Research Assignment: Praising Students

Research Assignment: Praising Students I chose to do my research activity on the article titled Caution: Praise Can Be Dangerous by Carol S. Dweck. The main goal that Dweck wanted to achieve was to prove that praising your students on their intelligence can in fact affect their academic achievement in a bad way. 85 percent of parents thought they needed to praise their children’s intelligence in order to assure that they were smart (Dweck 4). It was thought that if you boost a student’s self esteem that it would help them academically, but in certain ways, this was wrong.The problems that the article dealt with were that if praise wasn’t handled properly, then â€Å"it can become a negative force, or a drug that rather than strengthening students, it makes them passive and dependent on the opinion of others† (Dweck, 4). If you use praise correctly, then it will help the students realize the value of effort, and become fulfilled with the accomplishments tha t they achieved on their own and want to succeed more. They also will have a better time dealing with any setbacks.The theory that was said to be true about praising students was that: â€Å"Giving students many opportunities to experience success and then praising them for their success will indicate to them that they are intelligent if they feel good about their intelligence they will achieve. They will love learning and be confident and successful learners† (Dweck 4). Educators had this theory wrong because research shows that giving students easy tasks and praising their success just says to the students that in a way you think their unintelligent.In order to prove this theory wrong, Dwecks along with Melissa Kamins and Claudia Miller held an experiment. This experiment was conducted of six different studies with more than 400 fifth graders. The goal was to study the effects of praising children for being intelligent. Among the 400 fifth graders, they included people of d ifferent ethnicities, races, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and were tested from all different parts of the country. This prevented any faults or biased opinions to be conducted in the experiment.They also made sure that some students were taken from schools in the city and some in more rural areas. This is something that you would want to do in any experiment given in order to get a variety of different subjects. First they began working with students one at a time on a more challenging puzzle task that was easy enough for them to all do well on it. They praised one third of the children for their intelligence, saying that they were â€Å"very smart† for knowing how to do that and telling that they got a certain amount correct and that they were amazed by it.The second group of people were tested and were told that they got a good score and praised on their effort of the task. The last third of the group was praised on their performance, with no comment on why they were succ essful. After the experiment, all students were happy about the outcome and were eager to do their take-home practice problems and were confident on their future performances. During the second part of the experiment, the same students were asked if they wanted to try a more challenging task from which they could learn a lot (but might not succeed) or an easier one where they would do well and look smart.Students praised on intelligence said they wanted to do the easier one, and 90% of the students that were praised on effort wanted to do the more challenging task. (The ones tested on performance were 50/50, so she wasn’t going to focus on them. ) When it came time to actually do the harder task, the students tested on intelligence didn’t like it and weren’t interested in doing the take home problems. They even started questioning their intelligence thinking they were dumb. The effort tested students liked the task and some even like the harder problems better t han the easier ones!This is where we start seeing the differences in the right and wrong types of praising. When we praise children for intelligence , were teaching them that this is what they want to achieve. They want to look and feel smart, so don’t risk making a mistake. When we praise them on effort and hard work, they realize the value of what they’re doing to succeed and get to realize their improvement and efforts, therefore having a better long-term successful academic achievement. For the last part of the experiment, they had the students go back and re-do the first task that they had did before.The intelligence students had an even worse performance and did worse than the first time, and the effort students performed the best and better than they did in the first place. After this, they were to write a litter to a student in another school telling them about the tasks that they had to do and how they tried them. The intelligence students actually lied about their scores to make them seem smarter, and the effort students didn’t exaggerate at all on their performance.This just says that failure becomes more of a problem when we praise students on intelligence, and they think that intelligence is something that you either don’t or do have instead of being a skill or knowledge. Our students should know that there are tasks and problems that they aren’t going to know how to do and that it shouldn’t discourage them, but make them want to learn more about it because they’re trying so hard and doing a great job of learning. This experiment was applied to education very well by the author herself.She states that you can’t just forget about the students feelings because what we say to them will affect how they think that we view them. We can praise our students as much as we want, BUT we need to do it when they learn or do well, and NOT praise them on how smart they are because it stops the students from setting the bar any higher. Dweck wants us to â€Å"rave about their effort and ask questions that show intelligent appreciation† (8). This would be a proper way to praise the students because you can still remind them that they are intelligent, but in a way that they are doing the right thing effort wise and giving it their all.You can’t waste your student’s time by giving them tasks that are too easy that make them look good, but need to test their ability and give them more challenging responsibilities. Dwecks even tested these theories on students going into junior high from elementary school and going into college from high school. She found that the students who believed that intelligence was fixed and that a poor grade or performance meant that they were dumb, and some wanted to consider cheating if they didn’t do well.These students did even worse grade wise than they did in elementary school and didn’t grow intellectually. However, studen ts who believed that intellect can be developed, and that a bad performance was because of lack of their effort and they needed to study more. These students were in the right mind set to allow the new school environment to encourage them to do well in school. All in all, student’s ideas and levels of intelligence can be influenced by the messages that they receive from teachers and parents.We need to encourage and praise them on their efforts, not their intelligence. We can allow them to feel smart in different ways instead of just telling them, â€Å"Wow! You got this many right, you must be really smart, good job! † This will make them want to get this reaction so they keep their achievement and difficulty level low so they can seem smart. This will keep them on the road to disappointment academically. Keep your students on task and striving for new goals and wanting to learn. Like Dwecks says, â€Å"Believing is Achieving! †

Rhetoric and Life

Dylan Macknight Mrs. Womack Per. 6 14, September 2009. Value of Life Essay Different authors use different techniques to persuade. The three main ways of persuading are through: pathos, which uses emotions, ethos, which proves their credibility, and logos, which implies the general message. Shakespeare, Lance Armstrong, and Amanda Ripley have all written articles arguing their opinion on the value of life. Of the three articles Lance Armstrong best persuades the audience with his argument that life is very valuable and that you could better your life from something negative, through his exceptional use of both logos and pathos.Armstrong applies the use of ethos very clearly in his article. For example, â€Å"I still don’t completely understand it; all I can do is tell you what happened†. This shows that he is writing credible work and that his ideas are non-bias. He is telling the story as is and he is not trying to lead you on. Lance also uses pathos to persuade his au dience as well. An example of this would be when stated â€Å"I have cancer†. Cancer is a serious disease and the thought of having it draws on someone’s emotions quite strongly.This quote made the reader feel sympathy for him. Overall, Armstrong did the best job at persuading. In Hamlet’s Soliloquy, Shakespeare uses ethos, pathos, and logos as an attempt to persuade his audience, but is not as effective as Armstrong. Shakespeare uses logos the most in his work. When he states â€Å"To be or not to be, that is the question†, he is portraying the message of how much his own life is worth, personally, not how valuable life is a whole. That is one downfall in Shakespeare’s work compared to Armstrongs.Another reason Hamlet’s Soliloquy is not as successful at persuading is because in his writing there is no one else to compare and contrast their life with. Hamlet is written as somebody who is contemplating suicide. It is very hard to understand s omeone’s thoughts and interpret them as they were intended to be. This is what makes the soliloquy quite faulty in persuading the reader. Amanda Ripley voices her belief on what a life is worth in the article that she wrote for Time Magazine.She argued how much money one can assign to another’s life, and if different people should be worth more or less then others. Time Magazine and CNN took a poll last month stating, â€Å"86% of the people should have received the same amount†. Who is to say that the majority of humans are worth the same dollar amount and a select few should receive more money. Many people do not agree with the way Ripley argues her opinion in â€Å"What a Life is Worth†. She states, â€Å"I am proud of what my country tried to do, I think the intention is noble†.This shows that she had a previous opinion on the subject prior to the article that she had written. That adds a possibility that the article is prone to being bias towa rds her opinion. That is how Ripley failed to persuade her readers. Ultimately, of the three articles, Lance Armstrong best persuades his audience with his argument that life is very valuable and that you can better your life from something negative, through his exceptional use of logos and pathos. Many of his readers are left feeling completely persuaded by his value on life.

