Read the assignment carefully before you start Essay - 1

Read the assignment carefully before you start - Essay Example Law and economics is more likely than other branches of legal examination to use empirical or statistical methods to measure these responses to incentives. Law and economics shares with other branches of economics the supposition that individuals are rational and respond to incentive My choice was also based on the economic principle of how people respond to incentives. As people make decisions by comparing costs or benefits, their behavior might change when the costs or benefits vary. This is a characteristic of law and economics as it emphasize on incentives and people’s responses to these incentives. For instance, the resolution of damage payments in an accident, law is not to reimburse injured victims, but rather to offer an incentive for potential injurers to take effective cost-justified insurances to evade causing the accident. In sum, law and economics will enable me to minimize on the financial frauds such as bankruptcy, creditors-debtors misery. Specializing in law and economy will assist in intensifying contracts and corporations in order to gain efficiency in any branch of economics. That is to say, law and economy crosscuts all the branches of

Genocide and Sri Lankan Tamils Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Genocide and Sri Lankan Tamils - Essay Example The Official Languages Commission set up by the Sri Lankan government in 2005 provides figures for the ethnic divide in Sri Lanka. The Tamil speaking minority in the country make up twenty-six percent of the population, which consists of thirteen percent Sri Lankan Tamils, six percent Tamils of recent Indian origin, and seven percent of Muslims. Though the Tamil speaking minority constitute more than a fourth of the population, their presence in government service is a mere 8.31 percent. Such a situation has arisen from Sri Lankan actions since the gaining of independence by using language as a weapon. Thus language has remained a key element in the ethnic strife in Sri Lanka (Reddy, 2007). While the roots of the ethnic divide in Sri Lanka may be ascribed to the colonial past, when the British imported a large number of Tamils into the country from neighbouring India, actions of the Sri Lankan government since independence are the more definitive cause for the violence in the country. Since independence successive governments have taken measures to ensure that the Tamils were denied equal opportunities to professions and the public sector. Such actions interacted in a complex manner with the already existent Sinhala Buddhist exclusivism that slowly led to the persisting animated ideology in the Sri Lankan State. Two legislative actions were to cause the cleavage and subsequent decades of violence and the rise of the LTTE as a terrorist organization to take the lead against the Sri Lankan government. The 1956 â€Å"Sinhala Only† act, which removed English as the official language and replaced it with Sinhala, was to make the Tamils disadvantaged, leading to prote sts from the Tamils. The subsequent legislation in the early 1970s, which created communal quotas for entrance to universities thereby denying meritorious Tamils admission, was to inflame the Tamils and lead to violence and the call fro a

System Analysis and Design

System Analysis and Design A life cycle model is a term which describes the process of the planning through to the deployment of a new software on a system, covering items such as specification analysis and implementation/testing, to enable the developers to create the software, and to ensure that the end user gets what they want. Waterfall Model The waterfall model is a common method used when designing and implementing new software. It was designed to be a simple yet effective method to enable developers and users design a software together. In the Waterfall model, each phase must be completed before you can move onto the next stage, which primarily makes it for small projects where there are absolute requirements. At the end of each phase, there is a review which helps the developers know that they are on track, whether to continue with the project and what steps to take. Also, the testing element of this model can only take place after the development is complete. See the below diagram which shows each step of the waterfall process: Â   Â   The processes are: Requirement Gathering and Analysis System Design Implementation Testing Deployment Maintenance Image Source (ISTQB, 2016) The first step of this method involves getting to know what the client wants out of the system, and analyze them to see if it is realistic and achievable, to plan out how the software can be created. The second step involves designing the system to meet the needs of the client. The third is implementing the software in a test environment for the fourth step which is testing the software. The fifth step is deploying the system to the client. After all of this has been completed, the software or system must be maintained. Advantages One of the main advantages of the Waterfall model is that it is very easy to understand and follow due to the design of it. It has a very rigid design with each stage having its own deliverables and review process. In this model, there are no overlaps in the stages meaning that everything is very clear and defined making it quite effective when used in the correct way. Because the Waterfall model has a very clear and defined structure it is very good for a project that has clear goals on what needs to be achieved and due to its structure, it is a great tool to use even if you are inexperienced. Disadvantages This model can only be used when the requirements of the project are clear, as each stage requires its own review stage and cannot move any further if goals are not set. There can be no ambiguous requirements in a project using this method. There are high amounts of risk and uncertainty due to a very rigid structure, no goals can be changed or reviewed after the originals have been set. It cannot be used on projects which are ongoing because there is no way to change anything once one stage has been completed. This also means that there is little opportunity for the customer to review the product. (ISTQB, 2016) Structured Evolutionary Prototyping Model The Evolutionary Prototyping Model was designed as a software development model which incorporates the end user at almost every stage during the process. This is used so that consumers can have their say on the product during the developmental stage of the software to know that the developers have created a product which meets their needs. There are four main stages to this model to follow, they are as follows: The identification process, which is used to get the basic requirements this software must achieve. It is designed in this way as many consumers may not know the absolute requirements of the software as it is generally a continuous project. The prototype phase in which the developers will make a prototype or multiple prototypes of the product in order to get the basic requirements met. Verification of the prototype process in which the developers can use surveys and experimentation for the consumer. This stage is used so people can add their thoughts about the product and find out if there is anything that could be added or changed to make it better. The final stage is changing the prototype per the feedback that the consumer gave to the developers to meet the needs of the client. This cycle will then repeat until the customer is completely happy with their product and the development process is complete. Advantages One of the main advantages to this methodology is that the user ends up with a more accurate product due to their consistent input into the design process. Developers can learn from the consumer and vice versa. This also brings another benefit into play, meaning that any unexpected requirements or additions to the software can be added at developmental stage, resulting in a more accurate product too. It is a very flexible method. Another benefit is that you can see a constant progression throughout the development of the software, and customers can begin to see the benefits of using this software and being able to have constant input. Disadvantages The main disadvantage of this method is that the process may go on for a very long time due to the repeatable feedback process. Many developers using this method may fully scrap the process and go for a code-and-fix development process, leading to a poor reputation, with this method being seen as quick and dirty. Because of the constant input from the customer, the focus can be taken away from how maintainable the software is, mainly looking at the needs of the consumer. (Exforys, 2015) Rapid Application Model (RAD) The RAD model is used as an incremental development model, in which the all of the components of the software are developed in parallel and seen as mini-projects. These components will be scheduled, and delivered where it is compiled into a full software. This software can then be handed over to the consumer for feedback relating to the requirements. See the below diagram for a visual explanation of these timeboxed components: Of course, the number of components will vary for each software, however this gives a representation of the processes involved. There will be a specific set of teams which will all be responsible for a specific area of the software. After this process is complete the components will be amalgamated into one complete prototype. Image Source (Find Nerd, 2015) There are four main steps involved in this model, and they are as follows: Requirement Planning which is like the analysis stage within the waterfall model, however this plan incorporates a constant review of each element to ensure that the project will meet the users needs throughout the prototype stage. The design phase takes place after the initial needs have been determined, where the developers teams will generate an initial prototype for review by the user. This prototype will then be refined as the process continues. The construction phase where the developers will take the preferred prototypes of each section of the software and create a full functional program. The final stage takes place after the in-house testing and construction has finished and the client will be using and implementing the software as normal. The developers will be available for a set amount of time for corrective maintenance and to incorporate feedback. Advantages The main advantage is the reduced development time due to the development being split into different teams and section which means the process is extremely efficient. Because the components are managed by their own team, and there is generally more than one version of each section, elements can be transferred, increasing the reusability. This method encourages customer feedback on each section which means that there are clear and defined goals as the project moves along and quick reviews often happen. Disadvantages This system is heavily reliant on a strong and experienced team to identify new and existing requirements, meaning some projects may be delayed. This method only works on modelized systems and heavily relies on modeling skills. (ISTQB, 2015) (BBC, 2016) One of the main advantages of using lifecycle models is that you can firstly get a strong idea on what the consumer wants, and you to create a plan of attack on how you can achieve these. It enables you to plan and possibly create prototypes to create an efficient program for the consumer to. This ensures that the customer will be happy with the product that you have made, due to their consistent input within the development stage. In general, using a lifecycle model when developing a software can reduce the development time of the software. This is because you have a rigid schedule which you can stick to, as well as clear goals and objectives through liaising with the customer which increases the efficiency at developmental stage. Many of these plans are made to be easy to read and to follow, meaning you know exactly what is happening at each stage of the process, further increasing the efficiency. Many plans allow you to review the product with the customer throughout the developmental stage meaning that you can remove areas of the software which do not meet the standard that the customer is after. You are also able to edit certain features to add functionality, or even design new elements that will help the consumer with their end goal. Some plans allow you to really structure the development process of the software which can help you decide who will be undertaking what task, i.e. assessing strengths and putting teams together to reach your final goal. This also improves efficiency, as you could divide up the development into teams to reach the end goal much faster, and still create a great product. Lots of new life cycles allow you to visibly see the progress of the software, meaning the team stays motivated to complete the job due to clear and structures goals which work you through to the deployment and maintenance stages of the development. It also means that the consumer will see a steady stream of progress which will also keep them happy. Feasibility reports are made to examine a proposal, which allows a business or team to determine whether a project will be successful. For example, in an IT environment, you could discuss the lease of laptops using a plan rather than purchasing laptops outright. The below paragraphs discuss the components of a feasibility report and why each of them is included. Scope The first main stage of a feasibility report is the to identify the scope of the project. This means you will need to identify the issue that you will be addressing within the project. The scope must be clearly defined, as it may confuse the people involved in the project, and having unclear goals can be catastrophic to a project or job. The area that will be affected e.g. the IT department whether that be directly or indirectly. The scope essentially enables you to get an accurate study, because you have clear and defines goals. A Market Analysis Undertaking a market analysis during a feasibility report can be critical. It allows you to examine environments like yours to assess the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to implement the project. You will then be able to create a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) which were faced by other users to make your own decisions on how the project will be undertaken. Identifying Requirements As a part of your feasibility report, you should always analyze the requirements. These requirements will be based upon the technical requirements and the requirements of the organization. Identification of technical requirements will enable you to identify which technical resources/personnel you will need to complete said project. Meanwhile you should be considering what organization procedures and requirements that you must follow, whether that be related to recommended vendors for equipment or any security laws or procedures with data protection. This is essential because it allows you to get an idea on how you will approach the project. The Approach After the first three steps, you will then be able to get an idea on how the project will be completed, therefore allowing you to decide on the approach. You must find a happy medium and decide upon a recommended course of action, or a solution that incorporates the organizational requirements. You can discuss various approaches and select a solution that best fits the needs per the scope. It must always be 1) a practical solution and 2) meet the needs of everyone. Evaluation After the approach has been decided, you will then compile a short section which examines the cost effectiveness of that approach, which can help you build an estimate of the total costs. You can cross reference previous approaches for comparison purposes. After you have completed this, you will compile the cost summary, which will provide information on the return on investment and a cost to benefit analysis. The Review The final step of a feasibility study is the review stage. This is where all the elements mentioned above will be analyzed in a formal review with either a team or business partners depending on the size of the project. It is used to firstly confirm that it is an accurate report and then decide on whether you go ahead with the project or not. At this stage, you may be asked to change some details, to engage the project or it may be full rejected. All parties involved in the review should all sign a document to agree to the project. (MWANZONI, 2016) In this section I will be discussing the impact of the criteria of feasibility reports (see above) and assess what impact they have on a systems investigation. Identifying the Scope Impacts The main impact that identifying the scope will have, is ensuring that the team undertaking the project as well as the business know exactly what the issue is that they are trying to resolve. It will allow for a guided discussion on the possible steps that you can take to complete this project, and analyze each one collated into the feasibility study. It will clearly define to everyone the goal they will be working towards on the project to keep everyone on the same page, and keeps everyone working towards a similar goal. It can also help the business and the team understand what areas could benefit from the new system and assess them against the current system for a full review. Undertaking a Market Analysis Impacts Taking the time to understand and review different methods and approaches that other people in your position have taken can be an extremely important step in the process. It will allow you to analyze these methods side by side so you can get an idea on what approach could be best for you. You may also wish to amalgamate different approaches into one sophisticated one, which may help you to efficiently reach your goal. You are then able to have a discussion regarding these steps and decide as a team which would be best for the current situation based on skills and experience as well as requirements. Understanding Requirements Impacts Understanding the requirements of both the team and the organization is arguably one of the most critical steps in the feasibility study. It will essentially allow you to get an idea of what will be possible and what wont. Basing it off the teams requirements will allow you to get an idea of who is capable to undertake which role, to see whether a certain approach will be possible or whether you must go back to the drawing board, or even scrap the idea totally. Understanding the organization requirements can help you to plan around any eventuality such as procedures regarding safety and even laws such as the data protection act. It can also influence you with the decision of the approach method. Selecting Your Approach Impacts Deciding the approach of the project is the major step in moving onto the processes of the actual project. It allows you to weigh up all the different approaches comparing how you will meet the scope, the market needs and the needs of the business and personnel. It will allow you to have a guided discussion on each approach compared to the needs and which one will suit everyone the best whilst discussing all the previous points. It finally completes the research and discussion to prepare you for the assignment. Evaluation Impacts After you have selected the approach that you will be following, you will then have to analyze how much the project will cost. It helps you to ensure that you are still in budget, and are meeting the needs of the business in that respect. It will allow you to contrast different approaches and their effectiveness compared to each of their costs to ensure you choose the most efficient method. It will also enable you to put together a final figure of costings to present to the business. Review Impacts Reviewing all your decisions regarding the project whilst presenting them to the business, will allow you to firstly ensure that all needs of the business have been met to ensure that everyone is happy with the solution to the original email. It will also allow you to get the go ahead from the business as to whether you can go ahead with the project, or whether you will need to make any changes to the original approach to ensure the solution is the most efficient possible. References BBC, 2016. BBC Bitesize. [Online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/guides/zp3kd2p/revision/9[Accessed 09 January 2017]. Exforys, 2015. Exforys. [Online] Available at: http://www.exforsys.com/career-center/project-management-life-cycle/the-evolutionary-prototyping-model.html[Accessed 09 January 2017]. Find Nerd, 2015. Find Nerd. [Online] Available at: http://findnerd.s3.amazonaws.com/imagedata/4325/4325.jpg[Accessed 09 January 2017]. ISTQB, 2015. ISTQB. [Online] Available at: http://istqbexamcertification.com/what-is-rad-model-advantages-disadvantages-and-when-to-use-it/[Accessed 09 January 2017]. ISTQB, 2016. ISTQB. [Online] Available at: http://istqbexamcertification.com/what-is-waterfall-model-advantages-disadvantages-and-when-to-use-it/[Accessed 09 January 2017]. ISTQB, 2016. ISTQB. [Online] Available at: http://istqbexamcertification.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Waterfall-model.jpg[Accessed 09 January 2017]. MWANZONI, 2016. LinkedIn. [Online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/key-components-good-feasibility-study-mwanzoni-ltd[Accessed 10 January 2017].

