Explain how the application of relevant principles and values Essay

Within this unit, I am required to write an essay regarding relevant principles, values and provide holistic support for two service users. The first service user that I am going to do this for is a lady that lives in a residential care home, she has arthritis and dementia and no family to care for her, she has only lived in the home for three weeks and is finding it hard to adjust to the new environment because she is used to living in dependently, because of confidential reasons I am unable to state her name therefore I will refer to her as ‘M’. Looking at the Second individual service user, who also for confidential reasons I cannot name so l will refer to him as ‘B’, he is at secondary school and is in his first year and has been put in classes with different individuals, that have different cultures and beliefs, he has autism, and he is finding it difficult to understand difference. As an individual that is in the social care profession, it would be in my duty or another professional’s duty to do our best to help these individuals settle in to their new environments, and this would be done through principles and values, it is important to understand that there may be disagreements that come with this and this is due to the fact that we are influenced by our upbringing and therefore may not share the same principles and values of every individual that walks the earth. So by making both service users aware that each and every individualPrinciple are based on different values they hold a certain guideline about how they feel is the right way to behave, for example ‘m’ treats people with respect because she believes that this is the right thing to do. Whereas ‘B’ feels that respect is earned and should not be expected, it may be a good idea to do activity’s with both service users so that they get a better understanding of this, more so in ‘B’s’ case as this may help him understand that every individual id different from one another. When looking at the values of individuals, they are based around different beliefs of what is important to them, and individuals morals also fall in with their beliefs and may change throughout an individual’s life. Looking at socialisation, it is the way that individuals learn to conform to accepted standards of behaviour this could be within the culture or the society that they live in, an example of this could be ‘M’ this is because ‘M’ got used to the society that she was in and is now finding it hard to go from an independent women to living in a residential care home. There are two types of socialisation primary and secondary. Primary socialisation is normally the process that occurs where a child is influenced by primary carers, values and attitudes, whereas secondary socialisation involves the way that media, religion, legislationand education is reinforced and accepted of modes of behaviour. To ensure that both service users are happy, it is important that care professionals apply empowerment to the individuals and the care value base, this is meaning that care professionals should give ‘M’ and ‘B’ enough information so that they are able to make their own decisions and choices about what they would like to do and lead their life’s, another way to look at it would be having the attitude towards care in the way that you would appreciated if it were you being cared for. By doing this you will create a positive care environment. To apply empowerment to ‘M’, you would promote choice, this could be done by asking her what she would like to ware for that day, however due to ‘M’ having demnture, it would be a good idea to give her a choice of two, this is because having to many to choose from may confuse her, and if she doesn’t want anything from the choices, then you should then give her another choice of a different two, this would also be the same for service user ‘B’ by doing this you are still promoting choice to the individuals and also at the same time avoiding confusion or any other type of stress. There are many ways to empower service users for example promoting their rights, this means that all service users rights are met, this can be done by respecting them, giving them choices, and recognise service user ‘M’ and ‘B’s individuality, it can also be done by recognition of preferences, and this can be done by providing social care support for vulnerable people like service users ‘M’ and ‘B’ and by recognising their preferences you will ensure that they will be safe and able to live and do things independently, in ‘M’s case she was unable to stay in her independent home but can still do things independently within the residential care home. Also by making sure that you do not discriminate against service user ‘M’ and ‘B’ because of their dementia and autism but treating them equally shows that you are showing them empowerment, anti-discriminatory practice is very important and discrimination is caused by prejudice, and this can result in negative behaviours, examples of discrimination can be of many thing like†¦ social race, religious, sexual, disability, ethnic, and age related discrimination, and if this was shown towards these service users it could then result in their needs not being met and could cause different types of depression and stress. It is also important that care providers do not stereotype these service users, by making assumptions for example†¦ service user ‘M’ don’t need to choose her meal for today, she will only forget what she picked. The main types of discrimination is direct discrimination (overt) this is when an individual openly discriminates against others and indirect discrimination (covert) this is when an individual discriminated behind closed doors and also institutional discrimination and this is when anti-discriminatory polices and procedures have not been put into place. Also the amount of involvement of individuals in planning their support will also show empowerment to both service users, this is because the care that is provided to them is focused on the individual, and their self which means that they are within the centre of it, this not only ensures independence but autonomy is also promoted within the process, for example looking at service user ‘B’ because he has autism when planning his support you should use a variety of different methods to collect information about his as a service users qualities, abilities and interests as well as his needs, this could be done by for example†¦ if service user ‘B’ likes to draw and finds is hard to sit and do written class work, it would be a good idea for him to draw his work out and explain it within pictures, by doing this you have taken into account what works well for the individual and also helping him in the sense of meeting his academic needs through different ways, however you would also ask the individual what support or service they would like or feel what is best for them when meeting any type of need, and would also consult them before delivering any types of methods or service without a discussion and consolation first with the individual. In ‘Ms’ case you as a health care professional would ask what activities she would like to do, and find out how she would like within her care plan. Care professionals should also respect service user’s religious beliefs, moral beliefs, values and culture, this is because Britain is a multicultural society and has a huge impact on health and social care delivery, this is because every individuals are different and come from a rang of different backgrounds, for service user ‘B’ who is finding it hard to understand difference, it is important for him to recognise and value it, however this should be done in away that doesn’t take away any of his values and beliefs etc.. to help service user ‘B’ it could be beneficial for him to learn religious education in order for him to get a base of understanding of why people are different and their values and beliefs, however it is important to make sure that the service user does not feel pressured or forced, this is because he could then become fearful of someone that is different to what he is used to, so therefore all health and social care organisations should recognise and values difference and should promote and embrace diversity when it is demonstrated to show that each individuals are being valued on a day to day basis in a positive way to have a positive impact. This would also be the case for service user ‘M’ this is because in a residential care home she will be in contact with many individuals from different backgrounds and because of her condition, there is a chance that she may forget certain aspects of this, so by keeping on top and promoting difference will hopefully enable a fresh mind of this. Moving onto the Holistic approach which means that all care workers main priority is about improving an individuals quality of life, when looking at the word holistic care, it means looking at all of the individuals needs, this is meaning†¦ physical, intellectual, emotional, social, cultural and spiritual and means that these service users are provided with opportunities for all of these needs to be met. Looking at working in partnership, which means that many different health and social care services pull and work together in partnership to plan and deliver good care to each service user and also work together in partnership which includes sharing good practice which then contributes to the support of vulnerable individuals, by doing this it ensures that both service users are getting the best possible care plan due to the fact that both care professions are bringing different skills and qualities that both service users can appreciate. When looking at multi-disciplinary/ inter-agency approach, to sum it up it means a team of workers that have different skills and qualities that come from different specialism’s and service pull together within there work to ensure that problems within an individuals care plan is prevented to the best of their abilities. When looking at effective multi-disciplinary it means working with a service user in order for them to get better care and a better outcome from service providers, and by working with different agencies will then allow different options of care this could become beneficial to both service users as different methods of care can be offered to then and could also include a care plan, for service user ‘B’ it could be a care plan full of different techniques within trying to keeps his outbursts under control and for service user ‘M’ it could be a care plan that can prevent the process of dementure from processing less rapidly. However this is only proven to be effective is the multi- discriminatory organisation is well organised, this because if it is not then there could be a duplication of roles and conflicts of responsibilities and could confuse the service users and in ‘Ms’ case this needs to be avoided as much as possible, this is not saying that service user ‘B’ is less important. All individuals have the right to confidentiality, an example for this could be is service user ‘M’ didn’t want other members of the residential care home to know about her condition then care workers should keep that confidential. Not just both but all service users have the right to privacy and control over their personal details, an example of this could be service user ‘B’ had a diary on the table, a care provider or any other person should not go through it because that is his personal belonging and should have his privacy respected. Not only is maintaining confidentiality is a legal requirement but it also helps form a trusting relationship with service users, however it is important to let service user know that at times information has to be shared on a ‘need to know’ basis, this could be if a service user is in danger for example if service user ‘M’ was to say she was going to kill herself this would have to be reported in case it happened, but you should always let the service user know what you are doing other wise you are risking losing the trust within the formed professional relationship. All care providers then have fulfilling responsibilities, this is by following the correct policies and procedures within there profession and the care setting that they are in and meet the requirements to the relevant legislation. They have the responsibility to ensure that service users in general have a centred approach to care and understand the importance of quality communication and handle each bit of information with sensitive care in a professional way. Assignment 1 M1- Review the benefits to individuals and professional staff f taking a holistic approach to planning support. Looking at the benefits of the holistic approach to not only the individuals but the care professionals to, and looking at service users ‘M’ and ‘B’, I feel that in general it is a very good approach, this is due to the fact that that there are many benefits within them. Looking at the way that professional staff can benefit from this would be for the fact that they are able to learn more skills and qualities or if not this improve on there own and pick up ideas that they can then carry on and use with different service users that they may work with within the future, from other care professionals, it gives care providers the opportunity to improve their quality of care and keep their minds fresh for new ideas, if I was to add an input on this, I would make sure that each care providers would meet one or two times before working with the service users, to ensure that they are at the centre of care, I say this due to the fact that sometimes when people meet that have ideas that the other person has not necessarily thought of themselves, could lead into a discussion and the main principle which is the service user could then be pushed aside. This will also be a more organised thing to do and will prevent confusion with the roles that the care professio nals’ may have. When looking at ways in which both services users will benefit from this approach would be for the fact that they are then at the centre of care, and the health and social care providers are looking at them as a whole and are giving then effective angles of care from all different prospects, the only thing that I would say about this would be for the fact that have a limit on how many health and social care providers that they will be seeing, I say this because sometimes service users can get confused and as one of the service users have demtia, so therefore is a chance that she will not remember each individual that she has been in contact with, so regular and few faces will be beneficial within this case, and also for the fact that if everything is going on at once it can sometimes be hard for the service user to really think and decide what they genially want if there are too many influences around them. Another benefit that care providers can get from the holistic approach would be regaining a professional boundary, this is not meaning that every care professional loses there professional balance, but in some cases it does happen for example, if a care worker has been working in a residential care home for a long period of time, they get to know there residents very well, and adapt to their routines, so things like promotion of choice may lack a little bit as that type of boundary may have been lost along there way, however they should be sent on regular courses to maintain this, but taking the holistic approach, enables them to work with others that do not know the residents to the extent that they themselves do, and will gain that professional outlook by observing from others. Looking at this as an example from service user ‘B’ his regular support worker knows that he don’t like to go assembly so sits with him when the rest of the class goes, however the suppor t worker does not ask him each time if he would like to go but assumes that he wont, when a different support workers then asks him and his reply is yes, his regular support worker then knows that she should ask him in case he does want to go, this not only gives new ideas and targets for the service user but is also getting him involved with members of his class. Also when reviewing yet another benefit of the holistic approach when Appling it to service users, it makes sure that their care plans are on point, this is meaning that nothing should be left out of their care plan and everything is covered, this is due to different opinions and a thou ere analysis of both service users needs and making sure that they are met, to ensure that they are getting the best out of the services that they are required to receive. When this is being done care providers need to make sure that everything is being discussed with the service users themselves. By following the holistic approve, it also benefits care providers due to the fact that they are building in the team’s skills, and improving any flaws that they may have within working as a team, this could also become influential on both service users and encourage then both with taking part in more activities, within their environment.

