Identifying Sustainability Plan Effect Essay

The issue of terrorism is not the only one over which the countries are focusing on; in fact, there is another hot burning issue of ‘Global Warming’ that is causing the depletion of ozone layer, melting ice, raising sea levels, and so the temperature too. In this paper, I would be acting as a consultant who is hired by Princeton University, and would be draw attention to the alarming causes of greenhouse gas and devise a sustainability plan that can overcome those issues. Global warming is fundamentally caused by excessive emission of greenhouse gases that are the chemical compounds present in the atmosphere of Earth. These gases damage the ozone layer and allow the sunlight to easily penetrate into the atmosphere and as result sunstrokes, skin cancer, and other diseases happen too. Here, in the United States, these emissions come from the ignition of fossil fuels that are used for energy purposes, since the economic growth is highly dependent upon energy sector (eia, 2008). Greenhouse gases include Carbon dioxide, methane gas, nitrous oxide, and fluorocarbons, transmit infrared radiations into the atmosphere that raise the temperature due to the breaking of ozone layer, hence causing many other issues (Cohen & Hopwood, n. d). Sustainability Plan Considering the ongoing issue of global warming, it is the responsibility of the educational and as well as other institutions to increase the awareness among the people regarding it, and formulate certain strategies that aim on restraining such issues. Now let’s discuss the effects of a sustainability plan that would have over several organizational aspects of Princeton University. Vision Princeton University should design its vision that not only focuses on the production of quality students with outstanding knowledge and grades, but also on teaching the students about the sustainable development in the future for a greener tomorrow for future generations. Mission The mission of this university should be the commencement of new degree programs and courses related to Sustainable Development and Entrepreneurial Management that focuses on initiating ‘Green’ businesses. Organization If the sustainability plan is to be implemented in Princeton University then there would be a prominent change in the whole organization, ranging from the advancement in its technologies, processes, procedures, organizational design, policies, etc. The university would have to set up new infrastructure and technologies for the purpose of assisting students to come and learn from it, use them for research purposes, and adopt newer and greener ways of living life. As far as the enabling of technology and processes is concerned, the university would have to invest a great amount of money in bringing on new technologies, machineries, equipments, infrastructure, and most importantly, the intellectual capital that would be present in experts, scientists, and experienced professors. In other words, the resources for the students should be provided with which they can learn the practical application of what they learn in books, because without application they would be wasting what they studied. Moreover, processes would be shaped in a way where the emphasis would be laid on the practicality of the concept and not just the theories itself. This would have to deal with some sort of change in the organizational design in which the policies, preferences, faculty, teaching criteria, and curriculum would be modified. People Attracting and maintaining talented students, faculty, and other staff members should be the first priority of the university, since it’s all about the students who learn and progress and the faculty who teach them. Faculty members who may include scientists, cosmologists, or environmentalists, should be provided with sufficient resources to conduct research and development. They might be sent abroad for participating in conferences, workshops, and seminars from where they can train themselves accordingly, which later would result fruitful for the students who would get up-to-date knowledge about the current happenings, issues, developments, and solutions for them. Teaching the students would not suffice; in fact, they should be encouraged to indulge in the practicality of the studies. University should arrange certain contests and business plan competitions where the students would be asked to participate and come up with the most feasible business that is sustainable and green. Moreover, the students of IT may engage in developing certain products, equipments, and technologies that might be used at a later stage for greener tomorrow, for instance, electric cars and solar energy chargers. Just as every employee needs rewards for keeping him motivated and directed; students are no exception (Robbins & Judge, 2007). Based on their achievements in the competitions, they must be encouraged by offering them scholarships, money prizes, and medals. Conclusion Therefore, it is the responsibility of universities to make their students aware of the changing environmental conditions and offer them, opportunities and resources to explore and ascertain newer ways of living and doing business for having a better and greener tomorrow.

A religious or moral issue Essay

Analyse and explain the way in which a religious or moral issue of concern to Christians has been dealt with in a television soap opera The moral issue that I have chosen to follow is adultery, which is when a married person has voluntary sexual intercourse with other married or not married people, rather than his or her spouse. The reason I have chosen this moral issue is because it is part of everyday life, many people are doing it and are not taking notice of the hurt and pain they are causing. I have chosen Eastenders for my soap opera, because it is a popular soap and the moral issue adultery is shown, through Natalie and Ricky’s affair. Christians have a strong view on adultery, they believe that you should keep sexual intercourse for marriage because it makes it part of a religious or spiritual contact and it makes it dependant on a commitment to spend the rest of your life with someone, also â€Å"Do not commit adultery† is one of the ten commandments, so Christians are totally against adultery. The main characters involved were Ricky, Natalie, Pat and Barry. The storyline begins with, Ricky and his son Liam coming back to the square after a few years away. After a few weeks Ricky is starting to settle down and he is renting a flat with Sam Mitchell his ex-wife, Natalie and Ricky are friends at this point. After a while Natalie realizes she still loves Ricky, her first love, and starts meeting up with him secretly and has sexual intercourse with him. Natalie makes up excuses saying that she’s working overtime and during her lunch breaks when she’s really meeting up with Ricky. One night Pat sees Ricky picking up Natalie from round the corner from their house. The next morning Pat confronts Natalie about what she saw and tells her to end it but Natalie starts crying and says that she still loves Ricky, but Pat tells Natalie about her own love life and that she would be making a big mistake by seeing Ricky. Natalie is still confused and not sure whom she wants to be with. On Ricky’s birthday Natalie stays home and looks after Jack and Liam, Ricky’s son. So Barry, Pat and Roy can go to Ricky’s party soon after they arrive Barry persuades Roy and Pat to go home and baby-sit so Natalie can come to the party. When Natalie arrives she gives Ricky his card and on the back of the envelope Natalie wrote meet me outside the back where she tells him that she is going to leave Barry. Pat and Natalie talk again and Pat shows Natalie the secret tape, which Barry has recorded for Natalie’s birthday it is a really special tape because Barry says how much he loves her, how important she is to him and how happy she makes him feel, after seeing the video Natalie realises that she is doing wrong and tells Ricky it’s over. Natalie realises she can’t forget Ricky and soon their affair is back on and they plan to move away from the square and start afresh. They plan to leave on Natalie’s birthday, Natalie doesn’t even care about the preparations that Barry made for her birthday party in the Vic. They are ready to head off but Ricky’s car has broken down so they have to take the car that Barry bought for Natalie. Barry is still in the Vic waiting for the guest of honour to arrive but Janine knows about Ricky and Natalie and tells Barry. Barry runs outside and sees Natalie driving off but he stops them. Natalie then tells Barry she’s leaving him, Barry takes her into the Vic and shows her what he has organised for her, Natalie runs off to the toilets Barry runs after her and tries o make her change her mind but her minds already made up. Natalie is ready to leave but then Janine tells Natalie that Ricky slept with Sam, Natalie leaves the square only taking her son with her. Barry is left heartbroken, he then finds out that Pat knew about Ricky and Natalie, Pat and Roy end up having an argument about it, Roy has a heart attack and dies. The issue seen was dealt sensitively because the different characters feelings were expressed, although it was Natalie who was having the affair, you could see that not only was it the innocent partner that was confused but the partner which was committing adultery was even more confused, Natalie wasn’t sure who she wanted to be with at some points and was getting very upset over it. Pat tried to help her make the right decision but Natalie didn’t care. This soap opera made the moral issue less appealing, I think that it made people think more about what they are doing is totally wrong. The reason it did not make it more appealing is because it showed all the different circumstances people were left in, Natalie ended it with Ricky because he slept with Sam, Barry was left with no son and no wife, the baby was left with no father, Pat was left as the enemy and homeless because Roy dies and leaves the house to Barry, so the issue was shown well balanced because all the main characters feelings and circumstances were shown, many of the characters were feeling hurt. Overall I think this soap opera has shown adultery to be unpleasant because it shows just how many peoples lives are ruined not just the adultery committers, but people who try to help them understand what they are doing is wrong, but are then given the evil for not telling the truthful partner. So this teaches most viewers that adultery is not a good thing. I don’t think that soap opera’s might affect people’s behaviour because mostly they deal with issues to express the circumstances of good and bad. This issue would not cause offence because although it is an issue, which is happening in everyday life it is not based on particular people.

