Rayong factory of the Simple Shoes Company Essay

Rayong factory of the Simple Shoes Company - Essay Example A Distinguish between basic, ideal and attainable standards and explain how these may be used in the Rayong factory of the Simple Shoes Company. Standard cost is the pre-determined operating cost calculated from Management’s standards of efficient operation and the relevant necessary expenditure. It is used as a basis for price fixation and cost control through variance analysis.Basically, standard cost reflects;oQuantities of material and labor expected to be used;oPrices expected to be paid for materials and labor during the coming year, and,oFactory expenses applicable to production based on efficient performance and practical capacity operation of the factory.Standard costs are used in the following applications:o Planning & Control: Standards provide a benchmark, which serves two purposes – guiding and directing the activities of the firm (planning) and analyzing whether the actual activities are in proper direction (control).oPricing Decisions: Standard cost facil itates decisions as also in decisions involving submission of quotations, replying to tenders etc. Since cost is pre-determined based on acceptable standards efficiency, decision making process is simplified.oVariance Analysis: Identification and measurement of variances from standards is possible with the use of standard costs, with a view to improve performance or to revise standards, whichever is applicable. Management by Exception: By analyzing the variances, the decision maker can focus on significant deviations from standards and take corrective actions. Managers can concentrate on critical areas of activity where variances are reported. Thus, standard costs facilitate control by exception (Accounting Tools 2008). Characteristics of basic standards (AccountingCoach 2008) Particulars Characteristics Period These standards reflect the costs that would have been incurred in a certain past period (i.e. the base period). Change These standards are used for items or costs which are likely to remain constant over a long period. Short run vs. Long run Basic standards are set on a long term basis and are seldom revised. Effect These costs relate to a base year, which is chosen for comparison purposes, like price indices etc. Basic standards do not represent what should be attained in the present period. Suitability Suited only to businesses having a small range of products and long production runs. Comparison of ideal standards and attainable standards (Accountingformanagemt.com 2009) Particulars Ideal Standards Attainable Standards Conditions These represent the level of performance attainable with the ‘best’ or ‘ideal set-up’, i.e. best quality materials at favorable prices, highly skilled labor, best equipments and layout. These represent the level of performance attainable under normal operating conditions, i.e. normal efficiency, normal sales/production volume etc. Efficiency These standards focus on maximum efficiency in utilization of resources, i.e. maximum output with minimum cost These standards focus on the practical attainable efficiency, after considering normal imperfections, i.e. optimization (not minimization) of cost per unit. Attainment These are generally not attainable; hence such standards may not be taken seriously. These are attainable with reasonable effort and hence constitute a good benchmark for control. Disposition o f variances Variances from the ideals would not indicate the extent to which they could have been reasonably and practically avoided. There is no logical method of disposing these variances. Here, variances are deviations from normal expectations. Hence they are disposed on the basis of the policy of the company in this regard. How these may be used in the Rayong factory of the Simple Shoes Company As is obvious from what has been discussed above a basic standard is more of a historical piece of information without much practical relevance for a new set up. Thus, it is advisable that no effort should be spent on setting up basic standards. Instead it would be much more effective if the

Bilingual Education for Americans Research Paper

Bilingual Education for Americans - Research Paper Example In the United States, Bilingual education focuses on the learners of English. The United States Department of Education notes that a bilingual educational program is an education program for limited English proficient students (ed.gov/). It is this definition that has remained in the federal government but there are several areas where it has fallen out of favor. This is because such a definition more or less shows that the student needs or requires support in the English language for him or her to succeed academically. In almost all, if not in all the states, there is a general feeling by the groups pushing for bilingual education system that it does not help to have this idea and they also do not find a justification for such a definition. History has it that the earliest instance of bilingual education in the United States occurred with the immigrants from Poland who first permanently settled in an English speaking area of Virginia. At this time it was only the rights of the Engli sh people that were recognized. It was as a result of the need that the English had for the skills of the Poles that got similar rights to the Englishmen and managed to establish a bilingual school (Seidner, p.72). In this school, the subjects were taught in both Polish and English, and this continued in other places in one form or system or another. It expanded to Native Americas, the Dutch, the Czech, the Germans, French, Spanish and Norwegians in the century that followed. Several states developed laws to address this issue depending on the demands of the foreigners. There are groups that believe that a bilingual education should be necessary, even if temporarily so as not to discriminate against foreign-born students, or bring them up to speed. On the other hand, there those who claim that English should be the national language, and until every student is proficient in English, the fact that they have the ability to speak another language hinders their development in the Englis h language and slows down the overall process of learning in America. Although most initiatives against bilingual education have always had a majority lead when it comes to this issue, I hold the opinion that the world has become a global village. As such, I believe that a bilingual education should be mandatory for Americans, starting in Elementary school, through secondary school and even in the collegiate levels as the need may require. This position is highly based on the fact the number of immigrants whose children are at the age of attending school but speak very little or no English, are denied the benefits of being able to attend school at the appropriate age. In most cases there is usually a sort of remedial classes that they have to attend where they are taught only English before they get the opportunity to become part and parcel of the main school curriculum. In a system of Bilingual education, the necessity of such classes would not be fundamental and the children will be able to learn without any regard of the language that they speak at home or with which they grew up. This is because the curriculum would include their language too. The Advantages of Having a Bilingual Education System They hold the opinion that it does not help to keep non-English speaking children out school for them to master the English langu