A Critical Analysis of Examination in Assessing Psychology Students at Coursework

A Critical Analysis of Examination in Assessing Psychology Students at University - Coursework Example Students are assessed for a variety of reasons such as for motivation of students, producing learning opportunities, enabling feedback to students and teachers, grading and for improving quality of education provided and institutions (Rust, 2002). Teachers design assessment and examination techniques to facilitate learning of students and give feedback of the conduct of the students during the course. It is essential to fully understand the real purpose of assessment and the assessment method used should be critically analyzed and evaluated, for the assessment technique to be effective in achieving its purposes. As according to Broadfoot, â€Å"Assessment is on the agenda because change is on the agenda; because there is growing pressure in many countries for the education system to do more and different things; because it is felt that assessment is key to achieving these changes†. This paper identifies the purpose of the assessment and indicates what should be assessed. It fu rther analyzes the attributes of an efficacious assessment. There are more than one examination methods used in assessing students at educational settings, and this paper analyzes those methods and further describes the strengths and weaknesses, and advantages and disadvantages of the examination method to assess the students. ... Assessment of examination can include giving grades as a part of it, but it does not limited to this act. It is a subjective process of evaluation as well as objective one (Rust, 2002). The main purpose of assessment of students is the most important consideration before analyzing and evaluating the assessment and examination methods. Assessment through examination is considered as a dynamic process having multiple aspects and diverse intentions. Such diverse intents include providing the examination criteria on the basis of which students are graded and promoted to next higher level. In assessing students, proper feedback is enabled so as to highlight the quality of student learning, and also teachers are capable to evaluate the the extent to which their teaching is effective. The assessment through examination method is crucial in maintaining academic standards (Brown et al., 1996). The deep understanding of purpose of assessing students facilitates the teacher in establishing a mo del which defines the assessment method to use in particular educational setting. But before moving to that step of developing assessment framework, the facets of student learning that are to be assessed or examined should be considered. The assessment content majorly depends on the course objectives as both of these assist to achieve the same educational goals for student learning. This is the basic element of an effectively-designed curriculum. The extensive classification of educational and learning objectives covers three critical areas that are knowledge, skills, and attitudes. For the knowledge domain, Harden has illustrated that cognitive measures are addressed by knowledge objectives (Harden, 1979).

Business Decision Mapping Essay Example for Free

Business Decision Mapping Essay The Shamrock Manufacturing Chicago plant manager, Sean Fitzpatrick is contemplating replacing a large piece of manufacturing equipment. Mr. Fitzpatrick is also inline for a promotion to Shamrocks larger Houston plant within the next year, and is hesitant to make any decisions that will reduce short-run operating income and his performance evaluation. While the prospective replacement equipment promises to reduce cash operating costs, it costs $90,000, as well as the loss on disposal cost of the old equipment, which has not fully depreciated. Prior to making a decision, Mr. Fitzgerald must identify all relevant costs and chose a decision for the best interest of Shamrock (Datar, Rajan, 2013). Analysis The available data to consider in this case is the old machines purchase price ($150,000); the current book value of the old machine ($60,000); the market value of the old machine ($36,000); the cost of the new equipment ($90,000); and the reduction in annual cash operating costs ($32,500). All historical costs are considered irrelevant, as they have already occurred and have no effect on future costs. The only relevant costs that should be considered for this decision are the future cash operating costs, the disposal value of the old machine, and the cost of the new machine that will be deprecated over the next two years. Based on the #1 and #2 worksheets in Appendix A of this document, year one yields an increase in expenditures of $6500, but includes the $24,000 loss of disposal of the old machine, which is irrelevant. The only relevant data is the total two-year costs shown on worksheet #2 that shows a reduction in total relevant cash flow of $11,000. The results of worksheet #1 are not beneficial for Mr. Fitzgerald, but the overall results in year two benefit Shamrock. Based on the #3 worksheet, with a lower new equipment cost ($77,000), year one breaks even, which is irrelevant, and the total two-year reductions in total relevant cash flow are $24,000. Conclusion Based solely on the worksheet information (Appendix A), the company should replace the equipment. All relevant costs located in worksheets #2, and #3 indicate that Shamrock manufacturing will benefit by replacing the machines at either equipment cost. However, worksheet #1 presents a problem for Mr. Fitzgerald as it shows a $6500 increase in the first year expenses, which are irrelevant in the long-run, but may encourage Mr. Fitzgerald not to purchase the new equipment because it may reflect badly on the short-run net operating income of his plant during the evaluation period for his promotion. Worksheet #3 offers a breakeven scenario in the first year and a $24,000 reduction in relevant cash flows in year two, which is the best option for Mr. Fitzgerald and Shamrock, if available. Reference: Datar, S., Rajan, M., (2013). Financial and Managerial accounting, custom edition, Pearson Learning Solutions, Ch. 9 Appendix A Shamrock Manufacturing relevant cash flow analysis Appendix B 5-Step Critical Thinking Decision-Making Process Matrix Step 1: Identify the problem(s) and uncertainties. What exactly is the problem†¦ Sean Fitzpatrick has an opportunity to decrease long-run cash flow by replacing a large piece of plant equipment. The problem is this †¦ Mr. Fitzpatrick is up for a promotion and is concerned that any short-run decreases in operating income will affect his performance evaluation. This is an important problem because†¦ Mr. Fitzpatrick’s decision may be good for the company, but could hurt his career aspirations. The key question(s) that needs to be answered to solve this problem is†¦ What is the best decision for shamrock in the long-run? Step 2: Obtain information. The following information is needed to answer this question†¦ What are the relevant costs that impact the decision to keep or replace the equipment? Based on the #1 and #2 worksheets, what decision would be made in years one and two? Based on the #3 worksheet, would the decision be different for years one and two compared to the initial cost of the new equipment? Some important assumptions I am using in my thinking are†¦ I believe that the best decision for Shamrock is not the best decision for Mr. Fitzpatrick, which creates an ethical dilemma. The points of view relevant to this problem belong to†¦ Sean Fitzpatrick. Note: Remember to view the information you have obtained for potential bias. This is from the perspective of your own bias to the research and the bias of the authors who compiled the data and the research you gathered. In other words, do not discount the importance of other’s data because of your own bias(is). Step 3: Make predictions about the future. If this problem gets solved, some important implications are†¦ Long-run relevant cash flows will be reduced, and operating income will increase. If this problem does not get solved, some important implications are†¦ An opportunity to decrease relevant cash flows will be missed. The potential alternative solutions to solve the problem are†¦ Keep the status quo or make a tough decision that will benefit Shamrock in the long-run. Note: if the problem is one-dimensional, there may be just one correct solution. Step 4: Make decisions by choosing among alternatives. What is the best solution and why†¦ By the new equipment, because it decreases long-run relevant cash flows. Step 5: Implement the decision, evaluate performance, and learn. In business, the fifth step in the decision making process is implementation. In the MBA program, most times you will end with Step 4 since you will not have the opportunity to implement. You may be asked to develop an implementation plan and recommend how you will evaluate performance in some assignments.

Compare and contrast Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band. :: English Literature

Compare and contrast Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band. To what extent are they typical of murder mystery stories? In my opinion a typical murder mystery is one where it keeps you reading in anticipation wanting to know who has committed the well planed out murder, the whole way through. Until the end where the clever detective (who is usually quite an old man, dressed in a smart tweed suit) goes through one by one all of the suspects telling them exactly why they could have committed the murder, but then why they didn't. He then confronts the real murderer who is normally the one everyone least suspects. This all takes place in a large country manor where lots of people would have been busying round but for the murderer, conveniently there are never any witnesses to the crime. The murder is most often well planed out, with a devious reason behind it. The two stories are both very different and mainly the only similarities are that they are both about murders that are done by people that are close family to the victims they murder in there own homes.7 The settings in both of them are very different; in lamb to the slaughter the setting is in a normal home in a small village, where normal family life goes on. To begin with everything is going fine and things are going on the same, as they would do every other day. The husband has just got home from work and his wife asks him how his day has been 'Hullo darling' she says and then gets him a drink. The fact it is just like every other day shows in the relaxed atmosphere, which is described as 'a blissful time of day' The atmosphere also seams to be warm and cosy as she was 'luxuriating in his company' Where as in the Speckled Band the setting is really as you would expected a murder mystery setting to be. This shows as at the start there is an air of panic as Watson and Holmes have been 'knocked up' as 'a young lady had arrived in a considerable state of excitement' The murder setting is also typical as it is in a large country manor, owned by the well-known Surry Family of the Roylotts of Stoke Moran. But unlike an average murder mystery there wouldn't be an awful lot of people around to be suspects, as only the two stepdaughters and their father were in the house. Although there wasn't a lot of atmosphere after the opening part of the story, as there is just a woman telling Compare and contrast Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band. :: English Literature Compare and contrast Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band. To what extent are they typical of murder mystery stories? In my opinion a typical murder mystery is one where it keeps you reading in anticipation wanting to know who has committed the well planed out murder, the whole way through. Until the end where the clever detective (who is usually quite an old man, dressed in a smart tweed suit) goes through one by one all of the suspects telling them exactly why they could have committed the murder, but then why they didn't. He then confronts the real murderer who is normally the one everyone least suspects. This all takes place in a large country manor where lots of people would have been busying round but for the murderer, conveniently there are never any witnesses to the crime. The murder is most often well planed out, with a devious reason behind it. The two stories are both very different and mainly the only similarities are that they are both about murders that are done by people that are close family to the victims they murder in there own homes.7 The settings in both of them are very different; in lamb to the slaughter the setting is in a normal home in a small village, where normal family life goes on. To begin with everything is going fine and things are going on the same, as they would do every other day. The husband has just got home from work and his wife asks him how his day has been 'Hullo darling' she says and then gets him a drink. The fact it is just like every other day shows in the relaxed atmosphere, which is described as 'a blissful time of day' The atmosphere also seams to be warm and cosy as she was 'luxuriating in his company' Where as in the Speckled Band the setting is really as you would expected a murder mystery setting to be. This shows as at the start there is an air of panic as Watson and Holmes have been 'knocked up' as 'a young lady had arrived in a considerable state of excitement' The murder setting is also typical as it is in a large country manor, owned by the well-known Surry Family of the Roylotts of Stoke Moran. But unlike an average murder mystery there wouldn't be an awful lot of people around to be suspects, as only the two stepdaughters and their father were in the house. Although there wasn't a lot of atmosphere after the opening part of the story, as there is just a woman telling