Fords Profitability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fords Profitability - Essay Example The research work will help in giving an explanation on why the company is making 24 billion in losses. A competitive advantage may be created in producing similar products to Toyotas’ models with lower costs. The output produced should be according to what the consumers need, and not according to what it is used to producing (Close, 2012). They can completely change the company strategies and structure on how it carries out its operational activities. This can be achieved by changing the objectives, target and mission statements of the company. Introduction of process engineering skills, tight cost control and reports that are more frequent. The management should be able to give the company a new purpose and direction, by motivating the workers, and improving the culture of the organization (Canary, 2012). In extreme circumstances, the firm may also consider taking action on the management structure by considering the option of reducing on the number of employees both in the management level and in the operational levels. This will act as a direct way of reducing on the production and operational

Foundations in Strategic Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Foundations in Strategic Management - Case Study Example To synchronize with markets that are culturally diverse in the international network requires deep insight into the dynamics of the environment (Hitt, et al, 2013). To receive joint venture partnerships and licenses, the company has to strategically place mechanisms that will leave it in a win-win situation (Murray-Webster and Williams, 2013; Lasserre (2012).   Using PESTLE model, the above issues can be analyzed such that clear and comprehensive perspectives on the factors can be unearthed. PESTLE involves considering ‘Political, Economic, Social, Technological’ as well as the ‘legal and environmental’ frameworks of an issue (Tesar, 2008). It is advantageous since it provides a multi-dimensional framework that is all-inclusive in capturing all points of a problem. It is disregarded as a model that may veer off analysts owing to its long comprehensive techniques (Tschà ¤ppeler and Krogerus, 2011).   Cultural is a social aspect that requires analysis from an inclusive point of view as it touches and embeds on many other spheres within the society (Gassmann, et al, 2008). PESTLE model starting with the social values of the culture, its norms and traditions among others that will enable the strategists to understand and predict the consumer attitude and behavior (Caddle, et al, 2010). This will enable devise approaches aimed at harmonizing the organizational values with customers’ expectations and culture since it already has the ability to integrate easily into various cultures (Austin, 2008). The political analysis will consider what it will take to survive in the political temperatures of the country such that the company does not find itself aligning to one political division that might make it lose customers (Lasssere, 2012).   

Ethical Dilemmas in Psych-Article Critique Assignment

Ethical Dilemmas in Psych-Article Critique - Assignment Example The experiment was also approved by Stanford’s Human Subjects Review Committee (the university’s equivalent to an IRB), the Stanford Psychology Department, and by the Navy, who funded much of the study. The APA, at Zimbardo’s request, conducted an ethics evaluation in 1973 and concluded that all existing ethical guidelines had been followed (O’Toole, 1997). Like in the case of Milgrim’s famous study on authority conducted a few years earlier, which has been compared to the Zimbardo study, there are those who believe that this study would have never passed an IRB’s scrutiny today. Zimbardo himself felt that there was much about this study that was unethical. In his book The Lucifer Effect (2007), Zimbardo even apologized for conducting it. He believed that it was unethical because of the suffering it inflicted on its participants and stated, "I was guilty of the sin of omission—the evil of inaction—of not providing adequate overs ight and surveillance when it was required†¦The findings came at the expense of human suffering. I am sorry for that and to this day apologize for contributing to this inhumanity." (181, 235) PINNEBAKER (1997) James W. Pennebaker’s article (1997), â€Å"Writing About Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process,† is a literature review. ... One of the most interesting studies he discusses is the study in which patients used a â€Å"magic pad;† researchers found that there were as much positive effects as therapy modes in which they received feedback from a therapist. Pennebaker’s thesis of his article seems to be that there needs to be some kind of physical activity in the disclosure of trauma and to remedy inhibition; what form the activity takes does not matter, as long as it occurs. Pennebaker, in his discussion of the research about writing, does not state if the evaluators followed ethical guidelines, but since they all occurred in laboratory and university settings, it can be assumed that they were all brought before IRBs or similar authorizing committees. It can also be assumed that all participants granted informed consent. It does not seem that other than a few tears, much harm occurred as a result of their participation in any of these studies. Some emotional pain is expected when disclosing trau matic experiences, and in most cases, the release of emotional pain is therapeutic. Most members of IRBs, who are most likely also counselors or those familiar with the counseling process, would understand this when faced with approving these kinds of studies, so passing them was probably an easy process. Pennebaker makes it clear that more studies on the therapeutic benefits of writing needs to be conducted. This article and the studies he discusses support the importance of putting language to traumatic experiences, whether by talking about them, writing about them, and even better, by doing both. MIDDLEMAST (1976) R. Dennis Middlemast’s study (1976) was conducted in 1974, like the Zimbardo study, before the widespread practice of IRBs were firmly established. Also like the

Media and climategate Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media and climategate - Research Paper Example Climatic Research Unit (CRU) is an internationally renowned research institution for climate change and global warming. The research done at CRU is globally accepted and practiced, for instance, global temperature record and other data sets.CRU was the key contributor of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report in 2007.It was a   collaboration between World Meteorological Organization(WMO) and United Nations Environment Program and considered to be the most authoritative of the likes(CNN). According to Seymour, climategate proved to be the starting point of a series of leaks that shook scientists’ long held and advocated belief that â€Å"the science is settled†. However, despite the authoritative position of CRU and far reaching impact of the leaked information, news media networks played soft on the whole incident. They seemed unshaken by the unethical course of action taken by the scientists whose claims were promoted by these networks over the years and gradually shaped public opinion. Surprisingly, since November 20, 2009, less than 10 percent of the global warming and climate change related news stories pointed towards any of the climate related scandals. The most disturbing email communication was among CRU Director Phil Jones and Penn State Scientist Michael Mann. The later is internationally renowned for his hockey stick graph of global warming which was the main feature of IPCC’s report in 2001.In e-mail Jones informed Mann that he worked on a trick to make addition in real temperature record of last 20 years in order to hide the decline. Other e-mails encourage criminal act of destroying information rather than passing them on to Freedom of Information requests(Seymour).Daily Mail(UK) reported on January 28,2010 that Information Commissioner discovered that ERU scientists are violating FOI law, but he couldn’t take legal action because of the statute of limitation(qtd. in

Final Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final Project - Research Paper Example Phoenix Airport is expected to become a â€Å"strong financial partner committed to aviation, to help fund large capital items† (passenger terminals, parking garages) and those items that are not eligible to be funded by Passenger Facility Charges or Airport Improvement Program (for instance, roadway systems). Moreover, Phoenix representatives will participate in the meeting with the FAA for it to fund $200 million in capital projects with AIP grants based on the following plans: the Airport Master Plan, the Airport Capital Improvement Program, and the Airport Layout Plan (Amended and Restated Intergovernmental Agreement, 3). The Airport Improvement Program (AIP) is a program, providing grant for the planning and development of public-use airports, included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (Faa.gov, n.p.). AIP funding is generated by the Congressional appropriations of revenues paid by airport users (aviation fuel, airline tickets, aircraft registrations, etc) (Master Plan Executive Summary, 4). -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   AIP offers grants for reliever and general aviation airports (Gateway Airport), which covers a range of 90-95% of eligible costs and 75-80% of eligible costs for large and medium primary hub airports) (Phoenix Sky Harbour) (Faa.gov, n.p.) -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For being eligible for a grant, an airport should be included in the NPIAS. Based on the 2013-2017 years plan, both Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway are included to the NPIAS list (Appendix A – all NPIAS Airports 2013-2017, n.p.). -  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the Appendix A (NPIAS, n.p.) current enplanement at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway is equal to 417  862 with 89 current based aircrafts (Appendix A – all NPIAS Airports 2013-2017, n.p.). According to the Airport Master Plan Executive summary of the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (2) number of Air Carrier

Analysing the global marketing environment Assignment

Analysing the global marketing environment - Assignment Example Background This report is based on the examination of the global marketing environment of the popular cookies brand of New Zealand, Cookie Times, in the global market, especially in United States. Cookie Time Ltd (CTL) is one of the most popular cookie brands in New Zealand. This is located in Christchurch and makes snack foods since 1983. The mascot of the brand is known as Cookie Muncher. It is a commercial, innovative snacking company. One of the fundamental business structures of the company comprises of franchised distribution, retail, as well as manufacturing operations with special focus on the opportunities of foreign licensing and franchise. Chocolate Chunk Cookie was the first launched product in the New Zealand market intended for individual sale. With unparalleled operational excellence and dynamic entrepreneurship, CTL is dominating the domestic cookie and cracker market for more than 28 years. Their passion lies in building strong customer satisfaction base and network by providing unmatched quality products with extravagant taste (Franchise opportunities, Cookie Time, n.d.). The company’s portfolio includes highly innovative and popular products like glutten-free cookies and smart cookies with authorized certification from the National Heart Foundation. The mainstream sweet cookie was launched in the market in 2006 with prior consultation with the Ministry of health, NZ Parent Teachers Association and the Heart Foundation. In 2010, the first full scale retail space of the company, the Cookie Time Bar was established in Queensland which serves great hot cookies and milk with a nostalgic ambience. The outlet shop of the company outside the Christchurch factory is a landmark site which is well known for its giant cookie frontage. The head quarters and the food science laboratory are also established here. For distribution of the products to more than 6000 domestic retail outlets 40 independent franchisees work rigorously across time (Corporat e Profile, Cookie Time, n.d.). Reports show that about one-third the people of United States of America (US) have no time to take their meal. Only one-third of them take regular three meals in a day. The others depend on easily available food items and snacks and skip their meals. The unhealthy consumer behavior leading to rampant obesity has led majority of the American population to convert their dietary mechanism towards a more healthy process. As a result CTL finds a great opportunity to enter this market with its products which are rich in high proteins, high fibre, natural ingredients with low fat and sugar which guarantees healthy diet (Cookies in the US 2006, p. 6). That is why the study is done to find out whether there is proper global environment of the marketing Cookie Time in the country. 1. Environmental analysis 1.1 Economic Environment The economic setting can modify quite fast. Effects of rapid business decline in a country or region will adversely affect the busine ss environment of any organization within that geographical boundary. However new strategies are to be formulated and implemented at the simultaneously for maintaining sustainability. The fall in consumer’s income changes their consumption pattern by cutting down expenses by barred consumption on some products. As a direct consequence many companies including

Introduction of Computing in Aviation Assignment - 1

Introduction of Computing in Aviation - Assignment Example The activity involves creating of a social media page, in both facebook and twitter, for class members, and encouraging the members to engage in one or both of the social media actively and honestly engage with information that the involvement will be used for learning purposes. A class member is then asked to make anonymous posts with different research topics in both social media. The Action Social media Monitoring tool is then used to collect data on the responses by class members per research topic and frequencies of the responses from both media recorded for further analysis. This will identify the effectiveness of research topics in generating responses (Actionly, p. 1). Â  The activity is important to the course because of the scope of the course the development of computer-based applications in aviation that should consider users’ opinions before developments. The activity and its later report to the students will, therefore, prepare the students to appreciate the significance of research in developing products and the need to develop appropriate research topics in research.

