Thursday, April 30, 2020
The change in Scrooges character Essay Example
The change in Scrooges character Paper Scrooge is described as a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! at the start of A Christmas Carol and as a man who became as good a friend, as good a master and as good a man, as the good old city knew at the end. In Charles Dickens Classic Novel A Christmas Carol Ebenezer Scrooge is a bitter old man. At the beginning of the novel Scrooge has reached a point in his life where he is a wealthy business man but is horrible to everyone and is disliked by many because he behaves so badly. Scrooge comes across as a man who is angry with the whole world, bitter and twisted and even though many may think that money buys you happiness this has not happened for Scrooge it seems the more money that he has the more miserable he became. Before Scrooges old partner Marleys ghost first appeared to Scrooge, Scrooge had been mean to several people that day including his inoffensive nephew who he told every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart he should Scrooge had also been unkind to Bob Crachit his clerk as he begrudged giving the poor man Christmas day off of work Youll want all day tomorrow, I suppose? We will write a custom essay sample on The change in Scrooges character specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The change in Scrooges character specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The change in Scrooges character specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Scrooge asked Crachit as Scrooge did not want to give Crachit Christmas day off even though he knew that Crachit had a family and a disabled son he wanted to be with. Two men who were collecting for the poor and destitute visited Scrooge in hope of a donation for charity and were sent on their way he told them I dont make merry at Christmas and I cant afford to make idle people merry The way in which Scrooge behaved to these people showed what a miserable unkind sole he was. Marleys ghost told Scrooge that three spirits will visit him Scrooge said I I think Id rather not Scrooge did not seem interested in changing his way of life and just wanted to be left alone. When the first of three spirits arrived it took Scrooge back through his past life back to when he was a child it showed Scrooge how unhappy he was the ghost reminds Scrooge that he was A solitary child, neglected by his friends Scrooge remembered how he felt as that child and was saddened by this, he also remembered how earlier that day he had chased away a young carol singer from his door by threatening to hit him with a ruler. Scrooge felt a pang of guilt for the way in which he had treated the lonely young boy. They continued their journey through Scrooges childhood and Scrooges mood was lightened by seeing many things from his past. They came to Scrooges sister who obviously adored him as she hugged and kissed a young Scrooge as she addressed him as her dear, dear brother. The young Scrooge seemed to love his sister very much and seemed delighted to be around her. Scrooge spoke to the spirit about his sister with great love and admiration. After this Scrooge seemed uneasy when the spirit spoke of his sisters son who had visited him earlier that day you feel as if Scrooge was feeling a bit guilty for the way in which he had treated his nephew. Scrooge and the first spirit then travelled to where Scrooge worked when he was an apprentice he saw his friend Dick who was a fellow apprentice and Scrooge and the spirit watched Old Fezziwig who they worked for entertain them at the company Christmas party. After watching himself as a young apprentice and seeing how Old Fezziwig treated him and all his fellow workers Scrooge began to feel guilty for how he had treated Crachit his Clerk the spirit asked Scrooge What is the matter? Scrooge eventually told the spirit No, I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now Scrooge at this time has realised that he has been a terrible employer to his clerk. The second spirit who visited Scrooge the ghost of the Christmas Present again took Scrooge to see people outside rushing around happily preparing for Christmas. The Spirit and Scrooge visited Bob Crachits house Scrooges clerk who was preparing for Christmas dinner with his family, Scrooge saw how excited the whole family were about Christmas dinner, he saw tiny Tim who was Cratchits disabled son he saw how the whole family rallied around him to make him comfortable. Scrooge asked the spirit Tell me if Tiny Tim will live Scrooge seemed to have feelings and felt concerned for Tiny Tim. Scrooge watched as Crachit toasted I give you Mr Scrooge the founder of the feast The whole family toasted Scrooge to make their father happy but Scrooge could see that none of them genuinely wanted to toast him and they all felt he was an ogre. The family again continued with their celebrations and Scrooge could see how happy the family was. After visiting Crachit the second spirit took Scrooge to his nephews house again they watched his nephew and his wife and their guest enjoy the Christmas celebrations they laughed and laughed and had a wonderful time. Even though Scrooge had over the years been miserable when his nephew The three spirits had an enormous impact on the rest of Scrooges life he realised that money was not the only thing that mattered and living life with people around you made a difference. Helping others was not a crime but actually something that would give him pleasure. He realised that people had mostly treated him well throughout his life until he became an old miser and after seeing how his employer had treated him when he was younger. Scrooge was able to see that he could help Bob Crachit and his family financially and by making Crachits working hours less so he could spend more time with Tiny Tim he would make his life happier. He also sent Bob Crachits a large Turkey as this was what Bob Crachit had wanted. After seeing his sister and himself when they were younger and seeing his nephew on Christmas day he realised that it would be fun to be part of his family again and so both the ghost of the Christmas past and the Ghost of the present helped Scrooge see family was important. Scrooge also gave to charity after meeting the three spirits as they were able to show him that charity was a good thing. Scrooge became to close to Tiny Tim he was a second father to him which showed he was a compassionate man. Scrooge had lost sight of what was important in life he had become obsessed with money and this had brought him nothing but misery as he did not want to share his good fortune with others. The spirits had shown him the error of his ways and he became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man and everyone who knew him would of agreed.
