The Value Of Instruments With Intermediate And Long...

TD Bank would need to take into account when managing interest rate risk the effect of on its net income and net interest income in order to evaluate the input of noninterest income and operating outlays toward the interest rate risk exposure. In particular, a bank with significant fee income should assess the extent to which that fee income is sensitive to rate vicissitudes. From a capital perspective, a bank should consider how intermediate (two years to five years) and long-term (more than five years) positions may affect the bank’s future financial performance. Since â€Å"the value of instruments with intermediate and long maturities can be especially sensitive to interest rate changes, it is important for a bank to monitor and control the†¦show more content†¦In addition, become inept of borrowing as much and will pay higher rates of interest on loans. Less business expenditure decelerate the development of a bank, resultant of declines in profit. Banks risk management uses of derivatives is risk and securities can be utilized effectively are for the purpose of risk management. Risk management is an acceptable fiduciary responsibility of banking and financial organization(s) management According to FDIC (2013, pp. 14), TD bank’s risk management plan uses derivatives â€Å"are over-the counter transactions that are privately negotiated between the Parent and the counterparty toward the contract. Exchange traded contracts transacted through organized and regulated exchanges involves principally options and futures. TD bank does not maintain material trading positions. Therefore its hedging undertakings are restricted towards managing balance sheet and interest rate risk exposure. TD bank utilize interest rate derivatives e.g. interest rate futures, forwards, swaps, options in managing interest rate risks in addition the institution use of foreign exchange derivatives, such as futures, forwards and swaps to cope foreign e xchange risks. The institution is exposed to non-trading foreign exchange risk from its investments in foreign operations when TD bank foreign currency assets are greater or less than the liabilities in that currency. The institution does not do credit default swaps, however, credit derivatives such as credit

Student Rights Case Analysis Paper Free Essays

As Americans we have certain expectations to what our rights are, in fact we have a bill of rights to ensure the rights we deserve. In most cases we consider these rights undeniable but sometimes they are deniable when you are a student on campus. Sometimes the legal line is not quite clear on rights that are afforded to students; rather the moral line is clear or not. We will write a custom essay sample on Student Rights Case Analysis Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now In day to day adult life we expect law enforcement and lawyers to enforce our rights properly but on school grounds staff members are expected to take the role of enforcer and judge. The 4th Amendment protects Americans from unreasonable search and seizure, but students are not afforded the same right on most occasions. It has been established that searching backpacks and items of the like is permissible on school campus but Safford Unified School District #1 v. Redding delves into the more complicated area of body searches. At the age of 13 Savana Redding was called into the office of her school because she had been implicated in distribution of over the counter pain killers and prescription pain pills that were the strength of two Advil. The assistant principal and secretary went through Savana’s book bag and pockets were searched. After no pills were found on Savana’s outer layer of clothing the assistant principal â€Å"then had [the secretary]take Savana to the school nurse’s office to search her clothes for pills. After [the secretary] and the nurse, had Savana remove her outer clothing, they told her to pull her bra out and shake it, and to pull out the elastic on her underpants, thus exposing her breasts and pelvic area to some degree. No pills were found. † (Cornell University Law School, 2010) It is important to also point out that Savana’s parents were not notified until after the search and the assistant principal had not gotten details of when Savana had been distributing pill or where she kept these pills. Soon after Savana was pulled out of school and the legal proceedings began. It was decided by the Ninth Circuit Court that Savana had indeed had her 4th Amendment right had been violated. The court found that the circumstances did not warrant such an invasive search â€Å"because the suspected facts pointing to Savana did not indicate that the drugs presented a danger to students or were concealed in her underwear, [the assistant principal] did not have sufficient suspicion to warrant extending the search to the point of making Savana pull out her underwear. [the secretary] and [the nurse] said that they did not see anything when Savana pulled out her underwear, but a strip search and its Fourth Amendment consequences are not defined by who was looking and how much was seen. †. Cornell University Law School, 2010) Savana had a clean disciplinary record and the assistant principal had not even found out when the supposed pills were in Savana’s possession or how many were in her possession. The main problem with this search was that, while the measures may have been considered appropriate, there was no reasonable explanation for the extremes that the searc h went to because there was no proof a student would be hiding a non-dangerous contraband in her underwear. The 4th Amendment protects Americans from unreasonable search and seizure, but the school system only allows that protection sometimes. Schools are allowed to search backpacks but not strip search students. Some things seem obvious to outside eyes, like the fact that you shouldn’t strip search 13 year old children, but when you are in charge of 100s of children sometimes certain things get distorted. The assistant principal in this case was trying to make an example of Savana by showing how strict the school was on their drug policy, but he went too far. Risking the emotional damage a child might face from something like a strip search is never worth proving a point. Strip searching may be warranted in a situation like a student seeing another student carrying a weapon in their under garments, but in a situation where there is no real danger to other students it is extreme. As adults we expect all of our rights to be given to us but unfortunately adults don’t always feel the need to extend those rights to children. The judgment in this case could not have been fairer. Hopefully right infringements like this won’t happen to others thanks to Savana stepping forward. References Cornell University Law School.  (2010).  Legal Information Institute.  Retrieved from http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/08-479.ZS.html How to cite Student Rights Case Analysis Paper, Essays

