Why Animal Experimentation Should be Banned Essay

Why Animal Experimentation Should be Banned - Essay Example This essay stresses that animal experimentation is an integral part of medical science. However, it seems to be that this is in part due to it being a scientific institution rather than something which is of great benefit. Medical research has relied on animals and animal models for such a long time that some scientists, perhaps, are unable to see the benefits of alternative means of experimentation. Animal models have been used for decades, and they are familiar, and even if they are not specifically accurate when it comes to modeling human disease, they are at least predictable and well-characterized. may be that many of the new techniques that have the potential to replace animal experimentation are simply not-well known enough to be considered acceptable replacements for animal models that are considered more reliable. This paper makes a conclusion that it is truly impossible to see how using animals in medical experiments can be considered ethical. When the results are so often misleading, sometimes to the point where harm is caused to humans, how can we possibly justify the suffering and slaughter of millions of animals worldwide every year? The simple answer is that we can’t. Animal testing is not effective or reliable enough, it is morally and ethically wrong, and there are increasing numbers of safe, accurate, and reliable alternatives to this practice. Animal experimentation must and should stop.

Make Better Decision Essay Example for Free

Make Better Decision Essay That the current era of economic uncertainty may have been ushered in through a series of poor government and corporate decisions is implied through the rear view mirror. Could some of the events that shaped todays crises have been avoided through better decision making processes? Thomas Davenport (2009, p. 117) presents examples of â€Å"decision making disorder† evident in both the public and private sectors and offers a framework to guide managers in making better decisions in the future. His premise lies in the ineffectiveness of the individual decision-making process resulting in dire consequences for the organization. Davenport provides a framework to guide managers in adopting a more analytical and systematic approach, resulting in greater effectiveness. He posits that the use of data, especially analytics embedded in automated systems can be powerful tools when balanced with informed human judgment. Davenport presents no new information entailing the decision making process. He does, however, raise the question of why the majority of organizations continue to rely on intuition and ignore proven tools and methods without regard for the evidence pointing to their effectiveness. The author warns that without proper prioritization and systematic review of the decision making process, success remains a gamble. Article Highlights According to Davenport (2009), allowing individual managers to make decisions without a systematic analysis has severe consequences that result in languishing profit margins. In spite of the resources available, most organizations fail to implement the recommendations that would help managers employ better decision making processes. The author notes that while these processes do not guarantee better outcomes, they certainly increase the potential (p. 118). Davenport (2009) outlines a four-step process to improve managerial decisions, the components of which are identification, inventory, intervention and institutionalization. He suggests mangers begin by prioritizing the top decisions required to achieve a goal. He states: â€Å"without some prioritization all decisions are treated as equal, which probably means that the important ones won’t be analyzed with sufficient care† (p. 118). He goes on to stress the importance of identifying key decisions in in order to examine all variables through an inventory process to determine effectiveness and lay the groundwork for organizational communication. Subsequent to identification and taking inventory, considering all parameters of the decision, the appropriate intervention should rise to the surface. The final step is the institutionalization of the decision making process, for which Davenport (2009, p. 119) recommends hiring â€Å"decision experts† in guiding managers through the process. Davenport (2009, p. 119-122) cites two examples of organizations who improved the decision making process: Educational Testing Service (ETS) and The Stanley Works. Meeting with great success, ETS has expanded the new processes to evaluate and prioritize all product changes as well as apply the methodology to handle new prospects. A center of excellence was developed at The Stanley Works that created an analytical tool for sales data and new potential sales opportunities. According to the author, due to automated decision processes created by the center of excellence, the company realized a 6% growth in gross margin. Although highly in favor of analytical tools, Davenport (2009) warns of reliance solely on automation, and cautions managers to use their expert human insight to monitor how well analytical tools are working. The decision making process should always be a human endeavor with analytics only a part of the overall toolbox. Significance of the article Davenport (2009) raises a universal concern encompassing the impact of poorly thought out organizational as well as individual decisions. The decisions of today are the realities of tomorrow, and in spite of the myriad of excellent resources available, â€Å"few organizations have reengineered their decisions† (p. 117). The author presents an excellent argument for the necessity of a systematic decision making process as well as the use of analytical tools to provide reliable information in order to make sound decisions. Corporate CEO’s exist that agree with the concepts and actively ngage in systematic decision-making processes. Donna Thompson, CEO of Access Community Health Network in the Chicago area is one example. She shares her ritual of going through the same decision-making process before taking any action, and offers â€Å"good decision making isn’t as much about having all the right answers as is using a process to ask all the right questions† (Reed-Woodard, M. A. 2006p. 164). Gully, Stainer and Stainer (2006), in their study on moral decisions within organizations, have also found a systematic process to yield the best decisions. The authors describe an organized â€Å"balance sheet† designed to prevent disordered thinking as a model of cooperative business behavior. Their findings include the need for systematic decision-making and state â€Å"the moral decision making maze needs ordered steps of asking questions and providing answers that can readily be applied to solving problems and dilemmas in business† (p. 194). Davenport’s (2009) article continues with accolades for analytical tools within automated systems as long as managers thoroughly understand the models. Jim Ciampaglio CEO of NeoSpire exuberantly claims the success of an analytical sales tool used to manage leads and store sales information and states this tool â€Å"helped us change who we are as a sales organization† (McKay, L. 2010). Executive decisions lay the foundation for business strategy: poorly thought out decisions lead to less than optimal results and systematic decision making takes the emotionality out and puts the issue in an objective framework, leading to better outcomes. Organizations integrating this type of framework reduce the risk of moving ahead with a faulty plan. Davenport (2009) states while managers are buying and most likely reading resource material providing the basis for better decision making, few actually adopt the recommendations (p. 118). Conjecture rather than interviews with key decision makers is offered to support this particular viewpoint with the implication that this may be due to the failure to connect bad outcomes to faulty decision making Conclusion Davenport (2009) does an excellent job of tying the process of decision-making to an organization’s ultimate failure or success. His thought provoking discussion as to what exactly transpires during the individual decision making process and why organizations need to gain some control over this process makes intuitive sense. The success of the author’s suggested framework for making decisions is well supported by the organizations cited in his work, with confirmations easily found in other studies such as Gully et al (2006). Further research is recommended examining the decision making processes generally employed by organizations before conclusions that support Davenport’s (2009) negative assumptions can be drawn. The author does not support his claim that only a few companies employ a systematic process and is biased in his perception of the† poor calls made in both the public and private sectors† in recent years. Overall, Making Better Decisions provides food for thought and raises the question that if Davenport’s (2009) assumptions are in fact correct, why is it that corporations continue to allow managers to use more intuition than systematic processes to arrive at decisions that impact the organization’s bottom line?