The Power Of The Situation :: essays research papers

The Power of the Situation A week of urban mayhem was ignited by the April 29, 1992 jury acquittal of four white police officers who were captured on videotape beating black motorist Rodney King. The angry response in South Central produced its own brutal footage, most dramatically the live broadcast from a hovering TV news helicopter of two black men striking unconscious with a brick, kicking, and then dancing over the body of, white truck driver Reginald Denny. The final three-day toll of what many community activists took to defiantly calling an uprising, revolt, or rebellion, was put at 53 dead, some $1 billion in property damage, nearly 2,000 arrests, and countless businesses in ashes. These two men, Damian Williams and Henry Watson undoubtedly committed a heinous crime, but thousands more looted, burned, and destroyed property with the same disregard for life and property. Were all these people criminals who used the verdicts as an excuse to commit crimes, or was the nature of the social situation the primarydeterminant of this nefarious behavior? In the course of this paper, I plan to explore this question from a psychological perspective with an emphasize on conformity and social norms, bystander intervention, social perception and reality, and finally, prejudice. Generally looking at the Los Angeles riots, and specifically drawing upon the Reginald Denny beating and subsequent trial, the power of the situation becomes evident, as thousands of people living in an extremely poor and crime-ridden area of Los Angeles, lashed out against a perception of injustice through violence. The conditions that lead people to perceive themselves as victims of unjust actions are rather complex. In this case, the favorable verdicts towards the officers who beat Rodney King was the "unjust action", not only for Rodney King, but for the community he came from. The perceived damage to desired social identities and justice led to resentment on the part of a historically poor and underprivileged class of citizens. The individual attempts to explain the event (the verdicts) by processes of attribution in which grievance may or may not be formed. (DeRidder, Schruijer, and Tripathi, 1992). The attribution of responsibility and blame is activated when confronted with unexpected behavior, unwanted consequences, or stressful, puzzling, and important events (Wong & Weiner, 1981). Thus the attribution process may be activated either when the individual experiences harm, or perceives an anti-normative action by another person or group. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone residing in south-central Los Angeles looted. Instead the majority stayed in their homes until the participants ceased their destructive activities. This does not take away from the validity of the attribution theory due to the individual differences in

