ERP Story Write Up Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ERP Story Write Up - Case Study Example The operations in HR like vacancy advertisement and subsequent hiring of employees, effective management of the entire supply chain, and providing transparent and timely financial reports may not be possible in such cases due to untimely passage of information. The use of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software provides some solution to these problems. This is achieved if the software is installed correctly (Walgium, 1). However, the success of introducing ERP system into an organization is not obvious. Instead, the use of ERP may be associated with a series of challenges to the management as well as the employees. Some changes may be required in the system of operations of each of the sections (Walgium, 1). There is also need to have hardware and software compatibility for the applications used by different sections to be brought together. Due to such complications, an organization should thoroughly examine its worth as well the available resources before installing an ERP. Otherwise, the new technology may be worse than the traditional approach. This paper focuses on the different issues that arise when a large company decides to integrate ERP into its operations. It provides specific reference to ABS Canada, an insurance company that has three different parent organizations brought together to operate as a single entity. ABS Canada wishes to consolidate its operations in the three sections namely marketing management, human resource management, and finance management. Aux Bons Soins (ABS) has been in the insurance industry in Canada for several decades (Case study). Over the years, various developments have been seen that have significant impacts on its operations. The company has acquired two other subsidiary insurance companies in the last few years. The parent company as well as its subsidiaries has always

Communication In Job Role Essay Example for Free

Communication In Job Role Essay Review the range of groups and individuals whose communication needs must be addressed in own job role. Resident communication needs In my job role as a Deputy Manager I must ensure that I consider the different levels of communication when supporting our residents: We use the following within my work place: Picture schedule This is a form of pictures on a long strip of Velcro, which highlights what is expected of the resident thought the day. This is important to the resident because it enables the individual to see what activities they have thought out the day, it provides a structured day for the resident to identify what activities they have first then after. This provides stable communication between staff member and the residents in aid of reducing anxiety. Barriers and challenges. Barriers that and challenges may arise are: Individuals whom are using the pictures may become too complacent there for require the same product such as dairy milk chocolate bar that is presented on the picture. This can become a challenge as if diary milk factory was to shut and the products where to be no longer produced then the resident whom has the picture of the diary milk and has constantly used this picture to resemble chocolate for the last ten years may become anxious due to not having the chocolate bar resembling the correct photo. Staff members may not be consistent with using the picture schedule, when using picture schedule it is paramount that staffs are consistent when prompting picture schedule. This can become an barrier and a challenge when some staff are using the schedule and some are not. This can confuse the residents and increase anxiety when not used; this can also take the skill away from that resident as well as hinder their communication development. Staffs whom are not adequate trained in using the picture schedule could provide a potential barrier to our residents as it creates a disturbance in the routine of their daily activities in not knowing what they are going to do for the day. Social story A social story is used to simplify a form of information. This is done by having words as well as pictures to explain the information that is needed to be presented to the person. For example: This form of communication is used within our service it ensures that the individual feels included in any decisions that are made, and that they are aware of what is expected off them when they are going on an activity, any planned activities set for the future. They can also be used to explain the step by step guide of what they are to do on a daily bases. This form of communication also reduces anxiety by giving the resident a preferred communication between staff and the individual; it also gives them a clear understanding of what staff members are asking them to do. Individuals whom are creating the social stories may provide information that is too difficult for the resident to understand. They could also presume that the information given has been taken in by the resident; the challenge that may arise is that the resident will not take in the information and may become anxious due to confusion over what is being asked. Another barrier may be too much information, depending on whom you are presenting the social story to, some require bug writing and big pictures where as others may require average size font and pictures but with short and sweet information. A challenge may arise when we presume that an individual whom is using picture schedule may understand social stories, this can in effect create a barrier as it provides the resident with no information other than words and pictures. When presenting the social story, we may not be presenting the social story in the correct manner in accordance to the individual, When reading we may need to be mindful of how fast we go through the information and how many times we go read the social story to the person. Because by going over to many times may cause an issue as well as how fast we read through as some individual may take longer to cognitively understand the information, therefore we must ensure we work at the speed of the individual whom we are working with. Verbal communication Some of our residents require verbal communication, however not all residents who are verbal are able to understand all language used. Therefore they require to be communicated with simple form of vocabulary rather than jargon. This is important to be assessed and mindful because you do not want to give them information that is too difficult to understand, you want them to have simple words that they can take in and understand to avoid any confusion or anxiety. A barrier that may arise when verbally communicating to a resident is how fast and what form of words we use. Not all residents whom are vocal are able to understand long fast sentences there for we must speak to the resident in a manner that they can understand. For example if the resident understands one single word then staff will use the single word rather than a sentences, this is because by using the sentences it could potentially create a challenge as it can cause the resident to become anxious by having too much demands placed on them. I also need to be mindful of whom I am speaking to when I am communicating to individuals, for instance if I speak to a GP then I would not speak the same to the residents as my choice of words will differ massively. Therefore I must always be mindful of the way that I communicate to each individual to ensure that they understand the information that is presented as well as I understands the needs of each person. Makaton We do not have a resident who uses Makaton however if the staff did not know how to use Makaton then we would need Makaton training to enable use to communicate effectively with the resident. We would also need to ensure that we have a basic communication with that resident to ensure we meet the needs of the resident threw understanding what the residents wants and any issues the resident may have on a daily bases. Pecks Book A pecks book is used with one of our residents to identify what he wants, the  peck books provides the resident with a choice of what to eat and what activities he would like to do on a daily bases. This is helpful as it provides the team with a preferred communication style in enabling the staff to identify what activities and want he requires. We can support this by ensuring that we be consistent when using the pecks book with the residents to enable the resident to maintain the communication skill. If we do not use this form of communication then the resident will potentially forget how to use the communication book as well has not be able to communicate his needs to the staff effectively. Team communication needs Team meeting As a team a form of communication that we use are team meetings, team meetings allow staff and management to formally communicate any issues or good relating practices that are present. It is important when conducting a team meeting that all relevant information communicated is understood by all of our staff team, if there is any person who requires help then supervision may help. Other ways of helping would be to complete an information leaflet of what has been said in the meeting as well as the action plans and outcomes. Supervisions Not all staff members are able to share their opinions when in a team meeting another form of preferred communication for some is via supervisions. This enables the individual to discuss their feeling and thoughts without feeling judged by others, it also gives the employee an opportunity to discuss their opinions through their own preferred communication. It also provides managers with an effective approach on how each staff member should receive their supervision. It is paramount that when giving supervision, managers should cater their discussion around the individual. They should also ensure they be mindful of whom they are speaking to and how they approach negative and constructive feedback depending on the individual whom is undergoing the supervision. You can also support effective communication threw supervisions by getting the individual involved in completing the supervision form; you can also provide them with an outcome of the supervision enabling them to  read over and sign in their own time. Barriers and challenges Communication book Communication book can be used to log important information that is needed to be handed over, it can also be used to pass on massages to staff members whom are not on shift. We are able to provide effective communication through this book by ensuring staff read and sign what is put into the book; this can ensure that when they have signed the information then they understand what has been passed on within the book. However the only issue with the communication book is that staff may not always read the book or they may not read the information. This can be reduced by providing the communication book on hand over, shift leader to ensure all staff read and sign also you could have an extended sheet of the a4 paper highlighting the important information that staff should read and sign. We also need to be mindful how we provide the information; Information that is put into the book should be clear, understandable, literature that all staff can understand to avoid any confusion. Face to Face contact whilst on shift. Even though it can be easier to put information into a communication it is not always the best form of communication to all, why because we are all individuals. Some individuals require management to discuss any issues via face to face contact as some individuals tend to understand more when they are listening and picking up body language when talking. We can support individual threw face to face contact by asking them do they understand and if there is any other way they would like the information, you can also effective communication by ensuring the person is focused on you rather than the things going on in the environment.

