Corporate Finance Company Profile Ebay Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Corporate Finance Company Profile Ebay - Essay Example A significant boost is recorded in the year 2008 mainly due to the control on revenue expenditures and also on the fixed charges which are in the form of interest expense. The credit mainly goes to the management who has taken corrective measures like controlling fixed and operating expenses which have made a significant impression on eBay’s net income. The slight increment in cash and cash equivalent in the year 2008 with 20% as compared to the year 2007, may be a result of the fact that the company has invested in securities, paying-off liabilities, etc. It is quite obvious that management has been able to implement effective cash management techniques. The cash flow of eBay from 2006 to 2008 suggests that its operating activities are slightly high in the year 2008, amounting to $2,881,995m in comparison with the rest of the years, due to its massive business volume and operations; there has been an increase in the operating activities of the company. EBay’s management has, however, made huge investments in property plant and equipment, because of which its investing activities are higher in the year 2008, primarily, due to the principal loans receivable, in comparison with the years 2006 and 2007. eBay’s financing activities mainly consist of repurchases of common stock. The sole reason behind treasury stock is to regain the market position by increasing the value of its stock. eBay’s management has never paid cash dividends on their stocks and also there is no clear indication of it happening in the near future. And hence it is impossible to observe the dividend yield and dividend growth pattern of eBay (Annual Reports, 2008). Due to the expansion in the business company require some fixed asset for maximum use of the resources for uplifting the business operation and meets the customer demand so there is a slight variation in the year 2008 with respect to other years.

Retail Industry in the UK for the Last Quarter of 2011 Essay

Retail Industry in the UK for the Last Quarter of 2011 - Essay Example The UK retail sector contributes 8% towards the country’s GDP which includes the UK retailers going overseas and expansion of e-commerce beyond the borders of the United Kingdom (Farfan, 2011). However, retailers in the UK face a huge challenge as they struggle to cope with the sudden deterioration in consumer demand and willingness to purchase. This report presents an in-depth analysis of the key factors that influence the development of the retail sector while evaluating which sectors offer the most potential. 2. Overview of the retail sector 2.1 Top retailers - UK The top four retailers in the UK include Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury and together they account for about 80% of the retail food sales in the UK (Farfan, 2011). Even though recession impacted the individual retail chains, there were not many substantial changes in the largest retail UK chains. The largest retail chains held their ranking order because there were no changes observed. Two major changes that occurred in 2011 in the UK retailing industry were that the apparel retailer Arcadia group and department store Debenhams lost their spots in the World’s largest retailing list completely. ... 2.2 Causes of decline in consumer shopping The retail sector witnessed a healthy start to 2011 as figures showed that sales on high street were up 9% year-on-year which provided a new boost to the British mid-market retailers (Sillitoe, 2011). Fashion sales, non-fashion trading and homeware sales had all witnessed growth in sales. However, the economic and survey data suggest a slowdown in activity, which poses a challenge for the UK retail sector. Following the recession the economic growth has been slow which reflects the weak consumer sector and the rising unemployment. The economy is expected to grow by 2.0% in 2012 but the retail sector continues to be grim (Retail Economics, 2011). Consumer spending had fallen for four consecutive quarters before September 2011. Consumer spending in the second quarter of 2011 declined by 1.7% compared with the same period last year. Real disposable incomes have been affected due to high levels of inflation and low earnings growth. Besides, taxe s have been imposed and benefits cut, which further affects the household disposable income. Fears about job security and personal finances have contributed to low consumer spending. The consumer spending is expected to slow down further as consumer debt rises, assisted by rising interest rates and inflation (Prospects, 2012) and stagnant wage growth and rising unemployment (Leach, 2011). House prices and job security also affect how people shop. Consumer confidence has waned because people will shop only if they feel optimistic about the situation. When they lack confidence in their own financial security, naturally the spending will be reduced. There has been a slow growth in the retail sector as the operating costs and the cost of credit have risen. The

