Assignment #2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

#2 - Assignment Example One time when dad was the only one at home, I tried talking to him about my day. I had a really bad day but I don’t want to just blurt it out to him because to me, the feelings are painful and I want to be assured that I will be listened to. So I asked him how his day went. He replied with a brief story about what happened at the office. When he didn’t ask me, I tried asking him another set of questions and none of them seemed to give him the signal that it’s time for him to ask me. When I got upset, I told him, â€Å"Aren’t you even going to ask me about my day?† I felt really bad. But he apologized and said, â€Å"Sweetie, I didn’t even know you wanted to say something. You kept asking me. If you want to tell me about your day, go right ahead.† Only then did I realize that men don’t instinctively know this â€Å"non-spoken rule† among women. For them, if you ask a question, it is a message that you just want information and not comforting. As it was pointed out by Maltz and Broker, one tendency of a woman when it comes to communication is to ask questions. (A Cultural Approach, 38) In my experience in that conversation with my dad, this proved to be true. I believe that this miscommunication was due to gender differences because whenever I ask my mom or my girlfriends about their day or feelings, they always return the question to me. We always ask each other questions but I don’t recall my dad or brother asking me. As it was explained in men’s features, men make more direct declarations of fact or opinion than do women. (A Cultural Approach, 38) When they want to say something, they don’t ask me first, they go right ahead. Another factor that may have affected the miscommunication in my example is sex role. As it was said in Explanations Offered, having been taught to speak and act like â€Å"ladies† women become as unassertive and insecure as they have been made to sound. (A Cultural Approach,

Clearwater Technologies Essay Example for Free

Clearwater Technologies Essay Clearwater set a per-seat manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) that decreased with higher quantity seat purchases, reflecting the customer perception of declining manufacturing cost per seat. Clearwater also saw this as advantageous because it encouraged customers to maximize their initial seat purchase. Clearwater typically sold its products through value-added resellers (VARs). A VAR was typically a small local firm that provided sales and support to end users. The value added by these resellers was that they provided a complete solution to the end user/customer from a single point of purchase and had multiple information technology products available from various vendors. Using VARs reduced Clearwaters sales and service expense significantly and increased its market coverage. These intermediaries operated in several steps. First, the VAR combined the QTX from Clearwater with database software from other suppliers to form a turnkey customer solution. Second, the VAR loaded the software with customer-specific information and linked it to the customers existing sales history databases. Finally, the VAR installed the product at the customers site and trained the customer on its use. Clearwater sold the QTX to resellers at a 50 percent discount from the MSRP, allowing the VARs to sell to the end user at or below the MSRP. The discount allowed the VARs room to negotiate with the customer and still achieve a profit. The Upgrade Initially, the expectation had been that the 30-seat unit would be the largest volume seller. In order to gain economies of scale in manufacturing, reduce inventory configurations, and reduce engineering design and testing expense to a single assembly, Clearwater decided to manufacture only the 30-seat server with the appropriate number of seats enabled for the buyer. Clearwater was effectively giving away extra memory and absorbing the higher cost rather than manufacturing the various sizes. If a customer wanted a 10-seat server, the company shipped a 30-seat capable unit, with only the requested 10 seats enabled through software configuration. The proposed upgrade was, in reality, allowing customers to access capability already built into the product. Clearwater knew that many original customers were ready to use the additional capacity in the QTX. Some customers had added seats by buying a second box, but because the original product contained the capability to expand by accessing the disabled seats, Clearwater saw an opportunity to expand the product line and increase sales to a captive customer base. Customers could double or triple their seat capacity by purchasing either a 10- or a 20-seat upgrade and getting an access code to enable the additional number of seats. No other competitor offered the possibility of an upgrade. To gain additional seats from the competitor, the customer purchased and installed an additional box. Because customers performed a significant amount of acceptance testing, which they would have to repeat before switching brands, the likelihood of changing brands to add capacity was low. The objective of this mornings meeting was to set the price for the two upgrades. As QTX product manager Rob Erickson stopped to collect his most recent notes from his desk, he reflected: What a way to start the week. Every time we have one of these meetings, senior management only looks at margins. I spent the whole weekend cranking numbers and Im going in there using the highest margin weve got today. How can anybody say thats too low? He grabbed his notes, calculator, and coffee and headed down the hall. From the other wing of the building, financial analyst Hillary Hanson was crossing the lobby towards the conference room. She was thinking about the conversation she had late Number MSRP to VAR Unit Unit of Seats End User Price Cost* Margin** 10 $8,000 $4,000 $500 87. 5% 20 $14,000 $7,000 $700 90. 0% 30 $17,250 $8,625 $900 89. % TABLE 1 *Unit cost reflects additional $200 for memory capability for each additional 10 seats. **Margin _ VAR Price _ Unit Cost VAR Price Number Original Original Actual Actual of Seats Unit Cost Unit Margin Unit Cost Unit Margin 10 $500 87. 5% $900 77. 5% 20 $700 90. 0% $900 87. 1% 30 $900 89. 6% $900 89. 6% TABLE 2 Friday afternoon with her boss, Alicia Fisher, Clear waters CFO. They had been discussing this upcoming meeting and Alicia had given Hillary very clear instructions. I want you to go in and argue for the highest price possible. We should absolutely maximize the profitability on the upgrade. The customers are already committed to us and they have no alternative for an upgrade but with us. The switching costs to change at this point are too high since theyve already been trained in our system and software. Lets go for it. Besides, we really need to show some serious revenue generation for the year-end report to the stockholders. Hillary had not actually finalized a number. She figured she could see what the others proposed and then argue for a significant premium over that. She had the CFOs backing so she could keep pushing for more. From the parking lot, Brian James, the district sales manager, headed for the rear entrance. He, too, was thinking about the upcoming meeting and anticipating a long morning. I wish marketing would realize that when they come up with some grandiose number for a new product, sales takes the hit in the field. Its a killer to have to explain to customers that they have to pay big bucks for something thats essentially built in. Its gonna be even tougher to justify on this upgrade. At least with the QTX, we have something the buyer can see. Its hardware. With the upgrade, there isnt even a physical product. Were just giving customers a code to access the capability thats already built into the machine. Telling customers that they have to pay several thousand dollars never makes you popular. If you think about it, thats a lot of money for an access code, but you wont hear me say that out loud. Maybe I can get them to agree to something reasonable this time. I spent the weekend working this one out, and I think my logic is pretty solid. Price Proposals Once everyone was settled in the conference room, Rob spoke first: I know we have to come up with prices for both the 10-seat and 20-seat upgrades, but to keep things manageable, lets discuss the 20-seat price first. Once that number is set, the 10-seat price should be simple. Because the margin on the 30-seat unit is the highest in the line, I think we should use that as the basis to the price for the upgrade. He went to a whiteboard to show an example: If a customer is upgrading from a 10-seat unit to a 30-seat unit, they are adding two steps of capacity costing $200 each to us, or $400. $400 /1-0. 90 _ $4,000 to the reseller, and $8,000 to the end user. We keep the margin structure in place at the highest point in the line. The customer gets additional capacity, and we keep our margins consistent. He sat down feeling pleased. He had fired the first shot, had been consistent with the existing margin structure, and had rounded up the highest margin point in the line. Brian looked at Robs calculations and commented: I think thats going to be hard for the customer to see without us giving away information about our margins, and we dont want to do that, since they are pretty aggressive to begin with. However, I think I have solved this one for us. Ive finally come up with a simple, fair solution to pricing the upgrade that works for us and the customers. He walked over to a whiteboard and grabbed a marker: If we assume an existing 10-seat customer has decided to upgrade to 30-seat capability, we should charge that customer the difference between what the buyer has already paid and the price of the new capacity. So . . . New 30-seat unit $17,250 Original 10-seat unit $8,000 Price for 20-seat upgrade $9,250 Its consistent with our current pricing for the QTX. Its fair to the customer. Its easy for the customer to understand and it still makes wads of money for us. It also is easy for the customer to see that were being good to them. If they bought a 20-seat box in addition to the 10-seat box they already have, it would be costing them more. He wrote: New 20-seat unit $14,000 A new unit provides customers with redundancy by having two boxes, which they might want in the event of product failure, but the cost is pretty stiff. Upgrading becomes the logical and affordable option. Hillary looked at the numbers and knew just what she was going to do. That all looks very logical, but I dont see that either of you has the companys best interests at heart. Brian, you just want a simple sale that your sales people and the customers will buy into, and Rob, you are charging even less than Brian. We need to consider the revenue issue as well. These people have already bought from us; are trained on our hardware and software and dont want to have to repeat the process with someone else. It would take too long. Theyve got no desire to make a change and that means weve got them. The sky is really the limit on how much we can charge them because they have no real alternative. We should take this opportunity to really go for the gold, say $15,000 or even $20,000. We can and should be as aggressive as possible. All three continued to argue the relative merits of their pricing positions, without notable success. Jefferies listened to each of them and after they finished, he turned to a clean whiteboard and took the marker. Ive done some more thinking on this. In order to meet the needs of all three departments, there are three very important points that the price structure for these upgrades must accomplish: 1. The pricing for the upgrades shouldnt undercut the existing pricing for the 30-seat QTX. 2. We want to motivate our buyers to purchase the maximum number of seats at the initial purchase. A dollar now is better than a potential dollar later. We never know for sure that they will make that second purchase. If we dont do this right, were going to encourage customers to reduce their initial purchase. Theyll figure they can add capacity whenever, so why buy it if they dont need it. That would kill upfront sales of the QTX. 3. We dont want to leave any revenue on the table when buyers decide to buy more capacity. They are already committed to us and our technology and we should capitalize on that, without totally ripping them off. Therefore, while Hillary says the skys the limit, I think there is a limit and we need to determine what it is and how close we can come to it. If we assume that those are the objectives, none of the prices youve put together thus far answers all three of those criteria. Some come close, but each one fails. See if you can put your heads together and come to a consensus price that satisfies all three objectives. OK? Heads nodded and with that, Jefferies left the conference room. The three remaining occupants looked at one another. Brian got up to wipe the previous numbers off the whiteboards and said: OK, one more time. If our numbers dont work, why not and what is the right price for the 20-seat upgrade?

