Beginnings of Bionic Flexible, stretchable electronics could launch Essay - 1

Beginnings of Bionic Flexible, stretchable electronics could launch cyborg era - Essay Example A common goal of these groups of scientists is to develop products that are efficient in performance. These are aimed to aid in the deliverance of therapeutic regimens and also in patient examination for vital symptoms (Rosen 18). Rosen goes ahead to provide examples of ongoing strategies in this interesting field combining physics, biomedical and biological sciences. For instance, she gives novel innovations carried out by a scientist at the University of Illinois. In his study, the group has focused in the advancement and development of gadgets that can detect unpredictable beats or spasms and bring these impulses back to normal. Such devices are beneficial in the treatment and control of epileptic seizures that account for neurobehavioral comorbidities worldwide (Rosen, 18). The incorporation of electronics within the human body continue to provide phenomenal advancement in terms of medical care and treatment. The integration of easy to bend electronics into balloon catheters, surgical gloves and stitches is extremely important complex health conditions diagnosis. Rosen implies that although these studies possess a brighter future, they are equally faced with myriad of challenges. This is because most of these studies make use of silicon that has also been used in the manufacture of computer chips. A disadvantage of this material is attributed to its mechanical properties of brittleness and hardness. However, this material has dominated global research in terms of its purification, doping and manufacturing of devices out of the silicon. As expected, research continues to go on with the aim of making silicon blend within the human body. For instance, Rogers and his research group are devising ways of coming up with ultrathin ribbons out of silicon. Such ribbons are capable of stretching and being flexible without any breakage tendencies. These silicon ribbons have been used in epidermal research whereby they have been used in sensing changes in

Clueless is the latest cinematic adaptation Essay

Clueless is the latest cinematic adaptation - Essay Example Director Amy Heckerling presents a sequence of events parallel to the novel that indicates to the viewer that her work is a modern cinematic portrayal of the original classic. The movie Clueless features all of the underlying themes seen in the novel, including, as Denise Kohn points out, â€Å"the fallibility of matchmaking and flirtation; the danger, in the words of the novel, of a girl ‘having rather too much her own way’ and thinking ‘too well of herself† (Kohn, 1997). Interestingly though, the new version portrays its modern women characters as less emancipated and conservative than what is found in Emma. Consistent with the modern times, the story of the lead protagonist Cher is also suitably modified. The director has paid attention to detail in making analogous connections between the Victorian era and the modern era. For example, the art of photography replaces the more painstaking art of portraiture; fashionable convertible cars serve as apt substi tutes for horse-driven carriages; the traditional British fancy dress balls were replaced by high school partying. Even such aspects of the book as Mr. Woodhouse’ problems with his digestion and Emma’s concern for his well-being were transfigured into Chers imposition of a low-cholesterol diet on her father. The references to the original work do not stop there. The sport-car owning high school student represents the new American aristocracy, as depicted by the character of ‘Frank Churchill’.

Nestle Analysis SWOT, Five Forces and Core Competencies

Nestle Analysis SWOT, Five Forces and Core Competencies Milkpak will position Nestlà © product as a high quality product consumer focused. Messages like They knows your taste better than us, Nestle Milkpak now at your door step; Add additional flavours to your life will help to portray Nestlà © picture clearly and distinctly. Milkpak will position Nestlà © product against the competitors and gain competitive advantage through the efficient promotional methods, using innovations, and by reaching closer to the target market through the arrangement of events like Basant, Valentine day and etc. In short consumers will view Nestlà © as a product providing highly quality, in terms of taste, customer focused and, at the same time reasonably priced as compared to others. 3.0 Core Competency of Nestlà © To pose Nestlà © product against the competitors, the company will be using differentiation strategy which will not only differentiate their own from others but also give an edge over others. Nestlà © core products will be very beneficial especially in terms of quality, health, and hygiene and most important consumer satisfaction. Nestlà © augmented products will include consumer satisfaction, warranty to retailers in terms of expire, delivery and after sales services. The companies all over the world get some competitive edge based on some features which other companies dont have. For example, as the Dell has the competitive edge over other computer manufacturer companies, because they use built-to-order Strategy while no other company in computer industry use this strategy. Similarly in Pakistan nestle has their competitive edge based on the strategies like product differentiation and customer oriented. Nestlà © is using the product differentiation strategy by providing the superior quality products. Their main focus is to keep the customers loyal. They bought shelve space in different departmental stores to attract the customers. They tried to reach each group of people in which they have succeeded. Besides, customer satisfaction is the focal point for the company. They provide hygienic products to their customers. Products are also verified by health and safety measures and international quality standards. Porter Five Forces 3.1.1 Threat of New Entrants: There is big number of food companies in the world; meanwhile the competitive between food companies are happened. Some companies have carved out role in which they support to dairy supply. These food companies are fearful of being squeezed out by the big players. Another threat for many food companies is other food services companies entering the market.15 Competing in a new industry requires resources to invest. Production of packed products requires huge investment of financial, human, technical, and marketing resources. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The suppliers of food might not pose a big threat, because of the number of suppliers. Raw milk is standard commodity and is available in the open market from a large number of milkmen. If anyone refuses to sell its product then company can buy it from others who are already willing to sell to company. On the other hand, the importance of volume to supplier also considered as a threat. Suppliers also have less leverage to bargain over price because the company is purchasing the large volume of their milk and suppliers dont have much option to sell milk to others. Bargaining Power of Buyers The buyers will not post much of a threat to the food industry. Large clients have their own bargaining power with food companies. Large corporate clients like airlines and retailers pay millions of dollars a year. There are large numbers of distributors, who are buying and distributing the product, so their bargaining power is low and company have leverage to dictate implement its terms and conditions to distributors. Availability of Substitute There are few of substitutes in the food industry. Most of the food companies have similar suites of services. Companies focusing on their role usually have a competitive advantage, but this advantage depends on whether there are any barriers that preventing other firms from entering.15 Competitive Rivalry The food industry is highly competitive in nowadays. As a result, food industry has become more like a commodity, an area in which the food company with the low cost structure, greater efficiency and better customer service will beat out competitors. In long run, larger companies prefer to take over or merge with other companies rather than spend the money to market and advertise to people.15 Source of Cost Efficiency 3.2.1 Economy of scale Economy of scale determines cost efficiency based on time, and processing of the operations and labour cost. Nestlà © used new high-technology system machines to process all the products, like high-speed bottling system, packaging machine for increasing the output of the products so, it could save time of the operation in process, and save labour cost. The company do not need to hire more labour to operate the process, which is one of the key to save cost. 3.2.2 Experience Nestlà © has been serving Pakistani consumers since 1988, when parent company, the Switzerland-based Nestlà © SA, first acquired a share in Milkpak Ltd. Today Nestlà © is fully integrated in Pakistani life, and is recognized as the producer of safe, nutritious and tasty food, and leaders in developing and uplifting the communities in which they operate. Nestlà © Pakistan ensures that their products are made available to consumers wherever in the country they might be. Convenience is at the heart of the Nestlà © philosophy, and there aim is to bring products to peoples doorsteps. Resources 3.3.1 Tangible resources Nestlà © Milkpak produces in over 81 countries and achieves 98% of its turnover outside Europe. Nestlà © Milkpak is the worlds largest milk company, which does 98% of its business. It has an annual turnover of 70 billion Swiss francs, 522 new factories in 81 countries, 200 operating companies, 1 basic research outer and 20 technological development groups, has more than 231,000 employees and more than 8000 products around the globe. There are three companies co-ordinate the activities of some 200 operating companies around the globe. Intangible resources There are three different functions, Nestlà © Milkpak, holds the financial shares in the allied companies. It also checks the profitability of these companies and to ensure the profitability of the group as whole. Second, Nestlà © Milkpak, has two areas of activities that are research and technological development, and technical assistance. Beside this, it provides know-how in engineering, marketing, production, organization, management and personnel training on a continuous basis. The third company is Nestlà © World Trade Corporation that oversees the import and export of merchandise worldwide. 3.4 BCG Matrix Relative Market Growth Low High STAR (Growth) QUESTION MARKS (Introduction) CASH COWS (Maturity) DOGS (Decline) 3.4.1 Stars The stars are the high relative market share and high market growth. Nestlà © beverages are the stars in their business, because with the high quality and new designs which comes every now and then makes them more popular among the customers, because customer with upper class wants the quality and nestle offers the best quality food items. Besides, Nestlà © major products such as Nestlà © milk pack and Nestlà © water will lies in the category of star products, due to the needs of human in their life. 3.4.2 Question Marks The product which have high anticipated growth rate but low market share would be considered as question marks. The product which the company launch first time in Pakistan is Nestlà © Ice-cream would come under the question marks due to the unknown result whether successful or failed in the growth of business in future. 