A New Mandate for HR-An Analysis Essay

In the article the writer had expressed his concern on underestimating role of Human resources Department in an organizational set up. The role of HR manager has confined to paper work related to recruitment and termination of employees, compensation and incentives, impart training to employees and design of developmental programmes etc. The HR Manager is responsible for implementation of policies made by CEOÂ’s or line Managers. David Ulrich has emphasized that the role of HR should be organizational excellence rather than focusing on fundamental HR issues only. HR has to take the lead to enable organizations survive in globalized era, to sustain revenue growth, to harness technological advances, to protect intellectual property and keep pace with changing business environment. In global competitive economy, managers are required to be aware of entire global market scenario, political uncertainties, trade issues, fluctuating exchange rates and customer preferences. Revenue growth by way of lay- offs, cost cuts and merger & acquisitions has become new mantra for organizations. He feels rather companies should focus on creativity and innovation. The employees should be encouraged to share learning and honing their skills for achieving required revenue growth. The geographical distance has been bridged by technological advances. In the era of technological revolution employees had to learn how to exploit technology for organizational goal. In the changing scenario companies, who can attract, retain and develop best talent will lead the world. Companies have to keep on shifting gears to beat competition, has to take rapid decisions and invent new ways of doing work. He affirmed that HR can deliver excellence by being partner with the senior management in the strategy execution of organization.HR can help in reducing cost of organization by work organization, delivering administrative efficiency with quality.HR should be an interface between employees and  higher management to apprise concerns of the employee to management and to motivate employees to contribute to the organization. HR should transform itself with change in organizations processes, culture. HR should be given responsibility for designing organizational structure. The structure should identify each element of an organization and put them together for seamless operations.HR should be accountable for organizational audit. Audits are required to identify which parts require change. After the components are identified which need renovation HR should seek ways and methods to renovate that part.HR at the same time must audit its own work. HR must assess impact of each activity in collaboration with operating managers. HR must identify processes within their domain which can be done faster, cheaper and better. For example resume screening can be done using scanner software tools to reduce recruitment cycle time. They can design and implement new system that allows sharing administrative services. In new role HR must be responsible for ensuring employee engagement & commitment. HR must train operating managers about importance of employee morale. Workshop reports, employee surveys and written reports are few of the tools to train line managers on importance of high employee morale. HR should recommend ways to maintain high morale. HR may suggest recruitment of few more employees on a particular project or for imparting training to employees to execute some work. HR must make people adaptable to changes rather than resist. HR must introduce change model such as one introduced by GE ”Change Begins asking Who, Why, What & How.” Before enforcing a change, management must ask Why are we seeking change? What will be the benefits to the organization? How to implement changes? HR must brain storm with management team to answer these questions. However Ulrich thinks that it the collective responsibility of line managers, CEO, and HR to transform an organization. The line managers can help HR in focusing on results by talking serious about how organizational capability will create value to shareholders. They can invest more time on issues related to people. Line Managers should clearly tell HR what they wanted from them. Management shall invest in HR tools like conferences and management literature. Senior line should be always ready to adapt new HR practices. Management shall insure that HR managers are aware of intricacies of processes and reengineering. They should be updated regularly to deliver results. Ulrich stated that it is not an easy task to take up the new role for HR managers. They must work toward goals. They must redefine their goals in terms of value addition to the organization and business results. Senior line must drop their attitude towards HR as incompetent and ineffective staff.

Human Resource Management Strategy at Omantel Essay

Human Resource Management Strategy at Omantel - Essay Example Omantel is a prominent telecommunications company in Oman, charged with the role of uniting individuals, families and businesses. It has contributed in uniting the Omani community as well as enhancing global connection. According to the Omantel Annual report 2011 (23), as well as 70% of the respondents, the managerial roles of the Omantel Group are entrusted to the board of directors. This board is composed of eight members, six of whom represents the government function; inclusive of the Board Chairman. The remaining two members are elected by the private sector shareholders during the annual general meeting. This board approves the financial and business policy of the organisation to ensure that the objectives of the company are achieved and the shareholder value is maximised. The board is also charged with the responsibility of presiding over the internal activities of the company and specifying the responsibilities of the executive organisational arm. Other roles include evaluation of the company performance, nominating members of any subcommittees and specifying their roles, appointing the Chief Executive Officer and reviewing the interim annual financial statements. The board of directors prov ides the members of the various committees that completes the management function of the company; executive committee, human resource committee, audit committee and regulatory committee.... Omantel is a prominent telecommunications company in Oman, charged with the role of uniting individuals, families and businesses. It has contributed in uniting the Omani community as well as enhancing global connection. According to the Omantel Annual report 2011 (23), as well as 70% of the respondents, the managerial roles of the Omantel Group are entrusted to the board of directors. This board is composed of eight members, six of whom represents the government function; inclusive of the Board Chairman. The remaining two members are elected by the private sector shareholders during the annual general meeting. This board approves the financial and business policy of the organisation to ensure that the objectives of the company are achieved and the shareholder value is maximised. The board is also charged with the responsibility of presiding over the internal activities of the company and specifying the responsibilities of the executive organisational arm. Other roles include evaluation of the company performance, nominating members of any subcommittees and specifying their roles, appointing the Chief Executive Officer and reviewing the interim annual financial statements. The board of directors prov ides the members of the various committees that completes the management function of the company; executive committee, human resource committee, audit committee and regulatory committee.

Procurement Control Systems Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Procurement Control Systems - Case Study Example The review should include a check for accuracy and legitimacy. After the purchasing department receives the requisition, purchasing needs to submit the order to a vendor selection process. The company has omitted this step. If the material is a standard item, the selection should be on the basis of competitive bidding to assure the best price and reduce costs (Dall and West, 22). Buyer relationships or a vendor attribute system could be used for specialized material. This would help assure cost containment as well as reduce undue buyer-vendor influence and corruption of the process. When the material is received, a receiving report should go to the stores as well as purchasing and accounts payable. There also needs to be an interface with the inventory system to update the count and material level. In the example, receiving does not match the material to a purchase order to check for accuracy or completeness. This has the potential of accepting incorrect shipments or backorders that may have been cancelled. There is also too little control over the invoicing process. In the example, purchasing matches the purchase requisition, purchase order, and receiving report and generates an invoice. The invoice is sent to the controller for payment.

Human Trafficking Today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Human Trafficking Today - Essay Example From where she was seated, she chanced upon a conversation between a rich-looking man and a girl about her age. The man was offering the girl a job as a waitress in the nearby city, the pay was good and an opportunity to earn extra from customer's tips. She inched her way towards the two, and joined the conversation. In less than ten minutes, a small crowd has formed. The following day, she along with the same small group who gathered together the other day, they were already on their way to the big city. A brothel awaits these young girls. Drugged until they were numb, they were sold for sex and prostitution until the next batch of new girls arrive from the countryside. A woman leisurely strolling in the mall with her toddler in tow and her young child in her arms was busy looking around. Quite excited about the extra money she has, she unconsciously let go of her toddler. The child was looking around when a decent looking woman picked him up. Instead of turning him over to the customer services to have her mother claim him, he was taken to a van, where other 'lost' children awaits. They were transported 300 miles outside the state. The children were made to beg for money ran by an organized group. When they grow up, they will be trained to do more complicated crimes such as robbery and will be in-charge of kidnapping young children. These three stories may differ in plot but the main substance is present in all: it shows of how a person is transported, abused and discarded. It shows a gross disregard of a person's basic right to life, to freedom and to security. The stories are primitive and barbaric. These are real stories of present day Human Trafficking. By definition, human trafficking " shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, or abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation ((http://www.migrationinformation.org/feature/display.cfmID=66,1)." On the other hand, it is very crucial to define another term, often mistaken as one and the same crime for the purpose of clarity and accuracy. Human Smuggling is "the procurement, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit, of the illegal entry of a person into a state party which the person is not a national or permanent resident (http://www.migrationinformation.org/feature/display.cfmID=66,1)." The similar aspects are that, the victims are transported to another city or nation, that they are lured by false promises and economic rewards. They however differ in substance, where in human smuggling the one who benefits in the long run is the (so-called) victim of the act, where in human trafficking the sole beneficiary is the oppressor himself, and victims are not rewarded in anyway; another difference is the amount of information given out to the victims; in human smuggling, the victims know where they are going, are given instruction as how to take cover, feign an arrest and work as co-conspirators while in human trafficking, the victims have less or no idea at all where they

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT IS FUNDERMENTAL DISCUSS Essay

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT IS FUNDERMENTAL DISCUSS - Essay Example The uncertainties brought about by globalisation and technology have reduced business performance, challenged information systems management, ‘and making the selection of new IS all the more critical’ (Raymond et al., 1995; Choe et al., 1998 as cited in Newkirk et al., 2008, p. 198). Firms have to design operational plans and structures to reduce the effects of risks and uncertainties. Managers and employees must be involved in the process of change. The activities and complexities involved in change are large and if these are implemented late, they can lead to disaster for the firm (Black & Gregersen 2002, p. 5). Effective implementation of strategic change requires a combination of several factors, like an application of values and principles along with change in the organisation’s culture. It is said that ‘culture is a barrier to change’ (Robbins 2001, p. 516). The business environment is continuously changing, and so people in the organisation hav e to change. Continuous learning and knowledge management must be introduced in organisations. Activities in strategic change involve large group meetings across many departments of the organisation, which should cooperate to craft a collective future. If large groups are involved, change can happen faster than expected as the entire organisation is involved. Plans and activities should be aligned with the overall strategy wherein everyone has to work for change. Small and large organisations can work for strategic change and the fundamental framework is to get everyone in the organisation provide talents and capabilities. (Jacobs 1997) Planning is an important factor in strategic change, and time comes with planning which is too often overlooked. A plan structure is a key to a successful change. (Newkirk et al. 2008) Definition and concept Change occurs every day for firms, but change is not all the time bad. Change can provide a window of opportunity for firms. Successful firms to day were battling the forces of change before and they emerged successful, like Microsoft, Apple, Wal-Mart, and many others (Pasmore 1994, p. 4). Business change is defined as ‘the rate of product/series obsolescence and the rate of product/services technology change’ (Miller & Friesen, 1983 as cited in Newkirk et al, 2008, p. 200). Technology and expertise help in the process of business change. There are catastrophic consequences for not meeting the challenge of change. Established companies experienced the negative impact, like Xerox, Lucent, and Kmart in the United States, and other companies in Europe and Japan. These companies assigned new managers but still failed. Only when they realised the lessons of their failures did they get things straight and they became successful. There are other thousands of managers whose careers were severely affected because of ineffective change measures. No matter how good are managers’ experiences in leading change, they m ay falter because of the many barriers to change. People resist change. Business environments are dynamic and may change anytime in the course of business. (Black & Gregersen 2002, p. 5) A principle in meeting the challenges of change is that a leader must not force to meet change right away, or he/she may encounter a strong force of resistance. Instead, the leader must have a map or a plan, conceived as mental maps, in order to be effective in battling the