Subliminal Messaging

My first reaction to this assignment was if I actually believed in subliminal messages myself. I decided I didn’t but after I did further research, I was shocked. I watched you-tube videos and looked at pictures online of advertising. The biggest shock I found was in the Disney movies. After replaying certain scenes in movies I witnessed subliminal messaging first hand. Most of the messages were sexual references and I was actually quite disturbed by it. For example, in a scene of â€Å"The Little Mermaid†, as Arial was walking up to the podium with her husband to be the priest got an erection. You can clearly see it happening. I never noticed it before until I started doing research on subliminal messaging. I did further research on other Disney animated movies and I found that there were a lot more ‘sexual’ subliminal messages in the movies and advertising that you don’t notice unless you are actually paying attention. Which brings me to my next point, Dr. Brahrami states â€Å"If the brain is busy it can filter our subliminal things. The brains response to subliminal messages is not automatic and depends on how much attention the person is paying†. And that’s when I decided I completely agree. I think since I was actually paying attention and watching out for subliminal messages, I could see them. Most of the time when I’m watching movies I don’t see the sexual, demon or drug related messages companies are putting in their movies and advertising. Which leads me to my question, why would a company based on children put sexual things in a movie made for kids?! Well, then I started to think it was a coincidence to I did more research and found out there was a huge debate during this time when the Arial scene with the priest came out. What I found was that it was the priest’s knee. So for my conclusion of this paper, I think you interpret what you want to see. If your brain is actually searching for these messages, your brain will see what it wants to see.

Role Of Public Libraries In Society Education Essay

IntroductionA public library is a non-profit library, which is maintained for public usage and funded by the authorities or the public beginnings. Unlike other libraries, public library satisfies general public information demands by supplying all sorts of cognition and information available to all sections of the community regardless of race, nationality, age, gender, faith, linguistic communication, disablement, economic and employment position. It may besides supply other services to their communities such as, storytelling for kids, after-school plans, linguistic communication acquisition, seminars, workshops and other community services. Public libraries were initiated back in antediluvian times. They were known and used by Greeks, Romans, North Africa and Middle East. However they did non originate in Europe and America until 18th and nineteenth century. In USA and Europe, public libraries started with a contribution from many private altruists like Andrew Carnegie and Benjamin Franklin. Like other altruist, both Benjamin Franklin and Andrew Carnegie realized that books, and the cognition they provide, should non be for merely profusion but for functioning the populace and for anyone who wanted to larn. Because of this belief, they made books and money available to the general populace through their philanthropic gift. Throughout the history, the library aggregations have been changed and developed. Nowadays, beside printed books and traditional stuffs, public libraries offer broad scope of other media and modern engineerings like, videos, audio books, e-books, DVD ‘s and others. Similarly, the functions and missions of public library have been shifted from recreational reading to moving as active educational, economic and societal agents. A A A A A A A This paper seeks to offer a literature reappraisal on the function of public libraries in society. Take the manner of the litrature reappraisal and the words from article ( kids litracy ) A study reveals that, show, found, assume, Harmonizing to Lyman ( 1977 ) , Weibel ( 1992 ) looked at the function of the library in advancing literacy, Spink ( 1989 ) notes, Other surveies have concentrated on, provinces, points out, believeRole of public librariesPublic library plays an of import function in people ‘s lives as a beginning of accessing information and a topographic point for cognition creative activity. It has shown that public libraries are of import informational, educational, cultural, and societal establishments. Public library and Education One of the public libraries ‘ important and cardinal functions is instruction. Public libraries provide books and other stuffs for people to read and utilize. These stuffs are educational and lead to self-improvement and develop basic literacy accomplishments. Public Libraries have ever seen as an educational resource for all people. The educative function of public libraries has expanded to include back uping both formal and informal instruction. A. Public library and literacy Literacy is the ability to read and compose. In libraries civilization, this construct is expanded to include the cognition or instruction in one or several Fieldss required to develop single and communities ‘ accomplishments. Learning today is non a luxury limited merely to selected group, but it is indispensable for endurance. Expansion of literacy demands reading and composing stuff. ( Wijentunge, 2000 ) The public library is the local centre for supplying a wealth of information through acquisition installations and stuffs to back up literacy to the general populace. Literacy is besides achieved by supplying literacy plans and activities for different groups and ages. Public libraries continue to play a major function in furthering literacy in communities and societies, peculiarly among those groups of the populations that need particular aid in developing literacy accomplishments, such as preschool and simple school kids. Children literacy is one of the educative functions of public libraries. Public libraries concern in supplying kids and exposing them to high-quality reading stuffs and rich linguistic communication experiences during the important preschool and simple school old ages. ( Celano, 2001 ) Pennsylvania public libraries are among the libraries, which keen in heightening the kids literacy accomplishments by turn outing them high quality stuffs and affecting them in summer reading plans, narrative hours, humanistic disciplines and crafts activities. A survey was done in Pennsylvania public libraries utilizing qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze how library preschool and summer reading plans contribute to kids ‘s reading accomplishments. Surveies were sent to every 3rd library mercantile establishment listed in the directory of Pennsylvania libraries ( 227 studies ) . The survey reveals that kids who participate in summer reading plans gain more literacy accomplishments. They besides found that preschool and summer reading plans encourage kids to pass more clip with books. Furthermore, Observations and question show that library plans encourage parents to play greater functions in their kids ‘s literacy development ( Celano, 2001 ) . B. Public library and Non-formal Education Non-formal instruction is an unsystematic signifier of acquisition and educational activity that occurs outside of traditional organisation or establishment. Unlike the formal instruction, non-formal instruction is non-structured educational system. Examples of non-formal instruction include after-school plans, community-based organisations, museums, libraries, or at place. The purposes of both formal and non-formal instruction are similar but they are different in attack. ( Abraham, 2010 ) . Both larning focal point on deriving cognition and accomplishments nevertheless, the manner of deriving acquisition is different. Non-formal educational patterns are reinforced due to the challenges of modern information society. Abraham ( 2010 ) states that rural people suffer from deficiency of proper instruction. He points out that formal instruction is clip edge, stiff and hard to such people hence, non-formal instruction is much suited to rural people in order to fulfill their demands and suit their environmental conditions. He describes the public library as â€Å" public assistance centre, which provides utile services to the community by furthering instruction, advancing civilization, diversion and airing of information to all subdivisions of the society † . Abraham ( 2010 ) looked at the public libraries as the most appropriate centres through which non-formal instruction can be achieved. He found that some public libraries in rural countries in India ( Kerala ) play an of import function in back uping non-formal instruction by forming dark schools, constructive treatments, seminars and symposia to contend illiteracy and proliferation reading wont. A survey was conducted in one of the Kerala territories ( Abraham, 2010 ) to garner an overview of the function of public libraries in advancing non-formal instruction. Inquirers were distributed among 20 adult females labourers. It was found that 30 % of them could go on their instruction and are trying to accomplish minimal making through utilizing rural libraries in their ain place countries. 60 % could read and compose and 10 % stopped their instruction due to assorted forces grounds. C. Public library and Life long larning Lifelong acquisition is the procedure of continues and on traveling larning throughout individual life in order to heighten uninterrupted development and betterment of the person ‘s ‘ cognition and accomplishments. Life long larning can non be achieved without literacy because reading and authorship is indispensable for larning. Due to the complex and rapid alteration environment, people need to get a assortment of accomplishments and knowledge irrespective of their age, societal, political or economic position. Wijetunge ( 2000 ) states that public libraries contribute to the womb-to-tomb acquisition by back uping the scholars to place and turn up the reading stuffs relevant to the demands of the community. Karunawathie ( 1998 ) gave an illustration of how the Negombo Public Library has contributed to the community in which it exists. The public library has assisted the fishing community in Negombo in altering the procedure of their fishing engineering by supplying the community with good and rich stuffs related to completing industry. 2. Public library and Economic development Public libraries do non merely have educational functions and maps but besides contribute to states ‘ economic systems. There is a important displacement in the function of libraries ; from recreational reading and educational establishments to active economic development agents. † Due to economic development and globalisation, public libraries started to concern in back uping concern and economic development through supplying effectual concern services, resources and literacy plans to their concern communities. Economic and instruction research workers have been analyzing how educational degrees are related to states ‘ economic growing and economic productiveness. They believe that more educated and skilled workers are more productive. ( Liu, 2004 ) A research survey ( Liu, 2004 ) was done to analyze the relationship between public libraries and school libraries and how they are related to states ‘ literacy degrees, which in bend contribute to states ‘ overall economic productiveness. This empirical survey developed a way analysis theoretical account. Cross- state statistics were gathered from a figure of beginnings including the Statistical Abstract of the World and Unesco ‘s Statistical Yearbook. It is demonstrated from this survey that public libraries have a important impact on economic productiveness through supplying assorted concern resources and literacy plans. Other surveies done corroborating the same indicant. A research done by the institute for public and Business Research on behalf of the Kansas State Library ( Glass etc. , 2000 ) . The intent of the survey was to find how Kansas public libraries could play a more active axial rotation in back uping concern and economic development in their communities. The research applied three chief tools: ( 1 ) Focus groups with bibliothecs and concerns, ( 2 ) Case surveies of four local libraries, ( 3 ) Surveies of public libraries, concerns, Chambers of Commerce, and Small Business Development Centers. The survey shows that about a 3rd of successful concerns and economic organisations in all parts of the province usage public libraries as a resource. 3.Public libraries and democratic administration Public libraries are one of the most successful information centres for increasing the quality of life and democratic opportunities for citizens by supplying free and equal entree to high-quality information. Information is of import to civic engagement and its development, which become one of the basic maps of public libraries. ( Arko-Cobbah, 2005 ) Harmonizing to Arko-Cobbah ( 2005 ) , Public libraries can help civil society to implement democratic civilization through the followers:Free and just electionsPublic libraries provide civic societies with instruction plans and necessary information to develop an informed electorate. Through an unfastened entree Internet installations, public libraries can assist with voter enrollment and even function as polling Stationss in some countries. They besides can be used to make out to politically unmotivated citizens and publicise party places, solicit feedback, new thoughts and new members ( Drake, 2001 ) .Citizen engagement in decision-makingThrough the proviso of Internet installations, public libraries provide and exchange the information needed for duologue that the public needs to do determinations about common concerns and guarantee answerability from the authorities.Human rightsIn conformity with the rule of human rights, public libraries play important function in guaranting tha t stuffs and resources are available to run into the demands and involvements of all sections of the community including national minorities.Information AccessFree entree to information is a critical component of the human rights issue that promotes the construct of democracy. Intellectual freedom is a basic human right. Want of this right leads to bossy administration. Public libraries play an of import function in supplying free entree to information, which is a necessary status for good administration.DecisionHarmonizing to the literature reappraisal, public libraries play cardinal functions in the society. They are educational establishments. They provide educational plans, such as kids ‘s and adult literacy plans, to better the literacy degrees of users. They besides support life long learning instruction. Public libraries besides play a function in supplying concern resources and aggregations in their establishments in order to react to the universe economic challenges. They are besides indispensable to the operation of a democratic society by supplying free and equal entree to high-quality information. Despite of all these critical functions for public libraries in society, these functions are non recognized in Kuwait society. Public libraries in Kuwait focal point merely on back uping formal instruction. The library still remains visited by pupils who perform research on assignments and undertakings. It is recommended that public libraries expand their functions to more important one as discussed in the literature reappraisal. That required more attempts in supplying and diverseness in the resources, aggregations, engineering installations, activities and educational plans in the libraries, which can back up different functions. Besides it is recommended increasing the consciousness of public library functions among users. Media besides could hold a important function in indicating out the importance of public libraries in Kuwait.