Ethics In Business: The Bernard Madoff Investment Scandal

Ethics In Business: The Bernard Madoff Investment Scandal The organizational leadership of Bernard Madoff Investments Securities LLC was held by Bernard Madoff himself. Madoffs charismatic leadership style included seducing friends, those in secluded groups, and even his own employees. He seduced his clients by making them to believe they were investing in something special. He would often turn people away, which helped Bernard in courting people and charities with more assets to offer. Bernard Madoff created a system which was promising high returns in short terms and was nothing else but the Ponzi scheme. The systems idea relied on funds from the new investors to pay misrepresented and extremely high returns to the existing investors. He was doing this for years; tempting billions of dollars from wealthy individuals, charities by getting them to invest in his hedge fund. And they did so because of the extremely high returns, which were promised by Madoffs firm. But if anyone would look deeply into the structure of his firm, it would defin itely show that something is wrong. This is because nobody can make such big money, especially if no one else could at the time. How could one person, Madoff, who held all his clients assets, priced, and managed them. It is clearly a conflict of interest. His company was showing profits year after year, despite most of the companies having looses. In fact, Bernard Madoffs case is absolutely amazing, both in its range and in its list of investors who got caught up in it. Bernard Madoff Case Summary Bernard Madoff opened his firm in 1960. His business began to grow when his father-in-law Saul Alpern, who was an accountant, came to the firm. Because there were a lot of competitive firms at that time, Madoff decided to use innovative computer information technology to spread its quotes, which later on became the NASDAQ. This technology provided his firm with a really good income and at this point his securities become the largest buying and selling market maker at the NASDAQ. Eventually, his scheme reached a staggering 50 billion dollars under his management. It came to an end after market conditions let to a considerable amount of redemptions when investors started to take their money back. After Bernard Madoff, former NASDAQ chairman, was arrested on December 11, 2008, he acknowledged that his performance was nothing but the Ponzi scheme. He pled guilty to the biggest investor fraud ever committed by anyone on March 12, 2009. On June 29, 2009 Bernard Madoff was put in jail, and will spending there long 150 years. Stakeholders Madoff was able to align himself with government, rich individuals, and businessmen. This empowered him to have an unlimited access to different groups of investors. Among Madoffs Ponzi scheme victims, it is easy to find wealthy individuals, charitable organizations, and its stakeholders, such as employees, communities, vendors, and government. Investors that took the biggest losses, which was billions, because of this scheme are marked in the Wall Street Journal; among them are Fairfield Greenwich Group, Tremont Capital Management, Banco Santander, Fortis, and others. Investors lost their money because of their lack of conscious and unwillingness to understand or realize that it is impossible to have such high returns in a legally managed investment operation. They also failed to understand that one day they could lose everything. They would rather believe in a fairy tales about high returns in short terms, without any consequences. 7 Steps 1. What are the facts of the case? Madoffs business had obvious facts that showed he was doing a scheme. First of all, because he was being a pioneer in electronic trading, he refused to provide his clients with the on-line access to their accounts and sent out statements by mail. Though, most hedge funds in that time were e-mailing statements to their investors, in order to provide its customers with convenience and the ability to analyze their account. It should have been an important signal to investors, but it was ignored. Secondly, Madoffs firm processed all of its trades and appeared as its own broker-dealer. This made impossible for the outside investors to verify their actual holdings. In fact, one of Madoffs unusual tactics was to get rid of his holdings by selling them at the end of the period. It helped him to avoid filing disclosures of his holdings with the SEC. As well, he was always refusing to talk to any outside audit for the reason of secrecy of his firm. This should raise questions and concerns amongst its investors, but again it did not. The fact that Madoffs fund only had five down months since 1996 could have shown investors that Madoffs business was at least suspicious and warned them to avoid investing in his hedge fund. It is, for sure, impossible in investment or any business to have only a couple down months in more than 10 years of a companys performance. Besides, there are some known factors that helped Madoff to commit his fraud for years, including the following: Madoff had a good reputation in the investment field over the years. Madoff knew how to create the aura of trust. Madoff constantly promised high and stable returns to his investors. 2. What are the ethical issues? In 1980s Bernard Madoff was providing payments to his brokers to perform the customers orders through his brokerage. Later this system received a name, a legal kickback, and because of this he became the biggest dealer in the U.S. stock market. When academics questioned the ethics of these payments, Madoff replied that those payments did not change the price that the customer received, and were a legal business transaction. The SEC investigated Madoffs fraudulent practices and they had concerns that his firm did not show its customers orders to other traders, but they could not find anything illegal in the period from 1999 till 2000. As well, Madoff was too secretive about his investment performance and kept all financial statements closely protected. He usually refused to meet directly with his investors. After some time, he decided to invent a new investment method that was promising constant returns to selected investors, rather than supplying all new investors with high returns. This new innovation was too complicated for outsiders to understand. That should, for sure, raise some questions in his investors, but they did not demand any information and explanation. Of course, there were some investors in the Madoff case that used caution and could see that something is not really clear in his business, and as well because they did not want to lose their money, they removed it. And it was their best decision in regards to this fraud. 3. What are the norms, principles, values related to the case? The culture of a company is heavily influenced by the actions of upper-level management. Their actions are seen by workers throughout the organization and help develop a cultural norm within the company. When lower level employees witness those above them acting unethically, they will think that those actions are acceptable and the norm. This can lead to all types of unethical actions like, fact concealing, budget twisting, and many other unethical actions that were prevalent in the Madoff case. Ethical boundaries arent always clearly defined. The ethical action is not always perfectly obvious, placing investors money into risky investment while trying to gain in the short term is illegal. However, if not done carefully, it could be viewed as unethical. Because of this, it is necessary to train employees in ethical decision making processes. Then they will be able to make the right decision when the ethical thing to do is not completely obvious. In addition, an ethical environment must be set by management, in order to promote good ethical decision making processes. Making the correct decision in an ethical dilemma requires good judgment. Having a good example to follow definitely helps. However, a persons values and beliefs are important in making an ethical decision. If a decision does not seem morally right, then it is most likely not an ethical business decision. Promoting strong values and internal judgment helps employees at all levels of a company behave ethically. 4. What are the alternative courses of action? a) It is very important to provide education to board members about financial and operational matters, as well as analyze and modify all procedures in governance policy and investment policy areas, and always to remember to avoid conflicts of interest in business practice. b) It is also important to provide investors with companys records, for the purpose of due diligence. Inform and explain to the investors about each companys performance, even though it is a time consuming process. This effort will demonstrate a companys commitment to its investors. 5. What is the best course of action? The best course of the action is definitely to be open and clear with investors and committed to the best practices in governance and operations. This will help the company to succeed in the competitive investment environment. 6. What are the consequences of each possible course of action? These actions will open new horizons to interest new investors and will lead the company to profit and success. 7. What is the decision? The shocking Madoff scandal and an unfavorable economy created challenging times for stakeholders. In order foster a competitive environment that will interest new investors, a company needs to legally make profits and always provide clients with all the information. Laws are the minimum code of conduct to which the company has to abide by. The company can always take further actions, beyond what the law requires, in order to ensure investors confidence. What recommendations would you make to your client about the existing 35% investment with Bernard Madoff? I would explain to the client that keeping 35% investment in one investing company can be very risky, especially if the company is Bernie Madoffs which is not regulated or publicly traded. I would further advise my clients the following: Sell off 30% investment with Bernard Madoff. Invest 20% in equity mutual funds. Invest 5% in equity exchange-traded funds. Invest 5% in individual stocks. What recommendation would you make regarding the $100,000 they currently have in cash? I would advise that the $100,000 in cash cleverly would be to invest in different areas, such as in hedge fund the $15,000, Treasuries $25,000, mutual fund $10,000, Madoffs fund $10,000, and the rest $40,000 to spend on buying fixed asset. How would your recommendation be affected if your client tells you that they would like to give the additional $100,000 to Madoff to invest? My recommendation would not change if my client tells me that they would be interested in investing additional money in Madoffs fund. This is because my recommendation is based on the fundamentals of investments. However, I would spend more time explaining to my client the excessive risk they are taking by putting a significant portion of their eggs in one basket. With the information you have at this point in the case, is there anything else that you should do? Definitely, I have to inform the client of a possible risk of investing in Madoffs fund. I will present one some arguments, such as: Bernard Madoff denied outsiders access to records. The company hedge fund was not registered until 2006. Madoffs fund rarely lost its value, even in times of economic downturn. Should you mention to your client that the $5 million in sales may draw the attention of the IRS, because of the relative size of that number compared to the rest of the return? Based on the AICPAs Statements on Standards for Tax Services (SSTS) and Treasury Department Circular 230, which provides authority to the Treasury allowing disbarment or suspension from practice before the IRS, it is not considered unethical to mention to my client that the $5.0 million investment sales can interest and raise questions of the IRS. Though, I should make the client aware that $5 million in sales will be a red flag for the IRS because of its relative size to the rest of the return. At the same time I would need to let the client know that any sales number must be supported by proper documentation that would unquestionably prove its validity. As a professional tax practitioner, I would refrain from making those kinds of comments without any valid evidence. It can even be misleading to the client to give this kind of unsubstantiated advice. Should you discuss with your client the possibility that their account is being churned? I would not discuss with my client the possibility of the account being churned because it is beyond the scope of regular tax preparation. Additionally, churning, if proven can lead to prosecution of the broker since it is considered a fraudulent practice. Churning has been labeled as a falsified practice in 1934. Churning is when stock-brokers execute a large volume of sales on their customers accounts. Since those brokers are earning a commission on each transaction, they get paid more if they execute more transactions. So, those fraudulent brokers would carry out excessive amounts of small transactions, in order to earn their commissions, which would slowly drain the customers account. After awhile, the investors account would be reduced because of the constant charges. Eventually, the customers account would be drained and they would not know how it occurred, or that they had been defrauded. In fact, if I would have suspicion that the clients account is being churned, I should disclose that to the client. Churning is illegal and unethical, and suspected churning should be addressed. I should share with the client that sometimes brokers and traders maliciously trade securities very actively in a brokerage account in order to increase brokerage commissions rather than customer profits. And in this particular case Madoff may be tempted to churn the clients account because Madoffs income is not transparent and could be directly related to the volume of trading of the clients account. Based on the information you have thus far in the case, what further information do you believe you need in order to prepare the tax return with regard to the Madoff investment? I would need following information: The investment sale prices in order to estimate and accurately report capital gain/losses, and include the result in the gain/loss report. The investment purchase prices in order to correctly calculate and report capital gains/losses, and include the result in the gain/loss report. The date of the investment purchase and sale is also important in order to determine if the capital gain is short-term or long-term. As well, I would need the following data to complete the return: Investment sales price. Investment purchase price. Description of the securities purchased and sold during the year. Gain/Loss from the options. Market value of the open options at year-end. For sure, in order to prepare tax return to the Madoffs investment I should obtain all necessary tax forms from Madoffs accounting firm, including a 1099B for sales, 1099DIV or 1099 INT. I cannot just rely on his accountants explanation on how to calculate dividend and interest. Moreover, since options trading is a very complex subject I must do additional research on how to report income on options trading, and be sure that all the necessary tax forms are provided by Madoffs firm. We now know the Madoff investments for some period of time have been fraudulent. Were there indicators that might have caused you to react differently with regard to your clients investment? There were the following indicators: There was no online access to accounts. There was no issuance of forms a) 1099B (for investment sales transactions), b) 1099 DIV, and c) 1099 INT. David G. Friehling, a sole CPA practitioner, audited the hedge fund. Madoff did not file any disclosures of his holdings to the SEC, because he was easily selling his holdings. The business cannot have only couple down months when operating for years, it is impossible. In other words, the Madoff case was filled with signs of fraud that could have led one to think that something was going on and changed the way the average investor feels about investing. Fraud comes in many forms, it can be as simple as taking money from a companys account, or it can become as complex as the Madoff case. In order to catch fraud in companies as complex as Mr. Madoffs, one must pay attention to more subtle signs that could point to fraud. The transparency of Mr. Madoffs company was minimal and should have alerted someone that something was wrong. Mr. Madoff repeatedly denied outsiders access to records, which should have been available. The companys hedge fund was not registered with the SEC until late in 2006, which should have been another sign that something was amiss. This shows that Mr. Madoff had something to hide, because he did not want the SEC evaluating his hedge funds. In addition, the companys auditor was Mr. Madoffs brother-in-law, which opens the door for fraudulent activity. Auditors are supposed to be independent and definitely not family members of the company that they are auditing. This situation becomes more alarming when you consider that Mr. Madoff was frequently opposed to outside audits of any type. A family member as an auditor and a strong resistance to all other audits should have been the first sign that something fraudulent was occurring. Funds managed by Mr. Madoffs company performed so well, that it could have been another clue to the fraud that was taking place. Forecasts were matching outcomes, in areas like earnings per share, to the point that it became unrealistic to be able to forecast that accurately. Earnings per share figures have so many variables that it is nearly impossible to predict them accurately time and time again. In 2008, one of Mr. Madoffs hedge funds, which invested in the SP 500, gained almost 6% in value, while the SP 500 itself was down over 35%. This was yet another clue that something in this company wasnt right. Mr. Madoffs funds rarely lost value, even in times of economic downturn. So, while most investors were losing money in the market, Madoffs funds continued to profit. With the advantage of hindsight, what additional due diligence could you have performed? In regards to Financial Planning: A quick search on Google could have shown that Madoffs practice starting 1990s was exposed to accusations that he was front-running his investors, and the idea of this practice was to buy or sell shares before filling investors orders. All of the articles and complaints about Madoff in the early 2000s would have been revealed as well. Independently investors have to check the stock prices and trades on a daily basis. Dig into the small accounting Firm that audited Madoffs Fund. To check any Web sites in order to gain more information about his practice, such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA. I would quickly come to the conclusion that my client should divest 100% of their investments in Madoffs fund. In regards to tax preparation: Dig further into the multi-page printout of listing of hundreds of transactions. Request for a formal 1099B (for investment sales transactions), 1099 DIV, and 1099 INT. Recalculate the gain/losses reported on the summary sheet. If you run across a similar situation in the future, do you feel any more comfortable about how to handle it? Yes. Would you report such situation to SES, IRS, or other regulatory body? Yes. Madoff stopped trading and has been fabricating investment return of his clients during middle 1990 till 2008. He and his accomplices have committed fraud. The crime was committed based on the value of greed and a get rich quickly scheme. From the investors position, greed is also what fueled billions of dollars to be invested in Madoffs Hedge Fund. Investors should have avoided the following: Invest into an unregulated hedge fund. Too little due diligence. Higher than average returns usually cannot always be realistic. Absence of the audit of financial statements. Now that we know how Madoff performed his Ponzi scheme, we will able to figure out and try to avoid scheme in future, and do not forget to: Broadly analyze the company performance. Watch closely for warning signs. Verify filing with the SEC. Check for the company reputation. 6 Pillars Applied: Responsibility: Though Madoff was performing the investment operations as a Ponzi scheme, but when his investors wanted to have their money back, they got it without any delays. Of course, this does not show his responsibility to all the investors, but a little percentage to those who were smart enough to withdraw their investment from his fund. Those investors definitely were aware that Madoffs firm does not conduct its business transactions according to law and ethics. In fact, Madoff has violated mostly all 6 pillars, such as trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. His only goal was to benefit himself and his family, while completely ignoring the well-being of others. Madoff cared little about those he harmed and only worked to better himself at the expense of others. Therefore, from an ethical perspective, Madoffs scam was a white color crime. White color crime creates victims by establishing trust and respectability. As in this case, victims of white-color crime trusting clients, who believed there were many checks and balances certified the Madoff investment operation as legitimate. Madoff appears to be the classic white-collar criminal. He was an educated and experienced individual in a position of power, trust, respectability, and responsibility, who abused his trust of personal gains. From the inception of his investment business, he knew he was operating a Ponzi scheme and defrauding his clients. As a result, he is serving jail time and will be paying restitution for the rest of his life. In the end, he knew this day would come.