Mythology: Dionysus And Semele :: essays research papers

Mythology: Dionysus And Semele   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Semele was the daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, king and queen of Thebes, and the mother of Dionysus, god of wine. Zeus fell madly in love with her and made an oath to do anything that she asked. Hera, the jealous wife of Zeus,realized Zeus was in love with Semele and tricked Semele into asking Zeus to let her see him in his majesty. Bound by an oath, Zeus appeared before the unfortunate woman in all his divine glory. (Morford-Lenardon 187) As she looked at him, she was consumed by the lightening bolts and light that radiated from him. Zeus was able to rescue her unborn child, Dionysus, and hid him in his side until it was ready to be born.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hermes carried Dionysus to be cared for by the nymphs of Nysa-the loveliest of earth's valleys.(Hamilton 65) When Dionysus had grown up, he wandered to many far and strange places. Everywhere he went he taught men the culture of the vine and mysteries of his worship and everywhere he had been, he was accepted as a god.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dionysus went to Thebes to establish his worship, since that was his mother's city. He was accompanied by the Maenads. Pentheus, the King of Thebes, was not happy with the behavior of this group of strangers. He ordered his soldiers to imprison the visitors, but he had no idea that Dionysus was a new god.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The soldiers tried to imprison the maidens but said that the doors unbarred themselves. Pentheus was furious. He ordered his soldiers to imprison Dionysus but the prison could not hold him. Dionysis tried to show that the wonders of this new worship of a new and great god was divine but when Pentheus only heaped insults and threats upon him, Dionysus left him to his doom.(Hamilton 71)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Pentheus went to pursue the maidens that had escaped his prison, many Theban women joined him, and that is when Dionysis made them mad and they thought Pentheus was a wild beast and tore him apart.That is when Pentheus realized that he had fought with a god and must now pay with his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some time during his wanderings, Dionysus came upon the princess of Crete, Ariadne, when she was utterly desolate, having been abandoned on the shore of the island of Naxos by the Athenian prince, Theseus, whose life she had saved. (Hamilton 67) Dionysus rescued her and later fell in love with her. When she died, Dionysus took her crown and put it among the stars.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His mother, Semele, whom he had never seen, was not forgotten.

