Investing in Portfolios and CAPM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Investing in Portfolios and CAPM - Essay Example If the investor chooses alternative 1 and invests all the money in Evergreen, then he can earn a return of 13.8%. Since Evergreen is a safe company, therefore the standard deviation of returns is quite low and risk coefficient is only 0.11. One must keep in mind that by investing in this company, the investor is foregoing chance of earning high returns. In other words, the investor is foregoing chance of earning high returns for increased safety by investing in this company. On the other hand, in the case of alternative 2, if the investor decides to invest in more dynamic of the two companies ACE limited, then the investor is foregoing safety of investment for high returns. This will enable the investor to earn a return which is as high as 25%. However, the risk coefficient and standard deviation for this investment is also higher at 0.31 and 7.6% respectively. A third option is to invest in the form of an equally weighted portfolio. In this case, the returns have increased from what the investor could earn by investing solely in Evergreen and at the same time the high risk of investing in Ace Ltd has also been reduced. The returns have increased from 13.8% to 19% and at the same time risk coefficient has decreased from 0.31 to 0.2. In the case of alternative 4, the investor will invest heavily in Evergreen and take very small exposure in ACE. This option is probably the worst alternative because the returns of this option are not very high, but the risk has greatly increased to 0.47. In the above scenario, we can see that the returns have increased when the investor has decided to invest in portfolios and at the same time risk coefficient has gone down. This tells us that diversification leads to lower risk and high return. However, one must keep in mind that diversification only minimizes one type of risk that an investor faces. There is another kind of risk which is known as systematic risk and it cannot be eliminated no matter how well diversified the portf olio is. Hence, there is always some chance of investors losing money even if the money is invested in the form of a portfolio. The correlation coefficient above shows that the investment in Evergreen and Ace is negatively correlated. A shrewd investor always try to invest in companies that are negatively correlate so that the downward trend in the returns of one business can be offset by the increased returns on the other investment in the same portfolio. However, since these two investments are not perfectly correlated, the portfolio is not well balance and some side will be higher than another and investor can face periods of high returns or loss depending on the market situation. It can be concluded from studying the above alternatives that it is wise for investors to not to take large exposures on one single stock. The investors should try to construct portfolios that should give equal or close weightage to all the companies in the portfolios in order to enjoy the benefits of r isk diversification. If there is one company in the portfolio which has higher weightage than the other companies ten the portfolio’s performance will be highly dependent on that one company and benefits of diversification will disappear. TASK 2: Capital Asset Pricing Model is a tool to

Drug Addiction Essay Example for Free

Drug Addiction Essay This essay will outline the main points for an addict and will serve as a guide for an addict or family of an addict. Addictions are very dangerous for a person, emotionally, psychologically, and physically. There three main points to an addiction, the actual addiction and the symptoms, the addiction cycle (downhill spiral), and how to treat or where to treat an addiction. This essay will hopefully outline the main points for an addict and will hopefully serve as a guide for an addict or family of an addict. Addiction Addiction is defined as an overuse of any substance that changes the natural chemical balance of the brain. Most addiction specialists agree that addiction includes biological, psychological, and behavioral factors. There are many opinions as to what causes an individual to become susceptible to drug addiction. Many believe there are underlying physical and mental issues that contribute to developing an addiction. There are many different causes of addiction. Regardless of how or why an addiction began, there is a definite cycle of addiction that many individuals get trapped in. This addiction cycle is often referred to as the downward spiral. Breaking the addiction cycle can be a long and difficult process, depending on the nature of the addiction. There are many different types of addiction. An addiction can be developed by anyone; it is not reserved for certain personality types, social standing, or career fields. The best defense and recovery tool against addiction is education. Individuals caught up in the addiction cycle often try to hide or disguise their addictive behavior. They even try to hide the addiction from themselves. There are certain types of behavior that can assist a loved one or family member in identifying drug addiction. Once the drug addiction is identified, it is important that someone confront or intervene with the individual suffering from the addiction. Drug Addiction Cycle A cycle, simply put, means something that goes around and around like the wheels on a bike, or a brightly painted carnival carousel. Cycles can be a positive thing such as the annual review and raise that one might receive at work, or they can be negative. When is a cycle a negative or dangerous pursuit? When it threatens to destroy a quality life. If the Earth does not have snow and rain in the winter season, it dehydrates and is parched in the summer. It starves and so do we. If the wheels on the bike stop moving, the bike and rider fall over. If an addict cannot break free from the destructive and life threatening patterns of drug and alcohol addiction, they and/or others may suffer and die needlessly and harshly. The cycle of drug addiction never has a positive outcome and all efforts should be made to achieve a healthy, productive and long-term recovery from this dark and sinister downward spiral. To recreate a new pattern of living from a torn path will be the greatest and most empowering inner expedition an addict will ever encounter. The first step is to truly want it†¦so sincerely that a person can think of little else other than getting clean. It may be for oneself, a loved one or better yet a combination of both. Unfortunately, the reality of the addiction cycle and breaking free from its grip, is not that uncomplicated. Breaking free can be a very difficult process with occasional periods of personal let down, but this fact cannot in any way be allowed to discourage those seeking freedom from drug addictions. A person’s body, in almost every aspect of its being, is addicted when one is a mild to chronic user and abuser. The nervous system, brain, and muscle tissue are all living in anticipation of the next high. So, for the addict, it is crucial that the cycle of behavior, is broken. The addict needs to pull up the anchor that keeps them from moving forward. This means changing environments, patterns and even sometimes friends and social associates. Once an addict has made the personal commitment to change old habits, the next step is to establish new, safe and positive influences in their life. These can be found in quality support groups, hospital substance abuse centers and drug rehab centers. No matter what the setting, it is important to be around strangers. Being in proximity to familiar places and people may promote the tendency to fall back into old thoughts and behaviors. Of the aforementioned options, private drug rehabilitation retreats seem to be gaining popularity, in part, due to the impressive success rate they boast. What parents should know about drug addiction Drug and substance abuse among children, especially teens, is substantial. According to the most recent statistics available, (http://www. nationalyouth. com) 1. million of our youth age 12 to 17 meet the diagnostic criteria for dependence on drugs and approximately 1 million of our American youth (http://www. drugabusestatistics. samhsa. gov/) are being treated for alcohol dependency. Although these statistics may be surprising, there are many things that parents can/should know about the prevention of drug addiction including how to recognize the signs/symptoms of drug/alcohol addiction and what they can do to help their child once a problem has been recognized. Studies have shown that parents are often the first line of defense in the prevention of drug addiction. Numerous public service commercial announcements advertise parents as â€Å"the anti-drug. † Parents need to understand that ignorance is not bliss. Parents need to be well armed with the facts on prevention and treatment. Parents need to spend quality time with their children and be open to discussions on drugs and alcohol. Parents need to know who their child’s friends are, where they are going, what they are doing, etc. Parents need to make their expectations very clear and establish that they will not tolerate drug use of any kind. If all of these factors are utilized, children will be less likely to use drugs. It is also important that parents educate themselves about the types of drugs currently available. Although some of the standard drugs (drugs that may have been popular while the parent was a youth) are still around (marijuana, LSD, etc) there are also a number of new drugs that are very popular with today’s youth such as the inhalants (huffing). Conduct research on the Internet or attend a local community meeting regarding substance abuse. There are three categories of substance abuse: Use: The occasional use of drugs without developing tolerance of withdrawal symptoms when not in use. Abuse: The continued used of drugs even while knowing that the continued use is creating problems socially, physically or psychologically. Dependence: Where three of the following factors must be present: the substance is taken in large amounts over longer periods of time; their child has an everlasting desire for the substance and has been unable to control their use; child may suffer from repeated periods of intoxication or detoxification; child continues to use even though the substance is causing problems; and the child takes more of the substance in order to relieve any withdrawal symptoms they may be experiencing. It is important for parents to note that different substances lend themselves to different groups of drug addiction symptoms. In all cases however, the most visible symptom is a radical change in behavior. If a parent suspects that their child is abusing drugs, consult with a personal physician or pediatrician, an educational consultant whose expertise is this area, an addiction therapist or a drug counselor. These professionals will help the parents assess the situation and seek the proper addiction treatment. How to Find a Drug Rehab Center The first step is to contact a Doctor or a health professional. They will be able to point a person in the direction of a good drug rehab center. It is important that they be consulted with since they know the person and a bit about their history. They also might know and understand the addiction, and therefore be able to direct the addict to a drug rehab center that can cater to specific needs. If this option does not work, try to talk to local authorities that deal with drug addiction treatment. Most places that deal in mental health or in health practices will know exactly where to find good drug rehab centers. Free clinics and walk-in addiction counseling services, will have a lot of information regarding drug rehab centers. Another place to look for drug addiction treatment is the Yellow Pages. Researching on the internet might get you more information about the drug rehab centers a person is thinking about going to. There are also many online drug rehab referral services that can assist a people in making a decision. No matter how a person goes about finding a drug rehab center, there are important things that have to be kept in mind while doing so. Does the rehab center deal with this particular drug addiction? What are the costs and are they affordable? Is this particular facility covered by insurance? Is it covered by Medicaid? In addition, keep in mind that there are many state and government drug rehab centers that are available at no cost. These might be a big help as the cost of recovery is expensive. Another very important thing to keep in mind, are the services that the drug rehab center provides. Do they have in patient services as well as out patient services? Do they have counseling sessions that one can attend after the in-patient treatment is completed? Do they have information that they can give the patient/ family to read, and do they have any services for the addict’s family and loved ones? Make sure to find out about the staff to patient ratio, and how much time is going to spent at the drug rehab center. Most importantly, one should seek a drug rehab center where one can feel safe and comfortable. An addict is going to make the most progress in a place where they feel at ease and can be themselves. Recovery is a long and hard road, and if it is done in an environment where a person can feel the most comfortable, and just be themselves, they are going to be the most successful. Getting help for an addiction is something that is not easy, but a drug rehab center is a place where it might all seem to be a little bit less difficult.