BP and Theories of Regulation

Question: Interest Theory and what of the role of regulators (politicians)? What are the motivations of politicians as regulators? Answer: 1. Introduction This study is about the public interest theory and the role of politicians as regulators, their motivations and its repercussions on the society. The argumentative study is presented through an analysis of the research publication by Jean Houdet and Charles Germaneau. The methodology undertaken is to make an analysis in three parts. The first part gives an internal introduction and regulatory theories. The second part is an argumentative presentation that argues on the role of politicians who act for the benefit of a few interest groups through an analysis of the research publication by Houdet and Germaneau. The third part presents the requirement for a standard accounting practice and regulation that will meet the changing business needs. The study concludes with the fact that politicians as regulators play according to a few interest groups while framing regulations at the cost of the society and environment. A single, unified accounting practice is required. 2. Internal Introduction The first part of the study is an internal introduction. This part makes an analysis of the financial accounting theory and the need for theories of regulations. Special emphasis is given to the role played by politicians and the factors which motivate these politicians to intervene in objectives and functioning of governing regulators. 2.1 Financial Accounting Theories Financial accounting theories are classified as normative and positive theories. 2.1.1 Positive Accounting Theory This is a positive theory which predicts and explains accounting practices and is based on the economic theory that focuses on agency relationship as they provide resources to the firm such as owners and managers, managers and debt providers. It assumes that self-interest drives an individuals action to increase his wealth and increase his self-interest. 2.1.2 Normative Accounting Theories These theories identify the objectives of GPFR such as the conceptual framework. Normative Accounting Theories are classified as current-cost accounting, exit-price accounting, and deprival value accounting. 2.1.3 Systems Oriented Theories They are of three types namely: Stakeholder Theory: It has two branches which are ethical (or normative branch) and managerial (or positive branch). It describes that all stakeholders such as employees, lenders, shareholders, customers, government and interest groups have a right to get the information provided to them. Legitimacy Theory: Organizations should ensure that their operations remain within the norms of societal requirements, are legitimate. Through disclosures in annual reports, organizations consider the rights of the investors as well as the public in general. Institutional Theory: Organizations tend to take the same form and characteristics within their field. This theory overlaps with the stakeholder and legitimacy theory. 2.2 Role of regulators The objective of accounting is to provide access to information so that interested parties may take decisions. Accountants and accounting standards require regulations. Regulations help to benefit the society in general rather than to serve a particular interest group. Regulations are required To protect public interest For healthy competition. When there are windfall profits Information asymmetries Profit skimming To correct inequitable and inefficient market practices 2.3 Theories of regulation Public Interest Theory Capture Theory Economic Interest Group Theory 2.3.1. Public Interest Theory The Public Interest Theory gives a normative justification for regulations. It depicts that regulations are formed to correct inequitable and inefficient market practices. This theory gives importance to regulations to benefit the society instead of benefitting vested interests. The government should work as a neutral arbiter(Deegan 2006) It helps in healthy competition, stabilizes the economy and ensures social objectives in policy-making Deepwater oil spill damage of BP depicts the way markets are unregulated and inefficient. It also shows that government lacks neutrality which was the main criticism of public interest theory. 2.3.2 The capture theory Organizations that come under regulations will ultimately control regulators as decisions made by regulators will impact the industry significantly. Interest groups use government regulators like politicians as protective gears to serve their own interests. 2.3.3 Economic Interest Group Theory It prescribes that interest groups become regulators wherein regulations serve particular parties for private interests such as politicians. It is also called as the Coalition-building theory 2.4 Motivation of politicians as regulators Politicians are pressurized by powerful interest groups in regulatory intervention. The incentives that politicians get from these interest groups are: To be re-elected To maintain control and power To attract support for re-election successfully Politicians compete to increase their wealth and income and help interest groups to achieve their narrow self-interests thereby shaping regulatory practices. State power is made to fit demands by interest groups. Interest groups provide political support through campaign and vote contributions. The deep-water horizon spill by BP is an example of how BP used political power to protect itself from the environment crisis it created through its oil-spill. 3. Argumentative Analysis of Research Publication This part describes the research publication that is taken for analysis. The methodology used for the analysis is through an argumentative study that supports the research publication on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill by Joel Houdet and Charles Germaneau. The analysis argues to support that politicians are regulators who act for interest groups and studies the motivations behind the role of politicians as regulators. 3.1 Description of the Research Publication British Petroleum has an annual profit of over $23.6 billion which is the largest for an Australian Corporation. It employs around 100,000 employees around the world. On 20 April 2010, in the Gulf of Mexico, the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded(Houdet Germaneau 2011). BP was held responsible for damages to the environment along with Transocean, MOEX and Anadarko. Bob Dudley the CEO of BP accepted responsibility for the incident stating that (Wilson Kuszewski 2011) The well integrity had failed Undetected hydrocarbons had entered the wall and ignited the Deepwater Horizon The well was not sealed by a blowout preventer It has caused 11 deaths as well as environmental havoc through hurricanes and seasonal threats to areas around the Gulf Coast (Hiscock 2012). 3.2 Argument supporting the role played by politicians as regulators The research publication on the BP deepwater oil spill exposes the environmental damage caused by the oil spill. But the corporation tried to get off the issue through manipulative activities. Regulations are required to protect the society and environment. But when regulations are manipulated, it backfires on the society. BP used political power to make the government act in its favor and act against the public interest. 3.2.1 Arguments supporting this position BP has not disclosed the ecosystem and social damages fully nor has it exposed the calculation methodologies of its $40.9 billion pre-tax charge. It was more of political bargaining that resolved the amount that determined the loss to the environment than a technical calculation says the research publication(Houdet Germaneau 2011). The White House withheld information regarding the oil spill by blocking the information to the public. Immediate impacts in the Gulf of Mexico after the oil spill could be seen with the naked eye. Dolphins averaging 200 are dying annually; shrimp fisheries have closed and deep-water corals show tissue damages are some examples of the environmental disaster. About 20 valuable categories of ecosystem services around the Gulf of Mexico have been affected(Houdet Germaneau 2011). Other events in recent years include the removal of the mining tax by Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton through political intervention and bringing in a new tax policy so that the mining industry does not pay much tax(WordPress 2011). President Obama was criticized for blocking foreign crews from helping with the clean up. 3.2.2 Result of the Deepwater Oil Spill Gulf Coast States lost around $65 billion revenue annually through tourism The commercial fishing industry from the Gulf Coast lost about 40% of its 2008 sales which was equal to $4.3 billion loss The Gulf of Mexico producing about 73% of domestically harvested shrimps was reduced by 50% after the oil spill(Smith, Smith Ashcroft 2011) British Petroleum was claimed guilty of willful misconduct and gross negligence and was asked to pay $18 billion by a federal judge for violating the Clean Water Act. BP had recorded a $43 billion towards costs for the oil clean up which is a meager amount compared to the damage BP had spent eight times the bill towards its auditing firm to block its audit file report which was against the transparency code of accounting(Cohn 2014) Interest groups who influence public policies are collective organizations who involve in lobbying and influence government ministers, parliament and party platforms so that they can change public policies in their desired direction(Vromen Cook (eds.) 2012). 4. New Accounting Standards There are about 500 organizations that are involved in standard-setting. International bodies set standards of accounting for a number of products and services. However, the problem of standardization prevails because(Edwards Walker (eds.) 2009) Benefits and costs of standards are not evenly distributed members across communities There is a problem of identifying the optimal criterion Choosing a socially optimal standard and a social welfare criterion is difficult Issues like the oil spill of BP and, the mining tax issue by BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto are some examples analyzed stating the need for new accounting standards and regulations and the role of politicians as regulators who manipulate regulations 4.1 AASB The AASB or the Accounting Standard AASB 137 has been set to ensure measurement bases and recognition criteria that apply to contingent assets, contingent liabilities, and provisions. Disclosure of adequate information in the notes helps users for decision-making. The AASB 137 gives guidance towards implementing new measures(AASB 2010). Generally Accepted Accounting Principles or GAAP are promulgated by the FASB or the Financial Accounting Standards Board and includes the SFAS or Statements of Financial Accounting Standards providing accounting guidelines. 4.2 FASB The FASB (Financial Accounting Standards Board) in the US provides rules for companies to follow in their financial reporting and to provide useful information to investors and other stakeholders for decision-making. It has issued many Accounting Standard Update (ASU) regarding share-based payment accounting, adoption of US GAAP Financial Reporting Taxonomy, lease accounting guidance, pension accounting and, measuring and recognizing of financial instruments(FASB 2016). Robert Herz, FASB chairman has criticized politicization of accounting. According to him, special interest groups provide inferior accounting methods that do not provide transparent and unbiased information of the entity. He has pointed out to the interference by the SEC and Congress on various accounting issues like lobbying, troubled debt, pensions and special purpose entities. Enron and Worldcom faced political challenges and pressures that almost shook the White House which made it relevant to insulate standard setting from politics. The failure of Wall Street and AIG; false financial reporting by Freddie and Fannie were other national issues that the US faced during the global meltdown that brought in the Sarbanes-Oxley into practice(Herz 2009). 4.3 IFRS In the UK, companies have to follow IFRS while preparing consolidated financial statements. They can also follow UK GAAP. Amendments have been made in July 2015 UK GAAP as changes in the business world required new rules and regulations. 4.4 Need for Standardization Accounting practices must be flexible and should move with the flow of the business world. (Hassler 2015). Past failures, unreasonable goals and structural weaknesses in systems have to be removed. Expectations should be set so that they are reasonably accomplished. An accounting standard that will increase the societal welfare should be identified. Standards should not only involve technical expertise, it should also consider social efficiency Regulatory bodies should not have political interference A new socially superior accounting standard will still remain imperfect and limited in the same way as a new drug for a disease has to be improved upon. 5. Conclusion Regulations play a critical role in the welfare of the society and the economy. Regulations and its framework should work in the public interest. The research publication on the deepwater oil crisis by BP shows how interest groups such as big corporations use political power to manipulate regulations in their favor. Business environment fraud has to be eliminated and steps to be taken to minimize or prevented(Parker, Sale Ussery 2006). Politicians tend to give in to short-term concerns when regulatory policies are against their personal electoral interests. As neutral transmitters of public administration, bureaucracy in politics is indispensable(Hamidi-Ravari 2014). The private interest theory argues that short-term political moves are made for vote-maximizing through modifying regulatory policies.(Mejri Wolf 2013). Bibliography AASB 2010, 'AASB 137: Provisions, Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets- July 2004', Federal Register of Legislation, vol V, no. 3, pp. 1-13. Cohn, M 2014, BP Demands Release of McGladrey's Audit of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Claims, viewed 19 May 2016, Deegan, C 2006, Financial Accounting Theory, McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd, Sydney. Edwards, J, Walker, SP (eds.) 2009, The Routledge Companion to Accounting History, Routledge, New York. FASB 2016, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, viewed 20 May 2016, Hamidi-Ravari, A 2014, 'The Critical Role of the Reporting Entity Concept in Australian Financial Reporting', Essay Series, Research Centre, Australian Accounting Standards Board, ISSN 2202-5723, AASB Research Centre, Victoria. Hassler, A 2015, 'Accounting for the Future', Senior Honors Thesis, Honors Program, Liberty University, ISBN 1530, Digital Commons, New York. Herz, R 2009, The Accounting Cycle: Politics of Accounting Standards Setting, viewed 20 May 2016, Hiscock, G 2012, Earth Wars: The Battle for Global Resources, John Wiley Sons, Solaris. Houdet, J Germaneau, C 2011, 'The Financial Impacts of BP's Response to the Deepwater Horizon Waterspill Comparing Damage Valuation Approach and Highlighting the Need for More Reliable Environmental Accounting and Reporting', Research Gate, pp. 1-5. Mejri, M Wolf, D 2013, 'Crisis Management: Lessons Learnt from the BP Deepwater Horizon Spill Oil', Thesis, Business Management and Strategy, Macrothink Institute, ISSN 2157-6068, Proquest, Cedex. Parker, P, Sale, M Ussery, C 2006, 'Business Environment Fraud: Accounting Happenings', Allied Academics International Conference, vol 11, no. 1, pp. 65-78. Smith, LC, Smith, ML Ashcroft, PA 2011, 'Analysis of Environmental and Economic Damages From British Petroleum's Deepwater Horizontal Oil', Albany Law Review, vol 15, no. 1, pp. 1-23. Vromen, A, Cook, I (eds.) 2012, Contemporary Politics in Australia: Theories, Practices and Issues, Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne. Wilson, E Kuszewski, J 2011, Shared Value, Shared Responsibility: A New Approach to Managing Contracting Chains in the Oil and Gas Sector, IIED, London. WordPress 2011, 'BHPBilliton: Dirty Energy', Alternative Annual Report 2011, vol II, no. 1, pp. 1-28.