3.4.3 Cash Cows The cash cows are Nestlà © cereal and other baby food products. There is less competitive brand on these specific of products and Nestle was considered as a branded and reliable brand, so most of the consumers prefer to buy from Nestle. 3.4.4 Dogs The pharmaceutical products are Nestlà © Dog; because it has low-share business with low growth market especially when talk about Pakistani market. The company has to think on what it can do by improving the low share and growth market. 3.5 Product Life Cycle The product life cycle has been used to analyse the products development refer by the BCG matrix. Product life cycle has 4 stages consist of introduction, growth, maturity and decline. Nestlà © Ice-cream has been stated on the introduction stage because it is launched the first time in Pakistan. Next, the growth stage would be the food items like milk pack, water and etc, due to human need as Nestlà © has provided. On the other hand, Nestlà © cereal and baby food were stated in the maturity stage, due to less competitors. Lastly, Nestlà © pharmaceutical product is on the decline stage, because of the low share in business and low demand. In the product life cycle, it shows that Nestlà © Milkpak industry is now on the maturity stage, the company has been recognized by consumers. 3.6 SWOT Analysis (TOW Matrix) Strengths Worldwide fame of Nestlà ©. Efficient milk collection system. Keeping high quality standards. Integrated distribution and warehousing facilities. Large market share of innovative. Having Good reputation in the market by strong brand name i.e. Nestlà ©. Strong RD. Weaknesses Unable to compete in price sensitive segment of UHT milk market. Under-utilization of the capacity. Unable to fulfil the demand of local powder milk market. Opportunities Improving Economy. Population growth rate. High urbanization rate. High literacy rate. Flexible government policies for food industry. Have significant growth opportunities. May merge with other global businesses to eliminate competitors. Having Capable of expanding into other markets of the world. SO Increase production of quality milk to cater the unsatisfied demand. They should go in the product line of powdered milk. They should increase their exports. They should cater the wide range of unsatisfied demand by improving their distribution networks. WO As per the increase demand of the milk they should fulfill the demand as Nestlà © have the ability to expand. They should make a strong distribution system to cater to avail the full benefit of the growing market. They should adopt affective marketing strategies for the promotion of their product. Threats High inflation rate. Low purchasing power. Decrease in GDP growth rate. Increasing interest rates. Recessionary period in business cycle. Competition with the new entrants. ST Invest more on the dairy product line as there is still a large chunk of the market which require modernization. Introduce new technology for quality assurance and better productivity. WT The co-ordination between different departments should be improved it will lessen the bureaucratic cost and increase the efficiency of the company.

Over-consumption = More Waste :: Essays Papers

Over-consumption = More Waste The single most important environmental issue today is over-consumerism, which leads to excess waste. We buy too much. We think we always need new and better stuff. Will we ever be satisfied? There will always be something better or cooler on the market. Because we live in a capitalistic consumer culture, we have absorbed things like: â€Å"Get it while the getting’s good,† â€Å"Offer ends soon, buy while it lasts,† â€Å"For great deals, come on down†¦Sunday Sunday Sunday!† We, kids from 1 to 92, have become saturated with commercials like: Obey your thirst. How much of our consumption is compulsive buying, merely obeying our momentary thirst? Do we actually need all that we buy? Could we survive efficiently, even happily, without making so many shopping center runs? Once after I made a Target run with mom, I noticed that most of the bulkiness within my plastic bags with red targets symbols on them was made up of the products’ packaging. I t hen thought about all the bags that were piled on the floor near us†¦all of the bags piled on the floors of many homes throughout America daily. There are realistic solutions that we should look into in order to curb this detrimental trend. Because we can do quick little time-saver runs to the nearest mega-store, we really have lost the need and, in some cases, the ability to be creative or resourceful. Instead of contributing to consumerism by buying new clothes and household goods, we can try finding and using things that were already purchased and perhaps slightly used. (Obviously not toiletries, food, or undergarments.) There are oodles of resale shops and rummage sales that contain great products for almost always half the price or even cheaper. By not shopping at such places as Goodwill, Salvation Army, and the like, we just keep adding more and more to the already vast amount of products that are already out there and not in use. It is wise to not contribute anymore to consumerism and waste-increase by buying used items. Perhaps we should only buy new things to supplement our needs. It is unrealistic to advocate that e veryone in America stop buying new things altogether. We should buy them in moderation, but there are things we can do before and after purchasing these things. Three simple solutions are pre-cycling, re-cycling, and re-using. Pre-cycling is used to prevent as much waste as possible by simply seeking out products with little, less, or no packaging.