education in society :: essays research papers fc

With so many problems surrounding public schooling, it is difficult to understand where public school is headed. In the article â€Å"Taking Sides,† William J. Bennett and Forrest J. Troy tackle the problem from two opposing views. Both sides present a compelling case, while at the same time helping readers to understand the difficulty of creating a program that functions the fullest potential. The article examines one major topic; â€Å"Have Public Schools Failed Society?† I hope to answer this question while taking a look at both sides of the coin. As the former secretary of education, William J. Bennet has a good understanding of what could possibly be right and wrong with public schooling. After placing â€Å"goals† schools the United States realized, years later, that they have fallen into a lull. In other words, Bennet believes that the United States has reached a point where the schooling system cannot improve based on the goals they put in place fifteen years ago. This makes perfect sense. Why would a nation as powerful as the United States place â€Å"limitations,† on what schools can and cannot do? Learning is constantly growing. With this being said, I believe that the direction that the United States public schools are heading is failure. Teachers and students understand this more than anyone. Each student is completely different, in their own right. To make a blanket statement for the every school and setting the same goals is ridiculous. There are many critics to this status quo idea. They believe that â€Å"young Americans are not learning enough for their own or their nation’s good, that international comparisons rank the U.S. academic performance from the middle to the bottom year after year, and that many employers say that they cannot find people who have the necessary skills, knowledge, attitudes, and habits to do the work.† (Noll 173) If education is supposed to aid in the development of an entire nation, then why do so many people disagree with the system the United States have in place at the moment? If the country continues on this path there will never be room for improvement. I think what Bennet is trying to say is that the world is ever changing, so in the same regard so should education. Chester E. Finn takes the criticism of education in another direction. Instead of focusing on the downfalls of the education system he believe that the problems stem from society. education in society :: essays research papers fc With so many problems surrounding public schooling, it is difficult to understand where public school is headed. In the article â€Å"Taking Sides,† William J. Bennett and Forrest J. Troy tackle the problem from two opposing views. Both sides present a compelling case, while at the same time helping readers to understand the difficulty of creating a program that functions the fullest potential. The article examines one major topic; â€Å"Have Public Schools Failed Society?† I hope to answer this question while taking a look at both sides of the coin. As the former secretary of education, William J. Bennet has a good understanding of what could possibly be right and wrong with public schooling. After placing â€Å"goals† schools the United States realized, years later, that they have fallen into a lull. In other words, Bennet believes that the United States has reached a point where the schooling system cannot improve based on the goals they put in place fifteen years ago. This makes perfect sense. Why would a nation as powerful as the United States place â€Å"limitations,† on what schools can and cannot do? Learning is constantly growing. With this being said, I believe that the direction that the United States public schools are heading is failure. Teachers and students understand this more than anyone. Each student is completely different, in their own right. To make a blanket statement for the every school and setting the same goals is ridiculous. There are many critics to this status quo idea. They believe that â€Å"young Americans are not learning enough for their own or their nation’s good, that international comparisons rank the U.S. academic performance from the middle to the bottom year after year, and that many employers say that they cannot find people who have the necessary skills, knowledge, attitudes, and habits to do the work.† (Noll 173) If education is supposed to aid in the development of an entire nation, then why do so many people disagree with the system the United States have in place at the moment? If the country continues on this path there will never be room for improvement. I think what Bennet is trying to say is that the world is ever changing, so in the same regard so should education. Chester E. Finn takes the criticism of education in another direction. Instead of focusing on the downfalls of the education system he believe that the problems stem from society.