Freedom of Choice

â€Å"To be or not to be that a question. † This saying is from a very famous poet called William Shakespeare. It means that we need to make choices when we face some questions and we need bear all the consequences and before we make choices, we need to mull. Sometimes, we can make choices by ourselves, but they can cause mistakes.So, I think it costs society for people to have the freedom of making choices. I will show three examples of making choices and they are from a book called â€Å"The Giver†, a fictional story called â€Å" Mermaid† and an article we read in class called â€Å"what makes teens drink†.In the book, in Jonas society, a receiver called Rosemary, she ask to release because she think that she can’t bear too much pain and she think that release is just go to another community, but she doesn’t know release means euthanasia. She makes a wrong choice, that cause she dies and all of her memories return to the people in the comm unity and cause disturbance.Hans Christian Andersen writes the story called and it tell us that a beautiful mermaid save a prince’s life in the ocean, and she loves the prince but the prince doesn’t know he was saved by the mermaid, he thinks that the princess from another country.The mermaid wants to meet the prince, she makes a decision that she lost her nice voice and she gets feet. But if the mermaid can’t get married with the prince, she will become bubble. Then, the prince meet her but he still think the princess save his life.As the result of mermaid’s throat, she can’t tell prince. Finally, prince get married with the princess and mermaid become bubble. The article we read in class tells us that many minors drink in Nebraska and it is illegal. But major teens are not. So that is because of teen’s own choice and their parents don’t set the standard and rules very clear.Pressure is the reason of teens drink and that may cause cr ime. Alcohol can affect decision-making and the body. So teens should know why underage drinking is not allowed. This information is from â€Å"The Torch Plpillion-LaVista South High SchoolPapillion, NE.†I think it is not important that people make their own choices even if they make harmful ones. Relate to the third example, teens drink in Nebraska, they know what law is but they still do it because their parents give them too many chances to make their own choices. I think they are not adults, so they don’t have experiences and ability to make their own decision.Alcohol can affect decision-making and the body and they can easily to get injured. If they get injured, they will regret forever. A small mistake can cause sad, so, parents should not allowed them to make their own choice. They are many costs of freedom of choice, just like the first example.Rosemary choose to release, she lost her life, that makes the giver sad and her memories return to the people live in Jonas society, if people have memories, the organization of their community can not control them easily because people have minds. Maybe people will against the organization.All of these results Rosemary has never think about. Nobody can stop her because of rules, so this freedom choice is harmful for people. I don’t think benefits outweigh the costs. Come back to Rosemary, although she will not bear all the pain, she lost her life, she can’t do anything and she makes others sad, she also break the balance of the community, there are too many costs and they are more important than the benefits. I think it is not possible to have too many choices because we can see the second example, mermaid loves the prince and she want to see him. There are only one way can see him and she need to pay a price.Otherwise the mermaid will not lost her voice and her life, but she will never see the prince. That is impossible, so, she must make decision. But if someone stop her such as he r parents, the result maybe different. Freedom choice can cause too many mistakes and most of mistakes can give super hits and harmful for the society. In conclusion, it is not important that people need to make their own choices. All of the choices need to have good results and most of people don’t think over their choices and cause serious mistakes. So it is costs society for people to have the freedom of making choices.

Existentialism: Sartre’s Views Essay

Existentialism is a movement that focuses on the significance of human features and its primary effects in our life and in our society. Since we always interact in the society, this movement had explained certain social phenomena that are left unexplained by other sociological and psychological theory. Since we deal with the conscious minds of the people around us, such a theory would explain why some people chose to do certain things that we think should not. This movement values the importance of real and existing rather than the concept and abstract. Jean Paul Sarte is one of the pioneer philosophers who introduced this kind of theory. He is one of the best existentialist philosopher and also a writer who wrote novels and autobiography of some prominent people. His experiences in his childhood and early youth had given him experiences for him to be able to reach the point of discovering the importance of existentialism. One of his claims is that if a person chooses to perform some action, then that person affirms that the action is good. He believed that we consciously choose the way we act and our counter reactions in everything that we experience in our daily lives. He believed that because we choose to do that action, therefore, we accept the consequences of it, believing that this is the good for us. Since being good is relative, therefore, it answers the questions and doubts about the legality of such concept. He claimed that in every action that we did, we choose what we think is the best for us and the best for all. We do not choose the evil or something that will result in a massive negative effect in our society because of our capability to think rationally. He argued that we do not have the capability of choosing an absolute evil. Because we are aware of the possible consequences of every actions that we do, we consciously weigh the possible outcomes of every actions that we are doing for us to be able to have the best reaction towards a certain situation. Then, if we assume that every thing that we are doing is good, and we believe it is good, therefore, no one is doing the â€Å"wrong† thing. As Sartre is trying to point out, â€Å"goodness† is relative across different ideas and beliefs and concepts of it. And he extended an explanation to address these kinds of arguments that tackles the reason why there are people who we think that what they are doing is right while some will say that obviously, it is not. This will lead us to his next assumption that it is psychologically distressing to affirm the value of an action which cannot be universalized. This will answer the question of the effects of our basis in doing things that we think are good and for the better of all the concerned party. He added that it should be universalized, or in other words, should be applicable to different people in a society having different point of views in their life. If such action that we affirm that is something good and for the betterment of our community, therefore, this action will lead to social dysfunction and some functional problems of our society. So therefore, he is trying to point out that our action should be applicable to different people for it to have a higher value in the society. Or else, if such action have different connotations to different people, it will only produce distress to the minds of the people thinking that what they are doing is something worthwhile not only for them but also for the society they belong. In universalizing certain actions, we should take into consideration his claims about the existence of different beliefs wherein many of the people are trying to relate themselves in the way that their society identifies them. This would give us the idea of having different meanings attached to certain actions that most of the people take for granted that it is the best thing that they should do. But for us to attain this level of explanation in certain actions that they are doing, we should assess the possible outcome of it or the realistic result and consequences that was due to the unbalanced acceptance of different people to different actions and roles that we are portraying. If we will take his two claims about the level of goodness of an action and its universality, therefore, it proves his third claim that to choose an action that can not be universalized is an error, and there is a reason not to choose such an action. Since we are assuming that what we are doing is the good for us and for the society we have, we must take into consideration in choosing the action that we are supposed to do the acceptance of different people and different subculture of the society. We are aware that we have different meanings attached to certain actions that we are doing and at the same time, these meanings vary depend upon the cultural explanation that they are offering. This cultural diversity that we have in effect will consolidate a certain sets of norms that were accepted by every body or the majority of the community and brand those actions that lie behind the accepted cultural norms as immoral. One of the major effects of this claim is that whenever that we are doing something for our self that we claim that this action is the good for us and somehow will benefit the people around you, but the society thinks that your action is well outside the boundary of accepted cultural beliefs, then you will be classified as an immoral being that failed to conform to the rigid rules of the society. This is one of the thresholds of the claims of Sartre. Because of his belief that what we do is something that we think is the best for us and the value of the action should conform to the norms of different parts of the society for it to be universalized, therefore, if we failed in doing the action that will be accepted by majority of the people then this is an error in our part because we failed to recognize the importance and the consequences of the actions that we did. This in fact is a manifestation of our wanting of doing the best things that we think is fitted in the situation that we are in. If ever that we failed to recognize and to choose the action that will be universalized and instead, we did the things that will cause distress to some people, he also claimed that there is always a valid reason in choosing that kind of behavior. We did a behavior that was consciously chosen by us to portray the good side of the action that we did. But we can not remove the fact that because of the social factors that affect the symbols and meanings of certain things that we did, in result, it will lead to doing things according to our own biases and cultural knowledge that is most probably, our own definition of goodness. And aside from that, we can not remove the fact that we choose things according to what is beneficial to us and according to our preferences, thus, some actions that we did seem to be outside the limitations set by the other people. Facticity and Transcendence: Bad Faith One of the concepts that he believed is having a two dimension of human beings. Since the For-Itself focuses on the experiences that we had and is consciously aware to what is happening in the environment, it is divided into two parts that have different functions and significance to the contribution to our reaction formation in certain circumstances that we are involved in. The first is the facticity. This gives importance to the past scenarios of every situation and the present or the actual scenario itself. It has a conscious definition of the things that was happened in the past as well as the physical characteristics of the environment he is in. On the other hand, the transcendence is the ability to explore the future and to decide on making choices that will affect the possible outcome of our actions. This includes the negating of the actual scenario for us to be able to have the capacity to think the worst possible scenario and therefore, giving us a broader perspective in the situations that we are all in. Also, in contrast with the facticity which primarily based the decision on the actual facts, the transcendence takes into consideration the things that are not actually happening or the situations that are non-existent. He tackled about the three persons who failed to establish the connection between the facticity of their For-Itself and its transcendence. In effect, they experience different kind of consequences that is somehow dysfunctional in the way that it should happen. This is what he called bad faith. The first one is the woman on a date. She had defined her factical and transcendence state but he failed to set the connection between them. She moved back and forth in its structure and therefore defined different actions that had no relation with each other. In effect, her consciousness as being a beautiful object had hindered her to express and to give a credit to the actual feeling that her date had for her. She thought that her body is just a mere object of attraction but eventually, shifted to different focus like her future plans in life. This unstable situation of her being resulted to confusion of the meaning of the reactions and the situation itself. The second one is the waiter. In contrast to the woman on a date, the waiter totally failed to establish his transcendence and focused on the actual scenario. He defined himself as a bounded creature and has limited opportunities and capabilities. But in reality, his failure of establishing this part of his being had affected the way he understood the flow of life of the society. Because he already assumed that his current situation is fixed, he had suppressed his freedom to explore many things in life that in reality, he has the capability to do so. The last one he mentioned is the homosexual. This is the contrast of the waiter, where he failed t recognized his facticity. In result, he sensationalized his transcendence being and thought the whole actual scenario as non-existence or being a false happening. He does not accept the facts that he had several relationship and encounters with the same sex. This facts had modified his own perception on what he is doing and in effect, had produced a feeling of guilt. This feeling of guilt had resulted to the manifestation of his tolerance to his actual doings and gave reasons to him to continue his behavior. But in reality, his clam that he is not gay while his conscious mind knew that he is a gay, therefore is a sign of having a bad faith because of his false knowledge. Bad faith is somehow the manifestation of our failure to set up the fluid connection of the two, as discussed on the different situation of three different people, failure to do so will result to functional dysfunction and will be a great social phenomena. Existentialism: Heidegger’s Perspective On the other hand, another philosopher from Germany, Martin Heidegger, had introduced some theories about existentialism. He has a close affinity to the church and therefore based most of his works in metaphysical aspects. One of his major concepts is how the worldly characters defined itself within the world. His structure of societal activities is composed of many assignments and references that if splited, will define the ready-to-hand objects in contrast with presence-at-hand objects. Presence-to-hand involved mainly observing the natural phenomenon and basing everything to known facts. But, against the common notion of its equality, it has different moods that affect the presence of an object and mainly deal with the metaphysical aspects that tend to bring all the level down. For example, we had a chair. When the chair is broken, it exists as presence-to-hand and needs the immediate action like repair or replace. The importance of the object is seen not because of its mere existence but its practical use for our benefit. By the time that this chair is fixed, it will suddenly turn into ready-to-hand object. Ready-to-hand concept primarily deals with the things without considering its theoretical importance. Ready-to-hand literally is the things that are present as of the moment and is available for practical purposes. This happens when we have conscious ideas on what is going on in our environment and society. Therefore, this ready-to-hand experience gives us a top view of the physical things that we are seeing today. We value greatly not its metaphysical value but its practicality for us. Connecting the two concepts of being, based on Heidegger, ready-to-hand is a more primordial way of life. It does not mean that being primordial is primitive or ancient way. What he meant is this is the basic foundation of our perception of different entities that we had an interaction. These entities are primarily affected by the question of which is the ready-to-hand and presence-at-hand entity. Therefore, in finding dealing with our everyday experience of the two, the ready-to-hand serves as the first implication of the things that we see in our common days. We do things not because of its theoretical backgrounds but because we have to use such thing without thinking deeper. In addition, the ready-to-hand lead us to a broader understanding of our being, because we understood it not just by theoretical assumption but through our experiences, therefore giving the notion that we can fully understand the essence of being through what is everyday or common experience for everyone and what is close to their habits and behaviors. (Guignon & Pereboom, 2001) Existentialism gives primary importance to the existence of human essence and beings. Therefore, a critical analysis of our own beings is needed for us to be able to give explanation to the reasons of our own behaviors, attitude and way of life.