Impact Of Insomnia On Daytime Ability To Function Essay

Insomnia pertains to a symptom that is characterized by the difficulty in falling asleep. In other cases, insomnia is also involved in not being able to sleep for the required number of hours each night. It is thus pertinent to describe insomnia as a symptom associated with poor quality or insufficiency of sleep. Several factors may trigger the symptom of insomnia in an individual, hence this condition can be considered as situational, wherein a certain incident may result in an individual’s inability to sleep. Insomnia may also be described based on its occurrence in an individual, thus resulting in intermittent or persistent forms (Davidson 109). Insomnia generally occurs with another medical condition, such as a psychiatric disease or drug abuse. The importance of treatment regimens for insomnia has been the focus of biomedical research as it has long been established that insomnia does not resolve through time. More importantly, it has been reported that insomnia can significantly affect the quality of life of an individual. In addition, insomnia can result in the further progression of a psychiatric disorder, thus putting a patient at greater risk for mental health deterioration (Davidson 112). It has also been observed that the occurrence of insomnia is positively correlated to the frequency of consultations with a physician, as additional medical disorders are caused by this sleeping symptom. Impact of insomnia on sleep As insomnia is a symptom that affects sleep, it is important to determine the causative factors that result in such condition. The most common factors that influence the occurrence of insomnia include stressful incidents in the life of an individual. Death of a loved one, as well as conflict with another individual, often results in insomnia (Davidson 110). Illness and problems with work or study can also result in a difficulty in sleeping. Environmental factors may also result in insomnia, such as that of residing in a location where there is constant noise from traffic or construction. Social conditions may also influence the occurrence of insomnia, such as that of caring for a newborn baby right after childbirth. However, it should be understood that the sleeping patterns of pregnant women after generally disturbed and thus may even be more severe after childbirth. It has been suggested that post-partum insomnia may be possibly due to the mother’s instinct of providing constant care for her child, in terms of feeding and cleaning the baby. Other social factors that result in insomnia include having an adolescent child who spends evenings outside the home and the parents worriedly stay awake until their child comes home (Davidson 110). Age has also been reported to influence the occurrence on insomnia. It has been observed that insomnia is a common symptom that afflicts women who have reached the transition stage into menopause, as this phase of their life causes much distress to them. Caring for a sick elderly individual also results in insomnia, as the caretaker vigilantly checks on an older individual throughout the night. This condition tends to be more difficult when the elderly person is also suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, which is generally characterized by straying to other places even in the late hours of the night. The caretaker thus tends to keep watch over the actions of the elderly person in order to keep him from harm. Impact of insomnia of waking functioning Circadian rhythm pertains to the cyclic patterns that an individual undertakes based on a synchronizing stimulus. Most living species synchronize their activities based on the most ominous factor, which is the light emanating from the sun. In the case of human beings, sunlight determines whether it is time to awaken or to sleep. The presence of light also influences the majority of the physiologic activities of the human body, including the time of the meals in an entire day. The circadian clock of every individual is thus set according to the standard day, wherein sunlight in present for approximately 12 hours and absence for another 12 hours. Within the evening, the human body is programmed to rest and this is mainly through sleep. The occurrence of insomnia can affect an individual’s circadian rhythm as the length or the quality of sleep is affected. An individual with insomnia may be awake at least half of the night and thus find poor coordination in his motor and mental skills during the day. Individuals who work on a shift basis are often affected by insomnia as they are generally assigned to different hours every few months (Shechter 15). Healthcare personnel, such as nurses and technologists, are usually assigned to work on the night shift for 3 months and thus their circadian rhythm is misaligned during this period. Once they return to their daytime shift, they find difficulty in falling asleep as their bodies have already adjusted to a modified circadian rhythm (Shechter 14). The same conditions also occur in other jobs that are associated with changes in shift duties, including those in the police departments and other 24-hour surveillance jobs. The perturbation in the circadian rhythm and its association to the onset of insomnia often results in the deterioration of the quality of work of an individual or a poor performance in school. In addition, an individual with insomnia usually shows poor cognitive capacity, as well as a decrease in the productivity at work. These individuals often lack the capacity to focus on their activities, resulting in accidents (Shechter 15). It is a common occurrence that drivers get into accidents due to the lack of sleep and thus their motor skills and reflex actions are not that reactive during the day. Polysomnographic features of insomnia Polysomnographic studies have shown that an individual with insomnia is generally characterized to have a short latency period during their sleep (Shechter 14). In addition, the sleep efficiency of these individuals is significantly low, resulting in the frequent and easy awakening by even simple stimuli in their immediate environment. The rapid eye movement (REM) and sigma sleep stages of individuals with insomnia are largely influenced by the circadian rhythms that are been set by their bodies and thus any change in the sleeping quality and habits may affect these sleep stages. Any disturbance in these sleep stages may result in the lack of or difficulty in sleeping. Polysomnographic investigations have also shown that the core body temperature in influenced by an individual’s circadian rhythm. Sleep is thus normally observed in the evening, when the core body temperature is significantly lower than what is usually observed during the day. Any shift in the circadian rhythm of an individual may thus result in an unexpected core body temperature, resulting in an individual’s difficulty in falling asleep. This core body temperature should be achieved approximately six hours before going to sleep, in order for an individual to achieve the normal 8 hours of sleep. For an individual who attends to a night-shift job, the usual length of sleep varies from 4 to 7 hours, which is a prime feature of insomnia. Behavior and/or therapeutic recommendations for insomnia It is possible to adapt behavioral conditioning strategies for insomnia. Individuals suffering from insomnia often spend hours or several evenings in bed but are fully awake the entire time. Their insomnia thus further worsens as their brain is conditioned to consider the bed and the bedroom as sites where one stays awake and any attempt to further induce sleep may be futile. It is thus suggested that when one feels sleepy, regardless of the time of day, one should then attempt to go to his bed in order to teach his brain that the bed is a place to sleep. It is also not helpful for an individual with insomnia to find a substitute place to sleep, such as the couch, as this will condition his mind that the couch is his sleeping niche and eventually, going back to the bedroom can even be harder to achieve. There are specific drug formulations that may also aid an individual suffering from insomnia. One of the most common medications is benzodiazepine, which binds to the gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors of the brain, which is responsible to the excitation of neural cells (Davidson 111). This binding thus results in the inhibition of the neural functions of the individual, resulting in a sleepy mode. One negative effect of benzodiazepine is that the normal stages of sleep are affected and thus may trigger unnecessary changes in the duration of each stage and possibly dependence on the drug. It is also possible that this drug may induce hypnotic effects on an individual. Non-benzodiazepine formulations are also available for the treatment of insomnia. Melatonin is another therapeutic regimen that may be administered to an individual with insomnia (Davidson 112). There is currently great debate with regards to the effectiveness of this drug, as it has mostly been applied to individuals suffering from jet lag-induced insomnia and thus this drug may not be effective for other insomnias that are caused by other factors. Antidepressants and antihistamines can also be administered to insomnia patients to alleviate their difficulty in falling asleep. Herbal concoctions have also been reported to facilitate sleep. A few of the most used herb are chamomile, kava kava and lavender, which can be supplied in tea formats. Personal reflections Insomnia is generally regarded as a simple condition that is often misunderstood and mistreated. It is important that insomnia be addressed as soon as possible because this condition often affects several systems of the human body and may thus result in the decrease in the immune capacity of an individual. Insomnia can also affect the quality of work or study of an individual and thus this negative effect should be addressed at the earliest possible time. Social interactions can also be affected by insomnia, as these individuals are often irritable and sensitive. Several accidents have also been caused by the lack of sleep and it is possible that an individual may hurt himself while working and even hurt other people, especially when they are using a motor vehicle when they suddenly lose attention or fall asleep. It is thus imperative that individuals with insomnia be educated on what to do to take control of their condition and possibly go back to their normal circadian patterns.