Occupational Analysis Inventory Essay Example

Occupational Analysis Inventory Essay Occupational Analysis Inventory. Mohammed Adnan Waseem. Course Title: Advances in HRD Supervisor: Prof. Dr Syed Tahir Hijazi. What is Job Analysis? Acquiring information about the jobs in the organization is much important especially for Human Resource department. A job is a schedule of tasks, duties and responsibilities that can be performed by a jobholder. Job analysis is to study these schedules of activities to find out tasks, duties and responsibilities needed for each job. So we can say that, process of collecting and organizing knowledge about a specific job and its requirements is called job analysis For job analysis, questionnaires are basic requirement. There are different types of questionnaires being used to carry out job analysis procedure. One of them is Occupational Analysis Inventory, which is discussed in detail in coming lines. Occupational Analysis Inventory: The Occupational Analysis Inventory contains 617 descriptions of work activities and conditions also called work elements† on the basis of which occupations are rated. In some references number of elements is 622. ) The OAI work elements were produced within the broad framework of an information processing paradigm. It is a useful tool for collecting highly specific and related information about a job. The OAI reveals following five major categories: (1) Information Received, (2) Mental Activities, (3) Work Behavior, (4) Work Goals, (5) Work environment. These major categories a re further subdivided regarding to selected conceptual framework pertaining to the human behavior and work requirements. We will write a custom essay sample on Occupational Analysis Inventory specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Occupational Analysis Inventory specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Occupational Analysis Inventory specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Model for the Occupational Analysis Inventory: AIl respondents have to rate each job element by selecting from four ratings given below: (1) part-of-job, (2) extent, (3) application, (4) a special scale designed for the element. Uses: OAI has a very vast use, from Army to industry, etc. The OAI has been used to gather information on 1,400 (approximately) jobs selected to represent five major occupational categories. To cope with the changing nature of the organizational activities, occupational analysis and classification system keeps an eye on the characteristics of the person performing the job, the context in which he or she is performing it and what output is being produced by him/her in the presence of (maybe) unstable environmental, economic, demographic and technological conditions. Implications for the Army: As other private and public organizations, Army is also experiencing changes in the nature of work. It is considered that these changes can create pressure in the structure and content of soldier’s duties. To meet these challenges OAI is considered very useful technique. Results: There are almost four main points that are emerging from OAI. Three relates to increasing heterogeneity of employers, jobs, and the workplace environment, and the fourth focuses on the need for an orderly approach to understanding work dynamics. First, the workforce is becoming more diverse with respect to demographics; these dynamics appear to have resulted in greater heterogeneity within traditional occupational categories. Second, the differentiation among jobs and departments is becoming another threatening issue. Third the work structure issue appears to be increasing, and these decisions are interdependent. The fourth and final theme emerges from this interdependency. Limitations: Results obtained by Occupational Analysis Inventory have been moderate not so much reliable. According to some analysts, their level is almost lower than other used methods (e. g. PAQ , WPS etc. ). Why do Occupational Analysis? There are three reasons that why we use OAI: . It is an appropriate way which guarantees highly competitive recruiting, hiring, classifying, training, promoting and out-placing your most valuable resource (your workforce); 2. Its an easy way to train and retain the best qualified people; 3. It is a more flexible on the item inventories (tasks, competencies, knowledge-skill-abilities, etc. ) Comparison with other Methods: If we compare it with Fleishman Job Analysis Survey, F-JAS model is a system to describe jobs from the point of view of necessary capacities. While OAI was designed to yield more specific job information relating to all elements of job, not only necessary capacities. If we compare it with Functional Job Analysis, FJAS requires specific additional skills or others that may not be as necessary as originally thought for conducting the survey. In this way it becomes specific task not a general purpose. While in OAI, there is no limitation of this type. If we compare it with MOSAIC, MOSAIC uses (almost) close ended questions, which limits its results. Because questionnaires at this level should be a mixture of both (open ended and close ended). Another negative of MOSAIC is that, it takes 151 job elements rated in terms of importance for effective job performance, while OAI uses 617 job elements. If we compare it with Position Analysis Questionnaire, PAQ does not describe the tasks, technologies, or duties of jobs. It just measures job characteristics and relates them to human characteristics. While OAI describes the occupation in much details. If we compare it with Work Profiling System, WPS is only computer-administered on-site at a company. It just measures ability and personality attributes, while leaving others.

what are common health problems that we have today and what we should do to maintain a healthy life Essays

what are common health problems that we have today and what we should do to maintain a healthy life Essays what are common health problems that we have today and what we should do to maintain a healthy life Essay what are common health problems that we have today and what we should do to maintain a healthy life Essay The technology era brings various benefits for society members. However, it is the modern life that puts a large amount of pressures on them. They are expected to chase the time with buisiness tasks to make ends meet without relaxing. Therefore, there are numerous health problems with which the stress sufferers are obliged to face. To my mind, stress, smoking are two most common health issues that we need to keep an eye on in a careful manner. Stress is the most common health problem in the workplace. Workers and officers frequently bear a large quantity of work overloading their minds. Put it another way, they are forced to battle with a million of deadlines in order to reach the fulfilment of plans. Although stress is not considered as an irremediable disease, it is advised to notice. It is such a huge matter for those who work for a long time because they will easily show their out-of-control reactions, more serious, stress may lead to depression, heart attack and others nerve problems. Smoking is also believed to be one of the main reasons causing premature death in the world. Nowadays, more and more community members, primarily the youth, smoke cigarettes or tobacco which is now called tobacco dependence disease. They abuse them as a tool to focus more on work and reduce stress. However, smoking is harmful to health. It causes lung cancer, tuberailosis for both the smokers and the ones who breath the same air with them. Health issues make each individual find methods which maintain a healthy life. No matter what approaches we take, it basically relies on the balance between working time and entertainment time. For example, the majority of population is encouraged to get used to doing good habit such as doing exercise, eating more vegetables and stay away from the bad ones like smoking, drinking. In a nutshell, the more the world develops, the more health problems we have. However, the most important thing is how we protect our health and which ways is suitable for individual to up hold a healthy life style.

Writing for the Health Markets

Writing for the Health Markets In case you had not noticed, America is getting older. And while that might cause alarm for some people, for freelance writers, it is time to dance a jig. Why? Because with the so-called graying of America, the opportunity to write for health markets has exploded and reached an all-time high. And it will continue to grow and grow and grow. Here are five  tips to keep in mind when writing for the health markets: Find the latest health and fitness news. Think like an editor, who is always trying to think like a reader. What is happening in the world of health and fitness, and why is it newsworthy? Find a timely topic in the health world, and you are one step closer to landing an assignment. There are thousands of websites that are devoted to health and fitness information. A good place to start is the Federal Governments own site, the National Institutes of Health. Visit them at nih.gov and youll find every health topic and late breaking bulletin there is. Target your audience. Know the audience of the magazine, newsletter or website, and your job as a health writer will be a lot easier. For example, does this publication like to include a lot of statistics and facts, or is it looking for more of the human side of the story? Read back issues, study the writers guidelines, and youll do fine. Know where to find statistics and facts. As a freelance health writer, you need to know how to research the basic health facts and statistics. Compile a list of reference books, directories (including online sources) and other health materials. A good place to start is a local university or college library. Or better yet, check with your local hospital; many times, they will have a health library that is open to the public. You wont find a better source of reference materials anywhere. Know where to get good quotes from doctors. If you have not yet visited www.profnet.com, then take a few moments and do so. It has the worlds largest group of experts in every field, and they are just waiting to answer your questions. Need a quote from a dentist? Go to ProfNet; need a quote from a heart surgeon? Go to Profnet. Dont write like a doctor. Unless you are a doctor, that is. But even if you are a doctor, remember that you are writing for a general consumer market (unless you are writing for a medical journal!). Dont use 18 letter words when shorter ones will work just as well. Read other general consumer health materials as a guide. Here are a few health markets that are actively seeking new articles: Health Central Find them online at https://www.healthcentral.com/ I recently sold two articles to them at $150 for 500 words. Everyday Health Find them online at https://www.everydayhealth.com/ Last year I wrote four articles for them at $350 for 600 words. When searching for new markets to sell health articles, dont forget to check out health and medical associations.   You can find lots of links right here: meditec.com/resourcestools/professional-associations-list/ Many associations use freelance writers on a regular basis.   A few years ago the American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) hired me to update a Medicare manual.   Although the work was a little boring, it did pay nearly $6,000.