Alone as We Grieve Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Alone as We Grieve - Essay Example In any case, one thing is sure; body, mind, and spirit are the essential constituents of a living person. We know that our body gets destroyed after the death. However, we do not know what happens to the soul after death. There are plenty of people who believe that soul cannot be died even after the death of a person, as it is a form of energy, which drives our body. They substantiate their arguments with the help of scientific principles. Science accepts the existence of an energy, which drives our body. But, scientific principles say that energy can neither be created, nor be destroyed. If that is true science should explain what happens to the soul (energy) after death. In short, nobody can deny the existence of life after death. Didion’s experiences and feelings after the death of her husband can be analyzed under the above context. Didion wants to be alone—especially on the night of her husband’s death—but at other times she seems surrounded by people . In the following essay, I will examine the relationship between grief as we imagine it, and grief as it really is, in Joan Didion’s After Life†. â€Å"I remember a sense of shock. I wanted to say not yet but my mouth had gone dry. I could deal with â€Å"autopsy† but the notion of â€Å"obituary† had not occurred to me† (p11). These words clearly suggest the deep attachment Didion had with her husband. It should be noted that the autopsy is normally conducted on dead bodies, which are unknown to the doctor. At the same time, the word obituary we normally use when some of beloved ones passes away. In both the cases, one may feel grief, but the grief felt in the second case is deeper than the grief felt in the first case. â€Å"Grief is different. Grief has no distance. Grief comes in waves, paroxysms, sudden apprehensions that weaken the knees, blind the eyes, and obliterate the dailiness† (p10). It is difficult to define grief in simple ter ms. Pain, helplessness and physical humiliation are some of the characteristics of grief. While pain affects both body and mind, grief affects only the mind or soul. Grief comes as waves and sudden apprehensions whereas pain affects a person continuously. All humans in this world should have experienced some kind of pain during their lifetime. Therefore, anybody can define pain in their own ways. However, it is difficult for a person who never experiences actual grief to define grief exactly. In other words, what we think about grief is actually different from what we feel because of grief. For example, it is easy for a person to give soothing words to the person who experiences grief. He may even criticize the griever for not controlling his/her grief. This is because of the differences about the perceptions of grief and the feeling of grief. Grief, when it comes, is nothing we expect it to be. It is not what I felt when my parents died. what I felt in each instance was sadness, lo neliness, regret, for time gone by, for things unsaid, for my inability to share or even in any real way to acknowledge, at the end, the pain and helplessness and physical humiliation they each endured (p.10). Death of beloved ones always generates grief in the minds of a person. However, it is not necessary that the grief generated by the death of parents is same as the grief generated by the death of husband or children. Even though a person may have only one mother and father, that mother and father may have more than one child. So, grief generated

Two Learning Theories Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Two Learning Theories - Assignment Example Two of these theories are the behaviorist theory and the humanist theory. Behaviorist theory view learning as the product of the stimulus conditions (S) and the responses (R) after the exposure to the stimulus. Due to the relationship between the stimulus and the responses, it is most often referred to as the S-R Model of Learning (Bastable, 2008, p. 54). Proponents of the behaviorist theory believe that behavior can be learned or unlearned by modifying the stimulus in the environment or the responses to the stimulus. This type of learning acquires learning through practical application, requiring less thinking and emotional affectations. Behaviorist theory created a significant impact on education and behavior change through classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning was identified by Ivan Pavlov and sometimes referred to as the Pavlovian conditioning or respondent conditioning (Butts& Rich, 2011, p. 207). In classical conditoining, there is an introduct ion of a neutral stimulus to the unconditioned stimulus and unconditioned response. The neutral stimulus has no connection with the unconditioned stimulus and response. ... 210). On the other hand, humanistic learning theory focuses on the person and emphasized the importance of feelings over thoughts(Butts& Rich, 2011, p. 229). Learning takes place when people are given the chance to express their feelings, making them an active participant in the learning process. The concept of hierarchy of needs by Abraham Maslow has strengthened the humanistic theory as well as the construct of self-concept by Rogers which identified individual need for unconditional positive self-regard (Butts& Rich, 2011, p. 230). Humanistic theory’smain advantage over other learning theories is its holistic approach and openness in education and health care field. Learning Theories and Nursing Practice Learning theories is crucial to nursing practice. Evidences of interconnection are found between patients and families who wanted to acquire information on how to adjust to a particular medical condition, in students getting hold of information and skills needed to become a nurse, or in health care professionals designing effective teaching plan for patients. All of these demonstrate relationship of learning theories with the nursing practice. Learning theories serve as frameworks for health care professionals on planning learning outcomes.The construction of different learning theories enables the health professionals to understand how the introduction of knowledge can affect an individual’s feeling, thoughts, and behavior. Learning theories were also linked to the health counseling, work organization, and hospital’s management, marketing, and advertising (Bastable, 2008, p. 73). Nurses are often the professionals involved in health education of patients. That is why they always

Impact of decision-making in organizational performance Article

Impact of decision-making in organizational performance - Article Example From the research it can be comprehended that organizations in the modern world are complex, and many theories have been developed to explain what makes them work, and how to make them work even more effectively. A key element of organizational performance is the way that leaders make decisions, and then persuade all members of the organization to carry out these decisions in the way that is intended. The personal qualities, skills and style of a leader are all factors which can affect the way that an organization behaves. Leaders have an important role to play in any organization and they can influence the organizational performance because everyone in the organization is expected to follow the leader. Leaders should make sure that the subordinates do not only follow them but take inspiration from them. In this way there are high possibilities that employees of the organization will give maximum output and overall performance of the organization will be enhanced. Owing to the percei ved importance of the impact of leadership on performance of the organization, several research studies have been conducted in order to analyze what kinds of leadership exist, and whether there is a relationship between leadership and the organizational performance. This paper presents a critique of several recent articles on the relationship between leadership and organizational performance. ... arajan, Sonnenfeld and Srinivasan, 2006) analyzes organizational performance and identifies its relationship with the charismatic style of leaders, as well as environmental uncertainty. In addition to this, the research also identifies the perceptions of top team management about the charisma of a CEO. The authors emphasize the fact that leadership style and its impact on organizational performance has been one of the most important topics of today’s world as leaders have a key role to play in motivating everyone in the organization and ensuring that the organization performs at its optimum level. In this research article, information has been collected using both primary and secondary research methods in order to perform the analysis. In the primary research part of the article, questionnaires were filled by people in the top management as well as CEOs of different organizations to analyze the relationship between the variables discussed above. Because the article had a large sample size, 770 questionnaires were filled and returned and this means that the results shown by this research are likely to have high validity. There was a sample size of 128 CEOs from different companies and this breadth in the location of the participants is a strength of the study. Another major strength of this article is that the study analyzed organizational performance using different criteria like the return on assets, return on equity, sales growth, return on sales and stock return. These measures provide good empirical evidence on which to judge organizational performance whereas other studies previously conducted have not considered these criteria of measuring organizational performance. One of the major weaknesses of this research study is that it included only firms operating in

W 4 A&S answer Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

W 4 A&S answer Marketing - Essay Example The Affordable Health care Act was passed by congress and then signed in to law in 2010 on 23rd of March by President Obama (Garvin, 2013). There were various impacts that become notable and some of them are discussed under. The Act led to a significant reduction in the premium costs that would have otherwise been incurred by business owners at low level, families and individuals. This was made possible through the provision of tax relief which was as much as up to hundreds of dollars. According to the Act, there is commitment by the government to the America’s seniors through ensuring protection and preservation of medicare. The Act also ensures promotion of the prevention, wellness of the public health. National prevention together with health promotion strategy is created as a result of the directions given by this Act (Gagliardi, 2006). In so doing, the instances of preventable illnesses and disability are reduced

Letter to Lady Macbeth from her husband Essay Example for Free

Letter to Lady Macbeth from her husband Essay It has been a long time since I have seen you and I am missing you terribly. I hope that you are well. I am coping fine but I have been through quite a lot of trouble in a short space of time. Please let me inform you of my perturbed state and the strange, strange things I have encountered. Banquo and I fought a savage battle against the barbarian Norwegian army and the rebel Scottish lords. I was given the opportunity to come face to face with a rebel; MacDonald. As expected, I did not shake his hand nor did I bid farewell to him. Instead, I unseamed MacDonald from the nave to the chops and I fixed his head upon our battlements to declare our righteous victory. Obviously, I did not feel an ounce of fear or nervousness because I knew I was doing the right thing. The fire of my courage and braveness shone through and it was I who succeeded in battle. Whilst Banquo and I were on a heath near Forres, we came across three, peculiar weird sisters. At first, Banquo and I became rather confused as they slightly resembled women although they possessed beards and looked almost like trolls. He assumed they were not inhabitants of the Earth. Much to our amazement, they somehow had known our names. They then went on to make predictions that Banquos sons would become kings and that I will become Thane of Cawdor and later I would become king. The moment that I heard this I became fascinated and I demanded for more information. I, honestly, could not believe my ears. Did my ears deceive me; Did I really hear that one day I, Macbeth, would become King; How was this possible? I wanted, no needed, to know but much to my dismay the three sisters had vanished. Despite the fact that I am not in line for the throne, this was all I could think about. After the sisters had disappeared, we were greeted by two of the Kings men, Angus and Ross. They told me that the king had heard of my success in battle. They then announced that I was now Thane of Cawdor. I was extremely shocked and then asked how this could possibly be true as the Thane of Cawdor was still alive. They told me that he will be losing his life because he betrayed the king. I could neither understand nor comprehend this. Maybe, just maybe, the sisters were speaking the truth. But how can I become king? King Duncan is currently on the throne and he is well and healthy. The only possible way I can become king is if I The terrifying thought of what I have to do is eating away at my soul. Maybe I may have to murder King Duncan in order for you and I to be crowned the King and Queen of Scotland. God knows, how I am going to achive my goal. Please support me and help me make this possible.