Financial analysis for smartphone industry

After a heat discussion, our team chose the smart phone industry for the following two reasons. Firstly, telephone is a significant communicating instrument around the world today. International Telecommunication Union predicts that the number of cell phones would exceed the number of human beings in 2014. Secondly, with the increasingly functions of smart phone, it plays a vital role in the relevant industries. The flourishing development of smart phone industry also accelerates the development of other industries such as the cell phone battery industry and cell phone game industry. . 1 Industry Analysis We are talking about smart phone industry specifically. The newly formed competitive market includes hardware manufacturing, operating systems and content. Looking back on the history, leaders of those fields have changed a lot, as Monika, Motorola and RIM have been transcended by Apple, Samsung and other brands. Apply Porter's five force analysis to smart phone industry. Starting f rom threat of entry, software faces this more because of open platforms. Floods of capitals are required for R and operation levels, thus this threat is moderately high.Substitutes like Pads, Notebook and laptops have entered the market causing the threat. Threat also comes from suppliers, fragmented supply and the difficulty of vertical integration have impeded company profiting. But the threat is low overall. Meanwhile, buyers also impact threat by various demands and higher bargaining power. All these four threats result in a high threat of rivalry. Brand and concentrated market also matter. For the industry status, in 2011, the smart phone application market was about USED 6. 7 billion which is expected to be USED 1 55 billion with CARR of almost 55% from 2011 to 2017.In addition, worldwide sales of smart phones to end users totaled 968 million units in 2013, an increase of 42. Percent from 2012. Sales of smart phones accounted for 53. 6 percent of overall mobile phone sales in 2013 which accounts for 75. 8% of the overall mobile handset revenue. 1. 3 Firm description We choose six companies in smart phone industry to do some analysis. They are Sony, Apple, Samsung, ETC, Black Berry and Monika. The firms we choose represent different level of performance in the industry. Apple and Samsung are outstanding firms with higher net income and greater profitability.MONIKA, SONY and Blackberry are firms once created brilliant achievements but suffer from ailing business in the past 3 years. ETC is a newly brought-in competitor with advanced technology in developing smart phones. The six firms experienced different types of history. Samsung struggled with poor quality and inferior products in its earlier times. Apple seemed to grow gradually since it was established. On the contrary, Blackberry and MONIKA were once outstanding in the industry. SONY (SONY Ericson) left behind when transforming from mobile phones to smart phones.ETC has a short history. Most of the f irms experienced several important mergers or acquisition in the past 5 years. Badly-performed firms shrink while well-performed ones expand their equines by proper selling plans or acquisitions. Some important events are as follows. Microsoft declared to acquire Ionians mobile business and large amounts of patent portfolios with 7. 17 billion dollars. Blackberry made an announcement that the corporation agreed to be acquired by Fairfax Financial Holdings at the price of 47 billion, though the selling plan turns out to be failed.SONY and Ericson were incorporated into Sony Mobile Communications. 2. Past performance analysis Note: Risk free rate: US. Government bond rate for 5 years Expected market return: historical industry return for 5 years 2. 1 Samsung 013 is a fancy year for Samsung, possessing the biggest market share in smart phone for 31. 5% ahead of 15. 5% for Apple. For the first sq in 2013, PEE ratio decreased from 9. 09% to 6. 99% and it rose to 7. 30% in SQ. For the cap ital structure, 93. 2% was financed by equity and bond took up 6. 7%. Stock return for 2013 is -3. 7%. Move to past areas. PIE ratio experienced biggest decrease from 1 1. 88% to 7. 04%. Stock return is waving from 2. 98% to 28. 53%. Now focus on past areas. PEE ratio as 1 1. 88% peaked in 2011 standing out from a general downward trend. Besides, the releasing of GALAXY Tab 3 and GALAXY Note 10. Drove inventory turnover ratio higher. The peak for debt to equity ratio appeared in 2011 which is 0. 1446 and the trend is downward. Stock return in 2009 is highest for 64. 42%. The cost of equity for Samsung is 27. 63% given its current beta is 1. 12.For the dividend policy, the payout ratios are 12. 3%, 9. 3%, 6. 0%, 5. 1% and 7. 11%respectively since 2009. The most recent dividend pay date is on August 26, painting out 75. 4 million USED. On July 17 2012, Samsung acquired the handset operations of CARS Pl, and invested a 4. 9% stake in the company later. It is the largest acquisition cas e for Samsung since the 1997 uncial crisis. Actually, Samsung completed 5 acquisitions in 2012 which is more frequent than before. Acquisitions progress appears in net income rising from in 2011 to and to in 2012 and 2013.Inventions also declined from 3,859,994 to 2,918,234 until 2013. Samsung sold a record 86 million smart phones in Quaff 2013 and widened its lead over Apple selling 51 million for phone 5. 2. 2 Monika In 2013, Monika had a negative PEPS, showing that Monika didn't do well in 2013. The inventory turnover was about 6. 0, lower than the industry average (about). ROE was negative. The debt/asset ratio was 72. 59%. The dividend per share was O in 2013. The stock return was 97% in 2013 and the cost of equity for Monika is 8. 66%, given its current beta is 1. 3. Looking at the past 3 years, we find Debt/Equity ratio of Monika was increasing constantly. The ROE ratio was always negative over the past three years, decreasing from 2011 to 2012 and increasing from 2012 to 201 3. The dividend per share decreased from 0. 33 in 2011 to 0. 13 in 2012, then too in 2013. The stock return increased from -55% in 2011 to -23% in 2012, then to 97% in 2013. Considering the past five years performance, we find that Monika did quite a good Job in 2009 and 010 because its PIE ratios were positive and really high.The dividend per share decreased from 0. 41 in 2009 to 0. 31 in 2010. The trend of dividend per share from 2009 to 2013 is declining. The stock return increased from 2009 to 2013 while it was negative from 2009 to 2012. As for important events, on September 3rd, 2013, Microsoft declared to acquire Ionians mobile business and a large amount of patent portfolios with 7. 17 billion dollars. The stock price of Monika soared from about 3 dollars per share to about 8 dollars per share from August 29th, 2013 to November 18th, 2013.We compare the financial performance of the third quarter and fourth quarter of 2013 and find that net income increased a lot from -91 mil lions to -millions of dollars. 2. 3 Apple In 2013, Apple had a perfect performance. The ROE (about 0. 3064) and PIE ratio (about 15. 21) are both three times higher than the industry average, Besides, the inventory turnover of Apple is about 83, Apple is already well-known for its supply chain. The company's 40. 31% of assets came from debt and 59. 69% of assets came from equity. The of PAPAL in 2013 is 0. 74, and the cost of capital for PAPAL is 22. 3 percent in 2013.In the past 3 years, the current ratio and price-earnings ratio did not change a lot, but ROE decrease sharply in 2013, and the debt/equity decreased in 2012 and increased in 2013, meaning that the company issued more stocks than bonds in 2012. The annual stock return 0. 013 in 2013, 0. Tent 2012, and 0. 