Common stock Essay

A1a. During the 12% bonds review the earnings per share common stock out totaled .103. The total was not enough to maximize the shareholders return. It was observed that the interest on the bonds would put them at $72,000. The interest on bonds was very high and could have contributed to the lower total figure. The common stock shares outstanding were at $975,000; which was a very low number. Compared to all the totals the 12% option had the lowest shares issued. During the 20% bonds review they totaled the earnings per common stock share at .197. This stock option was the second highest to the chosen 50% stock option. It looks like the 20% bond option was lower due to using $120,000 in bonds and $480,000 in common stock. The 40% bond option had earnings per common stock share of .181. The ending total wasn’t too bad but it wasn’t enough to maximize the shareholders return. The company acquiring $240,00 in bonds and $360,00 in common stock played a role why the figures went good enough to increase shareholders return. The 60% bond option had earnings per common stock share at .160. The $43,200 interest on bonds could have affected the earnings total. The income before tax and the tax income was a contributing factor to lower figures and results in the net income category. A2. Competition Bikes needs to analyze their capital budgeting. Businesses should acquire investments that are going to bring in more revenue but they have to make sure for the long term the investment is worth taking on. The cash inflows and outflows have to be looked at to determine what is best for the company. The company needs to see potential during the capital budget stage. In the story line management  decided that the most reliable data for a capital budgeting analysis is to estimate the number of product sales using the U.S. pricing and cost data. It is anticipated †¨that costs will be consistent in the new Canadian location. Net present value is capital budgeting used to examine the success with of a investment or project by using the present value of cash flowing in and the present value of the cash flowing out. It is used to determine profitability. It is a tool for management to see if the investment will bring value to their company. Projects and investments should only be taken on if the total number is positive or at 0. The company had a low net present value of -26,740 and the moderate net present value of 2,243. The sales forecasting indicates a range of outcomes as indicated by a low forecast and a moderate forecast of results. The recommendation would be for Competition Bikes to not take on the Canadian investment. Based of the low and moderate numbers if they are split in half they would still be in the negative. It is suggested if the net present value is not a positive number a company should not take on the investment or project. Internal rate of return is the rate of growth projected for t he investment or project. The story line advises Competition Bikes, Inc. requires a 10% return on capital (hurdle rate) to pursue a capital investment. The internal rate of return for the low demand was 8.7% and the moderate demand cash flow was 10.1%. The higher rate of IRR the more likely the company will generate a greater return. The recommendation for internal rate of return is for the company to take on the Canadian investment. A3. Working capital consists of current assets minus the current liabilities, it is the money left over to pay for the day-to day activities to run a company. It is an indicator of how many short assets they have to be able to pay off their short-term debt. If the working capital ratio is less than 1 the company has a negative working capital. A company should always want to be in above 1 for positive results. The current assets can be monitored daily or weekly to keep a close eye on the incoming cash flow to the account. Obtaining Working Capital Competition Bikes needs to obtain working capital quickly. The storyline suggests the cost to build the manufacturing facility is expected to be $400,000. (All figures are in US$) Working capital of $200,000 will also be necessary to support the operation. These two items have been considered as  the total investment in the capital structure analysis. They need to come up with $200,000 for the expansion operation. Competition Bikes can get a line of credit from a bank to obtain working capital quickly. They will need to negotiate the terms and amount of time they will be doing with the bank for the loan. Once they receive the payments in their accounts receivables they then need to turn around and the pay the loan down. They can consider getting a business cash advance to obtain working capital. Business advance loans have a quicker turn around time to receive the funds than a traditional bank loan. Most of the time the payment options are flexible depending on the companies specific needs. Competitions Bikes can go with a business advance loan normally receive a lower rate with fixed payments. Managing Working Capital They need to re-evaluate their account receivables procedures. They are taking almost 44 days to receive payment, they need to decrease their days to right around 30 for collecting payment. They may need to consider discounting to the customers that are paying the money on time. The company needs to consider charging penalty fees for accounts they are outstanding. Managing account payables is another way to manage working capital. They need to keep a good relationship with their suppliers. When picking suppliers payment and the terms of the contract need to be the number one priority. Paying the supplier on time and keeping an open line of communication is the key to managing the accounts payable. They also need to re-evaluate how inventory is handled to properly manage their working capital. The inventory and purchasing has to be reviewed to make sure they are bringing in the correct and defect free products and keeping track of them. They need to develop the first in first out method. They need to use the inventory longer that they had the longest. They need a security plan in place to make sure the inventory is accounted for and locked in a safe facility. Lease vs. Buy Competition Bikes has to make the decision whether they will lease a facility or whether they will buy in the Canadian expansion. For the leasing option the storyline advises 5 year lease financing has been offered at 6%. No down payment is required with this option but the $200,000 working capital must  still be internally funded. The leasing company would buy the building outright and then accept five $90,000 lease payments over 5 years. A $50,000 buyout option would be included so Competition Bikes, Inc. could choose to keep the location at the end of the five-year lease. To the lease the facility it will cost $283,752 after call calculations are done. They also have the option of buying an existing facility. The storyline advised Competition Bikes, Inc. found a suitable existing facility it could buy outright for $400,000 using one of the options from the capital structure analysis. The lenders require a $50,000 down payment. The working capital requirements and down payment must be internally funded. The purchasing option totaled the company out at $399,774. If the facility is purchased they had to factor in an $18,000 operational cost. In the story is stated the depreciation on the new asset will be based on a 10-year life. The building is expected †¨to have $200,000 value at the end of the ten years. The after cash flows of 80,439 at year 9, 81,743 at year 10, 83,125 at year 11, 84,590 at year 12, and 86,143 at year 13 all factored into the after cash flow. The tax rate of 35% goal is to preserve working capital. The leasing option is going to be less money and a better option for having a positive working capital. Merger vs. Acquisition A merger is when two companies mutually agree to become one company. They will them form one completely new company. If the merger they can offer a better robust product line. With the merger they also can bring in and appeal to a wider customer base than being just one company. The potential for increased revenue is an advantage to merging two companies. A merger can bring a better research and development element to the new company. The cons of a company merger can be increased prices. If there is less competition in the market and one company having monopoly power they can make consumers pay higher prices. A company merger can also lead to job losses for staff at both companies depending on the new business needs. The storyline suggests in a merged company the Canadian Bikes, Inc. shares will be exchanged for Competition Bikes, Inc. shares on a 3:1 basis. During the merger in year 8 for available common stock for Competition Bikes will have 31,286 while Canadian Bikes will have 24 ,200. After the merger Competition Bikes will 975,000 of the shares plus 1/3 of Canadian Bikes 200,000 shares outstanding. The earnings per share before the merger was .032 and after the merger the earnings would be .053; which is a .21 increase. The merger will increase shareholder value. An acquisition is when one company buys another company by taking over most or all of it. During an acquisition one company will consume total control over the other. The parent company will acquire or absorb a second company to further their businesses goal of market domination. An acquisition will give the parent company more market power and financial increase. During an acquisition they can also run into some challenges. A company can run into difficulties integrating two different companies and having them on the same page. Acquiring another can sometime be pricy. A lot of capital has to be raised before company negotiations can begin. The story advises Competition Bikes, Inc. has the option to acquire Canadian Bikes, Inc. at an offer price 30% above the Year 8 ending share price. If Canadian Bikes is acquired Competition bikes will have to pay $286,000 to acquire Canadian Bikes. The net present value of the acquisition would be -73,862, that number came from taking 212,138 of the present value and subtracting 286,000 of the offer price Competition Bikes would have to pay Canadian Bikes in the acquisition. Based off the statistical figures the final recommendation would be for Competition Bikes to merge with Canadian Bikes rather than acquiring them. The merger had a .021 increase in earnings per share while the acquisition would have Competition Bikes at a -73,862 in net present value. Net present value needs to be a positive number for a company to consider taking on a new investment.

Homeschooling vs. Public Schooling Essay

When one is a parent there are many decisions you will make in hopes to benefit your children, one of those decisions being whether you want them to attend homeschool or public schooling, both which have their advantages and disadvantages. The differences between the two can play a major role in your decision, some being the location, socialization, and learning speed. One of the first things that most parents think about when choosing to home school or not is how your child’s social skills will develop. There are many resources out on the Internet that can answer any questions you may have on this subject. The following essay will give you an in depth description of the differences between public and home schooling and how your child may benefit from one or the other. First of all, the locations in which both home school and public take place could not be more different. Homeschooling usually takes place in the child’s home and does not have a specific room, maybe one day school is in the kitchen another day it is outside. The homeschool environment is a safe place for the child, filled with freedom and flexibility. With public school parents struggle with the fact that they have to send their child to a different location for four to eight hours a day, this also can be hard for the child as well. The environment is also a big change from the home school environment, you are in a big cement building, with formal classrooms, and 20 or more children in each class. Children in public school do not have the same type of freedom and flexibility as homeschooled children. One of the questions parents may ask themselves when deciding homeschool or public is if their child’s social skills will develop at the same rate as children attending public school. With public school their main goal is to educate children and children do not have much time for socializing. Most socializing takes place at the unsupervised setting of the playground; the values most children pick up here are not values that parents would not instill in their children. This is also where issues such as bullying, peer pressure, and being secluded often occur. Homeschooling on the other hand, provides children with more opportunities for real interpersonal and interactive life situations. The homeschool student socializes with adults and children of different ages on a daily basis. They can also choose to play with friends who have common interests and values as their family. They also do not have to tolerate physical or emotional assault from bullies, this builds their self-esteem and self- confidence. Many homeschool students benefit significantly from their homeschool curriculum because their curricula is designed to their specific learning abilities. When the child is learning at their own speed it is more likely to learn the concepts and accomplish their goals. It makes it easier for a student to really learn because they cannot skip lessons or drift through their subjects even if they do not understand the material. Public school curriculums are designed for large amount of children. That is to say that when a child enters a grade they are expected to be at the same learning level as all the other children in their grade. For many children this system does not work, they either fall behind or are bored because they know the material already. This results in an uneven education and children who never truly learn certain concepts and lessons. In conclusion, home schooling verses public school, public school may at first seem superior. One might think that public school provides everything that their child needs and more, but home school is starting to prove itself worthy. Statistics are starting to prove that home schooled students can achieve just as much as public schooled students. Either choice you make take it seriously and consider all the facts as well as your child’s learning style and speed. School is the most important experience we have in our life, and can make or break us, so as a parent make the best decision for your child.

