… was terrible. I’m a lot better at writing now.
Note to self:
1. Stay more to the point.
2. Use fewer words.
Words to use again:
Likewise, Just as likely, Unfounded,
“Over time, the costs of processing go down because as organizations learn how to do things better, they become more efficient. In color film processing, for example, the cost of a 3-by-5-inch print fell from 50 cents for five-day service in 1970 to 20 cents for one-day service in 1984. The same principle applies to the processing of food. And since Olympic Foods will soon celebrate its twenty-fifth birthday, we can expect that our long experience will enable us to minimize costs and thus maximize profits.”
Olympic Food’s 25th birthday will be a great milestone for the company, but efficient performance and lowered costs cannot be reasonably assumed. The Annual report has two serious flaws. It contains a weak analogy and a wrong assumption.
First, the author draws a weak analogy between two unrelated industries. Admittedly, time provides experience and technological advances that often help companies work efficiently. One cannot assume, however, that Olympic Foods will experience the same benefits of increased efficiency as the color film industry. Because Olympic and the film processing industry are vastly different, it is highly doubtful that the fact about the film industry can be applied to Olympic. For instance, unlike development companies, Olympic Foods may choose not to deviate from its traditional methods. Perhaps new methods pose new problems and expenses Olympic cannot handle.
Second, the author forecasts that the company’s age has made it a stronger company. We should not assume that Olympic is capable of fulfilling such a claim, seeing that there is no evidence that supports it. Often company performance lags as time progresses. Take for example K-mart department stores, which shut down as a weak company after a period of success. Moreover, the author fails to mention that other factors besides inefficiency could raise production costs. New methods of efficient food preservation could be developed that increase food quality but also increase costs. Even if Olympic becomes more efficient, one cannot assume that its costs will go down.
In the final analysis, the 25th birthday of Olympic Foods is no proof of increased efficiency and lower costs. The author would have to provide evidence that the company has learned how to do things better in the last 25 years. The author also cannot rely on his analogy because the two industries are too dissimilar. Supporting examples from similar companies would be more convincing evidence.
Dear readers:
Welcome to my blog. I don’t update often, but I try to put something down on this blog every once in a while. Today I am going to give you a very brief summary of what I have done this summer, and then write a draft essay for my brother to correct so that I can improve my writing.
This summer I have had opportunities to perform chamber music with my string trio. We are an unnamed group consisting of a violist named Ben, a cellist named Chloe, and a violinist named Tim (that’s me). In July we gave a presentation to a Ucla summer class on chamber music. Also, we are preparing music to be played in the fall. By getting a heads start, we hope to be more prepared for performance opportunities when school starts.
In addition to chamber music, I also taught at a summer camp for CPYO, a youth symphony in northern California. There is a violin teacher whom I studied with who conducts a group in Saratoga. I did a fair amount of conducting and gave string sectionals. Adopting a “just do it” mentality, I had to take on the role of a teacher in front of a large group of students that were strangers to me. Yet it all worked out well. Students liked me, I enjoyed teaching, and the staff appreciated the work I did.
Below is the first practice essay. You may leave comments if you find some gross error.
“People often complain that products are not made to last. They feel that making products that wear out fairly quickly wastes both natural and human resources. What they fail to see, however, is that such manufacturing practices keep costs down for the consumer and stimulate demand.”
Which do you find more compelling, the complaint about products that do not last or the response to it? Explain your position, using relevant reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.”
Products that can be used for the long term reduce waste because less product must be produced over a longer period of time. For example, a good shovel, a dependable car, or a quality pair of boots can last many years. On the other hand, short term products are fitting for industries whose products are constantly changing. For example, new versions of mp3 players and cameras are released often, rendering old models obsolete. Computers are upgraded and become more powerful to meet the demands of new software. Making such products to last for a very long time is unnecessary because consumers typically buy new versions every few years. It is reasonable for such firms to make products last for the short-term because their products will not be used for long.
It is true that such products can be very wasteful-especially if they are disposed of carelessly. However, if recycled properly, products can take a new form, and there material can be reused, greatly reducing the consumption of natural resources. A wide array of short-term products can be recycled: there are places to recycle computers, old clothes, cell phones, and batteries. Companies using recycled materials are common, evidenced by writing on their products.