Why i am for the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT Assignment

Why i am for the NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT - Assignment Example llars of accountability for results; an emphasis on doing what works based on scientific research; expanded parental options; and expanded local control and flexibility. While all of this sounds positive, it is the accountability for results that most disturbs given the fact that test results equal federal funds, not a positive carrot in my opinion for the achievement of educational excellence. The statement by President Bush (2001) is at the heart of what I see as a very serious flaw in the mandate pertaining to its emphasis on testing which he calls. ...â€Å"the essence of excellence [and the means of judging that] in education....† (para 7).The U.S. Department of Education USDE insists No Child Left Behind puts a special emphasis on implementing educational programs and practices that have been clearly demonstrated to be effective through rigorous scientific research. While all of this sounds promising, other aspects of a test-oriented program by which the fate of districts rise or fall is a frightening one considering what is at stake—again, federal funding. While reps Becky Fleischauer from the National Education Association (NEA) (2002) claims that â€Å"we will begin to see testing and accountability and teacher quality† (para. 2), other experts have a very different take that does not instill the same confidence, especially when it comes to testing. Education expert James Pophan (2010) found the following: â€Å"An astonishing amount of cheating is taking place on the tests that measure progress†(para. 1), rendering psychometric guidelines touted as produced through â€Å"rigorous scientific research† by psychometric experts virtually worthless. Shockingly various instances of educator cheating range from teachers allowing students more than the allotted time, to the administration of pre-tests with actual final test questions. I find this quite disturbing given these tests are supposed to accurately predict student and district achievement. Other issues