Philosophy of My Life

Christian tradition has generally passed down that all but one were martyred, with John surviving into old age. Only the death of James, son of Zebedee is described in the New Testament, and the details of the other deaths are the subject of pious legends of varying authenticity. In some cases there is near unanimity in the tradition, and in other cases, there are widely varying and inconsistent accounts. Judas Iscariot, originally one of the Twelve, died during Jesus' trial. Matthew 27:5 says that he hanged himself, and Acts 1:18 says that he fell, burst open, and his â€Å"bowels gushed out. † Matthias was elected to take his place as one of the Twelve. According to Christian tradition: Original Twelve picked by Jesus: Peter, crucified upside-down in Rome c. AD 64. James, son of Zebedee was beheaded in AD 44, first of the Twelve to die (since the addition of Matthias) John, son of Zebedee, no biblical record of death, he is believed to have died of natural causes due to old age. Members of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that John was immortalized and he will live to see the Second Coming of Christ. [21][22] Andrew, Peter's brother, was crucified upon a diagonal or X-shaped cross. Philip was crucified in AD 54. Bartholomew (also known as Nathaniel) was flayed alive (skinned) and then beheaded; some sources locate his death at Derbend on the Caspian Sea. [23] Matthew killed by an axe in AD 60. Thomas was killed by a spear in Mylapore, Madras, India in AD 72. James, son of Alphaeus, stoned at age 90 then clubbed to death. Jude was clubbed to death then beheaded Simon the Zealot was sawn in half in AD 74. Judas Iscariot, according to Matthew, hanged himself after betraying Jesus. In Acts, he is described as falling in a field and bursting open. Apologists explain this apparent discrepancy by presuming that he decayed on the tree resulting in a bloating with gas and a weakening of the skin. Then when he was let down from the tree he burst open upon impact. A third account by Papias records Judas â€Å"walking the world†, his body having become swollen before being crushed by a chariot. † â€Å"[24] Replacement for Judas Iscariot picked by the surviving eleven: Matthias, Judas' replacement, was stoned and beheaded. Tombs of the apostles Out of the eleven apostles excluding Judas Iscariot, the burial sites of only seven have been identified by Christian tradition. The St. Peter's Basilica Vatican, Rome, Italy which was built on the burial site of Peter the Apostle. Basilica of St. Andrew at Patras, Achaea, Greece where the relics of Andrew the Apostle are kept, said to be erected over the place of his martyrdom. Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, Galicia, A Coruna, Spain which houses the tomb of St. James son of Zebedee. The tomb of John the Apostle at Ephesus, near Selcuk, Turkey. The Santhome Basilica, Mylapore, Chennai, India, which houses the tomb of Thomas the Apostle. St. Philip Martyrium, Hierapolis, near Denizli, Tur key. It is said that St. Philip is buried in the center of the building, but his grave has not been discovered. On Wednesday, 27 July 2011 the Turkish news agency Anadolu reported that archeologists had unearthed the Tomb of Saint Philip during excavations in the Turkish city of Hierapolis. The Italian professor Francesco D'Andria stated that scientists had discovered the tomb, within a newly revealed church. He stated that the design of the Tomb, and writings on its walls, definitively prove it belonged to the martyred Apostle of Jesus. St. Bartholomew Monastery near Baskale, Turkey. The Monastery was built on the traditional site of the martyrdom of Bartholomew the Apostle.

Free Essays on Thailand

Thailand History of Thailand: In 650 A.D. a group of Chinese people migrated to the northern part what is today Thailand. They began an independent kingdom called Nanchao. In 1000 A.D. the Chinese had defeated the Nanchao and turned it into a tributary state. In 1253 Kublai Khan lead the Mongols to destroy the state. Then Thailand had a mass migration and formed the Khmer Empire. The Nanchao now called the Thai regained control of Khmer and moved its capital to Sukhothai. In 1260-1350 King Rama Kamheng began the alphabet of the Thai. He took the Khmers of Cambodia’s alphabet. In 1350 the capital was then moved to Ayutthaya. In 1568 the Burmese captured Ayutthaya and controlled the country until 1583. In 1583 King Naresuan defeated and controlled the country. In 1767 the Burmese destroyed Ayutthaya. General Phya Tak rallied the Thai forces in 1777 and defeated the Burmese. He moved the capital to Thon Buri. After him Rama I founded the Chakkri dynasty. They later signed commercial treaties with Great Brita in and the United States. In 1932 they became a constitutional monarchy. In 1934 the first general elections were held. In 1938 Pibul Songgram he changed the countries name from Siam to Thailand. In 1942 the Japanese pressured the Thai to declare war on Britain and United States. In 1968 Sarit and Thanom helped the economy to boom. The Thais helped the U.S. in the Vietnam War. In 1970 Thailand suffered from a trade deficit, when the demand for rice fell. In 1992 Chuan Leekpai became the prime minister. In 1995 he helped lower voting age to 18, guaranteed equal rights for women, and reduced membership in the military dominated senate. In 1997 he helped approve a new constitution. In 1997 Thailand suffered a deep recession. In 2000 they recovered. They are still a booming economy in Asia. Geography of Thailand: Thailand covers 198,114 square miles of land. It is mainly split up into four sections. The northern section has many for... Free Essays on Thailand Free Essays on Thailand Thailand History of Thailand: In 650 A.D. a group of Chinese people migrated to the northern part what is today Thailand. They began an independent kingdom called Nanchao. In 1000 A.D. the Chinese had defeated the Nanchao and turned it into a tributary state. In 1253 Kublai Khan lead the Mongols to destroy the state. Then Thailand had a mass migration and formed the Khmer Empire. The Nanchao now called the Thai regained control of Khmer and moved its capital to Sukhothai. In 1260-1350 King Rama Kamheng began the alphabet of the Thai. He took the Khmers of Cambodia’s alphabet. In 1350 the capital was then moved to Ayutthaya. In 1568 the Burmese captured Ayutthaya and controlled the country until 1583. In 1583 King Naresuan defeated and controlled the country. In 1767 the Burmese destroyed Ayutthaya. General Phya Tak rallied the Thai forces in 1777 and defeated the Burmese. He moved the capital to Thon Buri. After him Rama I founded the Chakkri dynasty. They later signed commercial treaties with Great Brita in and the United States. In 1932 they became a constitutional monarchy. In 1934 the first general elections were held. In 1938 Pibul Songgram he changed the countries name from Siam to Thailand. In 1942 the Japanese pressured the Thai to declare war on Britain and United States. In 1968 Sarit and Thanom helped the economy to boom. The Thais helped the U.S. in the Vietnam War. In 1970 Thailand suffered from a trade deficit, when the demand for rice fell. In 1992 Chuan Leekpai became the prime minister. In 1995 he helped lower voting age to 18, guaranteed equal rights for women, and reduced membership in the military dominated senate. In 1997 he helped approve a new constitution. In 1997 Thailand suffered a deep recession. In 2000 they recovered. They are still a booming economy in Asia. Geography of Thailand: Thailand covers 198,114 square miles of land. It is mainly split up into four sections. The northern section has many for...

Literature Review Research Paper Example

Literature Review Research Paper Example Literature Review Paper Literature Review Paper You may wish to write on a broad topic such as en of the chapter or lecture topics, or you may refine this down to any aspect or particular issue within these topics. The only restriction is the topic must come from the unit content. How many references do you expect? A literature review is a scholarly review of a body of work. That means you need to use a comprehensive range of peer reviewed literature. When you undertake a data base search you can refine the results requesting scholarly articles only. If you are uncertain as to what this term means or where to find scholarly peer reviewed articles in your search, please talk with a librarian. Generally speaking one reference per 100-200 words would be appropriate so a 2000 word literature review would have between 10-20 references. In addition, your references should come from Journal articles rather than text books. One text is usually sufficient, and few if any internet sources. What referencing style do you expect? I do not mind whether you use PAP or Harvard as long as you are consistent. The following link provides an explanation and examples of these styles: https:// www. Citrate. Quit. Du. AU/What is a literature review? A literature review is a critical analysis of published sources, or literature, on a particular topic. It is an assessment of the literature and provides a summary, classification, comparison and evaluation. The literature review is generally in the format of a standard essay made up of three components: an introduction, a body and a conclusion. What is the purpose off literature review? N writing the literature review, the purpose is to convey to the reader what knowledge and ideas have previously been established on a topic and their strengths and weaknesses, even their particular issues in application. Many people suggest that a literature review is not done in the real world. YES it is! Just in a slightly different form. Any substantial or effective report on any topic requires the writer to put in some information (usually in a section near the beginning) about what other people have found, are doing, through a review of the offerings in the literature. Does a literature review follow any particular structure? The following structure addresses the key requirements of a literature review: Introduction (identifying your topic and the general structure of your review). Should not exceed 10% of word count. Identify key authors (seminal work in the area) Present an overview of your topic Identify main issues, findings and common themes or trends. Identify research/ authors that support a particular position Identify that research which offers different alternatives Present the current debates on these issues. What are the findings of current research? Did they support existing theory? Did they challenge existing theory? Did they contribute to a new paradigm? What are the strengths/limitations of the research? Make recommendations for future research OR acknowledge the implications for anthropometry human resource practice Brief conclusion Tips on structure A common error in literature reviews is for writers to present material from one author, followed by information from another, then another. The way in which you group authors and link ideas will help avoid this problem. To group authors who draw similar conclusions, you can use linking words such as: also additionally again similarly When authors disagree, linking words that indicate contrast will show how you have analyses their work. Words such as: however conversely on the other hand nonetheless indicate to your reader how you have analyses the material. At other times you may want to qualify an authors work (using such words as specifically, usually or generally) or use an example (thus, namely, to illustrate). In this way you ensure that you are synthesizing the material, not Just describing the work already carried out in your field. Tips on writing In a literature review you must paraphrase literature and reference the source. You should not use more than two direct quotes. You must not copy literature word for word- this is plagiarism. What is plagiarism? Plagiarism is the act of misrepresenting someone elses work as your own. It basically means that you: copy word for word without using quotation marks and citing the source summaries/paraphrase without referencing use/develop someone elses idea without referencing it use experimental results, research data, statistics and so on without referencing the source paraphrase too closely to the original (even if the source is cited) I have never written a literature review before. What should I do? Dont be intimidated by the concept of writing a literature review. This unit is a foundation unit. Writing a literature review is a key skill and activities are designed to develop your abilities in information retrieval; critical analysis; and evaluation; in units throughout the program. You may make an appointment for individual consultation with the language and learning advisor in the School. Language and Learning support in IQ-JET Business School for all students: Post Graduate Student Learning advisers IQ-JET Business School provides additional language and learning support for students whose first language is not English. This helps you to develop the language and academic skills you need to succeed in your studies at IQ-JET. The Language and Learning Advisor (LA) in the school of Management is Julie Massive (JAZZ). Please see the administration staff at the counter on the 9th floor of Z Block to arrange an appointment to meet the learning advisor. The Blackboard site provides resources and further information. You can also find links and resources to help you develop your academic English at the IQ-JET Business School Language and Learning Support Blackboard site which is now available to all students and staff through the community Blackboard. Other useful resources https://www. Dwelled. Library. Quit. Du. AU/ https://owl. English. Purdue. Du/owl/ What sort of language is used in a literature review? The following is an excerpt from a (500) word literature review and provides an example of the language used: Expectancy theory is one of many systematic explanations dealing with employee motivation. Developed by Victor Broom in 1964 and later expanded upon by Porter and Lawyer in 1968, expectancy theory is based on the premise that the amount of effort expended by employees on a task is dependent on the nature, amount or attractiveness of the reward s/he expects to chive in return (Dublin, Dahlias Miller, 2006). Expectancy theory stipulates that an individuals propensity to act in a certain way is determined by three key factors (Bartok, Teen, Matthews, ; Sahara, 2008). These are perceptions of expectancy, instrumentality and valence, each representing a distinct relationship (Broom, 1964). Motivational Force (MFC) can be calculated through the use of the formula MFC=E x I x V. Since the three factors are multiplied, a change in any one will have a significant effect on an individuals motivational state (Isaac, Zero Pit, 001). Put simply, the international chain can only be as strong as its weakest link. As a process theory of motivation, expectancy theory describes a decision making process based on subjective perceptions of external interactions (Fudge Clatters, 1999). Thus, extrinsic motivators are used to explain why workers engage in certain behaviors (Shaming, 1990). It is therefore assumed that individuals make conscious decisions to maximize self interests. Expectancy refers to the perceived relationship between the effort contributed to a task and the level of performance achieved as a result (Broom, 1964). However, it can be weakened by the effect of external factors (such as favoritism or bias) on performance levels (Robbins, Judge, Millet, Waters-Marsh, 2008). Similarly, instrumentality depicts the relationship between a specified level of performance and a reward or outcome (Friedman, Cox Maier, 2008). A perceived lack of correlation between these factors will result in low motivation (Robins et al. , 2008). Valence is the personal value or attractiveness of a reward, established through reference to an individuals goals (Lawyer ; Settle, 1973).

