Trends - Social Networking sites Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Trends - Social Networking sites - Essay Example It has quickly become a major source of information with many people relying on it to get news from all over the world, for research, to do market research and make purchases and to keep in touch with one another over great distances. One of the most influential consequences of the internet is social networking, which has become big business for those who run social networking companies since they not only charge people to pay to advertise on their websites, but many have also developed the tendency of selling the personal information of their users to other commercial companies. Social networking has come to set many trends in the world today, since it has changed the way people interact with one another as well as created a medium for people from different parts of the world to communicate. Approximately 10 percent of workers world over telecommute and this figure is exponentially high in developed countries. The most influential trends brought about by social networking sites incl ude the virtual world becoming almost as real as the physical one, phenomenal growth of information over the internet, creation of mobile devices and finally, an increased transparency into the private lives of individuals, since many share their private matters over the social networks. The psychological impacts of social networking especially on the youths have been phenomenal over the last decade; â€Å"15-24 still represent the most highly-engaged segment of social networkers† thus they make the bulk of internet users (Sighn). To many of them, the internet has become such an important role that they have become obsessed with it and they cannot function without it. Today, millions have become addicted to social networking and they literary live and sleep online for some people being disconnected makes them feel unsettle and anxious, not unlike deprived drug addicts. Nevertheless the internet has also radically changed and improved communication; social networking can be ap plauded for the developments which they have made in interpersonal communication. Interaction among people in different parts of the world has become easier and more convenient, because there is no longer any need to have physical contact for communication to take place. Instead, they have made communication virtual, with more people subscribing to the use of social network sites to communicate every day. Social networks have effectively ensured that the need for human beings to socialize has been satisfied, as well as enabled those individuals who use them to be able to communicate with large numbers of people at the same time (Singh). Thus, social networking sites have not only managed to fulfill the need for individuals to communicate with one another, but they have also created a situation where physical interaction is no longer necessary for communication. In addition, social networks have made the virtual world, to be almost as real of the physical one; in fact, for some peopl e, the virtual presence is more real than the physical one since most of their interactions with others are done over social networks (Brown 31). These networks have become the best platforms on which individuals can use to effectively communicate with each other, and this explains the reason as to why quite a large number of people prefer spending their time in these sites. It is equivocal

Analyst report Uniliver PLC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyst report Uniliver PLC - Essay Example The industry has the unique quality of having a target market of the entire global population of 7.05 billion people (Census, 2012). Unilever is a company that has achieved great success in the industry with a market penetration of 28.36% or two billion customers. The firm is positioned as one of the leading companies in the industry. This report will provide an overview of the company as well as financial analysis of Unilever for the fiscal year 2011 in order to determine whether the company is worth investing ?1 million. One of the mail analytic tools used in the paper is ratio analysis. Company Profile: Unilever Unilever was founded in the 1890s, but the actual Unilever brand was not created until 1930. The company is dedicated to the nutritional and well being industry. The firm has over 400 branded products. Some of the most popular brands of the company are Dove, Knorr, Lipton, Hellmann, and Axe. The corporate vision of the company is, â€Å"Helping people to look good, feel g ood and get more out of life† (Unilever, 2012). One of the keys to the company’s success has been its product innovation. Innovation is fostered by investing in research and development initiatives. The company has a network of scientists located across the world. The company spends over â‚ ¬1 billion a year in R&D. In 2010 the company was named advertiser of the year by Cannes Advertising Awards. The products of the company are sold across 190 countries. The firm has over two billion customers worldwide. Unilever generates 55% of its sales from emerging economies including China, Brazil, India, and Indonesia (Unilever, 2012). Dove is one of the most successful brands of the company with sales of over â‚ ¬3 billion yearly. The organization has 171,000 employees. The firm believes in the use of diversity. A lot of the firm’s products target the children population to increase their quality of life. Financial Analysis – Unilever In 2011 Unilever genera te revenues of â‚ ¬46,467 million. The revenues of the company increased by 16.68% in comparison with 2009, while it increased by 4.98% in comparison with 2010. The net income of the company was â‚ ¬4,623 million in 2011. The net income of the firm went up by 0.54% between 2010 and 2011. The cash account of the company at the end of 2011 had a balance of â‚ ¬3,484 million. Unilever’s total assets at the end of 2011 were â‚ ¬47,512 million, while its current assets were â‚ ¬14,291 million. In 2011 the total liabilities of the company were â‚ ¬32,591 million. Unilever’s total equity at the end of 2011 was â‚ ¬14,291 million. A ratio analysis of the company is illustrated below: Financial Ratios 2011 Net margin 9.95% Operating margin 13.84% Earnings per share (EPS) â‚ ¬ 1.51 Return on assets (ROA) 9.73% Return on equity (ROE) 30.98% Current ratio 0.80 Quick acid ratio 0.54 Working capital -â‚ ¬3638 million Debt to equity 218.42% Debt ratio 68.60 % The net margin of Unilever during 2011 was 9.95%, while its operating margin was 13.84%. Both financial metrics measure the profitability of the business. The net margin reflects the absolute net profitability of the business. The formula to calculate net margin is net income divided by total sales (Besley & Brigham, 2000). Unilever had earnings per share of â‚ ¬1.51. The earnings per share are the portion of a company's profit allocated to each