Health and Safety Project Essay Example for Free

Health and Safety Project Essay This work-based project forms an important part of your training. The aim of this project is to familiarise yourself with your working environment and the Health and Safety issues that arise in your placement. On completion you should: Understand the structure your organisation’s; and your role in it Understand the importance of Health and Safety at work Understand the legal requirements of Health and Safety at work Know your organization’s health, hygiene and accident procedures To complete this assignment you may need to make notes in before filling in the information. Take your time and carefully answer every question as fully as possible; the more you write the more criteria you will meet. If you need any help please speak to your workplace supervisor, your colleagues, your College tutor or your Training Co-ordinator. Describe your placement, e.g. busy town/country, client group (age, culture, special needs): The site that Oakland’s is situated on was once the site of the old Parcroft Juniors School, which was torn down and rebuilt with the merger of the Westfield Infant’s. The newly reformed school was named after the old oak tree, which still stands on the grounds of the school and has done for 300 years. So it was only fitting that the school was named Oakland’s, and when you talk to past pupils who attended Parcroft, they always fondly remember playing marbles or chase under the oak trees branches. Oakland’s Primary School is based within the busy town of Yeovil and is situated between Preston Grove, Linden Road and Summerleaze Park. It is a modern High Tec school with all the modern facilities you would expect. The school was built on one level giving easy access to all able bodied and  unable bodied pupils alike to attend the school. The building is quiet self efficient and generates its own electric with solar panels, has under floor heating to heat the school throughout and even the lights run on sensors to turn on and off when you enter and exit a room. Each classroom is fitted with large touch screen boards, which the teachers can run from their laptops giving them a huge range of access to a wide range of teaching resources, enhancing the pupils learning to the up most and keeping them interactive with their learning. Roughly 420 pupils attend the school, ranging from the ages of 4 years up to 11 years old. The school uniform is a purple jumper with the school emblem of an Oak Tree, white sweatshirts, grey trousers or skirts and black shoes. Each of the 14 classes within the school has been named after an animal, giving each class its own identity, including a mascot. There is also four teams throughout the school, which is used within each classroom and the children are encourage to win team points for their team so that at the end of the school year their team can win the team cup. This helps with the pupils taking pride in their achievements and to try hard to earn a point. There are many facilities within the school and on the surrounding grounds of the school, these include: The I.C.T suite where the children learn how to use computers, from word processing to using the internet safely. The school hall which is used for weekly assemblies, indoor sports activities, and even the Christmas nativity plays. The music room which is full of many different musical instruments, letting the pupils express themselves and learn about music. The fully equipped cookery room were the pupils learn about healthy eating and different foods from around the world. This is also where the breakfast club is held every morning. Then there is Forest school which is held in a purpose built log cabin surrounded by trees and a wildlife garden. This is where pupils go for environmental studies, to learn about insects, plants, animals and the environment. The Outdoor facilities include several outside learning areas that are used throughout the day depending on weather. There are also extensive fields, several play areas and two activity play areas. Oakland’s Primary also offers a large range of activities and clubs after school, which range from performance arts, music, sports, computer clubs and gardening clubs. There is also a holiday care  scheme which offers families affordable, childcare. Within Oakland’s there is also an Autism Base which is known as Peacocks Class. This based within it’s own sector of the school’s main building and is solely run by the council and has its own staff. The base consists of two teaching areas, two sensory rooms, a kitchen, a toilet and its own outside area. Non-Statutory requirements (in your workplace) What is the ratio of adults to children? In Foundation and Key Stage One the ratio of adults to children is 1 to 10 In Key Stage Two the ratio of adults to children is 1 to 15 Are the ratios different in any other room at work; if yes please give details? Yes in the Autism base the ratio of adult to children is different. Statutory requirements What are the statutory requirements regarding adult: child ratios? The EYFS states that the adult to child ratio within classes with children over the age of three should be 1 Adult to 13 Children. But must be a qualified teacher, or hold a relevant level 6 qualification. It also states that there should also be at least one other member of staff within the classroom that holds a level 3 qualification. However if the teacher is absent from the classroom then the ratio requirements change and it is recommended that it should be 1 Adult to 8 Children. But must hold a level qualification and the other staff within the classroom should hold a level 2 qualification. On school trips the ratios change again dependent on the type of trip. Also these can change when dependant on certain circumstances and other factors, which could Include if any of the pupils have special educational needs or medical needs. It can also be altered depending on the experience and competence of the staff attending the trip, including the number of first aiders going along. It is recommended that the ratios should follow: 1:6 for years 1 to 3, 1:10 for years 4 to 6, and 1: 15 / 20 for years 7 upwards. Why are these necessary? To make sure that the children are being educated and taken care of correctly and are under the supervision of qualified staff members. What are the statutory requirements regarding space? Class sizes: Schools must make sure that children aged between 5 years and 7 years aren’t taught in classes of more than 30 pupils. There is no legal limit for pupils aged 8 years and over. Why is this necessary? So that schools do not have oversized classes, as then the children do not get the attention they need to learn. Organisation and Structure of the Workplace Every organisation or business has its own basic structure of management. Each manager is responsible for those in their department. The structure can be set out like a pyramid. Responsibilities may differ. Please identify all staff roles and responsibilities; highlighting your own: Governors They school governors are responsible for working with the school to ensure that it delivers a good quality education. Head Teacher Has overall responsibility for the school, its staff, its pupils and the education they receive. Deputy Head Teacher Plays a major role in managing the school, particularly in the absence of the head teacher. Is also responsible for a curriculum area and specific areas of the school management, delegated to them by the Head Teacher. Inclusion Leader The special educational needs coordinator is responsible for day to day provisions for pupils with special educational needs. NQT Mentor They are responsible for the Newly Qualified Teachers, and are there to give support and guidance when needed. Foundation Stage Leader Responsible for children in foundation stage, leading the foundation team of teachers and teaching assistants. KS1 Leader To manage Key Stage 1 team of teachers and teaching assistants. KS2 Leader To manage Key Stage 2 team of teachers and teaching assistants. Phase Leaders Responsible for co-ordinating and motivating staff and children in their allocated phase to ensure high levels of achievement. Teachers Are responsible to plan, prepare and lessons to meet the needs of all their pupils in their care. Setting and marking work and recording pupil’s development as necessary. But also within Oakland’s each teacher is responsible for an area of the curriculum, such as; A curriculum coordinator for Numeracy, which makes them responsible for the leadership and management of the subject. Teaching Assistants To assist the classroom teacher to prepare for lessons such as resources that are required, or to put out equipment at the start of the lesson. To support the teacher in the day to day running of the classroom from up keeping data files, cataloguing resources, maintaining inventories, and photocopying. Undertaking learning activities with a small group of children, who may need extra support. Lunchtime Supervisors They look after the children during lunchtime breaks, so that most of the staff members are able to take their breaks. They take the children who have school dinners to the schools canteen, they also look after the pupils who bring pack lunch. Within one of their classroom or outside weather permitting. They are also first aid trained and look after the children whilst playing outside. Administration Staff There is a wide range of job roles within this department of the school, ranging from: First point of contact for the school either by telephone, email or face to face. Diary management for the Head teacher or departmental leaders Issue visitor passes where necessary and maintain signing in and out books Maintain data bases and filing systems Prepare correspondence and collect fees To contact parent/guardians for specific reasons when requested by staff and to request for collection of sick children on behalf of the staff. And many more jobs besides Site Staff Maintain the school, deal with cleaning, maintenance of equipment and the school building. Catering Staff Cater for the pupils and staff that eat within the canteen, with healthy food within their budget. Volunteers Helping within the school, with assisting the classroom teacher with tasks such as listening to pupils read, taking part on school trips and helping out at school fairs. List the things you have agreed with your employer that you are prohibited from doing: Entering the Autism base, Administering first aid to a pupil this must be done by a qualified first aider. What breaks are you entitled to? When working a full day within the school – from 8.45am to 3pm I am entitled to an hour for lunch. Though on occasions I may be required to cover a lunchtime supervisor duty, which then I will be allocated an hour within the afternoon. This is the same for break times, we are entitled to take the break ourselves or we may be asked to supervise. If you are unhappy with a health safety issues what would you do? I would have to report this to the site service manager or to the deputy head teacher Risk Assessments Has your placement got a risk assessment policy? Yes – Every school and workplace must have a risk assessment policy. Where is it kept? Within the Administration Office Who has access to it? The HSE, The Governors, The Head Teacher, staff members and parents How often are they reviewed and why is this necessary? It is reviewed on a yearly basis unless any changes have to be implemented within the school. Then the risk assessment will be reviewed as a part of the process. Such as recently the school has had some staff members trained in manual lifting and so the risk assessment has to be updated for this new procedure within the school. Give an example of a risk assessment you have done and why? When reading with the foundation children one to one they have a tendency to swing on their chair. This has risks of the chair flipping backwards and the child following which in turn could cause harm to themselves. So I have had to ask them to sit properly and not to swing on their chair. Identify and list below 4 possible risks/hazards that might occur within your work placement and state how you would prevent each one?, explain how they will be monitored and reviewed 1. Pupils trapping fingers in the internal fire doors. The fire doors are extremely heavy to open to exit the classrooms or to enter the bathroom, especially for the less able bodied and the smaller children within foundation. These doors are on hinges and close back on themselves when opened. Are very heavy as they are designed to protect against fire. However I have witnessed children struggling with these doors. When trying to open these doors by themselves they tend to place one hand on the door frame as they use the other hand to open the door. If they where to lose grip of the door it would swing back and the likely hood of trapping their fingers is a high risk. The less able bodies students struggle even more so and they normally have a buddy within their classroom to open these doors for them. Which in turn takes away their independence, and they normally have a fear of getting stuck in the toilet or in room as they are unable to open these doors by themselves. I would look into adapting the doors by placing an electronic button system. Where the smaller children and the less able bodied children will be able to press a button and the door will automatically open for them. As it is impossible to loosen the hinges on the door as they will no longer work as intended. If this is not possible when a child needs to exit a room then an adult should always be present to assist. Preventing any accidents from happening, or a fear of getting stuck. 2. Tripping over chair leg in classroom When children are moving around the classroom it is often an possibility that they could trip over a chair leg. Either from the chair not being placed under a table properly or whilst another child is swinging on their chair. This could be very hazardous as they could fall and hit a side of a table or land badly on the ground. Add no swinging on your chair and to tuck away chairs properly when not being used onto the classroom rules. I would remind any of the children I see not tucking their chair away to do so, and at the end of class make a check that all chairs are tucked away correctly. I would also do the same with children swinging on their chair; I would ask them not to, and remind them of the class room rules. 3. Slipping on wet floors in the toilets Before break times and lunch times the children are all asked to go to the toilets and wash their hands. The children have a tendency to drip a large amount of water across the floor when walking over to the hand dryer. Which when you have approximately 30 children at once using the toilets the water can accumulate into a puddle of water, which becomes a slipping hazard. Allowing only ten children to use the toilets at a time to wash their hands. So that a teaching assistant could maintain the floor with a mop preventing puddles forming, then let the next ten children in once the teaching assistant has vacated. Another option could be before allowing the children  out of the class to use the toilet the teacher could remind them to shake the excess water off their hands over the sink before drying their hands. However the procedure they have set in the foundation classes works well where they set up two washing up bowls set within the classroom on tables. The children wash their hands under adult supervision and then dry their hands on towels. Makes it less children rushing through the toilets just to wash their hands. 4. Getting caught up and Tripping over Play bibs Within foundation the children are allowed out to play within the soft play area during lessons, but only in a group of five. To keep the group to only five children at a time there are five play bibs supplied which they have to wear whilst outside. However when a child wants to come back inside they have to take off the play bib, which then leaves a bib spare for another child to go out. It works in principle, and keeps the group to only five children at a time. However the children do not maintain putting the bibs back within the box after they are finished and they tend to just throw the play bibs down on the ground. This then becomes a tripping hazard and another child or member of staff could get their feet caught up within the bib and fall over, causing an injury. A box placed outside seems to be over looked by the children, so I would suggest placing a coat hook within the classroom, at their level by the door that they exit and enter to play outside. Then reaffirm that the play bibs must be hung up when not being used and remind the children when they drop the bib to hang it up or no play for them for the rest of the day. Offsite Safety What risk assessments do you need to complete before going of site/ on an outing? Oakland’s Primary employs an external Risk Assessment company, to carry out the risk assessments on behave of the school. They attend the site of the visit and make an assessment of the risks that may apply and forward the report back to the Head Teacher or Deputy Head Teacher. The report will be compiled of recommendations based on factors of the trip, and any control measures and contingencies that need to be set in place relating to the risks that could occur. From the report the school will then set in place the criteria based around the risks, such as: The age / competence / fitness / usual standard of behaviour of the pupils Any special educational / medical needs of the pupils Adult to Child ratios The competence / experience / qualifications of the adults Modes of transport, journey routes and location of the visit The correct attire that may need to be required depended on weather conditions and location of visit. Any emergency procedures When there is a less able bodied pupil attending the trip, the leading teacher will take a visit to the site themselves to evaluate the location and the facilities. This is so they can make sure that no child will miss out. They also take a visit to plan activities accordingly and to talk to any personnel that may work within the location of the visit, and to set out a timetable of the activities. Are the adult: child ratio’s different? Yes the ratios are different, and these depend on the location of the visit. What are your roles and responsibilities? I have done quite a few school trips, some have been to support my son during a school visit and have travelled either via the school mini bus or and in one instance myself and my son travelled by our own means of transport. When arriving at school we are given the activities schedule and what groups we will be in and the names of the children under our care. We check that all the children have brought everything they need, if not the school does try to provide anything that a child has forgotten or does not own, such a wellingtons, spare clothes etc. We run through the plan before leaving the classroom. On the mini bus I would support my son, during the journey and help the other two teaching assistants within the mini bus to keep the rest of the children entertained. We normally share out books, maths tasks or we will start some singing. Once we have arrived at the location I am put in charge of a small group of 4 to 5 children which includes my son and I follow one of the leading teachers during the activities. The last school trip to kingcombe meadows we went hunting within the meadows for wild flowers with a check list, we also caught bugs within nets and did some fishing in the river. I had a small group of 5 children under my care and I helped them with their activities, encouraging them to figure out what bug the found or flower. I have also helped with a foundation school outing, this was up to the post box outside of the school gate and up the road to post their letters home, as part of their Post Office activities in class. I handed out high-viz vests to every child before we left and was put in charge of three children as we walked in a line up and back to the post box.