Memento – Film Review

Memento is an extremely unique ‘film noir' drama directed by Christopher Nolan, famous for his recent re-birth of the Batman series and currently at the helm of the long awaited ‘The Dark Knight'. Most of his films are difficult to put into a set genre, as they often contain elements of drama, horror, mysteries and action all at the same time. Since his directorial debut 11 years ago, Nolan has been heavily praised as a ‘true visionary' and named ‘one of the greatest intelligent directors of all time' by multiple critics, as well as being renowned for his efficiency and perfectionism both whilst filming, and in the editing room. It is no surprise then, that the content and style of Memento is so different to any other mainstream movie you might see this year. The film follows Leonard Shelby (portrayed by Guy Pearce), a man whose wife died after being raped when two men broke into his home, violating her and leaving him with an injury that causes anterograde amnesia. However, only one of the assailants involved is caught and arrested, causing Leonard to become a vigilante and avenge his wife, using notes and tattoos to help him track down the villain who killed her. This is where Nolan shows his ability to play with film in order to change the audience's perception; because the main protagonist can only remember things that happened before the incident and about three or four minutes before the current time, the film is divided into many short scenes. These scenes are played in reverse order, so that the film begins with the ultimate act of revenge, and from then on back tracks through time to display every shocking detail about Leonard's condition and story. As if this wasn't complicated enough, not everything is as it seems, and small hints of this start to trickle through fractured memories from the very beginning. The film opens with a close-up shot of a flapping Polaroid photograph in somebody's hand of a body lying face down on a bloody floor, immediately grabbing the attention of the viewer and leaving us to watch in bewilderment as the image within the white frame slowly fades to blank. This intrigue is further developed when the photograph is pushed back into a camera which then flashes and we realize that this scene is being played to us in reverse. Then we finally see the face of the main character, appearing scarred and distressed behind the heavy camera before a quick cut to him returning the camera to his pocket. What follows is another close-up, this time a shot taken with the camera laying on its side (something rarely done in cinematography) of blood running across the floor, retreating back into the body that lies there; which cuts again to the shell of a bullet rolling slowly across the ground and yet speeding up, and then a quick transition to a pair of glasses lying upside-down and flecked with blood. Again we see Leonard, this time holding his arm above the ground, where a gun jumps into his hand from the ground below and he begins to point it in front of him. And then everything comes to life in a short burst, with the glasses bouncing and flying onto the face of the body, the shell of ammunition soaring back into the gun, spatters of blood diving from the walls into the back of the corpse's head, and a sudden flash of light from the weapon before showing the open mouthed scream of the man who appears to have just sprung to life. The scene ends abruptly, fading to black, with us throughout the entire short sequence hearing only ambient noise, a gunshot and the reversed yell for help from the man about to die. This is the only reversed scene in the film, although the scenes themselves run in reversed order with distinguishable grayscale scenes interweaved between them that explain Leonard's story further, which eventually fade into colour and continue the main narrative. The fades and transitions are so subtle that you probably wouldn't notice them unless you looked for them. The casting for the movie is brilliant, with every character having their own unique traits and purposes. There are only three principal characters that we see on screen for long periods of time, and this helps in building convincingly realistic characters, as the director has not had to juggle with many actors and actresses. It may take us a while to relate to the main character, as we first see him commit murder before we even hear him speak, but it's not long before we feel that we can be on his side. Leonard plays a complicated role, which is further complicated by both his condition and his actions that we don't always know about, but Guy Pearce fits the role majestically, and pulls off the frequent loss of memory with great finesse. Originally, Brad Pitt was considered for this role, but personally I'm glad he turned it down, as Pitt isn't known for roles like the disabled Leonard, and is instead renowned for anarchistic or secret agent-type