Agency and partnershipl law assessed coursework Essay

Agency and partnershipl law assessed coursework - Essay Example An agent’s actual authority may be either implied or express. As regards to express authority, there will be no issues as everything will be explained or predetermined. An ostensible authority will occur when if the authority has been conferred on the agent, even if such authority is not bestowed upon him by express words. For instant, if an insurer permits his agent to have in possession of blank cover notes, then the insurer implicitly permits him to create temporary insurance contracts on behalf the insurer. If temporary oral contracts entered by an agent are being continuously adopted by the insurer, then it will confer an ostensible authority on that agent1. This research essay will make an earnest attempt to establish that there is no any difference between the acutual and ostensible authority as it appears to be . Analysis Usual Authority of an Agent An agent’s usual authority is interpreted by the courts in the background of actual implicit power, which is being conferred to an agent due to circumstance of a specific case like usual power of an agent from a specific custom or particular trade. Thus, usual authority of an agent is viewed as a feature of apparent or actual authority. . In Watteau v Fenwick , the manager of a beer house had the express authority to buy cigars from the defendant onlyHowever, the agent (manager) bought the cigars from the plaintiff. In a suit for claiming to settle the amount due to the plaintiff, it was held that as the plaintiff was not aware of the express restriction, and since, it fell within the usual power of the manager of a beer house to place an order for this type of goods, the principal was held accountable3. However, in Daun v Simmins4, the decision held in Watteau v Fenwick was contrasted where it was observed that if an agent (manager) of a â€Å"tied† public house only has the power in general to purchase spirits from a specific source. In cases like this, no reliance on an implied author ity can be made by a supplier so as to sue the principal5. Implied or Ostensible or Apparent Authority An implicit or implied or apparent or ostensible authority means where a third party is enticed to enter into a contract with a principal through a party who seems to have power to function or act but in reality , he is lacking such power or authority. In â€Å"Freeman & Lockyer v Buckhurst Park Properties (Mangal) Ltd†, Diplock, LJ held that there is vast difference between apparent authority and actual authority. Despite these, terms are always coincided and co-existed without the other and their relevant background may be diverse. In actual authority, there is a relationship which exists between an agent and the principal legally which is ushered by an unanimous agreement to which they are regarded to be parties6. In ING Re (UK) Ltd v R & V Versicherung AG7, the apparent authority of an agent was explained by Toulson J as one, which is footed upon estoppel by representati on. Where a third party (X) is being caused or represented by a Principal (P) that the agent (A) has the power to function on P’s behalf, and X is dealing with A as an agent of P purely on the reliance of such representation, P is liable to the acts of A to the same magnitude as if A had the required power which he was demonstrating as possessing8. In Zurich General Accident and Liability

A bio that captures the readers attention Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A bio that captures the readers attention - Essay Example By delivering an approachable plan, Gabriel Trigo assists the clients clarify the path of their goals for financial freedom. Gabriel Trigo’s motto is â€Å"Sound financial and investment advice begets a brighter future full of financial freedom†. Trigo pursues the motto, and he is dedicated to assisting the clients achieve the financial freedom by offering high-quality advice, as well as, integrated wealth management solutions that enhance and simplify the quality of the lives of the clients. It is tremendously fulfilling to assist the clients to devise excellent decisions for their goals and circumstances. Gabriel Trigo knows he is successful when clients return with positive feedback highlighting how the investment advice has become a positive influence in their lives. He has a fiduciary duty to individual clients, and he needs to help them to the best of his ability to get them to where they want to go. The clients’ success is Gabriel’s happiness. Seek Gabriel’s advice and you will never be

“Why College Education Is Important to Me” Essay Example for Free

â€Å"Why College Education Is Important to Me† Essay Each year, thousands of people throughout the United States go to college. Depending on individual’s ambition or needs, in predicate logic, various high School graduates go to college for different reasons, including just having fun. However a college education gives you more options and a better life. Why College education is important to me, Primary because if I go to college I will gain skills that I will use for the rest of my life, college education is a solid investment for my Future. I’ve always wanted to be a business man, because business degrees can Help you advance your career and secure positions that you cannot get with a DAVIS 2 High school diplomat. There are other important benefits to college education, such as an Informed citizenry, making better decisions, and appreciation of literature. Secondary, a college education gives opportunities to grow financially and Morally. A college education is absolutely necessary to me because it is the key to Success and has no age limits. Better education gives you the qualification to Better jobs and it gives you more self-confidence. Bobby Scott quoted â€Å"It is Virtually impossible to compete in today’s global economy without a college Degree.’ Knowledge is not innate, but it is learned and shared, Finally a college education is important to me more knowledge I Have more money I get. I have dreams like everybody else, I dream One day after I get married before me and my wife start a family, I would love to Visit some countries; to travel with my wife, I would love to see Paris one day, I DAVIS 3 Would love to visit Barcelona, Italy, Spain, Quebec, Macedonia, and I want to do Mission around the world but especially in Haiti, cause I always wanted to be able To help my people, and my family. But if I don’t have Enough money saved this will always be a dream. After I receive my college Education I will have better opportunities, better ways to earn more money, if I Have a great paycheck I will have a better saving, and I will be able to realize my Great dreams. If every year, Thousands of people throughout the United States go to college, I Want to be one of the thousands; college education is very important to Me because; if I go to college I will gain skills that I will use for the rest of my life, a College education gives opportunities to grow financially and morally, a College education is important to me because more knowledge I have more DAVIS 4 Money I get. This is why college education is important to me.

Different Variables Changing the Rate of Reaction :: Reaction Rates Science Gases Essays

Different Variables Changing the Rate of Reaction To show that different variables can change the rate of reactions e.g. make them faster or slower. Theory: - That changing the variables in a reaction such as concentration, temperature and surface area will increase or decrease the rate of reaction. This would happen because, if you changed the concentration of a solution to a higher concentration the rate of reaction would increases, as there are more particles in the solution which means the particles would collide more. As they are colliding more, particles collide with the other substance making the reaction time much farter and greater. Low Concentration = Slower Reaction High Concentration = Faster Reaction Less Particles More Particles Equipment:- Chronicle Flask Measuring Cylinder Gas syringe Beaker Calcium Carbonate Stopwatch Pestle and Mortar Boss and Clamp Hydrochloric Acid Clamp stand But and Tube Measuring Scales Safety: - As acid and Bunsen's may be being used safety goggles should be worn at all times and all hair tied back. As glass is being used all bags should not be in the corridor and all should be careful when handling glass in case of breakage. All science classroom safety rules should be followed to ensure a safe environment. Prediction: - In our experiment we shall be changing the concentration of the solution, making the solution weaker and stronger. I predict that when the solution has been weakened by water to make it less concentrated the rate of reaction will be slower and weaker. This will happen as there are less particles of hydrochloric acid reacting with the calcium carbonate, the fewer amounts of particles the less amount collisions with the calcium carbonate. Therefore when the hydrochloric acid is strengthened by doubling the amount of hydrochloric acid and adding it with the same amount of calcium carbonate the reaction will be stronger and quicker. This will occur as there are more particles in the solution reacting with the calcium carbonate, as there are more particles in the solution the number in collisions will greatly quickening the reaction time. Method: - After all equipment has been collected and set up (e.g. clamp stand), and all safety rules are followed. First weigh the amount of calcium carbonate you will use i.e. 4g. Then decide if you will change the surface area, doing this will quicken or slow down the experiment. To change the surface area put your calcium carbonate in a pestle and mortar and grind down the chips into a powder, small chips or leave it in the size given. After you have decide and carried out this put the calcium carbonate into the chronicle flask. Then decide if you will change the concentration of the hydrochloric acid, to