243 in 2011. Looking back over 5 years, the ROE increased from 2009 to 2012 and decreased in 2013. The inventory turnover went up sharply from 2012 and went down a little in 2013, which is partially because of the phon e ass's huge success. In addition, PAPAL began giving shareholders a quarterly dividend of $2. Per share in 2012. This dividend yield is about 1. 2% higher than the industry average. Apple's business philosophy is to acquire small companies that can be easily integrated into existing company projects, so Apple did more than 60 small acquisitions in the last decades. Apple merged plenty of software makers including Sir. After the acquisition, Sir has been an intelligent personal assistant and was introduced as a feature of the phone AS. This technical innovation has been a huge success so that more than 50% profit of Apple company came from phone in 2012. 2. ETC 013 is a struggling year for ETC, we can see that most of the key ratios of the company are under the industry average, profitability measures are almost all negative, and ROE are -1. 67, indicating that ETC failed to earn enough profit to even cover its expense. The high Debt/equity ratio (1. 22) makes its stock risky. The o f ETC in 2013 is 1. 88, while the industry average is only 1. 12. High makes the cost to raise capital high too. The cost of capital for ETC is 10. 13 percent in 2013. Looking back over 3 years, we found that Itch's profit has been declining since 2011, inventory turnover declined from 12. 8 to 7. 0 due to the poor sale and management problem. The annual stock return -0. 525 in 2013, 0. 064 2012, and -0. 392 in 2011. Looking back over 5 years, it is clear that the business boomed during 2009 and 2011, and started to fall behind since then. The sale increased by about 1 11% from 2009 to 2010, but stock price has fallen by 90 percent since then. Besides, the company prescribed at least 50% of the total dividend be distributed as cash dividend, it pay dividend in July or August every year. ETC believe that acquisitions are the key to help ETC quickly grow to compete with its competitors.So ETC spent more than $700 lions on acquisition in 2010 and 2011 trying to gain market share. Major mergers include SO Graphics, Beats Electronics LLC, and etc. However, Itch's acquisition strategy didn't work well as expected. Those deals neither helped ETC to boost its brand image or to win the law suit, the sale have also been decreasing since the requested of 2011. 2. 5 Sony From 2009 to 2013, Sony had gone through a road of difficult and twists. In 2013, Sony didn't have a well performance. Its current ratio, ROE and inventory turnover ratio is under industry average.To be specific, its inventory turnover ratio is the lowest. Through its PEE ratio is strangely high, I think it mostly related to the small profit number. Looking back over 3 years, we can see most ratio, including ROE and inventory turnover ratio, had a peak in 2012. Especially ROE had a soaring from 2011 to 2012. There are four reasons. First, Sony Corp. acquired the remaining 50% stake from ELM Ericson Telethon ABA on February 15, 2012, which made mobile phone sales increased a lot. Last, the yen devalued. Lo oking back over 5 years, the current ratio and ROE had a drop until 2011.The inventory turnover ratio had a peak in 2010 while he debt-equity ratio increased until 2012. Actually, Sony had negative net income for consecutive four years. Not only it is a result of disasters such as JP Tsunami, but also it is because the yen appreciate and digital products from Japan were shocked by other goods. The stock return ratio of Sony from 2009 to 2011 has dropped from 0. 5 to -0. 47. However, it began to increase then. The ratio in 2013 is about 0. 15. It is consistent with what ROE shows. The cost of equity is 52. 72%. It is large due to the high Arm (29. 64%) and high risk (beta-?I . 2). 2. 6 Blackberry 2013 is not a pleasant year for Blackberry. The ability to generate profit is far behind its peer competitors. PEPS and ROE of the firm are -1. 23 and -6. 61% due to the negative net income. However, the current ratio highly above the industry average (about 1. 09). Stocks risk of Blackberry is low, measured in of 0. 48. Based on p, the cost of capital is 3. 70%. On account of the bad performance over the year, annual stock return in 2013 is -0. 426. Looking back to the past three-year performance, Blackberry dropped from its recent peak in 2011 to historical worst.Blackberry experienced a terrible service interrupt in Cot, 2011, which severely damaged the rim reputation and directly caused the following bad performances. Business declined sharply in 2012, with falling ROE and PEE ratio. In retrospect the performance in last five years, we could see that even under unpleasant financial crisis, Blackberry still could hold itself. PEE ratio was 17. 1 in 2009 and 10. 0 in 2012, both showing a good prospect, however, the ratio then began to decrease sharply after 2010. Annual stock return was at first positive in 2009(0. 19), but it has fallen below zero ever since. Inventory turnover is quite stable during the whole period. No dividend has been strutted during recent five years because of the disappointing performance. Most important series of restructuring events in Blackberry's history appeared in the year 2013. BlackBerry first announced to have reached a potential acquisition agreement with its biggest shareholder Fairfax Financial on Seep 23rd, after this good news, the stock price of BlackBerry shot up 0. 6 dollars. But the potential acquisition plan didn't last for a long time.In Novena, 2013 BlackBerry declared the breakdown of the selling plan. By pm Novo 4th, the stock price of BlackBerry has dropped 1. 44 dollars (18. 53%). 3. Future performance analysis . 1 Pro formal Pro formal of Cash Flow Pro formal of Balance Sheet & Income Statement Note: Erg (regression) W-M (weighted-moving-average method) Final (final forecast) We complete the pro formal by three steps. First step is to do an autoregressive analysis to forecast the data of 2014 and 201 5 through the historical data from 2009 to 2013. Then, we computed the weighted average by givi ng the weight of 0. 5, 0. 1, 0. 15, 0. 3, and 0. 4. Finally, we find some forward looking data predicted by economic forecasters on the internet and use moving weighted average method to get final data which are more efficient. What is more, if there is no forward looking data, we use weighted average on the regressive result and average result. We combined two different methods to do the forecast. Because every method has it is own drawback. For the regression method, it cannot show that the latest data, which indicates the trends more accurately, is more vital than the previous one.And the weighted average can overcome this drawback by giving the latest data more weights. But for some items like income, we think the result of regression method is more accurately. So we combined these two methods by using weighted average. 3. 2 Recommendation We divided the analysis of future performance of PAPAL into two parts: The analysis of data and the analysis of reality. Firstly, Let us focu s on the forecast data. We analyze three kinds of vital data measuring the performance of PAPAL. The first one is earnings per share (PEPS), which reflects the ability of company to generating profit.We forecast this data by regression, which is to estimate the net income and shares and do a Multivariate regression. The result is around 45. Then, there are five websites give out the PEPS estimate around 47. 