parts, and although I would only want to praise his acting ability after seeing him in David Fincher's Fight Club, it may have been harder to take his character as seriously as Guy Pearce is able to bring the character to life. Joe Pantoliano stands out in his performance as Teddy, a police officer and seemingly the main character's friend, though Leonard has to be reminded of who he is every time they meet, as the director's first choice for this role he succeeds in showing his capabilities of feeling both pity and having to lie on screen at the same time, a great challenge for any actor. The costumes reflect the gritty and dark atmosphere of the movie, as everyone in the film is of average wealth, there are no extravagant items of clothing that would distract from the essential points of the film, without all the character's looking the same. Some costumes help for suspicion about the characters to accumulate, as is the purpose of Leonard's expensive suit, of which we find out how he obtained very late into the film. The setting of the film could be any American city, which helps to emphasize that it is the drama and characters that are important and not the locations. There is a typical cheap motel, an abandoned industrial park and a peaceful looking residential estate. These carefully selected locations and the places between them serve for the majority of the film's scenes, and as our familiarity with these places increases, we further realize how Leonard can't feel the same recognition. The soundtrack consists entirely of an original score composed by David Julyan, and sounds quite emotive even without the film alongside it. As with many independent films such as Donnie Darko, the soundtrack is used sparingly and is normally inserted at times of great distress or peril. It can't be denied that the background score suits the imagery of the film throughout and sympathizes with both upsetting and upbeat scenes at both ends of the movie. As indicated in the description of the opening scene, the editing in this film is particularly clever, showing the audience everything in the scene that they need to see, and yet restricting them until the end what they really should have known throughout. Quick cuts are often used, as well as choppy editing for mundane sequences such as Leonard taking a shower, which as well as protecting the actor's modesty speeds the sequence along tremendously well. The camera work for this same scene is also done very effectively. As we see through the eyes of the main character looking through the frosted glass of the shower, we see a dark shape approaching slowly as opposed to seeing an external view of the shower and the clear image of a man sneaking up, as would be done in most movies. Watching this film for the first time is like seeing a Rubik's cube assemble itself in front of your eyes, and it's not likely that every piece will fall into place until a second viewing at the least. This may not appeal to many casual film-viewers, as well as those who may not be intelligent enough to comprehend the plot, and people without the patience to think while watching a film. This may also be the place to be critical about this movie. Although it remains gripping and enthralling throughout, by the end you may be tired and perhaps even confused by all the information fit into just less than two hours. The pacing can also be a problem for people eager to find out what is really going on, with not much going on about three quarters of the way into the film except for scenes that set up what came before them. As the end of the story happens at the beginning of the movie, the end of the movie could be seen as anti-climatic, as it is only really the audience that really finds out what is going on, although it is likely that you'll be in so much of a shock at the twist revealed at the end and thinking about what has already happened that what happens next seems unimportant in comparison anyway. The movie is full of loving nods to other independent movies and isn't without its own dark, sometimes ironic sense of humour, which is injected at regular intervals and can help to push the film along. The film made an astonishingly large profit in both cinema and DVD sales, and continues to baffle even the sharpest critics today. It won no less than 40 different awards and was nominated for more than 30 on top of those, and currently has a place at #29 on the Internet Movie Database's top 250 films of all time, with over 180,000 voters from around the world. If you do get around to seeing this movie, it will be one that you want to see again, perhaps straight afterwards to fill in the clever blanks and notice the subtle allusions that the filmmakers have included to puzzle us the first time round. Whatever you make of it, and whether or not you understand it all at once, you'll probably find it hard to stop watching, and it's not a movie that you will soon forget.