Capital Financing for the state of Arizona Research Paper

Capital Financing for the state of Arizona - Research Paper Example Funding for project financing was an important consideration in the recently issued Budget for the State of Arizona. While deciding on the type of project financing funding availability, important factor that must be considered is that project financing funding depends on the cash flow needs. Hence, the amount of cash required in the project undertaken will guide in deciding about the type of project financing available. The State of Arizona imposes a limit on the amount of debt service. The amount limit is $800 million for HURF debt. The requirements of revenue coverage ratio imposes limit on other types of debt offered in Arizona (Rowell, Buonincontri, & Semmens, 199, p.13). The State of Arizona is open to use of alternative sources of financing for capital projects. One such example is the State of Arizona requiring an alternative financing for lease purchase of the State properties. The State will be achieving such financing requirement though issue of certificate of participation. It will be done in publicly operating debt market. Other innovative techniques used are: Autonomous state authorities in Arizona work independently and make their own decisions. There are some autonomous State Authorities, not included in the budget that has major public capital spending. Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) is one such autonomous state authority which does major capital spending in the State of Arizona. Arizona Toll Ways is also another such State Authority which runs independently. Almost all the public capital spending is included in the State Capital Budget with the exception of Arizona Department of Transportation, which has major public capital spending in the State of Arizona but it is not included in the Capital Budget of the

Stock Market Project - Family Dollar Stores Inc Essay

Stock Market Project - Family Dollar Stores Inc - Essay Example Company Information The Family Dollar Stores Inc was opened in 1959 and is now operating more than 6000 stores across the country. Its one of the largest regional based chains in US engaged in the retail business across the different states in the country. The firm is basically considered as a preference by the consumers who are willing to save on their groceries and other retail items. Though not all the items are sold under $1 however, the overall prices are reasonable and considered as affordable by most of the consumers. Major products of the firm include clothing, food and other household items. Firm is a regional business with little or no presence in other countries of the world however, it has achieved tremendous growth in its domestic market by regularly opening new stores across the country. Firm is reseller and sell retail items such durable and non-durable consumer goods. Competitors’ Overview and Industry Trends Major competitors of the firm include Wal-Mart, Doll ar Generation Corporation as well as Dollar Tree Inc. Wal-Mart is quite bigger in the size with international presence in different countries of the world. However, Wal-Mart is a not a typical dollar store though it offers low priced products to its customers. Other competitors are more or less same in size of the firm and are serving different niche markets. (Hoovers, 2011) Industry trends suggest that personal income as well as the fashion trends will be the dominating factors in clothing and other retail segments. Due to the current economic crisis, the overall purchasing power of the consumers has declined thus restricting the consumers to spend lavishly. Financial Analysis The overall operating margin of the firm is over 7% with profit margin in the range of 4.5% during the current period of 2010. Sales for the period ending August 2010 showed an increase of 6.3% despite the fact that the overall economic situation of the country was not feasible due to current economic crisis. Recent figures for the quarter also suggest that the firm has been able to record a return on equity of 28.70% with total return on assets of approximately 13%. This performance suggest that the firm has been able to perform well during the period and consistently recorded better performance despite difficult economic situation prevailing in the country. Stock’s Performance Analysis Firm has a total market capitalization of more than $6 Billions with 122 millions shares outstanding. Past 52 weeks range of prices suggest that the firm has hit the high value of $55.590 whereas the lowest price during the same period was recorded at $35.31. (Bloomberg, 2011). It is also important to note that the firm has been able to withstand the poison pill by rejecting the takeover bid from Peltz Train. (Burritt, 2011) A closer analysis of the firm’s stock performance would suggest that the overall share prices of the firm’s stock fluctuated over the period of time. During the first few years from 2003, the overall prices gradually increased while facing a dip in the prices during 2006. (Yahoo Finance, 2011). It is also important to note that the share prices of the firm remained stable during the current financial crisis despite the fact that overall consumer activity was low. This may however, be attributed to the fact that firm is considered as cheap chain store offering low cost products to

