Economic100 Article Analysis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economic100 Analysis - Article Example Broccoli, which was yesterday priced at $6.99/kg in store, could drop down to as low as $2.99/kg. Other winter vegetables, such as cauliflower and cabbage, will see similar reductions. Fruit would eventually follow, but would not drop as much, he said. Banana lovers will be the hardest hit however. â€Å"They will stay up for at least six months,† he said. Ausveg, the national peak industry body representing the interests of Australian vegetable and potato growers, has also predicted the drop in vegetable prices. â€Å"We’ve predicted a price drop in the coming months. We will see a return to normal pricing,† Ausveg spokesman Hugh Tobin said. â€Å"Areas devastated by the floods like the Lockyer Valley are getting back on track.† Ausveg had estimated national losses in vegetable and fruit production was at approximately $225 million. Price drop Winter vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage are expected to drop in price by almost 50% in the ne xt two to three months. Fruit will slowly follow, depending on the weather, but bananas will not return to normal prices for at least six months.1 Report Introduction The price level of food products influences majority of each household’s expenditure, therefore changes in prices draw people’s attention. ... It also mentions fruits following sometime later, without being exact. It is expressing pessimistic predictions about banana’s specifically, affected by Yasi cyclone, estimating the recovery process to last at least 6 months. The national wealth suffered a terrible loss due to the flooding, and the article estimates $225 million loss in production. However, these estimates do not take into account the future consequences of losing the foreign market share. The reasons for prices being up for a long period of time and their estimated changes are hidden within laws of demand and supply. The elasticity of demand also influences the situation, and the purpose of the report is to give reasons for this thesis. There’s a high possibility of inflation affecting the situation further, and that will be also discussed. Analysis The law of supply and demand states that all other things constant, there exists an equilibrium point on the intersection of supply and demand curves, wher e the needs of customers and suppliers are met - optimal resource allocation, and that markets naturally strive for it (graph 1).4 Graph 1. Supply and demand equilibrium. Source: Investopedia. â€Å"The floods have damaged crops and caused disruption to supply.†5 What happened in Australia, with natural disasters – flood and cyclone – affecting available sources of goods, is called a supply shock. As the amount of fruits and vegetables supplied decreased, the supply curve shifted left, and the corresponding equilibrium price increased (graphs 2 and 3). â€Å"Growers whose crops have not been destroyed have had difficulty transporting their products to market

Education Essay Example for Free

Education Essay An enabling school climate plays an important role in determining the outcome of learning experience for learners, care givers, parents or guardians as well as staff. On the other hand, a school environment that fails to foster proper relationships amongst all stakeholders in a school community can be blamed for poor performance and indiscipline that characterizes schools where there is a negative or unfavorable environment. In deed the school climate goes further than defining the academic performance since the climate in school affects not only the learners’ but also the immediate community, the staff as well as the neighboring community. This paper expounds on the various aspects of the school environment which in turn leads to deterioration of home/school relations or the improvement of the same (Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, 35). Although different scholars have advanced different meanings to the term ‘ school climate, many scholars favor the definition which views school environment as the sum total of all factors that, affect the learning process in the school as well as the interrelations amongst different players in the education process. School climate is influenced by a number of factors which include but are not limited to; the physical components of the school such as the type of classrooms and other physical structures in the school compound. For the physical components to constitute part of the school climate, such must have a direct influence on how teachers, staff, learners and parents perceive the school and therefore influences the relations between school and home. Physical facilities are also important in that, they can hinder or enhance the relationships amongst participants in the education process. Physical facilities have been known to influence how learning takes place as less unfavorable physical facilities are less likely to foster a positive learning environment (Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, 76). Indeed, where the physical facilities are not conducive to learning, this can negatively affect student ability to concentrate or even deal a blow to student’s self esteem all of which would in such a case influence the relations between the school and the home. Equally important is the social cultural factors especially those which concern diversity, most schools enroll learners from various socio-cultural background something which results into conflicts if not managed well. Where there are conflicts, it becomes very difficult for positive relations to prosper and again, this has a bearing on the school/home environment. Intolerance based on factors such as race, religion, or ideological beliefs could trigger tensions. Therefore there is a need for proper management of diversity if the school climate is going to positively contribute to positive school/home environment. The staff and even the parents all have a responsibility in creating an organizational culture that exemplifies trust and understanding amongst different stake holders with an aim of ensuring that, all members of the school community are treated equally and with the same dignity. Issues such as the use of Native American mascots during sports and which have spurred mixed reactions must be properly analyzed for their effects on the school/home relations to be understood. Where such are found to contribute in any way to negative school/home relations, there is a need for corrective measures to be taken both at he bottom line and at the decision making level so as to prevent undesirable consequences (McNeely, Nonnemaker, Blum, 67). Where students are treated favorably or discriminately because of socio-cultural background, the end result is a tension filed school/home relations and with such an environment, academic performance becomes very difficult and unrealizable. Social background largely determines the ability of the parents or guardians (home) of the learner to afford education-related services and therefore in cases whereby a school acts unreasonably in charging for education related services, this may be perceived by the parents to mean that, the school does not welcome the affected children to study or seek educational services in the school. Ensuring that, learners are satisfied and feel loved, cared for, appreciated and welcome in school also contributes to enhanced home/school relations (Loukas , Robinson, 194). How learners are treated is likely also to determine the behavior of the parents and guardians back at home as more parents and guardians are more likely to depend on feedback from their children to gauge the school climate. This in turn may influence how the parents and guardians view and relate with the school. Whereby the ‘home-side’ is not pleased with the school conduct in regard to how the latter treats learners, a standoff may result and in such circumstance, the school environment is bound to be unfriendly and un-responsive to the needs of the home. This is more likely to lead to negative school/home relations. Without efforts from both the home and school to make learners satisfied with the system, learners will most likely develop some resentment as they may conclude that, the school climate is not as supportive as they would expect. The teachers have a responsibility to show support to learners and try to align the learning goals to the expectations of the learners especially in regard to mainly the learners achieve and accomplish not only academic goals but also career goals. A positive school climate is important in the creation of working teams in the school. Team spirit is important because a school as a social institution has some common and shared goals and objectives which it must share as a community. Without collaboration and cooperation amongst members of the school community, different members are likely to function as units as opposed to collectively and therefore the chances of failure to attain desired outcomes in terms of improved school climate becomes a reality. What often is forgotten by school administrators is the fact that, learners too have expectations and in any case, needs which they aim to achieve for all their efforts in schools. A common cause of differences and problems is whereby teachers tend to treat learners as though they do not have personal needs and objectives, that is, a motivation to be in school. For a positive school environment to be realized, learners must be treated as an important party and should be accorded the necessary support in order to emerge successful and victorious. Since the main connection between the school and the home is the learner, ignoring the needs and concerns of the learner is tantamount to breaking the link between the home and the school. The school climate can also be attained through the staff and learners encouraging openness and trust building amongst learners and especially in connection with the latter’s behavior and attitudes towards the school. In the case whereby the students are in secondary level, there is usually the factor of their emotional status occasioned by growth and development which influences how the learners view the staff and other members of the school community. As the Center on Families, Communities, Schools, and Childrens Learning, (21) observes, school climate is important in connecting learners activities to school mission, (Felner, Favazza, Shim, Brand, Gu, Shim, 124), adds that, school climate is not easily noticeable as it is usually invisible and only the effects can be recognized. Whenever learners and the rest of the school’s staff demonstrate positive behavior in terms of values, the school climate is said to be enabling and every school community member is able to function normally. Tableman (98) mentions safety as very important in determining the kind of school climate present in any given school. So as to achieve an enabling school climate, there is a need for measures to be put in place in order to ensure that, all precautionary measures are taken in terms of adhering to guidelines stipulated in safety guidelines for schools. Therefore through enhancement of school safety precautions, the school climate is enhanced and this is important in maintaining of good school/home relations. Enhancing the school climate also calls for improved interpersonal relations and as stipulated earlier, there is a need for the school administrators to be well trained in terms of dealing with conflicts and conflict resolution strategies (Comer, Haynes, 87). The administration of schools must rise to a level whereby conflicts are viewed as opportunities to embrace diversity of ideas and opinions and an opportunity to involve everyone in the decision making process. A school which involves both learners and parents in the decision making process is more likely to prosper than a school which leaves the rest of the school community in the dark when making decisions which impact on every stakeholder (Tarter, Sabo, Hoy, 109). Although every member of the school community has a responsibility to ensure success and of a positive school climate, no one is more central to this process than the school administration because they are the policy makers and also play a decisive role in the implementation of policies (Tarter, Sabo, Hoy, 78). Continuous improvement through inititiation of change is very crucial in the realization of a positive school climate. No system is perfect and even for schools with the best structures in place, there are usually challenges and problems which have to be dealt with continually as it is not usually possible to achieve perfect systems over night. Therefore how the organization receives change usually determines the success or failure of the change process. The stakeholders must be able and willing to adapt to various situations so as to allow every one to fit into the system and function in unity. Equally important to the realization of success is the commitment of all in all efforts geared towards an improved school environment. Without dedication and the pooling of resources, the change effort still remains elusive and not easy to achieve. Therefore, schools must nurture all its members so that, the synergetic effect may be realized and an enabling school environment attained. Equally important is the carrying out of a needs assessment which serves to identify barriers to positive school environment as well as the pointing out of areas of concern needing urgent attention. Without proper guidance and leadership from the administration a school climate worthy emulating may be unrealistic, indeed, the leadership offered in any given organization determines the success of the change initiatives and in some cases serves as the selling point of an organization by providing an empowering internal environment. Therefore, the quality and type of leadership may cause either a positive or negative school environment. It is therefore fundamental for the school to offer the best possible leadership as a means of enhancing the school environment (Cohen, 123). Many schools have failed to incorporate scientific methods in resolving some of the challenges they face. In deed, research studies can be used to establish causes of negative school climate for schools facing such challenges but most schools have not gone as far as carrying out research studies pointing out lack of sufficient funds. Therefore there is a need for sensitization of schools on the importance using scientific methods to better understand the school climate. Communication plays an important role in determining the school environment and therefore for any school to realize a desirable school climate, it must demonstrate ability to establish proper communication structures. Most schools have in the past failed by failing to embrace both downward ad upward communications. This amount to failing to appreciate the contribution students can make to creating of an empowering school climate (Freiberg,36). In conclusion, the fact that the students have an important role to play in promoting a positive school culture should trigger the administration to fully involve them in initiation of change by streamlining communication function in the organization. Until then, the school is likely to face problems when it comes to fostering a positive school climate.