Psychological Contract And Motivational Problems Management Essay

Psychological Contract And Motivational Problems Management Essay The recent change of management at Wingos incorporating the new mission statements has seen a lot of changes with employees both the managers and non-managers. This report will analyse the current issues at Wingos (Reading Store), what as gone wrong, why it has gone wrong and how to make it better. The acquisition of Wingos by Melrose Plc has brought about a drastic change which has seen a change in the management style. Staffs have embraced this change with resentment and resistance which will be outlined in the report. Some staffs have become disillusioned and left while some had decided to stay and resist the changes and this as seen a great rise in lateness and absenteeism as well as low productivity. The fundamental areas addresses are the psychological contract, motivation and the management problems. This report has been structured in the following way. The first part addressed the issues with the use of relevant theories and research. The second part draw up conclusions on the findings and analysis and finally, the third part of the report suggested some attainable recommendations. One major problem identified with Wingos is the psychological contract. The psychological contract has been broken on both the management and the employees side. According to Robinson, Kraatz, Rosseaus(1994) the psychological contract is an unwritten agreement that exist between employers and their employees, meaning what employers expects from it employees and what the employees expect of their employers (Mullins, 2005). As well as the managers expectation of the staffs such as displaying a positive attitude, be responsive to leadership influence and working diligently, the employees also expects the management to be fair, trustworthy and create opportunities for development (Boddy, 2008). Before the new management started, the staffs dwell on the old psychological contact which is I will work hard for and act with loyalty towards my employer. In return I expect to be retained as an employee provided I do not act against the interests of the organisation. I also expect to be given opportunities for development and promotion should circumstances make this possible. (Torrington et al, 2008). The new Wingos management have broken this psychological contract. Staffs who had joined straight from school and having the impression for a job for life, hoping to stay until retirement and get promoted according to their length of service has seen all of this taken away from them. This has resulted to lack of commitment from staffs as well has lack of motivation. Some of the staffs believe the new management has broken the psychological contract and this can be supported by Parks Kidder (1994) who suggest that when the psychological contract is broken, staff reduce their commitment to the organisation and some of them are less willing than ever to give their all for the good of their organisation. (Cited in www.internationalmta.org). Some staff playing by the old psychological contract became disillusioned and left the organisation whilst some staff decided to stay and resist the changes. This action can be supported by Herriot and Pemberton (1995) where they describe a typical reaction to breach of the psychological contract as to leave to stay or keep your head below parapet, or to stay and take your revenge. Some of the staffs that decided to stay and resist the change can be seen as taking revenge against the management and by doing this, it could lead to de-motivation and can result in low productivity and high absenteeism. B. MOTIVATIONAL PROBLEMS Motivation is one of the major problems Wingos is facing currently. De-motivation has been made obvious by the attitude and behaviours of the staff after the change in management. Motivation is very important to Wingos because there are a lot of potential gain from it such as high productivity, low labour turnover and low absenteeism. It is obvious from the staffs that they are de-motivated seeing from their performance as well as the stores performance. There is evidence that staff had low morale and according to Herzberg 2 factor theory (1959) the staffs wants to have a sense of achievement, and chance of improvement (Mullins, 2005). Staffs come in whenever they want, the shop floor looks generally untidy which reduces productivity and staff are not in agreement. 1. Low Productivity: Less motivated staffs tend to have low productivity. It is evident that the traditional Wingos and the new Wingos have productivity issues. With the traditional Wingos profit had fallen drastically which lead to the new system but despite productivity did not improve. The lack of motivation has resulted in some staff delivering reduced level of productivity. Low productivity could be as a result of various factors. Such factors includes competency (www.team buildinginc.com) that is the staffs from the traditional Wingos had fairly routine work and not particularly challenging, which means they were not really interested in the root of how to carry out their work. And in the new Wingos, conversations with various staffs have made it clear that staffs find it difficult to do their job properly because of general lack of training. Taylor (1911) motivation theory describes how the application of scientific methods to the management of workers could improve productivi ty. (www.netmba.com). He also went ahead to argue that workers need close supervision and control to enjoy there work and they should be given the necessary training in other for them to work efficiently. McGregors (1960) Theory X supports this reaction that workers are viewed as lazy and wish to avoid responsibility (www.tutor2.net). Another factor which can cause low productivity is the productivity standard (www.teambuildinginc.com). It is evident at Wingos that there has been lack of communication between the staff and their line managers and the line managers with their district manager. There are no set standards or clear definition of the standard performance and this could result to de-motivation amongst staff. Locke (1975) supports this reaction to identify this motivation behaviour. According to Lockes goal- setting theory Wingos staffs have been de-motivated because there is no clear goals on what they need to achieve to increase productivity and there is no appropriate f eedback on why there has been decrease in their productivity (Mullins, 2005). 2. Lateness and Absenteeism: Following the acquisition by Melrose Plc and the introduction of new ways of doing things and also the break in the psychological contract, there has been a marked increase in lateness and absenteeism. This lateness and absenteeism increase could be as a result of various factors such as stress. Mitch McCrimmon in his article on How to Manage Absenteeism states that Motivated employees overcome obstacles to make it to work. The key to reducing employee absenteeism is to create a culture where employees want to come to work. (www.suite101.com). He also mentioned that factors such as stress keep staffs away from work because they are not motivated enough to be at work in the first place. Signs and Symptoms of stress within Wingos staffs includes low morale, absenteeism, performance (levels of produce wastage were high), relationship at work (tension and conflict between colleagues) etc. According to Vroom (1964) motivation theory, he believes that all three core concept of his expectancy theory must be met for staffs to be motivated. Currently, staffs at Wingos are not getting the intrinsic rewards they expect such as caring managers. All of this could lead to stress and as a result lateness and absenteeism is common. 3. Lack of Team Spirit: Another problem identified was the lack of team spirit. Staff are not seen to be productive because they are seen working on their own and there was less practiced of team working. The lack of team spirit as seen, as resulted to staff feeling de-motivated and lacking direction. One staff cannot do a teams work and if the team is not working together, individual will become stress which could lead to de-motivation and the task will not be achieved. This can be supported by Adairs model of leadership function that a task needs to be achieved by not one person but a team, the team needs should be met because if not met, an individual will be dissatisfied which could lead to de-motivation and the performance of the task will be impaired (www.teambuilding.co.uk). This therefore suggests that, management has set up teams and has not directed in the right way and therefore leaving the staffs de-motivated. 4. Personality Issues: Huczynski and Buchana(2007) defines personality has The psychological qualities that influence an individuals characteristic behaviour patterns in a stable and distinctive manner. (cited in Armstrong,2009) The differences in an individual can determine what motivates them. Every person is different from every other person in some respects but similar in other respects. As it can be seen with the staffs, some staffs left the company because the psychological contract of promotion was broken while some staff stayed behind to resist the change. C. MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS 1. Leadership Style/Management Structure: One major issue identified is the leadership and management style. About.com 18/11/09 defines leadership as the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal (www.about.com). The current situation in Wingos suggests that there is a fault with the leadership because, rather than the employees getting motivated, they have been de-motivated. According to Carnall (2007) when problems such as low motivation and low morale of employees, conflict between departments as seen amongst full-time and the weekenders and lack of capacity to adapt to changing circumstances as seen with the staffs generally occurs then there is a reason to conclude that the structure of the organisation is poor (Carnall, 2007). It has become obvious that most of the staff in regardless of their working time or days have found the top-down management style oppressive. According to Kotter (1990) Management is more to do with planning, controlling and putting appropriate structures and systems in place while leadership is more to do with anticipating change, coping with change and adopting a visionary stance. (McKenna, E 2001). Before February 2008, the management style that exists was the Laissez- Faire style. Managers provided little or no direction and gives staffs as much freedom as possible. After March 2008, the management adopted the autocratic leadership style. Manages retain as much power and decision making and did not consult staffs or allowed them to give any input. Herzbergs (1966) two factor theory supports this behaviour that before the change, staffs were motivated by the motivators (satisfier) such as chance of promotion, sense of achievement, interest in the job etc. While after the change, with the hygiene factors such as pay, company policy, the kind of supervision etc do not lead to higher levels of motivation but without them there is dissatisfaction (www.accel-team.com). Scholl (1981) claims that pay alone will not motivate an individual (Mullins, 2005). 2. Performance Management System (PMS): The critical factor of bringing this change in to place is to have the right number well trained staff and motivated. As a result of this change, the opposite of the aim was evident. Staffs were easily de-motivated and lost their morale which can be seen as a result of the managers behaviours. The managers assume according to McGregor Theory X (1960) that employees must be threatened with punishment to get them to put in adequate effort at work (Thomson, 2002). The staffs felt the system is unfair and this is as a result of improper use by the managers. This is an evidence of the autocratic leadership style. The managers can be seen not consulting the staffs or allowing them to give any inputs. The system that has been put in place to benefits the company, the managers and the staffs by seeing to the needs and development of staffs has been used improperly. Some studies over the past years shows that this type of leadership could see organisati on having high turnover and absenteeism and this is evident at Wingos. (www.essortment.com) 3. Lack of communication: Wingos has introduced a drastic change following being part of Melrose Plc. The management style had change. There is no evident to suggest that staff were fully enlightened about the new changes introduced. One main complaint identified was that there is lack of communication between employees and the management and even within the managers and the next level up. 4. Lack of training: Staffs had not been properly trained on the new changes and this has reduced their output and not able to do their jobs properly. CONCLUSION The analysis and findings concludes that staffs have become de-motivated as a result of the drastic change in the management and leadership style. The change has caused insecurity amongst the staffs such as staffs leaving and some staying back to resist the change. Psychological contract as been broken and which has seen some staff left the company and there has been low productivity. This is supported by Parks Kidder (1994). Managers had used tools such as Performance Management System which is supposed to motivate staff to de-motivate them. There has been lack of communication which has resulted to staffs being resentful and resisting change. All this issues needs to be addressed for the company to be successful. If not resolved, there could be a further decrease in productivity, increase in absenteeism and staff loss to competitors. In other for all of this to be resolved, there are key areas that need to be addressed, such as the psychological contract, motivation of staffs and the management style. RECOMMENDATION Psychological Contract Due to the fact that, the psychological contract is perceived to have been broken, a new contract should therefore be established. Rousseau and Greller (1994) describe the psychological contract as a contract that encompasses the actions employees believe are expected of them and what response they expect in return from the employer.'(Cited in www.gowerpublishing.com). The only way for staffs to be aware of the actions expected of them by the management and what response they expect in return from the management is by undertaking a staff survey, to be completed by both staffs and managers. This should help identify the expectation from both staff and could help understand the new contract. Effective Change For an organisation to be successful when carrying out changes, there are three necessary conditions to be met which includes awareness, capability and inclusion (Carnall, C). It is important for staff to be aware of the changes that are going to take place in any organisation because according to Mayo (1949), he concluded that workers are best motivated when there is better communication between them and their managers. (www.tutor2u.net). As well as communicating with staffs, if they are included in the decision making, they are more likely to accept change. Staffs also need to be capable and be sure they know what is required of them and this can only be effective if staffs are given adequate training. Therefore, it is recommended that staffs should be well informed by having regular meetings with their line managers (this can bridge the gap between the full-time staffs and the weekenders and also create good team spirit), staffs should be well trained in other for them to do their jobs accurately and should be involved with decision making by creating suggestion boxes and implementing some of the suggestions. And if a suggestion is used, the staff should be rewarded. Employee Appraisal It is recommended that, the management re-visit the PMS which is to see to employee appraisal rather than punishment. Staffs needs to understand why the PMS has been put into place and what benefits are available for them in it. Staffs have different personality and are diverse in their own way and managers needs to understand the individual needs of their staffs. Following a staff appraisal, knowing that the managers are aware of their personal needs and goals, they will tend to be more motivated, and in return there will be high productivity, high labour turnover and staff retention. Relationship The managers should develop an interest in their staffs by getting to know them, their way of life and their families. According to a CIPD survey, a good relationship between employees and line manager is the most important factor for motivating staff and establishing a positive psychological contract (Thomson, 2002). The staff appraisal can also build the relation between the staff and their managers. One of the benefits of appraisals is that, staffs experience improved relationship with their managers and vice versa (Thompson, 2002). This recommendation can help build the gap between the workforce by creating a good team spirit. Monitoring Absence Staffs sickness absence should be monitored. It is recommended that line managers should interview staffs when they return back to work to identify the reason for their sickness. And if the sickness is work related, managers should ensure that the situation is dealt with appropriately. Management Training The type of leadership style recommended at Wingos is the Democratic style. Before February 2008, the type of leadership practiced was the Lassie Faize style which saw the company going down. After March 2008, the new management introduce the autocratic style which saw staff de-motivated and some staff left the company. Introducing the democratic leadership style, will increase motivation amongst staff and staffs will support the vision of the company and the company generally will see growth. Therefore, all managers should be trained on how to motivate their staffs and learn the approach of the democratic or participative leadership style. Although this is a good recommendation as it will see increase in staff inputs towards Wingos, however cost of training should be considered. Exit Interviews Retention of employees should be addressed by interviewing staffs before they leave to identify why they are leaving. If the reason for leaving is given, it should be dealt with in a positive way and it should be treated discreetly. Although some staffs may choose not to disclose their actual reason of leaving, it is highly recommended that manager doing the exit interview should not be well known to the staff leaving. This is because staffs tend to open up more when they are in a neutral environment.