Crossing the Line essays

Crossing the Line essays What creates controversy? Controversy is caused when an idea or a thought contradicts the traditional social norms. But without ideas, we would not be where we are today. Art has seen so much metamorphosis that comparing classical art and contemporary art one sees drastic differences. Thus innovation and recreation has become almost obligatory to maintain arts fluidity. Controversial art is merely a terminology for original and creative thinking. Art is not a crime. Art should cross the line. It exists to provoke thought and controversy. Throughout history, when society was conservative, among the first to be attacked are artistic institutions. Literature, music, art, cries of, "pornography," "values," and "taste". Without these aspects then art would be monotonous. Controversial artist making headlines is, Chris Cooper, better known as, Coop. Coop is probably best known to America as the artist responsible for an embarrassing painting of a pair of naked women, represented as female devils engaging in graphic, explicit lesbian sex. The painting involving carnal pleasures between two women became the cover of the recent Lords of Acid album, Voodoo-U. The painting had also caused a national debate involving pornography and art. Coop's art, especially through his theme of a sexual woman as a devil, is misogynistic explaining that such vivid thoughts of sexuality could not come across a womans mind. This caused much uproar in the conservative and ignorant societys as it challenged every aspect of decent human society. Coop treads the same turf as Manet did in, "The Olympia," and Duchamp did with, "Le Voyeur," paintings that in their time stirred controversy to the censors as well, and inspired debates that have forced untold millions to question their beliefs, and the society that taught them. Thanks to controversial artists like Coop, Manet and Duchamp the debate concerning pornography and art will continue, a...