what would jesus brew :: essays research papers

Is Justified True Belief Really Knowledge? So, you think you found some truth in the traditional concepts that knowledge is true belief? Well, I just might have to burst your bubble and join up with Edmond L. Gettier’s famous counterexample’s to these particular beliefs. Gettier, published these ambitious counterexamples in a June 1963 article entitled, â€Å"Is Justified Knowledge True Belief.† The traditional concepts of knowledge seem to hold that the following three stipulations are jointly sufficient in verifying the claim that S knows p ( where S is some entity with the capacity for knowing and p is some proposition or claim): (i) p is true, (ii), S believes that p, and (iii), S is justified in believing that p. Gettier’s counterexamples demonstrate situations in which justified true belief does not lend to the yield of knowledge. Before stating his cases, Gettier is quick to note two points; The first being â€Å"it is possible for a person(S) to be justified in believing a proposition(p) that is in fact false.† And secondly, for any time S is justified in believing p, and p entails q which S then deduces from p and is then justified in believing q. This means that if a person(S) is justified in believing a false proposition, then they are justified in believing other false propositions or propositions that turn out to be true based on false propositions . Gettier, provides two cases, using two subjects(Smith and Jones), that are directly pertaining to two falicies inherent within the traditional beliefs of knowledge. In the first case, Gettier supposes that the two subjects(Smith and Jones) are both applying for a certain job and that Smith has strong evidence that Jones will get the job and that Jones also has ten coins in his pocket. This proposition could be verified if Smith was assured by the president of the company that Jones would get the job and also that Smith had recently counted the number of coins in Jones’ pocket. From this proposition you can then go on to deduct that â€Å"The man who will get the job has ten coins in his pocket.† Gettier then supposes that Smith sees this and is justified in believing so. Now here’s the contradiction, imagine that unknown to Smith, he is actually the one who will receive the job and that also unknown to Smith, he coincidentally also has ten coins in his pocket.

Graduation Speech: Tonight We Cross the Finish Line :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Congratulations, County High Class of 2012, our thirteen-year marathon is over. Some of you may know I am a distance runner, part of an immensely successful cross-country and distance track program. We were fourth at the state cross-country championships, and we are the best senior boys team in the state. My involvement in athletics truly linked me with our school and granted me friends whom I will remember for a lifetime. One of the most important aspects of my time in high school was getting involved. Wherever your next journey takes you, don't sit back and watch the action. Take the initiative and you will experience the benefits. Just look around you. These are the people you grew up with, the people you were teammates with and the people you have survived dozens of classes with for the last four years. They are not merely faces in a yearbook. They are your people, your community, your family. They are the greatest benefit of being involved. Another concept I have learned from my participation in running is teamwork. No matter how hard we try, we cannot live our lives without others' help or without helping others. We must work together to succeed on the road ahead. This is the essence of teamwork. I know that even my personal success in cross-country and track is not solely mine. I know that my three district titles, one in cross country and two in track, in the 800 meter and 1600 meter runs, could not have been accomplished without my team's unequivocal support and for that, I thank them. However, along with the team element, we must remember one notion. Live life for you. Expect more out of yourself. Expect to reach the finish line, expect to finish first and expect to finish in one piece. Don't live your life striving to fulfill the expectations of your parents, your professors or your bosses. Live up to your own. Raise your expectations. Exceed them. Reach your potential. Now I have one thing to ask of you. Tonight, as we cross this finish line before us and set forth upon our next journey, strive to make a difference. Get involved to make our country a better place. Use teamwork to bring our people and the whole world together. I know to me personally, making a difference in our country and our world is paramount. Next week, I leave for the United States Military Academy at West Point, N. Graduation Speech: Tonight We Cross the Finish Line :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address Congratulations, County High Class of 2012, our thirteen-year marathon is over. Some of you may know I am a distance runner, part of an immensely successful cross-country and distance track program. We were fourth at the state cross-country championships, and we are the best senior boys team in the state. My involvement in athletics truly linked me with our school and granted me friends whom I will remember for a lifetime. One of the most important aspects of my time in high school was getting involved. Wherever your next journey takes you, don't sit back and watch the action. Take the initiative and you will experience the benefits. Just look around you. These are the people you grew up with, the people you were teammates with and the people you have survived dozens of classes with for the last four years. They are not merely faces in a yearbook. They are your people, your community, your family. They are the greatest benefit of being involved. Another concept I have learned from my participation in running is teamwork. No matter how hard we try, we cannot live our lives without others' help or without helping others. We must work together to succeed on the road ahead. This is the essence of teamwork. I know that even my personal success in cross-country and track is not solely mine. I know that my three district titles, one in cross country and two in track, in the 800 meter and 1600 meter runs, could not have been accomplished without my team's unequivocal support and for that, I thank them. However, along with the team element, we must remember one notion. Live life for you. Expect more out of yourself. Expect to reach the finish line, expect to finish first and expect to finish in one piece. Don't live your life striving to fulfill the expectations of your parents, your professors or your bosses. Live up to your own. Raise your expectations. Exceed them. Reach your potential. Now I have one thing to ask of you. Tonight, as we cross this finish line before us and set forth upon our next journey, strive to make a difference. Get involved to make our country a better place. Use teamwork to bring our people and the whole world together. I know to me personally, making a difference in our country and our world is paramount. Next week, I leave for the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.

Determining the Accounting for Receivables from Officers and Directors Essay

Philadelphia Communications Inc. (â€Å"Philly†) is a public company that completed an initial public offering (IPO) a few months ago. John Sigar is the current CEO and member of the board of directors. He is the only family member involved in the business and owns significant amount of the company’s stock. While, we were doing audit testing for accounts receivable we came across number of Notes Receivable from several Mr Sigar’s cousins. They have taken advances frequently but never failed to pay when they came due. The notes are secured by shares of Philly’s convertible preferred stock, which were purchased by the family members following IPO. The receivable support provided by the client doesn’t specify interest payment terms for these notes. During our preparation to test accounts receivable we reviewed the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codifications (ASC) and identified special presentation and disclosure requirements for these sorts of receivables. We also reviewed above described situation from International Financial Reporting Standards’ (IFRS) standpoint. When determining the accounting for receivables from officers and directors, special treatment of these cases must be accorded. The case for Philly refers to related parties transactions, which would require special disclosure in the financial reports. The receivables that is provided by Philadelphia Communications Inc. does not give specification concerning both the terms of payment and the interest payable on these notes. Testing for Accounts Receivable in Philly Case. According to Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) codifications, there are a number of codification references that are applicable to the Philly case. One applicable reference is FASB ASC 850-10-50-1 on related party transactions. The FASB code 850 discusses the disclosures that are required to be made concerning related parties. This reference provides the legal and applicable definition of what related party transaction entails. This reference also outlines the disclosure that is required to be made. One of the disclosures is the nature of the involved relationship. The description of the transaction including the dollar amounts, period of transaction, amounts due, and the due date must be disclosed. Disclosing transactions in financial statements that were eliminated while preparing consolidated financial statements is not mandatory. FASB ASC 850-10-50-2 is another codification reference that is applicable to this case. This reference discusses the notes and accounts receivables. This is the principal and direct reference that relates to the Philly case in question. The notes and accounts receivable mentioned under this codification reference are particular to the employees, officers or other entities that are affiliated to the company. For the case of Philly, notes are transacted between Philadelphia Communications Inc. CEO and the cousins. FASB ASC 850-10-50-2 requires notes or accounts receivable from related parties to be separately shown. Any effects that arise from a change in method of determining the terms of transaction from the previous period must be disclosed. It states that this transaction should not be included under notes and accounts receivable general heading. Philadelphia Communications Inc. October 19, 2013 Page 2 Another applicable reference is FASB ASC 850-10-15-2. This codification reference stresses on the requirement that the guidelines on disclosure for related parties is applicable to all entities. It does not matter if it is a private entity or public company like in this case. The financial reports must provide disclosure for the transactions. FASB ASC 850-10-50-5 discusses issue concerning disclosure of transactions that occur at an arm’s length base. This reference states that it cannot be presumed that related parties’ transaction are undertaken on an arm’s length basis. This is because the market conditions that competitive and free might not exist. This describes the relationship evident in the case of Philly’s transaction with the CEO’s cousins. Any form of representations concerning CEO’s cousins and Philadelphia Communications Inc. does not mean that, the transactions were executed on terms applicable at arm’s length. It can only be presumed so if and only if the representations of the transactions can be substantiated. The company management should supply more additional information concerning the notes and receivable concerning related parties for further clarifications. The management should provide the names of the parties issued with the notes that are secured by convertible preferred stock purchased by family members. This is per the requirement of FASB ASC 850-10-50-4. The management should also provide information concerning related parties transactions to help in comparison of financial results with the past. The payments terms and the interest accruing to such notes and receivables should be specified and provided by Philly. IFRSs Standpoint. The International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) also recognises related party transactions. This is given as per the explanation under IFRS International Accounting Standards (IAS) 24. It describes a related party as involving an entity that is heavily influenced by a person transacting with a close family member. The Member of the family transacting with the entity must have significant influence on the person by the one having ownership in the company. For this case, the cousins have significant influence on the CEO of the company thus establishing a related party relationship. IFRS IAS 24 requires the firm to make certain disclosures. It requires that the total amount involved, and the nature of the transaction be disclosed in the financial statements. The outstanding amounts should also be revealed stating the terms and all conditions relating securing and settling of the notes and receivables. The disclosures should also include information regarding the guarantees made. The IFRS also demands that any provision made for doubtful debts arising from this transaction should be disclosed. Conclusion The Philadelphia Communications Inc. in its operation, have related party transactions. These transactions involve the issuance of notes to close relatives of the CEO of the company. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) requires that activities must be disclosed. The Philadelphia Communications Inc. October 19, 2013 Page 3 FASB has well explained the information that the management should consider when presenting their financial statements. The management should also improve its operations and provide further data concerning the parties they are regularly trading. Adoption of the FASB and IFRSs will ensure that all financial statements are truly and fairly presented. References FASB. Related Party Disclosures. Retrieved from Accounting Standards Codification: https://asc. fasb. org IASB. Related party disclosures. Retrieved from IFRS: http://www. ifrs. org