Analysis of you as a communicator Research Paper

Analysis of you as a communicator - Research Paper Example The old working environment gave the most importance to employee presentation and communication skills but these are not that important in this new work environment. The question therefore arises on the type of communication in the new environment. A new communication channel has therefore gained importance which is currently the biggest communication tool in the entire world. Billions of people use it to communicate with each other using communication tools such as MSN, Facebook, Orkut etc. Thus before analyzing my communication skill, I would insist that internet communication is the most important form of communication in the modern age. Other than that fluency in the usage of language is also very important. The use of gestures in portraying once meaning is equally important in verbal communication. When we talk about written communication, in my perspective the most importance should be given to language quality and presentation. My communication skills are the most strong when it comes to online communication. This is because I have been addicted to computer gaming throughout my childhood. This was a blessing in disguise because it gave me a chance to understand and learn more about computers. I am very good at using different online communication tools. The most favorite tool of mine however is MSN messenger. Users these days are fonder of chatting applications installed on social networks. I am totally expert at using them but still prefer to use MSN messenger because of its extra features. As a member of debating team my childhood was spent in learning new methods of improving my spoken communication tools. This career was however did not endure. As is turns out I am not a natural speaker, and therefore left the debating team. This experience did create a shyness and hesitancy in my nature. I have from that day onwards considered myself a weak verbal communicator. This deficiency has been covered by my v ery good

How it's hard to leave your country saudi arabia to study in USA Essay

How it's hard to leave your country saudi arabia to study in USA - Essay Example Another difficulty is experienced in line with the curriculum. The curricula of the two countries are very different. One needs to have the basic knowledge of course he wants to study in the USA. Bridging the gap between the two curricula especially where transition is made to advance education presents problems to the learners who are required to gather the basics first before catching up with the other students. Socialization is another problem; shifting to the USA requires one to leave their family, friends and relatives. Being all alone in a country where you are not acquitted to anyone poses a socialization problem especially as guidance is needed to settle. Knowing places in school, churches, and hospitals requires that one be acquitted with others. Making friends becomes a priority from such a person. Cultures are also different. Interacting with people can be difficult when there is a cultural barrier. Some of the things considered to be culturally inappropriate in Saudi Arabia may seem to be a routine in the USA. Saudi Arabia is a very conservative country culturally while the USA is much modernized and has a mixture of many cultures. Coping with the western culture is a big challenge for a Saudi Arabia

How to Support Biligualism in Early Childhood by Victoria Rodriguez Essay

How to Support Biligualism in Early Childhood by Victoria Rodriguez - Essay Example Finally the article answers important questions and addresses various issues that may arise with the parents or the teachers. I believe that apart from few lines where there is a hint of bias and faulty reasoning, the article is very well written. In these lines, the author makes use of faulty reasoning. One such place is when, with respect to the teachers and administrators, the author mentions ‘This cannot be done without ongoing and in-depth professional development’. I disagree with this point since professional development and experience is not the only thing that matters and it should not be the only criteria. Since this is children that are being dealt with, the criteria should be that the person should not only have an adequate command on both the languages but also be frank, responsible and dedicated no matter whether the person has any professional training or not. Apart from these lines, the whole article is very informative and pleasant to

Feasibility of hotel to implement changes in strategy Speech or Presentation

Feasibility of hotel to implement changes in strategy - Speech or Presentation Example A British scientist Charles Darwin wrote that survival does not belong to the strongest, but rather those that adapt more easily to change. For change in strategy to be implemented a feasibility study has to be taken. Change in strategy at hotel Penang Mutiara is visible due to these factors; The flexibility of the management is possible because this can be attested to the fact that the hotel can cope up with unexpected requests by customers this is evident from the fact that a hotel can have someone look for camembert cheese when asked by a guest since they don’t have it.This assures the guests of dependable services and satisfaction. (Gregory, G.,Lumpkin,G.&Marilyn,L04).The strategy of the hotel to cope with influx of guests is feasible because the hotel has already moved to a system of having multi-skilled works to cope up with the needs the hotel has proved this also by having them call stuff from other hotels and restaurants to the do the job.This is the flexibility that is needed for the management to work effectively and efficiently. This proves that the hotel can have a better system which is more effective by having a on and off system of hiring labour and retraining the current workers to be multi-skilled or rehiring multi-skilled workers.Changes to make sure Quality of services are there is necessary to be in place; in the case for this hotel the guest can lose their luggage on transit to the hotel.

Microsoft words Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Microsoft words - Essay Example The 5 year financial projection of the company on the basis of following growth estimates are shown below: The inflation is expected to decline gradually and by the second quarter of 2017 it is expected that inflation will turn negative. This will reduce lending and borrowing rates which will enable the manufacturing companies to leverage returns by employing debt capital. The population is expected to increase in a predictable linear trend pattern which is good for manufacturing industry. This is because higher population will create higher demand for goods and services. The graph depicted above forecasts Information Technology & Communications expenditure. The graph reveals as to why European telecommunication networks and services are the backbone of Europe’s developing technology sector. Increased expenditure in this sector will encourage manufacturing industry to use modern technology in the manufacturing process. This market size is an indication of developing political, legal and economic factors of the country. Increasing Operating cost is the most critical issue in any business and in order to increase profitability, this needs to be controlled. One can consider manufacturing in domestic market of UK because of the political factors that are currently aimed at reviving lost market demand after recession. For instance, the UK government has planned to strengthen the existing supply chain network in UK which would create and preserve over 15,000 jobs in manufacturing industry. The rationale is that by boosting manufacturing sector and creating more jobs, the economy will accelerate out of recession. A joint industry and government investment in form of public-private partnership aims to strengthen advanced supply chain in UK by investing over  £200 million (Schutte, 2013). When one conducts a cost-benefit analysis for setting up a manufacturing base in UK the company has to perceive the investment decision keeping in mind the

Why I would be successful on Independent Studies ( Home Studies) Essay

Why I would be successful on Independent Studies ( Home Studies) - Essay Example Independent, or home study, requires a person who is able to rely on self-motivation to complete the process. A lazy or defiant person would have difficulty meeting deadlines and completing assignments from home. Knowing the responsibility placed upon me to do my assignments, to take the initiative and to develop my independence as a learner would all combine to make me highly motivated to prove to myself and others that I can complete all work assignments from home, and outside the more structured and controlled classroom. Organization and punctuality are also important in independent study. My skills at organizing, prioritizing, and meeting deadlines would allow me to be successful with independent work. I am aware of deadlines and dates, and work throughout the process to make sure each step is accomplished before the deadline, breaking a larger project down into smaller, more manageable steps along the way. The chief motivator to do this is a passion I would have for developing my skill set in organizing large amounts of information, assignments, readings, and products into my work day, and completing each step or small goal I would have made for myself relative to each assignment. This skill set is essential for success in independent studies, and I have those skills necessary for success. Lastly, structuring a schedule to best fit my daily routine is essential to success in independent study. Procrastination and avoidance would not be an option, as I would make a schedule that best reflects my ability to complete assignments, and would open up the work day to a greater ability to meet independent study deadlines along with family and personal responsibilities I may have. Sticking to that schedule, and even changing it if I see a conflict would help develop in me a habit of seeing a project through to completion, no matter what it takes. Knowing that independent study requires organization, motivation and dedication, I would be highly motivated

POLC in the School System Essay Example for Free

POLC in the School System Essay Just like any other organization, a school system would not be able to function properly without an efficient administrator and an effective administration process. In the case of school systems, the administrator would be the superintendent of the school. As the administrator, the superintendent serves as both the leader and the manager of the school. In order to be a successful and efficient administrator, the superintendent should focus on four areas– planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. In the case of planning, the administrator should be able to pinpoint appropriate goals for the whole school system. The goal usually carries prospects for progress, equality, and harmony. As part of the planning process, the administrator should also be able to identify the best courses of action in fulfilling the chosen goals. Such goals should be evaluated at a regular basis so as to assess if they are ion line with the demands of time. After planning the goals and the ways towards its achievement, the administrator should be able to put those plans into action. Organizing is as important as the plan itself. As such, the new administrator should be able to formulate task and authority relations. He should be able to establish an organizational set-up that will allow the school system to efficiently and quickly make the vision, a reality, if he/she may deem the present set-up is inappropriate. As the leader of the school, the new administrator should also be able to influence people- from the students to the teachers, and even the other sectors involved in establishing an effective educational system such as the community, the parents, governmental agencies, and many more. He or she should be able to motivate and unite them, and provide them with a common goal for the educational welfare of the students and for the encouragement of harmony and efficiency of learning and teaching processes. He or she should be able to encourage everyone to work towards a common goal, which is usually the mission and vision of the school. Lastly, after ensuring the plans, the set-up and the people are all set for action; the administrator should be able to control the organization. Control should not be equated with stringent and numerous laws and regulations matched with various sanctions. Instead, it should be associated with the establishment of precise evaluation processes that will allow the administrator to measure and monitor the organization’s development at regular basis overtime, in accordance with the established goals. References: Brennen, Annick M. (n.d.) The Administration of Elementary Schools. Retrieved January 29, 2008 from http://www.soencouragement.org/admin-of-elementary-schools.htm The Management Process Today (n.d.) Retrieved January 29, 2008 from http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/0073011223/317076/samplechapter.pdf