Importance Of Hrm In Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay

Importance Of Hrm In Hospitality Industry Tourism Essay Through the past decade, people have become more and more conscious that the competitive edge of an organisation lies in human factors. Indeed, it can be seen that the environments of the twenty-first century turn out to be highly competitive where organisation need to devote a significant amount of time, attention and energy to manage human resources. The firms also need highly effective personnel and HRM departments. This is mostly required by the hospitality operators which must possess quality human resources because above all, they are in the people business and the level of service they deliver to their customer depend highly on the people they have. It is therefore essential that people who are engaged in Hospitality Industry must have adequate knowledge, skills and qualities so that the firms can succeed and grow not only within national boundaries but also in the international arena. Based on this background that Human Resource Management finds its increasing importance and the help it can provide to hospitality operators by attracting, training, motivating good people. In fact, all organisations should adopt Human Resource Management in order to perform effectively. When we think of the Hospitality Industry, we usually think of hotels and restaurants. But the term has a much broader meaning. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, hospitality means the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors or strangers with liberality and goodwill. The word hospitality is derived from hospice, a medieval house of rest for travellers and pilgrims. A hospice was also an early form of what we now call a nursing home and the word is clearly related hospital. The term the hospitality industry refers to companies, organizations and businesses which have as their core business the provision of food, drink, leisure, business facilities and accommodation to people away from their homes. The hospitality professions are among the oldest of the humane professions and they involve making a guest, client or resident welcome and comfortable. The component sectors in the hospitality industry are Hotels motels, Guest houses, Restaurants, cafes snack bars, Night-c lubs and Public houses. 1.2 Importance of HRM in Hospitality Industry The importance of HRM in the hospitality industry cannot be denied. There are two facts highlight this importance. The first fact is that the hospitality industry is a people business which is customer-driven and quality-focused. As a matter effect, the human element plays a major part in the overall success of any organization, but especially so in a service industry such as the hotel business. Many members of the workforce (waiters, waitresses and receptionists) are in direct contact with the guests and are seen as been involved in achieving the objectives of the hotel. The quality of service offered is dependent not only upon the skills but also upon the attitudes of the staff. The latter are part of the finished product for which the customer is paying. Customer satisfaction is likely to be affected as much by the standard of food and beverage, accommodation or other facilities of the hotel as by the courtesy, helpfulness and personal qualities of the staff. Therefore both the sk ills and the attitudes of the workers are essential if the demands of the customer are to be met satisfactorily. This places particular importance on human resource management. 1.3 Problem Statement The hotel industry is one of the major pillars of Mauritian economy therefore great attention must be paid to the hospitality industry. An organisation like La Plantation Hotel needs to be constantly in line with changes due to the competitive environment. Therefore, there must be a continuous reviewing of the HRM practices in order to achieve success and maintain a corporate growth. This study arise from the need to analyse to what extent the HRM practices are effectively practiced at La Plantation Hotel and how they can be enhanced to gain better results. HRM practices are the essential elements in which attention must be focused as these practices have a direct impact on the human resource of the Hotel and people are very important in order to gain competitive advantage and success. This study examines the 5 main HRM practices and how they are being performed in the Hotel. The five practices are human resource planning, recruitment and selection, training and development, performa nce management and effective communication. It is generally accepted that success is deemed to come from the way the human resources are being managed and trained in the organisation, for human resources are amongst the most crucial element for Service Company in the hotel industry. 1.4 Main Objective of the study The main objective of this study is to identify, explore and evaluate the effectiveness of the present HRM practices at La Plantation hotel and provide recommendations where necessary in order to achieve success. Sub Objective of the Study The sub objectives of this project are as follows: To analyze the effectiveness of HRP in the hotel To identify how Recruitment and Selection is carried out in the hotel To identify the effectiveness of Training and Development at La Plantation Hotel To assess how performance management is performed in the hotel and its effectiveness To assess the importance of effective communication To determine whether the organization is giving proper consideration to its personnel. 1.6 Chapter Overview Chapter 1 is the introduction of the project. It starts by an overview of Human Resource Management. Then it moves on by a definition of Hospitality Industry, how HRM is important in the hospitality industry and the objective of the study. Chapter 2 is the Literature Review part. It provides some definitions of HRM given by different authors and it talks about the five HRM practices known as HRP, recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management and effective communication. And it ends up with the Empirical Review. Chapter 3 presents La Plantation Hotel: the organisational background, the mission, vision and objective of the hotel. It also reviews the present organisational structure and how the hotel carries out the five HRM practices. Chapter 4 deals with the Research Methodology. That is it identifies the various steps that were followed in carrying out the survey. Chapter 5 comprise of analysis and finding. The findings are data obtained from the questionnaires which have been filled by the employees. Therefore, based on the above analysis was made. Chapter 6 is the recommendation and conclusion. In this part attention is focused on some proposals and recommendations that could be implemented to improve the working lives of the employees and finally the chapter ends with a conclusion.

Authorial Comments in Ike Oguine A Squatters Tale :: Squatters Tale Essays

Authorial Comments in A Squatter’s Tale According to Charles Bohner and Dean Dougherty authorial comment is: An explanatory remark obviously put into the narration by the author. Authorial commentary tells us what to think instead of showing us. (1212) Authorial comment, as clearly defined above, is an artistic device used by authors to paint a vivid picture of a point they are trying to make. This gives the reader of a text the opportunity to deduce the point. Comments made in literary works such as fictional novels usually guide the reader into thinking in a certain way, which depending on the level of understanding of the reader can have various analyses. But in order for authors to prevent their being misunderstood by their readers, the use of authorial comment is added in their works. It is interesting to see how Ike Oguine uses authorial comments in A Squatter’s Tale to drive points home. His placement of the the comments and the depth of those comments add a lot of creativity to this literal work of art. Although he uses other artistic devices such as sarcastic humor and symbolism, the qualities of these devices are enhanced by authorial comments as exemplified by the following analyses. In the beginning, Obi has just arrived in the United States in pursuit of the American dream. Upon arrival at the airport though, Obi realizes that â€Å" America turns your world upside down† (Oguine 15). In fact, this is true to the majority of characters in the text, as well as, real immigrants who enter the country. The truth in this statement is usually realized once an individual arrives in the country. Most people have hopes of coming and making enough money to go back to their homeland and establish themselves, but once the disappointment of having no one to rely on and reality of coping with the standard of living in the country hit them, they lose hope of going back home in the next couple of years. Some give up their dreams totally and try to live out in their children. The author realistically portrays this in his text with Obi. At first, Obi is a big shot in Nigeria, but once he arrives into this country, his life is clearly turned upside down starting with Hook, his friend, not picking him up at the airport.