Free Essays on Employment At-Will

Employment at Will The industrial revolution changed the status of workers and employment soon became a purely economic relationship. By 1877, Horace G. Wood wrote an authoritative treatise on the law of master and servant and expressed the American rule as follows: "with us the rule is inflexible, that a general or indefinite hiring is prima facie hiring at-will...". Under the at-will-employment rule, an employee was free to terminate his or her employment relationship at any time for any reason and the employer was likewise permitted to terminate the employee with no reason. This employment-at-will rule remained the law until the rule began to be eroded through statutory exceptions. The employment-at-will doctrine is not absolute. As soon as it was developed, the courts recognized that a strict employment at-will doctrine could be unfair and contrary to policies established by the legislature. While many employee and employers know that states recognize the employment at-will doctrine, they may not be aware that this doctrine is not a Federal employment law, it is a common law. Since the first announcing of the at-will rule the courts have established several common law and statutory exceptions to at will employment. In his book, Heneman explains: Common law is court-made law based upon case by case decisions which over an extended period of time sets a precedence in determining permissible and impermissible actions. Every state develops and administers its own common law. Employment at-will is treated at the state level. However, there are Federal laws that dictate legal exceptions to employment at will. Many legislatures have gradually entered into protection statue areas and began chipping away at the employment at-will doctrine. Some of the many more common exceptions protected by the Federal Law include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, American Disabilities Act. Alone, these a... Free Essays on Employment At-Will Free Essays on Employment At-Will Employment at Will The industrial revolution changed the status of workers and employment soon became a purely economic relationship. By 1877, Horace G. Wood wrote an authoritative treatise on the law of master and servant and expressed the American rule as follows: "with us the rule is inflexible, that a general or indefinite hiring is prima facie hiring at-will...". Under the at-will-employment rule, an employee was free to terminate his or her employment relationship at any time for any reason and the employer was likewise permitted to terminate the employee with no reason. This employment-at-will rule remained the law until the rule began to be eroded through statutory exceptions. The employment-at-will doctrine is not absolute. As soon as it was developed, the courts recognized that a strict employment at-will doctrine could be unfair and contrary to policies established by the legislature. While many employee and employers know that states recognize the employment at-will doctrine, they may not be aware that this doctrine is not a Federal employment law, it is a common law. Since the first announcing of the at-will rule the courts have established several common law and statutory exceptions to at will employment. In his book, Heneman explains: Common law is court-made law based upon case by case decisions which over an extended period of time sets a precedence in determining permissible and impermissible actions. Every state develops and administers its own common law. Employment at-will is treated at the state level. However, there are Federal laws that dictate legal exceptions to employment at will. Many legislatures have gradually entered into protection statue areas and began chipping away at the employment at-will doctrine. Some of the many more common exceptions protected by the Federal Law include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, American Disabilities Act. Alone, these a...

Organizational change, diagnosis and redesign

Organizational change, diagnosis and redesign Report abstract summary This report seeks to address the issue at hand of aligning Blue sky Media PLC for change and strategic renewal. It also aims at rebuilding the company and improving the position the company has previously held. There is also the aspect of restoration of employees trust in their leaders.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Organizational change, diagnosis and redesign specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The leaders have to adopt the innovative programmes of work publicized by behavioral scientists for other levels in organizations. When they work with other leaders, they have to rely increasingly on matrix organizations, temporary tasks groups, and project teams. The work most typically reflects what is described as an exploitative-authoritative organization. In contrast, other departments in companies are practising with the more open and practical participative group approaches described by Likert. Though it is not clear that these innovative designs may lead to increased productivity, growing evidence suggests such results for knowledge based workers in complex information environments. Introduction Blue-sky media PLC is an organization which is changing fast. This organizational change is stimulated by a major external force, for example, substantial cuts in funding, decreased market opportunity and dramatic increases in services. It has therefore undertaken technical, structural or strategic shifts in the organization to evolve to a different level in its life cycle, for example, changing from a highly reactive organization to a more stable proactive environment. Since this organization has been going through major changes in the aspects of employee’s relations to their leaders, the new CEO has to institute radical changes. There must be a paradigm shift in the manner of operations and also the method of handling issues, especially those related to new strategies f or change. Background Blue sky media PLC is faced with several factors which necessitate change. These are societal, environmental and internal factors. External factors for change are globalization, differences in workers, technological change, and managing work ethics. These are challenges that cause change in organizations. Internal forces for change originating inside the organization are recognizable in the form of signals indicating that something needs to be changed. For instance, reduction in effectiveness is a pressure to change. A company that incurs its last three months of the year loss in a span of a fiscal year is for sure forced to do something about it (Lopucki Whitford, 1990; Weiss, 1990).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Strategic renewal is helpful in guiding the company to downsize, outsource, reengineer, and in corporate venturing, restructuri ng and rejuvenation. The major aim of strategic renewal is to see the company reposition itself in the market. This helps avoid threats like corporate takeover by other bigger companies. Human resource management will be vital to either institute measures to retain staff or retrench them through massive lay-offs. The company could also invent other measures aimed at staff appraisal depending on performance and put requisite steps accordingly. Leadership is essential in a successful corporate world. Visionary leaders help drive their companies to scaling professional and corporate heights. Leaders can either be democratic or autocratic. The company CEO who is democratic encourages workers contribution to the management and running of the company whereas the autocratic leader is strict and runs a one man show. Project objectives The first objective of the reorganization is to achieve a framework for financially stable business operations through a capital increase in the company. This will help widen the scope of operation. In addition, the reorganization brings the subsidiaries together directly under the umbrella of holding company making it possible to more efficiently manage the entire business, increase profitability, and strengthen the relationship between the company and its subsidiaries, while at the same time boosting the group’s sales. The second objective is maximization of the total value of the companys assets. There are two elements to this objective. First, it is desirable that as little value as possible will be dissipated during the reorganization process; to this end, it is desirable to minimize the time that the process will take and the direct and indirect costs incurred during this process. It is a good thing that, when the reorganization process ends, the companys assets will be allocated to their highest-valued use. This implies, among other things, that the assets will continue to function as a going concern if and only if the succ ess value exceeds the liquidation value and that, if the assets continue to function as a going concern, they will be employed under the maximum possible capital structure and the optimal governance structure. The third objective is highest division of total value: From an efficiency perspective, what matters is not only that the total bankruptcy value will be as large as possible but also how this value will be divided among the participants.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Organizational change, diagnosis and redesign specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The reason for this is that this afterwards division has important later consequences. In particular, to induce participants to provide finance to the company ex ante, it is expected that, in the event of ex post insolvency, the value will be divided according to the distribution or ranking of priorities that were agreed upon as a contract. Benefits and key outcomes A well-defined business process benefits a company in three dimensions. These are productivity, process, and people. Since the performance of a particular enterprise is a combination of the results of its processes. Well defined business processes contribute to a well-managed company. Productivity, process, and people are interdependent and synergistic. When people acquaint themselves well about the process and become experts in the process, productivity will increase, further increasing the morale of the workers (Gertner Scharfstein, 1991). Employees can be motivated through increased morale, which is very important as it increases their productivity. A percentage of between 10 and 70 is estimated to be the inefficiency effect. Improvement of productivity can be tremendously drawn from such inefficiency. Identification of the process activity to ensure error free work can be done since there is a clear definition of the business process. The people perform daily tasks which are pe rsistently changing. The prospects are finely-identified and invariable. However, in the event that errors take place their cause can potentially be identified by the organization. The moment the root cause of the errors is pointed out, they can be fixed by making adjustments on the process, which also puts off their recurrence. It is also very critical that the workers are motivated as it can help steer the process forward. The customers should be fully satisfied through a well-identified process. As a result, the customers become loyal to the business and feel satisfied, which brings about motivation (Lopucki Whitford, 1990). Assumptions/constraints While dealing with individuals you will find that most individuals want to develop their potential. In addition, they have interests for personal growth and development in case they are provided with supportive and challenging atmosphere. They like to make a higher level of contribution in achieving institutional goals than is normal ly acceptable.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The manager asks, listens, supports, challenges, encourages risk-taking, allows failure, removes hindrances, gives freedom and responsibility, sets high standards and rewards success. This will in turn help to boost the morale of employees and aid in furthering successful organizational change. While dealing with groups, the manager needs to understand that one of the most reference groups for individuals is the working group; this includes peers and the boss. Majority wish to be accepted, and socialize with one or more small reference groups. They make bigger contributions to the groups’ efficiency and growth. The manager should let teams flourish; leaders should invest in groups/teams; adopt a team-leadership style rather than a one-on-one style. They ought to actively engage group members to help the leader in decision-making and problem-solving, by training them up suitably. Therefore this will help group members to deal with both positive and negative feelings hence solv e problems through mutual interactions. In designing and running an organization, traditional bureaucratic organization structures must give way to newer organizational designs. The needs and aspirations of employees ought to be addressed. Placing people first can lead to organizations that are more human, development oriented and encouraging. They are also high performing in terms of output, profitability and output quality. The result is that people are an organization’s most essential resource; they are the source of productivity and profits and should be treated with care. The current bargaining-based process appears to fall substantially short of the goal of maximizing total reorganization value. This happens both because value is often dissipated during the process and because the ultimate outcome of the process might not be value-maximizing. The redesign process under the existing rules takes substantial time (White, 1984; Weiss, 1990). In one re-organization of a majo r corporation, the administrative expenses of the company and of the creditors committee came to $3.5 million per month (Cutler Summers, 1988). Essentially, the company under reorganization might incur substantial indirect costs from functioning inefficiently during the reorganization process. Because the incentives of management during the process are generally not well aligned with the maximization of reorganization value, the management decisions during the process are likely to be distorted. In addition, because of the insolvency cloud hovering over the company, potential business partners may be reluctant to deal with the company or may demand especially favorable terms. Potential inefficiencies in the structure emerging out of the process: There are reasons to suspect that inefficiency costs might continue to be incurred even after the reorganization process ends, because the structure emerging out of the process might not be optimal. White (1994) suggests that the existing p rocess is biased in favor of continuation that is, the company is likely to continue as a going concern even if the most efficient route would be liquidation. Lastly, constraints under which the project must operate are based on the amount of resources available for implementation of aspects of the recommended strategies. However this can be addressed by ensuring that there are enough funds and requisite resources long before the organizational change, diagnosis and redesign is embarked on. Quality control Risk identified Response to risk By whom Time factor being a constraint Apportion enough time for each task to be completed The project coordinator Shortageof finances Seek alternative sources of finance The finance officer External interference Legal redress The legal consultant Other This proposal will be effective only if the expected conditions prevail and the outcomes are only achievable as per the procedure set (Lawrence Lorsch, 1967). Milestones Task Milest ones By whom Employee appraisal A motivated workforce Human resource manager Increased emoluments Better performance The accounts manager Revised strategies Improved output Strategy manager External auditing Higher accountability Company auditor Business expansion Corporate takeovers The CEO Rebranding New markets Marketing manager References Cutler, D. M., Summers, L.H. (1988). The costs of conflict resolution and financial distress: evidence from the Texaco-Pennzoil litigation. Rand Journal of  Economics, 19, 157-172. Gertner, R., Scharfstein, D. (1991). A theory of workouts and the effects of reorganization law. Journal of Finance, 46, 1189-1222. Lawrence, P.R., Lorsch, P. (1967). Organizational and Environment. Boston: Harvard Business School, Division of Research. Lopucki, L., Whitford, W. (1990). Bargaining over equitys share in the bankruptcy reorganization of large publicly held companies. University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 139, 125-196. Weiss, L. A. (1990). Bankruptcy resolution: direct costs and violation of priority of claims. Journal of Financial Economics, 27, 285-314. White, M. J. (1994). Corporate bankruptcy as a filtering device: Chapter 11 reorganizations and out-of-court debt restructurings. Journal of Law, Economics, Organization, 10, 268-295.