Ford Motor Company Analysis Essay

Executive Summary Ford Motor Company is an American automobile manufacturer founded and headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan but incorporated in the state of Delaware. The company was started by Henry Ford in 1903 and is historically famous for the creation and implementation of the assembly line in manufacturing processes. Ford’s mission is to produce and sell automobiles – cars, trucks, SUVs, etc – from the ones initially designed and engineered by Henry Ford all the way through the newer versions created in the last few years. (Profitable Growth for All, 2012) In 2011, the company performed strongly – producing revenues of $134,264,000,000 and net income of $20,213,000,000. Financial data has been gathered from the 2011 annual report and 10-K forms filed with the SEC for further analysis. Appendix A contains these reports and appendix B contains select financial ratios calculated in the analysis. The ratios are divided into six major categories: short-term liquidity, capital structure and solvency, return on invested capital, asset turnover, operating performance and profitability, and financial market measures. All six combine to provide an overall picture of financial health for the company. The below analysis provides evidence that, although Ford’s public stock may be overvalued, the company itself is in good financial health. Company/Industry Description Ford is one of the world’s largest producers of cars and trucks but also engages in other business sectors, particularly vehicle financing, through subsidiaries. The major segments of the automotive production and sales portion include Ford North America, Ford South America, Ford Europe, and Ford Asia Pacific-Africa. Ford Motor Credit Company is the predominant financing subsidiary of the firm. (Profitable Growth for All, 2012) As of 2011, Ford Motor Company’s vehicle brands included Ford and Lincoln; between the two lines, the company sold over 5.5 million vehicles through almost 12,000 dealerships around the world. (Profitable Growth for All, 2012) Since vehicles are durable goods, Ford and the entire automotive industry is highly affected by general economic conditions. Given the 2008 financial crises and its lasting effects, the sale of durable goods has been  relatively low in recent years. In addition to economic factors, Ford must also contend with competitors worldwide. The automotive industry is highly competitive and ever growing in terms of brands and the various vehicles offered by each. The high level of competition within the automotive industry, particularly in mature markets like the United States, has led to a very competitive pricing environment. Competitive pricing in automotive sales tends to surface in the form of price discounts, marketing incentives, and financing incentives to attract customers to a particular brand since vehicles do not tend to be highly differentiated products. In terms of brand recognition, Ford is well known as one of few American car makers still thriving and is probably best known for its pick-up trucks and sports cars, particularly the Mustang. Findings and Assumptions Select financial ratios have been calculated based on Ford Motor Company’s financial statements from 2011 and can be found in Appendix B. The financial statements used for calculations are contained in Appendix A. Based on the calculations, analysis of short-term liquidity, capital structure and long-term liquidity, return on invested capital, asset turnover, operating performance and profitability, and financial market measures are included here. Ford’s short-term liquidity looks promising. The current ratio of 1.16 is good; it shows that the company can pay its short-term obligations 1.16 times. Typically, a current ratio over 1 is considered healthy, though higher is definitely better. (Wahlen et al, 2008) At first glance, Ford’s cash ratio of 0.52 seems a bit weak. It shows that, although the company can meet its short-term debts per the current ratio, it only has enough cash on hand to meet 52% of its short-term obligations. The financial statements included tend to combine cash and marketable securities into a category labeled â€Å"cash and cash equivalents†. If the cash ratio is recalculated using this value instead of simply cash than the ratio improves to 1.10, which shows much stronger liquidity capabilities. Long-term solvency for Ford Motor Company also appears to be strong. The company’s times interest earned ratio of 1.96 means that it can cover its  interest charges on current debt issues almost two times over. This is a good sign that bankruptcy is not eminent and the company is solvent in the long-run. A higher debt to equity ratio means a company gets a larger portion of its financing from creditors than shareholders, though higher is a subjective measure and depends on the industry. (Wahlen et al, 2008) Automotive manufacturers tend to have debt to equity ratios above 2 because the industry is capital intensive. (Debt/equity ratio, 2014) Ford’s debt to equity ratio in 2011 was 10.89, far higher than the industry standard, potentially due to the circumstances of the time. The financial crisis of 2008 resulted in major financial bailouts across the automotive industry. These large levels of debt to the government would increase the debt to equity ratios of all