Observation and Description Essay

1. Explain a learning theory observed in the video.  In the field trip, experiential learning was applied by the facilitator. In experiential learning, students are immersed in a real environment and exposed in a real situation. Experiential learning is based on constructivist theory whereby the learners play active roles in assimilating knowledge onto their existing mental framework and apply their school learned knowledge to the real world (Henley, 1994). In the video, students work with a professional to investigate and learn about nature at Fermilab. Students used magnifying lenses and their senses to see, smell, hear, and feel the plants that they were holding. Initially, students worked in pairs, share their knowledge and make comparison. Then, they worked in groups and write down what they have observed. Thus, the learners have applied the knowledge and concepts that they have learned in the classroom about living things to a real environment at Fermilab. Through the exchange of knowledge and observations among members of the group, they became active learners and teachers. Experiential learning was formulated by Carl Rogers who claimed that significant learning takes place when the subject matter is relevant to the interest of the learner and when external threats are at a minimum (Dover, 2008; Kearsley, 2008). The teacher must set a positive climate for learning, use learning resources, balance intellectual and emotional component of learning and share feelings and thoughts with the learners (ibid). Learning about nature, the prairie, wetlands and the diversity of life took place in Fermilab, a natural environment. Before students were taken around Fermilab, the facilitator gave them some rules to follow to protect the environment and everyone in the area. Hence, there was a positive climate for learning, the experience was significant to the students and the external threat to learning was kept at a minimum. b. Describe the observed teaching situation in terms of group characteristics, seating arrangement, and any additional criteria necessary to present the setting of the learning environment. The teaching and learning process took place at Fermilab where students observed the plants, animals and wetlands to determine the diversity of life in the environment. Initially, all students sat on the grass and work in pairs in observing the plants. They were also holding their magnifying lenses as they listened to the instructions of the facilitator. Each pair consists of a boy and a girl of the same age and grade level. They interacted with their teammates and discussed what they have observed. Then they worked in groups, reflected on what they have observed and shared what they have learned. There were two boys and two girls in each group. c. Describe the observed teacher-to-student interactions. Students were attentive to their teacher. When the facilitator says, â€Å"I want you to look at the plant, smell the plant, listen to the plant, shake it†¦see if it rattles†, students who were working in pairs got their magnifying lenses to look closely at the plants and follow the instructions of the teacher. Everyone was engaged in the activities. In another scene, a small group of students were listening attentively to a professional as she speaks about the different environments that they will observe and investigate. She also provided some rules that they need to observe to protect the environment and everyone at Fermilab. While the facilitator speaks before the students, there was a female teacher who was standing beside her. d. Describe the observed student-to-student interactions. In the first activity, a buddy system was established whereby students work in pairs while seating on the grass and observing the plants. A boy and a girl were interacting with each other and exchanging knowledge on what they have observed. In another activity, there were four students in each group. They were taking down notes on the plants that they were investigating. As students work in groups, peer teaching was established as groupmates do some discussions and kept their voices low so as not to disrupt the other groups. They were all doing their activities in an orderly manner. Analysis, Exploration, and Reasoning a. Describe the purpose of the observed lesson. The objective of the lesson is to learn about nature and to determine the diversity of life in different environments through active learning and immersion. Through experiential learning, students were able to explore the plants, animals and different environments in Fermilab through the use of their sense of sight, touch, smell, and hearing. The lesson also aimed to provide a hands-on experience on a real or natural environment instead of looking at the pictures, reading about nature and environment and staying in the classroom. The activities gave students the opportunity to work with other students and share their knowledge and observation with other members of the group. The activities also develop the social skills of the students. The activities aimed to foster cooperation as students need to follow rules to protect themselves, other people, nature, animals, and the environment. b. Describe a teaching strategy implemented in the observed lesson. Experiential learning is a strategy used by teachers to incorporate learning theories into lessons. As the students learn about nature and the diversity of life in their field trip, they will be able to construct their own knowledge about the protection of nature from what they have observed and experienced at Fermilab. Through experiential learning, the theory of constructivism can be applied in which learners actively build knowledge and skills, construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current and past knowledge (Bruner, 1990). Students have learned about plants and animal life in the classroom, through their readings or viewing of films or television programs. Now that they have an actual experience of nature’s life in Fermilab, their knowledge and experience are added to what they have already learned. Hence, they will be able to construct their own ideas on how to protect and care for nature and animals. c. Analyze the teacher’s possible purpose for implementing a teaching strategy observed in the video. The possible purpose of implementing experiential learning is to make each learner directly involved with nature and the diversity of life in different environments at Fermilab. The activities whereby students work by pairs or by groups and learn from one another will foster retention and comprehension of the subject matter because they learn through meaningful learning and teaching experience. The experiential activities make learners directly experience, discover and appreciate nature and environment through the use of their senses. Experiential learning also allows students to reflect on their experience, and generate understanding and transfer of skills and knowledge. d. Describe the level of student engagement with the observed lesson In the video, there was a high level of students’ engagement in the activities. This was evident in their participation to all the activities as they work in pairs and in groups in sharing their knowledge and observations on the plants that they were investigating. The students were listening and following the instructions of their teacher. When the teacher says, I want you to look at the plants, smell the plants, etc. , students who were working in pairs, got hold of the plants and observed them closely with their magnifying lenses. They were also attentively listening to the professional who was explaining about the environments and the diversity of life that they will examine within the Fermilab and the rules that they need to follow.

Moby Dick: Chapter 58 Essay

It is in human nature to hold in contempt and fear things unknown to them, on the other hand many people hold the pursuit of knowledge as the one true path to fulfillment in life. The dangers of the pursuit of knowledge are an underlying topic in Ishmael’s discussion of brit. Ishmael describes the sea as enigmatic and immensely more dangerous than the land; in doing so reveals how attempting to study the unknown in the pursuit of knowledge is far more dangerous than remaining ignorant. In Ishmael’s discussion about brit he quickly drifts off the subject of the actual brit and begins to make comparisons between the land and the sea. He states that even â€Å"though some old naturalists have maintained that all creatures if the land are of kind in the sea†(Melville 272), he has yet to see any creatures of the sea that have the same charm and kindness as domesticated pets. He reveals the inherent lack of kindness or hospitability in oceanic creatures by making this statement. He goes on to say that,†however baby man may brag if his science and skill, and however much in a fluttering future that science and skill may augment; yet forever and ever to the crack of dawn, the sea will continue to insult and murder him†¦ man has lost that sense of the awfulness of the sea which aboriginally belongs to it.†(Melville 273). This passage illustrates the core of what Ishmael is trying to describe in his argument. It reveals the horror and indomitable terror of the sea, which according to Ishmael people seem to have forgotten about and take for granted. He also belittles human’s in the passage calling them â€Å"baby man† showing how powerless he believes people are compared to the sea and how no matter how much people advance they cannot compare to the sea’s power. He goes on to expand on this idea stating the many ways in which the ocean’s horrors hold supremacy over all others such as the sea’s lack of mercy and control as well as its deceiving beauty and how â€Å"its most dreaded creatures glide under water unapparent for the most part and treacherously hidden beneath the loveliest azure†(Melville 274) Underlying this description of the terror of the ocean is a warning; Ishmael attempts to show how trying to study the unknown in pursuit of knowledge is far more dangerous than remaining in a state of ignorance. Ishmael uses detailed description to over emphasize how terrifying the ocean is. This shows the use of storytelling and redefinition in order to get the audience picture the terrors of the ocean and in doing so empathize with Ishmael’s beliefs. This indicates Ishmael’s use of pathos in his argument. Ishmael besides describing the ocean as a perilous place he describes it as â€Å"an everlasting terra incognita† (Melville 273), this declaration of the incapableness of man to unravel the mysteries of the ocean shows the, almost fearful, reverence he holds towards the ocean and its mysteries. A reverence he attempts to impart upon the audience through the aforementioned use of hyperbole and redefinition, showing a use of pathos to make the audience sympathize with these feelings. It seems that Ishmael would rather people not attempt to learn about the unknown rather than expose themselves to its dangers. This is apparent when this extract, â€Å"For as thy appalling ocean surrounds the verdant land, so in the soul of a man there lies one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed by the horrors of the half known life. God keep thee push not off from that isle, thou canst never return!†(Melville 274). This is the conclusion to Ishmael’s discussion and reveals the reasoning for his statements. The â€Å"horrors of the half known life† encompassing the â€Å"insular Tahiti† are the things people attempt to learn about the world and themselves. Ishmael believes that by venturing out into the sea of one’s soul man exposes himself to all the dangers of the world. This shows how he believes that it is better to remain on a peninsula of ignorance and comfort than venture out into the sea of knowledge. Ishmael urges people to remain in their small insular world threatened by what lies beyond. He believes that one will find less comfort in discoveries than in ignorance and as such people should stay clear of the mysteries of the world.