9. We give them weights and get the final data of 47. . PEPS is the dollar value of earnings per each outstanding share of a company's common stock. Higher PEPS means that the company can generate more net income by each share and it can use less capital to get higher profit. Besides, the dividend may be high because of the high PEPS. The forecast data 47. In 201 5 is higher than today's data and it is reliable, because the net income and the shares are both increasing and the increasing speed of shares is slowly. So the performance of PAPAL will be better in the future. The seco nd one is PIE ratio. We use the weighted average method to get PIE in 201 5, which is 13. 2, and we also use the regression method to get it, which is 13. 44. We find that the forecast PIE ratio in Yahoo is 13. 07, which is not a high one. Theoretically speaking, a stock with low PIE ratio is a good one to investment, because the purchase cost is low.Besides, we think the value of PAPAL is underestimated now because of the high PEPS and the low PIE ratio. The price of stock will go up in the future. The third one is ROE, which shows how well PAPAL uses investment funds to earnings growth. We use the weighted average method to get ROE in 201 5, which is 36. 34%, and we also use the regression method to get it, which is 38. 6%. The average number is 37. 6%. ROE measures the rate of return on the shareholders' equity of the stock owners, which measures a firm's ability of generating profits from every unit of shareholders' equity.Generally speaking, ROES more than 10% are considered go od. Besides, the ROE of PAPAL is a reliable one, because the debt asset ratio is not high. In conclusion, we recommend that stockholders could hold Pal's stock for a long time because of the low PIE ratio and the high ROE. Performance we forecasted originates from two reality parts, one is expected increase based on past and current situations and the other is unexpected hangs including systematic and unsystematic risks align with future. The anticipated two opportunities for Apple are analyzed as following.The global market for smart phone will grow in few years based on GIG prediction and the annual sale is expected to increase from 1 billion in 2013 to 1 . Billion in 2017. Until the end of 2013, the SIS system accounted for 41. 2% and Android is 51. 9% comparatively. This intense rising user trend will amplify the market pie. The other is the cooperation with China Mobile. Above million regular customers of China Mobile will assist the sales rise for Apple. Unexpected systematic risk consists of interest rate risk and foreign currency risk. The company typically invests in highly-rated securities and changes in U.S. Interest rates affect the interest earned on the company's cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, the fair value of those securities, as well as costs associated with hedging. In the third quarter of 2013, the company issued $17. 0 billion of long-term debt, which included $3. 0 billion of floating-rate notes. In addition, Apple is a net receiver of foreign currencies and changes in exchange rates, particularly strengthening of U. S. Lars will negatively affect its net sales and gross margins expressed as U. S. Dollars originally. Unsystematic risk involves Apple's internal specific performance.New products release like will be a main source. The attraction of next generation Apple phone is controversial and based on past dissatisfying sales of phone and pad, their growth rate nearly held constant. Some people concern its innovation w ithout Jobs but some analysts note that the bigger size for phones will eliminate advantage of Android system brands like Samsung. Charm of wearing new product which is twitch concretely is also worth anticipating ND we may get some indicts from the coming WAD held in Los Angels. Beyond this, Apple will increase repurchase of stocks and issuance of dividends.According to Sanford C. Bernstein prediction, Apple will issue BIB dollars dividends in 2015. This will increase the value of stocks held on shareholders if the PEE ratio increased after the issuance. 4. Relative Performance According to the comparison of 5 key ratios, the underperforming corporations are SONY, Blackberry, ETC and MONIKA. Most of the firm shared common problems in several aspects as lack of innovative products and inventory management, while mom have critical faults in designing strategies. Relative performance and recommendations are as follows.According to the lowest inventory turnover ratio of Sony among its industry peers, one recommendation for Sony is to turn over its inventory quickly. It can improve its supply chain, manage efficiently to product appropriately. Due to the fast update of digital products, long inventory turnover period will enlarge the risk and the cost. Besides, 3. 1% of the market share is so small compared with Samsung and Apple that its ROE can't increase smoothly. The key to increase its market share is to launch the new production. Only by creating great mobile phones like phone, can Sony rebuild its Sony Time.Similar problems appeared in Blackberry and Monika. Most of Blackberry's profitability ratios as PEE, ROE and PEPS are under industry average due to firm's negative net income. The reasons are lack of attractive application programs and disappointing new product. Apple's phone and Google's Android squeezed the market share of Blackberry smart phone. The newly launched table PC was also not satisfying with simple functions but high selling price. Blackber ry should not only depend on its good reputation in E-mail recessing system, but focus more on user's entertainment experience like fancy interface and programs.Besides, Blackberry is the only one who ignores the prospect in China. To recover from declining tendency, a competitive product is required to open its Chinese market. The negative ROE and low inventory turnover ratio indicates that MONIKA is losing money . The reason is that the product of Monika is not as popular as that of other leading companies like Apple and considered to be lack of innovation, and its Simian operating system (until 2013) is not advocated by developers. So Monika should increase funding for research and develop products that appeal the consumers.Given that the mobile phone business of Monika was acquired by Microsoft on April 5th, 2014 (the acquisition was started on September 3rd, 2013), Microsoft should learn a lesson from the failure of Monika. ETC has been struggling in China due to price competit ion and limited distribution. Many people think the wrong high-end market strategy got ETC into trouble. To get out of woods, ETC may need to forget its strategy on high-end market and consider a partnership (merger) with another smart phone company that could provide synergy.Chinese smart phone makers sell products domestically because they have weak brand awareness in other regions, but ETC has established solid brand awareness in the United States and Europe, which Chinese handset makers could capitalize on. And ETC could get resources to get through this situation and look for new chances for development. So a merger with Chinese films could be a win-win. 5. Conclusion From the perspective of companies in the smart phone industry: Considering the fast speed of development of Asia-Pacific market, each company should strive to evolve Asia-Pacific market.Moreover, the target market of the company must be effective. As for products, companies should develop the products that satisfy consumers' preference. From the perspective of investors: The smart phone industry has a great development potential, so investors have substantial investment opportunities in this industry. But investors should cautiously determine the invested companies. We recommend selecting invested companies according to their past and future financial performance, the fitness between their products and the preference f the market, the market strategies and so on.