The Fall of the Roman Empire Essay -- Decline of Ancient Rome

The Roman Empire was, without a doubt, the most powerful governing body in the Mediterranean that ever was. At the peak of the Roman Empire, in the mid part of the first century, it covered about half of Europe, much of the Middle East, and the north coast of Africa. So why did Rome fall? There was not one cause that led to the fall of Rome, but many things occurring in succession to each other. After the reign of Tiberus, there were many poor leaders, two of which were Caligula and Nero. Caligula killed his sister, among many other people and made his favorite horse a senator. Nero murdered his wife and mother and was accused of setting fire to Rome. Such deeds were common because the laws of the empire favored the rich landowners and who ordered and were the target of many assassinations (Gibbon, 70). It is true when it is said that Rome was not built in a day. Nor did it fall in a day. Many factors contributed to the ruin of the Roman Empire. The two most important factors were this: the cities consumed without producing and disease ravaged the Roman world. After the Punic wars with Carthage, Rome acquired many new lands that it did not have before. The farmers of these lands came to the cities, only knowing how to farm and fight wars. With their farms were destroyed, some were able to fight for the professional army, but others were left with nothing to do. These first families had no skills to pass down to their descendants. Generations passed and soon there were no more people that knew how to farm or earn a living. The powers of Rome made this worse by not educating the masses that first came to the cities after the Punic Wars (Stambaugh, 125). During peace times it was easy to govern these areas but du... ... their entire civilization was based on war, greed, and arrogance. Bibliography Baker, Simon. "Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of An Empire" BBC Books; Reprint edition, 2007 Coolidge, Olivia E. "Lives of Famous Romans." American Home School Publishing, 2007. Gibbon, Edward. "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire." Everyman's Library, 2010. Grant, Michael. "The Fall of the Roman Empire." Scribner, 1997. Web. 25 June 2015. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23040343?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents Guittard, Charles. "The Romans: Life in the Empire." Millbrook Press, 1996. Roberts, J. and Westad, O. "The History of the World" Oxford University Press, 2013. Stambaugh, John E. "The Ancient Roman City." Johns Hopkins University Press, 1988. Vickers, Michael J. "The Roman World (The Making of the Past)." Peter Bedrick Books, 1989.

Why Go to College

Why did you choose to come to college? Education is the most important part of one’s life. Not everyone goes to college right after high school. College is not intended for everyone. For example, some people decide to work right after high school. College is expensive and some may even say it is hard. However, college is not a bad thing it has some good qualities. For instance, it can be a time where students can venture out and meet new people. Like others, I, too have some reason why I choose to go to college. Such as, to better myself, higher paying jobs and get away from home. First, after high school may people do not consider going to college for whatever reasons one might have. Not going to college was not an option for me. However, my parents never went to college, and watching my mom struggle to make ends meet I just knew that I did not want that to be me. Therefore, I do not want to live my life, paycheck to paycheck, and worrying about weather or not I am going to have enough money to pay to keep a roof over my head. The reason for going to college is that I wanted to have a better life. Not everyone can go to college to better themselves, but I am lucky, and truly blessed that I am getting a opportunity to better myself. In fact, college is extremely important to me. I am the first one in my immediate family to go to college so it is a big deal to everyone that I not just go but to also graduate. Next, going to college not only helps me better my life but gives me more job opportunity. More and more jobs require more than a high school education. A person with a bachelor’s degree will earn, on average, almost twice as much as workers with a high school diploma. Master’s degree earn $31,900 more per year than a high school graduate. Furthermore, people who go to a two year college earns $250,000 more than someone who does not. More importantly, a college education can help you discover new areas of knowledge, consider life long goals and make wiser decisions. Getting a college education is an investment that is going to be with me for life.

International Management/Application Exercises Essay

Make a list of the reasons you would want to accept a foreign assignment and a list of reasons you would want to reject it. Do they depend on the locations? Compare your list with a classmate and discuss your reasons. Living in a culture that has a different language, different customs, and a different work style is exciting, and an once-in-a-lifetime experience. It can give your career a significant boost as well as broaden your horizons. But â€Å"global† assignments, as many companies call them today, have a downside, too. It’s true that some parts of the world are dangerous for Americans and other visitors, but in most global postings the challenges have more to do with different cultures and different ways of doing business. The good thing about accepting a foreign assignment: builds the resume when you are invited to take an International Relocation you should take it because there may be no other experience that adds to your resume more, become a multi-cultural pro when you take an International Assignment it gives you an opportunity to add to your multi-cultural tool belt. Every day you will be challenged by cultures different from your own in the workplace. Learning to manage people of different cultures than your own is an increasingly valuable asset today. While advantageous for some, international assignments aren’t right for everyone. Only you and those close to you can decide if you want to live and work in a different country, and if so, at which point in time. If success on your career path requires international experience and you are unable to take on an international assignment at this time for any reason, there are other ways to gain global exposure. These might include short-term assignments in other locations, jobs that involve cross-border interaction, or a task force made up of a global team. There’s a downside to working abroad: The difficulty of being away from friends and family. It’s especially hard if you move overseas alone, problems adjusting to living in a foreign country. Many people have a difficult time dealing with cultural differences, extreme disorientation. It can take several days or more to get used to living and working in a different time zone, a chance of getting sick. In tropical climates, malaria and dysentery are common. Different health care and sanitation practices must be considered, you’re out of touch with the home office. Many changes can occur in the space of two or three years, such as new management, mergers and acquisitions, and promotions, technological change. Technology in foreign countries can be years behind the United States. It could take several months to digest all the changes when you get home, your company may be reluctant to have you return. Keeping an experienced employee in an overseas post is often easier than training a replacement, and returning to your old job could be difficult, both for you and your coworkers.

Vespuci vs. Columbus essays

Vespuci vs. Columbus essays AMERIGO VESPUCCI VS. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS By the beginning of the second part of the 15th century feudalism and small kingdoms, started to get weaker and weaker. Because after that time heavy weapons were invented so, these small kingdoms and feudal places could not be able to defend themselves anymore. By that time, empires such as Spain, Portugal, England and some other empires like these started to become powerful because they have those heavy weapons. After these days small kingdoms and the bourgeoisies in those feudal areas and big kingdoms should find another way to earn money and goods. Mankind have always wanted more and more so this ambition makes people to find another way. So, they started discoveries all around the world in order to find valuable things, valuable places and shortcuts to Asia so as to trade directly with those Asian countries. By starting discoveries Spain and Portugal get stronger day by day because in Spain and Portugal the monarch was directly helping the voyagers by giving them ships and crews so these voyagers were going to the ocean-sea in order to discover the new world. By the way when discoveries got important some important and famous voyagers grew up such as Amerigo Vespucci, Christopher Columbus, Hernan Cortez. In this essay the major focus will be on Amerigo Vespuccis life, his voyages and his difference between Christopher Columbus. The second focus will be on Who is the real founder of the new world America? Amerigo Vespucci is the person for whom North and South America was named after. Vespucci had a wonderful life and found so many things on his voyages. Amerigo Vespucci was born in Florence, Italy in March of 1451, and grew up in a considerable mansion near a river. When he was a young boy, he was very good at mathematics and his hobby was a little strange; it was copying maps. His dream as a young boy was to travel and get a better pictu...