Pediatric Recommended Core Measures Health And Social Care Essay

After run intoing Stage 1 for the two old ages, Fletcher Allen Partners will necessitate to run into meaningful usage Phase 2 standards get downing in 2014 ( Figure 1 ) . With this following phase, EHRs will farther salvage Fletcher Allen Partners money, save clip for physicians and infirmaries, and salvage lives.The Stage 2 standards includes new aims to better patient attention through better clinical determination support, attention coordination and patient battle ( cms.com ) . The phase 2 ends would spread out the Phase 1 standards and concentrate on the meaningful usage of electronic wellness records ( EHRs ) to back up the purposes and precedences of the National Quality Strategy ( NQS ) . The Phase 2 standards encourages the usage of wellness IT for uninterrupted attention and information quality betterment. The proposed Phase 2 meaningful usage demands include strict outlooks for wellness information exchange and include: more demanding demands for eprescribing ; integrating structured laboratory consequences ; and the outlook that suppliers will electronically convey patient attention sum-ups with each other and with the patient to back up passages in attention. Phase 2 focal points on existent usage instances of electronic information exchange and requires that a supplier direct a sum-up of attention record for more than 50 % of passages of attention and referrals. The regulation besides requires that a supplier electronically transmit a sum-up of attention for more than 10 % of passages of attention and referrals. Increasingly robust outlooks for wellness information exchange in Stage 2 and Stage 3 would back up the end that information follows the patient ( Federal Register, 2012 ) . To let suppliers clip to follow 2014 certified EHR engineering and fix for Stage 2, all participants will hold a three-month coverage period in 2014. Figure 1: Phases of Meaningful Use Beginning: NeHC University ( 2012 )REQUIREMENTS FOR STAGE 2 IMPLEMENTATIONCore Aims and Menu Aims Fletcher Allen Partners must run into certain demands for a successful Phase 2 execution. The figure of Stage 1 and Stage 2 entire aims remains the same, EPs are must run into the the step of 20 entire aims and CAHs must run into the step of 19 entire aims. However, the combination of aims has changed. Under Phase 2, eligible professionals ( EPs ) must run into the step or measure up for an exclusion to 17 nucleus aims and 3 of 6 bill of fare aims and eligible infirmaries ( EHs ) and CAHs must run into the step or measure up for an exclusion to 16 nucleus aims and 3 of 6 bill of fare aims ( Figure 2 ) . This is a alteration from EP ‘s holding to run into 15 nucleus aims and EHs holding 14 nucleus aims and 5 bill of fare aims severally. About all of the Stage 1 nucleus and bill of fare aims are retained for Stage 2. Figure 2: Changes from Phase 1 to Stage 2 Phase 1 Phase 2 Eligible Professionals 15 nucleus aims 17 nucleus aims 5 of 10 bill of fare aims 3 of 6 bill of fare aims 20 entire aims 20 entire aims Eligible Hospitals & A ; CAHs 14 nucleus aims 16 nucleus aims 5 of 10 bill of fare aims 3 of 6 bill of fare aims 19 entire aims 19 entire aims Clinical Quality Measures needed to be captured by FAP In add-on to run intoing the nucleus and bill of fare aims, eligible professionals, eligible infirmaries and CAHs are besides required to describe clinical quality measures.The clinical quality steps ( CQMs ) are tools used to mensurate and track the quality of health care services by eligible professionals ( EPs ) , eligible infirmaries ( EHs ) and critical entree infirmaries ( CAHs ) within the health care system. The CQMs step many facets of patient attention to include wellness results, clinical procedures, patient safety, efficient usage of healthcare resources, attention coordination, patient battles, population and public wellness, and clinical guidelines.The measuring and coverage of the CQMs guarantee that Fletcher Allen Partners deliver efficient, patient-centered, and safe quality care.A Eligible professionals must describe on 6 entire clinical quality steps: 3 required nucleus steps ( or 3 surrogate nucleus steps ) and 3 extra steps ( selected from a set of 38 clinical qu ality steps ) . Eligible infirmaries and CAHs must describe on all 15 of their clinical quality steps ( CQMS, cms.gov ) . Centers for Medicare & A ; Medicaid Services ( CMS ) selected the recommended nucleus set of CQMs for EPs based on analysis of several factors: Conditionss that contribute to the morbidity and mortality of the most Medicare and Medicaid donees Conditionss that represent national public wellness precedences Conditionss that are common to wellness disparities Conditionss that disproportionately drive health care costs and could better with better quality measuring Measures that would enable CMS, States, and the supplier community to mensurate quality of attention in new dimensions, with a stronger focal point on penurious measuring Measures that include patient and/or health professional battle Get downing in 2014, all Medicare-eligible suppliers in their 2nd twelvemonth and beyond of showing meaningful usage must electronically describe their CQM information to CMS. Medicaid suppliers will electronically describe their CQM information to their province. As Figure 3 shows, EPs must describe on 9 of the 64 approved CQMs. Selected CQMs must cover at least 3 of the National Quality Strategy domains Eligible Hospitals and CAHs must describe on 16 of 29 approved CQMs Selected CQMs must cover at least 3 of the National Quality Strategy domains. Get downing in 2014, all Medicare-eligible suppliers beyond their first twelvemonth of showing meaningful usage must electronically describe their CQM information to CMS informations to CMS. Figure 3: Clinical Quality Measures ( CQMs )SupplierPrior to 20142014 and Beyond*EPs Complete 6 out of 44 Complete 9 out of 64 aˆ?3 nucleus or 3 elevation. nucleus Choose at least 1 step in 3 NQS spheres aˆ?3 bill of fare Recommended nucleus CQMs include:Aaˆ?9 CQMs for the grownup population aˆ?9 CQMs for the paediatric population aˆ?Prioritize NQS spheresAEligible Hospitals and CAHs Complete 15 out of 15 Complete 16 out of 29 aˆ?Choose at least 1 step in 3 NQS spheresAFor 2014, CMS is non necessitating the entry of a nucleus set of CQMs. A Alternatively we identify two recommended nucleus sets of CQMs, one for grownups and one for kids. A We encourage eligible professionals to describe from the recommended nucleus set to the extent those CQMs are applicable to your range of pattern and patient population. Figure 4 shows the recommended nucleus steps: Figure 4: Recommended Core MeasuresAdult Recommended Core MeasuresPediatric Recommended Core MeasuresControling High Blood Pressure Appropriate Testing for Children with Pharyngitis Use of High-Risk Medications in the Aged Weight Assessment and Counseling for Nutrition and Physical Activity for Children and Adolescents Preventive Care and Screening: A Tobacco Use: A Screening and Cessation Intervention Chlamydia Screening for Women Use of Imaging Studies for Low Back Pain Use of Appropriate Medications for Asthma Preventive Care and Screening: A Screening for Clinical Depression and Follow-Up Plan Childhood Immunization Status Documentation of Current Medications in the Medical Record Appropriate Treatment for Children with Upper Respiratory Infection ( URI ) Preventive Care and Screening: A Body Mass Index ( BMI ) Screening and Follow-Up Attention deficit disorder: A Follow-Up Care for Children Prescribed Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ( ADHD ) Medicine Closing the referral cringle: reception of specialist study Preventive Care and Screening: A Screening for Clinical Depression and Follow-Up PlanAAChilds who have dental decay or pits Patient Care Improvements Patient entree to their wellness information is an of import facet of patient attention and battle, and the capablenesss of CEHRT in 2014 and beyond will enable suppliers to do this information available online in a manner that does non enforce a important load on suppliers. Patient engagement – battle is an of import focal point of Stage 2. There are 26 Requirements for Patient Action: More than 5 % of patients must direct secure messages to their EP. More than 5 % of patients must entree their wellness information online. Loss of future gross through authorities inducements Changes to Medicare EHR Incentive Programs The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provide incentive payments to eligible professionals, eligible infirmaries and critical entree infirmaries ( CAHs ) as they adopt, implement, upgrade or show meaningful usage of certified EHR engineering. Eligible professionals can have up to $ 44,000 through the Medicare EHR Incentive Program and up to $ 63,750 through the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program. The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs provide fiscal inducements for the â€Å" meaningful usage † of certified EHR engineering to better patient attention. To have an EHR incentive payment, suppliers have to demo that they are â€Å" meaningfully utilizing † their EHRs by run intoing thresholds for a figure of aims. CMS has established the aims for â€Å" meaningful usage † that eligible professionals, eligible infirmaries, and critical entree infirmaries ( CAHs ) must run into in order to have an incentive payment. A The Medicare and Medicaid EHR Ince ntive Programs are staged in three stairss with increasing demands for engagement. All suppliers begin take parting by run intoing the Phase 1 demands for a 90-day period in their first twelvemonth of meaningful usage and a full twelvemonth in their 2nd twelvemonth of meaningful usage. After run intoing the Phase 1 demands, suppliers will so hold to run into Stage 2 demands for two full old ages. Eligible professionals participate in the plan on the calendar old ages, while eligible infirmaries and CAHs take part harmonizing to the federal financial twelvemonth beginnning on October 1st. ( EHR Incentive Program, cms.gov ) In order to successfully take part in the plan, EPs, EHs, and CAHs are required to subject CQMs to in order to have an incentive payment in the EHR Incentive Program.Beginning in 2014, the coverage of clinical quality steps ( CQMs ) will alter for all suppliers. EHR engineering that has been certified to the 2014 Edition criterions and enfranchisement standards will hold been tested for enhanced CQM-related capabilities.ELECTRONIC Coverage: In order to let participants to successfully describe CQMs electronically for 2014, CMS is supplying a set of electronic specifications for clinical quality steps ( eCQMs ) for eligible professionals and eligible infirmaries for usage in the EHR Incentive plan for electronic coverage. A These electronic specifications contain multiple parts which allow certified EHR engineering systems to be plan to accurately capture, calculate, and describe clinical quality steps electronically for the 2014 CQMs. A Each eCQM can be described in 3 different ways depending on the intended usage: HTML A – A This is a human clear format so that the user can understand both how the elements are defined and the implicit in logic used to cipher the step. XML – This is a computing machine clear format which enables the machine-controlled creative activity of questions against an EHR or other operational informations shop for quality coverage. Value Sets – Value sets are the specific codifications used by developers to plan the system to accurately capture patient informations in the EHR system. A ATo have the maximal EHR inducement payment, Medicare eligible professionals must get down engagement by 2012.Eligible professionals who demonstrate meaningful usage of certified EHR engineering can have up to $ 44,000 over 5 uninterrupted old ages under the Medicare EHR Incentive Program Incentive payments for eligible professionals are higher under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Payments- up to $ 63,750 over 6 old ages under the Medicaid EHR inducement plan Get downing in 2015, Medicare eligible professionals who do non successfully show meaningful usage will be capable to a payment accommodation. The payment decrease starts at 1 % and increases each twelvemonth that a Medicare eligible professional does non show meaningful usage, to a upper limit of 5 % . The eligibility for the EHR inducement plan is determined by the HITECH Act. The lone eligibility alterations under Phase 2 are under the Medicaid EHR incentive plan. The Phase 2 eligibility. Meaningful usage way for Medicare eligible doctors ( EPs ) : Meaningful usage way for Medicare infirmaries: *Payments will diminish for infirmaries that start having payments in 2014 and subsequently. The alterations from Phase 1 to Stage 2 are as follow: Reporting Period Reduced to Three Months – to let suppliers clip to follow 2014 certified EHR engineering and fix for Stage 2, all participants will hold a three-month coverage period in 2014. â€Å" Phase 2 ends, consistent with other commissariats of Medicare and Medicaid jurisprudence, would spread out upon the Phase 1 standards with a focal point on guaranting that the meaningful usage of EHRs supports the purposes and precedences of the National Quality Strategy. Specifically, Stage 2 meaningful usage standards would promote the usage of wellness IT for uninterrupted quality betterment at the point of attention and the exchange of information in the most structured format possible. Our proposed Phase 2 meaningful usage demands included strict outlooks for wellness information exchange including: more demanding demands for eprescribing ; integrating structured laboratory consequences ; and the outlook that suppliers will electronically convey patient attention sum-ups with each other and with the patient to back up passages in attention. Increasingly robust outlooks for wellness information exchange in Stage 2 and Stage 3 would back up the end that information follows the patient. † Hospitals- FY14 ) Providers-Jan 2014

