Accounting report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Accounting report - Assignment Example Therefore, this additional information such as the macro environment effects, business performance in comparison to its competitors, etc. generally guide the investor in making the right choice. The statements provided by Chairman and CEO are more or less same with both them talking about the performance of British Airways during the year in comparison with last year and the difficulties being faced due to economic downturn, loss of consumer confidence, increasing oil prices and other environmental factors. Furthermore, both the heads highlighted the fact that next year is going to be much tougher in terms of performance due to economic conditions prevailing, yet they are confident that the company will manage to survive and achieve their long term future goals of being a premium airline. However, the main difference among both the statements was the measures highlighted by CEO to survive currently and tackle the future business appropriately with a brief detail about their future development and ways to achieve those (British Airways 2009). The report provided by CFO highlight some of the problems that company is facing and which will be important for investor like Paul. Firstly, the CFO talks about the decline revenue caused by a decrease in passenger traffic especially premium passenger leading to reduction on amount of flying. Furthermore, the report highlights the company’s susceptibility towards fluctuating oil prices and showing an increase in operating expenditure due to this. Moreover the company faced a net unrealized loss on fuel derivatives due to volatile prices. Lastly, company posted a negative EPS which will have an adverse impact on its investors as no dividend was announced (British Airways 2009). The environment in which airline industry operates involves lot of risks and uncertainties which are out of their control and can have severe impacts on their business. Some of the risks involved in their industry are act of terrorism, any

Power and social movements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Power and social movements - Essay Example Furthermore, crowd mechanisms cannot be used to achieve communication and coordination of activity over a wide area, such as a nation or continent (Social Movement, 2006). In this regard, Sidney Tarrow defines a social movement as collective challenges by people with common purposes and solidarity in sustained interactions with elites, opponents and authorities. He specifically distinguishes social movements from political parties and interest groups (Tarrow, 1994). From whatever perspective one views social movement, it is apparent that all definitions of social movement reflect the notion that they are intrinsically related to social change; an attempt by the perceived powerless and voiceless in the society to exert their voice and power with an eye towards achieving such change. They do not, however, encompass the activities of people as members of stable social groups with established, unquestioned structures, norms, and values (Social Movement, 2006). Over the past few decades, several factors such as education, which have encouraged wider dissemination of literature, the increased mobility of labour due to the industrialisation and urbanisation of 19th century societies, the freedom of expression, and relative economic independence prevalent in the modern western society have precipitated an explosion of social movements in countries across the globe (Schock, 2005; Giddens et al, 2003). The New Social Movement (NSM); a new term that has come to describe the several social movements that sprung up over time, ranges from the civil rights and feminist movements of the 1960s and 1970s to the antinuclear and ecological movements of the 1980s and the gay rights campaign of the 1990s. Increasingly, traditional political institutions are becoming unable to cope with these challenges facing them. Taking a look at the origin of social movements, Tilly (2004) argues that social movement was not in existence before the late eighteenth century. Although he concedes that several elements like campaigns, social movement repertoire and WUNC displays have a long history, he opined that they were only recently combined together into what could be seen properly as a social movement. Social movement first came into existence in England and North America during the first decades of the nineteenth century and has since then spread across the globe (Tilly, 2004) From several indications it is apparent that the early growth of social movements was connected to broad economic and political changes including parliamentarisation, capitalisation, etc. Political movements that evolved in late 18th century, like those connected to the French Revolution and Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791 are among the first documented social movements, although Tilly notes that the British abolitionist movement has "some claims" to being the first social movement (becoming one between the sugar boycott of 1791 and the second great petition drive of 1806). The labour movement and socialist movement of the late 19th century are seen as the prototypical social movements, leading to the formation of communist and social democratic parties and organisations. From 1815, Britain after victory in the Napoleonic Wars