Eco Paper Essays

Eco Paper Essays Eco Paper Essay Eco Paper Essay Nicanor Reyes Street, Sampaloc Manila City, 1008 Metro Manila In Partial Fulfillment in Introduction to Economics Present: An Economic Analysis Submitted by : Gladys Socia Jen Chua Lei Ureta Nicole Yu Jihad Taha Aaron Ogad Christian Vinas Charles Oroceo Nicka Casssandra Jerao Abbygale Evangelista Michaela Ronquillo Abigail Tiongson Submitted To: Dr. Darwin Bonifacio Professor Date Submitted : ______________________ I. Problem: Import-Export Imbalance Introduction:Among the many economic problems faced by the Philippines, the imbalance of imports and exports creates a toll on our development with foreign countries. The negative trade is heavy and only counterbalanced by the service account surplus. Over the last two decades, Philippine exports have shifted from commodity-based products to manufactured goods. However, in the midst of the current global economic recession, the exports of electronics, garments and textiles have yet to reach a level of import neutralization. Economic Anal ysis: Our country produces a variety of different products.But Filipinos don’t give as much patronage to local products as compared to imported goods. If asked, most of our countrymen would prefer purchasing goods from other countries, over products that are domestically grown and produced. Most countries attempt to achieve a trade balance, in which the flow of imports and exports is relatively equal. If a country exports too much, it may not be able to support its domestic needs, while a country which imports excessive amounts of products may not have enough money to support the high volume of imports.In a country with a trade balance, import and export rates are about equal, with nations exporting excess items for sale, and importing the goods that it needs. Historically, the Philippines has been an important centre for commerce for centuries for its ethnic minority, namely, the Chinese who were also its first occupants. The archipelago has also been visited by Arabs and In dians for the purpose of trading in the first and early second millennium. As of 21st century, the country is member in several international trade organizations including the APEC, ASEAN and WTO.Since 1980s, the Philippines have opened their economy to foreign markets, and established a network of free trade agreements with several countries. The United States is one of the Philippines top trading partners. In 2010, according to US Department of Commerce dad, trade between the Philippines and US amounts to US$15. 4 billion. US is also the Philippines largest foreign investor, with foreign direct investment close to US$6 billion at the end of 2009. Under the new Aquino administration, the government plans to open up the country to more foreign investment in industries such as business processing operations, mining and tourism.However, this move may be hindered by restrictions such a prohibition of foreign ownership of land and public utilities. Philippines Import and Export Indicato rs and Statistics at a Glance (2010) Total value of exports:  US$50. 72 billion Primary exports commodities: semiconductors and electronic products, transport equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, fruits Primary exports partners:  US (17. 6 percent of total exports), Japan (16. 2 percent), Netherlands (9. 8 percent), Hong Kong (8. 6 percent), China (7. 7 percent), Germany (6. percent), Singapore (6. 2 percent), South Korea (4. 8 percent) Total value of imports:  US$59. 9 billion Primary imports commodities:  electronic products, mineral fuels, machinery and transport equipment, iron and steel, textile fabrics, grains, chemicals, plastic Primary imports partners:  Japan (12. 5 percent of total imports), US (12 percent), China (8. 8 percent), Singapore (8. 7 percent), South Korea (7. 9 percent), Taiwan (7. 1 percent), Thailand (5. 7 percent) Although there are many variances that cause the imbalances, the following are some specific reasons .Convergent or divergent dynamics of imports and exports are the first causes of trade balance changes. Everything that impacts asymmetrically on imports and exports can impact the trade balance. In particular, price and non-price competitiveness is relevant. If external pressure forces down the prices at which a country sells its exports, then a trade deficit is more likely (terms of trade effect). In other words, in a hierarchical world, trade balance can reflect political balance of power.A faster GDP growth than trade partners ones usually results in trade deficit, since imports are elastic to GDP (they raise more than proportionally). Currency exchange rate can be very important: possibly due to a fixed exchange rate and a higher inflation rate than commercial partners, an overvaluation of the domestic currency can lead to deep trade deficits on most products and with most countries. A sharp devaluation can dramatically improve all these relationships Our country is producing a lot of different product.But we rarely notice it, we Filipinos patronized the product of our neighboring country because now in our day using foreign and branded products will make you look â€Å"cool† while using Philippine products will make you look cheap, without knowing that some of Philippine product was bought by other countries and they just use their brand name in our products. I think that our government should follow what the Chinese did before, they control the importing of foreign products and let make their people buy their own products. Now as we see the China was one of the richest countries in the world.I think that if we do the same there is a great chance that our country will one day became one of the richest countries in the world. II. Problem: Low Market Development Introduction: Marketing has always been prevalent in creating various impacts on a nations growing economy. Economics is strongly involved with the booming industries through the use of busi ness strategies. Product innovation is also an important factor in the economic development of any country. It is primarily vested on the ability of the constituents to formulate ideas beneficial to both the masses and the countrys financial status.The Philippines, known as a financially democratic country, has an economy that is marked as the 40th largest in the entire world as stated by the 2012 International Monetary Fund statistics. It is also one of the emerging markets in the world as a heavily industrialized country, it has been transitioning from being centered on the agricultural sector to service providing and then to manufacturing various products. According to the CIA Fact book, the estimated 2012 GDP (purchasing power parity) of the Philippines was 424. 355 billion in estimation.Goldman Sachs, an American multinational financing bank, estimates that by the year 2050, the Philippines will be the 14th largest economy in the world. Goldman Sachs also included the Philippi nes in its list of the Next Eleven economies. According to HSBC, another well-known and influential financial institution, the Philippine economy will become the 16th largest economy in the world, 5th largest economy in Asia and the largest economy in the Southeast Asian region by 2050. These predictions speak highly about the Philippines improvement in the business sector which will probably lift the country out of the 3rd world nation stigma.In order to make the possible improvements, it is suggested that the Philippines must focus more on exportation of goods and services such as: electronic products, semiconductors, transport equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, and fruits. With the help of foreign countries charting throughout the globe, the plan on investing more on exportation may be a plausible stepping stone in the transformation of the once forlorn economy to a thriving economy that is at par with first world economies like that of Japan, Singapore and the like.Market development pays a huge page in promoting innovation within the business sectors. This would entail the expanding of potentials markets through new users and new uses. The strategy would have to be remodeled with the use of new geographic segments, new demographic segments, new institutional segments and new psychographic segments in order to reach out to important factors in the market. Economic Analysis/Conclusion: The year 2012 has been a magical year for the Philippines real state industry.Stbale economic growth, low interest rates, and increasing home investment of overseas Filipino workers drove the steady demand in the local property market. Add in the continuous growth of foreign investment, expansion of the off-shoringand outsourcing industries, and the influx of expatriate workers. All these factors have combined to the shape the property boom that is changing the skyline not only of the metropolitan region but of the provincial cities as we ll. The Philippines has the fastest growing economy among Asian countries for the first quarter of 2013 according to the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB).Our beloved country is also considered as the 40th largest economy and one of the emerging markets in the world. Philippines is considered as a newly industrialized country. It has been transitioning from agriculture to services and manufacturing. It is said that the quarterly growth rate was the highest record since reformist President Benigno Aquino III took office in 2010 on a promise to fight corruption and cut poverty. The Philippines is on the verge of regaining decades lost to slow growth, thanks to government efforts to instill confidence that have kept the country on the investors’ radar even amid financial volatility. The restoration of macroeconomic balance has helped insulate domestic conditions from recurring global financial turmoil and volatile capital flows,† the Institute of International Finance (IIF) said in report dated Aug. 14. â€Å"The key issue for the near-term outlook is maintaining macroeconomic stability. The strong growth at the turn of the year was not a transitory phenomenon, but evidence that the economy was regaining momentum,† it added. IIF- a group of global financial institutions- noted the economy could surprise with a 7. -percent growth this year, faster than last year’s 6. 8 percent, following the first-quarter uptick of 7. 8 percent. Part of the reason for the sterling performance, the group said, was the Philippines’ â€Å"rising global prominence† hinged on the Aquino administration’s budget discipline and improving public governance. In the SONA last month, Mr. Aquino outlined several economic reforms such as the rationalization of fiscal incentives and the relaxation of the â€Å"cabotage† law, which currently restricts foreigners from plying interisland shipping routes in the country.These plann ed reforms, as well as the crackdown on smuggling that was also highlighted in the President’s speech before Congress, were welcomed by foreign investors as signs of the administration’s seriousness to further strengthen the country’s economic base. Registered investments for the month reached $2. 5 billion. The bulk of these funds went to publicly listed shares, while the remaining went to peso time deposits and government securities. The registered investments for the month were 11. 3 percent lower than June’s figure, but this was mainly due to the one-time block sale of shares in publicly listed Cosco Capital Inc. the BSP said. Based on the research conducted, the country must appoint credible and competent managerial heads in order to reach its optimal goal in progressing market structures. A marketing manager has to consider certain questions before implementing a market development strategy. For example: 1. Are they profitable? Profitability is an i mportant factor in implementing ideas within a market-centered civilization. Other questions regarding the development of the market would include the following: 2. Will it require the introduction of new or modified products?And, 3. Are the customer and channel well enough researched and understood? The marketing manager uses four groups to focus the market segment decision: existing customers, competitor customers, non-buying in current segments and, new segments. III. Problem: Unemployment Introduction: Unemployment occurs when people are without work and actively seeking work. The unemployment rate is a measure of the prevalence of unemployment and it is calculated as a percentage by dividing the number of unemployed individuals by all individuals currently in the labor force.The Philippines remains one of the most resilient economies in Southeast Asia, but such growth is neither sustainable nor inclusive as joblessness remains a problem for most Filipinos. Philippines jobless r ate increased to 7. 5 percent in April from 7. 1 percent reported in January and 6. 9 percent in April of 2012. The unemployment rate was pushed up by job losses in the agricultural sector due to extreme weather conditions. The employment rate reached 92. 5 percent, down from 93. 1 percent a year ago, due to a drop in the number of agricultural workers.Laborers and unskilled workers comprised the biggest group making up one-third (32. 6 percent) of the total employed persons; 57. 5 percent of the total employed population were wage and salary workers and 63. 5 percent were working full time. There were more males (61. 4 percent) than females (38. 6 percent) among the unemployed. The age group 15-24 made up 48. 2 percent of the total unemployed, while the age group 25-34, 30. 9 percent. By education, about one-fifth (21. 3 percent) of the unemployed were college graduates, 14. percent were college undergraduates, and 31. 7 percent were high school graduates. In the latest Asian Devel opment Outlook 2013 released, the Manila-based lender forecasts Philippine gross domestic product to expand 6 percent this year and in 2014. According to ADO 2013, persistently high levels of unemployment and underemployment remain a key concern in the country. As the latest data from the National Statistics Office has shown, about 7 percent of the 40 million labor forces are unemployed, while about 20 percent are underemployed.The Philippines has a strong growth in its hand and the next step for the Philippine government is to translate this strong growth into more jobs that will benefit most Filipinos. President  Benigno Aquino  has promised to cut unemployment to 6 percent at most by the end of his term in 2016. Proposals include easing curbs on foreign investment, boosting tourism and infrastructure to provide more work outside the capital, and expanding farming and fishing, said Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan, who’s in charge of the plan.The low invest ment share is because past economic growth has depended more on services that are less capital intensive than industry. We have to provide something like a million new jobs; we do have a significant increase in population. † Almost  half of all jobless  Filipinos are between the ages of 15 and 24, according to the government statistics office. The biggest area of employment remains  agriculture and fishing, which provides work for 30. 4 million people, or almost a third of the population. About 8 percent work in manufacturing.Call center agents are the most in demand, followed by salespeople and service crew, according to  Phil-JobNet, the government’s official job portal. The site has 14,165 vacancies in so-called business process outsourcing. With limited opportunities at home, many jobseekers go abroad to find work. The number of overseas Filipino workers climbed 15 percent in 2011 to almost 1. 7 million, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said . The funds they sent home totaled  $21. 4 billion  last year, about 10 percent of gross domestic product. Economic Analysis/Conclusion:One of the reasons why people nowadays are jobless is because people are lazy. The global crisis does take effect on this issue; so does one’s stature in life, but being predominantly sluggish is also a factor in unemployment. One’s financial status can also be a factor, in a sense that without proper and complete education, one’s chances of being hired is gradually slimmed down. Here are points on why a lot of people remain jobless amidst modern globalization efforts: 1. Low self-esteem due to lack of financial aid, 2. The Global Crisis which deeply affects the nation’s economic progress, 3.Educational attainment does not go pass collegiate level due to lack of financial resources. As the days go by, developers take more technological advances in creating more job opportunities for the masses. One example would have to be the efforts done by local institutions such as TESDA – which aims to provide vocational courses and setting lower costs so education can be better attained. This is where the blue collar jobs come in. more and more people are being open to blue collar jobs than white collar jobs due to its attainability to the masses.Even non-collegiate graduates may belonged to the blue collared sector. One of the factors we take much pride in is our bountiful number of English proficient workers in all different kinds of fields of expertise. This is possibly why our industry has reached so much success in business process outsourcing sectors such as call centers. But given those facts, why do we still see an evident gap in the job sector in the Philippines? Around 2. 8 million people are jobless today. According to the World Bank around 10 million people nationwide are unemployed and underemployed.Based on a million Filipinos added to labor force annually in the Philippines, our gover nment can create 14. 6 million jobs until 2016. Half a million Filipinos graduate college every year, yet a lot of companies still have difficulty looking for credible workers. This is because the courses chosen by the graduates are usually not in-sync with the job description needed for employment. Courses/programs being taken up in school are essential since they give an edge of expertise for someone in the labor force over those whose course may be considered far-fetched.Colleges and universities across the nation are now taking action to revise and update their course offerings that would jive well with the ever-changing trends of the industry and business sector. CHED encourages schools to open new courses leaning towards business, medicine, education, hotel and restaurant management, information technology and, computer courses. It is believed that through this, students will be more mindful and rightfully guided to take courses that are in demand. IV. Recommendation: * We the refore recommend that Filipinos should support, patronize and buy locally made products.This can help shape the economy and aid in its growth and development. Not only can it help support the money flow and ease financial burdens, it can also be a factor in promoting nationalism amongst countrymen. * We therefore recommend that the government must create steps in further developing and supporting every sector in the economy. For instance, the government should regulate and implement more rigid rules in the overall control of the importation of foreign products. * We therefore recommend that Filipinos be aware of information about the economy and the various ways to help support, preserve and flourish it.

