Alcohol in India Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alcohol in India - Research Paper Example Men are ten times more likely to use alcohol regularly as compared to women. Raffensperger further states, â€Å"While alcohol consumption is low overall, it's even lower in women than in men in India†. Social Organizations and Use of Alcohol In India, people are divided into various categories according to their castes. There also exist many subcultures in India. Three most common subcultures in India are Punjabi culture, Bengali culture, and Marwari culture. Alcohol consumption is relatively low in Punjabi culture as compared to other two subcultures. The social class structure, family system, and different subcultures put a significant impact on overall alcohol consumption in India. The social structure of India is a mixture of diverse cultures, religions, and racial groups. Hindu religion, Muslim religion, and Sikhism are the most prominent religions of India. Social structure of India influences the institutions of family, marriage, and caste (Gihar 58). If we talk about social organizations in India, the most common social organizations include Forward class, Backward class, and Harijans. The social class structure of India includes different classes to which people of India belong. Forward class consists of rich people or those belonging to higher castes. People belonging to this class consume the highest percentage of total alcohol consumed by Indian people. Such people generally have fewer tensions in their lives as compared to lower classes. The main reasons for Forward class to consume a high percentage of alcohol include sociability and taste. Consumption of alcohol is not considered bad among higher classes of India. The most common brands used by the Forward class people include Blossom Hill, Smirnoff Red Vodka, and Carling. People belonging to Backward or middle class also use alcoholic drinks but the percentage is considerably low as compared to Forward class or Harijans. In the societies of Backward class people, use of alcohol is not co nsidered a good deed. The family structure of India plays an important role in controlling the percentage of alcohol consumption in this class. â€Å"Most of the families in India are extended families, wherein every member has his/her own role, often influenced by age and gender† (Rampur). Every member of a family resects the norms and values of the family structure. The reason behind low percentage of alcohol consumption in this class is the joint family structure of India. It is very difficult for the adults to use alcoholic drinks in front of their parents or relatives. Children respect their parents and do not do any such thing, which their parents do not want them to do. Harijans or lowest class people are the most alcohol addicted people in India. These people are not financially stable and have many tensions in their lives. They take alcohol in order to forget their problems for a while and to feel relaxed. However, they take low quality alcohol because they are not a ble to buy expensive or high quality alcoholic beverages. Living Conditions, Leisure, and Recreation Living conditions of Indian people and leisure also put a significant impact on overall alcohol consumption in India. Some people belonging to elite class use alcohol as a recreational activity. The people belonging

El-Con Construction Inc Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

El-Con Construction Inc - Case Study Example Rob Lister, the CEO of Oakville Hydo though that El-Con was qualified for the loan based on its recent performance though he did not know if granting the loan was in the best interest of Oakville Hydro company. Based on the company previous performance, there are several ways in which it could maximize and optimize its shareholders wealth. It is therefore recommendable for El-Con to seek different ways of maximizing the shareholders wealth before settling on the best. The best ways or strategies to optimize owners wealth is by ensuring continuous cash flow in the company. Different scenarios on which the firm can optimize its shareholders wealth will be discussed. The different scenarios for considerations include initial public offering and investing its excess funds to maximize profit, obtain a loan to obtain the required funds-Building credit and Shareholder wealth. 1. Initial public offering and investing its excess funds to maximize profit The company should hold initial public offerings and sell them as common stock to the public. Based on the previous performance, the company can thrive well without the common stock but should go for it in order to obtain enough funds to tend to all of its constructions needs. The use of initial public offering will help in profit maximization. Initial public offering will help the company to expand its investments as it will provide the company with enough liquidity. Liquidity ratios 2009 2008 2007 Current ratio 2.8 2.73 3.38 Acid test 2.31 1.72 1.75 Working capital 2.8 2.7 3.4 The current ratio and acid test of the company for the three years was more than 1 which means that the company was in a better position to cater for its liabilities and obligations using its assets. Working capital measures the efficiency of as well as its short term financial health. The ratio determines whether the company has enough short term assets to cover its short term debts. The working capital ratio for the company for the three years is more than 2 which means that the company was not investing in its excess assets and its lack of enough funds can be attributed to that. This means that the company is in a better financial position since its assets outweighs the liabilities and should invest its excess assets to earn income. The company should choose to invest in mutual funds, real property or even insurance products. This will earn the company interest. Investing the excess assets will be a good way for maximizing income by the company which would then earn the company enough capital for the required machinery. Using initial public offering and investing its excess funds will be of help to El-Con as it will help the company to acquire the required liquidity for it to acquire the required machines. The required amount of $450,000 for hydrovac truck and $50,000 to cover its working capital needs is a small amount for the company judging from the past performance and could therefore be acquired by initial public of fering and investing in excess assets. 2. Obtain a loan to obtain the required funds-Building credit Obtaining a loan like the loan request from Oakville Hydro could another good way of maximizing the shareholders wealth. Building credit is a deliberate and a planned borrowing which is aimed at increasing the reputation of a firm in the lending market and granting it a larger access to large sums of capital. This greater access of money helps the company in financing stronger expansion and allows it to generate real wealth. The working capital of El-Con for the three years indicates that the current assets are more than the current liabilities which means that it does not have any problems paying for its obligations. As a result, building credit by borrowing