Using the theory of fiscal federalism Essay Example

Using the theory of fiscal federalism Essay Example Using the theory of fiscal federalism Essay Using the theory of fiscal federalism Essay Essay Topic: Economics There is much economic literature and debate concerning the classic trade-off between a centralized versus decentralized system of local public good provision. The standard problem goes as follows. Most economies around the world are made up of geographically discrete areas. An obvious example is America, which is composed of distinct states, which are often even completely geographically isolated from the whole (Alaska, Hawaii). Each local area has a local public good, the provision of which benefits the local society. However, public goods often have a spillover effect to other districts, in which case, there are benefits accruing to wider society. The subsequent question is that given the existence of benefits to both local and general society, is it more efficient to have a centralized or decentralized system of decision-making and/or financing? The standard approach to the problem of public good provision assumes that in a centralized system, the government will adopt a standardized level of spending for each area. This is in essence a one size fits all result that doesnt show an appreciation of different local requirements. However, while a decentralized system will be able to respond to heterogeneous local needs, local governments will neglect the wider benefits, which accrue citizens and areas beyond their jurisdiction. Drawing on these assumptions, Oates Decentralization Theorem states that in the absence of spillovers a decentralized system is more efficient. Otherwise, Oates claims there will be a trade-off between the extent of heterogeneity in tastes and the degree of spillovers. 1 However, the argument for a decentralized system relies on the assumption that only a decentralized system will cater for local preferences. In fact, while decentralization may be more effective at tailoring public goods to local requirements, a centralized system in no way implies uniformity of provision across districts. This logic is neither theoretically, or indeed empirically satisfactory. From a theoretical standpoint it is unclear, Besley and Coates question why it must be the case that a government charged with providing public goods in a centralized system cannot differentiate the levels according to the heterogeneous tastes in each district. 3 An empirical example of centralized differentiation of public good provision is that of federal highway spending in the United States. In the Federal Highway Aid Program a significant proportion of resources have been dedicated to specific projects in the legislators districts. Furthermore, Besley and Coates argue that the general spending formula has been manipulated to target spending to particular favored states. 4 Therefore, I believe that Oates Decentralization Theorem is flawed. A decentralized system may well be preferred as a more efficient arrangement to tailor goods to local needs, but this is not a clear-cut argument, and hence it is difficult and controversial to argue for decentralization solely on this basis. In fact, given that the standard approach is based on a trade-off between non-uniformity (decentralized output) versus spillovers (centralized output), once the constraint that central governments always choose uniform levels of public spending across districts is relaxed, the standard approach suggests that a centralized system will always be preferred. However there is a different case for a decentralized system of provision of local goods, which is based on the theory of fiscal federalism. The argument in this case goes as follows. In a centralized system, local public spending costs are shared creating a conflict of interest between citizens in different areas. When spending decisions are taken by a legislature of locally elected representatives, the conflict of interest for resources will take place in the legislature. Thus, Besley and Coates argue, the drawbacks of centralization stem from the basic conflict of interest among citizens of different districts working through the decision-making process. 5 Spending decisions in the legislator will be determined by a minimum winning coalition of representative, which can creates two major resource allocation problems. Firstly, there will be a misallocation of resources as spending will be skewed towards those areas who have representatives in the winning coalition. Secondly, uncertainty about the makeup of the winning coalition will mean districts are unsure of the amount of public good it will receive. Even if the legislature is committed to maximising the surplus of all its members, this would not necessarily be sufficient to achieve surplus maximizing results, as there would be an incentive for voters to elect representatives which high demand for public spending, and hence lead to overprovision. Hence, Besley and Coates say that: if decisions on local public goods are made by a minimum winning coalition of representatives, the allocation of public goods may be characterized by uncertainty and misallocation across districts. If decisions are made in a more cooperative way, then strategic delegation via elections may produce excessive public spending. 6 The drawbacks of a centralized system stemming from conflicting interests over shared costs might suggest a completely decentralized system whereby decisions are made solely by local government and financed from local taxation. However, as with the standard approach, the drawbacks of the centralized system must be weighed against the benefits of improved coordination of spillovers. If interests are fairly homogenous and spillovers high then a centralized system will produce good results regardless of how the legislature is constituted. This leads Besley and Coates to conclude that, the desiderata determining whether decentralization of centralization is best are the same as under the standard approach. However, the logic is different. 7 So how does this argument relate to the empirical example of the European Union? Unions such as the EU are collectives of nations that jointly decide on the provision of certain supranational goods (such as traditional public goods like defence or legal and regulatory frameworks), which will affect and benefit all members. In a multi country union, some competences are taken away from national control and decided instead at union level. The process of European integration has become far-reaching and quickened in pace. However, Gordon Brown says that the EU must abandon old flawed assumptions that a single market should lead inexorably to fiscal federalism. 8 What is the case for keeping decentralized provision of local public goods or for greater integration in the form of a centralized system of public good provision? The case of centralized system of provision of local public goods rests fundamentally on the trade-off between the internalisation of externalities and the costs of heterogeneity. On the one hand, even when looking at the difficulties that accompany reaching compromises and solutions at EU summits, there is little debate that median preferences in EU member states vary considerably. The efficient level of output of a public good will typically vary from one local jurisdiction to another. Furthermore, there is a worry that coordination of fiscal measures will result in an increase in tax rates in all jurisdictions. However, if the union centralizes to little, it runs the risk of not benefit from externalities, which were a key motivation in the creation of a union and the purpose of attending summits. Two main areas of externality proposed in the fiscal federalism literature are firstly equalisation of welfare across countries, especially targeted at poor relief. And secondly at macroeconomic stabilization. In the case of poor relief, sub-central government will be considerably constrained by the potential mobility of the poor and crucially the tax base. Oates says that this is a basic fiscal externality that results in sub optional levels of support under a purely decentralized system of poor relief. 10 In terms of macroeconomic stabilization, the central government is in a position to influence overall levels of aggregate demand and through tax revenue and transfer payments can respond to changes in the macro-economy. However, the present picture is one where, according to Oates, the central government is not well equipped to take a leading role in addressing Musgravess redistribution and stabilization functions. 11 One response would be to enlarge central government powers, but Oates says that the costs of overall public expansion in the public sector would outweigh the benefits. Instead there is a strong case for decentralization to promote inter-jurisdictional competition to limit growth of public sector on encroaching on the private sector. At the moment, it seems to me that there is too much heterogeneity amongst the European nations, which outweighs externality gains. The integration of Europe has been relatively fast and I believe it will take a longer period for homogeneity of interests across the Union to come about, especially given the integration of the young market economies of Eastern Europe who are lagging behind in economic development. Furthermore, concerning Besley and Coates legislature worries, the EU seems to be dominated by the more powerful countries. For example, amongst the net beneficiaries of CAP (common agricultural policy) are some of the richest countries in the EU. A centralized system of provision of public goods in the EU might suffer from similar problems of a skewing of resources to favour the dominant coalition in the legislature. It seems to me, that the European Union is not yet ready for fiscal federalism.

Average Salary Guide How Much Do Pharmacists Make

Average Salary Guide How Much Do Pharmacists Make SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Thinking about becoming a pharmacist? Or maybe you’re just wondering how much the person filling your prescriptions is making? How much does a pharmacist make? We have all answer all of your questions about pharmacist pay! In this guide, we go over average pharmacist salary overall and in each of the 50 states.To help put these numbers into context, we also explain what factors affect pharmacist salary, why pharmacists make so much, what work they do, and how you can become a pharmacist yourself. What Is the Average Pharmacist Salary? How much does a pharmacist make each year? According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average pharmacist in the US earned an annual salary of $120,270 in 2016, or about $57.82 an hour. The chart below (from the US Dept of Labor) shows the percentile wage estimates for pharmacists in 2016 so you can get a better idea of the range of pharmacist salaries. Percentile 10% 25% 50% (Median) 75% 90% Annual Wage $87,120 $109,400 $122,230 $138,920 $157,950 There are several factors that determine how much a specific pharmacist makes. Experience: Pharmacists who have worked in the profession longer make more money than pharmacists just starting out, since more experienced pharmacists typically have more responsibilities and expertise. Geographic Location: Some parts of the country have a higher average pharmacist salary than others. We discuss this more in the next section. Employer Type: The type of pharmacy job you have will also affect your pay. Pharmacists at mail-order pharmacies had the lowest annual salary (average salary $7,000) while clinical pharmacists were, on average the highest paid ($128,000). Retail pharmacists generally earn less than pharmacists working in hospitals or other clinical settings. How Much Do Pharmacists Make a Year in Each State? Depending on which part of the country you live in, you might be making more or less than the national pharmacist salary. Below is a chart showing the average annual salary for pharmacists in each of the 50 states, as well as Washington D.C. This data comes from the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2016. You can use this chart to get a better idea of what the average pharmacist salary is in the state where you live or would like to live. State Average Annual Salary in 2016 Alabama $120,000 Alaska $138,000 Arizona $9,000 Arkansas $7,000 California $136,000 Colorado $8,000 Connecticut $121,000 Delaware $8,000 Florida $8,000 Georgia $6,000 Hawaii $5,000 Idaho $6,000 Illinois $7,000 Indiana $7,000 Iowa $0,000 Kansas $9,000 Kentucky $122,000 Louisiana $3,000 Maine $123,000 Maryland $120,000 Massachusetts $131,000 Michigan $5,000 Minnesota $123,000 Mississippi $121,000 Missouri $121,000 Montana $2,000 Nebraska $109,000 Nevada $123,000 New Hampshire $129,000 New Jersey $7,000 New Mexico $120,000 New York $9,000 North Carolina $121,000 North Dakota $3,000 Ohio $5,000 Oklahoma $121,000 Oregon $123,000 Pennsylvania $4,000 Rhode Island $2,000 South Carolina $123,000 South Dakota $2,000 Tennessee $120,000 Texas $124,000 Utah $3,000 Vermont $128,000 Virginia $9,000 Washington $124,000 Washington D.C. $121,000 West Virginia $8,000 Wisconsin $124,000 Wyoming $6,000 As you can see from the chart, the average annual salary for pharmacists ranges from $109,000 (Nebraska) to $138,000 (Alaska). Differences among states in average pharmacist salaries can be due to multiple factors, including cost of living, demand for pharmacists, and where the pharmacists are employed. Why Are Pharmacist Salaries So High? Now you know that most pharmacists are bringing in six figures a year. Why is pharmacist pay so high? There are three main reasons: Lots of Schooling Required As you’ll see in the next section, you can’t wake up one day and decide to start applying to pharmacist jobs. You’ll need a bachelor’s degree as well as a PharmD degree. For most people, this means eight years of university and graduate-level schooling, and the high level of education required for pharmacists contributes to the high salary. Requires Specialized Knowledge and Attention to Detail To be a pharmacist, you must have a lot of knowledge specific to the field, and you must also have a high attention to detail. Pharmacists spend much of their time preparing and dispensing medication, and if they make a mistake, it can literally affect other people’s lives. Therefore, they must always be careful when they are working. Additionally, many pharmacists are balancing multiple duties and many clients/customers which can cause a hectic work schedule. Because the work pharmacists do is so important, and because they are the only ones who can do it, they have a high average salary. High Demand for Pharmacists Another reason pharmacists make so much is that there is a high demand for pharmacists in many parts of the country. As the population gets older and healthcare expands, more people need the services pharmacists provide, which drives up demand. The number of pharmacists in the country is fairly small, so some employers will often offer higher salaries in order to entice pharmacists to work for them. What Do Pharmacists Do? So, what exactly do pharmacists do? It’s far more than just dispensing pills. A pharmacist’s work depends a lot on the specific field they’re in, although all pharmacist jobs involve understanding the impacts and potential risks of different medications. There are three main types of pharmacists: Retail pharmacists spend a majority of their time processing and filling prescriptions, interacting with customers, and watching for potential side effects and interactions of the drugs they prescribe. Clinical pharmacists typically work in hospitals or other medical settings, and a lot of their duties involve working directly with medical professionals and patients, either by choosing which medications to prescribe for a patient, monitoring patients, and other additional duties. Research pharmacists usually work for drug companies, although they can also work for government agencies or universities. They spend the majority of their time developing new medications and conducting drug studies. How Can You Become a Pharmacist? In order to become a pharmacist and start making the big bucks, it’ll take several years of schooling and hard work. Below are the four main steps you need to complete to become a pharmacist. #1: Take the PCAT To begin your applications and get the ball rolling, you’ll need to take the PCAT (Pharmacy College Admission Test), a standardized test for pharmacy school admissions, and submit your scores as part of your application. Not every pharmacy school requires PCAT scores, but most of them do. #2: Get Admitted to a PharmD Program The next step to becoming a pharmacist is being accepted into a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program. You’ll need a Bachelor's degree to apply. Most of the time, your degree doesn’t need to be in a specific field, but you’ll need to have certain prerequisite classes (usually two years worth) completed before you’ll be admitted, and you have a better chance of already having taken them if you majored in a science as an undergrad. The prerequisites required vary by program, but often include chemistry, biology, physics, and statistics. It’s also possible to get accepted into an accelerated PharmD program while you’re in high school. In this case, you’ll complete your undergraduate degree and PharmD degree in a total of six years. It’s worth noting though, that these programs are not very common, and they’re very competitive to get into. #3: Complete the PharmD Program It typically takes four years to complete PharmD school, which means most people are in school for eight years to become a pharmacist (four years of undergraduate + four years of PharmD school). A few pharmacy schools do have accelerated programs that allow you to complete PharmD school in three years. Even if you already have a graduate degree, even one in the sciences it’ll likely still take you four years to complete PharmD school since the course requirements are very specific to the program. At PharmD school, you’ll take courses that will teach you everything you need to know about becoming a pharmacist. Many programs also allow you to specialize in a specific area of pharmaceutical sciences such as clinical pharmacology or rural pharmacy services. You’ll also get hands-on experience through internships, rotations, and/or work placements during your time in PharmD school. #4: Get Licensed as a Pharmacist After you’ve completed PharmD school, you still need to get licensed before you can work as a pharmacist. Licenses are issued by individual states, so each state has its own requirements. However, most of them are follow the same basic set of guidelines. In every state, you’ll need to pass the NAPLEX (North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination), and most states require you to pass the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Exam (MPJE) as well. Your state may also have additional requirements, such as other tests you must pass, a certain number of practical hours you need to complete and/or consenting to a criminal background check. Once you’ve completed all of your state’s requirements, you’re able to begin working as a pharmacist! Review: How Much Do Pharmacists Make, Really? So, how much does a pharmacist make? The average pharmacist salary in the US is $120,270. A pharmacist’s salary depends on multiple factors, such as where they live, the type of pharmacy work they do, and how many years of experience they have. Pharmacists living in different parts of the country have different average salaries. Pharmacist pay is so high because pharmacists must attend fours years of PharmD school in addition to undergrad coursework, the profession requires specific expertise and a variety of skills, and because demand for pharmacists is growing. In order to become a pharmacist, you’ll need to: Have a Bachelor degree Complete the necessary prereqs for the program(s) you’re applying to Take the PCAT Complete (typically four years of) PharmD school Become certified (usually by passing the NAPLEX and MPJE exams)

