Purpose of Criminal Laws Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Purpose of Criminal Laws - Essay Example For example, a child that fails to clean their room would receive â€Å"punishment† in the form of extra chores or loss of other things they normally enjoy. For criminal law, it is no different, except that the consequences of their actions involve a loss of privilege on a greater scale, such as by imprisonment or fines (Banks, 2009). Again, if there were no punishments, there would be no reason not to commit crimes; therefore, some type of consequences must be handed out. Criminal laws seek to set consequences for and punish those that have carried out a crime by means of deterrence, as well as incapacitation, incarceration, restitution, and retribution. People are â€Å"deterred† from actions when they refrain from carrying them out because they fear or do not want the consequences that come with the action (Banks, 2009). Criminal laws aids in this because they not only define what the laws are that cannot be broken but also set out the punishment that each law brings with it. In a state with a death penalty, for example, if someone does not wish to be punished by death, they will not commit a crime that leads them down that path. Thus, the criminal laws have done their job both in setting out the action and the punishment for it, because it has kept people from committing crimes due to the consequences imposed. Though some question the validity of deterrence and call for stiffer penalties in certain laws (Banks, 2009), the fact remains that deterrence is a reason that criminal laws exist. Another reason that criminal laws exist is retribution. Simply put, retribution means that whoever has gone against the laws of society deserves to be punished, and it will bring a measure of peace, if not pleasure, to those that were wronged to see punishment happen. Systems of retribution for crime have long existed, with the best known being the Biblical proverb of â€Å"an eye for an eye† (Banks, 2009). While retribution is known to be confused with revenge, it has been pointed out in law and in argument that the difference between the two is very defined: retribution involves limits set according to the seriousness of the wrongs done to society, whereas there is no limit to revenge (Banks, 2009). Take again the case of the criminal who chooses to murder and take a life in a state that has the death penalty. If convicted, they will pay with their own life through execution. One cannot argue that this is, in fact, an example of â€Å"an eye for an eye† logic in punishing someone who has done wrong. Criminal laws also exist to provide incapacitation and incarceration measures for those that choose to go against the laws of society. Incapacitation is a theory of â€Å"incarceration†, arguing that some criminals need to be separated from society not only for what they might have done but also to protect those who have not done wrong from this individual. It is seen as a good punishment for those that commit crimes be cause while they are incapacitated, or incarcerated

An external consultant to a company and you need to prepare a report Essay

An external consultant to a company and you need to prepare a report on their performance based on the information they provided - Essay Example However these figures do not show how efficiently the company is earning these profits. How much risk each company is taking to earn these returns is not known. The future prospects of the company with respect to its performance can also not be predicted by just looking at absolute numbers. It is important to analyze each figure in relation to the others to be able to conclude about a company’s performance. Hence, though company A is earning more than B, we need to look at the sales figures on which these profits are earned. Hence, if company B is earning this on a sale of $10,000 million while company A is earning it on sale of $20,000, company A is actually earning only 2.5% on its total sales while B is earning 3.5%. Hence, B is actually earning better. Similarly, if company B has very high debt with respect to its equity, then this company is highly leveraged and much riskier than A, though the absolute debt figures of company A might look bigger than B. Thus, ratio analys is which helps to establish relationship of one financial figure with the other helps in analyzing different companies in better light. Another advantage of ratio analysis is that it helps in comparing completely different balance sheets. For example, company A might publish its results in British pounds while B might do the same in Dollars. Ratios help in directly comparing the two companies irrespective of the currency they use in their financial statements. Ratio analysis also helps in analyzing a company’s performance by looking at its various business aspects i.e. profitability, liquidity, leverage, operational efficiency (turnover ratios) as well as market valuations. Various aspects of analysis We will conduct a time series analysis (for the various ratios) for Wm Morrison Supermarkets for a period from 2008 to 2010. We will also compare it with Tesco which operates in the same industrial sector. Other than the ratio analysis we will also compare some other aspects of their business like their market penetration, and their product line etc. Choosing the right ratios The various ratios we will be using will be based on following categories Profitability ratios – (Gross Profit, Net profit and Operating ratios) These ratios help in analyzing the efficiency with which the company has used its resources to generate profits. Gross profit sees the amount of profit earned after taking out the cost of sales which includes administrative and sales expenses. Net profit looks at overall earnings after taking into account all expenses including interest and tax expenses. Operating ratio takes into account operating expenses viz-a-viz sales. Liquidity ratios – (Current ratio, Quick ratio) These ratios show how easily a company can liquidate its short term assets to honor its short term liabilities especially the suppliers and financers. Turnover/activity ratios – (Fixed assets, Current assets and inventory turnover ratios and day’s receivable holding) These ratios help in analyzing how efficiently a company converts its assets into revenues. They also tell how effectively the company has used is resources to generate sales (revenues) (Loth 2011). Leverage – (Debt-Equity) These ratios tell about the amount of risk a company has taken and eventually its share holders are facing. Valuation ratios - ROI (Return on Investment) These ratios hel