Working Girl Essay Example

Working Girl Essay Example Working Girl Essay Working Girl Essay Name: Course: Instructor: Date: Working Girl The motion picture, Working Girl, is a romantic comedy movie produced in 1988. The picture, whose director was the talented Mike Nichols, recounts the stirring account of a stockbroker’s secretary with big dreams and aspirations. The secretary works in the Mergers and Acquisition subdivision in an investment bank. She is called upon to fill the shoes of her immediate boss, who injures her leg during skiing, and begins developing and creating novel business opportunities. The movie was nominated for the role of Best Picture during the 61st session of the Academy Awards that took place in March 29, 1989. Tess McGill is an astute, formally employed individual having just graduated from university with a Business Degree. From Staten Island, Tess dreams of becoming an executive in a company. However, she finds herself in trouble when she insults her colleague and finds that she is given a different assignment. She thereby becomes the assistant to a different financial executive who is known as Katherine Parker. Coming off as a supportive person, Parker persuades Tess to contribute her ideas actively. However, Katherine Parker fractures her leg while on a skiing trip in Europe and requests Tess to fill in for her while she is recuperating. Later, she accidentally finds out that Katherine plans to steal one of her ideas. Consequently, she finds her boyfriend sleeping with another woman. Afterwards, she decides to organize a conference with another executive, Jack Trainer, whom she unknowingly sleeps with after taking alcohol and valium while suffering a panic attack. To her advantage, Tra iner is positive with her idea and helps Tess have a meeting with another executive, Trask. Additionally, she discovers that Trainer was in a relationship with Katherine. A scuffle erupts between Katherine and Tess after arriving on the day of meeting. She lays the blame on Tess, arguing that Tess has stolen her idea. However, Trask confronts Katherine after being convinced by Jack and Tess that it was Tess’ idea. Katherine stumbles and is fired by Trask who offers Tess an executive job in the company. There are various themes that the movie exalts especially pertaining to issues affecting women. In the past, women never had any right to work; instead, they were discarded as homemakers and mothers without any involvement in financial matters and decision making in the family. Consequently, men were the ones responsible for discriminating women. According to John Stuart Mill, men hindered women from taking part in jobs believing that they were protecting them from hurting themselves. He further asserted that, in real sense, men were afraid of what women could accomplish if allowed to pursue other opportunities (Mill, 54). The discrimination of women further accentuated the rise of women civil rights movement. The movements characterized feminism, which championed the rights of women. Despite the movements taking place in different time eras, they similarly advocated for economic equity, equal political power, sexuality freedoms, reproductive privileges, family issues, equity in educ ations and employment equality as brought out in the film (Flexner and Fitzpatrick, 201). The film is an interesting piece to watch especially the calculative and manipulative nature of Katherine Parker and the resilience. However, it should be noted that the movie does not only connect with women’s intricacies in the job sector, but also on upward mobility. This is indicated by the appraisal of Tess McGill’s status from an ordinary secretary to a corporate executive. Furthermore, the movie portrays the competitive nature in companies and businesses in order to move up the social ladder. This is indicated by the manipulation of Tess McGill by her former figurehead, Katherine Parker, by stealing her ideas and causing her failure, which will eventually lead to a disastrous outcome. There have also been instances of sexual connotations, which have mostly ensued between McGill and another figurehead, Jack Trainer that still portrayed the use of manipulative techniques to ensure upward mobility. Flexner, Eleanor, and Ellen F. Fitzpatrick. Century of Struggle: The Woman’s Rights Movement in the United States. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Belknap Press of Harvard Univ. Press, 2000. Print. Mill, John S. The Subjection of Women. Lexinton, Kentucky: CreateSpace, 2012. Print.

Factors Affecting Staffing in Australian Manufacturing Industry

Factors Affecting Staffing in Australian Manufacturing Industry Overview of Australian Manufacturing Industry The manufacturing industry in Australia has been recording impressive performance for many years now. The industry offers a lot of employment opportunities to Australians as well as individuals from other countries. The recent researches that have been conducted show that, Australian industry provides more than one million direct job opportunities.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Factors Affecting Staffing in Australian Manufacturing Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The industry constitutes about 14% of private sector employments and about 10% of all Australian jobs. From these researches too, the future of the industry is quite promising. For that reason, the government has invested a lot in the industry to assist in improving it accordingly (Dick 2007, p. 291). In addition, the effective communication between the local and the foreign manufacturers has also co ntributed to the success of the industry. These foreign manufacturers provide the local ones with the necessary information regarding the conditions of the global markets. This implies that, the manufacturing industry in Australia relies mostly on foreign supplies for its achievements (Dick 2007, p. 293). The report compiled in 2006 indicates that, the industry generated more than $448, 560 million to the Australian government. In that year, the industry was operating at a gross product of $ 94, 800 million. There are various components, which contributed to this gross product. They included enterprises with 320 units and establishments at over 460 units. The industry provided more than 210,100 units of job opportunities. The industry also contributed more than $231,560 and $52,530 respectively, to the Australian economy from goods manufactured locally as well as those sold in the global markets (Dick 2007, p. 294). In order to operate properly, the manufacturing industry requires w orkers with appropriate skills related to the industry’s activities. In other words, the industry requires individuals who have technical manufacturing know-how, mechanical proficiency and who can depict maximum loyalty to the manufacturing companies.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The industry obtains these workers locally as well as from other countries. This process of obtaining workers to help run the activities of these manufacturing companies is referred to as staffing (Cook 2009, p. 57). There are several aspects, which affect staffing in Australian manufacturing industry. These aspects include demographic, economic, socio-cultural and political factors among others. This paper is going to discuss how these factors influence the staffing process in the Australian manufacturing industry. It will also give recommendations on how staffing in the manufa cturing industry can be done to increase the productivity of the industry (Gatewood, Field Barrick 2011, p. 31). Change in Technology Technology defines the process by which a manufacturing plant transforms its raw materials to final products. Therefore, technology includes aspects such as machinery, work format, employees’ know-how, tools and equipment. As the world continues to change, technology also changes. Research has shown that technological changes impact greatly on the way manufacturers compete with one another, the way they market their products and more importantly, the way they recruit employees (Weihrich, Koontz Cannice 2010, p. 249). Technological improvement has been the main driving force in the creation of new markets for Australian manufactured goods. The advancement has equally resulted in the expansion of the existing markets. Manufacturing companies, which have already incorporated modern technologies into their production processes, produce goods that compete fairly in Australian local markets as well as the foreign ones (Weihrich, Koontz Cannice 2010, p. 251). Following the changes in technology and the quest of manufacturing industry in Australia to keep up with the changes, the industry requires individuals with new manufacturing skills. In other words, as these manufacturing companies struggle to adopt the new technologies, the need to recruit employees with new skills also arises.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Factors Affecting Staffing in Australian Manufacturing Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Other manufacturing companies have been training the existing employees on the new technologies. Establishing and implementing new technologies is the only way a manufacturing company in Australia can survive the current stiff competition (Ross, Verclas, Levine Levine 2009, p. 43). To some extent, technological advancement in Australia has resulted in under-staffing of the manufacturing companies in this country. It is a common knowledge that new technologies improve the economy of a country. Higher economic growth rates on the other hand, is a characteristic of higher rate of unemployment. Australian manufacturing companies, which use advanced technologies, have retrenched most of their employees who do not have the necessary skills. The companies find it expensive to train and retrain these employees on the aspects of the new technology (Weihrich, Koontz Cannice 2010, p. 256). Social and Cultural Factors The major social-cultural factors influencing the way manufacturing industry in Australia recruit their employees include Australian culture, discriminatory aspect and the size and composition of the Australian population (Vance Paik 2011, p. 180). Culture has great effects on the staffing process in the Australian manufacturing industry. It has been proved that, workers recruited into manufacturing industry with culture as one of the major bases, get assimilated faster, they record better performance, and are likely to stay longer in these companies (Vance Paik 2011, p. 182). Most of the Australian manufacturing companies prefer to employ individuals possessing Australian culture. The companies argue that, these kinds of workers are easy to train, are much familiar with the Australian environment and in most cases, are loyal to the rules of the companies. Employing such individuals also helps the manufacturing industry to improve its productivity. However, some of the companies hold a different opinion they employ people from different cultures. Incorporating foreign employees into the list of workers may help a company to discover new aspects that are crucial to the manufacturing activities (Vance Paik 2011, p. 182).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Discrimination may lead to a section of a population being denied the chance to work in certain manufacturing companies. It is a fact that some of the Australian manufacturing companies discriminate against some races, minority language group and castes among other groups of individuals. There are some companies, which specifically recruit people from a particular background (Klein 2007, p. 356). Discrimination has also been blamed in the recruitment of a particular sex. Most companies in the industry feel that women are not fit for the manufacturing activities. For that reason, the companies have a staff consisting of more males than females. This may be a draw back to the performance of these companies. Some women are more knowledgeable than their male counterparts and so, denying them the chance to work in the manufacturing industry is the same as preventing the knowledge they have from assisting the companies to achieve their objectives (Vance Paik 2011, p. 185). Demographic Fa ctors The major demographic factors that affect the way Australian manufacturing companies recruit workers include the level of education, age and sex (Caruth, Caruth Pane 2009, p. 118). The level of education is known to influence greatly the way manufacturing industry in Australia staff the companies. Most of these companies require that those interested in working for them be taken through a thorough training before being employed in the companies. Those companies, which deal in production of highly technological products such as motor vehicles require individuals with advanced skills and experience. For that reason, such companies only recruit individuals who have specific qualifications from college (Caruth, Caruth Pane 2009, p. 121). Age is also a major factor that the companies consider when hiring people to work for them. Since manufacturing activities involve mostly physical work, the manufacturing companies insist on recruiting individuals who are young, energetic and wi lling to work for extra hours in form of overtime. This has resulted in the companies having staffs that mainly comprise of individuals between 25 to 40 years of age. Old people are not hired since the nature of the manufacturing jobs is not suitable for them. The companies too have to follow the Australian government rules on employment and so, underage individuals are not employed to work in the companies (Caruth, Caruth Pane 2009, p. 122). Sex refers to either being male or female. The manufacturing companies prefer to hire male individuals to female ones. Since the government employment rules require that expectant women be given a three month-leave from work, the companies feel that, hiring a bigger number of women will interfere with their production pace. The companies also view it as a loss since the women on leave have to be paid without working. As a consequence, the manufacturing companies have staffs constituted by bigger number of men than that of women (Brown Swain 2 009, p. 28). Political Factors Political and governmental forces just like other factors influence the way companies hire employees. Government rules dictate companies to follow the laid down procedures when recruiting individuals to work for them. For instance, companies have to consider aspects such as age, ethnicity and sex while recruiting employees. Government requires that there has to be at least a third of each sex in the total number of employees in every company. It is also a criminal offence in Australia for a company to employ a minor to work for it (Gatewood, Field Barrick 2011, p. 37). There are some companies in Australia for which the government selects the senior staff. These are mostly public companies. In such cases, the dominant factor in the selection is politics. The individuals are purely chosen through parliament votes. Voting in parliament is an activity that is dictated upon by the majority. In some cases, the voting process provides outcome that are not r eally helpful to these public companies. Still, parliament’s decision in Australia is considered final and hence, irreversible (Gatewood, Field Barrick 2011, p. 40). Economic Factors Economy as a whole has great impact on the staffing of a company. The economy of Australia has been steady for the last ten years. In other words, the economy has been expanding rapidly. This has in turn compelled the manufacturing companies to find ways to maintain the expansion. One of the ways has been to intensify the use of modern technologies in production. Technology advancement combines several stages of production thereby minimizing the number of stages that are required in the production of a particular product. As a result, companies find it necessary to retrench some of the workers. In essence, the expansion in Australian economy has resulted in reduced staff in various manufacturing economies (Caruth, Caruth Pane 2009, p. 127). The State of the economy determines the amount of wage s and salaries that manufacturing companies offer their employees. Manufacturing companies would not want to run at a loss by offering huge wages than what the economy can support. This also applies to the Australian manufacturing companies. As a result, only individuals who accept the pay offered to them by the companies are employed and retained in the manufacturing industry (Cook 2009, p. 61). Recommendations Technology is an important factor in the manufacturing industry in Australia. It is a factor that helps a company to compete effectively in the Australian local markets as well as the markets abroad. However, advancement in technology leads to reduction in the number of staff. In other words, it leads to unemployment. It is therefore important that change in technology is designed in such a way that it either maintains the current status of employment or if possible, it increases the number of job opportunities in the manufacturing industry (Weihrich, Koontz Cannice 2010, p . 258). As much as the manufacturing companies feel that employing individuals with background knowledge of the country is more important, to a greater extent it hinders the introduction of new ideas into the industry. The companies should employ individuals with different backgrounds. This implies that the companies should not consider the place of origin during recruitment of employees. Foreigners are known to have new ideas, most of which may be quite crucial in the development of these companies (Koontz Weihrich 2010, p. 224). In order to allow the manufacturing industry in Australia to function independently, the Australian government needs to keep itself away from the industry. In most cases, politics have been proved to cause malfunctions in the operations of manufacturing companies especially the public ones. Since the government may not be in the best position to determine what is really required in a particular company, entirely leaving the decision making processes to th e companies’ board of directors will be the best thing to do (Koontz Weihrich 2010, p. 227). In conclusion, manufacturing industry in Australia plays a great role in boosting the country’s economy. Through the industry, the country has been able to create a lot of job opportunities to majority of Australians. The staffing of these companies is influenced by a number of factors. These factors include demographic, economic, change in technology, government and political influence and social-cultural forces. References Brown, JN Swain, A 2009, The professional recruiter’s handbook: delivering excellence in recruitment practice, Kogan Page, London. Caruth, DL, Caruth, GD Pane, SS 2009, Staffing the contemporary organization: a guide to planning, recruiting, and selecting for human resource professionals, Praeger Publishers, Westport, CO. Cook, M 2009, Personal selection: adding value through people, Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, NH. Dick, H 2007, The international ization strategies of small-country firms: the Australia experience of globalization, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd, Northampton, MA. Gatewood, RD, Field, HS Barrick, M 2011, Human resource selection, South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, OH. Klein, SS 2007, Handbook for achieving gender equity through education, Routledeg, Mahwah, NJ. Koontz, H Weihrich, H 2010, Essentials of management: an international perspective, Teta McGraw-Hill, New Delhi. Ross, H, Verclas, K, Levine Levine, A 2009, Managing technology to meet your mission, a strategic guide for nonprofit leaders, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. Vance, CM Paik, Y 2011, Managing a global workforce: challenges and opportunities in international human resource management, Sharpe, Armonk, NY. Weihrich, H, Koontz, H Cannice, MV 2010, management: a global and enterprenuerial perspective, Teta McGraw-Hill, New Delhi.