Sacar el permiso de trabajo EAD en Estados Unidos

Sacar el permiso de trabajo EAD en Estados Unidos Una de las formas para trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos es obteniendo un permiso de trabajo, conocido en inglà ©s por sus siglas EAD.   Hay una gran confusià ³n sobre los permisos de trabajo. Y es que estos sà ³lo se otorgan a las personas que se encuentran en situaciones migratorias muy especà ­ficas y que se detallan ms abajo. No se debe confundir, porque son cosas muy distintas, con las visas de trabajo, que dan derecho a trabajar sin dicho permiso de trabajo. Adems, tener en cuenta que por supuesto ni los ciudadanos americanos y los residentes permanentes legales necesitan un permiso de trabajo. La tarjeta de residencia brinda importantes derechos, entre ellos los de vivir y trabajar permanentemente en los Estados Unidos. En este artà ­culo se explica quià ©nes pueden solicitar e permiso de trabajo,  cà ³mo se tramita, cul es el costo, quà © hacer si la peticià ³n es rechazada  y cules son las opciones si no se puede aplicar por el permiso de trabajo. Quià ©nes pueden solicitar un permiso de trabajo EAD en Estados Unidos Refugiados polà ­ticos, sus cà ³nyuges y algunos hijos.Asilados, con estatus concedido o pendiente. Si bien en este caso lleva ms tiempo obtenerlo de lo que se cree debido a lo que se conoce como el Stop the watch. Este beneficio tambià ©n aplica a su cà ³nyuge.Ciudadanos de Micronesia, Palau o las Islas Marshall.Personas a las que se les concede una salida obligatoria diferida (DED, siglas en inglà ©s) Extranjeros con un Estatus Temporal de Proteccià ³n (TPS) o protegidos por NACARA (Ley de ajuste nicaragà ¼ense y de alivio centroamericano).Estudiantes con una visa F-1  que reà ºnen los requisitos.Estudiantes vocacionales con una visa M-1 que quieren adquirir conocimientos prcticos tras finalizar sus estudios.Los cà ³nyuges e hijos menores de las personas titulares con una visa de intercambio J-1, como por ejemplo, el caso de maestros o docentes.Los dependientes de titulares de visas G para trabajar en organizaciones internacionales ubicadas en Estados Unidos, o los depen dientes de un extranjero con un visado NATO o A-1/A-2 (oficiales de otro gobierno). Las personas con visas B-1 que son empleados domà ©sticos o personales de ciudadanos americanos o de extranjeros con visas no inmigrantes.El cà ³nyuge de una persona con una visa de inversor E-1/E-2.El esposo o la mujer del titular de una visa L-1 en caso de transfer internacional dentro de una misma compaà ±Ãƒ ­a.El prometido/a de un ciudadano americano y los hijos de aquà ©l que cuenten con una visa K-1 à ³ K-2.El cà ³nyuge de un estadounidense que tenga una visa K-3 y los hijos de à ©ste.Los extranjeros que han solicitado un ajuste de estatus.Solicitantes de una suspensià ³n de la deportacià ³n.Jà ³venes que se benefician de la Accià ³n Diferida (DACA, siglas en inglà ©s).Titulares de visas N-8/N-9 (padres o hijos de emigrantes especiales).Los extranjeros contra los que se ha dictado una orden final de deportacià ³n, siempre y cuando tengan un cà ³nyuge o hijos dependientes en los Estados Unidos y que dependan de sus ingresos y que se prevà © un tiempo largo hasta q ue se ejecuta la expulsià ³n.Los titulares de visas de la familia T ( và ­ctimas de trfico humano, tambià ©n conocido como trata de personas, explotacià ³n sexual y trabajo forzado y sus familiares inmediatos). Las và ­ctimas de violencia domà ©stica por VAWA.Los extranjeros con una visa U-1 (và ­ctimas de delitos violentos como violacià ³n, violencia domà ©stica o tortura) y sus familiares con visados del mismo grupo.Los muchachos abandonados o abusados que solicitan los beneficios del programa SIJ.Y a partir del 26 de mayo de 2015 las personas con una visa H-4 (esposos de extranjeros con una visa H-1B para profesionales) siempre y cuando està ©n en una de las dos categorà ­as siguientes Tener una peticià ³n I-140 aprobada, es decir, de solicitud de una green card.Que el esposo/a con la H-1B tenga un estatus de visa extendida ms all de los 6 aà ±os porque tiene una aplicacià ³n de green card pendiente. Cules son las opciones para trabajar en USA si no se puede solicitar un permiso de trabajo Las formas para trabajar legalmente son las siguientes: Tener la ciudadanà ­a americana. Estas son las 5 formas para obtenerla.Tener una residencia permanente (green card). Estas son 29 formas posibles para sacarla.Tener una visa de trabajo. Este es un listado de ms de 20.Tener una visa de intercambio J-1, como por ejemplo, para maestros, investigadores y profesores universitarios, au-pairs, etc.Las visas de inversià ³n E-1 y E-2. Una vez que se tiene un documento que permite trabajar legalmente en Estados Unidos, se puede buscar trabajo de diferentes formas, entre ellas a travà ©s de bases de datos. Aunque no es Estados Unidos, a veces puede ser una excelente opcià ³n considerar otros paà ­ses, como por ejemplo, Canad, particularmente en el caso de profesionalistas cuyas habilidades son buscadas en el paà ­s vecino.   Adems, tener en cuenta que en Canad, adems de la opcià ³n de emigrar siguiendo las reglas del gobierno canadiense, existe la posibilidad de hacerlo siguiendo las reglas de cada provincia. En particular, para las personas que hablan francà ©s nivel medio resultan muy interesantes las que ofrece Quebec. Documentacià ³n para solicitar un permiso de trabajo El formulario para la peticià ³n del permiso de trabajo es el I-765. Se puede presentar en forma de papel y tambià ©n electrà ³nicamente (comprobar que se califica para esto à ºltimo). Es muy importante entender que cada grupo de extranjeros debe presentar documentacià ³n diferente. Por ejemplo, no es lo mismo lo que debe enviar con la peticià ³n una persona con una visa U-1 que otra que ha solicitado asilo. Pero todos los solicitantes deben adjuntar con su peticià ³n, si es que à ©sta la envà ­an al USCIS: Una copia del I-94 o registro de entrada y salida, excepto los que solicitan bajo la categorà ­a de ajuste de estatus.Una copia por el derecho y el revà ©s de todos los permisos de trabajo que se hubieran tenido con anterioridad.Dos fotos idà ©nticas y a color estilo pasaporte tomadas en los 30 dà ­as anteriores al envà ­o de la solicitud. Arancel (cuota o tarifa) que pagar al USCIS Costo general La tarifa de presentacià ³n de la solicitud es de $410, excepto parta los jà ³venes que aplican por DACA que deben pagar adems otros $85 en concepto de pruebas biomà ©ticas. Es decir, para estos muchachos el costo total es de $495. Sin embargo, no tienen que abonar una cuota por solicitar el permiso de trabajo los solicitantes por primera vez bajo las siguientes categorà ­as: refugiados, asilados en determinadas categorà ­as, titulares de visas N-8/N-9, U-1 (và ­ctimas de violencia), T-1 (trfico de personas). Tampoco tienen que abonarlo los ciudadanos de Micronesia, Palau o las Islas Marshall, las personas dependientes de oficiales de gobiernos extranjeros o trabajadores de organizaciones internacionales ubicadas en Estados Unidos o de NATO. Tambià ©n estn excluidos de esta obligacià ³n las personas que solicitan por sà ­ mismas amparo en aplicacià ³n de VAWA por ser và ­ctimas de violencia domà ©stica o aquellos extranjeros a los que se les ha concedido una suspensià ³n de la deportacià ³n. Personas con dificultades econà ³micas que pueden estar exentos de pagar Adems, otras personas que deberà ­a pagarlo pero estn pasando por una à ©poca financiera difà ­cil podrà ­an, si cumplen con los requisitos, aplicar para no pagar la tarifa al USCIS. Quà © hacer si se retrasa en obtener respuesta ms all de lo que son plazos habituales En estos casos, consultar con un abogado para estudiar si procede demandar al USCIS mediante un writ of mandamus. Este artà ­culo es informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Morality of Active Euthinasia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Morality of Active Euthinasia - Essay Example Active euthanasia is sometimes called mercy killing whereas the physicians end the patients’ life directly, such as by giving lethal injection. The passive one is delivered by ending any life sustaining treatment. The result of both cases is the same, the death of the patients. However, some can argue that the former is caused by the physician while the latter by the disease. The conventional doctrine is that there is such an important moral difference between the two that, although the latter is sometimes permissible, the former is always forbidden. (Rachels 78) In my opinion, the morality of active euthanasia actually depends on the situation. In some rare cases whereas the patient suffers extreme pain and has absolutely no hope of surviving, active euthanasia, although it is illegal, can be seen as an act of kindness. This mercy killing is, in some sense, even more compassionate than passive euthanasia, whereas the physicians forgo the life sustaining treatment and let the patient suffer to death. However, in most cases, active euthanasia is absolutely immoral. When there is a chance for the patients to recover, no matter how tiny the chance is, mercy killing is obviously not the act of compassion. Even if the patient voluntarily ask for it, as long as the chance to recover is there, active euthanasia is still morally wrong. The morality of active euthanasia in individual cases can depend on the situation. The morality in the policy level, however, cannot depend on the situation. The question whether it should be legalized or not should only be answered after considering carefully the potential consequences. If active euthanasia is legalized, it will definitely generate good and bad consequences. Whether the good ones outweigh the bad ones or the opposite should be the main concern to answer the question of legalization. Let’s deal with the good outcomes first. According to Dan W. Brock, if active euthanasia is legalized, it means