Conflict, Decision Making, and Organizational Design Essay Example for Free

Conflict, Decision Making, and Organizational Design Essay 1. Discuss how you could apply negotiation strategies to address potential conflicts in the workplace. The primary focus at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is patient/Veteran care and establishing new Veteran enrollees. This is done by direct marketing among other forms of outreach. For VA, negotiation will be important in not only establishing a new enrollee, but keeping that enrollee as well. According to Hellriegel and Slocum, integrative negotiations are used to â€Å"achieve results that benefit both parties† (2011, p.397). By consistently explaining and showing Veterans the benefits, they gain by maintaining their health care through VA, and how the outcome will benefit them, VA will continue to receive the federal funding to continue sustained operations for the coming years. According to Hellriegel and Slocum in order for integrative negotiations to be successful, VA should follow these principles: * Separate the people from the problem- VA’s staff must not allow their personal issues with Veterans to interfere with the negotiation process instead focus on the issue at hand. * Focus on interests, not positions – Understand the needs and interests of the clients instead of being concerned about title. * Invent options for mutual gains- This is where creative decision making comes into play. By presenting the client with several alternatives to meet their needs, Winston has a better chance of finding one that the client finds appealing. * Insist on using objective criteria – When dealing with marketing, it is imperative that goals are measurable and obtainable. 2. Determine how evidence-based management could be applied to the work environment you researched. Evidence-based management is defined by Hellriegel and Slocum as â€Å"the premise that using a better, deeper diagnosis and employing facts to the extent possible enable managers and leaders to do their jobs better† (2011, p.425). Hellriegel and Slocum also outline five diagnostic questions to be used to help leaders avoid â€Å"simpleminded quick fixes† (2011, p.425) which address how assumptions are used, if the assumptions are reasonable, and what alternatives could address the same issue more consistently. At Winston there are a few areas where evidence-based management could apply, specifically human resources and scheduling. The human resource department at Winston is responsible for recruiting talent and developing training. Both these tasks are found in almost all organizations, therefore extensive data about how to best approach them is available. In such an instance, utilizing tried and true techniques for evaluating prospective employees and training them to properly do their job saves Winston time and money because they do not have to risk failure trying to develop their own techniques. Scheduling is also an area where there is extensive data that supports how to properly schedule employees to ensure that all client goals are met in the predetermine time frame. In fact, scheduling is one of the major components of Operations Management. 3. Analyze the blocks, stages, and methods of creative decision making to determine the best approach the employer you researched should follow when making managerial decisions. The very nature of the business at Winston lends itself to creative decision making since all the tasks involve the use of some form of creativity. From packaging design to visual stylists, the team at Winston is constantly using their creativity to meet client expectations. As a result of the artistic environment, using creativity when making managerial decisions comes naturally at Winston. There are several blocks, stages and methods of creative decision making yet only one approach would work the best at Winston, Osborn’s Creativity Process. Creative decision making involves several things, but before beginning the process it is important to recognize the blocks that can it from working properly. Perceptual blocks happen when one does not interpret a problem correctly based on a limited scope of understanding. When applied to the type of work done at Winston this can happen if an Account Manager incorrectly stereotypes the target demographic based on their personal experiences. Cultural blocks happen when one has a desire to conform to societal norms, avoid conflict, be practical, and believe that open-ended exploration is a waste of time (Hellriegel Slocum, 2011, p. 431). The staff at Winston must not be held back by cultural blocks because often the brands they work for are being marketed to an extremely diverse customer base with no clearly defined culture. In fact, part of what Winston does is create the brand’s culture so that like-minded individuals feel a sense of connection and will purchase the products. The final block, emotional, is most often seen as the presence of fear. Whether it is fear of failure, fear of others, or fear of making a mistake this emotion is a strong deterrent to the creative process. According to Hellriegel and Slocum, â€Å"For many organizations, fostering creativity and innovation is essential to their ability to offer high-quality products and services† (2011, p. 432). For Winston’s continued success, creativity and innovation must occur with every client on a consistent basis or they will lose business. For a brand to stand out in the increasingly crowded retail environment, their marketing efforts must be memorable and identifiable. This holds especially true when Winston designs the space a client will occupy in a brick-and-mortar retailer where brands are often thrown together based on functionality. If the space looks like something that has already been done, chances are customers will overlook it and go for something else that catches their eye. Once the three blocks are addressed, the creative process can begin. There are five stages to the creative process that are similar to the phases that are a part of Osborn’s creativity process. The first and second stages of the creative process, preparation and concentration, is similar to Osborn’s first phase, fact-finding. All three focus on identifying/defining and investigating the issue or problem. It is important to note that identifying the problem must be followed by â€Å"gathering and analyzing relevant data† (Hellriegel Slocum, 2011, p 434) so that there is a solid base to build upon during the following stages/phases. For Winston this may mean discovering that a problem with accessibility and visibility, not the product itself, are the reasons why buyers were not interested in a particular brand at a trade show (supported by sales data). The team at Winston can then use pictures and diagrams of the last trade show booth and layout to create new desi gns for the next one during the incubation stage or idea-finding phase. The incubation stage is the third of five stages in the creative process and is similar to the idea-finding phase of Osborn’s creativity process. During this stage/phase, management brainstorms alternative solutions to the problem or issue identified in the previous stage/phase. In order to come up with the best solution possible, no idea should be rejected during this stage and team members should let their imaginations run wild since this is the perfect opportunity to be innovative and separate the client’s brand from competitors. This stage/phase is the most important to a creative services firm such as Winston because the generation of several ideas gives the Account Manager several options to pitch to the client. With a variety of options it is more likely that the client will find one they like and decide to do business with Winston instead of another firm. The fourth stage in the creative process is the illumination stage which â€Å"is the moment of discovery† (Hellriegel Slocum, 2011, p.432). Similarly, Osborn’s creativity process has the solution-finding phase which involves generating and evaluating possible courses of action and deciding how they should be implemented (Hellriegel Slocum, 2011, p.435). During this stage management must come to a consensus about which of the ideas generated during the previous stage/phase would best address the problem or issue identified at the beginning of the process. At Winston this would mean narrowing down the ideas generated to the top two or three, pitching them to the client, and then working with the client to implement the one chosen. Verification, the final creative stage, has no counterpart in Osborn’s creativity process. According to Hellriegel and Slocum, this stage â€Å"involves the testing of the created solution or idea† (2011, p. 432). At Winston this may mean building a small version the revamped trade show booth and using it at a few minor shows as a test run before unveiling it at the industries larger trade shows such as WWD MAGIC in Las Vegas. Testing is important because it allows the kinks to be worked out before producing something on a large scale which could mean a huge financial loss if done improperly. Although there are other creative decision making methods, Osborn’s creativity process works best for Winston because it is straight-forward and simple to execute. The other models of creative decision making are electronic brainstorming and De Bono’s lateral thinking. Electronic brainstorming is also not a good option for Winston because the software required to correctly utilize this method is an expense that such a small firm cannot afford when trying to keep their prices competitive. Also, the artistic aspect of the work done at Winston is best collaborated on in-person so that drawings and models can be seen by all involved. De Bono’s lateral thinking method involves the usage of techniques such as analogy, cross-fertilization, and reversal. This method is not the best for Winston because the techniques used to foster the development of new ideas are not feasible for the type of work done at Winston. For instance, the cross-fertilization technique requires the use of outside experts from other fields which means additional expenses that a small firm such as Winston may not be able to afford. The analogy technique requires specific and concrete analogies, whereas the nature of the messages and work done by Winston are abstract. Finally the reversal technique â€Å"involves examining a problem by turning it completely around, inside out, or upside down† (Hellriegel Slocum, 2011, p. 433). This is the one technique that may work for Winston, but it is a more complex process than Osborn’s and therefore harder to follow. 4. Discuss the environmental and strategic factors that affect the organizational design of the company you researched. Winston utilizes a decentralized network design to ensure efficiency and profitability. According to Hellriegel and Slocum, â€Å"Decentralization is the delegation of authority to lower level employees or departments† (2011, p.460). Decentralization relies upon upper management delegating certain tasks which allow lower level employees to make decisions within predetermined constraints. For instance, Winston’s field merchandisers often need to make changes to their schedules. There are a number of Staffing Managers who are able to review and approve these changes, thus allowing the Senior Manager of Staffing and Analysis to focus on more important tasks. Winston’s horizontal organizational design type is a network. â€Å"Organizational design is the process of selecting a structure for the tasks, responsibilities, and authority relationships within an organization† (Hellriegel Slocum, 2011, p.446). In the case of Winston, although there are two main offices, New York and San Francisco, a large portion of the work is done by independent contractors throughout the nation in the field. According to Hellriegel and Slocum this is a network design, meaning an organizations â€Å"subcontracts some or many of its operations to other firms and coordinates them to accomplish specific goals† (2011, p. 467). There are several environmental factors that affect organizational design including suppliers, distributors, competitors, and customers (Hellriegel Slocum, 2011, p448). The first environmental factor to be considered when developing an organizational design is suppliers. Although Winston does not use raw materials to create a product, they still need suppliers to provide office goods and technology. Office goods are used at Winston for basic needs such as printing, taking notes, etc., but also for industry specific tasks such as preparing storyboards and interior space design drawings necessary to acquire and service clients. Technology suppliers are needed for things such as phone and internet service as well as cell phones, analytical software, and computers. As a mid-sized company, Winston must ensure that they work with suppliers that are not only reliable, but also cost-efficient. To guarantee a streamlined ordering process, Winston employs a full-time Purchaser whose sole task is to negotiate with and order from suppliers. The second environmental factor that affects organizational design is distributors. Hellriegel and Slocum define distributors as â€Å"the various organizations that help other organizations deliver and sell its products† (2011, p.449). As a provider of a service, Winston has a small distribution channel in terms of tangible goods, but a large one in terms of intangible service providers. To deliver materials such as tags, name badges and other marketing goods to their network of field merchandisers Winston has a business account with FedEx. Within the organization the Account Managers are responsible for getting material to their subordinates get in a timely manner so that goals are met in the required timeframe. On the intangible side, Winston’s nation-wide network of independent contractors is responsible for delivering the in-store services that clients rely upon Winston to deliver. Competitors are the third environmental factor to be considered when determining organization design. Hellriegel and Slocum wrote, â€Å"Competitors can also influence the design of an organization because they drive the organization to become more productive† (2011, p.449). As a mid-sized company, Winston must work extremely hard to ensure they remain cost competitive against larger retail marketing firms. To do so, Winston needs to utilize a design that is â€Å"simple and easy to manage† (Hellriegel Slocum, 201, p. 449). One way major way Winston does this is by keeping their employee count low. Account Managers handle several accounts at once, decreasing the need for a large number of employees on this level. Also Winston uses part-time independent contractors in the field instead of full-time staff to make the payroll process simpler as it does not include tax or benefit deductions. The final environmental factor that influences organizational design is customers. At Winston the customers are the retail companies that hire them to do a wide variety of marketing tasks such as merchandising, brand promotions, environmental design, etc. To develop and maintain accounts with valuable clients and remain competitive, Winston offers personalized services with an eye for detail. As mentioned in paragraphs above, Winston works hard to ensure that overhead remains low so that they can offer competitive pricing. References Hellriegel, D., Slocum, J. W., Jr. (2011). Organizational behavior: 2011 custom edition (13th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Krivis, J. (2006). Can we call a truce? Ten tips for negotiating workplace conflicts. Employment Relations Today (Wiley), 33(3), 31-35. doi:10.1002/ert.20115 Supplier Relationships.(2012). Retrieved September 7, 2012 from http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/82658.html