3 Discredited Biological Explanations for Deviancy

3 Discredited Biological Explanations for Deviancy A number of theories have tried to explain why people take part in deviant behavior, which is defined as any behavior that goes against the dominant norms of society. Biological explanations, psychological reasons, and sociological factors have all been linked to such behavior, but three of the major biological explanations for deviancy have been discredited. They posit that criminals are born rather than made, meaning that ones genetic makeup is the top reason a person engages in deviant acts. Biological Theories   Biological theories of deviance see crime and deviant behavior as a form of illness caused by distinct pathological factors. They assume that some people are born criminals or that offenders are biologically different from the general public. The logic here is that these individuals have a mental and physical defect of some sort that makes it impossible for them to learn and follow rules. This defect, in turn, leads to criminal behavior.​ Born Criminals Nineteenth-century Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso rejected the idea that crime is a characteristic of human nature. Instead, he believed that criminality is inherited, and he even developed a theory of deviance that argued a person’s bodily constitution indicates whether one is a born criminal. These born criminals are a throwback to an earlier stage of human evolution with the physical makeup, mental capabilities, and instincts of primitive man. In developing his theory, Lombroso observed the physical characteristics of Italian prisoners and compared them to those of Italian soldiers. He concluded that the criminals were physically different. The physical characteristics he used to identify prisoners included an asymmetry of the face or head, large monkey-like ears, large lips, a twisted nose, excessive cheekbones, long arms, and excessive wrinkles on the skin. Lombroso declared that males with five or more of these characteristics could be marked as born criminals. Females, on the other hand, only needed as few as three of these characteristics to be born criminals. Lombroso also believed that tattoos are the markings of born criminals because they stand as evidence of both immortality and insensitivity to physical pain. Body Types William Sheldon was an American psychologist practicing in the early to mid-1900s. He  spent his life observing the varieties of human bodies and came up with three types: ectomorphs, endomorphs, and mesomorphs. Ectomorphs are thin and fragile. Their bodies are  described as flat-chested, lean, lightly muscled, and small shouldered. Endomorphs are considered soft and fat. They are described as having underdeveloped muscles and a round physique. They often have difficulty losing weight. Mesomorphs are muscular and athletic. Their bodies are described as hourglass-shaped when theyre female, or rectangular-shaped in males. Theyre muscular with thick skin and have excellent posture. According to Sheldon, mesomorphs are the most prone to commit crime or other deviant behaviors. Y Chromosomes This theory holds that criminals have an extra Y chromosome that gives them an XYY chromosomal makeup rather than an XY makeup. This creates a strong compulsion in them to commit crimes. This person is sometimes called a super male. Some studies have found that the proportion of XYY males in the prison population is slightly higher than the general male population, but other studies don’t provide evidence that supports this theory. Sources Gibson, Mary. Born to Crime: Cesare Lombroso and the Origins of Biological Criminology (Italian and Italian American Studies). Praeger, 2002. Rose, Martha, and Wayne Mayhall. Sociology: The Basic Principles of Sociology for Introductory Courses. BarCharts, Inc., 2000.

He Got Game essays

He Got Game essays He Got Game is a good movie because it teaches a lesson, it makes us understand the tragedy of Jakes life, and it shows how Jesus has to make difficult decisions. The movie, He Got Game, teaches a lesson, especially to those people who have families on their own, that parents cant push their kids in doing what they want them to do and not what their kids want to do. Roger Ebert says that the movie is more of a heartbreaker about a father and his son. I agree because when Jake tried to convince his son, Jesus, to go to Big State University in order for him to get an early parole in prison, This movie makes us understand the tragedy of Jakes life because when Jake tried to pushed his son to play good in basketball in which Jake ended up in prison for killing his wife accidently while arguing with his son. Janet Maslin says that, Jesus hates his father and wont give him the time of day to talk to him. I feel that even if Jesus father has done something really bad in the past, Jesus shouldnt treated his father like he didnt even know him and never existed in his life and besides the incident that happened to his mother was just an accident. But no matter what Jesus do, Jake is still the person who This movie also shows how Jesus has to make difficult decision because when an agent, his coach, girlfriend, uncle, and groupies-on-call offered him money, cars, house, and more, since hes the countrys #1 high school prospect, he didnt accept any of those because its illegal for him to take it. Mike Clark says that, they just want what they perceive to be their share from the coming bounty. I feel that once Jesus gets famous they would just use him to get themselves rich. He Got Game is one of my favorite movie I have seen because it somewhat relates ...

UC San Diego Acceptance Rate: What Does it Take to Get In?

Part of the esteemed University of California System, the University of San Diego is located in the La Jolla neighborhood and home to 130 undergraduate majors across five disciplinary areas: arts & humanities, social sciences, engineering, biological science, and physical science. A unique aspect of UCSD is its â€Å"Sixth College† system, in which students are placed in colleges according to unique philosophies and named for great thinkers. When they apply, students rank the colleges in order of preference. With an admission rate of 30.2%, UCSD is a selective school that sits in the center of other UC schools in terms of difficulty of admission. So what does it take to get into the UCSD? Keep reading for ’s recommendations for creating a stand-out UCSD application profile. The majority of UCSD’s admits are from California. In 2016, 71% of the freshman class was comprised of California residents, with just 7% coming from out of state and 22% coming from out of the country. Now, the University of California system caps enrollment for out-of-state students. The percentage by school varies. UCSD strives for diversity: According to data from the same year (2016), 74% of the freshman class was made up of students of color and 29% was comprised of first-generation students. Broadly, UCSD defines the criteria for evaluation as: Finally, UCSD welcomes undocumented students, offering plenty of resources for these individuals.   UCSD defines the minimum coursework requirements as: Keep in mind that â€Å"recommended† coursework really means required except in unusual cases, so you should strive to meet or exceed these recommendations. UCSD is a rare university that states minimum GPA requirements for applicants. They are: These are merely minimums; many students greatly exceed these requirements, and having a higher GPA will improve your chances of admission. UCSD requires the SAT with critical reading, math, and writing or the ACT plus writing. You must submit scores from all your sittings. Don’t be too intimidated by this; many colleges that require you to submit all your scores will only record the highest. UCSD does state, however, that it will only take scores from the same sitting. The university also recommends taking all AP and IB exams associated with the courses, and you must submit scores directly from the College Board in order to receive course credit. International students whose native language is not English and non-native speakers must submit TOEFFL (83 minimum) or IELTS (7 minimum) scores as well. You must respond to four out of eight personal insights questions. For advice on writing these essays, check out ’s guide: How to Write the University of California Essay Prompts 2018-2019 . These questions are the same across all University of California undergraduate schools. Like the other UC colleges, UCSD does not accept the Common or Coalition Application. Instead, you must complete an application unique to the UC system. You must also submit your transcript. Keep in mind that letters of recommendation are not considered, and Music, Theatre & Dance, or Visual Arts program applicants may submit an optional portfolio or audition video. High School GPA: 4.02 – 4.28 ACT Composite Score: 28 – 34 ACT English Language Arts: 27 – 31 SAT Evidence-Based Reading & Writing: 640 – 730 SAT Mathematics: 660 – 790 SAT Essay: 16 – 18 (range reflects the middle 25%–75% range) Estimating your chance of getting into a college is not easy in today’s competitive environment. Thankfully, with our state-of-the-art software and data, we can analyze your academic and extracurricular profile and estimate your chances. Our profile analysis tool can also help you identify the improvement you need to make to enter your dream school. Excel in your coursework and standardized tests. You should aim to greatly exceed the minimum requirements for GPA, test scores, and coursework. The most competitive candidates will have scores at least in the 75% range and an above-average GPA for the admissions pool. Additionally, you should take a curriculum with plenty of honors and AP or IB courses to demonstrate that you challenge yourself. Demonstrate that you are a person of strong character . USCD describes personal qualities as one of its criteria for evaluation. Since teacher recommendations aren’t part of your application, you will need to demonstrate this on your own. That means showing how your values align with those of USCD and emphasizing your personal attributes as well as academic. This can come through in your extracurricular activities, such as a commitment to community service beyond the value it will add to your application and anecdotes in your application and essay, such as describing a time you stood up for the underdog or fought for what you know is right. Emphasize what sets you apart. UCSD prides itself on its diverse student body. That doesn’t mean you must have a minority background to be admitted, but you should have some â€Å" hook † that makes you stand out from the applicant pool. Perhaps you had an unusual upbringing. Maybe you speak multiple languages. Or your the first person in your family to attend college. Whatever it is, emphasize what makes you unique in your essay or other aspects of your application. There are numerous factors that affect your chances of admission to UCSD, but here are three steps you can take to increase them. Step 1 . Place emphasis on areas like extracurricular achievements and diverse and unusual circumstances. Your essays are an excellent place to do so. Step 2. Exceed minimum requirements. UC system schools are unusual in that they state the established minimum requirements for admissions. Use this information to your advantage. You should aim to exceed them substantially, particularly if you’re out of state. Step 3. Demonstrate your enthusiasm for UCSD. Of all the colleges in the UC system—and all the universities in the country—why does UCSD appeal to you in particular? Like most schools, the UCSD adcom wants to know that you want to go there in particular. USCD doesn’t have interviews, so you’ll need to demonstrate interest by visiting the college, getting on the mailing list for collateral, and signing up for online materials. You should also find ways of incorporating the college’s values, which should match your own, into your essays. Being denied admission to any college, particularly one of your top choices, is disappointing. Still, it’s important to take a step back and regroup. If you get rejected from USCD, here’s what you can do: Make sure your final list is well balanced among safety, target, and reach colleges . You’ll improve your chances of being admitted to multiple schools if you include several where you have a good or reasonable chance of acceptance. That includes other University of California schools. Since there are many UC colleges that have a higher admissions rate than USCD, you’ll increase your odds of being admitted to the UC system by applying to multiple UC schools. Since there is a single portal for all UC schools, you won’t have to spend significant time on these applications. If you had your heart set on UCSD or received bad news from the other colleges on your list, one option is to take a gap year and reapply next admissions cycle. If you do decide to go this route, make sure you have a plan for how to spend the year. You might undertake a research project, volunteer, study to improve your SAT scores, or take classes non-matriculated at a local college. Even if UCSD was your top choice, chances are, you’ll find a way to make a college that did accept you work. College really is what you make of it, and if you put effort into adjusting to another school by joining clubs, working hard in your classes, and cultivating a social life, you’ll likely find that you can make a fulfilling college experience for yourself, even if you end up at a college that wasn’t your top choice. When you sign up for our program, we carefully   pair you with the perfect admissions specialist based on your current academic and extracurricular profile and the schools in which you’re interested. Your personal application specialist will help you with branding, essays, and interviews, and provide you with support and guidance in all other aspects of the application process.