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Free Essays on Childrens Hospitals
The purpose of this paper is to broaden your knowledge of childrenââ¬â¢s hospitals and pediatric care. There are many different types of childrenââ¬â¢s hospitals in the U.S. We will explore the different types and how they help children and their families. The types I will talk about are burn units, trauma centers, cancer treatment centers, cancer research centers, and hospitals for invalid children. In the United States alone, there are over 140 childrenââ¬â¢s hospitals. They range in size from 40 beds to over 300 beds. Any child with a life threatening illness or injury is accepted to these hospitals. Pediatrics deals with neonatal through age eighteen. Though many pediatric hospitals separate the ages into groups so the children are able to experience a more ââ¬Ënormalââ¬â¢ childhood. Of all the childrenââ¬â¢s hospitals in the U.S., the biggest is St. Jude Childrenââ¬â¢s Research Hospital. It has over 300 beds and is the primary center for childhood cancer research. However, U.S. News and World Report ranked the Childrenââ¬â¢s Hospital Boston number one for twelve consecutive years (citation). Burn Units are childrenââ¬â¢s hospitals that specifically focus on major burns. Burns are separated into categories; first degree, second degree, and third degree. A first-degree burn is the mildest type of burn. These are just minor burns that are usually caused by the sun. They are categorized by redness, mild swelling and pain. A second-degree burn is one level higher in severity. They are deeper than first degree buns and may cause blisters. With a second-degree burn it is possible for a loss of body fluids through the damaged areas of the skin. These are often times the most painful because nerve endings are still undamaged, despite the severe tissue damage. Burn units will treat for this type of burn and there may be some hospitalization associated with it. Second degree burns are caused by scald injuries, flames, or skin that br... Free Essays on Childrens Hospitals Free Essays on Childrens Hospitals The purpose of this paper is to broaden your knowledge of childrenââ¬â¢s hospitals and pediatric care. There are many different types of childrenââ¬â¢s hospitals in the U.S. We will explore the different types and how they help children and their families. The types I will talk about are burn units, trauma centers, cancer treatment centers, cancer research centers, and hospitals for invalid children. In the United States alone, there are over 140 childrenââ¬â¢s hospitals. They range in size from 40 beds to over 300 beds. Any child with a life threatening illness or injury is accepted to these hospitals. Pediatrics deals with neonatal through age eighteen. Though many pediatric hospitals separate the ages into groups so the children are able to experience a more ââ¬Ënormalââ¬â¢ childhood. Of all the childrenââ¬â¢s hospitals in the U.S., the biggest is St. Jude Childrenââ¬â¢s Research Hospital. It has over 300 beds and is the primary center for childhood cancer research. However, U.S. News and World Report ranked the Childrenââ¬â¢s Hospital Boston number one for twelve consecutive years (citation). Burn Units are childrenââ¬â¢s hospitals that specifically focus on major burns. Burns are separated into categories; first degree, second degree, and third degree. A first-degree burn is the mildest type of burn. These are just minor burns that are usually caused by the sun. They are categorized by redness, mild swelling and pain. A second-degree burn is one level higher in severity. They are deeper than first degree buns and may cause blisters. With a second-degree burn it is possible for a loss of body fluids through the damaged areas of the skin. These are often times the most painful because nerve endings are still undamaged, despite the severe tissue damage. Burn units will treat for this type of burn and there may be some hospitalization associated with it. Second degree burns are caused by scald injuries, flames, or skin that br...