My Educational Philosophy :: Philosophy of Education Teaching Teachers Essays

My Educational Philosophy Education is the answer to all of the problems facing the world. Knowledgeable people do not take inhumane and unethical actions against others. It is only through the education of others that crime, poverty and hunger will be solved. It is due to the potential of education that has inspired me to be an educator. The ability to make a difference and to communicate my passion for literature and the English language is my driving force and ambition. Inspiring a disinterested student to read or write poetry is a gateway to creative open minds, which will result in a more civilized world. My classroom will be arranged in a horseshoe. In this way, the students are not separated into clusters and the main focus will always be in the end of the horseshoe. Students will be facing one another and there will be open space for discussion. I want bulletin boards to be changed at least once a month. There will be a calendar focusing on historical events in literature. There will also be a timeline of events on whatever book the students are currently reading. In addition, there will be 10 facts about the author of the month that will appear on an extra-credit quiz. Furthermore, I want 15 different vocabulary words on another bulletin focusing on preparation for the ACT and SAT tests. As much as I would like to establish a non-authoritarian atmosphere, I have only seen it fail. Non-Authoritarian attitudes are often taken advantage of by the students. They use their friendship with the teacher to skip class and not do assignments. Besides, nowadays most parents are too worried about being friends that they do not stress authority either. Kids need to find authority somewhere. Authoritarian attitude is essential for at least the beginning of the year. Each class of students is different; therefore, it is not fair to govern them all the same. Some students will want to learn the material and respect the teacher; however, until the students have proven themselves, I will use an authoritarian rule.

Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale and Purification Through Death in Hawthornes Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Scarlet Letter:   Dimmesdale – Purification Through Death Although Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter is primarily the story of an adulteress atoning for her sin and conquering the insignia which brings torment to her spirit, the quest of the partner in her sin, Arthur Dimmesdale, is no less important and even more painful.   His quest, simply phrased, is to glorify God through his priesthood and expiate his sin of adultery - to save his soul -   while protecting his reputation.   To do so, he tries to continue day by day to do the work of the Lord which he so loves, while relegating to the darkest, most secret recesses of his heart the crime which he so hates.   Only in private does he torture himself for both his original sin and his continued deceit.   He nearly fails in his quest to be a holy man, as the horrific deed that he committed nearly kills him through self-hate and illness of spirit. Eventually, however, he succeeds in conquering his fears of humiliation and stands triumphant, publicly repenting for his m isdeeds and dying clean of soul. It is not known until well into The Scarlet Letter that Arthur Dimmesdale is Hester Prynne’s lover, but by this point, his conscience has already begun inflicting a woeful penalty on his spirit: "His form grew emaciated; his voice...had a certain melancholy prophecy of decay in it; he was often observed...to put his hand over his heart with...paleness, indicative of pain" (106).   Although his reputation is flawless and his parishioners believe that through death, he is to be called to a higher plane of existence, Dimmesdale says with what is believed to be humility that his looming death is "because of his own unworthiness to perform his mission here on earth" (106).   In retrospect, this marks the beginning of a critical and fatal duality of Dimmesdale’s character: the public believes he is a saint, while Dimmesdale knows himself the vilest sinner.   His refusal to confess his misdeed only compounds his guilt, which is symbolized by his rapidly deteriorating phy sical condition.   However, it remains his strategy to hide his sin, letting it fester in the dark. It is at this point that Roger Chillingworth, physician and Hester Prynne’s husband, comes into Dimmesdale’s life.   Chillingworth’s duty is to administer medical treatment to the ailing clergyman.   In doing so, however, he comes to notice a strange quality to Dimmesdale’s character that leads him to suspicion.

Audit

Explain the impact of key court cases on the public accounting profession. 4. Describe auditor liability, discuss auditor responsibilities, identify possible auditor defences, and discuss possible remedies and sanctions available under both common law and statutory law. 5. Identify professional requirements that help assure audit quality and minimise auditor exposure to liability suits. 6. Describe defensive actions that audit firms can take to limit the effects of litigation on audit firms and individual auditors. 7.Apply the decision analysis and ethical decision-making frameworks to issues that could result in litigation. Teaching Suggestions Even though most audits are properly performed, a significant ppercentage of the gross revenue of public accounting firms is spent on professional liability insurance and litigation costs. Litigation costs and settlements caused Andersen, once the world’s largest public accounting firm, to declare bankruptcy. In today’s litigiou s environment, it is extremely important that auditors use due professional care to minimise such costs.Even when due professional care is exercised, the government, iinvestors, and clients may still sue auditors. This chapter discusses the legal environment and concepts related to audits, and approaches to minimising exposure to liability. It also looks at several key court cases and their impact on the profession. The challenge when teaching this material is to impart to sstudents a genuine understanding of the legal environment in which auditors operate without overwhelming them with material to memorise that they are unlikely to remember.This challenge is heightened by the need to stress the importance of ‘liability avoidance’ without leaving the impression that it is the major focus of the audit process. Begin by reviewing pertinent legal terminology. Then discuss the litigious climate for auditors and how that climate has changed over the past few decades. Reasons for the increase in litigation, often settled out of court include greed on the part of unscrupulous financial report users and preparers, ignorance and neglect on the part of auditors, and a volatile business climate characterised by numerous business failures.Public distrust adds to the problem. Stress the impact of litigation on the profession: (1) considerable resources expended to litigate, (2) some distrust and loss of credibility in the public accounting profession which is heightened by negative media coverage, (3) proliferation of new auditing standards, and (4) pressure from stock exchanges which has resulted in the establishment of audit committees and ‘comfort letters’ to underwriters. It is helpful to go over the concept of due care found in tort law.Ask sstudents how they view their liability if, as new employees, they are asked to complete a task that they do not feel qualified to do. Explain the imprecision of the ‘reasonable man’ concept a nd the problems that arise when ‘ordinary citizens’ sit on juries involving technical matters with which they are unfamiliar. The text outline can be followed when discussing the specific legal concepts that affect the auditing profession including the auditors’ liability to clients and third parties.

Joshua L. Chamberlain and the battle of Gettysburg essays

Joshua L. Chamberlain and the battle of Gettysburg essays Joshua L. Chamberlain and the Battle of Gettysburg What comes to your mind when you think of the Battle of Gettysburg? Maybe you think of Abraham Lincolns famous Gettysburg Address, Pickets Charge, or all of the casualties from the three days of fighting. Many times we dont think about all the people who risked their lives to protect our land, because we concentrate on the things that are familiar to us. For instance, how many people really know what role Joshua L. Chamberlain played in the Battle of Gettysburg? Chamberlain had a very important part in the second day of battle, and he definitely shouldnt be overlooked. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was born on September 8, 1828 in Brewer, Maine. Brewer was a small community which was known for farming and ship building. During Chamberlains youth, he spent a lot of his time working on his fathers one hundred acre farm and teaching school. He didnt have much education before he entered college, except for a short time at Whitings Military and Classical Academy in Ellsworth, ME. He entered Bowdoin College in 1848 and took a special interest in language. He taught himself Greek in order to be accepted there, and he later became fluent in seven different languages. He graduated from Bowdoin in 1852 and then attended Bongor Theological Seminary until 1855. He was offered a job as a minister, but he turned it down and accepted a rhetoric teaching position at Bowdoin. Chamberlain was a thin, muscular gentleman who was just shy of six feet tall. His narrow face and high cheekbones were hidden by a full mustache that extended to his jaw line. In the words of one private he was, a brave, brilliant, dashing officer...who, when once seen was always remembered.(Trulock, 5) Im sure Frances Caroline Adams (Fanney) agreed with this soldier because on December 7, 1855, Joshua Chamberlain and she were married in Brunswic...

An Inspector calls by J.B Priestly Essays

An Inspector calls by J.B Priestly Essays An Inspector calls by J.B Priestly Essay An Inspector calls by J.B Priestly Essay This story made me think about how we should help others and showed me the consequences of the family, in this case Eva Smith died because neither the Birlings nor Gerald considered her circumstances or her feelings. J. B Priestly was a socialist and thought that you should look after everyone, so in this play he shows how bad it can be if you just think about yourself. The Edwardian attitudes to working class women were that they were not important. They were necessary to working factories but the owners expected them to keep quiet and get their work done. Middle class people called the working class the criminal class Just like Mrs Birling, Mrs Birling says, as if a girl of that sort would ever refuse money and they didnt know the difference between right and wrong rubbish if you dont come down sharply on some of these people theyd soon be asking for the world. The working class men and women were treated like toys to be used by the middle and upper classes. Croft though, he at lest had some affection this shows how things could be if they thought about other people. In 1946 many things that were mentioned in the play had happened. Titanic unsinkable absolutely unsinkable and of course the Titanic sank on its first voyage on April 1912. People were different after the war. When people were separated they thought about others. Many things in 1946 were better e. g. less poverty people thought about each other and there was less people on the streets. But still there was no welfare Just as before so the play would encourage the audience Max McKenzie-cook 25 November 2000 An Inspector calls by J. B Priestly to support the government, there are more equal opportunities e. g. women had to work during the war because the men were at war fighting but there wasnt as many opportunities and also in the Edwardian ere people were judged on their class (working, middle, upper) but today it is not as bad as before although classes still exists today. Nowadays although people realised that there are other people who needed care apart from yourself and your family, people still didnt take much responsibility, because if a police officer came in your house and said that youd sacked someone from a job and they committed suicide you probably still wouldnt take your part of the blame. Just as Mr Birling would say still I cant accept any responsibility. J. B Priestly, I think wrote this play to show people the meaning of life and that even though the people may be different like Eva Smith we still should do all we can to help the people who need it most.