Windows 2000 essays

Windows 2000 essays When deciding on an operating system to use there are many things that should be looked at, such as the hardware, software that is available for the operating system, the total cost involved, which includes hardware and software, what type of user interface is available, and what it is doing in the market. The market could influence what type of support is out there for the operating system. Hardware requirements for an operating system (actually almost any software) are a funny thing. Everyone wants them to mean something different. The software manufacturers are focused on selling their software and have a stake in getting as much of the purchasers money as possible. The hardware vendors have a stake (like the software vendor) in maximizing their own share of purchase dollars. The system buyer wants to make the minimum investment necessary to support their requirements. A well-informed buyer realizes that hardware costs are always dropping and they do not want to overbuy on hardware. Given all of this, hardware requirements are often a mixed bag as far as a specific roadmap for what you must purchase. A smart hardware purchase is mapped to specific requirements and benchmarked against similar implementations. One further complication that will affects the comparison is, an enterprise UNIX server will be found in a larger data center hosting enterprise class applications such as an ERP or database. Windows 2000 servers may be found in the same companies; however, they will be providing an administrative function (e.g., hosting a shared drive or providing network authentication services). Windows 2000 is relatively simple. It is designed to work with virtually any Pentium class processor. It requires 128 MB of RAM (256 MB recommended) and supports up to 4GB. Later versions of the system will likely support more ram and they migrate to 64bits. At least 1 gigabyte of hard disk space is required for a ...

Mordern East Asia Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mordern East Asia - Term Paper Example y (economy), and Minds (idea and intellect).   Lampton starts with the reference to the Chinese history well back to 500 BC discussing briefly about the Sun Tzo, then, Chairman Mao and Deng Xiaoping up to the present day.   China has emerged but this is unlike the Soviet Union and Japan, just being a military power and economic giant respectively; Soviet Union was not an economic power, and Japan is not at all a military giant on the other hand.   This is a modern China with globalization, urbanization, and marketization making China the stronger from both parameters, the coercive and economic; in fact, there is also the third parameter being the nonphysical what he calls "ideational power."   According to Lampton the credit for  Chinas coercive power goes to  Chairman Mao, for  it monetary power it goes to Deng Xiaoping, and for todays financial and  idea power it belongs to the current leaders.   About Coercive power, China is explored in comparison with its relationships with the neighbors and the U.S.; Chinese military capabilities are increasing systematically and effectively.   â€Å"The PRC was annually adding between 75 to 120 short-range ballistic missiles (300 to 600 kilometers in range) to  its existing  inventory† (Lampton 50). There is a mutual stronger and growing U.S.-China relationship; and China wants to do all together for the goodness of world problems.   â€Å"China has sufficient nuclear weapons to hold approximately 15-20 million U.S. citizens  at risk† (Lampton 52). This might of China does not mean just arms and weapons; it reflects the concept of Peoples Liberation Army to be the military modernization of the forces along with the development of space capabilities â€Å"that by 2010 aims to establish an earth observation system† (Lampton 56). About Financial or Economic power of China it is an obvious case that this power has increased as a buyer, importer, and investor  in addition to  its old image of being only a powerhouse of selling

Informal Objective Summaries Ethics, the Cold War, Vietnam Essay

Informal Objective Summaries Ethics, the Cold War, Vietnam - Essay Example He asserts that Christians should pray and have faith and hope of winning. He goes further to explain that this is because we are the cause of war. He claims that it is the hatred in our own selves that makes us to fight. We fight because our hatred is so big that we cannot note, but see the little hatred in others. We use others as scapegoats and invest all our evil in them and, therefore, think that once we fight these scapegoats we will be liberated. However, deep in the article, Morton gets into the social cultural perspective and condemns the society for its failures in protecting those who had good intentions for the society. He says that the society instead criticizes them for their failures in some cases blaming them for the happenings. He says the power of God can be the solution since as much as we do not trust in one another we all trust in Gods being and we should not condemn but love all carefully (Merton, 1962). Roy Arundhat argues from social/ cultural perspective. â⠂¬Å"Drinking wine and preaching water†, a phrase commonly used to refer to hypocritical acts, is what Arundhat Roy indirectly meant by saying girls are boys and boys are girls in reference to America particularly the war with Iraq and the Taliban terrorists. This is particularly because before the war, the then American president said America was a peaceful country that had its own fundamental values and could not accept evil, violence, and murderers. Roy’s argument here is that, if for real America rejected violence, war, and evil they should have not gone to wars in the first place for war is an act of all. He goes further to list the other twenty nations that America has been involved in war with since world war two to emphasize this. Roy pinpoints some of the reasons why he opposes the war by fast saying that acts of terrorism should be condemned including the September 11th bombing. However, he notes that the methods used to respond (attacking the Taliban) in Iraq and hurting thousands of innocent people including women and children was not right. Roy point out that this has adversely affected the world’s economic status beginning with the instability of many countries economy because of the oil from the middle east which was affected by the war (Iraq) (Arundhat, 2001). Model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal or one who has been declared so (Saint) by canonization are the simple definitions or what we think of once we hear a person be referred to as a Saint. A peacemaker can be compared to a saint. He should be compared to a saint because of taking the risk to ensure that people live in harmony. Peacemaking is not an easy act and sometimes one has to create peace by ignoring what a war can do to him or her. In this context, we can use the example of Thomas Merton who gave an example of those who have good intentions for the society, but if they fail, they are condemned. Therefore, a peacemaker takes the risk de spite knowing the risks in case of failure and stands in to see a good course for the society. Secondly, a peacemaker should be compared to a saint since every war is different or special in its own right and brings different challenges that must be overcome by a peacemaker. This is a role that can be played by a few people because of the risks and dangers involved in it. Therefore, one who stands in as a peacemaker does something extra ordinary (has no equal) or special,