Thursday, March 5, 2020
Baking Ingredient Substitutions Table
Baking Ingredient Substitutions Table Do you need to replace one ingredient with another in a recipe? Apply a bit of cooking chemistry to save your project.Ã This is a table of ingredient substitutions that you can make when baking. Changing the ingredient may affect the taste and texture of your recipe slightly, but this list should help prevent major differences. ammonium bicarbonate - 3/4 teaspoon1 tsp baking soda baking powder (single-acting) - 1 teaspoon1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar plus 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch baking powder (double-acting) - 1 teaspoon1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar plus 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch. Use 1 tsp for every 1 cup of flour. baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder (replace the acidic liquid in recipe with non-acidic liquid) baking soda - 1/2 teaspoon1/2 teaspoon potassium bicarbonate buttermilk - 1 cup (240 ml)1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup (240 ml) (let mixture stand 5-10 minutes)more buttermilk recipes cake flour - 1 cup (130 grams)3/4 cup (105 grams) all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch cake flour - 1/3 cup1/3 cup all-purpose flour less 1/2 teaspoon chocolate (bittersweet or semi-sweet) - 1 ounce (30 grams)1/2 ounce (15 grams) unsweetened chocolate plus 1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated sugar chocolate (unsweetened) - 1 ounce (30 grams)3 tablespoons (20 grams) natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed) plus 1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter, shortening, or vegetable oil cocoa powder, Dutch-Processed - 3 tablespoons (20 grams)1 ounce (30 grams) unsweetened chocolate plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda. Also reduce fat in recipe by 1 tablespoon. cocoa powder, natural unsweetened - 1 ounce (30 grams) unsweetened chocolate. Also reduce fat in recipe by 1 tablespoon. coffee, strong - 1/4 cup (60 ml)2 tablespoons (10 grams) instant coffee in 3 tablespoons hot water corn syrup, dark - 1 cup (240 ml)3/4 cup (180 ml) light corn syrup plus 1/4 cup (60 ml) light molasses corn syrup, light - 1 cup (240 ml)1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar (increase the liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup or 60 ml) cornstarch (for thickening) - 1 tablespoon (15 grams)2 tablespoons (25 grams) all purpose flour cream of tartar - 1/2 teaspoon1/2 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice cream - half-and-half - 1 cup (240 ml)7/8 cup (210 ml) whole milk plus 2 tablespoons (25 grams) melted unsalted butter cream, heavy (not for whipping) - 1 cup (240 ml)2/3 cup (160 ml) whole milk plus 1/3 cup (75 grams) melted unsalted butter flour, self-rising - 1 cup (140 grams)1 cup (140 grams) all-purpose flour plus 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder plus 1/4 teaspoon salt flour, whole wheat - 1 cup (150 grams)7/8 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoon (6 grams) wheat germ honey - 1 cup (240 ml)3/4 cup (180 ml) light or dark corn syrup plus 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar lard - 1/2 cup (113 grams)1/2 cup (113 grams) solid vegetable shortening lard - 1/2 cup (113 grams)1/2 cup (113 grams) plus 1 tablespoon (14 grams) unsalted butter marshmallow cream - 2.5 ounces8 large marshmallows or 1 cup miniature marshmallows milk (sweetened condensed) - 14 ounce can (396 grams)blend 1 cup instant nonfat dry milk plus 2/3 cup (135 grams) granulated sugar plus 3 tablespoons (35 grams) melted unsalted butter plus 1/2 cup (120 ml) boiling water milk (evaporated whole) - 1 cup (240 ml)1 cup (240 ml) half half milk (whole) - 1 cup (240 ml)1 cup (240 ml) skim milk plus 2 tablespoons (25 grams) melted butter or margarine molasses - 1 cup (240 ml)1 cup (240 ml) dark corn syrup sour cream - 1 cup (225 grams or 8 ounces)1 cup plain yogurt sour cream - 1 cup (225 grams or 8 ounces)1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus whole milk to fill 1 cup (240 ml) tapioca, instant or quick-cooking - 1 tablespoon (12 grams)1-1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) flour vinegar - 1/4 cup (60 ml)1/3 cup (80 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice yogurt, plain - 1 cup (225 g)1 cup (225) sour cream
Monday, February 17, 2020
Madoffs Ponzi Scheme Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words