Carnegie Mellon University MBA Program Application Essay †Example

Carnegie Mellon University MBA Program Application Essay – Example Free Online Research Papers Carnegie Mellon University MBA Program Application Essay Example A.What are your reasons for undertaking graduate study at the Graduate School of Industrial Administration? Please describe how your experience, your education and your graduate training at this school and your future career plans relate to each other. Describe your short-term and long-term objectives and how you plan to achieve them. In 2007, I might be in the middle of wrestle with my brain in terms of purchasing conditions such as local buyer, price, and market in the Bulk cargo-trading firm. I might have to decide how the change in the market will happen and also how the decision-making procedure should vary. My short-term goal is to conduct the business as a trading manager who can analyze current situation of market, grasp the tendency of future, and make accurate decision as well as to maintain and develop the flow of efficient business with all the partners in East Asia including Korea. My long-term goal is to establish a professional trading company, introducing new selling technique based on a cutting-edge mechanism such as Internet Web Site. After graduation in 19xx, I was granted job offers from big 4 enterprises including xxx. Nevertheless, I entered the xxx, one of the leading companies in Korea in the field of international marketing. I was stationed at the export department in charge of xxx. Despite the mandatory period of time for about 3-4 years to become a person in charge of one item in the trade department, I have visited xxx, xxx in Japan in order to check the data after I had worked for three months. That’s because I was highly recognized for my outstanding ability to conduct the business for standardized price variable and controls over the exchange rate fluctuation in order to reach the rational conclusion in an objective manner when I made a decision on the international oil price fluctuation and announced the research on the case of position deal such as xxx and xxx, which are the materials of xxx. After all, it became to be a source of research in the company. Based on my outstanding job performance, I was officially appointed as a person in charge of exporting the cargo of xxx, xxx w hose annual turnover came up to x million dollars on the average. As a result, we were placed at the top in terms of sales in Korea because the sales in xxx sector revealed the increase of xxx% in 19xx compared to that of last year. Therefore, I became the main source of jealousy from my seniors and fellow workers. In addition, on May in 19xx, we were awarded about x million dollars worth of Tender under my supervision, which xxx Authority under xxx Government started in the process as World bank loan was made, beating xx companies such as xxx, xxx and Japanese companies. Therefore, I was selected as the employer of the year in the trade department by achieving net profit of about xxx$ by delivering pre-positioned cargo from domestic industries. Since the January of 19xx, I have been in charge of collecting and analyzing the data on the Asian insurance market for the most part of x years, moving into the department of international marketing, which was newly built in xx Co. During that time, I was able to enhance the capability related to the decision- making procedure through data analysis and the establishment of follow-up measures. Meanwhile, I helped the executives, who were stuck on the concept of traditional decision-making procedures, face the changes in business environment more positively by serving up continuous analysis on the business policy of advanced companies such as xx bank, xx Co., which were world leading companies. Due to high recognition of my vigorous efforts, I was able to develop the negotiation skill and the global way of thinking by participating in the ‘xxx Seminar’ held in xxx in April 19xx. In addition, I learned the role of a team member and a coordinator in the sense that we can create synergy effect that might go far beyond the ability of each member based on the teamwork. I strongly believe these experiences will be great basis for me to participate in the international trading company in the short term as well as manage one of the international trading firms in the long term. The primary reason why I apply for GSIA is the courses related to the establishment of the co mpany that will serve as the most important basis for the build-up and management of specialized trading firm with a specific focus on the Asian market, which is my long-term aspiration. The courses that GSIA provides in the worldwide context are as follows: the way of setting up the business plan, the way of collecting fund from investors, the detailed knowledge on the production of the commodity, the marketing skills, and so forth. Secondly, I think highly of the quantitative approach on which GSIA focuses. This methodology is considered a great strength compared to other schools in the sense that it can systemize a series of process in an objective manner to recognize and solve the problem. In particular, your school is one of the most prestigious universities in the field of computer science and information system. Now that I figure your school is the first school that introduced the information system into the Business Administration, I believe it will be great help to apply the information system to the E-commerce in the field of international trade in which I am greatly interested. Given the opportunity, I would like to explore the field of E-commerce in detail as one of independent studies at your graduate school. B.Because GSIA students work closely together, we would like to understand what there is about your background and your experiences that would make a contribution to the diversity of the entering class and the educational experience of the other students. My father used to address, â€Å" Gain as many experience as possible. The knowledge based on experiences is highly useful to work out the problem.† According to my father’s lesson, I have tried to gain a wide variety of experiences since I was young. Even in the work, I have striven to obtain as many experience as possible in my field through a number of overseas business trips and workshops. I would like to hand over my peculiar experiences to my colleagues as follows. First of all, it is the xxx marketing that I went through in the xxx (xxx) trading. It is not commonplace but essential in international marketing to figure out the demand of buyer, predict the supplier’s market of supplier and price fluctuation, utilize xxx at reasonable price, and minimize the financial cost. I would like to have my colleagues realize the idea and the means of comprehending the market in macroeconomic perspective, which I have learned from the past x years of working experiences. Secondly, it is oriental way of self-discipline that I want to hand over to my colleagues. I have trained my body and mind mainly through paduk and meditation for the past 20 years. In particular, paduk is the primary recipe that I am eager to deliver to fellow students in GSIA. The heart of paduk is to figure out the intention of counterpart, which is one of leading qualities that competent managers should have. As a matter of fact, I was able to take a favorable position over several negotiations through ‘mind reading’ that I had learned from paduk. According to the Chinese literature, famous generals in China such as Jo Jo in ‘the story of the three powers’ trained themselves to grasp hidden intention of adversaries in advance through paduk, which led to numerous triumphs in many battles. I would like to hand over meditation to the fellow students in GISA in the sense that it makes people generous and serves as a efficient means of keeping one’s temper. I believe those who can keep control over their emotion will be part of competent managers. My favorite oriental meditation enables me to get indulged in the world of self-effacement and control every single emotion, resentment included. This kind of meditation encourages people to be more generous, not to involve trivial things. In effect, I escaped the danger from burglar with the help of lofty manners der ived from the meditation during the business trip to the xxx in November 19xx. Kidnapped by armed cab robber for 2 hours, I was able to get out of the incident thanks to my wisdom. I firmly believe that this sort of loftiness is based on the self-discipline of both body and mind through oriental meditation, which will serve as great help for my colleagues, the potential managers. C. Please describe an ethical issue that you have faced, how you dealt with the situation and what the outcome was On December 1th in 19xx, I had serious conflicts with a general manager in our department as hard as I should consider the resignation as a last option when our xxx heading for the xxx with x million dollar’s worth of xxx was caught on the rock. Through this experience, I realized the important fact that the role of leader is basically the coordination of the group rather than the implementation for the purpose of obedience. In this case, I also experienced the fact that leadership is derived from the fairest judgment by collecting and analyzing information after the accurate evaluation of the situation. At that time, I had conflicts with my general manager in terms of the benefit in the future and the cost at the present. This experience put me into an ethical dilemma between the ethical responsibility of the company and the pursuit of interest. During that time, the team head and I had conflicts in various aspects such as potential gain, present loss, the commitment to the integrity in terms of contracts The net profit in a xxx trading was about xxx$ worth, whereas it required xxx$ worth of expense to pay for the repair in place of missing ship owner after declaring general average. In the situation in which there was more possibility for ship owner to declare bankruptcy, I powerfully insisted on managing all business in the burden of our company because I judged that there was grand anxiety to lose long-term customers and moral commitment to conduct the contract with due integrity if we spent more time. General manager, however, avoided making a decision which could serve as major damage in his career. Therefore he was wasting lots of time by ignoring my opinion although I was in charge of the matter. As a consequence, we were able to deliver the xxx to the buycer in xxx after refilling the xxx under the instruction of the boss who recognized the seriousness of situation through the interview with me around 5 months later. Since then, however, Buyer in xxx got our firm to disqualify in the same bid in 19xx, which produced serious conflicts as to who was to blame inside the firm. It is self-evident fact that the enterprise is in pursuit of its interest. Therefore, the team head has good reason to emphasize the aspect of Profit Cost in decision-making process. Yet, it is much more important to enhance the credibility in the long term and secure the long-term contractors by accomplishing the commitment rather than pursue the short-term profit. No matter what is big or small problem, we are always in the situation where to find out the solution, and meet a great turning point in life by what decision we make. I found the important lesson from this case in the sense that the decision was not performed by the same fixed standard in every situation. In addition, it required accurate judgment of situation, the rational assessment of one’s own capability, and the bold determination for the purpose of more desirable decision-making procedure. Research Papers on Carnegie Mellon University MBA Program Application Essay Analysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaDefinition of Export QuotasTwilight of the UAWThe Project Managment Office SystemIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalOpen Architechture a white paperPETSTEL analysis of IndiaMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductResearch Process Part OneBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of Self