Why does ADHD impact on academic performance and what can be done to Annotated Bibliography

Why does ADHD impact on academic performance and what can be done to support ADHD children in the classroom - Annotated Bibliography Example The child is also labeled as a day dreamer in class. (NCP, 2008) Impulsiveness – Executive functions of the brain help human beings to inhibit emotional outbursts and impulsive behavior. A school going child usually uses these function to reason out the benefits of doing homework against watching cartoons but a child with ADHD is unable to do so. He is not able to plan ahead for his examinations, learn from previous mistakes or consider consequences of impulsive actions. All this leads to bad academic performance. (George J. DuPaul, 2003) Low Self Esteem and confidence – Children with ADHD are usually laggards in the class and are not able to complete their tasks efficiently. This leads to reprimand from teachers as well as ridicule from fellow students. This lead to low self esteem and a belief that they won’t be able to do anything well in life. This usually has disastrous consequences for the child. (Craig A. Everett, 2001) Rule Breaker – A child with ADHD usually challenges authority at every opportunity he gets. He does not like to follow rules and regulations. Teachers at school do not like to see this attitude and may decide to target the student as they might regard this attitude as not a medical problem but disrespect. The authors of this journal article have studied in-depth about the different methods in which non-medication support can be provided to ADHD children. We will discuss the main points which have been mentioned in the article. It has been proved through this study conducted by Rebecca Shaw and Vicky Lewis that children with ADHD produced the greatest number of accurate responses regarding basic computerized tasks as compared to children with no disorder. Computerized and graphic representation of facts and figures help children with ADHD to improve concentration .Various educational software have been made for ADHD children and have

Public Relations Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public Relations Plan - Essay Example What the public thinks of one school carries a weight that could make or break it. To cope with the demand for information, public relations has become an indispensible tool for schools and organizations all over. With this, schools can maintain an aura of trust, credibility, and cooperation with the general public as well as the people inside the school. This is important in many ways because who you know and who knows you really count in any business. A single remark from a parent could ruin a school, not enough exposure to the public could limit the number of students coming to the school, and a bad image could discourage potential students from even considering enrolling to that school. It goes on and on. With proper public relations, all those can be avoided. Communicating with the Community It is imperative that the school maintains contact with the people inside and around it. That means talking and listening to everyone from the staff, the faculty, the administration, the stu dents and their families, and the community in general. The school must strive to empower everyone with information about itself, its current status, and the status of its students. It must also increase the amount of interaction between the school and community, in effect increasing the involvement and support of the community in the school’s affairs. This can be achieved by holding meetings and events that could serve as forums where people can discuss about the important things relevant to the school. For the teachers and staff, Faculty and staff meetings could be held monthly or as needed to keep everyone updated and to provide an outlet for discussion; for parents, Parent-Teacher conferences can be done regularly to bring them up to speed with their children’s performance, any events in school to look out for, and to discuss better ways to help the children have the best education; Giving recognition to the achievers is also a form of feedback. It gives a sense of pride and lets parents know that their child is doing well, while the student gets motivated to study harder; the students should also have a say through student forums and other such activities; to keep the school in the eyes of the community in general, some of the most concrete ways are distributing school publications or newsletters, student ambassador programs, and participating or hosting community events; other ways that are important would be cleaning up the school’s image through an awareness campaign or community outreach program, instructing the teachers to be more open to students’ and parents’ concerns by offering a listening ear to them, or putting up a ‘Questions, comments or suggestion box’ (or any equivalent) wherein anyone can voice a concern at any time. All the while, the school itself provides the information in an open manner with enthusiasm and a visible concern for the proper education of the students. Crisis Management The best way to handle a crisis is preventing it, or failing that, preparing for it. Crisis aversion is the primary focus for crisis management. The school needs to look for possible crises that may occur and take the necessary steps to prepare for it. For incidents beyond the control of the school, steps can also be taken to mitigate the damage that can be caused. First, prevention is the key. Check the safety of

Discussion- CH5 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion- CH5 - Coursework Example Bank loans are not accompanied by any ownership condition. In addition, the bank personnel are not involved in the running of the business (Sloman and Sutcliffe, 104). The disadvantage of loan is that they are difficult to obtain and also the borrowers need to provide their personal guarantees. The pros of equity financing include no payment of interest. The investors are not paid interests though they will owe the entrepreneur some portion of profit. Equity financing has no liability. The entrepreneur is not liable and in case of failure, the investor takes the risk. No monthly payments are needed in equity financing. This allows for more money in the business to keep things running. Con associated to equity financing include giving up ownership. This is due to investors owning part of the business (Sloman and Sutcliffe, 303). Pros for stock include them being considered being having potential for higher returns as compared to other types of investments that are used by companies. Stock is considered to pay dividends. Extra income can be used to buy more shares for the company. Cons for stock include dramatically rise and fall that occur in stock price (Sloman and Sutcliffe, 167). Stack is seen also to have no guaranteed return. I agree with you that the most common types of financing for small entrepreneurs would be equity financing and debt financing. This is due to unavailability of ready finances. Debt financing allows using the finances and later pay to the lenders. Selling of shares is convenient to them as the money need not to be repaid. I equally agree with you that there are so many important skills that managers should have in order to drive success towards the company. The skills that are needed by the managers including ability to be a leader, positive relationship with employees, proper planning, proper delegation of duties, effective

John Hancock, Boston Massacre Oration, March 5, 1774 Essay

John Hancock, Boston Massacre Oration, March 5, 1774 - Essay Example enderness, what regard, respect, or consideration has Great Britain shown, in their late transactions, for the security of the persons or properties of the inhabitants of the Colonies? Or rather what have they omitted doing to destroy that security?† He also told that such event was British act of â€Å"trampling on the rights and liberties of his most loyal subjects in Americaâ€Å" and that instead of protecting it as the King should, Britain did not and as a result â€Å"Our streets nightly resounded with the noise of riot and debauchery; our peaceful citizens were hourly exposed to shameful insults, and often felt the effects of their violence and outrage† and of course, the blame is pointed against the Britons to agitate the public. Hancock was actually agitating the crowd through his speech to revolt against Great Britain although it was not obvious. He did so by citing what a virtuous government ought to be and that as citizens, John Hancock and his fellow American must support. In the speech, he enumerated how Great Britain is not this virtuous or honorable government but rather â€Å"it is to the last degree vicious and infamous to attempt to support a government which manifestly tends to render the persons and properties of the governed insecure†. This statement is a subtle way that Britain is not fitting to rule them but has rather arrogated to â€Å"have declared that they have ever had, and of right ought ever to have, full power to make laws of sufficient validity to bind the Colonies in all cases whatever† evident with the Boston Massacre. In short, this speech was designed to sow discontent against the British by pointing out how she has arrogated her powers. In the process of agitating the public, people will look for ways on how to fight Britain of which they can later provide that eventually led to American Independence. 3. How should we evaluate Hancocks oration below in light of the real events of the Boston Massacre? In your opinion, was the

Assignment about Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment about Leadership - Essay Example This is the case with Benes. He had not bothered to know how Madoff made all the money. Due Diligence requires that every investor undertake an investigation that aims at gathering information on the actual risks involved when one is getting into any investment. It is clear that most of these feeder funds failed to do due diligence since they had so much faith in Madoff. It is said that Madoff was a successful party player in Wall Street and thus expected to have a pool of experience in stock trading. The single thing that actually made people believe so easily in him is the fact that the people who had already invested into his Company were making a lot of money consistently even when the market was down. Madoff also allowed them to operate without paying fees for their transactions, a move that enabled them to make a lot of money from numerous investors they had in their firms. This was bait since they saw they could earn even more money from these operations. It was also easy for people not to perform due diligence because many huge companies and prominent people had invested with Madoff. This made people trust in Madoff as an expert in his field. The study of Bernie Madoff scandal brings out a number of personalities about him. To start with, it is easier to say that He had a narcissistic personality since it is evident he was absolutely convinced that he was better than everyone else was. Looking at the whole scandal, we can only conclude that Madoff was a great liar. He deceived everyone. No one knew how the company made all those funds, starting from his family to the Government. He managed to deceive everyone for around 30 years Madoff operated his illegal business. He stole from so many people and did not care the harm he caused them, both financially and emotionally. This is also seen when Bienes firm was closed down after it was said it was an illegal firm. Bienes was