Business decision making in different ways

Business decision making in different ways 1.0 Introduction This project is not only done for the sake of submitting as we are asked to but also to gain knowledge by a lot of means in both practical and theoretical ways. Text books and study guides cannot give complete knowledge to any student. And I believe that the assignments are given for students to gain extra practical knowledge from the wide world around. In the study of business decision making us mainly focus on the knowledge of different methods of data analyses and how it is useful for business contest and then the presentation of data in an appropriate way to make decisions and predictions. Its purpose is to build better understanding of different business issues and the ways to tackle them. This project report is under the wide range of business decision making of an organization. We have discussed representative measures and measures of dispersions and the difference between them and how they are used to interpret information in a useful manner. After that we use graphs to prese nt the data in order to make them easy then using the graphs I draw some conclusion for business purposes. Finally we have given some solutions for a company which is encountering problems in telecommunications and inventory control. I have discussed the usefulness of intranet in the process of inventory control to overcome from poor inventory management. Also I have provided some solutions by comparing two proposals using DCF and IRR techniques and clearly mention which proposal the company should adopt in order to enhance its inventory control capacity effectively. This report helped me to apply the theoretical knowledge into real world examples and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages and make business decisions. 2.1Collecting and maintaining the medical data and Medical Records. In modern clinics and hospitals, and in many public health departments, data in each of these categories can be found in the records of individuals who have received services there, but not all the data are in the same file. Administrative and economic data are usually in separate files from clinical data; both are linked by personal identifying information. Behavioural information, such as the fact that an individual did not obtain prescribed medication or fails to keep appointments can be extracted by linking facts in a clinical record with the records of medications dispensed and/or appointments kept. Records in hospitals and clinics are mostly computer-processed and stored, so it is technically feasible to extract and analyze the relevant information, for instance, occupation, diagnosis, and method of payment for the service that was provided, or behavioural information. Such analyses are often conducted for routine or for research purposes, although there are some ethical constr aints to protect the privacy and preserve the confidentiality of individuals. Primary sources- Primary data sources are where YOU yourself have collected the data and it is not someone elses. For example a questionnaire created by you and handed out to the specific people, is a primary source. You can then use them to prove a certain hypothesis and explain a situation. Statistics, Surveys, Opinion polls, Scientific data, Transcripts Records of organizations and government agencies Secondary data- Secondary data are indispensable for most organizational research. Secondary data refer to information gathered by someone other than the researcher conducting the current study. Books Periodicals government publications of economic indicators, Census data, Statistical abstracts, Data bases, The media, annual reports of companies, Case studies Other archival records. 2.2 Data collection methodology and Questionnaire Records of Births and Deaths Vital records (certifications of births and deaths) are similarly computer-stored and can be analyzed in many ways. Collection of data for birth and death certificates relies on the fact that recording of both births and deaths is a legal obligation—and individuals have powerful reasons, including financial incentives such as collection of insurance benefits, for completing all the formal procedures for certification of these vital events. The paper records that individuals require for various purposes are collected and collated in regional and national offices, such as the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, and published in monthly bulletins and annual reports. Birth certificates record details such as full name, birthdate, names and ages of parents, birthplace, and birthweight. These items of information can be used to construct a unique sequence of numbers and alphabet letters to identify each individual with a high degree of precision. Death certificates contain a great deal of valuable information: name at birth as well as at death, age, sex, place of birth as well as death, and cause of death. The personal identifying information can be used to link the death certificate to other health records. The reliability of death certificate data varies according to the cause and place: Deaths in hospitals have usually been preceded by a sufficient opportunity for investigations to yield a reliable diagnosis, but deaths at home may be associated with illnesses that have not been investigated, so they may have only patchy and incomplete old medical records or the family doctors working diagnosis, which may be no more than an educated guess. Deaths in other places, such as on the street or at work, are usually investigated by a coroner or medical examiner, so the information is reasonably reliable. Other vital records, for example, marriages and divorces and dissolution of marriages, have less direct utility for health purposes but do shed some light on aspects of social health. Health Surveys Unlike births and deaths, health surveys are experienced by only a sample of the people; but if it is a statistically representative sample, inferences about findings can be generalized with some confidence. Survey data may be collected by asking questions either in an oral interview or over the telephone, or by giving the respondents a written questionnaire and collecting their answers. The survey data are collated, checked, edited for consistency, processed and analyzed generally by means of a package computer program. A very wide variety of data can be collected this way, covering details such as past medical events, personal habits, family history, occupation, income, social status, family and other support networks, and so on. In the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Surveys, physical examinations, such as blood pressure measurement, and laboratory tests, such as blood chemistry and counts, are carried out on a subsample. Records of medical examinations on school children, military recruits, or applicants for employment in many industries are potentially another useful source of data, but these records tend to be scattered over many different sites and it is logistically difficult to collect and collate them centrally. Health Research Data The depth, range, and scope of data collected in health is diverse and complex, so it cannot be considered in detail here. Research on fields as diverse as biochemistry, psychology, genetics, and sports physiology have usefully illuminated aspects of population health, but the problem of central collection and collation and of making valid generalizations reduces the usefulness of most data from health-related research for the purpose of delineating aspects of national health. Unobtrusive Data Sources and Methods of Collection Unobtrusive methods and indirect methods can be a rich source of information from which it is sometimes possible to make important inferences about the health of the population or samples thereof. Economic statistics such as sales of tobacco and alcohol reveal national consumption patterns; counting cigarette butts in school playgrounds under collected conditions is an unobtrusive way to get a very rough measure of cigarette consumption by school children. Calls to the police to settle domestic disturbances provide a rough measure of the prevalence of family violence. Traffic crashes involving police reports and/or insurance claims reveal much about aspects of risk-taking behavior, for example, the dangerous practice of using cell phones while driving. These are among many examples of unobtrusive data sources, offered merely to illustrate the potential value of this approach. The questionnaire contains something in each of the following categories: Personal identifying data: name, age (birth date), sex, and so on. Socio-demographic data: sex, age, occupation, place of residence. Clinical data: medical history, investigations, diagnoses, treatment regimens. Administrative data: referrals, sites of care. Economic data: insurance coverage, method of payment. Behavioral data: adherence to the recommended regimen (or otherwise). 3.0 Data Analysis Representative Values. These are also called as measures of location or measures of central tendency. They indicate the canter or most typical value of a data set lies. This includes three important measures: mean, median and mode. Mean and median can be only applied for quantitative data, but mode can be used with either quantitative or qualitative data. Mean This is the most commonly used measure which is the average of a data set. This is the sum of the observations divided by the number of observations. Advantages of mean-objective: Easy to calculate Easy to understand Calculated from all the data. Disadvantages-affected by-outlying values May be some distance from most values. Median Median of a data set is the number that divides the bottom 50% of the data from the top 50%. Advantages- Easy to understand Give a value that actually occurred Not being affected by outlying values. Disadvantages- Does not consider all the data Can be used only with cardinal data. Not easy to use in other analyses. Mode Mode of a data set is the number that occur frequently (more than one) Advantages- Being an actual value Not affected by outlying value Disadvantages- Can be more than one mode or none Does not consider all the data Cannot be used in further analyses. Comparison of mean, median and mode For this garage, its representative values are as follows, Mean- 335 Median- 323 Mode- 430 As we can see mean and median does not vary drastically, but mode on the other hand varies. Here the owner has to select which price he has to charge among all these. Mode is very high and it doesnt consider all the values, so if the owner charge  £430 it will be expensive and the customers may switch to competitors. Therefore, owner should not choose mode. Now the selection is between mean and median. Both of them look reasonable and close to most of the cost in October. Median is usually preferred when the data set have more extreme observations. Unless it is likely to select mean because it considers all the data. From the overview of the cost in October it doesnt have extreme values at all. So the mean value wouldnt have affected much. Therefore it is advisable that the owner chooses the mean value of  £335 Measures of Dispersion Representative measures only indicate the location of a set of data and two data sets can have same mean, median and mode. In that case we cannot make any decision using representative values. To describe the difference we use a descriptive measure that indicates the amount of variation which is known as measures of dispersion or measures of spread. This includes the following measurements: Range-Range is simply the difference between the highest value and the lowest value. It is easy to calculate and understand, but it only consider the largest and smallest value and ignore all the other values and it is highly affected by extreme values. Quartile range- Quartile range is the difference between 3rd quartile and 1st quartile. It is also easy to calculate, but it does not consider all the values in a data set so it is not a good indicator. Variance and Standard Deviation- Variance measures how far the observations are from the mean. This is more important statistics because it considers all the observations and is used for further analysis. Standard deviation is the square root of variance. Both variance and standard deviation provide useful information for decision making and making comparisons. From the calculation range is  £284 and quartile range is  £170, but because of the defects of them we cannot use them to derive further decisions. Variance is 8426.9 and standard deviation is 91.79. From the figures we can see observations are highly deviated from the mean. Variance and Standard deviations are used to compare two data sets. So the owner of this garage can compare these two figures with a similar garage or the cost of November and make decisions such as select the price which has smaller variance and standard deviation. Quartiles and percentiles also like representative measure. They indicate the percentage of value below a certain value i.e. 3rd quartile indicate 75% of the observations are below a certain amount and 25% of observations are above. Quartiles and percentile values of the garage Quartiles- 1 248.5 2 322.5 3 418.5 Percentiles- 75% 418.5 50% 322.5 60% 349.4 From the above figures we can see only 25% of the values are above  £418 so we shouldnt charge a price above than that if we do so we will lose many of their customers. 25% of the observations are above  £248.5 so we have to select a price between  £248 and  £ 418. Earlier we have found out the mean which is  £335. This is between 2nd quartile and 60% of percentile. So from the use of quartile and percentile we can select  £335 as the service price. Thus quartile and percentile help us in decision making. Correlation coefficient measures the strength of the linear relationship between two variables. It is denoted by â€Å"r†. Value of â€Å"r† always lie between -1 and +1. If â€Å"r† is closer to +1, two variables have strong positive relationship. Correlation and coefficient also helps to make business decisions. 4.0 Presentation of Information Tables are good at presenting a lot of information, but it can still be difficult to identify the underlying patterns. Therefore the uses of charts and graphs play an important part in data presentation in an effective way. Graphical method includes scatter graph, bar charts, line charts, pie charts and histograms. Pie charts They are simple diagrams that give a summary of categorical data. Each slice of a circle represents one category. Pie charts are very simple and can make an impact but they show only very small amounts of data. When there is more data it becomes complicated and confusing. But using pie charts we can make comparisons. Here we can see the amount of commission Trevor plc paid is increasing because year 2008 has big proportion in the circle then 2007,2006 and 2005.so we can expect the amount will be higher than 2008 for the next year. Bar Charts Like pie charts, bar charts show the number of observations in different categories. Each category is represented by separate bar and the length of the bar is proportionate to the number of observations. Contrast to pie chart, more amounts of data can be plotted in bar charts. It is easy to make comparisons in different periods with different observations. Here sales of BMW and Mercedes are increasing continuously but sales of other cars fluctuating. Also we can see over all turn over also increasing year by year. Line Chart This is also another way of data presenting. Here we use line rather than using bar or circles. It is easy to draw line chart and easy to understand the underlying trend and make predictions. Area chart also like line chart but it shows the whole amount and shows each category as area. By using area chart we can understand the trend and also make comparisons. Line chart of Trevor plc indicates except Lexus, sales of other cars are increasing. But Mercedes show a dramatic increase from 2006 to 2008. During the period between 2005 and 2006 car sales tend to be steady. From the out come of this line chart Trevor plc mainly focus on BMW and Mercedes to increase its turn over in the forth coming years. Area chart also indicates the same result that line chart shows. Scatter Diagram and the trend line Scatter diagram drawn using two variables. Here we draw commission against year. Commission is plot in the â€Å"y† axis and year in the â€Å"x† axis. Scatter diagram explain the relationship between two variables whether they are positively or negatively correlated and whether they are strong or weak. Commission has a positive relationship with year for Trevor plc and the relationship is strong because most of the observation lies closer to straight line. We have calculated the correlation coefficient between commission and year and it comes 0.9744 this indicates strong positive relationship. Trend lines used to understand the underlying trend and make useful forecasting. The trend line of Trevor plc shows upward trend among commission and year. We can predict the commission would be approximately  £18000 in 2009 and it would be  £18500- £19000 in year 2009. 6.0 Intranet To: The Board of Directors From: Management Consultant Date: 20.12.2009 Subject: Intranet and its evaluation Intranet is a private network that is contained within an enterprise. It may consist of many interlinked local area networks. Typically, an intranet includes connections through one or more gateway computers to the outside Internet. The main purpose of an intranet is to share company information and computing resources among employees. And also to share information within the branches of the same organisation. Advantages: Easy access to internal and external information Improves communication Increases collaboration and coordination Supports links with customers and partners Can capture and share knowledge Productivity can be increased Margins of errors will be reduced High flexibility It provides with timely and accurate information It allows communication within the branches of the organisation. Disadvantages: Installation can maintenance can be expensive. This may reduce face to face meetings with clients or business partners. 7.0 Management Information System Management information system (MIS) is a system that allows managers to make decisions for the successful operation of businesses. Management information systems consist of computer resources, people, and procedures used in the modern business enterprise. MIS also refers to the organization that develops and maintains most or all of the computer systems in the enterprise so that managers can make decisions. The goal of the MIS organization is to deliver information systems to the various levels of managers: Strategic, Tactical and Operational levels. Types of Information vary according to the levels of management. Strategic management will need information for long term planning and corporate strategy. This will be less structured. Tactical Management needs to take short term decisions to focus on improving profitability and performance. Operational management needs information on day to day operations of the organisation. 11.0 Conclusion Finally, I would like to conclude my report on Business Decision making. Firstly, I started with various method of data collection the analysis of the data gathered and prepared a sample questionnaire based on the example used. Then the presentation of data through tables have been discussed and continued with the information for decision making. Afterwards, I moved to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of Intranet and its usefulness in controlling inventory. I also discussed about various inventory control methods used by organisations. Finally, I drew a conclusion on the investment decision scenario given. This report made me clearly understand all the subject areas I learnt in the lectures and I found it useful.