Richard Neustadt's Studies Presidental Power Essay

Richard Neustadt's Studies Presidental Power - Essay Example Neustadt starts his book with a sober appraisal of the American Presidency. He states that the American people tend to rate a President "from the moment he takes office . . . we are quite right to do so . . . his office has become the focal point of politics and policy in our political system" (Neustadt, p.1). He also argues that "we often make our judgments upon images of office that are far removed from the reality" (Neustadt, p.1). It is this discrepancy between image and reality which is one of the most important elements of Neustadt's book. Neustadt also argues that while it is perhaps natural to concentrate on the President as a single individual, a more accurate portrayal would consider the "presidency" as an institution that includes "two thousand men and women" (Neustadt, p.1). The overall argument that Neustadt makes is that Presidents who lead by persuasion rather than relying upon Constitutional power are more successful. While there are complex reasons for this, the over arching reason is that the President is innately weak under the US Constitution according to Neustadt. How can President Clinton be viewed through the prism of Neustadt's theory of the Presidency Bob Woodward's The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House takes a very close and unsparing look at the first one hundred days of the Clinton presidency. While a convenient figure, the first 100 days also has historical importance because it was within the first 100 days that President Roosevelt introduced the major elements of the New Deal and swept into existence a whole range of government programmes. This achievement is perhaps an impossible target for any President, but it is the one that inevitably seems to be made. In The Agenda Woodward paints a portrait of a President who was essentially nave, but who nevertheless had good intentions. The idea that Clinton should use persuasion rather than constitutional powers to actualize his agenda is seen perhaps within the surprising fact that Clinton appears to have been greatly influenced by the Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan. Although much older, a staunch conservative and possessed of a distinct lack of charisma (and thus the opposite of the new President), Greenspan and Clinton actually got on very well and the Fed Chairman soon persuaded the Democratic President of the need to take bold action in order to reduce the national deficit. It was the economic success that would ultimately be Clinton's most powerful achievement and one that was based upon constitutionally derived powers rather than charisma. Clinton had attempted to use charisma, persuasion and a Democratic Congress in order to push through a comprehensive healthcare plan that would have introduced universal coverage to American for the first time. Based upon a moral certainty that this was the only ethical course for America, Clinton ignored the practical problems of getting the legislation through Congress when very powerful interests (the healthcare industry) were laid out against it. The picture that Woodward paints is of a President who is often torn between what he wants to do ideologically and what he can do pragmatically. For example, the following occurred during one early Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet was discussing fiscal policy and the two sides of Clinton, the Liberal idealist and the Conservative

Motivation and Leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Motivation and Leadership - Assignment Example It is therefore essential to motivate these employees regardless of their stay period in the organization. This is necessary in building a positive image of the company in the eyes of the workers and the society at large which can enhance smooth renewal of their contract when the need arises. Use of temporary workers There are times when temporary workers prove to be valuable to an organization and certain times when it is inappropriate to use them. It is appropriate to use them when the company needs to reduce its operational costs. This is because permanent workers require things such as security and many benefits in order to sustain them. This is justified from the case study where the Boeing Company has reduced its dependence on permanent staff through making of new hires abroad. Another time when the use of temporary workers is appropriate is when one is working on short-term projects, this is necessary for it enables those people who are experts in a certain area to handle situ ations that they are best suited in. This is evident form the case of Microsoft that says that its contingent employees fluctuate depending on the project that they are working on. They also note that temporary workers are experts in what they do and they complete projects within a short period of time. It is appropriate to use temporary employees on companies that work in cyclical industries. This is because they offer a range of various services. The services can be provided by temporary employees who have a wide range of various skills and hence can fit in that nature of the industry. This is evident from the case study where it states that temps are appealing to those companies in cyclical industries. On the other hand, there exists various times that are deemed to be inappropriate to use temporary employees. It is inappropriate to use them in order to maintain permanent employees when it comes to layoffs. This is a strategy that was used by Boeing Company. It is also inappropri ate to use them when one wants to build a company reputation. This is because temporary workers who come and go cannot be able to build a good image. A program for employee motivation The program that will be put in place to motivate the temporary employees will be the temporary workers incentive and welfare program. This is a program that will oversee that the situation of the workplace employees is improved and they are given incentives to motivate them. It comprises of the element of incentives and welfare. The incentives will be in terms of providing good pay, benefits such as health while the welfare is concerned with good working environment and responsibility. The program will also oversee that the temporary workers are given a conducive working environment similar to the permanent employees. It will also entail informing the employees effectively concerning the organization and also integrating them to the organization. This in turn creates social ties among workers which wi ll motivate them. Reducing supervision and allowing them to work autonomously gives them confidence and responsibility to oversee that they give effective results. This program is justified for it goes hand in hand with Herzberg’s two factor theory that of hygiene and motivational factors. Hygiene factors are those they contribute to dissatisfaction if they lack in the organization

Rehabilitation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rehabilitation - Essay Example This paper also explores the roles that the general environment plays in the success of rehabilitation treatments, including the roles that family, friends and the general society play in rehabilitation. (NIH; Mayo Clinic Staff; McLellan et al.; WebMD; National Library of Medicine; World Health Organization). II. Discussion There is an element to different forms of dependencies and illnesses, such as drug dependence and alcohol dependence, that is chronic and not easily treatable, and this implies that in many cases the focus and commitment of patients undergoing rehabilitation play a role in treatment outcomes. That the dependencies and illnesses are chronic and long-term also implies that those who are being treated must match the interest and the dedication of those offering help. This might be where general society, friends and family may fall short, because of the costs and the emotional and psychological consistency that is required for patients to become better over time. This may also be why treatments sometimes fail, as evidenced by the relapses observed in the medical and academic literature. Some patients become better for a time in relapse cases, but they sooner or later go back to old habits, whether those be dependencies or psychological and emotional dysfunctions. The relapses may be partly due to the lack of dedication on the part of the patients. This is recognized to such an extent that relapses are included as a necessary component of rehabilitation programs, and relapses are considered in all-inclusive treatment protocols that take into consideration the willingness of the patients to be treated. Recognizing that relapses are common and that patient attitudes factor into the success or failure of treatments also is an admission that dependencies, emotional and physical traumas, and other conditions that require rehabilitation are complex, and that many factors need to be considered in devising rehabilitation treatments and protocols that wor k. The reality of relapses point to human factors and patient attitudes and inclinations as outlying factors that affect treatment outcomes (NIH; Mayo Clinic Staff; McLellan et al.; WebMD). To be sure, there are aspects of various illnesses, such as drug dependence and the emotional and psychological traumas experienced by soldiers returning from war, that are physiological, and that in a way those who are seeking rehabilitation are those who admit that they don’t have total control of their will. They easily succumb to the temptations of their addictions, for instance, or that they have no willpower to get out of the psychological and emotional traumas that haunt them in the case of soldiers returning from war. This is recognized, and the literature suggests that science and medicine have progressed over the years to provide medications and other related interventions that treat those physical dependencies and allow patients to get over the physical aspects of their conditio ns. On the other hand, even with some effective drugs and treatments, the literature also suggests that treatment success rates remain inconsistent and varying, again taking us back to discussions on just how much effect the individual will power of the patients have in the success

Alumni Role Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Alumni Role - Essay Example I have worked assisting in various programs at the facility through promoting education in the following: the quit-smoking program, cancer support project, CPR and First Aid program, and the Basic Health Education to new immigrants. In all the projects, my bilingual abilities (knowledge of Cantonese and Mandarin, as well as English) proved fundamental in exhibiting and managing effective communication. My responsibilities as an intern include the following: (1) assisting the health department staff to double check the database from the projects; (2) using bilingual (Cantonese and Mandarin) to translate the information about the First aid and CPR class to the new immigrants who signified interests or were required to take these classes; and finally, (3) updating the information of the clients’ in the patients’ chart. All of these activities enabled the development of skills in recording, documentation, communication, and adherence to details in disclosing crucial information regarding the patients’ history and

Comparative International Reporting (Accounting) Essay

Comparative International Reporting (Accounting) - Essay Example Financial reports should be understandable, relevant, comparable and reliable (New Zealand International Financial Reporting Standards.2008). Financial reporting as said earlier is mandatory in all countries irrespective of laws prevailing. Accounting reports are prepared according to laws or standards framed for this purpose. In New Zealand the Financial reporting standards board or the FRSB is responsible for developing, implementing and ensuring accounting standards in the country (New Zealand Equivalents to International Financial Reporting Standards. 2011). The FRSB forwards new accounting standards to the Accounting Standards Review board or the ASRB for approval. It also works along with the International accounting standards board. In New Zealand issuers of securities and large profit making reporting entities are required to fully comply with the international financial reporting standards. According to the financial reporting act of 1993, reporting entities includes busines s which issues securities under the securities act and companies and other entities whose legislation requires them to comply with the act of 1993. The financial reporting act of 1993, places obligations to all such organizations to prepare financial statements in compliance with the generally accepted accounting practice within five months of their financial year. Smaller companies except issuers of securities and overseas companies can comply with less stringent requirements up to the limit of justification on their costs. It is also mandatory for companies to audit their financial statements and to file them with the registrar of companies in the public register. Meanwhile small overseas companies are exempted from this condition. The 1993 act has established the ASRB with the prime purpose to approve financial reporting standards. The Institute of chartered accountants of New Zealand, a professional body is responsible for developing and submitting financial reporting standards to the board (Financial reporting law. 2010). Since the introduction of New Zealand eqvallent to the IFRS, all the entities have to work through ever changing and more complex requirements of reporting. These challenges have reached the point of height when the entities are required to prepare and submit their annual report to share holders and other stake holders. With regard to presentation of the income statement, the companies have two options. The financial statements are approved for the purpose of issue within a period for 65 days average for listed entities and 100 days for non listed entities. Financial statements make up nearly 60% of the annual report. According to NZ IAS 1 , a minimum and separate disclosure on the face of the income statement of revenue, finance costs, profit and loss share of associates and joint ventures accounted for using equity method, profit or loss and tax expenses. Even though there is no specific requirement to show operating expense on the sta tements, the NZ IAS1 gives a choice for companies to select presentation of services by function or by nature. The NZ IAS1 also requires inclusion of primary statements that show changes in equity. This can be due to changes arising other than from transactions with equity shareholders acting in their capacity and all changes in equity or SOCIE. With regard