Can Regulation Of Tobacco Affect Health Care Costs Economics Essay

Can Regulation Of Tobacco Affect Health Care Costs Economics Essay The economic calculations associated with tobacco use are very complicated. For every savings, there are increased costs in other areas. Many productivity costs are subjective, while things like tax revenues are very definitive. These costs can be absorbed by various entities; public, private, and governmental. The tobacco industry has been viewed as the root of many of these costs. This industry has historically been exempt from oversight by any governmental agency, other than taxation. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently taken charge of overseeing and regulating many tobacco products, including cigarettes. Can the new regulations have any effect on health care costs? Why is tobacco use such a big deal? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco is the second major cause of death in the world, responsible for one in ten adults and the fourth most common risk factor for disease worldwide (2010). Costs (both public and private) associated with health care related to tobacco are astronomical. Productivity is reduced or lost when people are at their prime due to tobacco use. A 1994 report estimated that the use of tobacco resulted in an annual global net loss of US$ 200 thousand million, a third of this loss being in developing countries (World Health, 2010). This paper will look at the costs associated with tobacco use in the United States and the relationship regulation may have on reducing these costs. Compared to the length of time tobacco has been used, the health effects of its use are just recently becoming understood by the general public. Prior to this knowledge, the tobacco companies were free to advertise without any regulation. 1789 saw the first tobacco advertisement in the U.S for snuff. Communication, transportation, and manufacturing constraints of the time prevented any major branding and marketing successes. The first strong national tobacco brand didnt emerge until near the end of the Civil War, when both Union and Confederate soldiers in Durham, North Carolina raided a local farmers tobacco crop while waiting for a surrender to be completed. After the war was over, these soldiers began writing to the farmer, Mr. John Green, requesting more; Green went on to establish the successful Bull Durham Tobacco Company. (Collins Lapsley, 2010) The cigarette machine was one of the two major innovations that changed the industry and embedded tobacco into the minds of Americans. It was introduced in the 1880s and allowed companies to go from producing 40,000 hand-rolled cigarettes a day to over 4 million. The other major innovation came in the form of advertising. The color lithograph revolutionized advertising and packaging. These factors allowed companies to brand their products, searing them into the fabric of everyday life. Promotions, such as trading cards, were packaged with cigarettes and became collectors items. World War II came and went with millions of soldiers and sailors addicted to nicotine courtesy of free cigarettes issued along with meals. Marketing remained pretty much unregulated throughout the 1950s. Advertisements promoted how healthy it was to smoke and how doctors (whom the public trusted) recommend one brand over another. Sponsorship of television shows, like The Flintstones and Gunsmoke, propelled cigarette smoking into a normal and expected part of life. For tobacco companies, it was the Golden Age: cigarette ads featured endorsements from dentists, doctors, babies and even Yankees slugger Mickey Mantle (Collins Lapsley, 2010). Research evidence was beginning to mount of a link between tobacco use and lung cancer. Filtered cigarettes were born, which eventually led to light and low tar brands all of which have been proven to be no safer than regular ones. Rising public interest in health issues associated with tobacco use and concern about social costs associated with the care of sick tobacco users have created an atmosphere less tolerant than before. In the United States, social acceptance of tobacco use is rapidly declining. 1964 saw the first real public scrutiny of the tobacco industry when the U.S. Surgeon General released his first report on Smoking and Health. This comprehensive report outlined how tobacco had been shown in over 7,000 scientific studies to be linked to lung cancer, emphysema, and other diseases. This was the tipping point for many. Warning labels were mandated on packages. Advertising restrictions for radio and television were put in place. The public was put on notice that tobacco may not be all the things the industry was telling them. 18 Surgeon General reports have followed, as new findings have been proven. In 1996, cigarettes were labeled an addictive drug. The FDA sought to gain control over the industry and limit the sales and advertising of tobacco products (Brant, July 2008). With presidential support, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the industry in 2000 claiming the federal agency was never given the proper authority to regulate tobacco by Congress (Brant, July 2008). Restrictions are not new to the tobacco industry. Extremely deep pockets have allowed them the opportunity to design ways around most hurdles in the past (See Appendix). Regulation comes in many forms. State and local governments have passed laws throughout the years, most of which regard taxation. The recent passage of the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) tobacco regulation bill will give the national government much more power over the manufactures actions. This is the broadest and most comprehensive regulation over the tobacco industry ever. The FDA will be able to control product ingredients, labeling, marketing, and determine whether new products should be distributed. The budgetary impact of smoking Costs related to tobacco use can be looked at from different perspectives. There are related costs that are only seen by the individual, their family, and those close to them. Then there are the costs that are seen by society. These social costs are what drive many of the regulatory policies we have in the U.S. These costs must be balanced and weighed with the benefits associated with tobacco use. Organizations from several fronts are quick to weigh in on advantages and disadvantages of such policies. Each has their own agendas and use data to support them. High social costs justify more restrictive policies, while lower social costs support the argument against such policies. Calculating these costs is not simple. It is important not to count the same costs twice. A sick smoker that becomes dependent upon welfare payments instead of their job salary should not be seen as lost productivity and the cost of welfare payments. The first is a real cost (a real loss of resources) while the second is a pecuniary cost (a redistribution of resources from taxpayers to the smoker) (Adhikari, et al. December 30, 2008, p. 1227). Health care costs in the United States continue to account for an ever increasing percentage of personal and public expenditures. The budgetary impact of tobacco use generally is looked at as whether the tax revenues cover the costs that tobacco use imparts on government agencies. These costs are not just paid by these agencies. Personal and business costs, such as those of health insurance companies, bear massive burdens too. While we are often asked: Do smokers cover the smoking-related costs that the rest of the community bears?, the more relevant question is: Does the tobacco industry cover the communitys smoking-related costs?. The answer to this second question is almost certainly no' (Lindblom, 2010, p. 2). It has been estimated by the CDC that each pack of cigarettes sold in the United States costs the nation more than $7 in medical care and lost productivity (2010). The lifetime health costs of tobacco It is important to understand the difference between the lifetime personal health care costs of smokers compared to non-smokers. There is an argument that smoking provides benefits as well. It may be obvious that smokers have higher costs during their lifetimes, but one must consider the non-smoker lives a longer, more productive life, and therefore uses health care services for a longer period of time. Philip Morris, a major tobacco company conducted a detailed data analysis and submitted a 1999 official report to the government of the Czech Republic that they should let Philip Morris sell cigarettes in their country. They (Philip Morris) said that the government would save approximately $1,227 US per person on savings of health care for older people and increase in taxable revenue (Philip Morris, 2000). The industry is in a catch 22 situation when arguing this point. Premature death associated with tobacco use must be admitted and the economics must outweigh human life. The Center for Disease control estimates that male smokers have approximately $16,500 more lifetime health care cost and females have approximately $19,500 than those that do not smoke. (Campaign, 2010) This adds up to considerable amounts that someone must absorb. The nationwide total in 2004 was almost $98 billion(Adhikari, et al. 2008, p. 2228). Measures to reduce tobacco demand There are many different regulatory measures that can be used to significantly impact tobacco use, such as bans on direct and indirect tobacco advertising, tobacco tax and price increases, smoke-free environments in all public and workplaces, and large clear graphic health messages on tobacco packaging (Collins Lapsley, 2010). Tobacco taxation Taxation is probably the most effective (and certainly the most cost-effective) means of reducing tobacco consumption. Studies have shown that higher prices equate to less people using, especially youth. Young people have less disposable income than older people. This makes them more sensitive to changes in price. Adult tobacco use also changes in relation to price increase too, but not as much as youth. Burman notes that research has shown that a 10 percent increase in the price of cigarettes would reduce youth smoking by more than 10 percent (Brandt, July 31, 2008, p. 447). Taxes can be used to this benefit, along with the increase in public funds that can be focused on tobacco prevention programs. Cigarette taxes can be seen as a double edged sword. Governments can become as addicted to the tobacco tax income as smokers are to lighting up every day. The amounts of money are astronomical. The President of the United States, Barack Obama signed into law on February 4, 2009 a 62-cent federal tax increase per pack of cigarettes, along with increases in other types of tobacco too. This money is to be used to fund the State Childrens Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), a major childrens health reform package. The federal cigarette tax is $1.01 per pack and the average state tax is just over $1.00 per pack. According to the Tax Trade Bureau, over 16 billion state tax-paid packs were sold in FY2009. The total tobacco revenue generated for government use is approximately $39 billion. This significant figure is enough to get any legislator looking for the source and wondering how to keep it. Several states have hoped to fund health care with tobacco dollars. Massachusetts, California, Oregon, and even the federal SCHIP program have come under heavy opposition from the tobacco industry. The SCHIP program was finally approved, but the other propositions ultimately failed. The primary argument used against such taxes is that a tobacco tax is a regressive tax, meaning that it affects poor people more so than others. Approximately 33 percent of those living at or below the poverty level smoke. The argument is that a greater portion of their income is spent on tobacco, and therefore the tax would be greater. Counter to this argument for the SCHIP funding is that the program is designed to disproportionately benefit those in this income level. And so, under an expanded SCHIP, low-income families would have essentially paid $164 to get $1,700 worth of coverage (Robert Wood, May 18, 2009). Theres a big difference in the cost to society and what society is getting back in tax, said Dr. Terry Pechacek, the associate director of the CDCs Office of Smoking and Health. We believe society is bearing a burden for the individual behavioral choices of the smokers. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put the nations total cost of smoking at $3,391 a year for every smoker, or $157.7 billion (Curfman, Morrissey, Drazen, June 22, 2009). Poverty and tobacco are closely linked. Some studies have noticed that in some countries, the poorest households can spend up to 10 percent of their entire income on tobacco products. It is difficult to ascertain how this might have a direct impact on malnutrition, health care and longevity of life, as well as things like literacy rates. Tobacco has a wide reaching impact. Restrictions on advertising and other promotion Anti-tobacco campaigners support restrictions on advertising and promotion. It seems obvious that promotion and advertising increase the demand to use, or the industry would not spend the amounts they do. According to the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, from 1998 to 2006, tobacco industry marketing has increased, nationwide, by more than 85 percent, with tobacco industry marketing in 2006 totaling at least $12.8 billion (or more than $35 million per day) (2010). The tobacco industry addresses these concerns with the rhetoric that advertising does not increase the market size, merely determining the market shares of individual firms. While this point is difficult to determine, a key finding from the national youth tobacco survey indicates that the three most heavily used brands of cigarettes by teens are the three most heavily advertised by the industry. Studies on the effect of these restrictions indicate that partial restrictions (i.e. location or type only) have little impact on demand. Restrictions on advertising and marketing do not change the amount the industry spends, only the location and types of activities. They simply shift to non-restricted types of marketing. This is why it is difficult to determine the effectiveness of marketing restrictions. When restrictions are imposed that affect multiple avenues, tobacco consumption goes down significantly. This supports the thought that marketing increases the market size, not just move customers from one brand to another. Health information and counter advertising Anti-tobacco campaigns use pro-health messages and counter-marketing campaigns have been show to have some effect in swaying people away from use. The premise is that the better educated users or potential users are, the better chance they will chose not to us the products. This is a difficult avenue to promote anti-tobacco messages, as it is extremely costly and directly competes with the marketing expenditures of the tobacco industry. There is no way to match, dollar for dollar. Success comes from the combination of efforts counter-marketing with the other restrictions. There is a synergistic effect. Smoking restrictions and bans on sales to youth Youth tobacco use is of utmost importance to the tobacco industry and the anti-tobacco movement organizations. From the 1950s to the present, different defendants, at different times and using different methods, have intentionally marketed to young people under the age of twenty-one in order to recruit replacement smokers to ensure the economic future of the tobacco industry (Campaign, 2010). Where someone can smoke has become a frontline issue. Restrictions of the location, such as restaurants, workplaces, and other public places, make it more difficult for the smoker to light up. This creates an incentive to quit and reduces the opportunity for others to start. These restrictions reduce the amount of tobacco people use, reduce the prevalence of smoking, and have a direct impact on the exposure of second-hand smoke to others. Other smoking cessation interventions Cessation programs have made an impact on tobacco prevalence too. Pharmacological product advancements, from nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), to newer products such as Chantix à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ have helped the tobacco user assure success. These products are heavily marketed and many health care organizations provide them with little or no costs associated to the patient. Some argue the cost benefit of public subsidy of these products is a win-win based on health care costs saved. FDA Tobacco Legislation Through the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the Food and Drug Administration of the U.S. federal government was recently granted authority to oversee many tobacco products. Members of Congress and health organizations have worked toward this goal for many years. This new authority includes many of the items discussed above, i.e. manufacturing standards, marketing and sales practices. The legislation is a very comprehensive approach to changing tobacco use among Americans, now and for future generations. New standards for additives, flavors (other than menthol), restrictions on sales, distribution, and marketing apply. Detailed ingredients will have to be disclosed. The FDA will have the authority to require changes to products. This is the first major governmental step to protect the public from the harms of tobacco. The new law: Restricts Marketing and Sales of Tobacco Products to Children bans ads within 1000 feet of schools and playgrounds eliminates sweetened (candy flavored) cigarettes Requires Detailed Tobacco Product Disclosure Provides Access to Tobacco Manufacturers Research Strengthens Tobacco Product Warning Labels warning labels must cover 50 percent of the front and back of the pack. Allows FDA to Require Changes to Tobacco Products to Reduce Risk Where Technologically Feasible Regulates Health Claims For Scientific Accuracy And Public Health Impact Evaluates Reduced Risk Health Claims For New Products eliminates cigarettes from being labeled light or low tar Regulates Only Manufacturers, Not Farmers The Congressional Budget Offices (CBO) examination of the new law shows an expected reduction in the number of underage tobacco users of 11 percent by 2019. CBO also estimates will lead to a further decline in smoking by adults by about 2 percent after 10 years. The expected impact of the legislation on the use of tobacco products stems from a combination of regulatory and economic factors. (Congressional, 2009) Impact of FDA Regulation of Tobacco on Medicaid The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) anticipates that the new FDA tobacco rules will lead to a reduction in smoking among pregnant women. Pregnant women that do not smoke during pregnancy are less likely to have low birth weight children. Low birth weight kids cost more at birth and during childhood. As a result, state spending for Medicaid would decrease by an estimated $17 million over the 2010-2014 period, with additional savings in subsequent years (Yang Novotny, 2009). Medicaid expenditures are expected to be reduced by $100 million over 10 years. Other Medicare expenditures are positively affected by the FDA rules too. Heart attacks and stroke are less likely to occur in non-smokers, which will mean acute care services costs will decrease, but it is unclear as to by how much. Medicare costs may increase in some areas due to increased life spans and the payout associated with that. Conclusion A key aspect of tobacco prevention is that as people decide not to use tobacco products, their health will be generally better. If all Americans stopped smoking-beginning with this generation of teens-that would do more to improve the health of the nation that any other reform (Adhikari, et al. December 30, 2008, p. 1227). The economic calculations associated with tobacco use are very complicated. For every savings, there is an increase in costs in another area. Many productivity costs are subjective, while things like tax revenues are very definitive. Public and private costs have to be figured separately. However, there are situations where they overlap and care must be taken to count them in only one spot. For instance, someone that lives just below the poverty line and smokes may rely on public assistance for many things, like health care. That same person quits and their relative household revenue and productivity increases. They may not be as reliant on public assistance. The i ncrease in their revenue and productivity cannot be counted if the decrease in public assistance spending is also counted. It is certain that more regulation, like that in the new FDA program will indeed reduce tobacco use. It is certain that reduction in tobacco use equates to less money spent overall on health care compared to the smoker, but may increase health care costs long term due to extended life span. It is certain that overall productivity will increase as tobacco use decreases. The real questions occur when these issues are followed by the question of By how much?. It is almost like Newtons Law of motion, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The factor that must be considered is the value of life length and productivity. These values can sway the equation massively in one direction or the other. The latest estimates of total smoking-attributable health care costs approach $100 billion. Private insurance covers 50 percent of smoking-related medical costs for people aged 19-64 (American Academy, 2010). Education about the effects of smoking on health continues to escalate. As more is learned, the estimates increase as to the costs associated with tobacco use.