How Meteors Form and What They Are

How Meteors Form and What They Are Experienced stargazers are familiar with meteors. They can fall any time of the day or night, but these bright flashes of light are much easier to see in dim light or darkness. While they are often referred to as falling or shooting stars, these bits of fiery rock actually have nothing to do with stars. Key Takeaways: Meteors Meteors are flashes of light made when bits of space rock speed through our atmosphere and burst into flames.Meteors may be created by comets and asteroids but are not themselves comets and asteroids.A meteorite is a space rock that survives the trip through the atmosphere and lands on the surface of a planet.Meteors can be detected by the sounds they give off as they pass through the atmosphere. Defining Meteors Technically, meteors are flashes of light that occur when a small bit of space debris called a speeds through Earths atmosphere. Meteors may be only about the size of a grain of sand or a pea, although some are small pebbles. The largest can be giant boulders the size of mountains. Most, however, result from tiny bits of space rock that happen to stray across Earth during its orbit.   Looking at an incoming meteor descend through Earths atmosphere, as seen from the International Space Station. NASA How Do Meteors Form? When meteors hurtle through the layer of air surrounding Earth, friction caused by the molecules of gas that make up our planets atmosphere heats them up, and the meteors surface begins warm up and glow. Eventually, the heat and high speed combine to vaporize the meteor usually high above Earths surface.  Larger chunks of debris break apart, showering many pieces down through the sky. Most of those vaporize, too. When that happens, observers can see different colors in the flare surrounding the meteor. The colors are due to the gases in the atmosphere being heated up along with the meteor, as well as from materials inside the debris itself.  Some larger pieces create very large flares in the sky, and are often referred to as bolides. Meteorite Impacts Larger meteors that survive the trip through the atmosphere and and land on the Earths surface, or in bodies of water, are known as meteorites. Meteorites are often very dark, smooth rocks, usually containing iron or a combination of stone and iron. Many pieces of space rock that make it to the ground and are found by meteorite hunters are fairly small and incapable of doing much damage. Only the larger meteoroids will create a crater when they land. Nor are they smoking hot- another common misconception. Meteorite Hunters. NASA Johnson Space Center The piece of space rock that made Meteor Crater in Arizona, was about 160 feet (50 meters) across. The Chelyabinsk impactor that landed in Russia in 2013 was about 66 feet (20 meters) long and caused shock waves that shattered windows across a wide distance. Today, these kinds of large impacts are relatively rare on Earth, but billions of years ago when the Earth was formed, our planet was bombarded by incoming space rocks of all sizes. The fireball created as a superbolide flared over Chelyabinsk, Russia, on February 15, 2013. This was shot with a dashcam. Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY. Meteor Impact and the Death of the Dinosaurs One of the largest and most recent impact events occurred nearly 65,000 years ago when a piece of space rock about 6 to 9 miles (10 to 15 kilometers) across smashed into Earths surface near where the Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula is today. The region is called Chicxulub (pronounced Cheesh-uh-loob) and wasnt discovered until the 1970s. The impact, which may actually have been caused by multiple incoming rocks, had a drastic impact on Earth, including earthquakes, tidal waves, and sudden and extended climate change caused by debris suspended in the atmosphere. The Chicxulub impactor dug out a crater some 93 miles (150 km) in diameter and is widely associated with a huge extinction of life that likely included most dinosaur species.   Fortunately, those kinds of meteoroid impacts are fairly rare on our planet. They still occur on other worlds in the solar system. From those events, planetary scientists get a good idea of how cratering works on solid rock and ice surfaces, as well as in the upper atmospheres of the gas- and ice-giant planets.   Is an Asteroid a Meteor? Though they can be sources of meteors, asteroids are not meteors. They are separate, small bodies in the solar system. Asteroids supply meteor material through collisions, which scatter bits of their rock throughout space. Comets can also generate meteors, by spreading trails of rock and dust as they orbit the Sun. When Earths orbit intersects the orbits of comet trails or asteroid debris, those bits of space material can get swept up. Thats when they start the fiery trip through our atmosphere, vaporizing as they go. If anything survives to reach the ground, thats when they become meteorites.  Ã‚   Asteroid Vesta has supplied some meteorites that landed on Earth. NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA Meteor Showers There are a number of chances for Earth to plow trails of debris left behind by asteroid breakups and cometary orbits. When Earth does encounter a track of space debris, the resulting meteor events are called meteor showers. They can result in anywhere from a few tens of meteors in the sky per hour each night up to nearly a hundred. It all depends on how thick the trail is and how many meteoroids make the final trip through our atmosphere.   A sample of what a meteor shower provides in the night sky. The meteors of the Orionid Meteor shower appear to radiate from the direction of the constellation Orion. They are, in reality, bits of dust from a comet vaporizing in Earths upper atmosphere. Carolyn Collins Petersen

What are some of the perspectives that western scholars have employed Research Paper

What are some of the perspectives that western scholars have employed to understand the Cultural Revolution in China in 1965 - Research Paper Example and in regard to the Cultural Revolution itself, the content is expected to better explain how Western scholars arrived at their judgments and allow the readers to better pinpoint biases, inadequacies and their opposite in the humungous body of literature on the subject. The study of Communist China is a field in itself and that the corpus of literature written about the subject in the West could probably equal the rest of Chinese history combined. In the study of the Cultural Revolution, Western scholars analyze and understand the phenomenon using the studied society’s criteria or some use their own society’s criteria. Few scholars go so far as to claim that internal criteria are in principle inaccessible to cross-cultural scholars or that using either internal or external criteria is inherently inappropriate. According to Xiuwu Liu: this dichotomous classification of evaluation criteria as internal versus external, like the similar dichotomous classification of points of view, has serious limitations. Indeed, as with points of view, it is impossible to classify many criteria according to this dichotomy. More important, the subjects and purposes of evaluation are diverse.1 Indeed, one single set of assessment criteria for the Cultural Revolution among Western scholars, whether it be internal or external to the extent that it can be identified, cannot appropriately or adequately cover all possible assessment situations. And so, it is understandable that there are many ways, perspectives and approaches to analyze the Cultural Revolution and scholars contend on the methods most appropriate for the country and for the period. Nonetheless, there are sufficient evidences from which valid and credible interpretations could be made as the subject - the Cultural Revolution – is widely documented. For this paper, two important perspectives are explored that – the Mao-in-command model and the factionalism models. Radicalism in China began in 1956 with Mao’s

Developing a small business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Developing a small business - Essay Example However, Fair fast food forever gives the customers the imagery that it is a impersonator, always reproduction the food recipe also from coffee bar de carol; further additional, it suffered food quality manage and monetary unsteadiness. Upon the aspects of outside surroundings analysis, the Fair fast food has optimistic condition similar to increasing "Not cooking" youthful couples, economic slump period, food preference of younger and young people, its' ascendant position in Kowloon, and Hong Kong is an good-looking traveling metropolis will make additional opportunities for Fair fast food to expand. However, some outside impediments as usual disaster and keen opposition in catering manufacturing will ominously cumber its growth. If we analyzed then we come to know that the part of informative from meeting and analysis can with no trouble get that the Fair fast food eating place has been productively developing from one opening to 11 outlets nowadays due to their organization attitude that always follows the essential rules similar to mechanization, fast, and Utilization of good resources; further additional, its organization Concent... Introduction Small Business, in the UK business that is separately owned and operated, is not leading in its field of operation and can meet the criteria under criteria about figure of employees, average yearly receipts or other decisive factor as outlined by the UK Small Business Management (www.motorola.com). According to the expert analysis running a one-person business is a original, flexible and demanding way to turn out to be your own superior and chart your own prospect. It is about creating a life, as it is concerning creation a living. It takes bravery, determination and forethought to decide to turn out to be an entrepreneur. From the comparatively secure cocoon of the business world, where paychecks reach your destination frequently, you will be venturing into the unchartered country of business. This account covers the inside that analysis of the Fair fast food eating place is how to productively operate and stay alive in the competitive market as a small business starter. Company Profile This research focused on this truth that the primary Fair fast food eating place was recognized in December 1991 in Chung on Street, Tsuen Wan, registered capital of the occasion was HK$5 millions and the whole amount of the employees was 57. The second eating place was opened five years afterward in 1996 in Fuk Wing Street, Sham Shui Po, the total quantity of the staff at that time has been greater than before to 86. Fair prolonged rapidly since then mounting from 5 restaurants to a sum of 11 in 1998, portion over 10,000 clientele daily. Fair fast food eating place is principally busy in service a chain of fast food restaurants in Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China beneath the