Types of Psychologists, Therapists and Counsellors

Types of Psychologists, Therapists and Counsellors Psychologists, counselors, social workers, and psychiatrists all work to help people—what is the difference between these professions? Psychologist: An attending health professional attentive with the scientific inquiry of behavior and its associated mental development, along with memory, rational and irrational thought, intelligence, learning, personality, perceptions and emotions and their relationship to behavior. Psychologists work scientifically, to examine how people act and to consider what motivates them to react that way. To eventually be a psychologist significant to achieve a certificate/license by earning a master’s or doctorate degree. There is not only one precise classification of a psychologist, there are quite a few classifications, and for each one of the following subsections additional schooling is necessary: Clinical Psychologist: is both a general practice and a health service provider specialty in professional psychology. Clinical Psychologists provide professional services for the diagnosis, assessment, evaluation, treatment and prevention of psychological, emotional, psychophysiological and behavioral disorders. To emerge as an accredited clinical psychologist it is necessary to obtain an undergraduate degree (4 5 years of college) and a doctorate degree in psychology (4 -7 years of college). Counselling psychologist: is the applied branch of psychology that facilitates lifelong personal and interpersonal functioning, focusing on emotional, social, vocational, educational, developmental issues and concerns related to health. Its central focus is on ordinary and normal developmental issues but also in dysfunctional and unusual problems related to the individual, the family, the group or the organizational human experience. Being a certified counselling psychologist you first have to acquire a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Next a master’s is needed to be achieved. Lastly it is required to seize a doctorate. As a whole it is 8-10 years of college. Educational psychologist: is psychology that is concentrated upon individuals’ advancement, academy scholarship, instruction approach, leadership, and evaluation of aptitude and progress by standardized tests. ( © 2014 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated). To eventually be an educational psychologist a bachelor’s degree, a master’s in educational psychology and a doctorate in educational psychology is needed. Forensic psychologist: is the psychological evaluation of human beings who are involved, in any way, with the judicial organization ( © 2014 American Psychological Association). It is a must to earn a degree in psychology. As stated above it’s a bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees. You have to train in forensic course and take the exams. It is also recommended that you have a minor in law. Many psychologist acquire a doctorate of the pair, law and psychology. As a result of this being a reasonably new field it is suggested that the forensic psychologist pursue their education throughout their careers. Health psychologist: â€Å"help patients manage chronic disease and avoid preventable diseases† by â€Å"incorporating psychological theory and research to develop methods to assist patients in maintaining healthy lifestyles.† (Brandi-Ann Uyemura, 2011). A graduate, bachelors and doctorate in psychology are mandatory. A great number of states mandate those who want to clinically practice to complete one year of supervised internship. Occupational psychologist: the study of human performance at work, as well as ergonomics, selection procedures, and the trappings of stress. You are mandated to require a master’s degree in psychology, a degree in business management, organizational psychology, mediation, and employment law. You must also have work experience. It is required to have 2 to 3 working internships. Then after all educational requirements a met you must take an oral state given by the state board. California is the only state that is no longer required to take the exam to become licensed. Counselors: A qualified man or woman that consults people as their career. An associate’s degree in psychology will get you a counseling certificate. If you decide to specialize in like family, marriage, crisis or any specific counseling field you would have to obtain your masters or even your doctorate depending on what field you choose to go into. Social Workers: are qualified men or women that help others from very young to very old during hard times in their lives and keep them from harm. Each state has their own set of rules for becoming a social worker. I live in Texas so I selected to research that criteria. You are required to obtain a bachelor’s degree in social work. It has to be from a school that is CSWE- accredited social work program. When you are in your last semester you need to apply to the Texas Board to take the Association of Social Work Boards Licensing examination. It is also required to have a criminal history check. After graduation you are eligi ble to be licensed as a licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker. You may then obtain a job in your intended area of practice. You have to state your intended job description to the Texas Board. Then it is required to work under approved supervision until 3,000 hours of experience is accumulated. Depending on your intended field you may have to obtain a masters. After all education and hours are complete you then take a required examination, either the generalist examination or the clinical examination. Psychiatrists: is a medical doctor that specializes in the treatment of mental disorders. First get a bachelor’s degree. You do not have to specifically major in psychology but whatever you choose to major in it is recommended that you take physics, chemistry, and biology. This is to get you ready for medical school admissions. It is recommended that you volunteer at one of your local health centers or hospitals to demonstrate a type of leadership skill while gaining experience working with patients. This helps with your application to medical school. You must complete a four year medical school. That is 2 years of class room and laboratory instruction and 2 years of supervised clinical experience. After medical school you must go through 4 years of residency. That is a post-doctoral training. The APA states that psychiatrist must be state licensed physicians. This is done by passing the Medical Licensing Examination. Each state has a set of procedures to go by. Psychiatrist s hould continue education during their careers in order to stay up to date with the industry trend and theories. Continuing Education is required for renewing Board Certification and may also be required to renew licensure. Based on what I have learned in this study no I do not wish to go into any part of this field study. Though I respect it great, I do not wish to go that many years of schooling, I do not wish to be around that many people in the world. I have been around the psychology world most of my life. I have observed it, and I have experienced it. I’ve been to social workers, psychologist, counselors, I have taken my dad, my son, and now myself to a psychiatrist. I’m a good listener, I can be around people one on one. Even maybe four if I know the people. This would not be a good field for me to be in. I believe psychology could help me to be able to control my anxiety around people. I want to become an account and eventually own my own business. I want a successful business. With the help of my psychiatrist and therapy I know upon completion of this degree I will be able to obtain a job in my field of study. I will reach my goal of becoming a CPA and I will one day open an offic e of my very own. My thoughts on the relative influence of â€Å"nature† and â€Å"nurture† is that it varies from person to person. You get traits passed down to you from your parents, grandparent, and past generation. Such as eye color, hair color, facial features, your height and more of your bodily features. I don’t believe that we get who we are from our parents or any family member, I believe a person becomes who they are meant to be because of the experiences they go through in their life. My grandfather was an alcoholic he was also a heavy smoker, all of his children’s lives, all of my childhood, until he took his own life. Out of five of his children two of them became alcoholics, the other three became smokers. I do not believe alcoholism is hereditary or even smoking, I do believe the addictive gene is hereditary. It goes on to my mom and dad were both heavy smokers, they had six kids, two of them became smokers (identical twins), one became a snuff dipper. The other nothing. I can’t say we never tried anything, but we have never been addicted to anything or gone back to anything thing, tried it and left it. The twins all though they are identical could not be more different personality wise. Robert is more of an outgoing person while Timothy is a stay at home kind of person. They both work, but other than that Timothy is very shy and only goes home and plays on his computer. While Robert also plays on his computer he will get out and about too. Robert is more inclined to go to a concert, or party; you wouldn’t find Timothy there. Not unless Robert absolutely just drags Timothy to a function will he go. Robert was able to quit smoking all on his own, Timothy cannot, absolutely refuses to lay the cigarettes down. Though I us to be as close to them as peanut butter is to jelly, I now to not get to see them that much. I’m sure if I was around them more I could find even more differences in them. Who knows I might even find more likenesses in them then I think. Works Cited: Psychologist. (2000). In The Royal Society Of Medicine Health Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?qurl=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.credoreference.com.ezproxy.snhu.edu%2Fcontent%2Fentry%2Frsmhealth%2Fpsychologist%2F0 Psychologist (2009). (5th edition ed.). Richmond: Crimson Business Ltd. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/189241386?accountid=3783  © 2014 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, online  © 2014 American Psychological Association, Jane Tyler Ward, PhD. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psn/2013/09/forensic-psychology.aspx  © Copyright 2003- 2014 Education Portal. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. Retrieved from http://education-portal.com/articles/Forensic_Psychologist_Education_Requirements_and_Career_Information.html Uyemura, B. (2011). An Overview of Health Psychology. Psych Central. Retrieved on October 27, 2014, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/an-overview-of-health-psychology/0007535