Alumni Role Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Alumni Role - Essay Example I have worked assisting in various programs at the facility through promoting education in the following: the quit-smoking program, cancer support project, CPR and First Aid program, and the Basic Health Education to new immigrants. In all the projects, my bilingual abilities (knowledge of Cantonese and Mandarin, as well as English) proved fundamental in exhibiting and managing effective communication. My responsibilities as an intern include the following: (1) assisting the health department staff to double check the database from the projects; (2) using bilingual (Cantonese and Mandarin) to translate the information about the First aid and CPR class to the new immigrants who signified interests or were required to take these classes; and finally, (3) updating the information of the clients’ in the patients’ chart. All of these activities enabled the development of skills in recording, documentation, communication, and adherence to details in disclosing crucial information regarding the patients’ history and

Annual report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Annual report - Essay Example In effect, the expose elucidates the company’s 2010 report using economic principles leant in class. Joseph Oriel Eaton and Viggo Torbensen established a small machine shop in Bloomfield, New Jersey in 1911. The shop manufactured heavy-duty truck axles supplying them to the expanding automotive industry. In 1917 however, by which time production had soared to 33,000, Eaton sold the company to Republic Motor Truck Co., the largest truck maker in the country. Eaton appeared again in the industry in 1922 by buying back his original company from Republic Motor Truck Co. In this regard, the company became Eaton Axle and Spring Co. one year later. Efficaciously, the company weathered the Great Depression by acquiring several companies that were approaching bankruptcy. By the late 1930s, President Roosevelts New Deal program stimulated industrial growth. In effect, demand for products from Eaton Manufacturing Company--a name change registered in May 1932--increased slowly and steadily. Moreover, the United States engagement in World War II made Eaton the primary manufacturer of vehicle pa rts. In effect, the company produced a variety of items making its contributions to the war effort. Currently, Eaton Corporation is a diversified power management company with a workforce of over 70,000 people. In addition, the country operates in more than 50 countries and sells its products to almost 150 countries. This year marks a hundred years of the company’s operations (Eaton). In the year 2010, Eaton Corporation made sales worth $11.9 billion. Further, the net income attributable to the company’s common shareholders was valued at $929 million. The company’s total assets were $ 17.252 billion. On the other hand, the total current liabilities $3.233 billion while the total non-current liabilities $6.616 billion; in effect, the total liabilities were valued at $9,849 billion. Moreover, Eaton shareholders’