Thomas Cook Tour Operation UK Ltd :: Business and Management Studies

Thomas Cook Tour Operation UK Ltd Introduction Thomas Cook Tour Operation UK Ltd is the third largest travel group operating in the UK travel industry, owning it’s own travel distribution channels, tour operation and airline. The company believes that they have earned their position through consumer recognition for their quality and expertise in providing package holidays. The instability of the market caused by high sensitivity to economic change and the intangible and perishable nature of the products sold, forces companies competing within the travel industry to constantly seek new and imaginative ways to create demand and maintain or strengthen their position. A combination of economic downturn, a lack of consumer confidence, natural disasters and the effects of terrorism have had a major impact on the performance of Thomas Cook Tour Operations. In this report I will analyze the marketing strategies used by the company and discuss the effectiveness in achieving their objectives. Company The tragic events of September 11th 2001 had a devastating affect on industries throughout the world. The travel and tourism industry however was hit the hardest. Increasing fear amongst consumers afraid to fly and a downturn in the world economy caused a drastic decline in the demand for both business and leisure travel causing passenger numbers to plummet. Thomas Cook tour Operations, like it’s competitors experienced high profit losses as a result of falling passenger numbers, added security costs, falls in their share prices and increased insurance premiums in which occurred I the aftermath. Prior to September 11th the travel industry experienced a dynamic growth between 1995 to 2001. During 2001 20.6 million package holidays were sold to the British Consumer, 1 growth of 2.6%. However the deterioration of the industry’s success came immediately after the terrorism attacks. Thomas Cook Tour Operations were as a result forced to develop a new strategy in order to save their rapidly falling profits. In order to develop their new strategy, the company carried out a SWOT analysis. This is a technique that involves identifying a company’s strengths and weaknesses in the business, the opportunities presented by the trading environment and any threats opposing the company. The below information is adapted from the Thomas Cook Tour Operations’ Chief executive Update. Strengths Existing percentage market share Thomas Cook reputation Existing Thomas Cook image and brand recognition High level of awareness within target market Knowledge and experience of market trends Large number of distribution channels Good product variety Weaknesses Holiday Essential brand not well established and relatively low demand for the product. Confusion and lack of identification of other Thomas Cook brands e.g. JMC and holiday essentials. High volume costs High capital expenditure, i.e. marketing expenses, data processing costs and human resources, e.g. staff turnover Over capacity Excessive fixed assets i.