Madoffs Ponzi Scheme - Essay Example Still it took a long time to assess for the authorities to verify that it was a Ponzi scheme. It was one of the most cold-blooded, deliberately devised and implemented Ponzi scheme. This fraud had serious impact on peopleââ¬â¢s view about investment. All investors start viewing investment firms and charities with a lot of suspicion and firms faced a considerable fall in business. The only positive element was the fact that it acted as an eye-opener for both the authorities and the public. While public became aware about the need to be careful about the promises of unbelievably high returns, the authorities too understood the need for new statutes to prevent such frauds. Madoffââ¬â¢s intentions still remain a mystery It still remains a mystery why such a prominent figure who was well aware about the movements in the market and also about the implications of such a Ponzi scheme decided to implement such a devilish idea that caused irrevocable loss to many people. It is yet to be resolved as to why he went on paying the withdrawals if he wanted to cheat the investors. In addition, Madoff tried to hold back the firmââ¬â¢s imminent fall ten days before his arrest by receiving a huge sum of 250 million dollar from a close friend (Frank and Efrati). It seems closer to insanity that he admitted that his scheme was a Ponzi scheme and that he did not invest any money as had promised. However, it seems a calculated move that he managed to keep all his family members away from legal complexities by taking the responsibility of the fraud all to himself. One has to assume that seeing his irrational behavior, all other members managed to secure their position by avoiding any position in the company that involved the responsibility of money management. However, a man who could con the authorities and auditors for nearly two decades could easily devise a better plan than this Ponzi scheme if he wanted to. Thus, it still is to be ascertained as to why he chose a Ponzi s cheme, the outcome of which he knew pretty well. The best assumption possible is that his extreme wizardry might have turned him insane. I. What are the ethical issues involved in Madoff case? One has to admit the fact that the Madoffââ¬â¢s system was unethical in nature from head to toe as the scheme was a Ponzi scheme. While attracting the investors, Madoff was well aware of the imminent failure of the scheme. All financial experts and even common investors are well aware of the fact that Ponzi scheme always fail due to its own weight as such schemes require an ever-increasing flow of money to pay the retiring and withdrawing clients. Once the inflow of fund diminishes, the system collapses. 1) Misusing the office of trust The first element of unethical practice is in Madoffââ¬â¢s misusing his position of repute in the society. He was an educated and experienced person in a position of trust, respectability, responsibility and trust. The aura of authority he created in this field is evident from the list of his clients including influential people, big organizations and even banks. Some of them were The Fairfield Greenwich Group, Tremont Group Holdings and Westport National Bank. All his investors gave him money on the belief that there were many checks and balances to make his investment plan legitimate.Ã
Monday, February 3, 2020
Motivating Employees Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Motivating Employees - Coursework Example Poor leadership creates low morale on the part of the employees. (Lipman, 2013). You find that many of the doctors and nurses may want to succeed but once they make mistakes, they are criticized and dubbed a failures and this lowers their morale hence their commitment. Kaluyu memorial hospital will embark on giving personalized thank you notes to exceptional staff members, giving timely feedback on exceptional work, giving gifts as well as organizing random luncheons and night outs for the celebration of good work.Lack of career growth and development can also be one of the factors that demotivate the employees of Kaluyu Memorial Hospital. From observations and assessments conducted, it has been noticed that the hospital has been offering very few regular career training and development programs aimed at motivating the employees. Lack of these opportunities brings a sense of stagnancy in terms of skills and knowledge. The hospital management will get regular feedback on the best trai ning programs to be undertaken depending on the majority vote. From research and observations, it is very clear that the employees of Kaluyu can be motivated using the basis of the Maslowââ¬â¢s theory of motivation whereby people are pushed into action by certain motivation factors at different levels and times. Maslowââ¬â¢s model of motivation asserts that humans have 5 basic needs that are categorized into physiological needs, security needs, love needs, self-esteem needs and self actualization needs. (Maslow, 2013).