How To Choose Building Plans - 10 Steps to Your Dream Home

How To Choose Building Plans - 10 Steps to Your Dream Home Whether you are building a new house or remodeling an older home, youll need plans to guide you through the project. Here are some tips to help you choose the best building plans for your needs. How to Choose the Right Building Plan Create a Spreadsheet of Needs. Talk with your family. Discuss what each of you wants. What are your needs now and what will your familys needs be in the future? Should you plan for future aging in place? Write it down.Observe. Look at how you live and where you spend most of your time in your house or apartment. Why spend the time and money to build or remodel? If its just because you like change, maybe no building plan will satisfy.Reflect on homes you have visited. What features did you especially enjoy? Look at the way other people live. Is that lifestyle really what you want?Consider the features of your land. Where is the sunlight best? Which direction offers the greatest views and the cooling breezes? Could remodeling capture a piece of nature overlooked by builders of another time?Select exterior finishing details with care. Know if youll be building in an historic district, which may restrict exterior modifications.Browse through building plan catalogs for ideas. You dont hav e to buy stock plans, but these books can help you visualize possibilities. Public libraries may have these popular books on their shelves. Use the webs search function offered by online directories of building plans. Houses from sites like Houseplans.com have often been designed as custom homes before being offered as stock plans. Some plans are specs (speculative) and many are often more interesting than plain vanilla catalog plans.Select a floor plan that most closely matches your ideal. Do you need adaptability? Perhaps you should consider a house without walls. Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban designed Naked House (2000) with movable interior modules - a unique solution that you wont find in a house plan catalog.Estimate your building costs. Your budget will determine many choices you make in the design of your home.Consider hiring an architect to personalize your building plan, or to create a custom design. What Comes First, the House or the Site? Architect William J. Hirsch, Jr. writes, Its a good idea to have a basic concept of what kind of house you want before selecting a site because the type of house will dictate to some extent the nature of the site that makes the most sense for you. Likewise, if you have your heart set on the land first, the house design should fit the site. It might take four months to build a house, but the planning could take years. Additional Tips Choose your floor plan first and your exterior faà §ade second. Most plans can be finished in nearly any architectural style.Its usually best to purchase your land before you select your building plan. The land establishes the amount of area and the type of terrain you have to build on. To build an energy-efficient structure, try to follow the sun as it crosses your lot. Pre-purchasing the land also helps you budget the rest of your project.Be sure to budget for landscaping and finishing touches.Listen actively. Reflect back what you hear when you talk with family members. You might be surprised to find out that your children or in-laws plan to live with you. Do You Have the Confidence? Jack Nicklaus (b. 1940) has been called the greatest professional golfer of all time. So, what does he know about design? Plenty. Nicklaus is said to have had an interesting strategy when he played profession sports - he competed against the golf course instead of other players. Nicklaus knew the ins and outs of all the courses he played - he figured out what he liked and what he didnt like about golf course design. And then, he formed a company. Nicklaus Design promotes itself as the worlds leading design firm. You have lived in the spaces chosen by your parents. Now its your turn to decide. Source Hirsch, William J. Designing Your Perfect House: Lessons from an Architect. Dalsimer Press, 2008, p. 121

Database Management Systems Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Database Management Systems - Lab Report Example All the users of the system must be satisfied. It is, therefore, important that the underlying database, which is the core data source and storage, meet all the needs. This project aims to implement a possible underlying database for a General Practice. A General Practice is a people centered environment, thus details of people is important for any form of operations to be undertaken. Patients trickle in and are admitted while doctors treat patients and prescribe medicines. Patients can also be referred to other health institutions it sent to the laboratory for medical tests. All these activities have to be recorded somewhere, and in such a way that the records reflect on these important activities. Additionally, doctors and other health workers need this data to perform even basic tasks such as appointment and referrals. Diagnosis can also be made with the aid of a repository of possible diseases, which the doctor can use to decide on the next course of action. This system will use a database known as GP for General Practice. We begin by identifying the main entities of the system. These are the the most obvious entities that will reflect on the database in its first normal. More entities can be derived from these so as to enable a normalized database when translating it to its physical schema. For this project, we used MySQL Workbench Community Edition for the modeling as well as the physical design. The UML diagrams and SQL code in this report have been directly extracted from MySQL Workbench CE. Connection to the database was through the WampServer, which additionally holds the final database. The tables are written in Standard Query Language (SQL). Therefore, any code in this paper will be in this language. The patient is a nonfunctional entity within this system, but it the most important data source since all operations are

Revenue Recognition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Revenue Recognition - Essay Example Although it may initially seem counterintuitive to adopt the practices for revenue recognition stated in EITF 00-21,it is clearly the next step in establishing the company as a leader not only in the aircraft transport field but as a pioneer in the adoption of enhanced accounting guidelines is concerned. One must understand that although accounting revenues and profit will decrease, the company’s financial position is not affected. Although the recognized revenue for the current year and the subsequent restatement of the previous financial statements will result in a decrease of our stated revenues and profit, under the astute eye of the investment community it will clearly be perceived as an act that further solidifies the company as a leader in the industry. Additionally a lot of our current year revenue losses will be offset by additional revenue being recognized from contracts obtained during the previous four years of operations. Under our current accounting methods the fractional interest contracts are immediately recognized as revenue in its totality for the current accounting period. The monthly management revenue stream and the hourly usage incomes are both recognized as well as related expenses as they are incurred. In the industry, a lot of different revenue recognition practices are utilized. For example just like our current accounting practices, some companies record revenue on initial sale of fractional interest at the time of sale. There are other companies that account the revenue from programs similar to operating leases whereas other companies spread the income over the term of the agreement. As a result, the following three options were being analyzed by management: A) Revenue attributable to the initial sale of the fractional interest should be recognized at the time of sale. The other attributes of the program, namely the