For those that complain that “short term” is a waste of resources, I would argue that the product is not a waste if it satisfies the demands of consumers and stimulates the economy. Common sense tells me that companies who make vastly inferior products will be driven out of the market, or be forced to stop producing such products if there is no demand for them. But if consumers buy such goods, they feed money to the firms who produce the products. Firms in turn pay their workers, who then pump money to other firms for different products. Short term products are not a waste of human resources in the sense that they create more jobs and more money for people to spend.
In the final analysis, waste of natural resources, while certain, can be greatly reduced through recycling material. It is the responsibility of consumers to dispose of their products correctly, and of companies to utilize recycled materials. Human resources are not wasted from short-term products, as the business generated from the creation of such goods stimulates the economy.
Dear all,
I am almost done with my first year of grad school. I study a lot of accounting.
Now I know a lot more about how money moves around and how to count money.
I should tell you something interesting. Well, last night I stayed up a little bit learning how to create a statement of cash flows from comparing balance sheets from two years of operation, coupled with the current year’s income statement. Given some narration which explains some transactiosn that took place that year, I reconstructed journal entries in order to track how much cash flowed in (inflow) and how much cash went out (outflow). Well after doing that, I looked at the balance sheet, writing down the the change of amounts for accounts that impact accounting for cash transactions.
For example, if there was an increase in Accounts receivable (meaning people owe me money- e.g. say Old Man Green across the way owes me 10 dollars), then logically I would have to make the adjustments to show that out of all the money I made that year, the 10 Old man Green owes me must be subtracted from the total because it was non-cash.
Net income includes income that is both cash and money that is owed to us. It is the sum of Revenues minus Expenses (including tax expense), and will show either a profit or loss. Have you heard the phrase “The bottom line is that _____.” Well, that comes from accounting:
Net income is informally called the bottom line because it is typically found on the last line of a company’s income statement.
“Licensed thieves, all of Wa Mu, just a sewer of bad”
Posted By Anonymous : March 7, 2008 3:45 pm
I thought that was amusing.
Hi everyone.
So every day I learn that I am a huge sinner. Man, I sin. But that also shows what a high honor it is for God to use sinners for his good work.
Our house is close to the post office (0.8 miles away). I skated there today to mail a textbook I sold on half.com. I was so happy when it was finally out of my hands. I thought “Yes, less clutter turned to cash.” After skating home, I updated my half.com account, marking my item as “shipped.” I noticed, half.com had something marked “comm,” and under it it said “$6.00.” I analyzed further. The six dollars was the commission half.com took for my $40 sale! That’s a lot, bonkers!
Well, also take into account the 3.6. dollars they gave me for shipping. TTFN.
It has been non-stop. Packing, loading, dumping trash, cutting boxes, more dumping, a cop stopped us from putting stuff under a goodwill truck, a drunk dude helped us drop off a mattress at midnight, and eating at Sweet Tomato (saved mi vida). We’ve cleaned out the entire house and tomorrow we’re going to drive three cars down south. Pray for the travels. Also, nuestro perro va a ir con mi madre. Pray for us.
Hi everyone, I haven’t updated this in a while, but because I am a musician, I should keep log of my thoughts.
I have an opportunity to do a summer camp in August, pray that the Lord would have it work out!! Please pray for 1) the dates, 2) travel (it would be in Norcal), 3) pay, 4) aligning my schedule with my students in socal. Thank you for your prayers. I am so excited for this summer, this will be great. I pray that I’ll invest a lot of time reading, must read more…
Maybe I should make a mission statement for this summer. I would like to read this book on counseling by Tripp, Heaven by Randy Alcorn, Living the Cross Centered Life by CJ Mahaney, and… I have more but I’m not sure what to read. Desiring God by John Piper? That’s only four books, but I will be gone for a lot of the summer.
I’m going to South Africa!!!!!!!!!!
Today I feel: good, but I didn’t practice enough.
Tomorrow if the first day of spring quarter. I have my recital in May and am playing mendelssohn octet with Anne Akiko Meyers. Do come.
God has been humbling me a lot, must pray more. Currently, I can’t find my wallet! But it’s not a big deal.