The Psychological Effects of Marijuana Essay Example for Free

The Psychological Effects of Marijuana Essay Cannabis sativa, a plant characterized with the psychoactive principle tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main component of marijuana. Cannabis or cannabinoids has a varied class of identified substances. Over 420 substances are known composing cannabinoids and over 60 of which are the class which contains some viable psychotropic effects of the plant. Tetrahydrocannabinol is the main active ingredients comprising 15 percent of marijuana. Marijuana, as a substance containing such active ingredient acts on the individual psyche that correlates to several psychological dysfunctions. Marijuana is considered as one of the most popular group of cannabis known as the psychodysleptic drugs of hallucinogens. In analyzing several peer reviews of the effects of marijuana use in reproduction, questions are raised on the appropriate methods by which causal inferences can be made. Acute and chronic adverse effects of the substance on the health and psychological functions of humans is highly dependent on the time and amount of marijuana consumption. In a literature supporting this claim, Wayne Hall explained in his paper entitled â€Å"A simplified logic of causal interference†, there lays several measurements taken to explain the association between adverse health conditions with marijuana use. It is very difficult to set criteria to analyze this phenomenon. Most scholarly journals has pointed out the effects of cannabis use, in the form of marijuana significantly effects the concentration of testosterone, estrogen and prolactin in plasma based on experiments conducted on animals. Clinical tests on humans still need to validate this claim. It is also important to note that marijuana use in women would have lower levels of follicle-stimulating hormone or FSH and luteinizing hormone (LH). These changes in hormonal levels significantly affects the menstrual cycle, although it is noted that this could immediately stop once drug use is discontinued. Marijuana possessing the substance cannabinoid elicits its effects on body mechanisms through the endocannabinoid system. Gorzalka and Hill (2006) mentions that â€Å"largely consistent results reveal that both man and woman exhibit adverse effects on sexual behavior depending on the dose and specific sex†. (Gorzalka Hill, 2006) This entails that there is a significant role played by the endocannabinoid system in human reproductive system. The agents of the substance distributed in the body system greatly affects that hypothalamus, testes and ovaries of humans as tested primarily on animals. In recent literature, according to the review, â€Å"presence of cannabinoid receptors in the sperm within the uterus constitutes the potential role of the endocannabinoid system in the reproductive system and the maintenance of sexual activity.. †. (Gorzalka Hill, 2006) The ability of the substance to affect changes in the reproductive mechanisms of humans can become a potential source of treatments for sexual related dysfunctions. On the other hand, researches on the effects of marijuana in women suggest that there is a consistent finding on its effects on the sexual behavior of women including other species. From Kolodny et al. (1974) findings of women have increased sexual enjoyment because of marijuana and other related substances, due to increase in physical sensitivity and responsiveness. Focusing on reproduction, mainly in pregnancy among marijuana users, the cannabinoids component of marijuana has good lipid solubility allows the substance to affect the placenta with ease. In a study of 12,000 women, 11 percent marijuana users have shorter gestation periods. This consequently affects longer deliveries, lower birth rates and higher rates of deformities in their offspring. It is also known based on scholarly journals that the behavior and cognitive functions of marijuana users and their child are affected by the substance cannabinoids. Cannabinoids compromise pregnancy among marijuana users because the reduction in the gonadotropins and ovarian steroids are compromised once the active ingredients infiltrate the uterus of the woman. The substance has a relatively high soluble ability which regulates for absorpotion in the entire body system. The cannabinoid receptor, inherent in the uterus exhibits the ability to function in the reproductive organ and synthesis of the AEA to levels comparable to the brain as in studies on the psychological effects of marijuana as a hallucinogen. This has been verified by Guo et al., (2005) following subsequent conclusions relating to this. Park et al., (2004) mentions that â€Å"the adverse effects of cannabinoids on gestation.. raise the question of the natural role of the receptor in the system during pregnancy.† (Park et al., 2004) Supported by genetic experimentation and molecular findings, the system is said to â€Å"undergo changes during the progression of gestation in manner that is conducive to normal pregnancy†. (Gorzalka Hill, 2006) Findings of such research suggest that the environment with the cannabinoid receptor, in the endocannabinoid system, may determine the success rate of the gestation period. Maccarone et al., (2000, 2002) focused on this findings to determine the level of association between the success rate of a pregnancy and the influence of the endocannabinoid system. The findings of the research are a determinant in a possible treatment to infertility as such recommendations entail provisions for a high level of efficient endocannabinoid system shall entail an unsuccessful pregnancy for hopeful women. As a conclusion with these researches, both cannabinoids and the endocannabinoids system is â€Å"detrimental to the reproductive process in females.† (Gorzalka Hill, 2006) To be able to achieve successful pregnancy, â€Å"drugs which acts to increase FAAH activity through low concentration of the AEA levels, may be potentially used to improve fertility among women†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Gorzalka Hill, 2006) In a study to analyze marijuana effect on female sex hormones, some subjects observed yielded lowered prolactin levels in short durations and concentration that is not significantly lower than the normal level. Recent findings concludes that cannabis, have no significant effect on women in the general population. The effects of the substance even is concluded having significant effects on sex hormones and sex drives of users.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In previous research, several attempts to validate the findings of Kolodny et al. in 1974 were made to asses the effects of marijuana use in the decrease of testosterone levels. Subsequently a supporting finding claimed that there is such temporary reduction to testosterone level immediately after marijuana use. It is important to note that numerous studies after which proved no reduction in testosterone levels even in high dosage of cannabinoids, studies generally about the male reproductive system also failed to validate the reduction of testosterone levels associated with marijuana use.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kolodny’s and colleagues study in 1974 initiated following research on the reproductive components in male with regards to marijuana use. Then, it was concluded that frequent cannabis users had lower sperm counts that occasional users. However, lack of methodology is assessing the sexual activity of respondents were made prior to examination became one of the major criticism of the study. In a study testing the claim, observed men confined with high doses of cannabis have decreased sperm concentrations and sperm motility. However, the significant findings of the research have maintained that such levels are still within the normal sperm concentration and that slight difference can only be observed during the experiment. There still lacks the right evidence to conclude that marijuana use is related to infertility. In a study, more women who are marijuana users have approached experts to seek help with their infertility issues than non-users. However, when this hypothesis was tested, the difference between the two variables range from 61 to 53 percent and became lower when researchers imposed controlled lifestyle factors with infertility. There is also the common finding of no association between marijuana use and the risk of early pregnancy loss. Reviewed researches also indicated an association between rates of infertility and marijuana use, or there is such decrease in the reproductive capacity among men who are marijuana users. The attempt to associate reproduction inabilities with regards to marijuana use is still unsupported by evidence in the scientific community, and the attempt to associate regular marijuana use and its effects on reproductive hormones is still continued. Several prior researches suggest that doses of marijuana substance enhance sexual activity and behavior. The effects of cannabinoid receptors on male sexual behavior have been regarded as a significant factor in reducing ejaculatory threshold. Gorzalka Hill (2006) explained that as was observed in laboratory species, it â€Å"requires fewer intromissions and shorter latency to attain ejaculation once sexual activity is initiated†. This finding supports earlier assumptions made by some men that with marijuana use, sexual activity duration is increased. Although initial tests on the validity of such claims on the effects of marijuana substance in testicular function were made on laboratory species such as rats and mammals, the level of relationship between the specie and human relatedness is comparable in context of these results. Melis, Succu, Mascia and Argiolas (2004) suggest that findings on the cannabinoid receptors role in the reproductive system, its effect on the hypothalamus also proves an â€Å"induction of penile erection†. The research detailed the validity of other researches done in concluding that the receptor has an antagonistic property which in turn induce penile erections. Through these researches, data generated provides a background on how the endocannainoid system may have a profound role in regulating the processes associated with sexual response such as erection and ejaculation, consequently, that the system can also have a direct or indirect effect on specific sexual dysfunctions. In relation with this, following researches made by previous researchers, Wenger, Ledent, Csernus, and Gerendai (2001) tested previous claims of cannabinoid receptor activity in testis through demonstrating how cannabinoids regulates testosterone hiosynthesis. Gye, Kang, and Kang (2005) reviewed the former research and found cannabinoid receptor activity also â€Å"present in the luminal epithelium of seminiferous tubules†. (Gye et al., 2005)   Following the activities of the receptor in reproductive organs, Rossato, Ion, Popa, Ferigo, Clari and Foresta (2005) also attests to â€Å"the evidence of the sperm’s possession of a functional cannobinoid receptor† (Rossato et al., 2005) The authors of the study suggested that the human sperm consistent with this finding has reduced mitochondrial function and reduced sperm motility.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The diverse and recent reviews of experts on the psychological effects of marijuana use in reproduction suggest the strong correlation between the substances’ effect on the reproductive process and its physiology. The reviews made have increased the research thrust of the field and has been continuously evaluated for more than three decades. In the process, we learned that cannabis, the major substance influence marijuana’s effects is significantly detrimental to the reproductive system of both males and females. The use of marijuana interrupts normal bodily psychological processes because it inhibits a receptor that interferes with the â€Å"level of testosterone and fertility in men, and the ovulation and gestation in women.† (Gorzalka Hill, 2006) Reviewed literature until today still lacks evidence to support that sexual behavior is affected by marijuana use. As mentioned, men can either find benefit or compromise in sexual behavior when marijuana is used. Literature still lacks appropriate data to support the association because even with the possibility of increased sensitivity in terms of sexual arousal and responsiveness, marijuana can also adversely trigger the impairment of sexual motivation and drive that shall lead to sexual dysfunctions. Men are more sensitive to such changes in their hormones given the body’s reaction of cannabidon, but recent findings suggests that females find more benefits with marijuana use because of its inhibitory effect. This effect increases the â€Å"level of sexual arousal and desire that may facilitate and enhance sexual activity† as suggested by Gorzalka Hill (2006). (Gorzalka Hill, 2006). Although literature provides conclusions based on non-human testing, sampling non-human species gives a significant idea on how male react to the cannabinoid receptor and how women elicits sexual behavior after marijuana use.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Peer reviews on the topic has showed consistent trends and findings, however, to validate such claims, more research should be made to ensure the occurrence of such effects in the psychological behavior of individual that use marijuana. Researches should also determine the effects, if there is, of cannabinoid, the component of marijuana, in the fertility of both men and women. Knowing how the cannabinoid receptor reacts with other reproductive organs does not provide concrete proof as to how it affects the reproductive viability. It was also mentioned that there is proof that cannabinoid receptors impair the healthy function of the testicular system; however, more research should pursue to discover other possible receptors that can influence the reproductive process of humans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important to know viable factors that contribute to different sexual dysfunctions in the body. This is not only to benefit people, but also those who have struggled to understand their reproductive process. The analysis on the psychological effects of marijuana can help determine appropriate treatments and medications in sexual dysfunctions. It is importance with this advocate to study the endocannabinoid system thoroughly and accurately. This knowledge and attempt is critical in analyzing the reproductive behavior of agents that either benefits or adversely antagonize the reproductive process. Reference Gye, M., Kang, H. H., Kang, H. J. (2005). Expression of cannabinoid receptor 1 in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   mouse testes. Archives ofAndrology, 51, 247-255. Guo, Y., Wang, H., Okamoto, Y, Ueda, N., Kingsley, P. J., Mamett, L. J., et al. (2005). Nacylphosphatidylethanolamine- hydrolyzing phospholipase D is an important determinant of uterine anandamide levels during implantation. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 280, 23429-23432. Gorzalka, Boris B.; Hill, Matthew N. (2006). Cannabinoids, Reproduction and Sexual Behavior.   Annual Review of Sex Research, Vol. 17, p132-161 Hall, W. (1987). A simplified logic of causal inference. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 21, 507-513, 1987. Kolodny, R. C, Masters, W H., Kolodner, R. M., Toro, G. (1974). Depression of plasma   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   testosterone levels after chronic intensive marihuana use. New England Journal of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Medicine, 290, 872-874 Kolodny, R. C, Bauman, J. E., Biggs, M. A., Webster, S. K., Dornbush, R. L. (1977, July-August.). Endocrine and sexual effects of female chronic marihuana use. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Academy of Sex Research, Bloomington, IN. Maccarone, M., Valensise, H., Bari, M., Lazzarin, N., Romanini, C, Finazzi-Agro, A. (2000). Relation between decreased anandamide hydrolase concentrations in human lymphocytes and miscarriage. Lancet, 355, 1326-1329. Maccarone, M., Bisogno, T, Valensise, H., Lazzarin, N., Fezza, F, Manna, C, et al. (2002). Low fatty acid amide hydrolase and high anandamide levels are associated with failure to achieve an ongoing pregnancy after IVF and embryo transfer. Molecular Human Reproduction, 8, 188-195. Melis, M., Succu, S., Mascia, M., Sanna, F, Melis, T, Castelh, M., Argiolas, A. (2006). The cannabinoid receptor antagonist SR-141716A induces penile erection in male rats: Involvement of paraventricular glutamic acid and nitric oxide. Neuropharmacology, 50, 219-228. Park, B., McPartiand, J. M., Glass, M. (2004). Cannabis, cannabinoids and reproduction. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 70, 189-197. Rossato, M., Ion Popa, F, Feriggio, M., Clari, G., Foresta, C. (2005). Human sperm express cannabinoid receptor Cbj, the activation of which inhibits motility, acrosome reaction, and mitochondrial function. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism, 90, 984-991. Wenger, T, Ledent, C, Csernus, V., Gerendai, I. (2001). The central cannabinoid receptor inactivation suppresses endocrine reproductive functions. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 284, 363-368.

Literature Review of the Impact of Human Resource Management on Organisational performance