Fashion and its role in our daily lives Research Paper

Fashion and its role in our daily lives - Research Paper Example The paper "Fashion and its role in our daily lives" discovers the role of fashion. More than this, it is the fashion retailer with added promotions and media hypes to boost up the consumer’s need to have the new piece of clothing for his own social projection. A lot of say is also from the word of mouth approach which suggests that the friends and family circles play a very positive and vibrant role in the whole equation. Furthermore, when one talks about the consumers’ needs of understanding their own self in a better manner, one must make note of the self concept which discusses a person’s understanding of his own personality and what does or does not echo his personal statements. This could include issues like his mood shifts that can happen with the changing seasons, the attachment of peculiar feelings with certain colors and going out of the way to buy a certain piece of cloth which is usually not considered a viable option when it comes to buying by the mas ses. Thus the self concept is quintessential since it underpins his own notions related with the fashion needs and in what manner he can best fulfill the very same. As stated earlier, the people who are considered amongst the aspired groups by the relevant sets of consumers, who are about to make a potential purchase, are the right people to which these consumers can actually focus their symbolic wishes and aspirations. This aspired group could be consisting of those people who are looked upon at by the consumers with a sense of desire. and yearning and the consumers always make sure that they buy this just to remain attached with the aspired group. When it comes to these aspired groups, one can easily understand that they consist of models, celebrities, sportspersons or just about anybody who the consumers think worthy of being hailed as something different, so much so to bring about a different in their belief system. Thus symbolic consumption forms up as a very imperative part of the whole thinking mindset of the consumers before they hope to change their fashion practices and mold their own selves in line with what should be their need and in what manner they would fulfill the very same. Rightly put, consumers of fashion are very conscious of their needs and wishes and usually they go out of their budgets to satisfy their whims. This means that there is a lot of room for strengthening the products in the best manner possible when the talk is of quality rather than mere quantity (Thorsell, 2011). Versace has adopted on to the bandwagon of having celebrity endorsements for its fashion apparels and products, much like the other well-known fashion labels that are operational all round the world. Elton John, Axl Rose, Late Princess Diana, Beyonce, The Notorious B.I.G, Elizabeth Hurley, Jennifer Lopez, Demi Moore, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Madonna, Halle Berry, Kate Moss, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Angela Lindvall, Carolyn Murphy, Christy Turlington, Daria Werbowy and Miriam Escott IV are some of the prominent ones to make Versace such a huge name in the world of fashion. Needless to state, when one tries to understand the rationale behind advertising in the realms of fashion it is quintessential to comprehend that fashion advertising brings with it a sense of bonding and creating linkages amongst the different social groups present within any society. The social groups to which the consumers try their best to attach with have a lot of positive say on the sale of a particular category of fashion (Mcconathy, 2001). This means that

Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Auditing - Essay Example The Cheaphol plc is a tour operator, who had been performing its business excellently until a fire at a foreign hotel killed their ten guests on 28th May, 2010. The Winters & Co audited the firm during May 2010 and auditor’s unqualified report was signed on 5th June 2010. The submitted report was clean audit report which did not contain any references to the financial difficulties. The ISA has framed certain duties and responsibilities for auditors. According to Sharma, the most important duty of an auditor is that he/she should do his/her work with â€Å"due diligence, intelligence and dedication† (Sharma, 165). In the case of Winters & Co. they could complete their audit work successfully by disclosing all material facts till the date of audit report. It is necessary to note that the disaster occurred on 28th May 2010 and Winters & Co. signed the unqualified report on 5th June 2010. It clearly reflects that there was only a time gap of six days in between occurrence of the disaster and report submission. Similarly, it must also remember that the company did not release any report out of the press until they were questioned by officials. The case study precisely points out that this news leakage and subsequent holiday cancellations led the company to huge financial crises. Therefore, it is identified that Cheaphol’s financial position was safe t ill the date of audit report submission. In other words, Cheaphol’s financial crises began after the course of audit work of Winters & Co. Although some of the audit staff came to hear the catastrophes regarding the company, they could not corroborate the matter. In addition, the audit team had no sufficient time for conducting a detailed investigation regarding the newly acquired information since they were needed to submit the audit report immediately in order to assist the Cheaphol plc to make negotiations with Alltan’s bankers. It is one of the primary responsibilities of the

INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROPOSAL Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROPOSAL - Assignment Example This helps to ensure that orders from customers are hence met in due period, and that the shareholders and the suppliers are settled and hence can make their payments by following proper procedures. Hence, the transaction-processing arena has now grown and become a very important aspect of better commercial management. The term enterprise resource planning also summarised as ERP, is that process or aspect which tries to merge all of a firm’s departments, objectives and the various functions, into one existing computer system. This also services every department’s requirements by virtue of being specific. It merges by bringing together persons, software and the crucial hardware, into an effective service and an efficient delivery and production system. This hence generates profit for the firm (Peter, 1992). Even though this idea has the ease to be explained theoretically, its truth has been of a varied nature. Most firms do conglomerate varied systems and processes for meeting their own requirements. Office automation system does refer to the different machinery of a computer and its software that is utilised to make, make a collection, store, carry out manipulation of data, and finally convey office information required for the purpose of finishing tasks and objectives that are of a basic nature (Peter, 1992). For example, storing data in raw form, transferring electronically, and the prior managing of e-commerce information, does constitute the activities that relates to office automation system The term management information systems, is a set of commands and procedures that carries out the function of collecting, processing, storing and conveying the vital information to the support part of decision making and the control system. Mostly, information systems do appear to be of a formal nature that is only involved in playing the integral task in firms. Although these systems are

Intergrating Cases (BMW's dream factory and Culture) Essay

Intergrating Cases (BMW's dream factory and Culture) - Essay Example Schein (2004:20) states that an occupation involving intense period of education and training, shared learning of attitudes, norms and values will be assumed to be taken for granted for the members of the group. Organizational culture is essential for successful organizational change as well as maximizing the value of human capital and to create management competency. (Management Heaven, 2009) The cultural strength of BMW can be measures in term of its policies involving employees in decision making process an through profit sharing initiative much EU introduced and its leadership strategy to ask questions to get the best answer. BMW introduces several development programmes from manufacturing plants at Leipzig and providing flexibility and innovations in the design as per the customers' requirement and the employees have a sense of history, vision and mission once they set foot inside the company which immediately gives the employees a sense of meaning to their job which ultimately shows that BMW is empowered with good organizational culture. 2) Leadership Model and Its Impact on BMW Culture Davis, Inc (2003:7) supports Schein's statement that process of culture creation is the essence of leadership and that leadership and culture are two sides of same coin. It is further stated that leaders create and change the organizational culture whereas the managers and administrators apply themselves to that culture. Leaders need to act as role model, have realistic visions, personal performance, willingness to change, create a working environment stimulating enthusiasm and enjoyment which is prevalent in BMW as the employees and high level executives and other professionals work side by side applying their ideas and thoughts to carve out better design. (Pergamon Flexibile Learning, 2005) BMW gets much of its strength from unparalleled labors that are flexible enough to work extra hours to meet the financial targets. BMW followed an unusual strategy like once the employees were rewarded for the creative error of the month with a bottle of fine wine from the boss's cellar and the employee was recognized for an outstanding and bold idea, which was well planned but failed working on the idea for three years. The idea by the leaders was to remove the stigma of making mistakes at work while innovation. (EmeraldInsight, 2006) BMW leadership stressed more on encouraging their employees which motivates them to work harder, intelligently and effectively. Thus BMW leadership model is very effective in achieving optimum output without have significant effect on the culture. 3) Employee Satisfaction Hellriegel and Slocum (2008) states that an organization need to motivate its present and future employees by providing utmost job satisfaction. Some of the key job characteristics to motivate employees at workplace include basic human needs, designing jobs that motivate people,

INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROPOSAL Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROPOSAL - Assignment Example This helps to ensure that orders from customers are hence met in due period, and that the shareholders and the suppliers are settled and hence can make their payments by following proper procedures. Hence, the transaction-processing arena has now grown and become a very important aspect of better commercial management. The term enterprise resource planning also summarised as ERP, is that process or aspect which tries to merge all of a firm’s departments, objectives and the various functions, into one existing computer system. This also services every department’s requirements by virtue of being specific. It merges by bringing together persons, software and the crucial hardware, into an effective service and an efficient delivery and production system. This hence generates profit for the firm (Peter, 1992). Even though this idea has the ease to be explained theoretically, its truth has been of a varied nature. Most firms do conglomerate varied systems and processes for meeting their own requirements. Office automation system does refer to the different machinery of a computer and its software that is utilised to make, make a collection, store, carry out manipulation of data, and finally convey office information required for the purpose of finishing tasks and objectives that are of a basic nature (Peter, 1992). For example, storing data in raw form, transferring electronically, and the prior managing of e-commerce information, does constitute the activities that relates to office automation system The term management information systems, is a set of commands and procedures that carries out the function of collecting, processing, storing and conveying the vital information to the support part of decision making and the control system. Mostly, information systems do appear to be of a formal nature that is only involved in playing the integral task in firms. Although these systems are

Work based experience Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Work based experience - Coursework Example that the former students should be patient and wait for the jobs they were trained but this is not an option because of the student loans among other obligations that the graduates have to fulfill. A Work based program is the best option that a student or a graduate can undertake because it will help transition the student from the school environment to the job market. This program is meant to provide a first-hand experience of the nature of work that the student has been trained for while also benefiting the employer in terms of the new ideas that the student brings to the organization. This paper seeks to research and evaluate the suitable organizations that a student can undertake his or her work based program to help in the transition to the job market. Caution must be exercised when looking for an organization to undertake a work based experience program. Studies have shown that money should not be a factor when choosing an organization to undertake a work based experience program. This is because, positions that seem high paying seem to pale faster compared to positions that pay moderately. As one is seeking for on an opportunity to learn, one should only consider organizations that intend to expand in near future as this will increase their chance in getting employed on a permanent basis after graduating. While its normal for students to find themselves in a position they are to undertake some menial tasking like filling forms or compiling expense reports, students should avoid organization where most of the tasks given involve are menial and instead, they should seek experience elsewhere. Students should also avoid taking any positions just because of the enticing titles. They should take initiative to learn the roles involved in the position (Burnsed 2011); hence, they will understand what is expected of them should they choose to accept the position. Doing so will also help them assess the relevance of the position in relation with skills and the