compa nies that accepted the money. In addition to both short and long term solvency, a company’s return on invested capital should be analyzed when determining its financial health. Ford’s return on assets from 2011 is 11.3%. This number seems strong on its own but the best information comes from comparing it to either competitors or previous years in the same company since return on assets varies drastically across industries. (Wahlen et al, 2008)) In 2010, Ford’s return on assets was only 4%. This increase is a significant improvement since the two ratios show that, in 2011, $100,000 of assets would generate $11,300 in income while the same assets in 2010 would have only generated $4,000 in income. Ford’s return on equity in 2011 was 134%, a hugely impressive ratio! This calculation shows that $100,000 in shareholder equity would generate $134,000 in income. Considering the ROE in 2010 was negative, this is an extreme improvement in profitability for the company. In 2010, Ford’s asset and inventory turnover ratios were excellent. The total asset turnover of 74.9% shows that the company is effectively deploying their assets and has been able to generate $74,900 profit for every $100,000 in assets. This is not surprising considering the high return on assets analyzed earlier. Days sales in inventory for Ford in 2011 was only 19 days – meaning the company could convert inventory to sales in less than 3 weeks. Like return on assets, the acceptable level of inventory convertability varies drastically from one industry to another. (Wahlen et  al, 2008) In recent years, automotive companies have averaged over 60 days for this inventory ratio. Ford’s 2013 days sales in inventory was almost 90 days and increased by 26% to over 100 days in January of 2014. These increased numbers are likely a result of the slow economic recovery and consequential decrease in car sales. (Young, 2014) Operating performance and profitability ratios, including fixed asset turnover ratio and operating performance ratio, also show financial strength for Ford Motor Company. The fixed asset turnover ratio of 5.62 shows that the company is able to generate significant revenues from fixed assets, i.e. property, plant, and equipment. Ford’s operating performance ratio of 15.06 also shows that the company is performing strongly. Ford’s price-earnings ratio of 3.15 means the company’s stock was trading at 3 times the earnings value as of December 31, 2011. This shows that investors were willing to pay 3 times its worth to own Ford stock, signifying that earnings growth was expected. The market-to-book ratio of 4.23 means that the market value of the stock is 4.23 times the book value of the same stock. In other words, Ford’s stock was overvalued in excess of 4 times its book value. Crucial Factors Many crucial factors play a role in analyzing a company’s financial situation. Some of these factors are internal – such as management, particularly changes in management, and the business model. Other factors are external – examples include governmental action, competitors, and the overall economic state. The above analysis of Ford Motor Company incorporated numerous crucial factors when interpreting the selected ratios and their piece in the overall financial health of the company. Conclusions Overall, Ford Motor Company seems to be in good financial health as of the end of 2011. Both short and long term solvency are strong, particularly when marketable securities are included in the cash ratio calculation. Ford’s capital structure is heavily tilted towards creditors, though this is likely due to the governmental bailout and lack of investors in the slowly recovering stock market. Return on assets and return on equity are both  impressive, particularly when compared to data from the previous year. In 2011, Ford had excellent asset and inventory turnover statistics. Unfortunately, these have since declined – most likely due to the decrease in automotive sales in today’s slowly recovering economy. Operating performance and profitability standards both show financial strength and good performance, though the financial market measures indicate that investors may be more ambitious than they should be about the performance strength. References (2012). Profitable growth for all: Ford motor company 2011 annual report. Retrieved from Ford Motor Company website: http://corporate.ford.com/doc/2011 Ford Motor Company AR_LR.pdf Debt/equity ratio. In (2014). Investopedia. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/debtequityratio.asp United States Securities and Exchange Commission, (2012).Ford motor company 10-k . Retrieved from Ford Motor Company website: http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=87772&p=irol-SECText&TEXT=aHR0cDovL2Fwa S50ZW5rd2l6YXJkLmNvbS9maWxpbmcueG1sP2lwYWdlPTgwODI3MDYmRFNFUT0wJlNFUT0wJlNRREVTQz1TRUNUSU9OX0VOVElSRSZzdWJzaWQ9NTc= Wahlen, J., Baginski, S., & Bradshaw, M. (2008).Financial reporting, financial statement analysis, and valuation. (7th ed.). Mason, OH: South Western CENGAGE Learning. Young, A. (2014, Feb 13). Us new auto inventories highest since ’09; gm, volkswagen top list; kia, hyundai up most; toyota stock at ‘healthiest’ level. International Business Times, Retrie ved from http://www.ibtimes.com/us-new-auto-inventories-highest-09-gm-volkswagen-top-list-kia-hyundai-most-toyota-stock-healthiest