Literature Review of the Impact of Human Resource Management on Organisational performance Organisations worldwide are under pressure today to continually improve their performance. The major trends behind these competitive pressures are globalisation, advances in information technology, and increasing deregulation of global markets (Becker Gerhart, 1996; Dany, Guedri, and Hatt, 2008). These changes have a strong impact on a countrys ability to maintain its competitiveness (Laprade, 2005). Without an efficient workforce organisations lose their ability to compete, both locally and internationally, eventually leading to poor organisational performance and thus ending up with little or no economic success (Tomaka, 2001). Unlike in the past when natural resources, technology, and capital used to be the key factors to determine the competitive advantage of the firms of one nation over the other nations, human resources today in modern times have become the most important resource for the firms to obtain strategic advantage over the other firms (Dany et al, 2008). This is beca use managers in both the public and private sector organisations regard the human resources of their organisation as its major source of sustaining competitive advantage by having the best of the best Human resource systems in place for recruiting, selecting, motivating, and efficiently managing their people (Mesch, 2010). As a result of these changes in the global economic environment business strategy, the field of human resource management is rapidly changing more than ever today (Becker Gerhart, 1996). Furthermore, among all the organisation factors which contribute to organisational performance, the human resources are now regarded as the most fundamental factor (Mesch, 2010). Recent researches on HRM show strong and positive relationship between HRM practices and organisational performance (Carlson, Upton, and Seaman, 2006; Collins Smith, 2006). Therefore, it is vital for managers to have a better understanding of the role of HRM in order to create successful organisational performance. Accordingly this chapter presents a review of the literature, relevant to this research study, on the relationship between HRM practices and organisational performance. HRM and Organisational Performance Human Resource Management Armstrong (2006, p3) defines Human Resource Management as, a strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organizations most valued assets the people working there whom individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of its objectives. Human Resource Management is, the policies, practices and systems that influence employees behaviour, attitudes and performance (De Cieri, Kramar, Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, and Wright, 2008, p5). Delery and Doty (1996) assert that the HRM best practices, once identified and implemented would always produce improved organisational performance. Fox and McLeay (1992) found from their landmark empirical study of forty-nine companies, composed of companies mainly from the UK engineering and electronics sectors, strong supportive influence between six critical HRM practices in achieving successful above average sector performance relationship, over a 10 year period. These HRM practices are (ibid): Recruitment and Selection, Management Education, Training and Development, Performance Appraisal, Remuneration and Rewards, and Company-wide Career Planning. Organisational Performance A recent definition of Organisational Performance is given by Antony and Bhattacharyya (2010, p43). They define Organisational Performance as, a measure of how well organizations are managed and the value they deliver to customers and other stakeholders. According to Daft (2000) Organisational Performance is the organisations ability to achieve its objectives efficiently and effectively. Organisational Performance represents the value of the organisation in terms of the total contribution made by the efficient and effective management of its human resources (Neumann Segev, 1978). Chien (2004) strongly posits that organisational performance is composed of five major critical components. And these are (ibid, p290): Motivation Models, The Leadership, The Organizational Culture and Environment, The Work Design, and The Human Resource Management Policy. Relationship between HRM and Organisational Performance The traditional role of HRM in organisations was mainly to support the operations through managing people to win the employees organisational commitment to the goals of the organisation (McGunnigle Jameson, 2000). In consequence, HR managers had to strictly comply with the detailed procedures of personnel administration which drove the ways in which the organisations handled their human resource activities (Huselid, Jackson, and Schuler, 1997). The key HRM activities included in this regard are: recruitment, selection, performance measurement, training and development, and administration of compensation and rewards (Dany et al, 2008). In addition to performing these HRM activities HR managers have to create value for the organisations in which they work (Huselid et al, 1997). However, todays HRM focuses heavily on the organisations successful outcomes through the integration of the various HR functions (Dany et al, 2008). Ulrich (1996, p2) strongly suggests that human resources determine an organisations success in overcoming major challenges facing executives today: globalisation, value chain for business competitiveness and HR services, change, attracting and retaining intellectual capital. Together these major challenges require that HR practices create and add value that can be measured reliably (ibid). Todays top performing companies pay extraordinary attention to managing effectively the HR dimensions which affect employee behaviours: morale, motivation, attitude, commitment, etc (Cadle Yeates, 2008, p28). Each of these HR dimensions plays powerful part in determining organisational success (ibid). Modern HRM global best practices include Lawlers (1986) High-Involvement Work Systems (HIWS), Appelbaum and Batts (1994) High Performance Work Systems (HPWS), and Wood and Albaneses (1995) High Commitment Management. Research shows that these modern HRM practices have a strong and positive influence on organisational performance (Ramsay, Scholarios, and Harley, 2000). More and more researches strongly indicate that that there are positive links between HRM practices and organisational performance (Carlson et al, 2006; Collins Smith, 2006). For instance, Delery (1998, p289) asserts that, the methods used by an organization to manage its human resources can have a substantial impact on many organizationally relevant outcomes. Gerhart and Milkovich (1992) conducted studies to measure the impacts of compensation and rewards systems on the successful accomplishment of organisational goals and objectives. Likewise research study conducted by Terpstra and Rozell (1993) shows that five key HRM selection practices are linked to business profit. In his review of the key empirical studies on the relationship between HRM and organisational performance Ulrich (1997) writes that these studies investigated the impact of specific HR practices on specific successful organisational outcomes; for example, effective HR practices in training and compensation were related to business turnover, labour productivity, and organisational performance. Ulrichs (1997) review summarised that the empirical studies were based on the assumption that efficient use of human resources through best HR practices would lead to successful organisational performance. Empirical studies conducted by Huselid (1995, p635) to assess the relationship between a set of HRM practices (referred by Huselid as HPWS High Performance Work Systems, which included: extensive recruitment, selection, training procedures, formal information sharing, attitude assessment, and job design) and organisational performance of 968 large companies have shown that there is a positive relationship between HRM and successful organisational performance. The key organisational performance measures used to evaluate the high performance HRM practices in the empirical studies included: labour productivity, financial performance, and turnover (ibid). Delaney and Huselid (1996) investigated the effects of recruitment and selection, compensation, training and development, decision making, complaints and grievance procedures, promotion practices, and the combined synergetic impact of these HRM practices in 590 for-profit and not-for-profit companies. Overall, their study concluded that these progressive of HRM practices were positively associated with firm performance. Harel and Tzafrir (1999, p186), based on their extensive theoretical and empirical research as well as from the prior studies conducted by other researchers in the HR field, have identified six core components of strategic and universalistic HRM best practices that are strongly related to organisational performance. These 6 core components of HR best practices are (ibid): Recruitment; Selection; Compensation; Employee Participation; Internal Labor Market; and Training. Likewise Becker and Huselid (1999) strongly agree with the seven high performance HRM best practices put forward by Pfeffer (1998) as having strong links to organisational performance. These 7 high performance HR best practices are (Pfeffer, 1998, cited in Huselid Becker, 1999, p297): Employment Security Selective Hiring Teams and Decentralized Decision-making High Pay Extensive Training Reduced Status Distinctions Extensive Information Sharing. Each of these seven high performance HRM best practices offer options for the HR professionals to choose the appropriate ones for enhancing the organisational performance and at the same time one should remember that each of these HRM best practices form an integrated high performance HRM system (Huselid Becker, 1999, p298). Approaches to Examine HRM and Organisational Performance Relationship There are two major fundamental approaches to study the relationship between HRM and organisational performance. These are termed as: Best-Practice approach, and Best-Fit approach. Best-Practice Approach The best-practice approach claims that HRM practices are universalistic and thus any organisation can obtain enhanced organisational performance by adopting the HRM best practices for managing people in any organisational context (Boxall Purcell, 2000). Best-Fit Approach On the other hand the best-fit approach argues for a vertical fit whereby the HRM systems are integrated with the corporate strategy of the organisation for obtaining improved organisational performance within a specific organisational context (Boselie, Paauwe, and Richardson, 2003). Between these two approaches, the best-practice approach is considered to be superior by HRM professionals and researchers for examining the impact of HRM practices on organisational performance ((Hoque, 1999, p422). Cautions in Examining the HRM and Organisational Performance Relationship Although there is wide support to the idea that HRM practices lead to improved organisational performance yet there are some cautions that have to be observed. Huselid (1995), states that successful organisational performance has been obtained by high-performance firms since they were able to afford expensive HRM systems and practices and this may not be affordable to most other firms. Furthermore, leadership style could have a stronger impact over the deployment of HRM practices due to the different types of influences which the leaders can exert on their people (Becker Huselid, 2006). Organisational Performance in Public Sector Organisations The power and water sector in Oman is a not-for-profit sector. As stated earlier (in chapter 1) the power and water sector in Oman is striving for reducing its operating costs. Only those not-for-profit organisations which possess human capital resources that operate with increased professionalism and more advanced multi-tasking skills through enhanced productivity (and thus ensuring and effecting control over operating costs) can accomplish their mission successfully (Mesch, 2010). Furthermore, in the times to come, the not-for-profit sector has to inevitably pursue more efficiency and with more economies of scale in order to provide cost-effective services to their stakeholders and prove organisational effectiveness (ibid). Evaluating organisational performance in the public sector organisations is not easy and this is further compounded by the fact that measurement of organisational performance in the public sector has not been developed in the organisation theory literature (Waheed, Mansor, and Ismail, 2010). This primarily because of the following factors that are unique to public sector organisations (ibid, p330): Lack of well-defined objectives and large number of multiple objectives; Central administration; Absence of generally accepted performance indicators for measuring organisational performance; Diffused and largely fragmented responsibility because of the interdependency of the performance of the public sector organisations. As a result of which accountability is difficult to extract. Evidence from their review of the limited literature available on organisational performance in the public sector organisations show that the three most common major indicators (the other not common indicators are: relevance, and efficacy) of organisational performance used in the frameworks provided by the various researchers are (ibid, pp331-336): Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Innovation. Katou and Budhwar (2006) studied 178 manufacturing organisations in Greece to investigate the relationship between the HRM systems and policies and organisational performance. Their study used the following indicators of organisational performance from their literature review (ibid, p1226) which can also be applied to service organisations as well: Efficiency: usage of fewer resources to achieve organisational objectives; Effectiveness: achieving the organisational objectives successfully; Development: developing and building the capacity of the organisation for meeting the future challenges and opportunities; Satisfaction: satisfying all the key participants customers, stakeholders, and employees; Innovation: of products and the related processes; and Quality: enhanced higher quality of products (services). Summary This chapter reviewed the available literature relevant to this study on HRM practices that can improve organisational performance. The above review of HRM literature shows that HRM best practices is distinctly composed of recruitment and selection, training and development, compensation and rewards system, information sharing, and employee participation. Organisational performance can be measured through the successful organisational outcomes in the form of efficiency and effectiveness, customer satisfaction, service quality, and labour productivity.