Free Essays on Rutgers

In life, it is very important to improve in any way possible. During my past four years in high school, I have used my talents and abilities in order to help benefit others and improve my community. Since childhood, I have always been very creative and artistic in all of my endeavors – both academic and extra-curricular. In addition, I have always been a very enthusiastic student and have had a strong interest and desire to learn new things. I have the difficult of being the â€Å"second†. I will be the second one in my family who is going to attend college. I have a sister goes to college far away from me, I realize it will not be easy. Without having anyone around to advise me about the new life I will face, I have had to figure out everything by myself. If I am to make a mistake in selecting a college, I will bear the full burden of that mistake. As I begin to realize this, I understand that I will need to find the inner strength and self-reliance to face difficult changes alone, but I know I have the personal strength to do this. In addition, because I am the second in my family to be educated abroad, my fifteen year old brother looks up to me in awe. He fully accepts to follow in my footsteps and to be educated in the legendary land that I am constantly speaking of. As a result, I must be careful in what I do since he will follow in my tracks. Thinking about these consequences, I decided that nothing would be easy for me, but whatever I faced, I would never give up. With the hopes of my little brother on the line, I am not going to thwart him dreams of studying in the states. When I first saw the booklet of University of Rutgers Newark on my counselor’s desk, I knew right away that this was the school I wanted to be part of. The University of Rutgers Newark offers me much more than an education. It also offers me the opportunity to learn how to be an individual who can fulfill society’s needs both now... Free Essays on Rutgers Free Essays on Rutgers In life, it is very important to improve in any way possible. During my past four years in high school, I have used my talents and abilities in order to help benefit others and improve my community. Since childhood, I have always been very creative and artistic in all of my endeavors – both academic and extra-curricular. In addition, I have always been a very enthusiastic student and have had a strong interest and desire to learn new things. I have the difficult of being the â€Å"second†. I will be the second one in my family who is going to attend college. I have a sister goes to college far away from me, I realize it will not be easy. Without having anyone around to advise me about the new life I will face, I have had to figure out everything by myself. If I am to make a mistake in selecting a college, I will bear the full burden of that mistake. As I begin to realize this, I understand that I will need to find the inner strength and self-reliance to face difficult changes alone, but I know I have the personal strength to do this. In addition, because I am the second in my family to be educated abroad, my fifteen year old brother looks up to me in awe. He fully accepts to follow in my footsteps and to be educated in the legendary land that I am constantly speaking of. As a result, I must be careful in what I do since he will follow in my tracks. Thinking about these consequences, I decided that nothing would be easy for me, but whatever I faced, I would never give up. With the hopes of my little brother on the line, I am not going to thwart him dreams of studying in the states. When I first saw the booklet of University of Rutgers Newark on my counselor’s desk, I knew right away that this was the school I wanted to be part of. The University of Rutgers Newark offers me much more than an education. It also offers me the opportunity to learn how to be an individual who can fulfill society’s needs both now...

Bloom taxonomy

Bloom’s taxonomy or also known as the revised bloom taxonomy is a great teaching tool to use when teaching patients about their illness. It consists of three categories and then multiple sub-categories. Blooms taxonomy addresses not only the patient’s readiness to learn but it address the appropriate approach to each individual situation. It gives a systematic way of approaching a topic and the audience that will be learning. When this method is applied to nursing it is a great tool. This is due to the fact that each patient has different cognitive factors, different psychomotor factors as well as an affective domain. Bloom’s Cognitive categories have to do with how the mind can process or regenerate the information provided during a teaching session. There are six sub-categories to the cognitive category. The six are remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate and create. A teacher should be able to determine where in this pyramid is the patient. What teaching strategies must be changed and modified to fit the patient lifestyle. The second category is the Affective domain. This is how patients address their emotions to specific problems. This will show what a patient or student values and what motivates them to be who they are. This category has five sub-categories receiving, respecting, valuing, organizing and internalizing. This is the category that will determine if the patient is willing to accept this disease or new lifestyle change into their life. This will tell a teacher where on the scale the patient is willing to rate their disease and how it will affect their life. The Third and final category is psychomotor. This tells the teacher if the patient is physically able to complete the task asked of them. This will allow the teacher to gage if the patient is able to successfully complete what is needed of them to live with their disease process. There are five sub-categories imitation, manipulation, precision, articulation, and naturalization. There is a great example of this category, teaching a patient to use a new nebulizer treatment. The patient will go through reach step of the process till they  can finally reach the goal of naturalization. Conclusion Blooms taxonomy learning tool can break down the heart of teaching and give it meaning to apply to most any professions. Nursing is just one of those professions that teaching is a large part of the job, on a daily basis. Blooms taxonomy should be used each day on a nursing unit from the admission date to the discharge date.

Helping teens grow emotionally Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Helping teens grow emotionally - Essay Example These two minds together shape our destiny. When we talk about the main theme of Emotional Intelligence in teens, as mentioned by Geoff Maslen in his article, we may see that several other writers also mentioned and explained the same concept. Daniel Goleman writes in his book â€Å"Emotional Intelligence† that the main idea or the concept of Emotional Intelligence, basically, argues the IQ. He further mentions that there are extensive areas of Emotional Intelligence that can further indicate that how successful a person is. Success desires something more than Intelligence Quotient. Intelligence Quotient is used to measure the intelligence only, and pays no heed to the essential behaviors and several other elements. There are many people who are rationally and academically brilliant and successful in their lives but they are socially inept. So it is not necessary fact having high IQ level directs to a totally successful and brilliant life. Teenagers mostly appear to be arousing, touching, unpredictable and sometimes violated as well. However, teenagers are always dependent on their teachers and parents. As far as teachers are concerned, they are responsible to supervise the students and to manage all the rising tensions and conflicts among them. So, teacher is always obliged to understand the emotional levels of the class. There is a need of proper consideration about emotional intelligence to manage the whole class. Robert Needlman, M.D, also mentioned in his article ‘Emotional Intelligence’ that the teachers should have the aptitude to forecast or predict and influence the student’s emotions. This is most significant and vital skill that a teacher can have. Actually teens always need inter personal intelligence to be established and accepted in the class, by their peers as well as teachers. Furthermore in this article, Karen Hansen says that it is a theory that teens with elevated levels of emotional intelligence can attain better than students

Resource Based Analysis of Marks & Spencer Plc Essay

Resource Based Analysis of Marks & Spencer Plc - Essay Example The present research has identified that clothing stores of Marks & Spencer are the leading retailers in the UK market and specialize in providing women’s wears, lingerie, and menswear. Their food stores are also leading in the UK market due providing fresh foods which are of high quality. The marketing and distribution of their products into the various markets and stores is done by utilizing the service of huge wholesalers, online stores and through a telephone. The company’s stocks are registered in the London stocks exchange. This paper will first assess the importance of capabilities and how they contribute to the competitive advantage of the organization. Then, analyze Marks & Spencer plc resources and capabilities using ratio analysis, value chain and VRIN. Resource-based view (RBV) is a business model which holds that business can attain a massive competitive advantage over the rival businesses by utilizing their resources and capabilities properly in alignment with the environment of the business. This implies that the business should possess resources and capabilities which are superior to those of their rivals in order to attain the competitive advantage over them. This will prevent the rival businesses from replicating the resources and capabilities of the company thus declining their competitive advantage. Capabilities are used in resource-based view to indicate the ability of a firm to apply its resources effectively and efficiently with the sole aim of gaining the competitive advantage over the market. Strategies of a company are formulated to address the future productivity of the company. Strategies of a company are formulated to address the future productivity of the company. Strategies are formulated to address any occurrences and incidences in the market and how to respond to changes in the market due to pressures or influences which appear from time to time in the market. The first strategy utilized by M&S was the brand name.

What You Have Learned About About Organizational Systems Assignment

What You Have Learned About About Organizational Systems - Assignment Example Employees constitute one of the stakeholders in any organization. Employees provide the human capital required for the organization to succeed. Meeting and attaining organizational goals requires a team of employees who are committed to the organizational culture and development. Most managers use employees to solidify their organizational culture. Developing and maintaining a particular Organizational culture is central to the success of the organization because the culture is usually aligned with the goals and missions of the organization. Organizational culture will ensure that all the employees in the organization work towards a given direction. The reporter has learned the important role employees play in organizations, and in establishing an organizational culture. He would use employees to develop an organizational culture at his workplace that would ensure success in the corporate world. Careful selection of staff would ensure he develops the right organizational culture based on the goals of the workplace. Standardized procedures may help focus on the values that are crucial to the culture when getting employees for the organization. He would only choose those candidates who possess the values that fit the type of organizational culture he is developing.