Timeline of the Russian Revolution of 1905

Timeline of the Russian Revolution of 1905 While Russia had a revolution in 1917 (in fact two), it nearly had one in 1905. There were the same marches and vast strikes, but in 1905 the revolution was crushed in a manner that affected how things unraveled in 1917 (including a great deal of fear things would repeat and a new revolution would fail). What was the difference? World War One had not acted as a magnifying glass for problems, and the military mostly stayed loyal. January January 3-8: 120,000 workers strike in St. Petersburg; government warns against any organized marches. January 9: Bloody Sunday. 150,000 striking workers and their families march through St. Petersburg to deliver a protest to the Tsar  but are shot and ridden down on multiple occasions by the army. Reaction to the massacre spreads across neighboring regions, especially the industrial centers which experience spontaneous workers strikes. February February: The strike movement spreads down to the Caucasus. February 4: Grand-Duke Sergei Alexandrovich is killed by an SR assassin as protests grow. February 6: Notably large rural disorder, especially in Kursk. February 18: Reacting to the growing troubles, Nicholas II orders the creation of a consultative assembly to report on constitutional reform; the move is less than the revolutionaries want, but it gives them impetus. March The strike movement and unrest reaches Siberia and the Urals. April April 2: The second National Congress of Zemstvos again demands a constitutional assembly; the Union of Unions formed. May Embarrassment for the government as the Baltic Fleet is easily sunk, having spent 7 months sailing round to Japan. June June: Soldiers used against strikers in Lodz. June 18: Odessa is halted by a large strike. June 14-24: Sailors mutiny on the Battleship Potemkin. August August: Moscow holds the first Conference of the Peasants union; Nizhnii holds the First Congress of the Muslim Union, one of many groups pushing for regional - often national - autonomy. August 6: Tsar issues a manifesto on the creation of a state Duma; this plan, created by Bulygin and nicknamed the Bulygin Duma, is rejected by revolutionaries for being too weak and having a tiny electorate. August 23: Treaty of Portsmouth ends the Russo-Japanese war; Russia has been beaten by an opponent they were expected to easily defeat. September September 23: Printers strike in Moscow, the start of Russias first General Strike. October October 1905 - July 1906: The Peasant Union of the Volokolamsk District creates the independent Markovo Republic; it survives, 80 miles from Moscow, until the government crushes it in July 1906. October 6: Rail workers join the strike. October 9: As telegraph workers join the strike, Witte warns the Tsar that to save Russia he must make great reforms or impose a dictatorship. October 12: Strike action has developed into a General Strike. October 13: A council is formed to represent striking workers: the St. Petersburg Soviet of Workers Deputies; it functions as an alternative government. The Mensheviks dominate it as the Bolsheviks boycott and similar soviets are soon created in other cities. October 17: Nicholas II issues the October Manifesto, a liberal scheme proposed by Witte. It grants civil liberties, the need for Duma consent before passing laws and a widening of the Duma electorate to include all Russians; mass celebrations follow; political parties form and rebels return, but acceptance of the Manifesto pushes the liberals and socialists apart. The St. Petersburg soviet prints its first issue of the newssheet Izvestia; left and right groups clash in streetfights. October: Lvov joins the Constitutional Democrat (Kadet) party, which includes the more radical zemstvo menmen, nobles, and scholars; conservative liberals form the Octobrist Party. These are the people who have led the revolution so far. October 18: N. E. Bauman, a Bolshevik activist, is killed during a streetfight triggering a street war between the Tsar supporting right and the revolutionary left. October 19: The Council of Ministers is created, a government cabinet under Witte; leading Kadets are offered posts, but refuse. October 20: Baumans funeral is the focus of major demonstrations and violence. October 21: The General Strike is ended by the St. Petersburg Soviet. October 26-27: The Kronstadt mutiny. October 30-31: The Vladivostok Mutiny. November November 6-12: The Peasants Union holds a conference in Moscow, demanding a constituent assembly, land redistribution and political union between peasants and urban workers. November 8: The Union of Russian People is created by Dubrovin. This early fascist group aims to fight against the left and is funded by government officials. November 14: The Moscow branch of the Peasants Union is arrested by the government. November 16: Telephone/graph workers strike. November 24: Tsar introduces Provisional Rules, which at once abolish some aspects of censorship, but introduce harsher penalties for those praising criminal acts. November 26: Head of the St. Petersburg Soviet, Khrustalev-Nosar, arrested. November 27: The St. Petersburg Soviet appeals to the armed forces and elects a triumvirate to replace Nosar; it includes Trotsky. December December 3: The St. Petersburg Soviet is arrested en masse after Socialist Democrats (SD) hand out weapons. December 10-15: The Moscow Uprising, where rebels and militias try to take the city through armed struggle; it fails. No other major rebellions take place, but the Tsar and the right react: the police regime returns and the army sweeps across Russia crushing dissent. December 11: Russias urban population and workers are enfranchised by electoral changes. December: Nicholas II and his son given honorary membership of the Union of the Russian People; they accept.