Sunday, January 26, 2020
E Health Is Combined Use Of Electronic Information Technology Essay
E Health Is Combined Use Of Electronic Information Technology Essay Health is a major concern for everyone in this world. The implementation of Information and Communication Technologies in the medical field has modified the present definition of health care. It suggested the solution that can benefit both patient as well as health care professionals. eHealth provides solutions in a wide spectrum and it includes various health care products, systems and services. It includes tools for health professionals as well as for patients and citizens. Various services or systems that are covered under eHealth are; health information networks, electronic health records, telemedicine services, Consumer health informatics, Healthcare Information Systems, Health knowledge management. Patients share their health information with their physician in order to improve their health treatment. Patients Information is stored in Electronic Health Record. It has been observed from a survey conducted in Sweden that 95% of all documentation in primary care is made in electronic healthcare records (1). Almost 55% of the Pharmaceutical prescriptions are issued digitally in Sweden and transmitted directly to the pharmacy store (1). The challenging issue which is associated with the eHealth system is the protection of Medical Records. Since the data is transmitted over the network from one place to another so it is suffering from the major security concern. An electronic medical record (EMR) stores personal data which includes medical test results, prescription, hospitalizations, etc. Privacy in the ehealth system can be classified into two categories; Content oriented privacy and contextual privacy (2). So eHealth system can be termed as a secure system if it can deal with both these aspects of privacy. Content oriented privacy indicates the capability or authority of the health care stakeholders in disclosing the patients personal information to other parties (marketing, insurance) whereas contextual privacy indicates the ability of a malicious entity to guess the disease of a patient correctly by identifying the field/domain of his physician. Background In earlier days physicians used to use paper charts for recording the encounters with the patient. Details about medications, lab tests, X-rays etc the patient has taken, needs to be recorded in the chart for future reference. As the medical care became more and more complex, it became tedious for physicians to maintain a good patient record on these paper charts. They needed new technologies to help them to cope up with the increasing needs. With the advancement in the information and communication technologies, the idea of storing the patient records electronically came in around 1960s, when Dr. Lawrence Weed introduced the concept of Electronic Health Record. Weeds innovation allowed a third party to verify the diagnosis to avoid any errors. In 1972, Regenstreif Institute developed first medical record system which combined both inpatient and outpatient data recording (3). Electronic Health Records (EHR) Systems stores the entire health and medical history of a patient in a computerized, electronic format. The record includes the details about patient demographics, progress notes, medications, past medical history, vital signs, laboratory data, immunizations and radiology reports. Keeping these vast records in this organized manner, makes it more efficient to retrieve and maintain, when compared to the paper charts (4). As the medical care and the information technology became more and more complex, it became necessary to share the patient records among the various medical departments like clinical, nursing, laboratory, radiology, hospital administration etc in order to maintain a proper medical record about the patient. When the health records including sensitive data about the patient were shared electronically among the different departments, privacy and security problems became a major challenge to the EHR systems. The recent studies on security and privacy concerns in EHR systems shows that, there is increasing number of threats resulting from the distributed and decentralized implementations of EHR Systems, and also the use of communication over open and insecure internet. Unauthorized accesses, Denial of service are to name a few. Lack of standardization among these systems made it very difficult for the system administrators to implement a secure system (5). Research Problem The main problem associated with an eHealth system is the privacy, security and confidentiality of Electronic Health data (EHD). EHD stores private and sensitive data of the patient and data of EHD is used by physicians, nursing, laboratory, and pharmacy. The publication of personal sensitive data can seriously compromise the patient privacy. Due to this reason many individual does not go for eHealth treatment since they are afraid of the loss of their Health record including information about their illness or disability. In a survey conducted in Canada, it has been found out that 11-13% of Canadians have held back information from a health provider because they were afraid of the privacy of their data (6). In a survey conducted in America, 77% of the population is concerned about their medical information being used for marketing purposes (7). We are trying to figure out the peoples concern about the privacy of their health care record at Stockholm. We will examine the opinion of pu blic regarding the privacy of their health information and accessing eHealth service. Question The research questions drawn from the above problem set are: To what extent, privacy of health care records affects the individuals decision of accessing eHealth service? Are there certain groups of people for whom the privacy is a major issue while accessing the eHealth service? Goal The purpose of conducting this research is to examine the present scenario of the Health care system in Sweden. Research result will be helpful for patient, health care professionals and health care organizations. How the present scenario related to the privacy and the confidentiality of the Health care data is affecting the decision of accessing the eHealth Service. This survey will help to reveal the importance of Security in this field. Method In this section, we presented the description of the research methodology conducted in this paper, followed by the limitations of the research carried out and the reasons of such limitation. Method Description We are going to select inductive reasoning method for our research work. We will draw generalized conclusions from a finite collection of specific observations. Literature Review previous studies: we will study different literatures in the form of research reports and surveys which is conducted on EHR privacy in different parts of the world and then we will identify the present challenges related to patient privacy in Electronic health. Survey: we will formulate a questionnaire based on the identified privacy challenges and conduct a survey among the public to collect data. The questionnaire will be around 10-15 questions which will mainly focus on the awareness of e-health privacy among patients. The sample size for our survey will be around 100-150. Also we are planning to use the facts and figures available in the Internet as a secondary data source for our research. Suggested below are some of samples Do you think that your doctor should be able to access all your medical record in order to provide the best care? Are you willing to share your personal medical information to help government officials to research on disease outbreaks? Do you think that you should be able to access all of your medical records to verify the correctness of the medical record? How concerned are you about your medical records being used by marketing agencies? Formulating the Guidelines: Analyze the data collected, to derive a statistics on the research questions. We will be using IBMs SPSS tool to analyze the data collected and derive the statistics based on it. This statistics will help to find out how much the people are concerned about the privacy in EHR systems. Revising the guidelines: Based on the statistics, draw a conclusion and suggest ways to improve the privacy of patients sensitive data in e-Health. Report writing: The report will be constructed detailing the privacy challenges in EHR system and will point out the feasible suggestions. Limitations Because of the time constraint, the population that we are targeting for this survey includes only undergraduates, graduates, post graduates and post doctoral students (age group 18-35) in KTH (both Main Campus and Kista Campus). We are conducting this survey on limited range of age group, so the result will not include the opinion of elder citizens.