Review of research article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Review of research article - Essay Example The article that will be evaluated is Goal Setting Effects in Elite and Nonelite Boxers by M. O’Brien, S. Mellalieu and S. Hanton and published in the Journal of Applied Sports Psychology. In a brief overview, the article Goal Setting Effects in Elite and Nonelite Boxers by O’Brien et al (2009) deals with the question how goal-setting affect or influence elite and nonelite athletes in combat sports like boxing. Addressing this particular question, it has utilised the goal-setting model as developed by Burton et al (2001). It is now in this context that a more in depth look at the article will be carried out. There are three purposes that underlie the research. These are: the primary purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a goal-setting intervention program upon elite and nonelite boxers selected components of performance behaviors and their indirect psychological responses (O’Brien, 2009). It further holds that it aims to use the contemporary goal –setting model as developed by Burton et al (2001) and that it will extend the application of the said model to multiple baseline with focus on self-generated components of both the elite and nonelite boxers’ targeted and nontargeted performance behaviours over the duration of a competitive season; and (b) boxers indirect psychological responses to the goal program in the form of competitive anxiety and self confidence(O’Brien,2009). The second objective is to identify the underlying mechanisms of goal programs using qualitative analysis and the examination of the retention and outcome effects of the pr ogram. This goal is significant since according to the authors no research prior to this one has been done to look into the effects of goal setting to one-on-one combat sports like boxing (O’Brien, 2009). The third aim is to affirm a previous study that â€Å"elite boxers would experience greater improvements in performance behaviours as compared to the

Youth and drugs Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Youth and drugs - Research Proposal Example health, how education institution can influence this trend, and what addicted persons can do to get help, which gender is the most vulnerable, and many other questions. In order to get an answer to these questions it is necessary for a research to be carried out. This is a research proposal for a research on youth and drugs. Youth and drugs is not a new thing, as it has been mentioned and studied a number of times before by other researchers. However, it should be noted that there have always been a difference in findings in these studies. Furthermore, most of these researches focus on specific aspects or questions relating to youth and drugs. This makes it easier to carry out a research on this topic because of the fact that there are relevant findings that had already been availed in the reports written after the various studies and researches were carried out by different people with different perspectives and missions. It should be noted that drug abuse among the youth is a social, health, and economic concern. This is because it can hinder the performance of the youth who form a significant part of the total population of human beings globally. This implies that it is a problem that in many occasions has been undermined, but should be looked into with the seriousness that it deserves. Michelle Miller†Day looked at the role of parenting strategies on late adolescent and drug abuse. She asserts that the strategies used in talking to the youth about drugs sometimes are effective because parents do not want to be straight about the issue. Vardakou, Pistos, and Spiliopoulou assert that the use of the internet by the youth can be said to one of the factors that lead to the high rates of drug abuse among the youth. Duff (2003) carried out a research on the contribution of the youth culture to the rate of drug abuse in Australia. They found out that the youth culture was a significant contributor to drug abuse among the youth in Australia. Wilens and Biederman

Icasualties.Com, Statistics, and Presentation Assignment - 5

Icasualties.Com, Statistics, and Presentation - Assignment Example Specifically, the reporting and graphic presentation of statistics on the website icasualties.com. The website documents casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003 and 2001 respectively. This analysis will focus only on one aspect of the website, the presentation of statistics relating to Operation Enduring Freedom/Afghanistan. On the left side of the site, a news feed constantly updates on news stories about Operation Enduring Freedom and casualties. The data is presented on the remaining portion of the page. The first set of statistics presented in chart and bar graph format is Coalition Military Fatalities by Year. Both formats clearly depict the rising coalition fatality rate and the fact that 2010 is on track to become the deadliest year in the operation. The accuracy of the figures is incontestable. In this day and age, the U.S. military (as well as those of other nations operating in Afghanistan) cannot hide casualties. As the graph on the following page illustrates (making allowances for this year only being halfway through) the graph presents a minor decline to 2003, and an increasing number of fatalities steadily since. The site then presents charted data of coalition fatalities by year and month. The charts indicate the ebb and flow of fighting throughout the year. Fighting increases when the weather improves and the poppy harvest ends in May. It declines again in the fall as the weather deteriorates. Additionally, a pie chart identifies the nationality of coalition fatalities by country and provides links to the name, unit, date of death and cause of death of each individual. The charting of fatalities for all countries is identical and facilitates comparisons between countries. Finally, a map provides data on all coalition fatalities by province and, again, links to the name, unit, date of death and cause of death of each individual. As with the data sorted by nationality the charting of fatalities for all provinces is identical and facilitates comparisons between provinces.  Ã‚  

How the cultures of Norway, United Kingdom and Greece differ and how Essay

How the cultures of Norway, United Kingdom and Greece differ and how it affects the way the countries are run - Essay Example Situated away from the cultural centres, Norway has a strong culture flourishing from the ninth century. The unique Norwegian Farm Culture, sustained to this day is closely related to the country’s history and geography, due to the scarce resources, harsh climate and the ancient property law. Romanticism has a great influence on Norwegian language and media. With the continued support of government for various activities like exhibitions, cultural projects etc, Norwegian culture flourished in areas of art, literature and music. Present Norwegian culture is a melting pot of various backgrounds and cultures. Norwegians are mainly egalitarian people who mainly focus on fairness, equal rights and open-mindedness. They like people for their nature and not what they do or how much money they have. They are honest and sincere in their relationship and have a simple way of living. Norwegian food has diversified in recent years and all types of food is available along with sea food. Ev ery year Norwegian food festival is celebrated in late august to celebrate different kinds of food. Music has an important role to play in Norwegian history. It has been passed down the generation and mainly includes instrumental and vocal music. The traditional musical instrument includes Hardingfele followed by Harp. The traditional dress is Bunad, an elaborate dress with lot of embroidery and jewellery. From Business perspective there are certain attributes in culture of Norway like informal style, individual interests, Transactional relationship and direct communication. History defined United Kingdom as a developed power, a major power and comprising of four major countries-England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, each of which has retained its distinct culture. But with cultural influence of west, there were changes in United Kingdom’s culture. Humanism, Protestantism and representative democracy developed .With the evolution of industrial revolution in UK, there were major changes in field of agriculture, manufacturing and transportation which impacted socio- economic culture. Formerly a homogeneous society, Britain has become more diverse with people from different part of world living there. British are known for their stiff upper lip and blitz spirit. They still live up to grin and bear attitude in situations of embarrassment. They are reserved and private people and are sticklers for adherence to protocols. British cuisine follows a specific set of traditions and customs of cooking. However British has absorbed the cultural influence of those who settled in Britain. British cuisine’s international significance is limited to full breakfast and Christmas dinner. Britain has made a lot of progress in field of music with British invasion and British-pop evolving. The traditional music is centuries old and has contributed to a lot of genres. It supports major orchestras and was among the two main countries in development of rock music . UK has been in forefront in development of theatre, movies, radio and television. UK has played a major role in scientific developments from the times of scientific revolution. The Royal society serves as a centre for science and is the oldest society developed. From the prospective of business British are formal and look for long-term relationship in Business. The culture of Greece has developed over a thousand of years with influence of Roman Empire, British Empire but according to historians the credit for

Youth and drugs Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Youth and drugs - Research Proposal Example health, how education institution can influence this trend, and what addicted persons can do to get help, which gender is the most vulnerable, and many other questions. In order to get an answer to these questions it is necessary for a research to be carried out. This is a research proposal for a research on youth and drugs. Youth and drugs is not a new thing, as it has been mentioned and studied a number of times before by other researchers. However, it should be noted that there have always been a difference in findings in these studies. Furthermore, most of these researches focus on specific aspects or questions relating to youth and drugs. This makes it easier to carry out a research on this topic because of the fact that there are relevant findings that had already been availed in the reports written after the various studies and researches were carried out by different people with different perspectives and missions. It should be noted that drug abuse among the youth is a social, health, and economic concern. This is because it can hinder the performance of the youth who form a significant part of the total population of human beings globally. This implies that it is a problem that in many occasions has been undermined, but should be looked into with the seriousness that it deserves. Michelle Miller†Day looked at the role of parenting strategies on late adolescent and drug abuse. She asserts that the strategies used in talking to the youth about drugs sometimes are effective because parents do not want to be straight about the issue. Vardakou, Pistos, and Spiliopoulou assert that the use of the internet by the youth can be said to one of the factors that lead to the high rates of drug abuse among the youth. Duff (2003) carried out a research on the contribution of the youth culture to the rate of drug abuse in Australia. They found out that the youth culture was a significant contributor to drug abuse among the youth in Australia. Wilens and Biederman