Solving The Moral Dilemma Of Janet Moore Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Solving The Moral Dilemma Of Janet Moore - Essay Example If there are any misgivings about the firm or if I don’t like the product and goals, then I should not join the firm. This reasoning applies to manufacturers of alcohol products and arms. As per the case, the firm aggressively targets younger children with low-nicotine mint and cherry-flavored products so that they would graduate to the two much stronger and best selling brands. The issue that arises now but which has not been mentioned in the case is how does the snuff product compare with cigarettes. The case does not mention the comparison between the two products for addiction and harms done to the body and it is further assumed that the two products have the same levels. Cigarette marketing and branding are widely accepted and if the addiction and harm levels are same, then the marketing job that Janet is exploring should be acceptable. However, Janet has to take cognizance of the Kantian Philosophy of treating men as means to achieve an end. This attitude is callous as Kant argues that while men can be used as a means, they must be also treated as an end in themselves (Seidler, 1986). Therefore Janet has to realize that what her senior Karen says is also true, that they can use the job as a means to improve the firms' image and to save peoples lives. There are a number of lawsuits being files about the dangers of the tobacco product. Soon the firm would be in serious trouble. Janet and Karen can use their training and education to modify the marketing campaign to bring in the principle of utility. A balance can be struck between obtaining the required sales revenues yet prevent younger age children from being targeted by the Ad campaigns. Janet should take up the job more as a challenge and because she believes in the good that she can bring to kids. She could explore the concept of corporate social responsibility and ensure that the product carries enough health warnings and that people are aware of the dangers.

Sociological and Culturalist Accounts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Sociological and Culturalist Accounts - Essay Example Furthermore, the model shapes our culture. It gives us the necessary resources, cryptogram and tradition through which the society compose a universal culture, and that which enables us to fit in the very culture. The question of who possesses media power and the powerless, or even those that can implement might and brutality, and those who cannot is a clear display of the media and its associated culture. The centrality and influence of mass media in modern culture cannot be overlooked. This is a true demonstration of how a number of media sources mainstream information and messages to the society through such forms as internet, newspapers, articles, and Radio. Such information despite positive impact to the society creates an illusion of things not beneficial to the very culture. Mostly, media power proves to be symbolic and persuasive. The media primarily have the greater potential in controlling extensively the mind of readers or viewers but not their actions in a direct way. In such cases of physical, coercive force however, the control of action, that is often the ultimate aim of the exercise of power, is mostly indirect. Whereas the control of intentions plans, knowledge, beliefs, or opinions in mental representations that monitor overt activities is presupposed. Despite the pervasive symbolic power of the media, the audience will generally retain a minimum of autonomy and independence, and engage more or less actively instead of purely passively, in the use of the means of mass.

The Multicultural Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Multicultural Marketing - Essay Example Today almost all major corporations are actively marketing their products beyond their original homeland borders. Infact the issue is generally not whether to market a brand in other countries or to target multiple audience but rather â€Å"how to do it† (as the same product with the same â€Å"global† advertising campaign, or â€Å"tailored† products and localized ads for each country). Today, marketers are much more aware of the significant opportunity that the varying demographic groups present. What's more, they realize that they can no longer afford to neglect the combined buying power of ethnic Americans who, according to estimates, make up $1.3 trillion, or 18.5%, of all US buying. To appeal to these highly lucrative and diverse audiences, marketers are abandoning traditional mass-marketing practices in favor of laser-focused, multicultural marketing efforts. This paper is discussing following points: 1. Understanding what is multicultural marketing? 2. Ways in which ethnicity can be incorporated into marketing strategy. 3. Presenting steps that how a marketer can reach its diverse customers in best possible way. 4. Importance of marketing for multicultural audience, and the benefits and advantages from being unique marketers for multicultural audience. ... This paper although focuses on cross-cultural marketing, the discussion is at the level of the individual nation-state rather than marketing between countries. In multicultural societies the composition of the population can be highly culturally diverse, comprising many ethnic groups which necessitate a cross cultural approach to marketing strategy and management as suggested by Rugimbana and Nwanko (2003). Here it is important to highlight the importance of ethnicity in marketing in multicultural societies or as WiLkison and Cheng (1999: 106) refer to it â€Å"international marketing at home. TECHNIQUES FOR MULTICULTURAL MARKETING: According to Tharp (2001), decision-makers in organizations in multicultural markets should have the skill of â€Å"border mentality† — identifying multiple situational-cultural meanings, or should perform the role of transmigrants† — bridging or overlapping agents among two or more subcultures. In order to be broad minded foll owing techniques should be adopted: 1) To spot patterns that allow subcultures to be grouped together, so that a common marketing Strategy may be extended to several subcultures in a group (â€Å"transcultural† marketing); 2) To develop a distinct marketing strategy for each subculture, if there is a significantly distinct cultural dimension that is important to the specific culture (multicultural marketing); 3) To further segment audiences in a subculture, if needed, in terms of cultural affinity, cultural identity or acculturation level (tactical adaptation within a subculture); 4) To develop parameters of culturally acceptable marketing stimuli; and 5) to establish a protocol for measuring cultural effectiveness of the stimuli. THE MOST CRITICAL ISSUES FACED BY MANAGERS   The critical issues are defined

A Comparison of Francis Bacon and Carolus Linnaeus' View of Nature and Essay

A Comparison of Francis Bacon and Carolus Linnaeus' View of Nature and Humanity's Relationship to It - Essay Example This frequency is enough to reflect and substantiate the view of nature as instruments. Instrumentation purposes vary from burial to horticulture, medicinal or treatment purposes, harnessing of raw materials, et cetera. The same view was described by Linnaeus; â€Å"when we follow the series of created things, and consider how providentially one is made for the sake of another, the matter comes to this, that all things are made for the sake of man† (3). While Bacon recognized nature as an instrument to human needs, Linnaeus furthered this by pointing out how every aspect of nature was designed to be made useful for humans. Nature as Local. Interestingly, Bacon implicated that nature’s instrumentation was largely determined by location. While burial was done in the Lower Region, observatories were situated in the Upper Region. Thus, nature presents a limit by which instrumentation is permissible or not advisable, and this fact was respected by the people of Salomonâ€⠄¢s House. The same fact was implicated by Carolus Linnaeus in his The Economy of Nature. His recognition of the co-location of habitat and particular species of flora and fauna was expressed through his acknowledgement of the dissimilar patterns of seasons, as well as the variance in soil composition (Linnaeus 2). Moreover, Linnaeus explicitly expressed this: â€Å"How wise, how beautiful is the agreement between the plants of every country, and its inhabitants, and other circumstances!† (2). Nature as the Framework of Imitation. Bacon’s view suggested that the workings of nature served as the mold by which humans replicate certain processes for the desired output. This imitation was explicitly detailed: â€Å"We use them likewise for the imitation of natural mines...,† or â€Å"We have heats in imitation of the sun’s and heavenly bodies’ heats, that pass divers[e] inequalities...† (Bacon 3-5). Thus, it is safe to assume that early processe s that were said to be ‘invented’ by early humans were probably forms of mimicry out of the observable natural processes. Nature as Something to be Improved. The recognition of nature’s imperfection was prevalent; yet, this imperfection was viewed by Bacon only in the context of the human’s desired output. This was pronounced in the field of horticulture wherein the practice of grafting, inoculating, and growing de-seeded plants was common (Bacon 4). Moreover, the pursuit of understanding the effects of flora and fauna on humans, whether good or bad, was inherent in designed structures or enclosures (Bacon 4). The same view was perceived by Linneaus; he went on to explain that by virtue of human reasoning, humans are able to propagate aspects of nature (i.e., vegetables), and asserted that if nature was â€Å"left to herself, could scarcely effect† (3). Thus, Linnaeus, just like Bacon, saw human intervention as the necessary means to enable nature t o become fully or wholly purposeful. Nature as an Unending Cycle of Life and Death. Linnaeus depicted this cycle through the vegetable-to-mold and mold-to-vegetable analogy. His main point was that vegetation is comprised of the same composite -- the black mold; thus, he asserted, â€Å"So that the tallest tree is, properly speaking, nothing but mold wonderfully compounded with air and water...† (Linnaeus 3). Consequently, this view implicates how inevitable and normal death is. Moreover, death is viewed a necessity for a fresh beginning in the cycle of natural creation. Nature as Designed to be Biodiverse. The implications of nature’s biodiversity were successfully presented by Linnaeus. He proffered biodiversity as the solution in controlling the population of species, the