Reaction paper of Ideoligy explore in venezuela Essay

Reaction paper of Ideoligy explore in venezuela - Essay Example Given its huge oil resources Venezuela should ideally command a lot of respect internationally as a economically stable state. This however doesn’t seem to be true with the larger percentage of it’s population living below the poverty line. At the time president Chavez took over the rains around 70% of the population was below the poverty line. It was expected and hoped that this condition would change. This however did not happen largely due to the ideologies adopted by the government. The gap between the rich and the poor is just too big considering the massive capabilities that the country has. The very thing that should generate prosperity seems to be driving the disparity. Oil should be good for any given country but when combined with corruption which is rampant in the country then the effects can be catastrophic as they are in this country. The oil industry is controlled by the rich and affluent political class. This class is well known for the greed with which they want to line their pockets with more wealth. They rarely consider the poor. The oil industry is very labour intensive which contributes for the high unemployment rates. Another factor that fuels this state is the fact that the country for the most part is dependent on imports which has never made it easy for any economy. Add to this the fact that every citizen is always trying to enrich themselves. Hoarding of these imported goods is rampart driving inflation in the country high (Dunaway 55). The high prices cause the government to try and rectify this and the most popular way for them is to make more money fuelling inflation. This inflation seems the poorer even poorer. One would argue that the best way to cure this would for a total overhaul the ideologies prevalent in the political class. Them being the main stakeholders in both the economy and the social level they are the ones who would drive any change in the country, ideological or otherwise. They need to

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Human Resource Management - Essay Example The main argument is that the framework for a diverse workplace is contingent on the successful development of these three categories. The article indicates that the motivating and controlling factor for diversity in the workforce is the headquarters. In this way there is the recommendation to begin planning diversity at this stage and then extend it to subsidiary organizations. Diversity variables are also noted as an important notion in that they consider the changing nature of diversity based on region. The author indicates that multicultural teams are effective as the multiplicity of perspectives creates opportunities for increased innovation. To a large part the article downplays reasons against diversity, although there are a few instances. For instance, while multicultural teams may be good for innovation, it is also possible that the divergence of viewpoints and backgrounds causes increased troubles for collaboration. Ultimately I found this article insightful in the way that it attempted to establish a framework for implementing diversity in the workforce. Still, I believe that the article lacks the detail that is needed to truly enact change, as there will be different challenges for different labor environments. Linda Gravett’s article ‘Diversity Efforts Can Support Business Imperatives’ considers diversity in terms of diverse business operations. For instance, there is the indication that businesses that are able to expand into international markets receive a greater competitive advantage. The author also makes the point that for organizations to increasingly survive they must consider diversity as a strong part of their missions and values. This vision of diversity refers to establishing a workforce with diverse talents and skills. Gravett later relays a story about working in Japan. During this period she was tasked with conducting a training program for her organization. The students were Japanese and refrained

Economic Concept and Its Implications in Our Life Research Paper

Economic Concept and Its Implications in Our Life - Research Paper Example Economics is useful in each and every aspect of life. Economics mainly deals with choice and decision making. Understanding of economics concepts is helpful for our lives and existence in today’s world and to understand the functions of the business world. Here we will discuss the economic concept and its implications in our life. The law of demand defines that when the price of product rises and every other thing remains constant then the quantity demand of the product will fall. It means when the price rises then the quantity demanded declines. Every other remains constant is known as â€Å"Ceteris Paribus† assumption. It means that wealth; income, population, preferences and price of other goods are constant and remain the same. Shifts in Demand or change in demand happens at the time when any one of the components of demand changes other than the price. It can also be said as a shift in demand occurs when the situation is not ceteris paribus. The Law of Supply defin es that when the price of the product rises and every other thing is constant (Ceteris Paribas situation) then the quantity of product supplied will also increase. It means that when the price of the product is increasing then the quantity of supply of the product is also increasing. Shifts in Supply or changes in supply happen when any one of the components of the supply changes other than the price. It means when ceteris paribus doesn’t occur. The concept of demand and supply is also applicable to our daily life. For example- Rice is the staple food in most of the Asian countries.

Anthrolpology - Illegal Immigration and the Mexican people (research Essay

Anthrolpology - Illegal Immigration and the Mexican people (research paper) - Essay Example Many have, however, attempted to deny access to housing, schools, medical treatment and social programs to non-citizens. Some argue that U.S. laws apply to all within its borders, legally or not such as the Fifth Amendment right to due process of law. The laws certainly apply to all when they are broken. The federal government, to no one’s surprise, has been no help. For example, the Bush administration has long supported some form of amnesty which has enraged those that are opposed to illegal aliens living, working or going to school in the U.S. On the other hand, the administration also endorses the PATRIOT Act which denies constitutionally guaranteed rights to all people and further punishes immigrants in the effort to win the ‘war on terror.’ The ‘right’ answer escapes the government and many others as well because of the issue’s many complexities. This discussion will examine the immigration debate from a legal, economic and social view. It will present the administration’s answer to the problem along with an opposing opinion. It will also speak to laws germane to the debate including a brief review of the PATRIOT Act, the Fifth Amendment regarding due process and the Fourteenth Amendment which relates to automatic citizenship by birth. The fundamental reason for the flood of immigration from Latin America, specifically Mexico, is the disintegration of the Mexican economy predominantly resulting from free-trade strategies employed by the North American Free Trade Agreement and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The rampant corruption within the Mexican government has also contributed significantly to the collapse of the Mexican economy. â€Å"Due to IMF policies regarding Mexico, its economic output dropped 33 percent in the past two decades† (Small, 2005). During this period, its foreign debt rose 359

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Human Resource Management - Essay Example The main argument is that the framework for a diverse workplace is contingent on the successful development of these three categories. The article indicates that the motivating and controlling factor for diversity in the workforce is the headquarters. In this way there is the recommendation to begin planning diversity at this stage and then extend it to subsidiary organizations. Diversity variables are also noted as an important notion in that they consider the changing nature of diversity based on region. The author indicates that multicultural teams are effective as the multiplicity of perspectives creates opportunities for increased innovation. To a large part the article downplays reasons against diversity, although there are a few instances. For instance, while multicultural teams may be good for innovation, it is also possible that the divergence of viewpoints and backgrounds causes increased troubles for collaboration. Ultimately I found this article insightful in the way that it attempted to establish a framework for implementing diversity in the workforce. Still, I believe that the article lacks the detail that is needed to truly enact change, as there will be different challenges for different labor environments. Linda Gravett’s article ‘Diversity Efforts Can Support Business Imperatives’ considers diversity in terms of diverse business operations. For instance, there is the indication that businesses that are able to expand into international markets receive a greater competitive advantage. The author also makes the point that for organizations to increasingly survive they must consider diversity as a strong part of their missions and values. This vision of diversity refers to establishing a workforce with diverse talents and skills. Gravett later relays a story about working in Japan. During this period she was tasked with conducting a training program for her organization. The students were Japanese and refrained

Anthrolpology - Illegal Immigration and the Mexican people (research Essay

Anthrolpology - Illegal Immigration and the Mexican people (research paper) - Essay Example Many have, however, attempted to deny access to housing, schools, medical treatment and social programs to non-citizens. Some argue that U.S. laws apply to all within its borders, legally or not such as the Fifth Amendment right to due process of law. The laws certainly apply to all when they are broken. The federal government, to no one’s surprise, has been no help. For example, the Bush administration has long supported some form of amnesty which has enraged those that are opposed to illegal aliens living, working or going to school in the U.S. On the other hand, the administration also endorses the PATRIOT Act which denies constitutionally guaranteed rights to all people and further punishes immigrants in the effort to win the ‘war on terror.’ The ‘right’ answer escapes the government and many others as well because of the issue’s many complexities. This discussion will examine the immigration debate from a legal, economic and social view. It will present the administration’s answer to the problem along with an opposing opinion. It will also speak to laws germane to the debate including a brief review of the PATRIOT Act, the Fifth Amendment regarding due process and the Fourteenth Amendment which relates to automatic citizenship by birth. The fundamental reason for the flood of immigration from Latin America, specifically Mexico, is the disintegration of the Mexican economy predominantly resulting from free-trade strategies employed by the North American Free Trade Agreement and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The rampant corruption within the Mexican government has also contributed significantly to the collapse of the Mexican economy. â€Å"Due to IMF policies regarding Mexico, its economic output dropped 33 percent in the past two decades† (Small, 2005). During this period, its foreign debt rose 359