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

International Business - Essay Example Globalization has further increased international trade as now countries are able to trade easily through flexible negotiations that will put away restrictions that may undermine trade between countries (Reuvid & Sherlock, 2011). International trade has provided grounds for increased competition, and this means that there are competitive prices in the market, which will see to it that consumers benefit from quality products, which are offered at low costs. International trade has resulted to the global economy which operates on the forces of demand and supply meaning that the prices of products are affected by events that occur globally (Aswathappa, 2010). For example, the political unrest in Libya caused the prices of gas to inflate in the whole world, and this clearly shows how the global economy works. Research shows that international trade is focused on by nations so that the citizens’ standards of living can be increased through the provision of various products and crea tion of job opportunities. International trade theories provide explanations, which will elaborate on the patterns global trade takes and the benefits that arise from it. The theories gives reasons as to why nations trade and why it is good to trade. This paper seeks to explain the theories that explain why countries engage in international trade and goes ahead to explain the benefits that countries get from international trade. Mercantilism Theory This theory was in application in the economic system of the 16th to 18th centuries, and its main objectives was to increase the wealth of a nation imposing regulations on the governments interests so as to ensure that the government had control on all of them (Ajami & Goddard, 2006). It was based on the fact that countries could accrue wealth in the form of precious metals, which is not practical because if every country decided to want to export and not importing from other countries, the worldwide economy would be sluggish due to restr iction of free trade. The theory was mainly used by colonial governments such as Britain, France and Spain, which practiced the zero-sum –game that implied that wealth was scarce and countries could only benefit by taking advantage of the resources of their neighbors (Kerr & Gaisford, 2008). These governments would take advantage of their colonies by charging them high prices for imports and low for their own exports. This theory is seen as a hindrance to international trade as it was seen to favor exports and hinder imports in the colonial countries. Absolute Advantage Theory This theory was developed by Adam Smith (1776) and explains that a company has an advantage if it can produce the more products with similar resources or the same amount of products using fewer resources than its trading partners (Ajami & Goddard, 2006). With this in mind it follows that the country with the absolute advantage will be able to produce and export commodities at a lower cost than its tradi ng partners, and this will be the basis of its trade relations with the partners. This is because the absolute advantage will have the propensity to reduce costs of production and at the same time increase profits which will in turn boost the economy. This theory further explains that market forces should determine trade and restrictions such as tariffs and quotas should be eliminated hence this destroys

Statutory Interpretation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Statutory Interpretation - Case Study Example Alec took a pecuniary advantage by deception of Vera to gain more money from the woman by dishonestly selling to her a computer that is worth 1000 for 2000. When he supplied the computer to her, he insisted that the computer is worth every penny of the 2000 given to him by Vera. There was no reason as to why the old woman would have thought the computer in question was not worth 2000 and we can not say that he was reckless to the representation of the computer. Alec knew very well the actual cost of the computer since they sold the machine at 1000 but she took advantage of the old woman and charge her double the amount the computer is worth. This act is a criminal offence under s 15 Theft Act 1968 for acquiring extra money from Vera dishonestly from the sale of the computer. For this case, Alec if convicted is liable for imprisonment of a term not exceeding ten years. This Theft Act was brought about to protect ordinary citizens from exploitation by people who want to obtain property from them in a dishonesty manner by deception. 1 For the case where Brian, an employed IT technician obtained services by deception is liable for criminal offence under the s 1 Theft Act 1978. ... Brian was a cousin to Bryan and since they share the same surname, there is no way as to why Wendy would have doubted the representation. Brian held both the season ticket that belonged to Bryan and his driving license and since they share the same surname, we can not say the Wendy was reckless to the representation and he failed to verify the two documents. For this case, Brian if convicted is liable for a criminal offence under s 1 Theft Act 1978. The Act was enacted to bring to book those who dishonestly obtain services by deception. Brian deceived Wendy, the gate attendant to believe that the services of attending to the football match has already been paid for and he was entitled to watch the football. For this case, he obtained services of watching football match by deception hence he is liable for criminal offence under s 1 Theft Act of 1978. 2 For the case where Alec advertised for a post of a qualified IT specialist who was to be graduate of BSc degree in IT but he ended up recruiting Brian who had faked that he was a graduate. Brian obtained pecuniary advantages by deception to be hired by Alec where he pretended to have graduated with a Bsc. Degree in IT where else he was using Bryan degree certificate. There is not way Alec would have noted that Brian was not a graduate since he had a degree certificate. The name Brian and Bryan looks similar and one would not note the difference between the two names and this led to Alec being deceived by Brian and recruited him to the position of a qualified IT technician believing that he was a BSc. Degree graduate. Brian was dishonest since he knew very well that he was not a BSc. Degree graduate and yet he went ahead of applying for position of a qualified IT technician with a fake degree certificate. For