Cooperative Learning in Mathematics Essay -- Math Education Learn Educ

Cooperative Learning in Mathematics There have recently been many new trends towards the use of cooperative learning in many classrooms, particularly in mathematics classrooms. Cooperative learning involves students working together to accomplish shared goals. In this type of situation, students must feel they can only reach their learning goals if the other students in their group also reach their own learning goals. Students have to understand their achievements are interrelated. Cooperative learning helps students to fully understand the mathematical concepts and assists them in developing social skills that will take them through life. There are different methods of teaching, in addition to cooperative, such as competitive and individualistic. In competitive learning, students are graded on a curve, which means they have to work against each other and try to work faster and more accurately than their fellow students. In individualistic learning, students work towards goals that are separate from their peers. When working on their own, they can work on their own pace, and work for their own set of goals. (Johnson 104). When using cooperative learning, it includes characteristics of both individualistic and competitive learning. In order for a cooperative learning environment to be most effective, there needs to be group rewards along with individual accountability. When each individual succeeds in their group, the group is rewarded; this prevents certain students from dominating the work. There are different methods for cooperative learning that incorporate individual and group rewards. One such method i s Student Teams– Achievement Divisions (STAD). With motivation to win, the groups compete ag... ...athematics. The students develop social skills and learn to work as part of a group. This greater understanding of mathematics and the social skills will stick with the students for the rest of their life. Works Cited Bol, Linda, Nunnery, John A., and Whicker, Kristina M. â€Å"Cooperative Learning in the secondary mathematics classroom.† The Journal of Educational Research. Sept./Oct. 1997. (p. 42-8). Leiken, Roza, and Zaslavsky, Orit. â€Å"Cooperative Learning in Mathematics.† Mathematics Teacher. March 1999.(p. 240-6). Lew, Marvin and Mesch, Debra. â€Å"Isolated Teenagers, Cooperative Leanring, and the Training of Social Skills.† The Journal of Psychology. (p. 323-333). Johnson, David W., and Johnson, Roger T. â€Å"Using Cooperative Learning in Math† Teaching and Learning Middle Grade Mathematics.-Student Resource CD. Key College Publishing. 2004.

