black, white, pink, yellow and blue.

Things Fall Apart Essays (1362 words) - African Writers Series

Things Fall Apart The culture of the Umuofia society before the colonial infiltration, may be hard to understand but we are forced by Achebe to realize it has traditions and customs that make it work. Although, looking at it from our Judaeo-Christian point of view we may be appalled by some of their practices. We also have to realize that they have strengths. Things Fall apart is the idea of balance and interdependence, earth and sky, individual and community, man and woman or different perspectives on the same situation. The central image of this balance is contained in the Ibo concept of chi, which occurs throughout the novel. A persons chi is their destiny, his inner self, you wouldn't challenge your chi to a wrestling match, as did Okonkwo when he assisted in the killing of Ikemefuna, whom he loved and who called him father. Okonkwo sins not only against the earth goddess, protector of family relations, but also against his inner most feelings or his chi. Any bad luck that occurs, people of this c ulture would say that you have a bad chi. Okonkwo's destiny is marked by bad luck, one reason may be that he is so driven by the fear of resembling his father that he struggles to express part of his personality with predictably afflicted results. This was a society where a man was judged by his own achievement and not that of his fathers. Yams were the primary crop of Umuofia. A sign of manliness was if you could farm yams to feed your family. Okonkwo is respected because of his hard work. The complex patterns of Umuofia's economic and social customs materialize throughout this novel as we see Okonkwo compelled to rid himself of any similarities that his father had. Unoka had no titles, was lazy and when he died was greatly in debt. Some may wonder how a society like the Ibo's functioned, how they enforce its laws with no kings, no organized police force, and no standing army. Indeed this is something our modern culture could study. These things were accomplished through the functions of the masked spirits. The Egwugwu, represents the village's highest spiritual and judicial authority. The masked spirits are believed to represent their ancestors. This supports the myth The land of the living was not far removed from the domain of the ancestors. There was a coming and going between them, especially at festivals and also when an old man died because an old man was very close to the ancestors, as we saw when Ezeudu died. A man's life from birth to death was a series of transitional rites which brought him nearer and nearer to his ancestors. The Egwugwu is made up of the titled men of the village, they have legal, moral and religious authority. They have a working system of peace and order. this is demonstrated by t he trial of Uzowulu for beating his wife. They had a sense of community, the week of peace came at the end of the carefree season and before the harvest and planting season. During the week of peace Okonkwo broke the peace and was punished, as was the custom, by Ezeani, the priest of the earth goddess. He told Okonkwo, even though his wife was at may have been at fault, he committed a great evil. During the Week of Peace you are to live in complete peace no matter what the circumstances, the evil he did could ruin the whole clan. The feast of the New Yam is similar to our Thanksgiving, it was held every year before the harvest began, to honor the earth goddess and the ancestral spirits of the clan. The second day of the new year was the day of the great wrestling match between Okonkwo's village and their neighbors. Okonkwo's second wife Ekwefi, loved this festival. Many years ago when she was the village beauty, Okonkwo had won her heart by throwing the Cat in the greatest contest. She did not marry him then because he could not afford he bride price. In this culture they bargained over a bride price in Ekwefi's case it had been a cow, being a symbol of wealth