Telephone Conversation Essay Example for Free

Telephone Conversation Essay Telephone Conversation, by Wole Soyinka is about racism; more specifically, it is about the way people both white and black fail to communicate clearly about matters of race. The narrator of the poem describes a telephone conversation in which he reaches a deal with a landlady to rent an apartment. He feels that he must let her know that he is black: Nothing remained But self-confession. Madam, I warned,I hate a wasted journey—I am African. This is where the lapses in communication begin. The landladys first response is, Silence. Silenced transmission of / Pressurized good breeding. She next asks the ridiculous question, How Dark? Are  you  light/or  very  dark? The narrator is dumbfounded. Instead of telling her, â€Å"Its none of your business†, or simply, â€Å"Lets forget about the apartment†, he offers a cryptic response: â€Å"West African sepia. † When the landlady asks for clarification, the narrator only confuses matters further: â€Å"Facially, I am brunette, but, madam, you should see The rest of me. Palm of my hand, soles of my feet Are a peroxide blond. He makes matters even worse by saying that friction has somehow turned his buttocks raven black. This poem uses a lot of irony and sarcasm. The poet mainly uses irony in three places. The first tone of irony is sensed when the man confesses that he is an African. When describing the lady, the poet uses a lot of sarcastic language. Irony is lastly used when the man describes himself to the woman. The last line of the poem also leaves a sense of mystery in the reader. Wole Soyinka brings out a great use of irony in this poem. In this poem, the narrator is describe being genuinely apologetic for his skin color, even though he has no reason to be sorry for something which he was born with and has no control over. we can also see that the narrator is an intelligent person by his use of high diction and quick wit. The landlady is also describe as racist. The poem reminds me of the Bible verse: Do to other what you would have them to you, Luke 6:31. If you want to be annoyed, then annoy other people, like in the poem the landlady was the first to annoy the narrator and in the end the narrator annoy the landlady.

Decline Catholicism :: essays research papers

Picture this if you will. In the beginning (being 1945) god created a shepherd (the Catholic Church) in which we the sheep followed blindly. Everywhere the shepherd took us, we would follow without complaint. A sheep dared not question the Shepherd or stray from the flock in fear of being labeled a bad sheep (catholic) and suffering the consequences of eternal damnation. But as time went on and the sheep modernized, however the shepherd was stubborn and conservative in his ways and refused to change. So the sheep began to stray from the shepherd with little fear, scattering, going to other pastures and other flocks with other Shepherds. The Shepherd realized his flock was depleting so he began to modernize as well and changed his ways. With this now modern shepherd, the modern sheep began to gradually come back. But living in a modern pasture the relationship between the two had changed. Mr. Houston fellow students, â€Å"What were the reasons for the decline of Catholicism in America since 1945†, this has been the topic of my research for the previous three terms. The previous analogy, although being far fetched, if you put it into perspective outlines my opinion on the development of Catholicism since 1945 to the present day. That initially we followed the Catholic Church unquestionably and devoutly, mass on Sundays, fish on Fridays (etc). But as society modernized and became increasingly secular in education, the media and politics, people began to question some of the church teachings and the church authorities. Though the church, lead by conservatives initially would not change. As Catholics began to move away, the church realizing the situation reassessed their position at Vatican 2, which resulted in the modernized Catholic Church. Consequently from here catholic membership began to increase, however the nature of Catholicism changed. This leads me to my hypothesis: In our modernized secular society, catholic membership began to drop initially, due to the conservative views of the church. As a result of Vatican 2 Catholicism was modernized and membership within the religion was re-established. Although the nature of Catholicism has changed in this age of materialism and consumerism, this does not necessarily indicate direction of decline. Before I begin my findings I would like to define the nature of secularism which is a word you will hear throughout my research. Secularism: rejection of religious and sacred forms and practices in favour of rational assessment and decision-making, and civil institutions of government

Hary Potter :: essays research papers

Name of book: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Type of book: Fiction (Fantasy) Why did you choose this book: I chose Harry Potter and the Half-Blood prince because I have read the past 5 Harry Potter books. I waited 2 years for this book to come out, I could not wait to know what happened next in the series as I purchased the book right when it was released. Setting: The Harry Potter books take place in England and an imaginary wizarding word (Hogwarts, Diagon Alley etc) Main Character #1: Harry Potter – Harry potter is the first main character in the Harry Potter series. He has messy hair, wears round glasses and is very skinny. In the Half-Blood Prince Harry is 16 and a much more mature boy then in any of the past books. Having seen death in the face in all the other books Harry is ready for anything. The child they now call the â€Å"Chosen One† is the only one who can save the wizarding world from the dark wizard Voldermort or â€Å"He-who-must-not-be-named†. Harry is now ready to avenge his parents death. Harry’s famous lightening scar on his forehead is a remnant of Voldermort trying to kill him when he was a mere child. Some people accept that he is the â€Å"Chosen One† while others despise of him and want him dead. Main Character #2: Dumbledore – Dumbledore is going into his 6th year as being Harry’s headmaster at Hogworts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He has very long white hair and a silver beard, a crooked nose and is a tall man. He is referred to sometimes as the most knowledgeable wizard in the wizarding world. He is very smart and a very strong wizard. So strong that Voldermort even fears him. Dumbledore was one always to believe when Harry told him Voldermort was back while others didn’t. Dumbledore always looks things over very carefully. He believed in Harry and was the one who told Harry that he alone must kill Voldermort. Was the book believable, realistic, and true to life? Why or why not?: I don’t believe that the Harry Potter books are true and realistic. Magic is Fantasy and not Reality. People cannot just vanish one instant and be some where else the next second (apperating). You can’t just flick a wand and mend a broken bone. None of that stuff exists in the real world. Describe any changes in the Main characters:

Hrm598 – Case Study 1

INTRODUCTION Given nine untitled job descriptions for the Whole Foods Market corporation, my assignment was to review them, give them appropriate job titles and assign a job structure, explaining my thought process and method of analysis. I was then to evaluate the job descriptions and provide feedback on what information was beneficial and what could be improved. EVALUATION OF JOBS After reading the job descriptions I assigned a job title that I felt both represented the job duties and aligned with the other Whole Foods job titles mentioned in the exercise.These are the job titles I originally decided on, prior to establishing a job structure. †¢JOB A: Deli Team Member †¢JOB B: Register Team Member †¢JOB C: Prepared Foods Team Leader †¢JOB D: Prepared Foods Assistant Team Leader †¢JOB E: Kitchen Team Assistant †¢JOB F: Grocery Assistant Team Leader †¢JOB G: Prepared Foods Associate Team Leader †¢JOB H: Regional Team Leader †¢JOB I: Grocer y Team Member ? JOB STRUCTURE When establishing the job structure, I realized there was no need for the department to be part of the title.Although the duties might be different depending on their assigned department, the level of responsibility was approximately the same and jobs could be considered one generic position (i. e. â€Å"Team Member†). Therefore, I made the positions more general in title and chose to conduct a basic ranking method in order to determine the job structure. WHOLE FOODS MARKET – STORE JOB STRUCTURE Regional Team Leader (Job H) Store Team Leader Associate Store Team Leader (Department) Team Leader (Job C) Associate Team Leader (Job G) Assistant Team Leader (Job D-Prepared Foods and Job F-Grocery) Team Member (Job A-Deli, Job B-Register, and Job I-Grocery)Team Assistant (Job E) PROCESS, TECHNIQUES AND FACTORS In my attempt to title each of the positions, I first simply read through the job descriptions multiple times, noting the job duties, lev el of responsibility and decision making and relationships to other positions, if any were mentioned. These relationships helped me to decide what appropriate titles would be for Whole Foods Market. Although my first set of job titles included â€Å"service clerks† in several positions, these were eventually changed to â€Å"Team Members† because of the obvious emphasis Whole Foods Market places on the team concept.Therefore, I chose to incorporate the word â€Å"team† into every title. When assembling the positions into an established job structure, the stated relationships between positions were key yet again. I wrote down every position mentioned, so that I could ensure my positions were accurately aligned and appropriately named in comparison to one another. I chose to look at knowledge, experience, responsibility/authority and leadership/guidance potential as the compensable factors which provide the most value. All of the positions have virtually the same work environment, which is why this factor was not considered.Similarly, customer service related attributes were also not selected, even though it is obviously a huge priority for the organization, because there were no positions where this was not the case†¦ all equally emphasize positive and courteous interaction with their customers. The above job structure was established by weighing the compensable factors of each position and considering any reporting relationships directly stated in the job descriptions. I believe that responsibility was the characteristic that clearly set the positions apart from one another.As you ascend the job structure you will find that each position has more responsibility, both in depth and breadth. Because of these additional job requirements, an advanced level of knowledge goes somewhat hand-in-hand. Higher level individuals must not only have greater in-depth knowledge of the Whole Foods Market policies and procedures, but they are involved i n a much wider scope of activities. Experience is a logical factor that also sets positions apart. A â€Å"team assistant† is an entry level job that requires no prior experience and is the kind of position that one expects an individual can learn as they go.A â€Å"Department Team Leader,† however, is expected to have already put some time in. They have learned process, procedure and the organization well enough to prepare them for the advanced responsibility. Finally, it seems as though Whole Foods Market places an emphasis on providing a career path for the employees, in order to encourage long term employment. This is emphasized by many positions requiring the provision of leadership and guidance to lower level positions. They want to encourage a strong relationship between all levels, to reinforce the team environment and ensure support of all employees.Although I have no doubt Whole Foods Market has a much more extensive job structure organizationally, this struc ture focuses specifically on an individual store location. Even the Regional Team Leader could probably be moved to another job structure focused more on organizational administration rather than individual store operations; however, I chose to limit the scope of my analysis to the given positions. EVALUATION OF JOB DESCRIPTIONS Overall, I think the job descriptions are fairly well written and provide a good base. They describe the scope of duties and what experience or skills are needed for each position.However, the main thing these job descriptions lack is consistency. Some clearly reference a relationship to other Whole Foods Market positions; some do not. Some state who they report to; some do not. Some clearly supervise, train and mentor other positions; some are not as clearly defined. Additionally, job duties in one job description which should probably apply to other positions as well, are not always listed (customer service, health and sanitation compliance, good communica tion skills, teamwork, knowledge of corporate policy and standards, etc). Something all of the job descriptions are missing is the applicable work environment.Although most of the positions will be performed in a similar environment, this information should still be provided. My suggestion to improve the job descriptions would be to establish a template that all positions would follow. The template would include the following categories: a brief summary of the position, the duties and responsibilities, who the position reports to, who the position supervises, the typical work environment, tools or equipment that will be used in the position, requirements for the position (knowledge, experience, education, skills, etc), and possibly a job classification.Job classifications are not a necessity but can be a good idea to distinguish between the fundamental types of job (i. e. entry-level, journey-level, mentor, supervisor, manager, executive, administrative, etc). CONCLUSION After my an alysis, I believe we have an excellent understanding of how the staff of a Whole Foods Market functions. It is clear that the organization highly values customer service and teamwork and wants to encourage â€Å"career† employees at every level.With the established job structure and implementation of the recommendations made to improve their job descriptions, positions would be more clearly defined. Employees would easily be able to understand every position, what it does, how it interacts with other positions and how to get there themselves. REFERENCES Milkovich, G. T. , Newman, J. M. , & Gerhart, B. (2011). Compensation, 10th Edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Whole Foods Market. (n. d. ). Career Paths. Retrieved March 2013, from Whole Foods Market: http://wholefoods. com/