Cry, The Beloved Country: The Breakdown And Rebuilding Of South Africa :: Cry, The Beloved Country Essays

Cry, The Beloved Country: The Breakdown and Rebuilding of South African Society â€Å"...what God has not done for South Africa man must do.† pg. 25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the book, Cry, the Beloved Country, written by Alan Paton, some major conflicts follow the story from beginning to end. Two of these conflicts would be as follows; first, the breakdown of the ever so old and respected tribe; and second, the power of love and compassion and how that it can rebuild broken relationships. This story gives the reader the perfect perspective in learning about the injustices that have taken place in South Africa, and it gives us a sense of the trials and hardships the blacks went through then. Cry, is a story about a Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and how he sets out to bring his family back together. While he sets out about doing this he realizes that his family is completely in the shambles and his family has strayed from the church and tribal traditions. Kumalo eventually learns to deal with this and while he is doing this, he makes a friend, James Jarvis, that changes the way he has looked on life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The tribal breakdown starts to show in book I, with the land that the tribe must use and how the people have used up the natural resources that used to lay there. The whites pushed them out of where they used to reside where the land is so good that it could be even referred to as â€Å"holy, being even as it came from the Creator.† (pg. 3). In the rural areas such as this the decay comes as a result of making the blacks live in confined areas where the land is so bad it can't be farmed any more, and the taking of the strong males out of these areas to go work in the mines were things are unsafe and people rarely return. Because of this, the people leave the tribe to go on the roads to travel to Johannesburg, because â€Å"All roads lead to Johannesburg.† (pg. 10).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As Kumalo arrives in Johannesburg he finally realizes what a problem he has stepped into. He realizes that nobody in his family, neither brothers, sisters, sons and daughters, even cousins, have any moral ties with each other anymore. He sees his brother get caught up in worldly beliefs, such as: fame, money, power, greed and lying. He also sees his sister and his son living in a horrible life of crime and sin. Kumalo even starts to lose hope for his son, he states that â€Å"I can do nothing here, let us go.

Shylock in William Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice Essay -- Merch

Shylock in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice One of the most interesting and thought provoking characters in the Merchant of Venice is Shylock. Throughout his five scenes in the play he is looked down upon, betrayed, deserted, punished and humiliated by Christian society, his daughter and all those that will eventually need his money. His faith and his way of making a living are the Christians' only justification for this treatment, yet even in his alienation he is still, as we see later, constitute to Venetian Law. Shylock's first appearance in the Merchant of Venice is in Act 1 Scene 3, where Bassanio is talking about Antonio taking out a loan on his behalf. Shylock seems jovial in this first scene, before the Christians start to heap insults upon him. I believe that this scene may contain the only true indicator of Shylock's true demeanour, i.e. an agreeable businessman. This view is unfortunately shattered by the arrival of Antonio and his good credit rating. Shylock hates Antonio, not only on principle, as the Christians hate him, but also due to Antonio's own money lending activities and this, his cardinal sin, of charging no interest. As Shylock says, "I hate him for he is a Christian; but more, for in low simplicity he lends out money gratis, and brings down the rate of usance here with us in Venice." Even now, you can recognise Shylock's hatred, firstly upon principle of religion, and secondly hatred on behalf of his business, which may be the most important thing to Shylock apart from his beloved religion. The burden of his race gives Shylock both a sense of righteous indignation and an overwhelming sense of ... ... he ever want to marry Portia? By the end of the play, I had almost forgotten that the only reason was because he wanted a steady source of income without the hassle of working. I believe that Bassanio may have been just as devious as Shylock. He worked out that by showing his greed to Portia during the test, would spell the end of the relationship. Portia could even have been in it for greed. If not for money, then maybe different collateral, lust for Bassanio could be interpreted as greed, could it not? If you think about it, all the characters are driven by greed when you get down to it. As I stated earlier, Shylock's race had little or nothing to do with the outcome of the play. If he had been a Christian moneylender, the same would have happened. In the end, the saying is true: money is the root of all evil.

Indiana High School Math Teaching

â€Å"The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called â€Å"truth. â€Å"† ~Dan Rather This research paper was written to educate you and myself on various topics on becoming a high school math teacher. I enrolled at Ashford University to complete my Bachelor’s Degree in order to enter the transition to teaching program. This paper has allowed me to acquire pertinent and vital information about my future career choice. My research was done on the status of high school math teachers, as well as students, in Indiana. This paper will educate you on Indiana’s High School mathematics graduation requirements, percentage of math students passing these requirements, teachers’ salaries, and the effect that a minority teacher should have on minority students. To graduate High school in Indiana a student must complete the Core 40 requirements set by the state. These requirements were implemented in 2006. There are four different diplomas that a high school student in the state of Indiana could receive upon completing the Core 40 requirements: General, Core 40, Core 40 with Academic Honors, and Core 40 with Technical Honors (Indiana Core 40, 2006). Even after completing the courses required for the Core 40 High School students in the state of Indiana must pass an exam to â€Å"qualify† for graduation. This exam is referred to as the GQE (Indiana Core 40, 2006 ). Indiana has added a few nice provisions to this legislation to help out students who may simply not be good test takers, or for those who are ready to work and do not need the required math skills for their work. These provisions, which are found on the Indiana Department of Education website, are referred to as the â€Å"Evidence-based waiver† and the â€Å"Work readiness waiver. The evidence-based waiver is for those students who excel in the classroom, but have a hard time with tests. This provision, among other things, allows teachers to confirm that the student knows what has been taught in class and that they have kept up their attendance as well. The work readiness waiver is for those students who have completed the Core 40 coursework as well as a completed a Career Exploration Internship. This simply means that the student has done the work that was required of them and that they are, in fact, ready to enter the workforce even though they may not have passed the GQE. Both provisions have provided students additional opportunities to complete their Indiana High School Math requirements. After learning about the requirements to pass math in the state of Indiana I wanted to take a look at the percentage of passing students to see if the percentage had improved since the Core 40 and GQE was put in place. Since there had been a curriculum change put into place, I wanted to see if the students were being positively affected by this change. Although I could not find the passing percentage for 12th graders, which is what I wanted to evaluate, I was able to find the percentage of 10th graders that passed from 2006-2009. I found that there was a quite a jump in the percentage of passing students from the year ’06-’07 to the year ’07-’08; it went from 66% to 72% (Annual Performance Report , 2009). However, the following year the same increased percentage did not occur. Instead the Indiana 10th grade percentage of students passing their GQE went down two percentage points. The numbers for the ’09-’10 year in Indiana have not yet been released, but I hope to find that these percentages were on the rise and did not follow suit from the previous year. Based on these statistics I am unable to see the impact that the Core 40 was designed to have on Indiana’s High School math students. The new legislation has only been in place for a few years, so there is still time for this to have a positive effect on the students and their graduation rates. Looking at these statistics raised a question for me, â€Å"How do you measure a teacher’s worth? Well, based on some research I can tell you that the average high school teacher’s salary has been on a steady incline. Within the last 35 years the average public school teacher’s salary has went from $11,165 for the school year of 1974-1975 to $50,488 for the school year of 2009-2010(Teacher Salary, 2007). The increases in wages have been well over the national inflation rate also. As a future teacher this research shows me that the state is recognizing the hard work that its teachers are putting nto their students and the government is trying to retain quality teachers. The monetary compensation is one valuable form of measuring a teacher worth, but there’s still the intangibles of the career and that is community worth. I have found through conversations with family and friends who are educators, no one teaches for the money. However, it is reassuring to see that I will be able to have a career that I am happy with and be able to support my family at the same time. I was drawn to this research topic because of my background and love for coaching. As a coach you are a teacher, counselor, and father. As a minority I believe I will be able to relate to my Afro-American students better. In my experiences I have found it easier to relate to students of the same ethnicity or socioeconomic backgrounds. Bandura states that learning may occur as a result of watching someone else perform some action and experience reinforcement or punishment (Boyd and Bee, 2006). I served as a role model for my student athletes by showing them various life decisions and how to make the correct choices when they arouse. As a male I have been a father figure to a lot of young males. My advice has been used as education for life situations and life skills. I saw the self efficacy as a huge challenge in many young and economically challenged Afro-American males and females. Bandura defines self efficacy as the belief in one’s ability to perform some action or to control one’s behavior or environment, to reach some goal or to make something happen ( Boyd and Bee, 2006). Many students had the attitude that they couldn’t overcome the obstacles that life had placed in front of them. Many social problems that the students faced were looked at as obstacles that were to hard overcome. I was able to help one particular student with a life altering experience and persuade him to not give up on his dreams. This young man had the opportunity to obtain a full athletic scholarship to a division one school for football, however numerous obstacles surrounded this young athlete, but none were greater than his lack of mathematical aptitude. I realized with working with this student that all of my social and ethical skills teaching wouldn’t benefit him if he couldn’t not pass his mathematical requirements to graduate high school and also pass college entrance exams. I hope that someday I will be in this situation again and I will be able to help other student’s overcome what many people see as an adversity. The adversity I am speaking of is being able to complete their math requirements so that they may receive their high school diploma. One of the main reasons I have decided to become an educator is to help young students’ poor outlook on their futures. As a teacher I will receive tremendous gratification watching a student reach his or her full potential. Watching students that never believed in themselves enough to graduate walk across the stage during graduation and listen to the speaker announce their future plans to attend a university or college is something that cannot be matched. The social impact of this job is immeasurable and the joy that I will receive from the profession will last a life time. In conclusion, as a minority high school teacher I should be able to model correct life skills and teach proficient math skills to my students that will create a greater sense of self efficacy in them. After researching Indiana’s High School mathematic graduation requirements, the percentage of students passing math requirements, and teachers’ salaries, I have found that I will be teaching in a state that has transformed its educational curriculum and requirements to produce more societal ready students, whether they join the workforce or the campus. I will also be working for a state that has a proven track record of monetarily backing its educators and keeping them out of poverty. With any luck the salaries will continue to rise with the educational requirements of the students that we must prepare for the future. Lastly, I will have a career that will keep this great nation strong and also provide me with a great sense of community pride.