Power of the Quake Essay -- essays research papers fc

Power of the quake When humans are under tremendous pressure, they are told that they should try and relieve some stress. The same is true of mother earth when she is under a terrible strain; she has to relieve some stress, only Earths version of blowing off some steam is very deadly and extremely terrifying. An earthquake is a vibration of the Earths surface that follows a release of energy in the Earths crust. There are various ways this energy is released. Manmade explosions, dislocation of segments of the crust or volcanic eruptions are all triggers for an Earthquake; however, most are caused by a slippage of faults. A fault is a fracture in the Earths crust along which two blocks of the crust have slipped within one another. These faults are grouped into three categories (normal, thrust and strike-slip) and are located all over the Earth. In North America there is a very large fault that runs through California that separates the North American plate and the Pacific plate. The afore mentioned fault is called the San Andreas fault and is approximately 1300 kilometers long and a great source for Earthquakes and activity. San Andreas is unusual because unlike most faults, which are beneath the Earths surface, the San Andreas is visible on the surface. One of the bigger Earthquakes ever recorded ran along this fault and will be discussed later in the paper. The length and severity of an Earthquake does vary. Much in the way lightning is a preemptive sign that thunder will follow, foreshocks are a preemptive sign that a major Earthquake will follow. Foreshocks are small Earthquakes that last anywhere from years to hours before a major quake. When foreshocks have been monitored for making predictions it has had mixed results but if nothing else they do allow people to prepare for the potential disaster that may follow. Once that major quake does follow it can last seconds or minutes and the damage can be nil or severe. If severe then the aftershocks that follow can bring down structures that were badly damaged from the major quake. This whole process is repetitious, taking place along faults with powerful quakes once every two years and moderate quakes averaging 40 per year. Scientists’ estimate more than 8,000 minor quakes take place each day but do not cause any damage. Fault lines are not limited to the land. They do run under the water and the str... ...ds of lives. Humans’ ability to cope with natural disaster such as an Earthquake will be an ongoing struggle. The best hope relies on better predictions, better structural design and ultimately no fatalities. Works Cited Dunegan, H.L. (1996, June 11-13). Prediction of Earthquakes home what’s new about AE/MS. (6th Conference on AE/MS activity in geologic structures and materials) Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, vol. 86, NO. 1A, pp. 204-211 McNally, Karen C (2002, February 16). â€Å"Earthquake† World Book Online Americas Edition, www./wbol/na/ar/co/171680. p.1-13 Mooney, M.J. (1990). Tsunami. (When the sea quakes) Americas, vol. 42 Issue 4, p.24,5p,1diagram,2C. www.oem1.epnet.com/oemfulltext.asp?resultSetId=R00000000&hitNum=2&booleanTerm.com Anonymous (1997,Oct 23). How Earthquakes Happen (Aerial view of the San Andreas fault in the Carrizo Plain, Central California). Education and Outreach http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/earthq1/how.html Unknown (1906, April 19). Earthquake and Fire San Francisco in Ruins Call Chronicle Examiner (First Newspaper Report Home Index by year Biographies the gift shop) www.sfmuseum.org/press/clip.html

Human Interaction via the Internet :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Human Interaction via the Internet Throughout the course of this class, and more specifically the process of generating an idea for my final project, I found myself drawn time and again to the way people interact with each other electronically namely the internet. Having been involved in computers and nearly everything related for the majority of my life I have experienced a number of different tools and applications from chat rooms to online games to instant messaging that provide a means of interacting with others in a number of different ways. This experience and other concepts and ideas that Ive either read about or envisioned stood as my foundation in deciding on and formulating this project. The many methods of electronic interaction can be overwhelming. With the relatively recent emergence of online gaming we have been exposed to yet another. This form of interaction however is more involved than most. There are monsters and quests to distract you and keep you busy doing other things. This is probably not the ideal environment for the casual chat room user. On the other hand a standard chat room or even slightly more visual instant messaging programs may not hold the interest of the avid gamer. I wanted to do something that would appeal to both sides while at the same time staying true to the social interaction that from which so many of the online games tend to stray. By combining a familiar chatting environment with the visual graphics of a digital environment a hybrid experience a more engrossing experience can be achieved. Your average chat room focuses on text as the main resource for transmitting and gathering information about the many different users. In the world around us a much larger portion of perception is taken from imagery. However, we often use words and images in combination to present information that could not be conveyed by either one alone.* By combining the two, a more complete picture is formed. Likewise, by adding a world environment that each users custom, animated avatar can move around in people can express them selves in a completely new dimension that has never really been explored in a chat environment before. Not only would each user decide on a unique name, they will also be able to decide on the physical appearance of their own character. From gender to hair style and color to clothing everyone will have enough options to be able to choose a unique look all their own.

John Locke- Equality Essay

What is equality? Equality is not something that a government can grant or deny a body of citizens; for this right is unalienable. This basically included life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and was not allowed to be taken away by governments. It could be utilized to describe the same political rights that people may have, including males and females. However, John Locke in the Second Treatise of Government outlines his theory of equality and how it works in his political society, known as the common-wealth. Despite, Locke writes later in the same paragraph that they are equal and free â€Å"unless the lord and master of them all should, by any manifest declaration of his will, set one above another, and confer on him, by an evident and clear appointment, and undoubted right to dominion and sovereignty. † I believe that through this statement, Locke refers to monarchy. Basically what this means is that during Locke’s lifetime, it was still widely believed that the kings and queens of the world are selected by God to rule over that particular kingdom. As naturally born people both free and equal, humans can build a common wealth. Locke’s theory of equality, which grants human freedom from being subjects of others is given to the family’s right to have material goods for survival. During his society, everyone has a claim to some sort of property. Locke defines the common wealth as â€Å"not a democracy, or any form of government, but any independent community. † John Locke, in the Second Treatise, outlines the structure of government that best suits the people who give up natural freedoms, such as the pursuit of justice, to accumulate and secure property. Locke’s point of view was that common wealth is equipped with the natural right to hold property. This basically meant that they cannot lose their property, even to the government, unless consent is given by the public.

Tda 2.4

All pupils have the right to a broad and balanced curriculum. This must also be supported by high-quality teaching and learning experiences. Schools have a duty to ensure that all pupils have equal access to the curriculum irrespective of their background, race, culture, gender, additional need or disability. This is, not only the learning happening in the classroom, but everything which happens in the life of the school. Policies on inclusion and equality of opportunity can only be successful if they help to raise achievement and to promote self-identity and good relationships through the participation of all children and young people. Promoting equality of access to the curriculum will maximise the personal achievement of children and young people. Equal opportunity does not mean treating pupils the same, but ensuring that the curriculum meets the individual needs of all pupils. This involves understanding the barriers which exist. Intervention strategies, such as additional support, can then be put into place at an early stage before children fall too far behind. High expectations, of all children, are fundamental to raising achievement. Participation involves everyone within the school. There should be opportunities to talk to children and their parents about all aspects of the school and the curriculum. This could include the development and the review of school policies. Participation can be achieved formally through student councils and parents’ meetings. It may also take place in the classroom when children and young people can be asked about how they learn best, what works for them and what could be improved,. Schools must recognise and support all pupils’ access to everything that is happening in the school. This will promote a sense of belonging and self-esteem. When children and young people are able to participate fully, they feel valued for who they are and the contribution that they make. This can be achieved by acknowledging and reflecting diversity within the school in the methods of teaching and the resources and materials used. Children and young people must also have the opportunity to become independent learners. When they are able to make choices, and have control of their own learning, children are more likely to be motivated and achieve their full potential. This gives children a feeling of self-worth and well being.