Improving GPS Position with AGPS

Improving GPS Position with AGPS 5.1.2 A-GPS A technique which smartphones use to improve GPS precision and speed is called AGPS, or assisted GPS. When a GPS system is first used/turned on, it needs to find clock and orbit data for the satellites it is going to link to. This then results in what is known as TTFF or Time to First Fix which signifies how long it takes for the GPS receiver to acquire its exact location. Assisted GPS circumvents this problematic by using data from the cellular towers on the phones network in combination with the phones own GPS data to acquire location fix. The time taken to acquire a solution using AGPS is usually much faster as the cellular towers which the phone is communicated data from, are constantly getting GPS data from satellites and calculating the data, this then helps the GPS receiver on the perform tasks such as range capacities and place solutions much faster. 5.1.3. Indoor Positioning QR Codes          One of the major difficulties to overcome when emerging an app like Plotting UL campus is how to determine a users position when they are indoors/under cloud exposure. Although Assisted GPS somewhat alleviates this, GPS triangulation is still unclear at best within buildings so a system must be created to overcome that. QR codes would be an ideal way with which to avoid this problem. Inside every building and floor within the UL Campus there is a noticeboard so Plotting UL Campus could take benefit of this and place a poster with a QR code containing that building/floors GPS co-ordinates? When this is scanned by the smartphone it will open the Plotting UL application and show where you are on the UL Campus map. 6. Navigation Pathfinding There are a variations of pathfinding algorithms that could be considered for use in the navigation functionality of Campus mapping. These include straightforward point A to point B algorithms such as Dijkstras algorithm and more complex Travelling Salesman type algorithms which compute the route visiting every point on a graph such as Hamiltonian and Euclidian algorithms. Though, these can be very computationally intensive algorithms that would place a large clang on the smartphones CPU. 7. Google maps API Google Maps is the most recognised and used mapping context that is currently available. Google launched the Google Maps API in 2005, the API is free of charge for use by designers, provided the application is used in does not charge users, and it does not generate more than 25,000 map views a day, which would be appropriate for this project. As Google also develops the Android platform, Google Maps is proposed to be the most easily implementable mapping framework for this platform. The flaw of Google Maps, from Plotting UL campus perspective is that Google Maps does not display all the individual buildings within UL and this is a necessary module within the application. 7.1 Open street maps Open Street Maps an open-source plotting outline that is comprised entirely of location data supplied by its users. Meanwhile its formation Open Street Maps has relished increased popularity due to the essential for an unfiltered mapping services that shows all the geographical features of an area as well as a propagation in low-cost GPS-enabled devices. This detailed mapping of an area, fulfils the need of plotting UL campus to have a mapping basis which displays all the buildings within the university as well as all pathways and roads. The open-source nature of UL mapping also means the API could be deployed to give a lively display of the points-of-interest within the campus that can be tailored to suit specific users, which is one of the main project objectives. GIS Tools The varied set of tools which allow the user to create interactive queries, analyse spatial information, edit mapping details, presents the solutions of these operations. Sample List of tools include: Tools for overlay Proximity analysis tools Surface tools Table analysis and management tools Tools for selecting and extracting data 11 8. Specification 8.1 Mobile campus map Hardware and Operating system Equipment Smartphone -Lenevo P1ma40 CPU Quad core 1Ghz Ram 2.00 GB Rom 16.00 GB OS Android Version 5.1 GPS Yes Frontend Keyhole Mark-up Language Backend Java Database MySQL 12 9. Detailed Action Plan Detailed action plan for the project is shown below. Apart from this, weekly consultations will be held with the project supervisor and updates will be communicated on a regular basis. 9.1. Discussion Expended significant time in understanding the mapping layout and tracking of the buildings, the path, navigation, the tools used and the abnormalities which could occur through mobile or the web application. Currently reading the concept of Google maps, the softwares like KML, java, the android OS and the gps used to incorporate the application and working involved in it. I anticipate to come with the successful completion of the project as expected. Arising challenges is to frame the right prototype, implementing with captivating contents and the proper navigation incorporated with relevant GIS tools. 13 9.2. Requirements of facilities and materials. 1 Complete UL campus map 2 Smart phone Lenovo P1ma40 3 Traffic and Fire Sensors to detect anomalies 4 GPS-Global positioning system 5 Wi-Fi 6 Router 7 Laptop / Desktop 14 10. References IEEE-Design and Implementation of Campus Spatial Information Service Based on Google Maps Google Developers. (2016). Google Maps APIs Google Developers. https://developers.google.com/maps. Developer.android.com. (2016). Develop Apps | Android Developers. http://developer.android.com/develop/index.html Modo Labs. (2016). | Modo Labs. http://www.modolabs.com/products-youll-love/kurogo-mobile-campusfor-higher-education/ IEEE Landscape visualization on Google earth IEEE Creation of mobile search system for traffic enquiry https://thenewboston.com/videos.php?cat=6 http://www.androidhive.info/2011/11/android-sqlite-database-tutorial/ http://www.telerik.com/blogs/how-to-build-an-android-app-that-displays-live-accelerometer-data-using-a-line-chart-control http://blog.teamtreehouse.com/beginners-guide-location-android https://developer.android.com/studio/install.html https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/android-api/start

The Key to Success in Education :: Teaching Education Philosophy

A Mixture of Progressivism and Behaviorism is the Key to Success in Education Lee Beck, a teacher of thirty years, is my hero. Lee has an intense passion for teaching and an equal passion for children. It is this overwhelming passion and satisfactions in helping children excel in academics and in life that have inspired me to become a teacher. Pursuing a career in Education has led me to different philosophical perspectives of education that will be utilized in my future classroom. Behind every educational facility and educator lies a value system and set of beliefs that influence their philosophy of education. My educational philosophy and goals are influenced by a combination of both progressive and behavioral aspects. Most imperative is the characteristics of progressivism that appeal to my values and belief system. The purpose of education is to enable a child to become more efficient and achieve goals in their life. An equally important purpose is to expose children to different values and beliefs that are used throughout the world. Education indirectly provides teachers with the opportunity to touch the lives of children and have a positive influence in their lives. I desire to be capable of touching a life and making a difference. It is important for me to know that I have encouraged children to feed the hunger of their minds. One aspect of progressivism to be integrated into my classroom is cooperative learning activities. Progressivism teaching methods recognize cooperative learning activities as a practical method of instruction. Working in groups was not always part of my previous education. Normally working independently has left me feeling uncomfortable and untrusting of others when working in groups. It has also left me intimidated by my peers with different racial and ethnic backgrounds. I feel that if students are frequently exposed to cooperative learning activities that they will be more trusting and more group oriented toward a unified goal. My first cooperative learning experiences in college have taught me in a short period of time that just because someone is different, does not mean that they are incompetent; additionally, learning from students is an important part of being a teacher. It is important for children to learn this lesson early in life, not until their college y ears.

Urban Legend of Cry Baby Bridge :: Urban Legends Ghost Stories

Cry Baby Bridge In April I sat down with a friend at my house and asked about any urban legends or ghost stories he had encountered. After a couple legends he had seen in movies, he mentioned a haunted bridge about ten minutes away from downtown. He is a twenty-one year-old White male; his father owns an appliance store and his mother helps out with the books. He first heard this story in the ninth grade from a couple of friends. Supposedly, they had heard from kids who had actually been to the bridge and heard strange things at night. The bridge is located off of Uniontown road, between a couple old farms. He has not encountered the bridge first hand but still remembers the story surrounding it: About thirty years ago there was a young girl in love with her boyfriend. One day, he convinced her to take their relationship to the next level, telling her how deeply he cared. A couple weeks later, she found out that she had become pregnant, and decided it was best to hide it from him. They kept in close contact over the next few months, and he told her that they would be together forever. When her father realized that she was having a baby without marriage, he made her leave the house until she came back with a husband. When the baby girl was born, she decided to tell the boyfriend about the child, by bringing her to his house. He lived on a small farm right outside town and you had to pass over a small river on a bridge to get back to his house. As she opened the door, she walked in on him with another girl. Filled with anger, (pause) she gets in her car and speeds off. Now she could not return home unmarried and had lost her only love because of this one child. As she looked over at the baby, she is only reminded of her boyfriend and the image of him with the other girl. (tone increases) Finally, she reached the bridge, then slammed on the breaks. She got out and in a moment of rage threw the baby over the bridge to rid her of the baby girl’s troubles. Later that night, the police were tipped off about a murder at the bridge and came to find the girl hanging from the bridge. Urban Legend of Cry Baby Bridge :: Urban Legends Ghost Stories Cry Baby Bridge In April I sat down with a friend at my house and asked about any urban legends or ghost stories he had encountered. After a couple legends he had seen in movies, he mentioned a haunted bridge about ten minutes away from downtown. He is a twenty-one year-old White male; his father owns an appliance store and his mother helps out with the books. He first heard this story in the ninth grade from a couple of friends. Supposedly, they had heard from kids who had actually been to the bridge and heard strange things at night. The bridge is located off of Uniontown road, between a couple old farms. He has not encountered the bridge first hand but still remembers the story surrounding it: About thirty years ago there was a young girl in love with her boyfriend. One day, he convinced her to take their relationship to the next level, telling her how deeply he cared. A couple weeks later, she found out that she had become pregnant, and decided it was best to hide it from him. They kept in close contact over the next few months, and he told her that they would be together forever. When her father realized that she was having a baby without marriage, he made her leave the house until she came back with a husband. When the baby girl was born, she decided to tell the boyfriend about the child, by bringing her to his house. He lived on a small farm right outside town and you had to pass over a small river on a bridge to get back to his house. As she opened the door, she walked in on him with another girl. Filled with anger, (pause) she gets in her car and speeds off. Now she could not return home unmarried and had lost her only love because of this one child. As she looked over at the baby, she is only reminded of her boyfriend and the image of him with the other girl. (tone increases) Finally, she reached the bridge, then slammed on the breaks. She got out and in a moment of rage threw the baby over the bridge to rid her of the baby girl’s troubles. Later that night, the police were tipped off about a murder at the bridge and came to find the girl hanging from the bridge.