Reading Comprehension Essay Example for Free

Reading Comprehension Essay Reading comprehension is a valuable and necessary tool in the learning process. It allows the reader to expand his vocabulary, understand the text he is reading, and use various strategies as he might need them in order to improve learning. It is necessary because it shapes the readers understanding of ideas and words. It assists his ability to make sense of ideas and concepts. It can even affect various parts of public life, such as the political arena. In assessing the readers state of reading comprehension, there are three levels: literal, interpretive, and applied. If the reader is not satisfied with his own level of reading comprehension, all is not lost. There are means by which to improve it. These include growing ones vocabulary, utilizing multiple senses, and changing ones reading speed. All of these tools serve to advance the learning process. In order for one to understand the value reading comprehension possesses, one must first understand what it is. Reading comprehension is â€Å"the process of understanding or making meaning when reading† (Elish-Piper, 2010). The reader can use what he knows to get a grasp of the material he is reading. For example, a large vocabulary—understanding the meanings of many words—can help someone understand a wide variety of texts. The text can usually be placed into a specific category. For example, a novel about an unsolved crime would be in the category of a mystery. The reader can then place the text into a proper context. For the purposes of our mystery novel, it could be for the readers own enjoyment, or perhaps an assignment for a college course. Elish-Piper asserts that â€Å"when the reader is able to connect these three key components,† it is much easier for that person to comprehend what he is reading. If the reader needs to, he can use strategies to help comprehend the text better. Elish-Piper also gives ideas for those strategies. With our mystery novel example, the reader could identify the â€Å"basic elements† of the story, which are present with any novel. These include plot, setting, and the main characters. Putting ones self in the position of characters in the text could also help. Asking questions periodically is also a positive way of self-checking for knowledge and comprehension of the text. One might ask why this comprehension is so important. The very definition of reading comprehension serves to help answer that question. If the reader does not understand what he is reading, he probably is not gaining anything from it. It would be tantamount to staring at a book written in a foreign language. Learning does not happen by osmosis; it happens through understanding. It also allows us to make sense of ideas and concepts. The wider the variety of texts one has read and comprehended, the more knowledge that person has gained. A person with increased knowledge, therefore, understands more ideas and concepts than he did before. This can impact a wide variety of areas. It can even effect areas of public policy. Politicians pass laws, and these laws are (obviously) comprised of words. In order for these leaders to understand how their legislation will affect their intended group, they have to understand what they are writing and reading. Beyond this, policy itself is sometimes designed to shape the practice of education—and thus reading comprehension itself. Over the past years, policy makers have utilized â€Å"assessment data† in the various field of education, including reading comprehension, for â€Å"education purposes† (Moskowitz Stephens, 2004). In supplement to policy makers, educators have their own views on reading comprehension. There are three levels of reading comprehension (Gambrell, Morrow, Pressley, 2007). The first level is â€Å"literal. † Literal reading comprehension is the understanding of the base of what is in the text. It is the most basic level and includes items that are generally not left up to interpretation. These can include names, dates, places, and the like. The second level of reading comprehension is â€Å"interpretive. † This type of reading comprehension is not concerned so much with what is actually present, but rather, what one can gather. Reading between the lines and drawing from the readers own knowledge, and answering subjective questions, helps. Finally, the third and most advanced level of reading comprehension is â€Å"applied. † Bluntly, this level allows the reader to utilize what is present in the text, make sense of it using context clues, and then using the knowledge gained to learn and understand concepts and ideas outside the scope of the text at hand. Perhaps the reader is not satisfied with his level of reading comprehension. All is not lost; there are means to improve. The most obvious way to improve reading comprehension is to grow ones vocabulary. It is never too late to learn new words. However, there is more that one can do than the obvious. Using multiple senses is an out-of-the-box way to understand new material. Combining visual and auditory senses is a helpful way to increase comprehension (Woolley, 2010). The reader can use his imagination to set the scene in the text and then read the text aloud or listen to an audio book. Making an outline of the crucial points of the text and then reading that aloud is another way to reiterate key points. Moreover, reading slowly with a purpose as opposed to reading for speed is another way to be sure the reader understands details (Newkirk, 2010). â€Å"Slowing down,† â€Å"memorizing,† and â€Å"savoring passages† are steps in this beneficial process. No matter ones level of education, reading comprehension is an invaluable tool for success in life. Once a reader understands what reading comprehension is, he can assess his level of comprehension, and then take one or more of a large number of steps to increase his ability. This, in turn, will help him be able to make sense of the world around him, and thus, put himself in a better position to succeed with whatever he does. References Elish-Piper, L. (2010). Understanding reading comprehension: Information and ideas for parents about reading comprehension. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 38 (3). 49-52. Gambrell, L. B. , Morrow, L. M. , Pressley, M. (2007). Best practices in literacy instruction. New York, NY: Guilford Press. Moskowitz, J. H. Stephens, M. (2004). Comparing learning outcomes: International assessments and education policy. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Newkirk, T. (2010, March). The case for slow reading. Educational Leadership, 67 (6). 6. Woolley, G. (2010, June). Developing reading comprehension: Combining visual and verbal cognitive processes. Australian Journal of Language Literacy, 33 (2). 108-125.

Organized Crime: Theory and Characteristics

Organized Crime: Theory and Characteristics Statistically, most crimes committed in major American cities are crimes of passion, convenience, or opportunity committed by individual perpetrators; these can be classed as street crime or disorganized crime (Ryan and George, 1997). Disorganized crimes are difficult to predict and, often, difficult to solve. Because they cut across racial, class, and gender lines, disorganized crimes have fascinated historians, and there are several studies that attempt to find rational explanations for patterns in crime rates. How would you describe or define organized crime? Since the 1920s, organized crime has fascinated, horrified, and been a continuous concern for citizens and law enforcement officials in the United States (Lupsha, 1996). The public perception of organized crime has been shaped by the large volume of movies, television shows, and books that have distorted the public image of organized crime and misled the response to it. First and foremost, the first thing or picture that comes into the mind when organized crime is mentioned, is John Gotti, Al Capone and Paul Castellano, these individuals are some of the well known as members of the organized crime. Many people argue that this named individuals who have previously served jail sentence could serve as perpetrators of organized crime. So, the question is, what is the actually the right definition of organized crime? Organized crime can be defined as a group of individual who have structured plans and their objective is to get money by or through committing illegal activities. Individuals who are connected with organized crime meet their financial needs through violence, corrupt officials, and extortion. These individuals end up affecting people from as close as their neighbor hoods and as far away as other countries. The personal perception of this author is that organized crime is the organization of several participating parties who share a common goal; generally, focused on monetary gain or control of power. How does your perception compare to the definitions in the readings? In reading chapter 1 of Organized Crime, I have realized that one definition can not completely define the concept of organized crime. According to the text organized crime can be defined as two or more persons conspiring together on a continuing and secretive basis with the aim of committing one or more serious crimes in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit. My perception of organized crime and book assessment of organized crime is not that far apart. Conceptually, the term organized crime has been used to differentiate a specific manner of criminality from forms of personal and property crimes typically committed by individuals working alone (such as residential burglaries, mugging, automobile theft, vandalism, crimes of passion, and so on). Public perception of organized crime has largely been shaped by the media and the entertainment industry (Lupsha, 1996). As in entertainment industry, organized crime has become synonymous with such criminal genres as the Italian Mafia, outlaw motorcycle gangs, Chinese Triads, the Japanese yakuza, Colombian cocaine cartels, and the Russian mafyia. While a defining characteristic of these dominant organized crime genres has been a shared ethnicity, organized criminality is present among a wide range of ethnic groups and nationalities. Moreover, in recent years, it has become apparent that race or ethnicity is no longer the most important criterion of who participates in a particular organized crime conspiracy. Not only has there been evidence of cooperation among many of these dominant genres, but there are also thousands of other individual criminal entrepreneurs who work together, on an ad hoc or ongoing basis, in pursuit of illegal revenues, regardless of ethnicity, nationality, or language. The term organized crime has also been used to refer to certain illegal activities that are typically carried out by criminal organizations, such as drug trafficking, extortion, labor racketeering, smuggling, corruption, and money laundering. However, organized crime should not be strictly defined by the type of illegal activities carried out by criminal organizations and networks, for many of these criminal activities can also be conducted by individuals working alone. Instead, organized crime can best be characterized by how illegal activities are carried out. Some of the defining characteristics of organized criminality are summarized below. What characteristics do you think are associated with organized criminal behavior? The difficulty in clearly defining the concept of organized crime comes from the ambiguity of the term organized. For example, how organized does a criminal outfit need to be to be considered an agent of organized crime? Most people who have studied the phenomenon agree that, at the very least, an organized-crime group has to maintain a clear hierarchy among its members and function according to a set of enforceable rules and regulations. A city gang, therefore, which temporarily groups a few youths involved in illegal activities, does not constitute organized crime. Common behaviors among organized crime groups have been within a global magnitude. These organizations have engaged in enterprises, which include various criminal acts. They specialize in money laundering, drug trafficking, blackmail, gambling, extortion, political corruption, and loan-sharking. It seems if these individuals are permitted to silence witnesses, murder, and blackmail; extort, etc., law enforcement will con stantly have difficulty in apprehending said persons or any kind of conviction regarding their actions and-or behavior (Lyman and Potter, 2007). The primary goal of organized crime is economic profit. Organized crime does not traditionally espouse and fight for a particular political ideology. Thus, terrorist organizations like Hamas and al-Qaeda are not usually considered organized-crime groups, even if they are well organized and engage in illegal activities. organized-crime groups may acquire political power to ensure prosperity for their members, but they do not generally perceive political power as a goal in itself. organized-crime groups have a limited, highly specialized membership and are characterized by a carefully thought-out division of labor. As in any legal business enterprise, every member knows his or her place in the organization and will undertake specific duties on a regular basis. Unlike legal businesses, however, organized crime shows a willingness to resort to violence and bribery to achieve its goals. The continued existence of an organized-crime group does not rely on specific individuals. In other words, in this kind of a group, everybody is replaceable. Even if the leader of the outfit dies or goes to jail, the organization is designed to promptly find somebody to take over. Organized crime, therefore, is characterized by permanency, as much as by its economic priorities, lack of political ideology, hierarchy, and specialization.