The Multicultural Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Multicultural Marketing - Essay Example Today almost all major corporations are actively marketing their products beyond their original homeland borders. Infact the issue is generally not whether to market a brand in other countries or to target multiple audience but rather â€Å"how to do it† (as the same product with the same â€Å"global† advertising campaign, or â€Å"tailored† products and localized ads for each country). Today, marketers are much more aware of the significant opportunity that the varying demographic groups present. What's more, they realize that they can no longer afford to neglect the combined buying power of ethnic Americans who, according to estimates, make up $1.3 trillion, or 18.5%, of all US buying. To appeal to these highly lucrative and diverse audiences, marketers are abandoning traditional mass-marketing practices in favor of laser-focused, multicultural marketing efforts. This paper is discussing following points: 1. Understanding what is multicultural marketing? 2. Ways in which ethnicity can be incorporated into marketing strategy. 3. Presenting steps that how a marketer can reach its diverse customers in best possible way. 4. Importance of marketing for multicultural audience, and the benefits and advantages from being unique marketers for multicultural audience. ... This paper although focuses on cross-cultural marketing, the discussion is at the level of the individual nation-state rather than marketing between countries. In multicultural societies the composition of the population can be highly culturally diverse, comprising many ethnic groups which necessitate a cross cultural approach to marketing strategy and management as suggested by Rugimbana and Nwanko (2003). Here it is important to highlight the importance of ethnicity in marketing in multicultural societies or as WiLkison and Cheng (1999: 106) refer to it â€Å"international marketing at home. TECHNIQUES FOR MULTICULTURAL MARKETING: According to Tharp (2001), decision-makers in organizations in multicultural markets should have the skill of â€Å"border mentality† — identifying multiple situational-cultural meanings, or should perform the role of transmigrants† — bridging or overlapping agents among two or more subcultures. In order to be broad minded foll owing techniques should be adopted: 1) To spot patterns that allow subcultures to be grouped together, so that a common marketing Strategy may be extended to several subcultures in a group (â€Å"transcultural† marketing); 2) To develop a distinct marketing strategy for each subculture, if there is a significantly distinct cultural dimension that is important to the specific culture (multicultural marketing); 3) To further segment audiences in a subculture, if needed, in terms of cultural affinity, cultural identity or acculturation level (tactical adaptation within a subculture); 4) To develop parameters of culturally acceptable marketing stimuli; and 5) to establish a protocol for measuring cultural effectiveness of the stimuli. THE MOST CRITICAL ISSUES FACED BY MANAGERS   The critical issues are defined

Curriculum Based Assessment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Curriculum Based Assessment - Research Paper Example The research sought to establish the possibility of developing a formative assessment system. Teachers could use this system to grow their effectiveness in teaching learners with academic disabilities. Eventually, a comparative study showed that teachers were more effective on using this formative model. In this regard, the validity criteria and conventional credibility in writings, expressions, and spellings were emphasized. There were three key questions addressed in creating a curriculum based assessment procedures. This included the mode of structuring the activities of evaluation in order to produce adequate data, the parameters of measuring the results, and the possibility of using the data to grow educational programs (Stecker & Fuchs, 2000, P.130). These questions were answered using a systematic evaluation of three major issues relevant to each of the measures. The logistical feasibility of the measures and treatment of utility or validity of the measures were technically ev aluated. The procedures for developing the assessment have been specified and will be briefly discussed. Definition Curriculum is the content that is organized for delivery to students. It is done with respect to sequence and scope of methods and materials by intended learning results (Lemons et al, 2013, p.450). Curriculum based assessment is a term that is used to refer to school based assessment that evaluates student performance in accordance to what is being taught. Curriculum based test measures the functioning of student in relation to knowledge and skills as outlined in the curriculum. It is noteworthy that the curriculum-based measurement measures the progress and competency of a student in the basic areas of skill such as... This essay approves that curriculum based assessment is an approach to measuring the educational growth of each student. The main objective of the curriculum-based assessment is to assist teachers in testing the effectiveness of the lessons offer to individual students. Curriculum based assessment has both advantages and disadvantages. They are efficient and economical in that most of the important characteristics that are used in developing curriculum based measurement procedures are within the context of the ongoing instructions. This report makes a conclusion that the results of CBM research have provided a ground for developing standardized procedures of measurement used to evaluate the effects of modifying the students’ instructional program. A research on the student’s achievement effects on teachers of special education using these procedures proved that the effectiveness of instruction could be improved by the use of CBM in formative evaluation. The assessment of CBM focuses mainly on reading and math as a basic skill. The broad focus is on the measurement areas, basic skills, behavior and others. The basic skills of reading, spelling, math, written expression and critical thinking skills are assessed. Curriculum based assessment procedures focus majorly on special education planning and development. It is evident that response to intervention is nowadays common. This improves teaching and learning with regard to the effective component of RTI that requires particular attention from admini strators.

Report on Tesco location Essay Example for Free

Report on Tesco location Essay Introduction For the last six months I have been carrying out a thorough investigation into the suitability of a superstore in Slough. In this report I have outlined most of the key factors in this report that could contribute to the success of a superstore in Slough. Trading Estate Slough currently has the second largest trading estate in Europe, which employs over 25,000 people. Due to this there is a very high employment rate in Slough: Unemployment between 2000 2500 people (this equates to 3%) is amongst the lowest in the country. The very high employment rate in Slough means the public has a lot more spending power. This is why there is such high business activity in Slough which can only be beneficial for Tesco as they will be much more likely to get higher sales and profit. The trading estate is also reason to many people commuting into Slough regularly; Tesco could be the shop they pop into on the way home. The trading estate shows that Slough isnt a developing area rather it is a well-developed industrial area with a well-established and healthy economy, consisting of high business activity. This is one of the reasons it is a rich prosperous area, which is ideal to invest in. The Trading Estate also means that a lot of people travel into the town regularly because of the massive number of jobs available and over 32% of these jobs come from the trading estate. I believe that the number of jobs the Trading Estate currently offers is a huge benefactor to the existence of a superstore in Slough. The spending power is very high in this town and mainly due to the trading estate, there is a gap in this market in Slough and I believe Tesco should act quickly to saturate it. Ever Increasing Population Over the last 10 years the population of Slough has been increasing hugely because of interchangeable factors consisting of its closeness to London, as it is only 20 miles away. Slough Population 106600 108100 110400 112400 114500 116000 117200 117700 118600 119001 Year 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Above is a table showing the increase in population in Slough from 1992 2001. One of the main causes for this increase as mentioned before is the closeness to the capital, London. House prices are generally much cheaper in Slough in comparison to London and because of the little distance between the two areas, many people live in Slough and look to commute into London. As well the cheaper house prices, Slough also provides a much lower cost of living whereas London is one of the most expensive places to live in the world. In addition to this the commuters are also benefited by the fact that Slough has a lot of transport links including Bus Train stations as well as being next to the motorway. A highlight of the transport from Slough to London is that an Intercity train leaves every 15 minutes in the morning and it takes 20 minutes from Slough to Paddington. Furthermore due to the massive increase of population in Slough companies like Kingsow, Barrats and Redrow have developed and built over 2000 homes in Slough. This shows how Slough is still expanding and is a very good prospect to invest into. Due to these companies there has been huge developments in housing estates in Slough an example of this is Windsor Meadows which has been developed and accommodates much more families and as we, Tesco sell an everyday consumer product, this can only benefit us. The increasing population also relates to the amount of jobs currently offered by Slough. Slough currently provides 78,000 jobs The fact that Slough currently provides 78,000 jobs is astonishing and it is one of the key factors for so much people seeking residence in the town, attracting people from all over the country. I believe that the increase of the population is very positive and convincing. I am therefore led to believe that the population will further increase, increasing the necessity to many for a supermarket providing food and drink, Tesco. Competition Another favourable aspect of opening a superstore in Slough is the lack of competition in the area. The nearest competitor for Tesco is Sainsburys, which is around 3 miles away from the Tesco store, and it is very small in comparison to the Tesco store. The only other competitor in the Slough area is Asda which is around 3 miles away from the Tesco store and tucked away in a housing estate. This demonstrates the real lack of competition in the area and shows how easy it is for Tesco to take over the Slough supermarket share. As well as the lack of competition there is no real superstore in Slough or in any surrounding town for that matter, this will help Tesco to capture the public of Maidenhead, Marlow and Windsor etc. as well as the Slough public. This is another reason why a Tesco superstore would have no problem coping with any competition as there isnt another superstore for miles. Due to these two factors in competition, I can conclude that there is minimal risk of the investment into a superstore into Slough. I can also say that I would completely expect Tesco to get a brilliant return on their investment; it would help us to meet our Aims and Objectives and strive towards becoming a bigger and better company. I hope the information enclosed in this report is of use to you and I truly hope you decide to invest into such a prosperous location that can only take the company forward. If you should require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.