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Kohler Company Essay
Kohler is one of the largest and oldest privately held companies in America. It started by manufacturing plumbing fixtures, famously inventing the first modern bathtub, and soon after began manufacturing small engines and generators. Today the company is also in the furniture and luxury resort business. Most of the companyââ¬â¢s shares are held by members of the Kohler family, however 4% of the outstanding stock is owned by outsiders. Herbert Kohler Jr. , the CEO and Chairman of Kohler, would like to do what he can to keep Kohler stock within the Kohler family and its interests. This led to the 1998 recapitalization. In this restructuring of equity, family members and permitted transferees (Kohler Trusts, Kohler Foundations, ect. ) were given the option to exchange their stock for several different classes of stock, such as common stock, non voting stock, Series A and Series B. The shareholders not classified as a permitted transferee would either have to sell their shares for what an independent firm determines fair market value, or dissent and allow fair market value to be determined by a legal proceeding. The fair market price offered by Kohler in 1998 was $55,400. Kohlerââ¬â¢s stock recently fetched between $100,000 to $135,000 and the two largest outside shareholders recently bought a combined 93 shares right around $100,000. So Gen, a mutual fund and largest outside shareholder, believed market value per share could be $400,000. Because of this discrepancy in price; outside shareholders decided to file suit against Kohler claiming the price of $55,400 undervalued the stock and was not fair market value. It is now April 2000 and Herbert Kohler Jr. must decide whether to settle with the plaintiffs or go to trail in 2 days. It was very possible that the court would determine fair market value to be much higher than price offered. Herbert also must consider that the IRS will use a court determined share price to determine the tax liability of Herbertââ¬â¢s deceased brotherââ¬â¢s estate. The share price will also affect the way the Kohler Foundation could operate, since by law it must annually pledge %5 of its assets, which is mostly Kohler stock. Analysis: Much of the share price was driven by the speculation that Kohler might soon go public. Herbert thought this was the primary reason the shares were extremely overvalued. However, the assumption of a future IPO was inaccurate. One of the core values and strengths of Kohler is the private classification of equity. Kohler considers it a competitive advantage to not have to disclose its financial position to the public. Not only does it give away proprietary information to competitors, but public reporting also affects the way a company can make decisions. Kohler feels that many of the business decisions that made Kohler a success, such as investing in cast iron production at a time when the industry was moving away from it, would not have been possible if they were accountable to pubic shareholders. Without the possibility of an IPO a lower share price than what share prices recently traded for was could be justified. However, Herbert must also consider the effects of having the valuation be determined in court. The first drawback to this is how costly legal proceedings are. On top of lawyer fees and court costs, it could be very expensive to reconcile and audit all financial documents as well as pay for expert opinions concerning the valuation. Since there is no standard or correct metric to value a company, there is increased risk as to how the court will value the company. If Kohler decides to continue with the trial they are leaving themselves, the Kohler Foundation, and the Kohler estate open to a lot of uncontrollable risk. Recommendation: I recommend Kohler offer to settle with the plaintiffs at $140,000. Kohler should settle outside of court to mitigate the risk and cost associated with the trial. While the price is not ideal, settling outside of court allows Kohler to control the price at a manageable level. This will be the best way to hedge against risk and lookout for the interests of Kohler, the Family, and its charities. In order to settle Kohler must offer a price of $140,000 to give the mutual funds the return on investment they desire. Since the purpose of mutual fund is to create value for their investors, they are probably more than willing to take the matter to court if they feel they are not receiving a fair return. The per share price of $140,000 will give the mutual funds roughly a 20% return on investment which should be enough for them to consider the offer favorable.
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