Latin american history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Latin american history - Essay Example analysis of the political and economic history of Columbia, Cuba, and Mexico, this essay demonstrates that the flawed economic policies of the countries are predominantly at fault. In Latin America, the 1980’s are referred to as ‘Decada de aprendizaje doloroso’ , or the decade of painful experiences. Nowhere were these experiences more evident than in Columbia. According to David Robinson, â€Å"economic problems†¦had a significant impact on the political systems in the region. Elected governments still tend to support their own interests or those of elite groups (Robinson).† The government had increasing levels of foreign debt, which forced them to devalue the currency repeatedly. People from rural areas became poorer. Even the resource-rich Columbia faced internal problems of guerrillas and the drug cartels. According to a May 8, 1990 Time magazine article, kidnapping and murder of political aspirants became a routine affair carried out by the drug cartels, in order to influence the outcome of the elections. According to the magazine, 503 people were murdered and 18 kidnapped in a single week in May. From the United States per spective, Columbia is of national importance because of its geographic location and natural resources Although Columbia is an ally of the United States, 90% of the illegal cocaine in the United States comes from Columbia, which has still not become a safe place. Fighting continues between the armed groups maintained by the drug cartels and the government forces. A United Nations report indicates that â€Å"2 million people have been displaced because of armed conflict in Columbia† this year. Most of the internally displaced persons were Afro-Columbians, who fled because they were frightened of the fighting between the Columbian army and the armed groups operating near the Atrato river in north-western Columbia. Although a determined effort by the government to overcome the drug cartels has resulted in a semblance of order in

Report project for PepsiCo, INC Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Report project for PepsiCo, INC - Research Paper Example The company charged a depreciation expense of $ 1,500 million for the year ended December 26, 2009 on its property, plant and equipment while the depreciation charge for the year ended 2009 and 2007 was $ 1,422 million and $ 1,304 million respectively. These amounts do not include the amortization expense which is charged separately. The current ratio of the company gives an overview of the liquidity conditions of the company and is calculated as a proportion of the current assets of the company over the current liabilities of the company and is represented as a ratio. This ratio of the company expresses the sales that the company has generated through the use of the assets of the company and is computed by division of the revenue of the company with the total assets. This shows the efficiency of the company with respect to its assets. This ratio determines the proportions of the company debts over the availability of its equity in order to assess the company’s going concern and the performance of the company in the long-term with its reliance on debt as compared to equity. The company has a favorable working capital and liquidity ratio as the company has enough working capital as a surplus over its current liabilities to expand its business as well as a current ratio of 1.44 represents that the company is well off when it comes to meeting its short-term obligations as well as other needs. The authorized share capital of the company as at December 26, 2009 is 3,600 million shares while the company has issued 1,782 million shares to public and other stakeholders of the company as at December 26, 2009. The dividend payout ratio of the company for the year was 46.58% as company declared a dividend of $1.775 per common share compared to an EPS of $3.81 for the year 2009. This indicates that the company has distributed almost half of its profits to the common shareholders. The net cash utilized by the company for its