Objective Of Kentucky Fried Chicken Engineering Essay

Objective Of Kentucky Fried Chicken Engineering Essay Objective of the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) have two objectives are stated objective and implied objective. First objectives in the stated objective are product development. In this objective the KFC do the increase variety on menu, introduce desert menu and introduce buffet to restaurants. Second objectives from the stated objective is introduction on the Neighborhood Program with menu items target African Americans in major cities with the items of greens, macaroni and cheese, peach cobbler and red beans and rise. Besides that, menu items targeting Hispanics in major cities with the items of fried plantains, flan and tress leeches. Others objectives is implementation on non-traditional units including the shopping mall food courts, universities, hospitals, airports, stadiums, amusement parks, office building and mobile units. After that, in this objectives want to increase profitability of KFC through the reduced overhead costs, increased efficiencies, improved customer service, cleaner restaurants, faster and friendlier service and continued high quality products. Also have to resolve franchise problems in the United States. In implied objectives have four objectives. First objective is expansion of international operations to provide the increased percentage of overall sales growth and increased percentages of profit growth. Also want to increased expansion of franchises into Mexico. The next objective is expansion of franchise operation beyond Central America, continued promotion of healthier image through removal of the world fried from the name and to improve menu selection of rotisserie. Industry analysis is important to unusual for a firm in a troubled industry to perform well. The economic structure of an industry is not an accident. It is complexities are the result of long term social trends and economic forces. But its effects to the business manager are immediate because it determines the competitive rules and strategies to use. Five forces that are widely use to assess the structure of any industry. The five forces are the bargaining power of supplier, bargaining power of the buyers, threat of new entrants, threat of substitute and rivalry among competitors. The strength of the five forces determines the profit potential in an industry by influencing the price, costs and required investment of business it is the element of return on investment. Stronger forces are associated with a more challenging business environment. In the first forces is bargaining power of suppliers thats means any business requires inputs such as labor, parts, raw, materials and services. The cost of inputs can have a significant effect to companys profitability. Whether the strength of suppliers represent a weak or string force thing on the amount or bargaining can exert and ultimately on how can influence the terms and conditions of transaction in their favor. Besides thats, to reducing the bargaining power of suppliers are reduce inventory costs by providing just in time delivers, enhance the value of goods and services supplied use of information about customer needs and preferences and speed the adoption of new technologies. Second forces is bargaining power of buyers thats the power of buyers describe the effect that the customers have on the profitability of the business. The transaction between the seller and the buyer creates value for both parties. Buyers have more power when the industry has many small companies supplying the product and buyers are few and large. After that the customers have access to and are able to evaluate market information. To reducing the bargaining power of buyers are increasing their loyalty to the business through partnerships or loyalty programs, selling directly to customers, or increasing the inherent or perceived value of a product by adding features or banding. The next forces of the industry are threat of new entrants thats means the new entrants is the possibility that new firms will enter the industry. New entrants bring a desire to gain market share and often have significant resources. Analyzing the threat of new entrants involves examining the barriers to entry and the expected reactions of existing firms to new competitors. These barriers protect the companies already in business by being a hurdle to those trying to enter the market. Entry barriers are unique for each industry and situation, and a change over time. The threat of new entrants is greatest when the processes are not protected by regulations or patents and competitors may be scared away when the learning curve is steep, competitors will be attracted to an industry where the production process is easily learned. The threat of substitutes is forces of industry. Be aware that substitute products can come in many shape and size, and do not always come from traditional competitors. Products from one business can be replaced by products from another. Substitute products are those that can fulfill a similar need to the one product fills. Substitutes are a greater threat when the products does not offer any real benefit compared to other products. After that, it is easy for customers to switch. Means thats a grocer can easily switch from paper to plastic bags for its customers, but bottler may have to reconfigure its equipment and retains its workers if it switches from aluminum cans to plastic bottles. To reducing the threat of substitutes is using tactics such as staying closely in tune with customer preference and differentiating the product by branding. The last forces are rivalry among competitors. Competition is the foundation of the free enterprise system yet with small business even a little competition goes a long way. Because company in an industry is mutually dependent, actions by one company usually invite competitive retaliation. Rivalry among competitors is often the strongest of the five competitive forces, but can vary widely among industries. If the competitive force is weak, companies may be able to raise prices, provide fewer products for the price, and earn more profits. The most intense rivalries occur when one firm or a small number of firms have incentive to try and become the market leader or when the market is growing slowly or shrinking. To reducing the threat of rivals is employing a variety of tactics. To minimize price competition, distinguish the products from the competitors by innovating or improving features. WHAT IS KFC KFC Corporation founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, called a concept, of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global Restaurants Inc. The company was founded as Kentucky Fried Chicken by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952, through the idea of KFCs fried chicken actually goes back to 1930. The company adopted the abbreviated form of its name in 1991. Starting in April 2007, the company began using its original name, Kentucky Fried Chicken, fir its signage, packaging and advertisement in the United State as part of a new corporate rebranding program, newer and remodeled restaurants will have the new logo and name while older stores will continue to use the 1980s signage. Since its inception, KFC has evolved through several different organizational changes. These changes were brought about due to the changes of ownership that followed since Colonel Sanders first sold KFC in 1964. In 1964, KFC was sold a small group of inventors that eventually took it public. Heublein, Inc, purchased KFC in 1971 and was highly involved in the day to day operations. R.J. Reynolds then acquired Heublein in 1982. R.J. took a more laid back approach and allowed business as usual at KFC. Finally, in 1986, KFC was acquired by PepsiCo, which was trying to grow is quick serve restaurant segment. PepsiCo presently runs Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC. The PepsiCo management style and corporate culture was significantly different from that of KFC. By the end of 1994, KFC was operating 4 258 restaurants in 68 foreign countries. KFC is the largest chicken restaurant and the third largest quick service chain in the world. Due to market saturation in the United States, international expansion will be critical to increased profitability and growth. The companies of KFC have more than 36 000 locations around the world. The company is ranked number 239 on the Fortune 500 list, with revenues in excess on $11 billion in 2008. Every day, more than 12 million customers are served at KFC restaurants in 109 countries and territories around the world. The companies of KFC more than 15 000 units around the world. SWOT ANALYSIS SWOT analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieving that objective. A SWOT analysis must first with defining a desired end state or objective. A SWOT analysis may be incorporated into the strategic planning model. Strategic Planning, including SWOT and SCAN analysis, has been the subject of much research. After that, in SWOT analysis have the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The strengths are attributes of the person or company that are helpful to achieving the objectives. The weaknesses are attributes of the person or company that are harmful to achieving the objectives. After that, the opportunities means external conditions that are helpful to achieving the objectives and the last is threats means that external conditions which could do damage to the objectives. In the strength have the lack of secondary trading such as sukuk flexibility of the Syariah, Syariah Supervision, advantages of religious preposition, less use of money for speculative purpose, divine sources, Islamic rating agencies, morale and commitment to serve, huge amount of saving, innovative aspect, location wise and geographically, transparency, justice and fairness, according standards, quality of service, legal and regulatory framework and information system. After that, the weaknesses have are lack of standardization, reverse engineering of conventional product, there are differences in theory and practice, lack of Islamic gedging mechanism, no fixed obligations, unresolved fiqh issue, small percentage of profit loss sharing product, lack of qualified personnel, time or season factors, disadvantages of proposition, divergence of Shariah opinion and lack of Shariah compliant investment avenue. The opportunities have the technological advances, Islamic is a complete