Discussion- CH5 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion- CH5 - Coursework Example Bank loans are not accompanied by any ownership condition. In addition, the bank personnel are not involved in the running of the business (Sloman and Sutcliffe, 104). The disadvantage of loan is that they are difficult to obtain and also the borrowers need to provide their personal guarantees. The pros of equity financing include no payment of interest. The investors are not paid interests though they will owe the entrepreneur some portion of profit. Equity financing has no liability. The entrepreneur is not liable and in case of failure, the investor takes the risk. No monthly payments are needed in equity financing. This allows for more money in the business to keep things running. Con associated to equity financing include giving up ownership. This is due to investors owning part of the business (Sloman and Sutcliffe, 303). Pros for stock include them being considered being having potential for higher returns as compared to other types of investments that are used by companies. Stock is considered to pay dividends. Extra income can be used to buy more shares for the company. Cons for stock include dramatically rise and fall that occur in stock price (Sloman and Sutcliffe, 167). Stack is seen also to have no guaranteed return. I agree with you that the most common types of financing for small entrepreneurs would be equity financing and debt financing. This is due to unavailability of ready finances. Debt financing allows using the finances and later pay to the lenders. Selling of shares is convenient to them as the money need not to be repaid. I equally agree with you that there are so many important skills that managers should have in order to drive success towards the company. The skills that are needed by the managers including ability to be a leader, positive relationship with employees, proper planning, proper delegation of duties, effective

Assignment about Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment about Leadership - Essay Example This is the case with Benes. He had not bothered to know how Madoff made all the money. Due Diligence requires that every investor undertake an investigation that aims at gathering information on the actual risks involved when one is getting into any investment. It is clear that most of these feeder funds failed to do due diligence since they had so much faith in Madoff. It is said that Madoff was a successful party player in Wall Street and thus expected to have a pool of experience in stock trading. The single thing that actually made people believe so easily in him is the fact that the people who had already invested into his Company were making a lot of money consistently even when the market was down. Madoff also allowed them to operate without paying fees for their transactions, a move that enabled them to make a lot of money from numerous investors they had in their firms. This was bait since they saw they could earn even more money from these operations. It was also easy for people not to perform due diligence because many huge companies and prominent people had invested with Madoff. This made people trust in Madoff as an expert in his field. The study of Bernie Madoff scandal brings out a number of personalities about him. To start with, it is easier to say that He had a narcissistic personality since it is evident he was absolutely convinced that he was better than everyone else was. Looking at the whole scandal, we can only conclude that Madoff was a great liar. He deceived everyone. No one knew how the company made all those funds, starting from his family to the Government. He managed to deceive everyone for around 30 years Madoff operated his illegal business. He stole from so many people and did not care the harm he caused them, both financially and emotionally. This is also seen when Bienes firm was closed down after it was said it was an illegal firm. Bienes was