How the cultures of Norway, United Kingdom and Greece differ and how Essay

How the cultures of Norway, United Kingdom and Greece differ and how it affects the way the countries are run - Essay Example Situated away from the cultural centres, Norway has a strong culture flourishing from the ninth century. The unique Norwegian Farm Culture, sustained to this day is closely related to the country’s history and geography, due to the scarce resources, harsh climate and the ancient property law. Romanticism has a great influence on Norwegian language and media. With the continued support of government for various activities like exhibitions, cultural projects etc, Norwegian culture flourished in areas of art, literature and music. Present Norwegian culture is a melting pot of various backgrounds and cultures. Norwegians are mainly egalitarian people who mainly focus on fairness, equal rights and open-mindedness. They like people for their nature and not what they do or how much money they have. They are honest and sincere in their relationship and have a simple way of living. Norwegian food has diversified in recent years and all types of food is available along with sea food. Ev ery year Norwegian food festival is celebrated in late august to celebrate different kinds of food. Music has an important role to play in Norwegian history. It has been passed down the generation and mainly includes instrumental and vocal music. The traditional musical instrument includes Hardingfele followed by Harp. The traditional dress is Bunad, an elaborate dress with lot of embroidery and jewellery. From Business perspective there are certain attributes in culture of Norway like informal style, individual interests, Transactional relationship and direct communication. History defined United Kingdom as a developed power, a major power and comprising of four major countries-England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, each of which has retained its distinct culture. But with cultural influence of west, there were changes in United Kingdom’s culture. Humanism, Protestantism and representative democracy developed .With the evolution of industrial revolution in UK, there were major changes in field of agriculture, manufacturing and transportation which impacted socio- economic culture. Formerly a homogeneous society, Britain has become more diverse with people from different part of world living there. British are known for their stiff upper lip and blitz spirit. They still live up to grin and bear attitude in situations of embarrassment. They are reserved and private people and are sticklers for adherence to protocols. British cuisine follows a specific set of traditions and customs of cooking. However British has absorbed the cultural influence of those who settled in Britain. British cuisine’s international significance is limited to full breakfast and Christmas dinner. Britain has made a lot of progress in field of music with British invasion and British-pop evolving. The traditional music is centuries old and has contributed to a lot of genres. It supports major orchestras and was among the two main countries in development of rock music . UK has been in forefront in development of theatre, movies, radio and television. UK has played a major role in scientific developments from the times of scientific revolution. The Royal society serves as a centre for science and is the oldest society developed. From the prospective of business British are formal and look for long-term relationship in Business. The culture of Greece has developed over a thousand of years with influence of Roman Empire, British Empire but according to historians the credit for

The Appropriate Criteria Essay Example for Free

The Appropriate Criteria Essay The internal QA process largely takes place within the college programme/ department itself. Generally, this process collects continued information in a systematic way about the quality being achieved. The Self Assessment reports are the corner stone of the whole QA system and need to be prepared by the college under the guidance provided by the external agencies e.g. City and Guilds, EAL The Self Assessment report should be validated by peers and is the backbone of the whole exercise of Quality Assurance and Enhancement in Colleges. Therefore a standard Self Assessment report should motivate the internal QA by identifying its weaknesses and strengths, in practicing to be prepared for external assessment and informing the external evaluators about internal QA System. A self assessment report should provide comprehensive information regarding objectives, structure and content of the academic programmes, the learning and teaching environment and curriculum organization etc. The processes of conducting Self Assessment (SA) of college programmes are outlined by the scheme providers which provide guidance for practicing self assessment of college programmes of higher education institutions to maintain and improve the quality standards simultaneously. see more:explain why a workers personal views should not influence an individual\s choices Self Assessment is an effective tool for academic Quality Assurance and provides feed back to administration to initiate action plans for improvement. Quality in higher education is a dynamic entity and therefore various factors that determine quality of higher education must be set in equilibrium at a level that matches with national expectations and standards. These factors include, inter alia, leadership, quality of faculty, quality of students, curriculum, infrastructure facilities, research and learning environment, governance, strategic planning, assessment procedures, and their relevance to market forces. Combined with this the criteria for judging the quality of assessment process is usually laid down in organisation standards, such as health and safety, equality and diversity. Along with this we require an evidence trail to ensure relevance. Another method is the use of the criteria of meeting targets Use of questionnaires to assess learner satisfaction to awarding organisat ion standards. e.g. Performance./assessment criteria Levels :- NVQ etc Performance indicators Checklists Logging and tracking documents Portfolios Occupational/vocational standards National Occupational Standards (NOS) Government regulatory body standards e.g. Ofqual/Ofsted. When assessing , VASCAR can be referred to when judging the quality of the assessment process. V Is it valid; does the work presented meet the criteria and standards that are being worked towards? A Is the work authentic; is the work the learners/assessors own? S Is the evidence sufficient: is there enough to meet the requirements? C Is it current; is it linked to the current standards and are they up to date? A Is it accurate R Reliability; are the assessment decisions consistent and assessed to the appropriate levels for the qualification? Another acronym which is good to relate to during the process is ACR A Accuracy/audit trail ensuring all paperwork matches C Is there consistency over all the assessments, are all assessors working to the same standardized procedures R Record keeping, are all records accurate and thorough (ie are all dates and signatures correct and present). It is vitally important to ensure the above systems are maintained and followed correctly when judging the quality of assessment process. It is also important that they are adhered to in order to contribute to standardization throughout the college. Their use is also important to identify any discrepancies or support needed either for individuals or the team as a whole.