Slavery in the chocolate industry

Slavery in the Chocolate Industry Chocolate is a product of the cacao bean which grows primarily in the tropical climates of West Africa and Latin America. The cacao bean is more commonly referred to as cocoa, so that is the term we will use throughout. Two West African countries, Ghana and the Ivory Coast, supply 75% of the world's cocoa market. [l] The cocoa they grow and harvest is sold to a variety of chocolate companies, including some of the largest in the world. In recent years, a handful of organizations and Journalists have exposed the widespread use of child labor, and in some cases slavery, on West African cocoaSince that time, the industry has become increasingly secretive, making it difficult for reporters to not only access farms where human rights violations still occur, but to then disseminate this information to the public. For example, in 2004 a journalist was kidnapped and remains missing today. [4] More recently, three journalists from a daily newspaper were detai ned by government authorities in the Ivory Coast after publishing an article about government corruption related to the cocoa industry. 5] The farms of West Africa supply cocoa to international giants such s Hersheys, Mars and Nestl © – revealing the industrys direct connection to child labor, human trafficking and slavery. chocolate contentl The Worst Forms of Child Labor In West Africa, cocoa is a commodity crop grown primarily for export. As the chocolate industry has grown over the years, so has the demand for cheap cocoa. Today, cocoa farmers barely make a living selling the beans and often resort to the use of child labor in order to keep their prices competitive.The children of West Africa are surrounded by intense poverty and most begin working at a young age to help support their family. Some children end up on the cocoa farms because they need work and they are told the pay is good. Other children are â€Å"sold† by their own relatives to traffickers or to the farm owners, and it has also been documented that traffickers often abduct the young boys from small villages in neighboring African countries, such as Burkina Faso and Mali. [3] Once they have been taken to the cocoa farms, the children may not see their families for years, if ever.When a child is delivered to the farm by a family member, that relative collects a sum of money either up front or at the end of an agreed duration of labor. Unfortunately, the relatives do not realize that the children will be exposed to a dangerous work environment and deprived of an education. Most of the children are between the ages of 12-16, but children as young as 7 have end up working on the cocoa farms through adulthood. A child's workday begins at sunrise and ends in the evening. The children climb the cocoa trees and cut the bean pods using a machete.These large, heavy, dangerous knives are the standard tools for children on the cocoa farms. Once the bean pods have been cut from the trees , the children pack the pods into large sacks and carry or rag them through the forest. â€Å"Some of the bags were taller than me. It took two people to put the bag on my head. And when you didn't hurry, you were beaten. â€Å"[2] – Aly Diabate, former cocoa slave. Holding a single large pod in one hand, the children strike the pod with the machete and pry it open with the tip of the blade, exposing the cocoa beans. Each strike of the machete has the potential to severely cut a child's fingers or hand.Virtually every child has scars on the hands, arms, legs or shoulders from accidents with the machete. In addition to the hazards of using a machete, children are also commonly exposed to gricultural chemicals on the West African cocoa farms. [3] Tropical regions such as the Ivory Coast consistently have to deal with prolific insect populations and choose to spray the pods with large amounts of industrial agricultural chemicals. Without protective equipment, children as young as 12 spray the pods with hazardous chemicals. [6] The farm owners often provide the children with the most inexpensive food available, such as corn paste and bananas. 2] In some cases, the children sleep on wooden planks in small windowless buildings with no access to clean water or sanitary athrooms. [2] Again, they may live in these conditions for months or even years. Most of the children are unable to attend school while they are working, which is a violation of the International Labor Organization (ILO) child labor standards. Depriving these children of an education has many short-term and long-term effects on their lives. The children of the cocoa farms have little hope of ever breaking the cycle of poverty.Slavery In recent years, cases have been documented in which children and adults on cocoa farms were retained against their will and forced to work. 2] While the term â€Å"slavery' has a variety of historical contexts, slavery in the cocoa industry involves the same cor e human rights violations as other forms of slavery throughout the world. chocolate_content3Cases often involve acts of physical violence, such as being whipped for working slowly or trying to escape. [2] There have also been cases documented where children and adults were locked in at night to prevent them from of my life.I had seen others who tried to escape. When they tried they were severely beaten. â€Å"[2] Drissa, a recently freed cocoa slave who had never even tasted chocolate, xperienced similar circumstances and when asked what he would tell the people who eat chocolate made from slave labor, he replied that the people enjoyed something that he suffered to make, adding: â€Å"When people eat chocolate they are eating my flesh. â€Å"†[8] Is Slave-free Chocolate Possible? To date, relatively little progress has been made in reducing and eliminating child labor and slavery in the cocoa industry of West Africa.The governments of Ghana and the Ivory Coast lack the res ources needed to properly investigate and prosecute employers who violate international labor laws. At the very least, they have agreed to ork to eliminate what the ILO calls â€Å"the worst forms of child labor. † These are defined as practices â€Å"likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children† and include the use of â€Å"hazardous tools† and any work that â€Å"interferes with Currently, the vast majority of children on West African cocoa farms endure â€Å"the worst forms of child labor† every day.Despite their role in contributing to child labor, slavery, and human trafficking, the chocolate industry has not taken significant steps to remedy the problem. A series of alliances and oversight boards may create good public relations, but cloud the fact hat the industry has the power to end the use of child labor and slave labor by paying cocoa farmers a living wage for their product. The chocolate industry is also being called upon to develo p and financially support programs to rescue and rehabilitate children who have been sold to cocoa farms.To date, the industry has not committed to developing such a program. [9] chocolate_content2Are the Labels on Chocolate Meaningful? Aside from large-scale production in West Africa, a significant amount of cocoa is also grown in Latin America. This is where the majority of organic cocoa originates. 10] At this time, child labor and/or slave labor have not been documented on these cocoa farms. While it remains possible that some Latin American farms may employ these practices, it is unlikely and certainly not widespread as is the case in West Africa.The truth is that consumers today have no sure way of knowing if the chocolate they are buying involved the use of child labor or slave labor. There are many different labels on chocolate bars today, such as Fair Trade Certified, however, no single label can guarantee that the chocolate was made without the use of exploitive labor. In 010, the founders of the Fair Trade Certification process had to suspend several of their West African suppliers due to evidence that they were using child labor. 3] address the root causes of â€Å"the worst forms of child labor† and slavery in West Africa. However, the success of these efforts will depend greatly on the genuine support or lack thereof from the chocolate industry over the coming years. Recommendations It is important to offer ways in which people can make decisions to do their best to not contribute to injustices and cruelties involved in the food industry. This issue is a ery difficult one to fully access as the most serious abuses are taking place across the world.However, that does not mean our responsibility is diminished since chocolate is indeed a luxury (though some might feel differently) and not a necessity like fruits and vegetables. Taking all of this into consideration and looking at the research that is available, at this time F. E. P. recommend s that people do not buy any chocolate sourced from areas in West African where child slavery is the most pervasive. Questions : What are the systemic, corporate and individual ethical issues raised by this case? In your view, is the kind of child slavery discussed in this case absolutely wrong nomatter what, or is it only relatively wrong, i. e. , if one happens to live in a society (likeours) that disapproves of slavery? 3. Who shares in the moral responsibility for the slavery occurring in the chocolateindustry: African farmers? African governments? American chocolate companies likeHershey, Mars, Nestle and Kraft foods? Distributors like Archer Daniels Midland Co. ,Barry Callebaut, and Cargill Inc? Consumers like you and I who know about thesituation but continue to purchase tainted chocolate?