The Value of a Human Life Essay Example for Free

The Value of a Human Life Essay We look at the words of one of the framers of our constitution, and we apply it to the concept of assisted suicide. This subject was one of the hottest issues of the late 20th century, but why was this issue so crucial? Why did it seem to have law writers and judges fumbling to grab for their red tape? There seems to be a more deep seated opinion on why the land that gives us the right to freedom of speech, expression, natural, and civil rights, can restrict the one right we should inherently have. The question I pose for you today isn’t to look at the morality of suicide, but rather look, and ask yourself, why don’t we have the right to die? This paper will be broken down into two sections, one will be the law, precedent, acts, etc. and the other will be the philosophy governing our actions as a collective body and why the ideals that the sound percentage of this united states are unrepresented. The Law There are many cases of assisted suicide, and legislation overseeing it, but the few examples I will give will show the stance that America has taken on the subject of assisted suicide. Jack Kevorkian was the front runner for euthanasia, advocate for a pro-choice death, and leader of one of the most controversial hot button issues of the late 1980s to 1990s. He fought for the legalization of assisted suicide in terminal patients and was known for saying â€Å"dying is not a crime†. He’s an important figure in this movement because he couldn’t be convicted until he was aired on 60 minutes as personally injecting the patient with the drug, instead of having them commit the suicide themselves. The importance of this distinction is that when Jack himself did not inject the patient, he was not found accountable, showing the importance of the word â€Å"assisted† in assisted suicide. [2] Secondly, the Terry Schiavo case was another landmark case pertaining to the death of a terminal patient. Theresa Marie Schindler (Terri) had entered a vegetative state and was comatose and on life support. Her husband had the power to order her feeding tubes removed, ultimately sentencing her to death, however, many people intervened and wouldn’t let her pass away, rather they kept her on feeding tubes for 15 years until she finally was taken off life support and passed 13 days after. During her life, the very controversial â€Å"Terri’s Law† was written up and gave the power to Florida’s Governor to put Terri back on life support. An interesting point in this legislation is that President George W. Bush flew to Washington just to sign this bill into action. â€Å"It should be noticed that this is the same George W. Bush who, as Governor of Texas, signed into state law the power of hospitals to remove a patient (in identical situations as Terris) from life support a critical factor being the familys ability to pay the hospital bills even if such removal was against the familys objections. †[3] This brings a completely different angle into the element of a patient’s death. From the parameters of this case it proves that the government will not intervene into the death of one of its constituents, unless of course that person is not financially able to keep living. I’ll explain this further, in the second section. Another fact to outline our government’s stand on suicide is the Washington v. Glucksberg case. In this case the Supreme Court agreed unanimously that the Due Process Clause of the Constitution did not protect the right to assistance in committing suicide. There was a previous case, Moore v.  East Cleveland, which decided that liberty interests cannot be protected if they aren’t deeply rooted in the nation’s history. Rehnquist wrote that it â€Å"furthered various compelling state interests, such as the preservation of human life and protecting the mentally ill and disabled from medical malpractice†. The Court also thought that protecting physician assisted suicide would create a â€Å"slippery slope† towards involuntary euthanasia. [4] Some things that must be discussed in this regard are as follows. The Due Process Clause protects the right to choice over abortion, which can be compared semi-closely in this case. 5] Why should those who are unborn have no say over their own demise, but yet someone who is suffering and wants to die with dignity cannot have the blessing and assistance of their physician? Furthermore, the slippery slope argument is not a logically proven one, it’s simply using something with shock effect and making it seem less distant than it really is, putting fear in those who notice nothing wrong with the argument. R. G. Frey, DPhil says it best in his book titled â€Å"The Fear of a Slippery Slope,† Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide: For and Against. Especially with regard to taking life, slippery slope arguments have long been a feature of the ethical landscape, used to question the moral permissibility of all kinds of acts The situation is not unlike that of a doomsday cult that predicts time and again the end of the world, only for fol lowers to discover the next day that things are pretty much as they were We need the evidence that shows that horrible slope consequences are likely to occur. The mere possibility that such consequences might occur, as noted earlier, does not constitute such evidence. [6] There’s no other way it can be put, the use of a slippery slope has no bearing on the actual case in front of the judges and should have never been allowed as reasoning for striking down the act. Another commonly cited document in this case is the Hippocratic Oath, the rule of law for doctors and alike as well as a document swearing in medical practitioners into the field. The cited phrase that those opposed to assisted suicide use is â€Å"I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone†. It seems that people are being too narrow-minded about the term, â€Å"harm†. As Philip Nitschke, Founder of Exit International, a pro-euthanasia group says, â€Å"The much-quoted reference to do no harm is also in need of explanation. Does not doing harm mean that we should prolong a life that the patient sees as a painful burden? Surely, the harm in this instance is done when we prolong the life, and doing no harm means that we should help the patient die. Killing the patienttechnically, yes. Is it a good thingsometimes, yes. Is it consistent with good medical end-of-life care: absolutely yes. [8] Another interesting quote in the Hippocratic Oath is the phrase, â€Å"I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly I will not give a woman a pessary to cause an abortion. †[9] This shows some contradictions in the Oath that the opposition has held so dear. The abortion line has since been removed, as well as the statement about a lethal drug, but in the updated version it also has no statement about â€Å"never do[ing] harm†. Some anti-euthanasia persons use an outdated version of the oath to make their points, but have neglected that there are also other statements in that old version that are no longer applicable to this day and age. [10] The last and final bit of information is the Death with Dignity Act, established in Oregon and Washington. It has been voted in by the citizens of each individual state by majority, challenged by the state legislature and rejected by voters, and even challenged by the Bush Administration and upheld in the Supreme Court by Gonzales v.  Oregon. The act establishes safe and enforceable guidelines to go through before the patient takes the life-ending medication. The guidelines include and enforce a waiting period, must be reviewed by two physicians, the patient must be free of a impairing mental illness, must be witnessed by two people, one of which isn’t family, and the request is voluntary and can be backed out of at any time. [11]/[12] This is the act we need established in the entire United States; one that gives patients the right to die with dignity. The point of this research is to show the clearly biased views of the American government; next, I’ll be demonstrating examples and reasoning for why we should be allowed the freedom to choose. Philosophy First, it must be said that to purely discuss the task at hand we must remove all prejudice about religion and morality. Those things can be used in one’s own personal value that they put upon this subject, but in front of us is the law, and it must be known that all religious aspects must be removed from government. Now, what we’re facing is the legalization and promotion of assisted suicide. Suicide is a non-punishable crime, so to speak. It’s not that they can convict a corpse, but in the attempt of a suicide attempt one can be taken into a mental institution to be assessed and treated. The first question posed is how can a crime that can’t be punished be illegal? How can we outlaw something that no government, law, or individual can persecute another for? Back in the earlier years of this country suicide used to be treated with a common law, governing all forms of the same type of suicide. However, the common law must always be updated in this ever changing society. Back when the precedent was decided there was no need so assisted suicide because the people with the illnesses would simply pass away, but today where there’s life support and other means of keeping sick patients alive, now we must choose where to draw the line in that individual’s suffering. There are different tiers of being â€Å"alive†. The fact that someone is breathing doesn’t mean that they’re alive. One may say that their life is running, playing with family, writing books, or painting pictures. This life is taken away from them when they’re sentenced to a hospital bed with tubes keeping them alive and no way to interact with others. They don’t want to ever let themselves get to the point where their family has to see them like that, and it’s an honorable, selfless thing to do. Human beings have certain unenumerated rights, sometimes known as natural rights, those not to â€Å"be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people†. Upon looking into the words of this phrase in the Ninth Amendment, we see that this amendment is plainly stating a sense of equality. If we apply this to the case of assisted suicide, the vast majority of Americans have the natural right that is life. If we were to break down the spirit of the word life, let it be seen that, as formerly stated, life has different acceptable meaning depending upon circumstances. The law cannot be taken at face value in this case and must be interpreted accordingly. Life, for one may mean freedom, and in this case the only freedom a terminally ill patient has is in death. The patient needs freedom, freedom from the constraints of suffering, freedom to move on to a better place than they are in now, whether that be a religious place, reincarnation, or a hole in the ground. As stated earlier there is a quandary in this argument when finance enters into play. We might ask ourselves why our government is so adamant on keeping us alive. Through legislation, passed by a man that became our president, it appears that a financially stable families can keep their loved ones alive even against the wishes of her husband who has the power of choice, while those not able to pay for life support must watch their loved one die as the feeding tube is removed against their will. The question of preservation of life is miniscule in this example. The real reasoning behind certain groups advocating for life is because of monetary gain, they force an individual who cannot communicate his wishes to continue living an unexamined life on his death bed, while the man who does have a say cannot choose his own path. This brings forward the one of the focal points of this paper; can and individual violate their own rights. The government is put in place to protect our individual rights and freedoms, and they use that title to protect our right to life by not letting us choose. Someone can violate the rights of another and be sent to jail in which their rights are revoked until their time is served, but are the consequences the same for one who attempts suicide? The answer is no, a human being may have the right to life, but that life cannot be violated by themselves. I can say this because of the inherent freedoms allowed by the Bill of Rights. In these, Americans are given freedoms to be their own person, to worship, and express themselves completely and fully within constraints of their own person. As long as the rights of other humans are not directly, or even indirectly, put at risk there is no fear of conviction. To explain further I must say that we cannot violate our own rights in the legal sense. If we are to take our own life, it is our right to, and one cannot be held accountable for their choices pertaining to themselves. This leads us to the discussion of positive and negative rights. Positive rights are those that permit or allow action, whereas negative rights are those who permit or allow inaction. For example, a person may want to be assisted in their suicide, and that should be their positive right to do so, but their physician, who may not morally agree with the procedure, has the negative right to refer the patient to a different doctor. This comes up most frequently in the case of abortion where the doctor may not want to go through with it for moral reasons, but the patient still has the right to have the procedure. This is important in the distinction because a person who does not agree with assisted suicide has the negative right not to have the procedure done on their death bed, and the fact that the wishes of other are not imposed on them is showing the freedom this country has not fully applied on both ends of the spectrum. They should have the right not to have the procedure done if they don’t want it, just as much as the person who wishes to have it should be allowed that right. Liberalist Thomas Szasz writes that, â€Å"If freedom is self-ownership—ownership over ones own life and body—then the right to end that life is the most basic of all. If others can force you to live, you do not own yourself and belong to them†. This is exactly what the framers of our constitution wanted us to believe in, self-ownership, freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. What better way to prove that the individual purely owns himself than to be able to make his own decisions up until and including death. Conclusion In conclusion, the proof if right in our own Constitution, and in the precedent set in past court cases and actions of the government. The right to a physician assisted suicide should be a part of our freedoms just as much as abortion, freedom of religion, and freedom of expression. The Bill of Rights sets up certain unwritten rules that everyone should have equal access to, and it should be stated that the right to life can intrinsically be attributed to death as well. There are already states with legislation in order, but it will take an act of government to make it federally acceptable. The arguments against suicide either come from the slippery slope argument or from an argument from morality. As we can see, the slippery slope argument has no proof or rational acceptance, unless more proof from trial comes forth, and since there are already states which have enacted legislation on the subject, and no problems have arisen, we can justify the disregard for such an argument. The argument from morality also holds no grounds because morality is different in each individual being, and we cannot make another mistake in our practice of government such as letting the thoughts of the many outweigh the few who have a constitutional equality. It is stated that we all have our own freedoms, which cannot be violated either by ourselves or by our government. The protections that are placed upon us are inalienable by any means, and it is contradictory to say that we’re violating our own rights and should be held accountable by anyone except for ourselves. To finish, I hope I have shown enough research, and voided enough counter arguments, to show that and rational being must be able to accept the proposition of assisted suicide from the view of legal equality and representation. I’ll end with two quotes that speak volumes to the desires of these terminally-ill people.