Shelley Jacksons Patchwork Girl Essay example -- Shelley Jackson Patc

Shelley Jackson's Patchwork Girl Patchwork Girl, a hypertext vision sewn together by Shelley Jackson, is a story and an account of the creation of a monster and the relationship the mind has with the monster within the technical boundary of lexia. The monster metaphorically was originally created by Mary Shelley in Frankenstein, but has now resurfaced in a layered identity with an opposing forum of complexity. Jackson has designed her version of the timeless tale from the female perspective by offering the reader not only a facet into the monster’s mind, but that of Mary’s, the girl’s, and of the author’s, which accounts for three female angles of perception. Through each narrative voice (and/or lexia), the reader discovers the psychological nightmare of mental maturity and the pains of achieving the ultimate sense of creativity or life. For Mary it is the obsession of the creation of life and the dedication to keep a promise, while for the girl and the monster it is the aspect of finding the understanding and acceptance in a stitched life. However, for Shelley Jackson the nightmare is the hyper literary challenge of stitching together thought and creation in fictional prose to show the relationship of mother to child or writer to the word by the means of technology. The Hypertext fiction Patchwork Girl is offered with three primary story lines in lexia story format, which is effectively connected or stitched together to reveal the lives of Mary, Shelley, the girl, and the monster from the creative impulse of the mind’s imagination visually represented in a non-linear string of links. As the reader or in this case user enters the hypertextual world of Shelley Jackson’s words, the initial question, "Where should I begin," ... ...readers or audience a compelling story, visual stimulation, various inter-linked story progression, unlimited path access, complex thematic motives, and unpredictability of discovery. For these reasons alone, it can be assumed that hypertext fiction will intrigue itself into the spectrum of popular culture and with that establish a longevity, which may surpass previous forms of literary media. Works Cited and Consulted Hayles, N. Katherine. "Simulating Narratives: What Virtual Creatures Can Teach Us." Critical Inquiry 26 (1999): 1-26. ---. "Virtual Bodies and Flickering Signifiers." How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999. 25-49. Jackson, Shelley. Patchwork Girl by Mary/Shelley and herself. Watertown, MA: Eastgate Systems, 1995. Electronic. .

Seasonal Affective Disorder :: Disorders Expository Essays

Seasonal Affective Disorder It's wintertime, and you are gathered for the holidays with all of your family and friends. Everything seems like it should be perfect, yet you are feeling very distressed, lethargic and disconnected from everything and everyone around you. "Perhaps it is just the winter blues," you tell yourself as you delve into the holiday feast, aiming straight for the sugary fruitcake before collapsing from exhaustion. However, the depression and other symptoms that you feel continue to persist from the beginning of winter until the springtime, for years upon end without ceasing. Although you may be tempted to believe that you, like many millions of other Americans, are afflicted with a case of the winter blues, you are most likely suffering from a more severe form of seasonal depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. This form of depression has been described as a form of a unipolar or bipolar mood disorder which, unlike other forms of depression, follows a strictly seasonal pattern. (5). During the winter, many of us suffer from "the winter blues", a less severe form of seasonal depression than SAD. Still others are sufferers have an already existent condition, such as pre-menstrual syndrome or depression, which is exacerbated by the coming of the winter. (2). In general, many people suffer from some form of sporadic depression during the wintertime. We may feel more tired and sad at times. We may even gain some weight or have trouble getting out of bed. Over 10 million people in America, however, may feel a more extreme form of these symptoms. They may constantly feel lethargic and depressed to an extent that social and work related activities are negatively affected. This more extreme form of the "winter blues" is SAD. Typical SAD symptoms include sugar cravings, lethargy, depression, an increase in body weight, and a greater need for sleep (1). Onset of these symptoms usually occurs in October or November, and the symptoms disappear in early spring. Frequentl y, people who suffer from SAD react strongly to variations in the amount of light in their surrounding environment. Most often, patients who suffer from SAD and live at more northern latitudes note that the more north they live, the more distinct and severe their SAD symptoms become. In addition, SAD patients note that their depressive symptoms increase in severity when the amount of light indoors decreases and the weather is cloudy. Seasonal Affective Disorder :: Disorders Expository Essays Seasonal Affective Disorder It's wintertime, and you are gathered for the holidays with all of your family and friends. Everything seems like it should be perfect, yet you are feeling very distressed, lethargic and disconnected from everything and everyone around you. "Perhaps it is just the winter blues," you tell yourself as you delve into the holiday feast, aiming straight for the sugary fruitcake before collapsing from exhaustion. However, the depression and other symptoms that you feel continue to persist from the beginning of winter until the springtime, for years upon end without ceasing. Although you may be tempted to believe that you, like many millions of other Americans, are afflicted with a case of the winter blues, you are most likely suffering from a more severe form of seasonal depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. This form of depression has been described as a form of a unipolar or bipolar mood disorder which, unlike other forms of depression, follows a strictly seasonal pattern. (5). During the winter, many of us suffer from "the winter blues", a less severe form of seasonal depression than SAD. Still others are sufferers have an already existent condition, such as pre-menstrual syndrome or depression, which is exacerbated by the coming of the winter. (2). In general, many people suffer from some form of sporadic depression during the wintertime. We may feel more tired and sad at times. We may even gain some weight or have trouble getting out of bed. Over 10 million people in America, however, may feel a more extreme form of these symptoms. They may constantly feel lethargic and depressed to an extent that social and work related activities are negatively affected. This more extreme form of the "winter blues" is SAD. Typical SAD symptoms include sugar cravings, lethargy, depression, an increase in body weight, and a greater need for sleep (1). Onset of these symptoms usually occurs in October or November, and the symptoms disappear in early spring. Frequentl y, people who suffer from SAD react strongly to variations in the amount of light in their surrounding environment. Most often, patients who suffer from SAD and live at more northern latitudes note that the more north they live, the more distinct and severe their SAD symptoms become. In addition, SAD patients note that their depressive symptoms increase in severity when the amount of light indoors decreases and the weather is cloudy.

Us/101 Introduction to University Studies

US/101 Introduction to University Studies Policies and Resources Quiz #2 1) If the University servers are down, how will you ensure your assignments are submitted on time? a. Send a copy of the assignment to your inbox or alternate email address as proof that I have attempted to post the assignment on time. In my email, I must state that I was unable to connect to the University of Phoenix server. I must then upload the assignment via the Assignments Link at my earliest opportunity. ) What is expected of students relative to the professionalism (formatting, spelling, proofreading, meeting assignment word-count, etc. ) of their work? b. All work is expected to be professionally presented; all written assignments must be carefully proofread and spell-checked before submitting. All assignments are to be submitted as MS Word documents, Writing in complete sentences. Ensuring that topic sentences are used to organize the document content. Adjusting margins and columns, so the document fit s on the page (left to right) when viewed at 100%.Using a black, standard font face and size, either Times New Roman 12pt or Arial 12pt. The word count guideline is usually given as a range of 150 to 300 words. 3) What resources are available to help students with writing, formatting standards, grammar, punctuation, etc.? c. The Center for Writing Excellence is available to help me with writing, formatting standards, grammar and punctuation. 4) What are the most important points brought out in the University’s Policies regarding Academic Integrity? d.I am required to post a signed copy of the Certificate of Originality available in our Course Materials forum for all written assignments. The University places a high priority on maintaining Academic Integrity and ensuring that proper credit is being given for others’ words and ideas used in the development of my written assignments if an idea or words did not come from my own brain, then those are the ideas of others and they must be cited and referenced. This includes information taken from the textbook.No more than 15% of my written work, whether copied, quoted or paraphrased, should be taken from outside sources at any time 5) What must students do to ensure they are in attendance each week? e. Complete discussions questions and participate in class. My participation is graded separately from my discussion question responses to the initial three out of five discussion questions. Participation is graded on the total number of substantive responses you make to your classmates and whether or not at least 2 substantive responses were posted on each of 4 different days of the week.

Legal Punishments

The two broadest types of precepts for penalty ar retributive and useful. Retributive rationale repels at punishing the criminal for the plague buckted against the victim. This approach seems a petty(a) dubious since it calls for an-eye-for-an-eye attitude towards the criminal.Utilitarian post calls for solutions that hurt the smallest number of state or benefit the greatest number. Thus, the penalisation harmonise to the utilitarian perspective should be modelled in such a way as to benefit the victim and others mostly and to sign up crime rate at typify and in the future. For instance, if the criminal is put in prison, he or she will non be able to commit crimes for the term spent in captivity.Deterrence, incapacitation and rehabilitation are the most popular utilitarian rationales for penalties compel upon criminals. Deterrence means that punishment is oblige upon the criminal in order to disapprove this individual and others seeing this example from perpetrati ng crimes in the future. Incapacitation means depriving criminal of the ability to commit sourences as through capital punishment or incarceration. replacement aims at reforming the criminal, empowering the person to return to normal social life- season.2. have three-strike laws through a retributive rationale and then through a utilitarian rationale.The retributive rationale, in my view, does not pretend very well for three-strike laws that allow life sentences for cite offenders. If the person committing a reverberate crime has already done time for this crime, there is no reason to gossip an enhanced punishment for the new offence.Three-strike formula was caused by the problem of a satisfying percentage of crimes committed by people who previously have committed crimes (Harary 2003). The laws aim to incapacitate these criminals by taking them off the street and to deter other repeat offences through the threat of the life sentence. Rehabilitation is not the reason since criminals are not supposed to get back to society.ReferencesHarary, C.J. (2003, April 4). internment as a Modality of Punishment. Jewish Law. Retrieved on October 7, 2005 from http//www.jlaw.com/Articles/ch_incarceration.html.Hoff, S.B. (n.d.). Review of Pojman, L. & Reiman, S. (1998). The Death penalization For And Against. Lanham Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 1998. Law and Politics Book Review, 9(9), 384-386.