Importance of Respect

Why respect is so important in today’s society and what exactly is respect? Respect is a combination of appreciation, admiration as well as recognition of a person being worth something, or having earned a position because of their achievements. It could feel at times vague to some people, but most people understand and act with respect. In our modern world respect is sometimes confused with fear. For instance, Gangs, they kill and they fight to earn respect from others but what they actually receive is fear. Domestic abusers might also beat their significant other and demand respect and once again what they receive is fear not respect. In these situations it could become a cycle, reason being; as fear of a person builds inside of someone they lose respect for them as a human being. As regard and respect go down the need of the abuser to force respect gradually goes up, leading to more abuse than ever before. We also can confuse the broad feeling of being in love with respect. When we meet this amazing person and we set them up on a pedestal and they seem to be perfect through our foggy vision of physical reactions. We do not really see who that person is but instead our ideas of what we want to see. This can be especially challenging because it is so easy to confuse the pedestal of perfection for respect. True respect is seeing someone’s, flaws and mistakes, and still feeling appreciation of their unique talents, gifts, insights and simply appreciating the person for being who they are. It is not expecting perfection nor is it beating someone into submission. President Obama is to me a great example of a person who commands respect. Not by using his position but simply by his thoughtfulness, intelligence and presence, unlike past politicians who appear to believe people should simply respect them because of their position and not who they are. Obama is a person I respect, not only because I am a soldier but because he is just simply a respectable human being. I don’t have to like everything a person does or agree with them to respect them. On the other hand, I can really care for someone and not respect them, it can work either way for anyone. Respect, like many things, begins within yourself. Before we can truly respect others you must like and respect yourselves. If we feel we are worthless, dumb, a terrible employee, too this or too that, we will often treat ourselves badly. We will beat ourselves up in our own mind. Then when we meet another person we usually fall in to one of two categories; the â€Å"I am not worthy† as we put our significant other on a pedestal or the â€Å"there must be something wrong with this person if they like me. † At first when we are in the beginning stages of the relationship, we are on cloud nine, all is right in the world and nothing else matters. The beginning stage can last a while and when we are in it we do not think about respect, we are consumed by passion. Over time, the beginning stage fades and if you do not respect or like yourself, the questioning and insecurity start to damage the relationship. When we love and respect ourselves we treat others with respect and we receive the same amount of respect in return. When you really take a moment to think about treating other individuals with respect, it can solve so many issues. When we respect another person, we can begin to trust them to handle the truth in the long run so you should always be honest, trust their judgment in all aspects of life and you should and will demand that other people treat you with the same amount of respect in which you have treated that person or people with. You should always let other people such as, your boss or a fellow coworker know when you are running late and why you are running late, have made a mistake or think that you may have made a mistake , violated an agreement or just need time to be alone and collect your thoughts. When you are showing your respect to someone you should always listen to what they have to say and don’t blame them for your issues, or doubt their opinion on something you have asked for their opinion on. So many relationship, co-worker, and leadership challenges would be so much easier to deal with if you would just take a moment to think about the respect we have for other people and demonstrate that in our actions. This respect goes beyond the workplace, primary relationships, and acquaintances. It extends to the manner in which you’re going to be treated, depending on how you’re treating other people. Respecting time that someone has have set aside for you and giving that other person room for them to complete their tasks. If you respect every person you’re involved with, whether it be at your workplace, home, or just simply socializing at an event. That person will treat you with the same amount of respect, as you have treated them with. The same rules apply when you are at your place of work, communication, honesty and consideration are given out of respect and co-workers relationships can flow a whole lot more smoothly. In my experience when my superior in my workplace is speaking with me, and that person treats me with respect and I treat that person with respect then things work a whole lot more smoothly and everyone is happy. When any living person ignores agreements, pushes boundaries and just in general acts with disrespect towards another person, it is hard and challenging to all involved. When you withhold the truth, Manipulate, or Lie, you might as well be saying I don’t respect that person whether they are in a position of leadership or otherwise. They might think and feel that you can’t handle the truth. That person might also think you do not trust them to get their tasks accomplished and that you don’t trust that they will stand by you through the challenges in any given situation. The challenge with this is that when you don’t live up to the expectations you have promised to abide by, you could become angry and blame that other individual for not being what you might have thought they were. Looking at relationships between co-workers I have witnessed, including my own, the most successful were undeniably people who held each other with great respect. This is as true of business partnerships as well as personal relationships and even parents with their child or children. This is not to say they don’t fight or face challenges in relationships but rather these relationships have a grounded base of respect to help get through the challenges that they might encounter together. When you come from a place of respect, for instance, The United States Military, you do not give stipulations or make demands to be set into stone, you’re going to negotiate with consideration for your partner, co-workers and your own needs and feelings. To respect someone is also to respect their ideas, intelligence, individuality, goals as well as their personal preferences and who they are inside, as a person Life is wonderful but respect is the glue that can allow all different kinds of relationships to grow stronger, more trusting and more confident. Respect also allows everyone to retrieve companionship, understanding and support to make it through the challenges of life. Respect is crucial to lasting relationships, whether it be a work relationship or a personal relationship and also it is crucial to good partnerships, to good business and to build a better community and economy.

Importance of Statistics in Business

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan Auditing Intermediate Examination Autumn 2012 Module D Q. 1 5 September 2012 100 marks – 3 hours Additional reading time – 15 minutes Shahrukh and Company, Chartered Accountants, have conducted the statutory audit of the financial statements of Karim Limited, a listed company, for the year ended 30 June 2012 under the Companies Ordinance, 1984.The job incharge has drafted the following audit report: Auditors’ Report to the Members We have audited the annexed balance sheet of Karim Limited (the Company) as at 30 June 2012, and the related Income and Expenditure Account, Statement of Comprehensive Income, Cash Flow Statement and Statement of Changes in Equity together with the notes forming part thereof, for the year then ended and we state that we have obtained all the information and explanations which were necessary for the purposes of our audit.It is the responsibility of the company’s management to esta blish and maintain a system of internal control and prepare and present the above said statements in conformity with the approved auditing standards and the requirements of the fourth schedule to the Companies Ordinance, 1984. Our responsibility is to audit these statements. We conducted our audit in accordance with the auditing standards as applicable in Pakistan.These standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable and limited assurance about whether the above statements are free of any misstatement. An audit includes examining evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the above said statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting policies and significant estimates made by management, as well as, evaluating the overall presentation of the above said statements.We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion and, after due verification, we report that: (a) in our opinion, proper books of accounts have been kept by the company. (b) in our opinion: (i) the balance sheet and profit and loss account together with the notes thereon have been drawn up in conformity with the Companies Ordinance 1984, and are in agreement with the books of account and are further in accordance with accounting policies consistently applied; (ii) the expenditure incurred during the year was in ccordance with the objects of the Company; and (iii) the business conducted, investments made and the expenditure incurred during the year were for the purpose of the Company’s business;(c) in our opinion and to the best of our information and according to the explanations given to us, the balance sheet, profit and loss account, statement of comprehensive income, cash flow statement and statement of changes in equity together with the notes forming part thereof, conform with the approved accounting standards as applicable in Pakistan and give the information required by the Companies Ordinance, 1984, in the manner so requ ired and respectively give a true and fair view of the state of the Company’s affairs as at 30 June 2012; and (d) in our opinion, no zakat was deductible at source under the Zakat and Ushr Ordinance, 1980. Chartered Accountants Date: 01 September 2012 Required: Identify the errors in the above report vis-a-vis a standard statutory audit report. (Note: You are not required to redraft the report. ) (12 marks) Auditing Page 2 of 3 Q. 2 As the engagement partner, you have reviewed the audit working papers of Samarkand Limited (SL). The audit team has highlighted the following matters in the working papers. (a) Twenty percent of the company’s recorded turnover (revenue) comprises of cash sales. Proper records of cash sales have not been maintained.Consequently, the audit team was unable to design audit procedures to verify the cash sales. During the current year, the company changed the method of charging depreciation on its fixed assets from the straight line to the dimini shing balance method. However, all the required disclosures have been included in the notes to the financial statements. The previous year’s financial statements were audited by another firm of chartered accountants which has issued an un-modified opinion on those financial statements. (b) (c) Required: Discuss the impact of each of the above matters on your audit report. (10 marks) Q. 3 You are currently in the planning phase of the audit of Mineral Water Limited (MWL) for the year ended 30 June 2012.The following information is available to you: Customer Segment Super markets Wholesalers Retailers Five star hotels No. of Customers 12 65 553 7 Balance 10 10-20 21-30 31-90 > 90 outstanding days days days days days †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Rs. in thousand†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 20,014 8,125 5,053 6,396 311 129 14,910 5,078 6,019 3,150 454 209 4,743 1,756 1,798 724 278 187 7,694 2,805 2,793 1,784 201 111 47,361 17,764 15,663 12,054 1,244 636 50% provision for doubtful debts has been made by MWL against balances outstanding for more than 30 days whereas the balances outstanding for more than 90 days have been fully provided. Required: (a) Indicate what would be the basis for selecting debtors for circularising positive and negative requests for confirmations. 06 mark) (b) Briefly explain as to how would you deal with a situation where a debtor confirms a balance which is different from the amount appearing in the confirmation request. (08 mark) Q. 4 (a) Classification of certain items reported in the financial statements is based on the management’s intentions. In such a situation the auditor has to rely on management representations. Required: List the factors that the auditor should consider in evaluating the management’s intentions with regard to their future course of action, as stated in their written representations. (04 mark) (b) Briefly discuss how the auditor would deal with a situation where he is in doubt regarding the reliability of the written representations provided by the management of the company. (05 mark) Q. 5List the substantive procedures that may be performed by an auditor to verify the following: (a) (b) (c) Bank reconciliation statements Payroll Raw material purchases (06 marks) (08 marks) (06 marks) Auditing Page 3 of 3 Q. 6 List the audit procedures that may be performed by the auditor in order to ensure that all events occurring between the date of the financial statements and the date of the auditor’s report that require adjustment of, or disclosure in, the financial statements are identified and appropriately reflected in the financial statements. (10 marks) Q. 7 Discuss the categories of threats that may be involved in each of the following independent situations and advise the partners of the concerned firm with regard to the possible course of action that may be followed, in each case.a) Burewala Ban k Limited (BBL) is a listed audit client of Umer and Company, Chartered Accountants (UCC). BBL has granted a house loan of Rs. 5 million to a partner in UCC. (04 marks) Kamal was the audit manager during the last year’s annual audit of Faisalabad Textile Mills Limited (FTML). He has joined FTML as their Manager Finance, prior to the commencement of the current year’s audit. (08 marks) (b) Q. 8 Comment on each of the following independent situations with reference to the applicable rules and regulations. (a) Zaman is a partner in a firm of Chartered Accountants and holds 5,000 shares in Mardan Limited (ML). His firm has received an offer for appointment as auditors of Khanewal Limited (KL).ML and KL are subsidiaries of Dera Khan Limited (DKL). (03 marks) Bilal and Company has received an offer for appointment as auditors of IJK Limited. The total paid up capital of the company is Rs. 990 million whereas its ordinary share capital is Rs. 130 million. Faryal, the wife of a partner in Bilal and Company, is a director in LMN Limited which holds 50 million non-voting preference shares and 2 million ordinary shares in IJK Limited. Faryal also holds 10,000 shares in LMN Limited. The par value of both types of shares is Rs. 10 each. (04 marks) (b) Q. 9 List the important matters that are required to be included in an audit engagement letter. (06 marks) (THE END)