Summary of the book Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary of the book - Essay Example Wes Moore the author is a very successful man who managed to escape his poor background and childhood problems to become a well-respected person and even an author. He was born in a poor Baltimore neighborhood and got in trouble several times with law enforcement and then he was sent to a military academy where he turned his life around and he eventually went on to Oxford to become a successful person. While he was there he read an article in a newspaper about a man called Wes Moore who waas from the same neighborhood as him. This other Wes Moore referred to by the title was not as lucky as the author. His life has ended badly, and he is serving a life prison term for murder. He could have had similar chances in his life to become a good person but because of his circumstance he instead became a drug dealer and was engaged in crime early on. He did not have enough support from the community to turn his life around, and eventually shoots a police officer and is found guilty of the murder, ending up in prison. The way these two stories are told is in different sections through the book, which sort of suggests that each of the stories could have just as well happened to the other Wes Moore instead of the one it did happen to. The author thinks that there is not much of a difference between their lives, really, and even though both of them had slightly different circumstances in life he thinks that they are both basically different sides of what will happen to most African-American young men who grow up in an urban environment where the community is poor and dangerous. Ultimately the book is about what Tavis Smiley talks about in the end of it, that what makes people successful is the help they receive from other people even if it is just small kindnesses and attention. This is shown throughout he book by the differences in Wes Moore the authors fortunate circumstances and Wes Moore the

Managing Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing Diversity - Essay Example Sources have indicated that the practices of inequality began in the 21st century in the UK. Afterwards, they spread to other countries around the globe and have become an enormous challenge (Dickens 2007, p. 470). The literature further indicates that no country possesses equal opportunities for both genders in the work place. According to Acker, the term inequality refers to disparities in the way the powerful in a working organization exercise their authority (Acker 2006, p. 445). For example, they may make decisions, offer promotions, and provide job security in favor of some individuals. It is thus evident that such inequalities have resulted to discrimination and dissatisfaction in the workplace. Therefore, both the developing as well as the developed states has realized the necessity of managing the diversity. However, despite the support of the above by the majority, some have argued that it does not offer anything new compared with the traditional â€Å"equal opportunitiesà ¢â‚¬  (EO) policies (Dickens 2007, p. 475). There are many dimensions upon which one can address the issue of diversity that has become highly prevalent in the workplace. Sources have revealed the existence of workers from dissimilar cultures, religions, genders, sexes, and physical abilities. The diversity in the workplace has culminated into discriminations and inequality thus the need to manage it. For a long time, different countries have been championing for equal opportunities in the working environment. In facilitating the process of bringing equality to these states, they have enacted a number of policies, which govern all activities carried out in the workplace. Among the enacted policies was the EO policy, which aimed to, provide equal access to job opportunities irrespective of the procedure applied in identifying diverse social groups (Sonia 1997, p. 12). The EO policy, developed and used by employers in diverse forms of organizations, focuses on several issues. The pol icy mostly ensures adherence to the equality provisions of different organizations. According to some scholars, such policies endeavor to discourage diverse categories of discriminations present in the workplace. Additionally, the policy provides access to equal opportunities for different categories of social groups. The traditional EO policies addressed numerous varieties of equality. It aimed to create a working environment whereby respect withholds (Sonia 1997, p. 16). In addition to creating an outstanding working environment, the policy aimed to prevent, as well as to curb the escalating cases of discrimination and victimization. The equal opportunity policies also provided disciplinary proceedings for those involved in the discriminatory, as well as the harassment practices. The equal opportunity policy has been in use in places such as the UK, and the US (Sonia 1997, p. 18). Recently, the concept of diversity management heightened; therefore, need to note its difference from EO policy. As opposed to the EO policy that views people as members of different social settings, diversity management views individuals as having different needs, as well as requirements. Dissimilar individuals will interpret the phrase differently, but its most appropriate interpretation is that it integrates many policies, even those addressing the issue of equality (Barak 2010, p. 25). The process of diversity management focuses on altering an organization’s cultural, as well as their working processes. Moreover, sources have revealed that the process of managing diversity in an organization aims at enhancing an organization’s efficiency (Walsh 2007, p. 31). An organization that depicts an escalation in the discrimination and inequality occurrences fails to function effectively.

Chapter two and three Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Chapter two and three - Dissertation Example Several literatures exist on growth and development online education (Carroll and Burke, 2011) but there is limited study on the skills and competence of the faculty designers. Development and use of information and communication technology has brought significant changes in education sector especially distance and online education (Arinto, 2013). Uptake of Online courses has also been on increase due to its flexibility and convenience. However there exist a gap between course content development and delivery of the course content to the students, interaction of the involved students and use of technology. According the National Center for Educational Statistics, Universities and other higher institution offering has been on the rise (Carroll and Burke, 2011). Since 1990s education institutions have been taking advantage of development in use of internet and technology to supply their students with course materials in traditional face to face mode of learning as well as online course s. Students are also embracing the use of technology (Carroll and Burke, 2011). In the initial stages of online education involved only the course materials but this has changed over time and therefore the need for effective online education programmes. Recognizing the basic skills and competencies required for the faculty designers to develop online courses, including best practices and distinguishing features, could help to improve the quality of such courses. The online education practices ranging from use of technology, competence of the lectures, course materials and communication tools affects the outcome of the courses in different ways (Lee, Dickerson and Winslow, 2012). Instructional design theory will help in development of online education programmes that satisfy the needs of the students with references to psychological principles for student focused education system by American Psychological Association (APA). The competence of the tutors and course designers as well as best practices will ensure that the online education programmes meet the needs of the students as well as job market. Growth and development of online courses Uptake of online courses has been on increase since 1990s due to development of information and communication technology which is integrated with online application to ensure effective delivery of quality learning material and interaction of the lectures and concern student as well as other student across different geographical location. The teachers and the students through electronic media which in some cases is real time rather that meeting in conventional classrooms (Suarez-Brown at el, 2012). The online courses are flexible and accessible across the globe but they are faced with several challenges since the students interacts with the lectures in delivering the course content, delivering the tests and assignment, evaluation of students personal attributes and communication skills. Online courses allow the students to stu dy while still on employment or internship which is a requirement for most courses thus providing a excellent opportunity for the students and the lecturers. The increase in the number of higher learning institutions offering online courses can be associated with its flexibility and accessibility, high success rate of online student compared to conventional classroom students and extensive marketing of online course to different

Discuss the importance of process and materials in the work of your Essay

Discuss the importance of process and materials in the work of your artist or designer ( Rex Brandt ) - Essay Example Further, as a teacher, he inspired innumerable students to paint skillfully with watercolours. To Brandt (p.9), working with this oldest medium known to man was exciting because the transparent colours glowed like stained glass. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the watercolour artist Rex Brandt’s paintings, and determine the importance of process and materials in his works. The Importance of Process and Materials in the Work of Rex Brandt Brandt (a) (p.119) considered drawing to be the at the heart of watercolour painting. He advocated the importance of sketching as a primary step even in the case of landscapes, and the development of an individual style in executing a painting (Brandt (b) 16). Another requirement was an appropriate choice of materials for achieving best results, and he took into consideration the key role of paper for the medium of transparent pigment or watercolours. The artist appreciated the sparkling white paper adjacent with the transparent, colourful dark hues which forms a unique feature of watercolours. According to Brandt (p.81), â€Å"pure or transparent watercolour is universally appealing† because of its clarity and directness in portraying the image or scene. The artist used three basic watercolour techniques: the wash or control method, wet-into-wet, and dry brush and line. All the three methods may be used in the same painting (Brandt 145). It was considered essential to master the techniques of flat and gradated washes before progressing to the wet-into-wet, drybrush and line methods. Brandt focused equally on controlling the wash, handling colour through the different techniques as given above, correcting mistakes, and on matting and framing the completed art work. Further, the way thin watercolour on white paper reflects light has been compared by Brandt (p.11) to â€Å"the luster of a sea-shell, the translucence of a tide pool, and the luminosity of coloured glass against the sunâ € . After evaporation of the water and the gumbinder taking hold, each small nuance of the painting becomes fixed to the white surface of the paper. However, the main charm of using watercolours is its distinctive potential for gradation which contributes to the visual excitement created by the paintings. This effect is produced by arpeggios or flowing series of gradations in colour and value, as seen in Fig.1. below. Thus, watercolour is a special medium which readily accommodates an interchange of colours as well as gradation, which in turn can modulate its characteristic movement, liquidity and bounce. Fig.1. August at South Beach by Rex Brandt (California Watercolour (1), 2011) In watercolour paintings, accents with with the help of light watercolours are not completed as finishing touches, since light shades cannot cover dark watercolours. Working from light to dark is most effective in such paintings; similarly, it is advisable to work from very broad areas to smaller areas â€Å"since the progressively darker washes will overlay and obscure the lighter ones† (Brandt 98). The artist provided accents using the extremes of light and dark colours; while the grays acted as amalgams thereby giving a sense of unification to the entire picture. A vast number of Brandt’