solution, the growth of socially responsible investing, faith based customer, large potential ahead in retail, corporate and investment banking, potential relating to sukuk, better customer relations, serving for all potential specific sectors, potential in fund management and provide innovative product. The last is threats have the global financial crisis, economic uncertainty in global market, market demand, shortage of recourses, lack of sustainable financial backing, intense competition from the conventional institutions, paucity of 100% Syariah compliant solution, liquidity and monetary management, a lot legislation is required, lack of awareness and understanding of Islamic financial product and sophisticated conventional financial system. CALCULATION KFC NAB ALL ORDINARIES DATE ADJ CLOSE RETURN ks-k bars (ks-k bars)2 1 1/6/2003 3.5 2 1/13/2003 3.6 -0.012234456 -0.011218519 0.0001258552 3 1/20/2003 3.78 -0.021189299 -0.020173361 0.0004069645 4 1/27/2003 3.62 0.018783229 0.019799167 0.0003920070 5 2/5/2003 3.52 0.012165907 0.013181845 0.0001737610 6 2/10/2003 3.46 0.007466565 0.008482502 0.0000719528 7 2/17/2003 3.12 0.044921505 0.045937442 0.0021102486 8 2/24/2003 3.5 -0.04991345 -0.048897513 0.0023909667 9 3/3/2003 3.5 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 10 3/10/2003 3.46 0.004991946 0.006007883 0.0000360947 11 3/17/2003 3.4 0.007597182 0.008613119 0.0000741858 12 3/24/2003 3.46 -0.007597182 -0.006581244 0.0000433128 13 3/31/2003 3.42 0.005049993 0.00606593 0.0000367955 14 4/7/2003 3.46 -0.005049993 -0.004034055 0.0000162736 15 4/14/2003 3.42 0.005049993 0.00606593 0.0000367955 16 4/21/2003 3.5 -0.010041938 -0.009026001 0.0000814687 17 4/28/2003 3.5 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 18 5/5/2003 3.5 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 19 5/12/2003 3.48 0.0024888 0.003504738 0.0000122832 20 5/19/2003 3.48 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 21 5/26/2003 3.48 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 22 6/2/2003 3.5 -0.0024888 -0.001472863 0.0000021693 23 6/9/2003 3.66 -0.019413041 -0.018397103 0.0003384534 24 6/16/2003 3.66 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 25 6/23/2003 3.6 0.007178585 0.008194522 0.0000671502 26 6/30/2003 3.56 0.004852503 0.005868441 0.0000344386 27 7/7/2003 3.8 -0.028333599 -0.027317661 0.0007462546 28 7/14/2003 3.76 0.004595752 0.005611689 0.0000314911 29 7/21/2003 3.86 -0.01139946 -0.010383522 0.0001078175 30 7/28/2003 3.94 -0.008908917 -0.007892979 0.0000622991 31 8/4/2003 4 -0.00656377 -0.005547832 0.0000307784 32 8/11/2003 3.98 0.002176919 0.003192857 0.0000101943 33 8/18/2003 4.38 -0.041591038 -0.040575101 0.0016463388 34 8/25/2003 4.48 -0.009803903 -0.008787966 0.0000772283 35 9/1/2003 4.44 0.003895044 0.004910982 0.0000241177 36 9/8/2003 4.46 -0.001951889 -0.000935951 0.0000008760 37 9/15/2003 4.2 0.026085568 0.027101506 0.0007344916 38 9/22/2003 4.28 -0.008194479 -0.007178541 0.0000515314 39 9/29/2003 4.22 0.006131318 0.007147256 0.0000510833 40 10/6/2003 4.26 -0.004097148 -0.00308121 0.0000094939 41 10/13/2003 4.46 -0.01992526 -0.018909322 0.0003575625 42 10/20/2003 4.64 -0.017183122 -0.016167184 0.0002613778 43 10/27/2003 4.84 -0.018327381 -0.017311443 0.0002996861 44 11/3/2003 4.8 0.003604124 0.004620062 0.0000213450 45 11/10/2003 4.5 0.028028724 0.029044661 0.0008435924 46 11/17/2003 4.44 0.005829544 0.006845481 0.0000468606 47 11/24/2003 4.36 0.007896481 0.008912419 0.0000794312 48 12/1/2003 4.3 0.006018034 0.007033971 0.0000494768 49 12/8/2003 4.26 0.004058856 0.005074794 0.0000257535 50 12/15/2003 4.28 -0.00203417 -0.001018232 0.0000010368 51 12/22/2003 4.26 0.00203417 0.003050108 0.0000093032 52 12/29/2003 4.24 0.002043743 0.00305968 0.0000093616 53 1/5/2004 4.3 -0.006102599 -0.005086661 0.0000258741 54 1/12/2004 4.62 -0.03117352 -0.030157582 0.0009094798 55 1/19/2004 4.66 -0.003743941 -0.002728003 0.0000074420 56 1/26/2004 4.6 0.005628085 0.006644023 0.0000441430 57 2/4/2004 4.62 -0.001884144 -0.000868206 0.0000007538 58 2/9/2004 4.38 0.023167865 0.024183803 0.0005848563 59 2/16/2004 4.36 0.001987621 0.003003559 0.0000090214 60 2/24/2004 4.48 -0.011791525 -0.010775587 0.0001161133 61 3/1/2004 4.42 0.005855745 0.006871682 0.0000472200 62 3/8/2004 4.44 -0.001960701 -0.000944763 0.0000008926 63 3/15/2004 4.3 0.013914515 0.014930452 0.0002229184 64 3/22/2004 4.3 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 65 3/29/2004 4.3 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 66 4/5/2004 4.5 -0.019744058 -0.01872812 0.0003507425 67 4/12/2004 4.68 -0.017033339 -0.016017402 0.0002565572 68 4/19/2004 4.6 0.007488021 0.008503959 0.0000723173 69 4/26/2004 3.78 0.085266032 0.08628197 0.0074445783 70 5/3/2004 3.74 0.004620198 0.005636135 0.0000317660 71 5/10/2004 3.72 0.002328662 0.0033446 0.0000111863 72 5/17/2004 3.56 0.019092942 0.02010888 0.0004043670 73 5/24/2004 3.74 -0.021421604 -0.020405667 0.0004163912 74 5/31/2004 3.7 0.004669878 0.005685816 0.0000323285 75 6/7/2004 3.68 0.002353905 0.003369843 0.0000113558 76 6/14/2004 3.58 0.011964792 0.01298073 0.0001684993 77 6/21/2004 3.44 0.017324584 0.018340522 0.0003363747 78 6/28/2004 3.24 0.026013432 0.02702937 0.0007305868 79 7/5/2004 3.18 0.00811789 0.009133828 0.0000834268 80 7/12/2004 3.32 -0.018710964 -0.017695026 0.0003131139 81 7/19/2004 3.3 0.002624144 0.003640082 0.0000132502 82 7/26/2004 3.2 0.013363962 0.014379899 0.0002067815 83 8/2/2004 3.22 -0.002705893 -0.001689956 0.0000028560 84 8/9/2004 3.2 0.002705893 0.003721831 0.0000138520 85 8/16/2004 3.12 0.010995384 0.012011322 0.0001442719 86 8/23/2004 3 0.017033339 0.018049277 0.0003257764 87 8/30/2004 3.14 -0.019808393 -0.018792456 0.0003531564 88 9/6/2004 3.14 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 89 9/13/2004 3.16 -0.002757435 -0.001741497 0.0000030328 90 9/20/2004 3.34 -0.024059384 -0.023043446 0.0005310004 91 9/27/2004 3.3 0.005232527 0.006248465 0.0000390433 92 10/4/2004 3.34 -0.005232527 -0.004216589 0.0000177796 93 10/11/2004 3.42 -0.010279639 -0.009263702 0.0000858162 94 10/18/2004 3.36 0.007686829 0.008702766 0.0000757381 95 10/25/2004 3.4 -0.00513964 -0.004123702 0.0000170049 96 11/1/2004 3.48 -0.010100327 -0.009084389 0.0000825261 97 11/8/2004 3.48 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 98 11/15/2004 3.54 -0.007424018 -0.00640808 0.0000410635 99 11/22/2004 3.5 0.004935218 0.005951155 0.0000354163 100 12/6/2004 3.5 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 101 12/13/2004 3.44 0.007509602 0.008525539 0.0000726848 102 12/20/2004 3.5 -0.007509602 -0.006493664 0.0000421677 103 12/27/2004 3.52 -0.002474619 -0.001458681 0.0000021278 104 1/3/2005 3.58 -0.007340363 -0.006324425 0.0000399984 105 1/10/2005 3.8 -0.02590057 -0.024884632 0.0006192449 106 1/17/2005 3.9 -0.01128101 -0.010265073 0.0001053717 107 1/24/2005 3.8 0.01128101 0.012296948 0.0001512149 108 1/31/2005 3.82 -0.002279766 -0.001263829 0.0000015973 109 2/7/2005 3.8 0.002279766 0.003295704 0.0000108617 110 2/14/2005 3.8 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 111 2/21/2005 3.84 -0.004547628 -0.00353169 0.0000124728 112 2/28/2005 3.88 -0.004500501 -0.003484564 0.0000121422 113 3/7/2005 3.86 0.002244421 0.003260359 0.0000106299 114 3/14/2005 3.82 0.004523942 0.005539879 0.0000306903 115 3/21/2005 3.8 0.002279766 0.003295704 0.0000108617 116 3/28/2005 3.8 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 117 4/4/2005 3.74 0.006911994 0.007927932 0.0000628521 118 4/11/2005 3.7 0.004669878 0.005685816 0.0000323285 119 4/18/2005 3.74 -0.004669878 -0.00365394 0.0000133513 120 4/25/2005 3.76 -0.002316243 -0.001300305 0.0000016908 121 5/3/2005 3.68 0.009340026 0.010355964 0.0001072460 122 5/9/2005 3.7 -0.002353905 -0.001337968 0.0000017902 123 5/16/2005 3.68 0.002353905 0.003369843 0.0000113558 124 5/24/2005 3.58 0.011964792 0.01298073 0.0001684993 125 5/30/2005 3.52 0.007340363 0.008356301 0.0000698278 126 6/6/2005 3.32 0.02540458 0.026420517 0.0006980437 127 6/13/2005 3.22 0.013282212 0.01429815 0.0002044371 128 6/20/2005 3.32 -0.013282212 -0.012266274 0.0001504615 129 6/27/2005 3.28 0.00526424 0.006280178 0.0000394406 130 7/4/2005 3.46 -0.023202255 -0.022186317 0.0004922327 131 7/11/2005 3.3 0.020562159 0.021578097 0.0004656143 132 7/18/2005 3.32 -0.002624144 -0.001608206 0.0000025863 133 7/25/2005 3.3 0.002624144 0.003640082 0.0000132502 134 8/1/2005 3.3 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 135 8/8/2005 3.62 -0.040194631 -0.039178693 0.0015349700 136 8/15/2005 3.6 0.00240607 0.003422007 0.0000117101 137 8/22/2005 3.6 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 138 8/29/2005 3.5 0.012234456 0.013250394 0.0001755729 139 9/5/2005 3.5 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 140 9/12/2005 3.46 0.004991946 0.006007883 0.0000360947 141 9/19/2005 3.64 -0.022025285 -0.021009347 0.0004413927 142 9/26/2005 3.6 0.004798883 0.005814821 0.0000338121 143 10/3/2005 3.62 -0.00240607 -0.001390132 0.0000019325 144 10/10/2005 3.72 -0.011834369 -0.010818432 0.0001170385 145 10/17/2005 3.72 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 146 10/24/2005 3.68 0.004695121 0.005711059 0.0000326162 147 10/31/2005 3.72 -0.004695121 -0.003679183 0.0000135364 148 11/7/2005 3.7 0.002341216 0.003357154 0.0000112705 149 11/14/2005 3.74 -0.004669878 -0.00365394 0.0000133513 150 11/21/2005 3.74 0 0.001015938 0.0000010321 151 11/28/2005 3.72 0.002328662 0.0033446 0.0000111863 152 12/5/2005 3.76 -0.004644905 -0.003628967 0.0000131694 153 12/12/2005 3.72 0.004644905 0.005660843 0.0000320451 154 12/19/2005 3.74 -0.002328662 -0.001312725 0.0000017232 155 12/26/2005 3.82 -0.009191761 -0.008175823 0.0000668441 156 1/3/2006 4.1 -0.030720494 -0.029704556 0.0008823607 157 1/9/2006 4.12 -0.002113359 -0.001097422 0.0000012043 158 1/16/2006 4.02 0.010671163 0.011687101 0.0001365883 159 1/23/2006 3.94 0.008729831 0.009745769 0.0000949800 160 2/6/2006 4.16 -0.023597109 -0.022581171 0.0005099093 161 2/13/2006 4.14 0.00209299 0.003108927 0.0000096654 162 2/20/2006 4.04 0.010618976 0.011634914 0.0001353712 163 2/27/2006 3.98 0.006498293 0.007514231 0.0000564637 164 3/6/2006 4.04 -0.006498293 -0.005482355 0.0000300562 165 3/13/2006 3.88 0.01754964 0.018565577 0.0003446807 166 3/20/2006 3.8 0.009048129 0.010064067 0.0001012854 167 3/27/2006 3.82 -0.002279766 -0.001263829 0.0000015973 168 4/3/2006 3.78 0.004571563 0.005587501 0.0000312202 169 4/10/2006 3.8 -0.002291797 -0.001275859 0.0000016278 170 4/17/2006 4.32 -0.05570015 -0.054684212 0.0029903631 171 4/24/2006 4.22 0.010171296 0.011187234 0.0001251542 172 5/2/2006 4.1 0.012528594 0.013544532<