Eng Comparison Essay :: essays papers

Eng Comparison Essay Innocence, happiness, success, and optimism, are all characteristics of human kind. A cure for cancer is superior to the elimination of physical abuse and suicidal death’s. A result to have all people treated equally appreciated and loved. Is it a possible gesture? It may not happen in our lifetime, but if powerful and caring individuals join forces, it is possible to draw conclusions. To live the dreams and allusions each identity performs and has a reality to people and society. Within the three novels, Ellen Foster, A Virtuous Woman, and A Cure for Dreams, all written by the author Kaye Gibbons, each character from different novels struggles to face reality and find the correct path that will lead them to the right direction in life. While coping with the endless pain, Ellen, Jack, and Betty have only hope to lead them into the direction they encounter to approach. A fate in their lives can change forever. In addition, keep their â€Å"depressing days† only a me mory so that they will become successful. All characters are determined to overcome their obstacles and misery through hope, courage, and inspiration. Throughout Kaye Gibbon’s novels, each unified character portrays a resemblance to overcome their obstacles through hope. In Gibbon’s first novel, Ellen Foster the main character, Ellen a young child struggles to survive and live a normal childhood. Making matters worse, Ellen’s father was a drunken alcoholic who physically abuses her mother and sexually harasses his own daughter. As a result, Ellen’s mother commits suicide and her father dies from over dosage. As her, own parents abandon their precious child; Ellen was alone in search of a new home and family. As hope motivates Ellen to seek forward and find her new home she begins to believe what an ideal family would be like, â€Å"I had not figured out how to go about getting one for the most part, but I had a feeling it could be got†. Similar in Ellen’s case, in Gibbon’s second novel A Virtuous Woman, Jack is in search to regain himself after a heartbreak loss to his wife Ruby who died several months prior from lung cancer. Jack is an old farmer and relied heavily towards Ruby. He is now left on his own, he acknowledges that only hope may lead him back on his tracks and leave all the crucial memories behind.

The Importance of Class Status in British Society as Depicted in Britis

The Importance of Class Status in British Society as Depicted in British Sitcoms Focusing on British sitcoms as a genre of study, one can see many different levels in the structure of British society. Of particular interest is the classification of the characters into their social classes. In Porridge, Fletcher is seen as a working class convict who is confined to his place in society. However, within his incarceration a hierarchy among his "colleagues" is also apparent. Satisfied with his place at the top of this power structure, Fletcher continually maneuvers himself to improve his life without the ability to leave his social stratum. In contrast to Fletcher’s contentment is the character of Harold in Steptoe and Son. As a rag and bone man, Harold occupies one of the least respected jobs and, therefore, one of the lowest social statuses in society. Irritation with his rank propels Harold into trying to "better" his life; however, he is unsuccessful. Because Harold’s ability to improve himself is dependent on intelligence, which he defines as upwar d mobility on the social ladder, his ignorance prevents him from ever leaving his classified status. By comparing the situations of Fletcher and Harold, we will examine the question of why Fletcher is able to make small advances (even though the cyclical cycle of sitcoms does not allow for permanent change), while Harold is denied any advancement. Fletcher and his viewers easily accept his place as a convict because background information suggests that porridge life, or prison life, is normal for Fletcher. His character’s main role and source of humor are his continually successful attempts to undermine the authorities and receive the best treatment possible. In the episode enti... ...se he cannot disrupt society any more than he already has, while an upward movement by Harold may reveal a sign of weakness in the class distinctions of the viewers. In addition to viewers from a higher class looking down upon Harold, one must also consider that those within his class may disapprove of his attempt to change positions in society. Therefore, when analyzing a situation comedy and considering a character’s attempt to shift from one social class to another, one must recognize the unfair restrictions placed on the characters, and the implications that movement may have for the viewers. Works Cited Storry, Mike and Peter Childs eds. British Cultural Identities. New York: Routedge, 1997. "A Day Out" Porridge. British Broadcasting Company. BBC. 26 September 1974. "A Star is Born." Steptoe and Son. British Broadcasting Company. BBC. 28 February 1972.

Acct Mid-Term Solutions Essay

Examination I I will select five of the following questions for the mid-term exam. You should be able to answer all of them. You may work together in study groups and analyze and answer the questions. Obviously, the exam will be an individual effort. 1Accounting and Control The controller of a small private college is complaining about the amount of work she is required to do at the beginning of each month. The president of the university requires the controller to submit a monthly report by the fifth day of the following month. The monthly report contains pages of financial data from operations. The controller was heard saying, â€Å"Why does the president need all this information? He probably doesn’t read half of the report. He’s an old English professor and probably doesn’t know the difference between a cost and a revenue.† Required: a. What is the probable role of the monthly report? Ans: The monthly report is the report card for the University’s internal accounting system, these monthly reports are a formal part of the University’s information system, that provides data and knowledge for decision making (pg.2 of text). These reports are part of a system of controls, these controls force the organization to account for their monthly transactions and the president needs to know this so that he can defend and reconcile the position of his company. These reports are useful to the president so that he can manage the in-and-outflow of resources that keep the University’s board members and employees interests aligned. For the president, the role of these monthly reports are to provide information for necessary planning and decision making and to also help motivate and monitor people within the university (pg. 3 of text). b. What is the controller’s responsibility with respect to a president who doesn’t know much accounting? Ans: It is the controller’s responsibility to ensure the President understands what the reports say/symbolize and based upon those results, make suggestions on decisions. Their responsibilities involve assuring the reports are accurate, meet accounting standards by following accounting principles and procedures, and having a strong fiducial understanding of the business so that the numbers in his report tell a story about the University’s position in the market and the current state of its operational drivers (pg.10&11 of text). 2Cost, Volume, Profit Analysis Leslie Mittelberg is considering the wholesaling of a leather handbag from Kenya. She must travel to Kenya to check on quality and transportation. The trip will cost $3000. The cost of the handbag is $10 and shipping to the United States can occur through the postal system for $2 per handbag or through a freight company which will ship a container that can hold up to a 1000 handbags at a cost of $1000. The freight company will charge $1000 even if less than 1000 handbags are shipped. Leslie will try to sell the handbags to retailers for $20. Assume there are no other costs and benefits. Required: a. What is the break-even point if shipping is through the postal system? Ans: Break Even Point = Total Fixed Costs / (Unit Price – Unit Variable Costs) BEP = $3000 / ($20 – $12)= 375 handbags b. How many units must be sold if Leslie uses the freight company and she wants to have a profit of $1000? Ans: Total Revenue – Total Costs= Profit TR-TC=1000: $20x-($3000+$1000+$10x) =$1000 $10x=$5000; x=500 handbags. c. At what output level would the two shipping methods yield the same profit? Ans: Ï€=TR-TC; Freight: Ï€=$10x-$4000; Postal: Ï€=$8x-$3000 ( Two equations same unknown, set equal: 10x-4000=8x-3000( 2x=1000 ( x=500 handbags d. Suppose a large discount store asks to buy an additional 1000 handbags beyond normal sales. Which shipping method should be used and what is the minimum sales price Leslie should consider in selling those 1000 handbags? Ans: At a 1000 handbags, freight shipping should be used because the UVC to ship a bag would be $1 as opposed to $2 through postal. The minimum price of the bag should cover Leslies VC just to break even, VC=10(1000)+1000=$11,000/1000bags = $11.00. 3Asset Replacement The Baltic Company is considering the purchase of a new machine tool to replace an obsolete one. The machine being used for the operation has a tax-basis book value of $80,000, with an annual depreciation expense of $8,000. It has a resale value today of $40,000, is in good working order, and will last, physically, for at least 10 more years. The proposed machine will perform the operation so much more efficiently and Baltic engineers estimate that labor, material, and other direct costs of the operation will be reduced $60,000 a year if it is installed. The proposed machine costs $240,000 delivered and installed, and its economic life is estimated at 10 years, with zero salvage value. The company expects to earn 14 percent on its investment after taxes (14 percent is the firm’s cost of capital). The tax rate is 40 percent, and the firm uses straight-line depreciation. Any gain or loss on the sale of the machine at retirement is subject to tax at 40 percent. Should Baltic buy the new machine? 4Transfer Prices The Alpha Division of the Carlson Company manufactures product X at a variable cost of $40 per unit. Alpha Division’s fixed costs, which are sunk, are $20 per unit. The market price of X is $70 per unit. Beta Division of Carlson Company uses product X to make Y. The variable costs to convert X to Y are $20 per unit and the fixed costs, which are sunk, are $10 per unit. The product Y sells for $80 per unit. Required: a. What transfer price of X causes divisional managers to make decentralized decisions that maximize Carlson Company’s profit if each division is treated as a profit center? Ans: The minimum price Alpha can accept is $40+$20** = $40. The maximum Beta can pay is $80-$20-$10** or $60. **To have â€Å"sunken fixed costs† a firm would have to be operating in the short-run, the sunken fixed costs are unrecoverable and are already paid, these costs shouldn’t be considered when determining whether or not to shut down. The transfer price must be set in such a way as to induce the two parties to make the transfer. In essence, the transfer price must give incentives to the Alpha Division to want to make the transfer and give incentives to the Beta Division to buy (b/c they’re both profit centers, decentralized decision makers). In other words, the following two constraints must be satisfied: Alpha:TP > $40 (variable cost) Beta DivisionTP < $60 (selling price ($80) – variable costs to complete ($20)) where: TP = transfer price ( $40