Key Success Factors of the Ford Motor Company

Key Success Factors of the Ford Motor Company Introduction This case analysis is made on Ford Motor Company, presented below are key success factors that a global automotive player should possess in order to remain competitive, more over a brief discussion is also presented on Fords performance for the period of 1994 to 2004, at the end of this case analysis there are few marketing strategies presented that Ford can adopt for upcoming years and that are likely to help them get competitive advantage globally. The automotive industry is big in its nature, huge numbers of people are associated with this, throughout the industrial revolution this industry has been very competitive and global big players have been striving for their share all over the world. As globalization is there and there are also rising prices for oil, now it has been difficult for major player to stay competitive and earn profits because of the high costs associated with their industry(Bordenave and Lung,2000). Now along with traditional elements of marketing mix and competitive advantage, there is a need to have more drivers that major players should have in order to remain successful for coming years, below I have presented few of global drivers that can add value in their overall performance and keep them competitive. Factors for Success A Good Brand Image Since cars are high end products, they are associated with good amount of spending and their inherent nature and use is highly related to once own safety that why the decision making process of buying car is complex, involves lots of considerations by buyer and that is why this decision is dependent upon opinions of others as well. This is where a good brand image is required by companies to stay in the market, to win the trust of users and be the car of choice, unless you dont win the trust of consumers, you can stay in the market; its critical and vital to have a good and positive brand image in this industry(Bartlett, and Ghoshal1989). Efficient Channel of Distribution Cars are sold via third party, there is not direct consumer contact of company, that is why companies rely on a good channel of distribution to help them gain confidence and help consumer to have confidence in their product, while buying a car, consumers are also dependent upon opinions of dealers, if they are not knowledgeable and unable to transfer a good image of companies product to user then they are not going to buy. Other side of distribution network is related to supply chain and assembly line, a successful automotive company requires an efficiently managed channel of their vendor who can provide them with timely and quality parts and services(Freyssenet, Shimizu Volpato ,2002). Management of Cash Flow A healthy cash flow management is also vital and one of the key success factors to stay in this industry, since these companies have to give discounts, financing options and also need to manage their plan and other operational cost, a good, effectively managed and timely available cash flow is very necessary to sustain their position in the market (Bordenave and Lung,2000). Compliance with Local and International Standards This is also an equally important factor that their product should comply with local and international standards of safety and fuel consumption, this may initially seems to increase costs, but in the longer run this factor comes to pay back in shape of increased confidence by the consumer, a positive word of mouth that is hard to achieve in these days, and it also reduces the cost of maintenance and governmental handling. It is wise to spend on standards then to spend on additional cost incurred by any maintenance recall, which has been the case with Toyota recently when they had to call back a good amount of vehicle and that resulted in huge amount in terms of cost and bad image (Bordenave and Lung,2000). Being Flexible to Changing Needs Thats difficult but important to stay in modern day business, there has been the time customer needs regarding vehicles were not dynamically changing and companies could work with same models for longer period of time, but now things are more difficult, consumer are more demanding and their need regarding cars are changing more rapidly and new need are more diverse, now in order to stay competitive in business car manufacturers have to be flexible enough to manage and incorporate increasing demand and changing needs in their products. This will increase cost but this is one of the key success factors for new age automotive industry (Freyssenet, Shimizu Volpato, 2002). Efficient Production Todays need is efficient production, this can be achieved by streamlining their production activities in way that costs are low and production standards are not compromised, TQM or JIT can be solution for that and Toyota has been successfully implementing both of management concepts in their production line. Whatever the solution is the base is to get most efficient production in order to stay competitive, yes quality is not to be compromised and standards are to be maintained. Production efficiency alone can serve as competitive advantage in todays world (The Economist, 2005). Cost Planning High profit margins not only comes from high sales but also from well planned cost structures, as commented above efficient production along with a good channel of distribution can lower costs. Without being able to control and minimizing cost, modern day auto producers cannot win the game, due to intense competition and increased customer demands, globalization challenges profit margins are squeezing, without having effective cost management system it will hard for any organization to gain profits in these turbulent times(The Economist, 2005). Organizational Size Management Above mentioned cost management cannot be achieved unless there is no organizational size management. This is vital and critical to keep an eye on the size of the organization, as mentioned in the case now companies has to lay off plants and their employees in order to control their costs, any organization that is not able better manage their size will be victim of their own size, along with size there needs to have a look on the structure, high hierarchies are not applicable in todays business world, this is the time to empower people and give them decision making power, this saves cost in terms of number of people and managements time, and also provide the competitive edge of better and timely decision making(Buckley, Casson, 1976). Joint Ventures and Mergers To better serve the market and to get most out of it, todays need is to win the business with joint ventures and mergers, there are many benefits of such activities, for example mergers brings many brands under one umbrella and provides the positive image about the organization as big company and enhance the confidence, it also helps in better management of brand, since local management is involved in managing local brand they can better handle them as per consumer psychology and help the parent company to get the desired image(Bartlett, and Ghoshal1989). These joint ventures and merger also serve as a chance for knowledge sharing and getting more strength from each other positive aspects, modern day automotive industry would require big companies to explore new opportunities like these. Un-served Markets New emerging economies like India and China need more attention by the global players, anyone who will be able to exploit these markets before their competitors will be able to enjoy customer loyalty and first movers advantage, there few un-served markets that are emerging and can turn out a good opportunities for global suppliers. There is another dimension of these phenomena, global players not matter how big they are need to maintain and create their own niche, their own market that is not served by any other, such small niches can generate more profits and win more loyalty by consumers, along with their main business there should also be some small niches to serve the cause (Bartlett, and Ghoshal1989). Focused Strategy Focused strategy is relevant in every industry and same is the case with automotive industry, whatever strategy in place, it should be focused and relevant. Top managements commitment with strategy is very crucial, unless there is no strategic focus no organization can compete in new global environment. Todays environment is more dynamic and demanding that is why it requires more concentration, focus and commitment from the top management. Toyota has been a very good example for their strategic focus on making hybrid car, since Honda and Toyota were unable to compete in luxury cars; they decided to have focus on hybrid cars that strategy worked for them (Buckley, Casson, 1976). Ford, 2000 Globalization Plan In 1994 ford announced its 2000 globalization plan, that was in direction of their globalization strategy, that strategy focused on having global business standards and rather than having multi domestic presence. This strategy focused on unifying every aspect of the business to standardization such as marketing, sales, production, research and development and design. This strategy paid them as shown by their financial result and improved companys performance during the period of 1994-2004. There are several reasons behind adopting this strategy; we shall discuss them one by one here. Saving Costs By the time ford announced its 2000 globalization plan, their operational costs were high and they were not making profit as their sales were not high and their cost were increasing, so the main objective in announcing that plan was to save costs, by creating synergies in different geographical locations and plants and making shift from strategy of adaptation to standardization. This plan saved them money in term of cost saving and helped increase their profits. By unifying business operations they were able to achieve economies of scale and economies of scope. This was the main reason of launching that program (Freyssenet, Shimizu Volpato ,2002). Operational Excellence Different plant operating on different locations were producing without having any synergy, at that point in time Fords different plants were acting as silos, and there was no synergy among them, another reason on launching 2000 globalization program was to achieve operational excellence by creating synergy among different production housed so that they can achieve the best and provide the competitive advantage. Since Ford was acquiring other automotive companies like Volvo, that globalization plan was a great opportunity for them to learn from others experiences and ring together best practices to achieve excellent operational management and Ford was successful in doing that. RD of Design At the time when Ford was about to announce 2000 globalization plan, there were different design and RD teams were working in different geographical regions and on different projects. Another objective of announcing that program was to create standardization in design, at that time for one Ford brand two separate cars were used to produce for USA and Europe market, both different in design and performance, on the other hand Toyota was already in standardization strategy (Freyssenet, Shimizu Volpato ,2002). By adopting the strategy of combined design they saved the cost of research and development, design and different assembly lines. Another objective related to design was, that different stake holders like design, research, development, operations, marketing and parts suppliers should work together so that whatever is designed should be workable, marketable and efficient, this strategy alone helped save the management time of reviewing different design proposal. Bargaining Power over Suppliers By unifying the designs, standardization of models, and globalization of production, Ford were able to have to have bargaining power over suppliers, and that bargaining power came with lower cost as they were in better positions to negotiate prices and terms. Since they were trying to produce the product that was standardized and there was no variation in the parts for different geographical areas, that is why were able to buy in bulk quantities and negotiate their terms with vendors, more over they were able to have access to innovation and new development by their suppliers before their competitors, that also suppose to give them competitive advantage, they in better position to incorporate developments in the industry and remain competitive. Sharing Knowledge Another rationale behind launching 2000 globalization plan was to make different SBUs/Silos to share knowledge, for example previously there were different RD departments working independently, without any coordination and sharing of knowledge, what one dept have produced and innovate the other counterpart might not be aware of. That situation was critical and causing costs, after 2000 globalization plan, every department was suppose to work together in as single entity and share knowledge, this was suppose to save time and money. Same was the case with production dept, they were also supposing to share best practiced with each other so that overall organizational performance could be enhanced (Bordenave and Lung,2000). Marketing Strategy for Ford Ford has been market leader in automotive industry for last many years, after launching their 2000 globalization plan their performance has been impressive as of today they are again market leader in US and Europe. After analyzing the information provided in the case I have presented some components of marketing strategies that ford can adopt to sustain their position in coming years. Find New Markets For should start find new markets for its operations, India and other emerging economies are good opportunities as their penetration rates are high, entering into these markets will open many opportunities for Ford, these emerging economies are booming and can be served with good profit margins. Ford can also establish their plant in these areas to handle the entire region with effective supply chain management (Buckley, Casson, 1976). Since oil prices are increasing and there is a concern about oil reserves and production capacity, general shift towards small cars is increasing, Toyota, Suzuki and Honda along with many other are already in this segment. If Ford decides to expand they can also enter into this segment more aggressive as buying power of countries which are in emerging economies are low, they are more likely to buy a small car rather luxury cars. Ford with its good brand name if enters into these markets with small car segment which are more fuel efficient, can win the market before others (Bartlett, and Ghoshal1989). Find New Technologies As fuel concerns are rising for world, Ford should come up with new technologies of making car that are more innovative and fuel efficient, making electrical or solar power cars would not be a bad idea, if Ford is able to revolutionize the automotive industry with their innovative and efficient fuel solution they will be able to win the market like never before, entering into emerging economies with something new and innovative can be the big idea for success. Adapted Standardization Ford, after their success in 2000 globalization plan, should now start moving a little forward, they should keep on their standardization strategy but should include an element of adaptation in that, may be called adapted standardization. It has been observed that consumer needs are changing rapidly and their needs are becoming more diverse in nature; therefore there is a need of a bit flexibility and adaptability in automotive products depending upon the nature of the market. This way Ford will be able to stay one step ahead of competition, but to achieve that they will have to bring the flexibility in their systems and product development which necessary to shift at adapted standardization strategy. Build Brand in Asia Asia can be very attractive market for Ford, and their small cars, if they start investing in their brand in Asia and especially sub-continent they will be able to achieve greater penetration in the region, despite the fact that their main target market is US and Europe, they should also invest in brand building in Asia. Conclusion This case has been focusing Ford over all business strategy and their 2000 globalization plan, since the plan has been a successful move there are other factors that need to be kept in mind by Ford and other automotive players. Market dynamics are changing rapidly and there are certain key success factors that will play a vital role in deciding success or failure of any player in this industry, starting from a good brand image and cost management, going till strategic focus, there are several elements that are critical and vital for any company to be successful in this new market. There certain areas where Ford needs to concentrate in order to sustain its position as market leader in automotive industry, they should find new markets, make their strategy a bit more adaptive and enter into emerging economies, this way they shall be able to handle the rapidly changing business world.

Emerson :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emerson was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Emerson graduated from Harvard University at the age of 18 and for the next three years taught school in Boston. In 1825 he entered Harvard Divinity School, and the next year he was certified to preach by the Middlesex Association of Ministers. Even with ill health, Emerson delivered occasional lecture in churches in the Boston area. In 1829 he became minister of the Second Church (Unitarian) of Boston. That same year he married Ellen Tucker, who died 17 months later. On Christmas Day, 1832, he left the United States for a tour of Europe. He stayed for some time in England, where he made the associate of such British literary notables as Walter Savage Landor, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Thomas Carlyle, and William Wordsworth. His meeting with Carlyle marked the beginning of a lifelong friendship.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On his return to the United States in 1833, Emerson settled in Concord, Massachusetts, and became active as a lecturer in Boston. His lectures including â€Å"The Philosophy of History,† â€Å"Human Culture,† â€Å"Human Life,† and â€Å"The Present Age† were based on material in his Journals (published posthumously, 1909-1914), a collection of comments and notes that he had begun while a student at Harvard. Emerson applied these ideas to cultural and logical problems in his 1837 lecture â€Å"The American Scholar,† which he delivered before the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Harvard. In it he called for American intellectual independence. A second address, commonly referred to as the â€Å"Address at Divinity College,† delivered in 1838 to the graduating class of Cambridge Divinity College, produce great controversy because it attacked formal religion and argued for self-reliance and unconscious spiritual experience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first volume of Emerson's Essays (1841) includes some of his most popular works. It contains History, Self-Reliance, Compensation, Spiritual Laws, Love, Friendship, Prudence, Heroism, The Over-Soul, Circles, Intellect, and Art. The second series of Essays (1844) includes â€Å"The Poet,† â€Å"Manners,† and â€Å"Character.† In it Emerson tempered the hopefulness of the first volume of essays, placing less importance on the self and acknowledging the limitations of real life. Emerson succeeded her as editor in 1842 and remained in that capacity until the journal ceased publication in 1844. In 1846 his first volume of Poems was published (dated, however, 1847).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emerson again went abroad from 1847 to 1848 and lectured in England, where he was welcomed by Carlyle. Several of Emerson's lectures were later collected in the volume representative men (1850), which contains essays on such figures as Greek philosopher Plato, Swedish philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg, and French writer Michel Eyquem de Montaigne.