Drivers: the Most Dangerous Types Essay

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 6,800,000 car crashes occur in the United States each year (â€Å"Talking Points-Aggressive Driving Prosecutor’s Planner†). Of the 6,800,000 crashes, substantial amounts are contributed by certain types of drivers. Becoming more educated about driving and all the dangers that come along with it can be beneficial in preventing someone else from becoming one of these statistics. Of vehicular crashes, three types of drivers contribute to the numbers the most: aggressive, distracted, and teenage. First, aggressive drivers are one of the most dangerous drivers. According to the NHTSA, almost 13,000 people have been injured or killed since 1990 in car crashes caused by aggressive driving (â€Å"Talking Points-Aggressive Driving Prosecutor’s Planner†). There are a number of causes that provoke road rage. According to one survey, the number one thing that irked road raging drive rs the most was when other drivers were talking on their cell phones (â€Å"A Statistical Look into Road Rage†). Additionally, of those surveyed, 55 percent were annoyed by drivers who cut across traffic without paying attention (â€Å"A Statistical Look into Road Rage†). Other factors that provoke aggressive drivers are texting while driving, driving too fast, driving too slowly, and tailgating. Second, distracted drivers are also very dangerous on the roadways. According to the NHTSA, an estimated 448,000 people were injured in accidents where distracted driving was reported (â€Å"Traffic Safety Facts†). Further, the NHTSA reported that sixteen percent of fatal car accidents in 2009 involved a distracted driver (â€Å"Traffic Safety Facts†). Drivers under the age of 20 compile the group of most distracted drivers. A lot of factors play into distracted driving. According to the General Estimates System (GES) database from the NHTSA (â€Å"Traffic Safet y Facts†), some of the things that distract drivers most are other occupants in the car, talking on or listening to a cellular device, adjusting the climate controls and/or radio, and eating/drinking (â€Å"Traffic Safety Facts†). As reported by the NHTSA, at any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using their cell phones or other electronic devices while driving (â€Å"What is Distracted Driving†). Finally, the teenage driver can be quite dangerous. This includes drivers from ages 15 to 19. The risk of motor vehicle accidents is highest among   this age group, more than any other age group, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (â€Å"Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet†). According to the NHTSA, this group accounts for almost 282,000 of the injured people involved in motor vehicle accidents (â€Å"Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet†). Among teen drivers, the death rate for male drivers is almost two times higher than that of their female counterpart. Unsafe speeds are the leading contributor in accidents among teen drivers. Another contributing factor is the fact that teens have poor hazard detection. Their lack of experience and skill contribu tes to this. As can be seen, there are several types of dangerous drivers. Aggressive drivers take out their frustration on other drivers, resulting in many accidents. Distracted drivers allow themselves to become unfocused when their full attention should be on the road. Teenage drivers cause the majority of roadway accidents, mainly due to inexperience and lack of skill. Becoming more educated about one’s own driving style and that of those around an individual can help someone to become a better, more cautious driver. Works Cited â€Å"A Statistical Look into Road Rage.† The Auto Insurance. The Auto Insurance, 2010. Web. 31 Aug. 2013. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). â€Å"Teen Drivers: Fact Sheet.† Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). USA.gov, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2013. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). â€Å"Talking Points-Aggressive Driving Prosecutor’s Planner.† National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). USA.gov, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2013. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). â€Å"Traffic Safety Facts.† National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). USA.gov, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2013. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). â€Å"What is Distracted Driving?† National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). USA.gov, n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2013.

How policies/laws may affect family life Essay

In this essay I will be writing about what changes state policies and laws have made to the society and how they may affect family life by doing so. There are many policies/laws out there that have had an effect on family life and one of these was the ‘Child Support Act’ which led to the formation of the ‘Child Support Agency’. Other policies/laws include the Family Law Act of 1996, Rewarding marriages with tax breaks, Working Families Tax Credit, and the attempt of the removal of child poverty. Among this I will be talking about the new right theory and their points and views on the family and what laws should be put in place. One of the Conservatives policies that were passed in 1991 was the Child Support Act which then led to the formation of the Child Support Agency. What this policy aimed to do was reduce the amount of fatherless families by forcing absent fathers to pay a certain amount of money for their children that they’ve left behind. The government thought of this as a good idea as it would reduce the amount of welfare payments being giving to lone mothers therefore helping the economy. However this didn’t really benefit love mothers as the money paid in from the father would be deducted from the mother’s benefits so she would be receiving exactly the same amount. As a result, this policy didn’t have a major effect on family life although it may reduce the amount of fathers that walk out on their families. Another one of the Conservatives policies this time introduced in 1996 brought about a period of wait that a couple had to undergo before they could officially get divorced. The main purpose of this proposal was to try and reduce the amount of divorces by encouraging the couple with as much time as possible to save their marriage. This policy would affect the family life by keeping more families together and happy however the act was never finalised as judges deemed it as unworkable. Labour introduced one of their policies to do with the Working Families Tax Credit that was designed to help people find paid employment. This one was specifically aimed mostly at lone parents as since April 2001, they were required to attend an annual interview about  job opportunities. The Working Families Tax Credit would help lone parents move benefits to low paid jobs by topping up their wages. This policy may affect family life as it pushes lone parents into work and although they may be earning similar money as they would’ve if they were on benefits, it provides them with a starting point to hopefully earn more money as they climb up the ranks. One of Labours aims was to remove children out of poverty and one of the ways that they’ve attempted to do so is by increasing the amount of Child Benefits being provided. From 1997 to 2001, Child benefits have increased by 26 per cent and by doing so it has lifted 600,000 children out of poverty as stated by the children’s secretary Ed Balls. This may have a positive effect on family life as it provides the children with a positive childhood and helps the family to be financially stable. However, according to the Guardian in 2007 the number of children that are living in poverty rose for the first time in six years by 200,000 to 3.8 million in 2005 to 2006. More recently, the conservatives proposed a policy that provides married couples with a tax break. This clearly shows that David Cameron clearly favours the ‘married family’ as his policy does not apply to cohabiting couples with children. This tax break is worth around one thousand pounds and it may affect family life as it would encourage people to not only get married but stay married which would create or maintain stability in the family. The New Right leans towards the same views of the Conservatives as they clearly support the idea of the Nuclear Family as they think that Nuclear Families should be encouraged and family diversity should be discouraged. In 1999 and 2000, Morgan and Saunders wrote that The New Right believe the government should favour married parenthood by rewarding them and providing them with special legal rights and safeguards. They also believe that the increase in Lone-parent families is due to over generous welfare benefits and that they should be reduced to tempt people out of this decision. Another way in which they want to discourage family diversity is by denying unmarried couples the rights and privileges given to married couples and by making divorce much more difficult. There has recently been a cap on benefits introduced. This means that the  amount of money claimed by a family cannot exceed the average wage for a working family. It was introduced to keep things ‘fair’ although some people saw it as unlawful. This new policy could encourage more parents to get into work in the attempt to earn more money. All of this is the government’s way of saving money and therefore keeping the economy running. In conclusion most of these state policies/laws introduced have a positive effect on family life, others could be deemed as unfair however all in all they try to create a stable society as the family is a key factor in the make-up of a good society.