Netflix Risks Essay

Netflix was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California. Netflix is a company that provides online movie rental subscription services in the United States. The company offers its subscribers access to a library of movie, television, and other filmed entertainment titles on digital versatile disc (DVD) and Blu-Rays. Its members can get DVDs delivered to their homes and can instantly watch movies and TV episodes streamed to their TVs and PCs. It also partners with consumer electronics companies to offer a range of devices that can instantly stream movies and TV episodes to members’ TVs from Netflix. Netflix entered the rental entertainment industry at a time where Blockbuster was king and renting movies required the consumers to drive to the store. However, Netflix realized that through innovation there was a much more efficient and cheaper way to provide the same service than the typical brick-and-mortar companies of the time. Customers of Blockbuster and other store rental places were attracted to the new features (monthly subscription, no late fees) provided by Netflix. Through innovation Netflix basically â€Å"changed† the way movie rentals were done and eventually became the leader of movie rental industry while Blockbuster and many other companies eventually became bankrupt. Netflix’s story of success is also one of caution as Netflix realizes that they will continue to face many risks throughout their business cycle and if they don’t anticipate and/or respond correctly, they too could face the same result as Blockbuster. As of December 31, 2009, Netflix served approximately 12 million subscribers. Currently, Netflix claims on its website to have over 20 million members, making it the leader in rental movie industry. However, Netflix faces many competitors that provide similar services: Comcast, Redbox from Coinstar and even Amazon is planning on also offering streaming services to its prime members. Therefore, if Netflix is to remain as the industry leader and continue its earnings and membership growth it will have to continue to innovate with new ideas. Generally, innovation requires a huge investment from companies in their Research and Development departments. These investments can come out from the companies own cash flow or from issuing loans. In order for a Company to decide if an investment is worth the money it uses either Net Present Value or Internal Rate of Return techniques which basically state that if the return on the investment is greater than the cost, then the company should go ahead and invest. But what is the cost of the investment? If Netflix plans to borrow money, then the cost will be the prevailing interest rate at the time of Issuance of the loan plus a spread premium for specific characteristics pertaining to Netflix. This poses a financial risk on Netflix, more specifically this is called interest rate risk. Interest rates tend to be volatile and there are many different theories (expectations theory, liquidity theory, preferred habitat theory, market segmentation theory) yet nobody really knows 100% for sure if interest rates are going to go up or down and by how much. However, based on the expectations of Netflix’s analysts they have a few choices on dealing with this risk depending on their expectations. If they expect interest rates to go up, then they should issue a long term bond or note now, because if they wait and interests rates do go up then it will be more costly for them to borrow the money they need which might end up affecting the Net Present Value of their investment project. On the other hand, if Netflix expects rates to go down then it will not be a good idea for Netflix to issue out a long term bond or note because if rates eventually do drop then Netflix be essentially borrowing at a higher rate than the prevailing market rate. So what Netflix should do instead is to issue short term debt such as commercial paper and continue to roll it over until they expect that interest rates have reached the lowest and then issue a longer term bond or note depending on their investment project. Finally, the other option for Netflix is that, if they are not sure if interest rates are going to go up or down, they can still hedge against this risk by issuing a long term callable bond so that if interest rates do drop significantly Netflix can call its debt back and reissue at the lower rate. Another way that Netflix has been and plans to continue expanding its membership is by offering its services abroad. In fact, Netflix has already entered the Canadian market and is in the process of offering its services in the United Kingdom. Obviously this is great news for Netflix shareholders however going international also brings additional risks. One of the major risks that we foresee would be exchange rate risk. For example, when Netflix starts to offer its services in the United Kingdom, it will have to decide on what it will charge its British customers a month. However, it will have to do so in pounds, which is the local currency. If for example, we assume that Netflix charges its U. S. customers 10 dollars a month for its services and that it wants to charge the same real value to its U. K. customers, if the pound/dollar exchange rate is . 5 pounds for 1 dollar then Netflix would have to charge its U. K. customers 5 pounds a month. However, interest rates are constantly changing and if Netflix doesn’t do something about this risk then its cash flow would be constantly changing. For example if the pound depreciates against the dollar to . 75 pounds for 1 dollar then the dollar value from its U. K. customers’ 5 pound subscription will now be only worth $6. 67. Netflix could deal with this cash flow loss in two ways, a good way and a bad way. The bad way would be to constantly adjust the prices up and down to its U. K. customers so that the real dollar value remains about the same, however we feel that customers wouldn’t appreciate this price volatility and Netflix would potentially lose many U. K. customers. The good way for Netflix to hedge against exchange rate risk would be to enter the futures market on currencies and lock in on a pound/dollar exchange rate that way any future volatility on the exchange rate wouldn’t affect either negatively or positively on Netflix’s international cash flows. Netflix also faces several nonfinancial risks. Netflix began its ground-breaking entry into the movie rental industry with its mail order system, but the mail order system is not the sole source of its success today. In fact, Netflix’s CEO Reed Hastings has admitted that a lot of Netflix success has been due to do their online streaming content. As an actual Netflix customer myself, I admit that I spend a lot of time streaming movies and shows online, in fact if Netflix were to only offer its mail order system, I would stop being a customer. If other Netflix customers’ value their online service as much as I do then this signifies the important value that the movie streaming services has for Netflix. But what if, something happens (virus, human error, etc†¦) and Netflix’s servers go down and they are unable to operate its streaming function for a couple of days? A couple days may seem trivial however it could potentially mean an enormous amount of lost profit due to unhappy customers. In order to avoid this type of scenario of ever happening, Netflix should think of ways to confront this operational risk. One idea would be to spend money in acquiring backup servers so that if the main servers were to go down for whatever reason, Netflix would be able to switch to their backup servers and therefore customers could continue to stream their favorite movies and shows online while Netflix worked on fixing the problem with the main servers. Even though Netflix is headquartered in Los Gatos, California, it has many â€Å"warehouses† around the United States that deliver movies to customers near their locations. Because of this, Netflix faces many different types of â€Å"pure† risks depending on the location in which their warehouse is situated. Pure risk is a type of risk that involves either a chance of loss or no loss. An example for Netflix would be an earthquake in Los Gatos California, or a tornado in its warehouse in Omaha, Nebraska. Pure risks have tremendous abilities for loss because they cause both direct and indirect losses. If for example, a tornado destroys the Netflix warehouse in Omaha, Nebraska, the direct losses would be the costs of the destroyed warehouse, but at the same time there would be indirect costs such as the costs of perhaps losing customers around the Omaha area because now their movies have to ship from a different warehouse which could potentially take many more days to arrive. Unfortunately, there are no ways to prevent catastrophes such as fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc†¦ However, these high severity, low frequency situations are part of life and therefore a part of Netflix’s business risk. The best way for Netflix to deal with these types of risks are either to self insure by saving a certain amount of money each month or they can do an insurance transfer and pay insurance premiums but not have to worry about these pure risks. As shown in the movie â€Å"Mind Over Money†, human emotions play a major role in driving the market. Netflix should pay attention to such matters as the company could be affected by the irrational decisions people make. Investors have recently been talking about Netflix prices being over priced and it depicts a bull market. Bull markets are characterized by optimism, investor confidence and expectations that strong results will continue. It’s difficult to predict consistently when the trends in the market will change. Part of the difficulty is that psychological effects and speculation may sometimes play a large role in the markets. Therefore, similar to what is shown in the movie people will make irrational behavior and it could lead to the sudden collapse in the market for Netlix. This can be a major risk to the company. Netflix started as a mail order movie rental company in 1997 and through much innovation it was able to not only establish itself in the movie rental business but actually be a leader. Throughout its path from rags to riches, Netflix faced many types of financial and nonfinancial risks and was obviously able to overcome them to reach where it is at today. However, the risks don’t stop now and Netflix is facing strong competition from other movie rental companies and in order for Netflix to stay on top it will have to continue to be innovative and also continue to properly deal with any forthcoming risks.

Any aspect of lactation in the muskrat

The secretion of milk from mammary glands in the process of feeding their young is characteristic of all mammals. The muskrat, an amphibious rodent that is mostly aquatic is no different (Colby 1967).Its name is derived from scent glands otherwise known as musk within their bodies. This scent is vital in their communication while mating or defending their territory. Muskrats can be found in water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds or marshes with at least not less than 4 feet and not exceeding 6 feet. Marshes are however the most suitable habitat for muskrats.Descriptive FactsOn average a muskrat has a length of about 2 feet and weighing close to 3 pounds. Its eyes are small and the ears hidden in the fur (Cyril 1984). Its lips are fleshy and furred such that it can gnaw with its incisors while underwater without water sipping in its mouth. Its short legs and small forefeet ensure that it grabs objects.The grip is further enhanced by a large hind feet with strongly clawed toes (Banf ield, 1974). The muskrat can be easily tracked by its tail which accompanies the track made by the foot. Its color can be black, grey, white or albino though the commonest is the mahogany color with tawny or grey under parts. The Cree Indians referred to this creature as â€Å"Musquash† due to a pungent smell noticeable in the mating season (Colby, 1967).Way of lifeMuskrats are mainly nocturnal and since most of their time is spent in water these little creatures are excellent swimmers. On average a muskrat can spend up to fifteen minutes under water. They use their tail and hind feet as propellers and rudder respectively. Due to the waterproof fur, muskrats can remain submerged for about 3 minutes. The underbelly fur adjusts easily to the seasons. In the warm seasons it is pale and becomes darker as the cold season approaches.Just like most mammals muskrats live in family units and are aggressive in defending their home territory. Normally, the home environment is approximat ely 65 yards. The area population densities vary from 3 to 4 animals per acre to about 35 per acre.The muskrats face the threats of a number of predators both inside the water and on land. The most serious and notable predator is the mink. During the spring these predators are notorious since the muskrats are on the move whereas the young are confined in the dens. Other predators include the snapping turtle, foxes, wolves, black bear and some birds that kill the muskrats when out in the open marshes.Muskrats live in well plastered mud houses constructed on bulrushes. The houses are either built on a stump or on a log. The location is normally close to deep water, about 4 feet above water level or at the edge of a vegetation cover.The area should not be one that faces drastic water level changes though the year. This is to ensure that the young are offered with enough protection for the muskrats since they face threats from the predators. However, in most cases the homes are usually destroyed in spring as a result of flooding.The Muskrat’s DietThe muskrat has two kinds of diet that are favored either during summer or winter. To a greater extend muskrats are herbivores but in case of scarcity they do predate on other animals. In the summer season there is plenty of food, mostly emergent vegetation such as water lily, bulrush and arrowhead (Barker, 1987).This diet is well balanced with animal matter which include; small turtles, frogs, catfish and salamanders. The winter food is usually limited since much food is not stored in summer. The submerged vegetation that wholly meets the diet of the muskrats comprises water weed, water lily tuber, and pondweeds.