Chapter two and three Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Chapter two and three - Dissertation Example Several literatures exist on growth and development online education (Carroll and Burke, 2011) but there is limited study on the skills and competence of the faculty designers. Development and use of information and communication technology has brought significant changes in education sector especially distance and online education (Arinto, 2013). Uptake of Online courses has also been on increase due to its flexibility and convenience. However there exist a gap between course content development and delivery of the course content to the students, interaction of the involved students and use of technology. According the National Center for Educational Statistics, Universities and other higher institution offering has been on the rise (Carroll and Burke, 2011). Since 1990s education institutions have been taking advantage of development in use of internet and technology to supply their students with course materials in traditional face to face mode of learning as well as online course s. Students are also embracing the use of technology (Carroll and Burke, 2011). In the initial stages of online education involved only the course materials but this has changed over time and therefore the need for effective online education programmes. Recognizing the basic skills and competencies required for the faculty designers to develop online courses, including best practices and distinguishing features, could help to improve the quality of such courses. The online education practices ranging from use of technology, competence of the lectures, course materials and communication tools affects the outcome of the courses in different ways (Lee, Dickerson and Winslow, 2012). Instructional design theory will help in development of online education programmes that satisfy the needs of the students with references to psychological principles for student focused education system by American Psychological Association (APA). The competence of the tutors and course designers as well as best practices will ensure that the online education programmes meet the needs of the students as well as job market. Growth and development of online courses Uptake of online courses has been on increase since 1990s due to development of information and communication technology which is integrated with online application to ensure effective delivery of quality learning material and interaction of the lectures and concern student as well as other student across different geographical location. The teachers and the students through electronic media which in some cases is real time rather that meeting in conventional classrooms (Suarez-Brown at el, 2012). The online courses are flexible and accessible across the globe but they are faced with several challenges since the students interacts with the lectures in delivering the course content, delivering the tests and assignment, evaluation of students personal attributes and communication skills. Online courses allow the students to stu dy while still on employment or internship which is a requirement for most courses thus providing a excellent opportunity for the students and the lecturers. The increase in the number of higher learning institutions offering online courses can be associated with its flexibility and accessibility, high success rate of online student compared to conventional classroom students and extensive marketing of online course to different

Cultural Context Question - Rough Draft Essay Example for Free

Cultural Context Question Rough Draft Essay Q. â€Å"A reader can feel uncomfortable with the values and attitudes presented in texts† Compare the extent to which the values and attitudes that you encountered, in at least two texts on your comparative course, made you feel uncomfortable. A.The texts i have chosen to write about is the play Sive by John B Keane, the novel How Many Miles To Babylon? (Babylon) by Jennifer Johnson and the film Im Not Scared (INS) directed by Gabriele Salvatores. In the play Sive, Mena is a powerful women who controls her husband just as Alicia controls her husband in Babylon. Both of these women make me feel uncomfortable because the women can wield their household to the detriment of others. This is not apparent in INS. The manipulation of men by women is completely absent in INS. There is a lack of communication between Mike and Mena Glavin. This is due to how the marriage of the Glavins was convenient contract rather than a romance. This is also evident in the marriage of the Moores. Alicia Moore is a cold hearted women who dismisses her husband as a ‘ineffective’ man. Mike and Frederick are similar in this way. They are incapable of withstanding the pressures placed on them by their wives. They yield to these pressures. Men are depicted as weak and easy to manipulate or intrusive bullies like Major Glendinnig and Thomaseen Rua who are cruel cynics hat impose their wills on others with cruelty. In sive, Thomaseen Rua threatens Nanna. A corresponding moment occurs in Babylon when Major Glendinning threatens the soldiers before he battle. This is a very disturbing image to me because Major Glendinning is a callous and cruel man. Just as Thomaseen is to sive. The portrait of men in the play is just as negative as in the novel. In he film the image of men is exceedingly negative. The men are eiher brutal, hostile individuals or weak complicit allies of the sadistic Sergio. Sergio reminds us of Glendinning, he accuses the men of being imcompotent and stupid. Mike betrays his niece in order to gain money for his tremendous greed. He chooses to feed his gluttony instead of the truthful, right thing. The only decent male in the play is Liam  Scuab. He has courage and courtesy to respect Sive as she wants to be respected. Just as alec is an courteous man in Babylon. His heroic sacrifice is doneout of love for his best friend. He knows that he will die but does it anyway. In the book Babylon, the social class have a huge impact on the people. In sive it is not such this way. Alicia doesn’t want Alec near jerry because of the differences between the amounts of money their parents make. Although we observe the extreme poverty of Carthalawn and Pats Bocock and the relative wealth of Sean Dota, there is not the same division in the play as there is in the novel. He differences in social status does not create the same tension is Sive as it does in the novel. Alicia ensured her social position by marrying Frederick in much the same way as the Glavins are trying to marry Sive off to Sean Dota. Sive has a relationship with Liam scuab a local boy and the different social status is not an obstacle for them. The differences in social staus creates conflict. These are not only to do with money but religion, education and politics as well. In INS and Babylon, this issue is palpable. In both these texts, people are willing to kill for personal gain. The portrayal of men in both texts is a disturbing one. This is evident. Either the men are pathetic, feeble men or brutal animals. Frederick moore is a drained man. His wife is a malicious women who always gets her own way because Frederick is too old and tired to fight with her anymore. Just as mike is with mena. He choses not to fight anymore for a sense of peace in his life. He goes against his morals to give her what she wants out of greed and his timid nature towards mena. This theme of weak, feeble or mericiless, heartless men is typical of both texts. We see similar abusive cruelty in the film through the male gang members led by Sergio. While betrayal is conveyed in an interesting way in Babylon when Frederick lets Alicia get her own way despite alec’s protests, it is conveyed more intensely in sive when mike lets mena sell sive off to sean doa for their own gain. This is a very disturbing image. Betrayal is also a highly strong theme in INS. Sergio gets betrayed by his own son when Michele find filipo  hidden in the whole in the ground. He helps the young boy. This is seen as betrayal to Sergio. The values and attitudes presented in these texts are very disturbing. They will make you feel uncomfortable and edgy. Study the values and attitudes of these three texts has been an enjoyable experience and i have learned more about different social back grounds, different views on life and more. These three texts are a good example of how people may rise above society and what is expected to grow as a race and choose to change things around for equality.

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Design And Build Method Construction Essay