Capstone Case Study †Arthur Andersen LLP Essay

1. Discuss the environmental, strategic and organizational changes that occurred over the life of Andersen in the context of figure 11.1. While Andersen started off as a stable environment, once changes started being made to the main focus of the company many changes were expedited. While still successful in it’s auditing business, other opportunities arose that allowed for quicker and more dynamic revenue growth. This strategic shift from auditing only to offering a number of other services (automated bookkeeping, information technologies, consulting, corporate staffing) eventually led to a rift within the company, the separation of operations into two companies under one umbrella, and the eventually severance of those two companies into two wholly separate corporate entities. Once the two companies (Andersen Consulting and Arthur Anderson) split, Arthur Andersen, which was originally the auditing only arm, but had dipped back into the consulting business even though it should not have per it’s agreement with AC, went full force into offering the full range of services. In the quest for the biggest sale and to drive non-audit revenue, managers were compensated based on sales targets instead of performance or quality of work. This lack of quality control and change in the focus of the business was the beginning of the downward projection of AA. The fact that there were changes in all three areas, environmental, strategic and organizational, made it difficult for there to be tight control at AA and almost made it acceptable to make questionable decisions as long as the clients got what they wanted and revenues continued to come in. 2. Evaluate Andersen’s claim that their problems on the Enron audit were due to a few â€Å"bad partners† in the organization. If you agree with this claim, discuss what you think were the root causes of the problem. It was AA’s decision to hire 40 auditors from Enron, then augmented by 150 of  their own staff, and place them within Enron as it’s in house accounting staff. Since the staff was on site at Enron, attended Enron meetings, and made decisions in the best interest of Enron and not with the idea of doing quality work, it is hard to put stock in AA’s claim that it was only a few â€Å"bad partners†. Also, AA made the decision to break up it’s own Professional Standards Group and re-locate members of that group to local offices. Once that happen though, their power was usurped and held no water. If they questioned decisions, they were removed. It is up to the company to make decisions that not only help generate business, but protect the company and it’s employees from any questionable situations or circumstances where unethical scenarios might play out. 3. Suppose you were Andersen’s managing partner in the early 1990’s. Would you have done anything differently than the actual management (assuming you knew only what they did at the time)? There are a couple of things that I could have done had I been the managing partner for Andersen in the 1990’s. I think the separation of the consulting business and the accounting business into two companies was actually a good move. The fact that AA eventually started to offer and go after non-auditing services business with clients was where a mistake was made in my opinion. If I were a partner at AA I would have strictly enforced the agreement that we would be sticking with auditing business only. While offering a lower margin than the consulting business, it was a solid foundation and allowed more oversight, tight controls and decreased the likelihood that questionable decisions would be made. I also would have kept the Professional Standards Group in tact to oversee and review all aspects of the operation. Splitting up the group and assigning individual members to local offices basically neutered their power and allowed for those looking to manipulate the system to do so. 4. Discuss the relation between what happened at Andersen and multitask principal agent theory. With the Multi-Task Agent Theory, certain tasks are rewarded and other tasks  are not, and because of this the non-rewarded tasks suffer from neglect of a decrease in quality. The first time this was an issue is was before the split into two companies, where those driving the consulting and IT business were unhappy with the fact that the auditing side had so much power over the company even though it was not the segment driving the revenue. After the eventual split into AC and AA under one umbrella, and then the total split into two separate corporations, with Andersen bringing in business other than auditing was rewarded more than auditing business, to the point that it was expect that managing partners brought in twice as much consulting and other business as it did auditing business, otherwise face penalties or even termination. In all three stages of the company’s history the inequality between the consulting business and the auditing business led to there being a de-emphasis on the auditing segment of the business (both in quality and as a driver of revenue). 5. Discuss the relation between the â€Å"hard† and â€Å"soft† elements of a firm’s corporate culture in the context of this case. In the case of Andersen, it almost seems as if the changes in the â€Å"soft† elements of corporate culture were either directly related to or a side effect of change in the â€Å"hard† aspects of the corporate culture. As stated in the case study, during the majority of the company’s existence, â€Å"tradition was everywhere†. From â€Å"soft† elements like the physical design of offices and the way partners dressed and looked to hard elements like the quality control exerted over all aspects of the business, there were standard all across the board. As changes started to happen in the â€Å"hard† culture, like the focus being on driving revenue as opposed to putting out quality work, changes were also seen in the soft aspects of the culture. Managing partners did not dress as sharp, the giants wooden doors of the offices (that seemed to be a metaphor for the strong, sturdy operation of the company) were removed, and a new corporate logo was introduced. 6. Do you think that the problems at Andersen were unique to them or did they exist at the other big accounting firms? Suppose you were the top partner at one of the other major accounting firms at that time of Andersen’s demise. What action, if any, would you take in response? Explain. As shown when Andersen themselves called into question the practices of one of it’s competitors (calling for an investigation), these issues at Andersen are not unique to their company (though it may not happen on as grand of a scale). If I was the top partner at one of the other major accounting firms at the time of Andersen’s demise, I would have immediately either called for an internal investigation of my firm’s practices or volunteered to have my company’s practices reviewed by the SEC or another appropriate authority. I would be open with what was found, make any necessary changes to organizational structure or practices, and move forward. I think this would be important because at the time of Andersen’s demise, it is likely the credibility of ALL accounting firms was hurt, and I would want there is to be proof that our company was doing things the right way. 7. In 2000, the SEC proposed new regulations that would limit consulting work by accounting firms. This proposal was not passed by congress. Do you think the legislators were trying to act in the public interest when they failed to pass this proposal? Explain. Legislators were not acting in the public’s best interests; they were bowing to pressure from the auditing industry lobbyists. Steve Samek, who spearheaded operations that already lead lawsuits, payouts, bankruptcies and fines, led the charge to oppose the proposal. At that point it should have been obvious that the right call was passing the proposal. The fact that different legislation related to the oversight of accounting firms was eventually passed later on in 2002 (the SOA) shows that oversight was necessary, but just needed a spectacular failure like Andersen/Enron to allow legislators to feel comfortable in taking a stand. 8. The American Institute of CPAs is the primary professional association for CPAs. It has developed a Code of Professional Conduct that sets the  standards of conduct for CPAs. People can file complaints about the ethical conduct of a CPA with the AICPA, which can levy sanctions and other penalties against its members. Do you think that the unethical conduct at Andersen (and possibly other accounting firms) was the fault of the AICPA for not setting and enforcing higher ethical standard among its members? Explain. While I think the AICPA has a place in setting standards and ethics in the industry, and has the right to levy sanctions and penalties against it’s members (based on complaints that are filed), they are not a regulatory agency and their reach only extends so far. In reality, being a member organization, if a corporation does not want to deal with or answer to the AICPA, they and choose not to be a member. It may hurt their reputation, but in the long run the work they do and the clients they have will have a much greater effect of their business than whether or not they are a member of the AICPA. While it is nice to have organizations like the AICPA and the SEC overlooking the practices of corporations in the industry, it is hard to transfer fault for the unethical behavior of a company away from the company that behaved that was to some member organization or regulatory agency. It is the organization or agency’s place to set guidelines and respond when corporations do not follow them. 9. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 established a new five-person board to oversee financial accounting in publicly traded corporations. The board is appointed by the SEC. Prior to the creation of this board the industry relied primarily on self-regulation through the AICPA. Do you think the establishment of the new oversight board was a good idea or should he profession have continued to be self-regulated? I think in practice, a combination of both works. The industry need to show that it is interested itself in keeping it’s practices on the level and being transparent. But at the end of the day, you will always find someone who likes to work outside the system. In these cases having the SEC oversight board is a critical tool to keep companies in line that may think they can work the system. Also, having SEC oversight can result in much  stiffer penalties for the organization, so it carries and extra layer of deterrent for companies who may think about making questionable decisions. Andersen themselves, in the form of managing partner Leonard Spacek, saw the power of SEC intervention early on (1947).