The competitive advantage of Honda Corporation

The competitive advantage of Honda Corporation There are several factors that can contribute to a firms ability to be competitive in its industry. Building blocks of a competitive advantage include efficiency, quality, innovation, and responsiveness to customers. A firm with a competitive advantage may experience higher profits than the average profit in the industry while competing for the same customers. In the case of Honda, this is true. Honda has many distinctive competencies based on its resource and capabilities that allow it to have a competitive advantage in the auto manufacturing industry. Three areas that give Honda a competitive advantage in the auto industry include Hondas engineering and design, research and development, and brand equity. In order to determine whether Hondas competitive advantage in these three areas is sustainable, we analyze and apply each one to the VRIO framework. Honda is unique in that its corporate structure is made of three companies. Honda Research and Development is in charge of research and development of innovative products for the company. Honda Motor produces, sells, and services the all Honda products. Honda Engineering develops manufacturing processes, systems and equipment used to build all Honda products. Hondas superior design capability has enabled it to build high-quality reliable products and has also added value to the Honda brand. Hondas efficient manufacturing processes have also kept production costs low relative to other automakers in the industry (Snipes 2008). In terms of value, Honda excels at using its engineering expertise and design skills to build reliable cars that simply work. This ability is quite valuable to the company and its industry. Although valuable, Hondas engineering and design is not rare, because there are other car manufactures with excellent engineering and design capabilities. For car manufacturer s who are not already competitive with Honda in its engineering and design ability, it would be very difficult to bridge the gap to competitiveness by imitating Hondas success. Therefore, Hondas engineering and design is inimitable. The final question to ask is whether Honda is organized, ready and able to take advantage of opportunities via its engineering and design. Hondas organization is unique in its management structure in that it differs from most public U.S corporations. A board consisting of 21 directors runs the company, which allows for faster decision-making and execution in new product design (Whiston 2010). All of the companys business units are aligned to take advantage of design breakthroughs, which leads to a conclusion that its engineering and design are a source of sustainable competitive advantage. Hondas focus on research and development is highly valuable and places it at the forefront of technology. This allows the company to incorporate technological breakthroughs and advancements into its wide line of vehicles. Honda also has a very high level of investment in research and development, which is not common in the auto industry. Hondas level of commitment to research and development is also very rare compared to its industry peers. Honda possesses a strong first mover advantage over many competitors in this area because of the advanced nature of its research. Competitors not actively pursuing their own research find it very difficult to catch up to Honda, therefore the companys RD is considered inimitable. Organizationally, Honda keeps the RD group separate from other divisions within the company giving its teams freedom to develop new technologies for the company across the board. Hondas unique structure and its level of commitment to advanced quality research make its rese arch and development a sustainable source of competitive advantage in its industry. Hondas brand equity is an extremely valuable source of its competitive advantage since consumers are willing to pay a premium for Hondas vehicles because of the power of its brand and its association with quality and value. As a result, it has led Honda to have best-in-class repeat purchase rates. Honda has repeatedly been placed among the worlds top 20 most valuable brands according to a research conducted by Business Week Magazine (Ferret 2006). The Honda brand ranked 19th on the international list of one hundred most valuable brands in 2005, having a brand value of $15.8 billion. Honda has very strong brand loyalty as evidenced by the strong repurchase rate for Honda automobiles relative to the industry norms. 65% of Honda customers purchase another Honda automobile compared to only 48% for the industry (Ferret 2006. While it is highly valuable, Hondas brand equity is not rare. Toyota also has strong brand equity in the same industry, but recent recalls may have deteriorated its v alue. Because Hondas brand equity has been built over a long period of time, it would be very difficult for competitors to imitate. Hondas reputation for reliable cars was not earned over night, making it highly inimitable. Honda takes advantages of the benefits given by its strong brand by using it as the flagship brand for the company. By supporting its brand value with superior engineering, design, and research and development, Honda is able to rely on its brand equity as a source of sustained competitive advantage.

Gaining a Sense of Membership into Christian Europe Essay -- Religion

Gaining a Sense of Membership into Christian Europe Problems with format Introduction: ????????? Turkey is a unique nation that has been attempting to bridge the gap between the Muslim world and Western culture. Economics and foreign policy give the strongest background to the challenges Turkey has faced and what lies ahead in Turkey?s slow acceptance into the club of Europe. History: ????????? The country Turkey was formed in 1923 from the partitioning of the 600 year old Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany in WWI. Mustafa Kemal was the leader greatly responsible for creating the republic and is consequently referred to as Ataturk, father of the Turks. Ataturk emphasized secularism, nationalism, and modernization in the regions around Anatolis and Thrace. Ataturk?s social, political, economic, and linguistic reforms became known as ?Kemalism?, and drew inspiration greatly from the West (state.gov). In the year 1945 it officially became a member of the United Nations and participated in the Korean War, later becoming a part of NATO in 1952. Turkey has since grown to become a strategically important eastern member for NATO, and a NATO headquarter is located in Izmir. ?After WWII, Turkey and Greece received security from communism in the form of aid from the United States in the Truman Doctrine. Turkey drafted a formal constitution in 1982 and its government currently consists of 3 branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The majority of the population lives in urban areas, Istanbul home to 9.7 million citizens and the capital Anakara 3.7 million. Turkey?s 780,580 km2 lie in one of the most earthquake prone areas of the world. Although a secular republic, 98% of the population is Muslim, the majority being ... .... Department of State. 13 Dec. 2003 <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3432/htm>. Country Profile-Cyprus. Central Intelligence Agency. 13 Dec. 2003 <http://www.cia.gov>. Greece Now. Greek Embassy. 13 Dec. 2003 <http://www.greece.gr>. Khan, Adnan R. "On the Edge." Maclean's. 8 Dec. 2003: MasterFILE Premier. 17 Dec. 2003 Scheifer, Yigal. "Turkey chafes at European 'snub'." Christian Science Monitor. 16 Dec. 2003: MasterFILE Premier. Cleveland Public Library. 17 Dec. 2003 Squitieri, Tom. "Moderate, West-oriented Turkey is 'logical target'." USA Today 21 Nov. 2003: 14A. NewsBank. Cleveland Public Library. 17 Dec. 2003 Turkey. Turkish Embassy. 13 Dec. 2003 <http://www.turkishembassy.com>. "Western Outpost." Economist. 12 Oct. 2003: MasterFILE Premier. Cleveland Public Library. 13 Dec. 2003 Gaining a Sense of Membership into Christian Europe Essay -- Religion Gaining a Sense of Membership into Christian Europe Problems with format Introduction: ????????? Turkey is a unique nation that has been attempting to bridge the gap between the Muslim world and Western culture. Economics and foreign policy give the strongest background to the challenges Turkey has faced and what lies ahead in Turkey?s slow acceptance into the club of Europe. History: ????????? The country Turkey was formed in 1923 from the partitioning of the 600 year old Ottoman Empire, an ally of Germany in WWI. Mustafa Kemal was the leader greatly responsible for creating the republic and is consequently referred to as Ataturk, father of the Turks. Ataturk emphasized secularism, nationalism, and modernization in the regions around Anatolis and Thrace. Ataturk?s social, political, economic, and linguistic reforms became known as ?Kemalism?, and drew inspiration greatly from the West (state.gov). In the year 1945 it officially became a member of the United Nations and participated in the Korean War, later becoming a part of NATO in 1952. Turkey has since grown to become a strategically important eastern member for NATO, and a NATO headquarter is located in Izmir. ?After WWII, Turkey and Greece received security from communism in the form of aid from the United States in the Truman Doctrine. Turkey drafted a formal constitution in 1982 and its government currently consists of 3 branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The majority of the population lives in urban areas, Istanbul home to 9.7 million citizens and the capital Anakara 3.7 million. Turkey?s 780,580 km2 lie in one of the most earthquake prone areas of the world. Although a secular republic, 98% of the population is Muslim, the majority being ... .... Department of State. 13 Dec. 2003 <http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3432/htm>. Country Profile-Cyprus. Central Intelligence Agency. 13 Dec. 2003 <http://www.cia.gov>. Greece Now. Greek Embassy. 13 Dec. 2003 <http://www.greece.gr>. Khan, Adnan R. "On the Edge." Maclean's. 8 Dec. 2003: MasterFILE Premier. 17 Dec. 2003 Scheifer, Yigal. "Turkey chafes at European 'snub'." Christian Science Monitor. 16 Dec. 2003: MasterFILE Premier. Cleveland Public Library. 17 Dec. 2003 Squitieri, Tom. "Moderate, West-oriented Turkey is 'logical target'." USA Today 21 Nov. 2003: 14A. NewsBank. Cleveland Public Library. 17 Dec. 2003 Turkey. Turkish Embassy. 13 Dec. 2003 <http://www.turkishembassy.com>. "Western Outpost." Economist. 12 Oct. 2003: MasterFILE Premier. Cleveland Public Library. 13 Dec. 2003

Harbor Chemicals

Assignment 5 Sheet Harbour Chemicals Sheet Harbour Chemicals (SHC) manufactures chemicals used in the paint industry. The process involves three departments. Chemical A, which is purchased for $3 per liter, is processed through Department 1 in batches of 100 liters. Each batch of chemicals processed through Department A produces 70 liters of chemical B and 30 liters of chemical C. Chemical B is sold for $10 per liter. Chemical C is used in Department 2 to produce chemicals D, E, and F. Department 2 processes chemical C in batches of 200 liters.Each batch processed through Department B produces 100 liters of chemical D, 60 liters of chemical E, and 40 liters of chemical F. Chemical D is sold for $12 per liter. Chemical E is a waste product that is donated to the local municipality to be spread on gravel roads to keep down dust. Chemical F is a hazardous waste product that must be disposed of at a cost of $6 per liter. Alternatively, chemical F can be processed through Department 3 to produce chemical C. Department 3 processes chemical F in batches of 40 liters.For each batch of chemical F processed, 20 liters of chemical C are produced. In the past, this operation has had a tendency to build up stocks of chemical C. The maximum storage capactiy for chemical C is 1,000 liters. The accompanying diagram summarizes the production activities at SHC. The sales manager indicates that sales of chemical B cannot exceed 35,000 liters in the upcoming period, and sales of chemical D cannot exceed 10,000 liters. The production manager advises that 7,000 labor-hours are available for the upcoming period. Workers are paid $10 per hour worked.The production manager indicates that the labor-hours required for each batch in Departments 1,2, and 3 are 10, 15, and 10, respectively. Moreoever, because of constraints relating to the mixing vats and storage, the maximum number of batches in Departments 1, 2, and 3 are 600, 80, and 40, respectively. The estimated variable overhead cost s per batch in Departments 1, 2, and 3 are estimated as $250, $750, and $100. 2 Required: 1. Formulate an LP to determine the optimal production plan at SHC for the upcoming period. 2. Using Excel, solve the LP formulated in requirement 1 to determine the optimal plan.