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Design And Build Method Construction Essay While construction contracts serves as a means of pricing construction, they also structure the allocation of risk to the various parties involved. The construction field is a very extensive and unique in each project. In this world most of the projects are managed by contracts. And as a principle to manage the project effectively we should first manage the contracts. The owner has the sole power to decide what type of contract delivery method should be used for a specific facility to be constructed and to set forth the terms in a contractual agreement. A firm has to choose the right delivery method which is project to project base and present its bid offer to the engineer/client during tendering stage to enable it to present competitive price and win the project without compromising the functional and the quality of the project. Choosing the right method to deliver the project will ease the project execution and give flexibility during construction as well as saving money and time for a firm and subsequently the same to the owner. It is important to understand the risks of the contractors associated with different type of delivery methods. In this instant you may ask what the contract delivery methods are and we should choose the right delivery methods. Projects delivery methods. There are three types of project delivery methods. In this section we will concentrate on design and Build because it s the best method for small and medium projects. 1- Tender or design-bid-build method In this type the owner/client will choose engineer to design the whole project and get the Approvals from authorities then floating tender to choose suitable contractor for the Construction under his supervision. In this type of method the client /engineer has full control of the project and the contractor has to comply with full design given by the engineer. Most suitable type of contract for this method is lump sum contract which the price given by the Contractor is fixed and the whole project is already designed and the scope of work is clear and fully detailed. 2-indefinite quantity contract method Under this type of contract there shall be no design and it is based on maintenance or repairing projects. Under this agreement the owner and the contractor will upfront set up prices for the labors and Equipments and markup etc 3- Design and build method. The term design-build refers to a range of alternatives to the traditional project delivery system. A useful way to look at design-build is by what it is not. Traditional design-bid-build is a segmented, sequential process in which the owner first contracts With a design professional to prepare detailed, suitable-for-construction plans and specifications (or Sometimes has them prepared by its in-house engineers), then uses the detailed plans and Specifications to solicit competitive bids for construction, and finally awards the construction Contract to the low bidder. Design-build means a procurement process in which both the design and construction of A project is procured from a single contractor. Usually, the design-build contract is awarded by some process other than competitive bidding Providing the best value (in price, features, functions [and] life-cycle costs) Thus, design-build differs from traditional design-bid-build in two ways. First, the design and construction components are packaged into a single contract. Second, the single contract is not necessarily awarded to the low bidder after competitive bidding I-Why Design-Build? (Advantages) Potential Cost Savings Design-build has the potential to reduce over-all project cost because the design-build contractor performing the design has a better feel for the construction cost of various alternatives, Thus can come up with a design that is less expensive to build and has an incentive to do so. Another way to look at this advantage is that it moves value engineering cost reduction incentive After contract award (with the contractor proposing cost-reduction ideas and sharing the savings with the owner) to pre-award (with the owner enjoying most of the cost savings). B. Earlier Project Completion Design-build may result in earlier completion and occupancy of the project because there is no Dead time between completion of design and start of construction. Further, the design-build Contractor can begin construction of early phases of the project (e.g. mobilization, site utilities, Foundations) before design of later phases (building envelope, interior partitions, HVAC, electrical) Is 100 percent complete? This process sometimes is referred to as fast track. C. Reduced Claims Exposure Design-build eliminates the liability gap. Design professionals can obtain insurance coverage only for negligent errors and omissions, and virtually all design contracts limit the designers liability to such. However, there can be non-negligent errors and omissions, which cost the owner money but for which the design professional is not liable. For example, a design professional may undertake Reasonable subsurface investigations but fail to detect a rock outcropping that will require additional work. In the traditional design-bid-build approach, the owner warrants the correctness of the plans and Specifications to the construction contractor. There can be design mistakes for which the owner is liable to the construction contractor under the Warranty of correctness but cannot transfer the liability on to the design professional. Even when the designer is in fact negligent, proving negligence can be difficult. The owner must obtain a certificate of merit from another design professional and then prove that the designer failed to meet the applicable professional standard of care, which requires expert testimony. On the other hand, the contractor usually can prove there was a defect in the plans that cost the Contractor money based on fact testimony alone. Thus, the owner may have to bear the cost. Design- build eliminates this gap because the design-bid build entity has no one but itself to blame For defective plans and specifications or differing site conditions. D. New Technologies Public Contracts usually prohibits brand-name or model-number specifications unless the Specification lists at least two brand names and is followed by the phrase or equal. This makes it difficult for traditional design-bid-build to reach innovative, proprietary Products where there may be only one brand-name and no equal. Further, substitution of a new or equal product for a standard product often is impracticable Because of the ripple effect. The designer designs the project around current generation Products and substitution of new or equal products after bidding can require revisions to structure, mechanical or electrical components to accommodate the new product. Who is going to pay for these ripple changes? Design-build resolves this problem. The design-build contractor selects the equipment (right down to make and model number) and Then designs the building around the selected equipment, which is a more logical way to proceed. In fact, the design-build contractor can sometimes obtain free design assistance from equipment Manufacturers desiring that their new technologies be used. E. Over-All Project Optimization Design-bid-build can suffer from sub-optimization when individual project participants optimize their own positions, often at the expense of the over-all project. The total cost to the owner of a building element, such as the steel frame, includes the cost of the engineering to determine the required steel sections plus the cost of the steel. The designer has little incentive to use a sharp pencil to achieve the minimum amount of Structural steel; he optimizes his own position by spending only the design time necessary to Ensure that there is enough steel to meet gravity and seismic loads, often by employing Conservative assumptions that may result in more steel than necessary. So, the owner may save money on design but pay for it in steel. With design-build, on the other hand, the design-build entity has an incentive to use the Optimum amount of engineering. As long as an additional dollar of engineering will save more than one dollars worth of steel, the design-build contractor will spend the engineering time up To the point of diminishing returns when an additional dollars worth of engineering saves only a Dollar s worth of steel because both the cost of design and the cost of steel come out of the same pocket. This is not to say that design-build results in flimsy or less-safe structures. More (steel, concrete, etc.) is not necessarily better. Simply specifying extra steel or concrete in one place because the engineer does not have the time or incentive to calculate exactly how much is actually required does not improve the over-all performance of the building. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If the owner wants a building with higher floor Loadings, less floor deflection or resistance to a bigger earthquake than required by code, then The way to achieve this is by placing that requirement on the design-build entity up front not by Hoping that the designer will throw in some extra steel or concrete because he or she does not have time in the budget to use a sharp pencil. F.Reduced Administrative Burden Design-build may reduce the administrative burden on the owner because there is one solicitation, one award and one contract to administer. G. Earlier Cost Visibility The total cost of the project is apparent earlier with design-build. In traditional design-bid-build, Construction costs are not known until bid opening, and it is possible to spend money on a design that the agency cannot afford to build. All too often, construction bids exceed the budget, and the Project must be re-designed to bring it within the budget, thus delaying completion. H. Agency CM with Multi-Prime Contracts One of the advantages of design-build can be achieved by a construction management (CM) to Manage design and over-all project coordination and then contracting directly with several contractors, which are then managed by the CM. Construction project management s services provided by a licensed architect, registered engineer, or licensed general contractor. Under this approach, the early phases of the project (earthwork, site utilities, and foundations) can be placed under contract before design of the building shell and interior is 100 percent complete, and the structural steel and other long lead-time components can be ordered. Then, the contracts for the early phases can be awarded to follow-on contractors. There are two types of construction managers. An agency CM is a consultant to the owner; an agency CM is not in the chain of privity between The owner and the contractor(s) and does not guarantee the cost of the work. An at-risk CM, on the other hand, essentially is a brokering general contractor. The at-risk CM is either in the chain of privity between the owner and the trade contractors or Guarantees that the aggregate price of the contracts will not exceed some maximum figure. Any individual or firm proposing to provide construction project management services shall provide Evidence that the individual or firm and its personnel carrying out onsite responsibilities have Expertise and experience in construction project design review and evaluation, construction Mobilization and supervision, bid evaluation, project scheduling, cost-benefit analysis, claims Review and negotiation, and general management and administration of a construction project. Which type of contract is better for design-build? Most suitable type of contracts is lump sum contract because the owner has essentially assigned all the risks to the contractor, who in turn can be expected to ask for a higher markup in order to take Care of unforeseen contingencies. Beside the fixed lump sum price, other commitments are often made by the contractor in the form of submittals such as a specific schedule, the management reporting system or a quality control Program. If the actual cost of the project is underestimated, the underestimated cost will reduce the Contractor s profit by that amount. An overestimate has an opposite effect, but may reduce the Chance of being a low bidder for the project. The scope of work, the price, the time of performance is already defined. Usually the contractors include allowance for contingencies in their bid price so the price Small and medium projects are most suitable for this kind of project where is the design is easy not Complicated and can be managed by one party. II-disadvantages The potential advantages of design-build do not come without risk. A. Less Control. Under traditional design-bid-build, the owner has full control over the details of the plans and Specifications and does not publish them for bids until it is satisfied that they reflect its Requirements, including functional and aesthetic preferences. With design-build, the owner gives up some of this control. i.e., advancing the level of design through the design development stage (30 percent or so) before award of the design-build contract. Of course, by doing so the owner may give up some of the advantages of design-build. B. Need for Earlier Requirements Definition With design-build, the owner must lock in its requirements much earlier. With traditional design-bid-build, if the owner is a little fuzzy on its functional or aesthetic Requirements, it can clarify them during the design phase after if sees where the designer is heading. But with design-bid-build, post-award programmatic changes can be very expensive and disruptive. C. Recommendation So, if the city (country) rules are not certain what it wants, traditional design-bid-build may be the better alternative. D. Compliance with Subcontractors The Subletting and Subcontracting Fair Practices Act, requires that bidders list their subcontractors with their bids. This can be a problem for a design-build bidder. Without detailed design drawings, the subcontractors cannot precisely estimate costs. But, listing a subcontractor without a firm subcontract price puts the design-build contractor at a disadvantage in subsequently pricing the subcontract work. A listed subcontractor has the prime design-build contractor over the proverbial barrel. This is a manageable problem for a design-build contractor with many of the same type of projects in an Area, as a subcontractor can only get away with gouging the design-build entity once. Parking garages and housing are good examples of where the design-build entities work with a group of subcontractors on a repetitive basis, and subcontractors can estimate their work on a perspace. or.pre-square.foot.basis. Design-build contractor shall search for competitive bids for subcontracts not listed with its prime bid. The problem with this approach is that it depends on specific legislative authorizations that do not apply to the country. Thus, the safest approach may be to require listing of subcontractors at time of bid, even though this may result in either the subcontractors or the prime design-build entity including some contingency and mark-up. E. Payment bonds Generally it is required a payment bond payable by the terms of the contract. However, when the design services and the construction are procured under a single contract, must the payment bond be in the full amount of the design-build contract or only in the amount of the Construction portion? Logically, it would seem that 100 percent of the construction portion would fulfil the intent of the statute.

Children Need to be Encouraged :: Teaching Education Essays

Children Need to be Encouraged As we know, children spend about thirteen years of their childhood (if they graduate) in school around their peers and teachers. Most children go home to busy households where parents do not spend quality time, such as; listening, and disciplining them like they need to. So when these children go into the school the next day, they need and adult to pat them on the back, listen to them, discipline them, and encourage them to keep on trying. Children need to be encouraged so they will try harder. I want to there to give them that extra push that they deserve because many teachers gave me that encouragement to me. These days encourageable, energetic, and determined teachers become evermore important in today’s busy society. Teaching children I would incorporate all of these philosophies such as; perennialism, progressivism, behaviorism, essentialism, existentialism, and social reconstructionism in my instructional curriculum. For example, including perennialism in which, it is necessary to teach elementary students morals, such as; sharing, not cheating, and even playing fair (like in sports). Progressivism will be used in my instruction because cooperative learning activities will take place. I will use reinforcement rewards with computers, stickers, and candy; which will display the philosophy of behaviorism reflected in my classroom. I will encourage free-will in my students by letting them make choices such as; the book they want to read or letting them decide whether or not they want to do extra credit; which would demonstrate a small part of the existentialism philosophy I support. I believe it is also necessary to educate elementary students on other cultures so they will be aware of the similarities and differences compared to their own culture; which is how I will incorporate social reconstructionism into my classroom. However, the basis to hold everything into a functional curriculum I would use the essentialist philosophy; in which I would include all of the basic subjects in every week’s lesson plan to create a structural predictive atmosphere so the students know what is happening next. Students need repetition.