Value Added Services In Logistics Operations Marketing Essay

Value Added Services In Logistics Operations Marketing Essay Logistics is a procedure to optimize all activities to ensure the delivery of cargo through a transport chain from one end to the other. The comparative efficiency of a countrys trade logistics chain is of vital importance in enhancing competitiveness of its industry and commerce. In this regard, international differences in trade logistics efficiency determine in large extent the efficiency and sustainability of the economies. In developed countries such as the U.S. and Japan, logistics costs are about 10 per cent of GDP. For some less developed economies, these costs exceed 30 per cent. Moreover, these differences among countries appear to be widening. According to the European Logistics Association, the logistics costs in relation to annual turnover can amount to more than 30 per cent in the food industry, 27 per cent in the metal industry, 23 per cent in the chemical industry, 15 per cent in the automotive sector. The percentages may differ from country to country and industry by industry, but many of the critical cost factors are influenced by public policy. The logistics chain consists of activities that facilitate the movement of goods from supply to demand. As many such activities require the use of ports, port authorities have taken a particular interest in the various port activities involved in logistics. Logistics costs are not limited to costs consumed in carrying out logistics activities. Rather, they should be understood as all costs input into a given logistics system for the provision of logistics service. According to the US Department of Transportation, logistics is defined to be the method that service groups position themselves to perform activities such as transportation, warehousing, inventories, information processing and customer relations. Advanced logistics is the term used when the firms make use of technologies and permits to reduce costs by substituting large inventories, multiple warehouses and customer service outlets with transportation, e-commerce and just-in-time deliveries. To reap the benefits of advanced logistics, firms have restructured themselves in relation to transporting of goods from one point to another and improving infrastructure. During the 1970s typical logistics functions focused on traditional physical distribution activities, including the movement and storage of finished goods between the producer and consumer. Those specific functions were identified in the 1985 A.T. Kearney study of logistics organizations as outbound transportation, logistics administration, intracompany transportation, logistics control, finished goods field warehousing, and logistics systems planning. These activities were eventually determined to be quite narrow in terms of meeting customer needs. Therefore, they provided the foundation for broader interpretation of logistics, which led to inclusion of various activities like the processing of orders and development of customer relations, finished goods plant warehousing, finished goods inventory management, and inbound transportation. The third phase in this evolutionary process was identified to include logistics engineering, production planning, sourcing or purchasing, raw mater ials or work-in-process inventory management, sales forecasting, and international logistics. This evolutionary process moves logistics from its traditional physical responsibility to an integrative value added role in the business. As logistics becomes more important in an organization, it encompasses more functional areas within a single responsibility center to provide more coordination and more highly integrate the logistics channel. Because of the evolution of the logistics operations, its responsibility travels further back through the supply chain to the raw material source. When logistics operations is linked with manufacturing operations, it can be seen that the aspects of manufacturing activities with logistics operations activities address the common underlying foundations that contribute to the value of the products and services offered to customers. According to a study conducted by Frost Sullivan in 2009, about logistics operations in ASEAN countries, it was found that Singapore accounts for the lowest percentage of logistics as a part of total sales at 8 percent while Indonesia has the highest at 19 percent. According to this 2009 study, Malaysia and Thailand accounts for 17 and 12 percent, respectively. It has been noted that the high logistics costs may be attributed to inefficiency in operations. The inefficiency may be linked to the lack of trained man power and inadequate support to facilities and infrastructure, which has led to the slow flow of cargo and distribution of goods. Based from this study it can be deducted that an efficient operation is due to the presence of trained professionals, high quality and an array of logistics services offered and an excellent infrastructure and communications or information system. As of present date, studies have shown that transportation is the largest contributing factor to the cost acquired by most companies. Currently, the primary reason of most consumers for engaging in a third party logistics provider or what is known to be a trucking service is to enhance the efficiency of logistics operations through professional intervention. Engaging in a trucking service also has its cost advantages and thereby acts as a cost saving move for most companies. An arrangement with a logistics company also provides the consumer the ability to focus on other concerns such as their own competency and reliability. It is no surprise therefore that the main criterion evaluated by most companies engaging in this service is the cost savings factor. There is only Malaysia that evaluates the services offered and the condition of the equipments when choosing their logistics service provider. Meanwhile, it has also been found out that across ASEAN countries, technology is the least considered factor. On the other hand, it can be noted that the most efficient country in logistics operations, Singapore, is heavily focused in the communications area. This countrys most influential consideration factor is the network coverage employed by the logistics service provider since Singaporean companies are main players in the international market. Technology wise, there are sixty percent of consumers adopting technology are heavily rely on warehouse management and the bar coding system. On the other hand, transportation planning system and vehicle tracking system are yet to be embraced by more than sixty percent of the end-users. The use of the smart labeling system or RFID for public vehicles is still low. The adoption and usage for RFID or smart labeling system are still low mainly because of the high cost of implementation and the less mature technologies across South East Asia. Among all the activities in logistics operations, transportation is the most utilized activity accounting for more than seventy percent of end users outsourcing such logistics activities to service providers. Freight forwarding comes to a close second to transportation followed by inbound warehousing accounting for more than fifty percent. On the other hand, processes like the packing and labeling of goods and management of fleet are the value added services that are most utilized. DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS Value Added Services (VAS), which is loosely defined as a collection of specific requirements mandated by customers involving additional processing of a product or an order beyond the simple picking of the product for an order, is an especially common practice in the retail supply chain and is estimated to consume +10% (and growing) of total labor hours. According to Logistics Managements 2nd Annual Warehouse Operations Survey, 80% of respondents are dealing with some form of VAS in their DCs. This was confirmed during in-depth interviews conducted by Distribution Digest for our report on Automated Case Picking (ACP). Value added services are offered by the logistics companies in order for customers to benefit from their full use and application. This may include anything from routine maintenance and customer technical support; to customization and application training; to real-time inventory management and state-of-the-art channel support. It refers to the process of developing rela tionships with customers through the provision of an augmented offer, which may encompass many aspects of value-added activities. Value added services are aimed at ensuring that special requirements of customers are met and that product is received as ordered. These services are integrated with logistics operations through a global network of agents and coordinated at either point of origin or final delivery location. These services may include: complete shipping documentation from start to finish; cooperation with convention/trade show coordinator; pickup and delivery of time definitive freight; unpacking and setup assistance including the removal of packing materials; repackaging of materials at end of trade show; pickup and return; logistics consulting; performance reporting and distribution services. Through out the years, an evolution to the terminologies relating to the consumer has been witnessed in the logistics industry. Logistics initially gave birth to the concept of customer relations which represents the combined output of the various processes in logistics. Eventually, end products of marketing and logistics activities were connected to customer relations to create customer satisfaction. Most recently, the concept of customer success has been introduced to link the service provided by the firm not only with the satisfaction of the customer, but with the success that the customer realizes in attaining its organizational objectives. Since, transportation, warehousing and freight forwarding are activities that are most likely to continue in the next 2-3 years, there is an increasing trend for consumers to look for companies that can supply value added services. The value added service employed by the logistics companies are created through the eyes of the logistics executi ve. It is critical that the strategies and tactics used influence the perception that the customer has of the organization and has the potential of transaction creation during the short term as well as the long term. Therefore, the logistics executives perception of value is directly linked to the firms ability to satisfy the customer. This can result in customer satisfaction, which can ultimately lead to a positive attitude by the customer towards the service provider. The value of the logistics service provided is measured by an assessment of the logistics executives perception of how customers perceive the service provided by the firm and how they react, or respond to this service. This measure, called customer reaction, include the level of perceived satisfaction with the existing service levels, whether customers are inclined to reduce or increase their business with the firm if the service levels change relative to their expectations, and whether customers can recognize change s in the service levels provided by the firm. These days, the commercial success of a logistics operation could stem from a productivity advantage in traditional cargo-handling service, from value-added service, or from a combination of the two. Productivity advantages come mainly from economies of scale and economies of scope, suggesting that the most productive ports will be those that are equipped to handle large cargo volumes and significantly reduce unit costs through efficient management. Shippers and carriers select individual ports not only based on their cargo handling service capabilities, but also on the benefits they are capable of delivering. Unless a port can deliver benefits that are superior to those provided by its competitors in a functional aspect, customers are likely to select logistics providers based merely on price. This fact raises the question of how to one logistics company can stand out from the rest of the companies that are in the market or what is known to be value differentiation. In the 1970s, almost every logistics company provided the same basic package of services to almost every customer. Nowadays, however, it is more difficult for service providers to compete on the basis of cargo-handling service. There has been a convergence of technology within cargo-handling service categories. This means that though new technology may sometimes provide a window of opportunity for productivity improvement, in many cases that same technology is also available to competitors. It is no longer possible to compete effectively on the basis of basic, traditional functions. Thus, there is a need for logistics service providers to seek out new means of gaining a competitive edge. The late 1980s saw the emergence of major changes. Consumers began to ask service providers to provide a greater variety of services. Providing value-added services is a powerful way for logistics companies to build a sustainable competitive advantage. Shippers and customers are becoming increasingly demanding. Customers now tend to look at value-added logistics services as an integral part of their supply chain. As a result, service providers must attempt to satisfy these needs by offering differentiated services. This poses a particular challenge for logistics operators in the industry. Studies show that the most successful logistics service providers are those that not only have a productivity advantage in cargo-handling services, but that also offer value-added services because operators who do not provide additional services are indistinguishable to their competitors. Although there have been researches that have found that there continues to be a need for operators to provide the basic, traditional cargo-handling function and that there continue to be many customers for such services, it is clear that, in the future of the logistics operations industry, there will be fewer ports that prosper only in this area. Rather, we will see the dominance of superior service leaders that possess both a productivity advantage and a value-added service advantage. Logistics companies that provide value-added services are on their way to becoming the more superior logistics company. The advanced ports around the world have continuously emphasized the function of logistics centres mainly due to the high degree of global production and the need for value added services. These trends in international logistics strongly suggest that the trend toward value added services is likely to continue into the future. Currently, the logistics discipline continues to revolutionize itself with the adaptation of various e-business practices and forms of just in time delivery. The nature of these adjustments may result to more single package deliveries requiring additional transport services. KEY RECOMMENDATIONS Therefore, for logistic operations to have an edge, it is recommended that logistics companies incorporate valued added services to the array of services that they provide in a matter that is cost efficient. There is also a need for service providers to be able to offer services of high quality and as well as cost reducing solutions. Service providers must also take a closer look at the activities in operations and ensure that there are no repetitions of activities for maximum optimization. The elimination of redundant activities results in more efficiency and cost reductions. Providing trainings for inexperienced personnel is also vital in achieving maximum customer satisfaction in the future. The ultimate output of the quality effort by the logistics organization should be through the customers reaction in the market. This reaction is continually perceived by the logistics executive in the form of individual customer sales, business in specific traffic lanes, changes in facility in ventory levels, or changes in the volume of customer complaints to the customer service department. However, the simple truth is that when you are processing thousands of cases an hour and shipping dozens of trailers per day, there just isnt a lot of time for value added services, especially that which doesnt provide real benefit. In the end engaging in value added services is a business decision. A customer can be told that the service provider can do just about anything they want, but the customer must also know that its not free. Value added services make the services provided by the logistics service providers more expensive. The customer needs to gauge how important it is to its business. Sometimes retailers are surprised that their requests dont add any value. As an example, in a certain logistics company, one Vice President of Operations, described a situation where an existing customer ordered standard 12 packs last year, however this year all their orders were in 6 packs. The Operations VP went back to the customer explaining that when youre handling 80,000 cases verses 40 ,000 there is a big difference in handling and processing cost. That particular customer understood the logistics cost impact for the DC, as well as for them, and immediately changed their Purchase Order back to 12 packs. Still, for some companies the consequences of value added services have been more frequent shipments and in smaller quantities, forcing many of them into piece-pick operations where they had previously been a full case-based pick. Or, at the very least, having to open full cases to apply tickets and other paperwork and then manually applying a special shipping label.    If it is determined that the cost absorption for a specified value added service is too great, the logistics company has the option to try and work out a deal with the customer to obtain waivers, or in some extreme situations refuse to comply. On the other hand, a major component of an efficient supply chain is getting everything done on the first touch. Therefore, it can be logically argued that in many cases moving value added services upstream to the manufacturing level is moving it in the right direction. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