Alcohol Use Disorder

Alcohol use disorders are among the most prevalent mental disorders worldwide and rank high as a cause of disability burden in most regions of the world. (Grant et al. , 2006)The following paper discusses the recent research findings and essential features based on the content of diagnosis, assessment and treatment. Diagnosis The DSM-IV-TR classifies drug disorders into substance use disorders (substance dependence and abuse) and substance-induced disorders (substance intoxication, substance withdrawal, induced delirium, anxiety, depression, psychosis and mood disorders). Sometimes it is difficult assessing patient’s psychiatric complaints because heavy drinking is associated with alcoholism can co-exist with, contribute to or result from several different psychiatric syndromes. (Shivani, Goldsmith & Anthenelli, 2002) In order to improve diagnostic accuracy, distinguishes among alcohol-related psychiatric symptoms and signs, alcohol-induced psychiatric syndromes and independent psychiatric disorders that are commonly associated with alcoholism emerges to be essential. Patients’ gender, family history, and course of illness over time also should be taken into account. Alcohol-related psychiatric symptoms and signs Heavy alcohol consumption directly affects brain function and brain chemical and hormonal systems known to be involved in many common mental disorders thus can manifest itself in a broad range of psychiatric symptoms and signs. (Koob, 2000) And this usually the first problem which brings the patients seek help. The symptoms vary depending on the amount of alcohol used, how long it is used and how recently it was used as well as patient’s vulnerability to experiencing psychiatric symptoms in the setting of consumption. For example, during intoxication, smaller amount alcohol may produce euphoria whereas larger amount may produce more dramatic changes in mood. Alcohol also impairs judgment and aggressive, antisocial behaviours that may mimic certain externalizing disorders such as ASPD. Alcohol-induced psychiatric syndromes The essential feature of alcohol-induced psychiatric syndromes is the presence of prominent and persistent symptoms, which are judged- based on their onset and course as well as on the patient’s history, physical exam, and laboratory findings to be the result of the direct physiological effects of alcohol. Given the broad range of effects of heavy drinking may have on psychological functioning, these alcohol-induced disorders span several categories of mental disorders, including mood, anxiety, psychotic, sleep, sexual, delirious, amnestic and dementia disorders. Alcoholism with comorbid, independent psychiatric disorders Alcoholism is also associated with several psychiatric disorders that develop independently of the alcoholism and may precede alcohol use and abuse. One of the most common of these comorbid conditions is ASPD, and axis II personality disorder marked by a longstanding pattern of irresponsibility and violating the rights of others with alcohol. (Stinson et al. , 2006) Assessment The three major purposes for a comprehensive assessment are to determine a diagnosis, devise a treatment plan and to make appropriate referrals. The assessment should provide a clinical picture of the client’s personal level of functioning, history, presenting problems, family and social context in the client’s life. It is very important that the assessment process requires the gathering of comprehensive, accurate information, for a valid diagnosis and appropriate treatment. – It is vital that the counsellor needs to collect valid and reliable information. Both formal diagnosis, as listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (APA, 1994) and informal diagnosis, if the client has had therapy in the past can be made. – Comprehensive assessment is essential in designing a treatment plan. The more information provided concerning the etiology, functioning level and prognosis of the problem, the better the treatment plan. – Comprehensive assessment also provides information in order to made appropriate referral. The counsellor may decide to provide treatment solely or in conjunction with some other drug treatment specialists. Generally there are three categories of assessment measures: subjective data and physiological data. -Subjective data To collect information of demographics, family and living situations, mployment, education, drinking history (including development of the drinking problem and current drinking) and the effects on the subject’s cognitive, psychosocial, behavioural and physiological functioning. (Aalto & Seppa, 2005) For example, some questionnaires focus on problems caused by alcohol consumption, the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) (Saunders, Aasland, Babor, de le Fuente, & Grant, 1993) There are ones with diaries focussing on the quantification of alcohol consumption, such as quantity-frequency, time-period or time-line follow-back methods. Webb et al. , 1990) More recently, a low level of response (LR) to alcohol (the need for higher amounts to have an effect) is a genetically influenced characteristic that is both found in populations at high risk for future alcoholism and that predicts alcohol related life problems in future. This Self-Rating of the Effects of Alcohol (SRE) questionnaire asks for estimate of number of drinks required to produce each of four effects at different times in their lives. Miller, Thomas, & Mallin, 2006) In addition, the survey included the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C (AUDIT-C), a three-question alcohol screening test adapted from the original AUDIT developed by the World Health Organization for use in primary health care. The AUDIT-C is a simple, reliable screening tool that focuses on the frequency of drinking, quantify consumed on the typical occasion and the frequency of heavy episode drinking. (Bush, Kivlahan, McDonnell, & al. , 1998) Again, there is no such perfect measure that SRE was found to be biased and not able to identify high functioning middle-age women. Schuckit, Smith, Danko, & Isacescu, 2003) The difficulty with these specific questionnaires is that people who drink alcohol in general tend to neglect or underestimate their alcohol consumption. (Koch et al. , 2004) The accuracy of these measures is based on the patient's awareness of and willingness to acknowledge his or her pattern and level of alcohol use as well as negative effects of drinking. At least some individuals who drink excessively will fail to do this. (Allen & Litten, 2001) – Physiological data Comparing to subjective data, physiological data can overcome the subjectivity, underestimation in particular thus provides more precise and objective information about the drinking issue. It includes general medical and psychiatric history and examination. This is conducted through screening of blood, breath or urine for alcohol used, further on laboratory tests for abnormalities that may be accompanied acute or chronic alcohol use such as gamma-glutamy-transferase (GGT) or mean corpuscular volume (MCV), a measure of the average size of red blood cells. These may also be used during treatment for potential relapse. GGT is the most commonly used biochemical measure of drinking. However, it is not clear how much drinking is actually needed to cause GGT levels to elevate. And MCV tends to miss more alcoholics than GGT as MCV may be elevated by a variety of conditions other than heavy drinking such as non-alcoholic liver disease, smoking, advanced age or use of anticonvulsants etc. Thus applying the usual cut-off points for these tests, GGT turns out to have a low specificity whereas MCV shows a low sensitivity. This may lead to a gross misunderstanding with the patient and unnecessary further testing. Carbohydrate deficient transferring (CDT) has been recently approved as a marker for identification of individuals with alcohol problems as well as an aid in recognizing if alcoholic patients in treatment have relapsed. CDT and GGT appear to validly detect somewhat different groups of people with alcohol problems. GGT may best pick up those with liver damage due to drinking, whereas CDT seems to be related to level of consumption with or without liver damage. It should be kept in mind that biomarkers do not identify women or adolescents with alcohol problems as they do for male or adults in general. (Similarly, self-report screening tests are also generally less able to detect alcohol problems) (Allen & Litten, 2001) Previous studies showed that over 80% of internists and family clinicians report that they usually or always ask new outpatients whether they drink alcohol. Less than 20% of primary care physicians routinely use validated self-report alcohol screening instruments (e. g. CAGE questions or AUDIT) Fewer than half ask about maximum alcohol consumption on one occasion. Alcohol biomarker laboratory tests are rarely used. Reasons given by clinicians for not following recommended alcohol screening guidelines range from lack of time, to insufficient knowledge and skills, to pessimistic attitudes about the ultimate benefits of screening. A current study conducted by Miller, et al. , (2004), they found that approximately 60% of clinicians surveyed frequently screen patients for alcohol use with quantity/frequency and CAGE questions. This is comparable to the incidence of screening found in previous studies. (Miller, Ornstein, Nietert, & Anton, 2004)Miller, et al. 2006) further found that over 90% of patients were in favour of screening and guidance about alcohol use and very positive about the use of biological alcohol markers. These findings suggest that physicians and clinicians may be convinced that patients are open to alcohol screening and would not be offended by it. Heavy drinkers may have more of a tendency to be embarrassed by such questions but there is no evidence they would be object to screening. The majority of patients would also be willing to receive alcohol biomarker blood tests, if their physicians and clinicians deemed such tests necessary.