The 7 Personality Traits that Can Destroy Your Career

The 7 Personality Traits that Can Destroy Your Career Of all the things you think may destroy your career, you probably didn’t expect your own personality to be one of them. But while some character traits are innate, others are under your control. It’s up to you to tend your own garden- rip out the weeds and plant seeds for stronger, better plants. Whatever you do, make sure to keep an eye out for these 7 traits, which can really put a damper on your career.1. NarcissismMost people you work with are going to be able to tell if you’re an insufferable narcissist. You have an aversion to teamwork? Your colleagues can tell. Remember: your pain, your annoyance, your moods, and your bad day are no worse or more important than anybody else’s. Try to think about others every now and then. Your career will thank you.2. Complaining After the FactYou’ve had a meeting and things have been debated and discussed thoroughly. If you didn’t speak up then, you’ve forfeited your right to speak after. If yo u don’t have the guts to voice your opinions or contribute in the meeting, then keep your complaints to yourself.3.  Ignoring Your TeamDon’t pretend that you’ve done everything yourself with each small victory. Most workplace accomplishments are not solo ventures. Thank the people that helped you score those victories. Don’t ever be the guy who says â€Å"that’s not my job.† Pitch in! And never never throw anyone under the bus.4. GossipingNobody loves a gossip. You might make a few shallow friends fairly quickly at the water cooler, but you won’t keep them, and you could get yourself in real social and professional trouble.5.  Constant ComplainingNobody likes a pessimist. Start counting the number of times you complain or say something negative in a day. If it’s more than 3, you have a problem. If it’s more than 30, you’re well on track to being the most hated dude in the office.6. CrudenessYou don’t ha ve to be Suzy Perfect, but you should try to keep a little decorum. Try not to be flatulent or curse so much that no one wants to be around you. Be a force for good in your office!7.  Excessive SarcasmBe generous and nice. If you feel the urge to be sarcastic or snide, hold it back. There is a way to be a good person and make people laugh. Try not to get your way or get a laugh at anybody else’s expense.If you have any one (or more) of these traits, it might be time to start thinking about how to prune your bad angels and start watering your good ones.

Malarkey Doesnt Mean That

Malarkey Doesnt Mean That Malarkey Doesn’t Mean That Malarkey Doesn’t Mean That By Maeve Maddox In a recent television ad for a cell phone service, potential customers are shown as being afraid of â€Å"hidden fees,† â€Å"funny business,† and â€Å"bamboozling.† The agent asks, â€Å"What is bamboozling?† A potential customer says, â€Å"It’s like malarkey.† The ad bothers me because bamboozling is a gerund and malarkey is an ordinary noun. I’d prefer something like this: Agent: What is bamboozling? Customer: It’s trying to trick us by feeding us a bunch of malarkey. But then, I suppose the extra words would drive up the price of the ad. The verb bamboozle is noted in English as early as 1700, in a Tatler article complaining about the invasion of slang terms. The OED definition of the verb bamboozle is â€Å"to deceive by trickery; to perplex or confuse.† The definition in Merriam-Webster is, â€Å"to conceal one’s true motives from someone, especially by elaborately feigning good intentions so as to gain an end or achieve an advantage.† The first OED citation for malarkey is 1924; the most recent, 2000. It’s defined as â€Å"humbug, bunkum, nonsense.† Malarkey is any idea or utterance seen as â€Å"trivial, misleading, or not worthy of consideration.† M-W defines malarkey as â€Å"insincere or pretentious talk or writing designed to impress one and usually to distract attention from ulterior motives or actual conditions.† A person intent on bamboozling someone might employ malarkey in the effort to deceive, but bamboozling and malarkey are not quite synonyms. Synonyms for the verb bamboozle: trick deceive delude hoodwink mislead take in dupe fool double-cross cheat defraud swindle gull hoax entrap con bilk shaft flimflam Synonyms for the noun malarkey: rubbish gibberish claptrap balderdash hogwash baloney rot moonshine garbage jive tripe drivel bull bunk/bunkum BS hokum twaddle gobbledygook Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Spelling Test 15 Lessons for Mixing Past and Present TenseUlterior and Alterior

Usefulness of Cognitive Theories of Motivation Essay

Usefulness of Cognitive Theories of Motivation - Essay Example Observations made by economists indicate that entrepreneurial activities are deemed to be supreme sources of technological innovations hence it is important to understand the influence of regional culture on entrepreneurship activities. Recent surveys on entrepreneurship reveal that Wales has been doing quite well. This success is associated with regional focus on entrepreneurship behavior and development (Aldrich, 2000). Theories - These are set of statements devised to elaborate a phenomenon which has been reviewed more than once. The phenomena should be one that has been universally accepted and can be used to predict occurrence of natural phenomena. According to Aldrich (2000), success of entrepreneurs depends on their willingness to become what they want. In the pursuit of entrepreneurial opportunities, individual willingness is essential during decision-making upon discovery of these opportunities. This aspect matters a great deal when an individual is pursuing resources and wh en designing mechanisms to be used in exploiting the discovered opportunities. Human motivations should accompany willingness for the entrepreneurial activities to be effected. Cognitive theories of motivation are very useful during decision making and it influences the way one undertakes the enterprising process. They affect locus of control i.e. individuals’ beliefs that their actions affect the outcomes (Aldrich, 2000). These theories help individuals to explore entrepreneurial related phenomena.

The Impact of Sustainable Development Is Negligible Because It Is Essay

The Impact of Sustainable Development Is Negligible Because It Is Impossible to Translate Into Legal And Binding Obligations - Essay Example This article stresses that the presentation and the examination of the issues involved with the sustainable development as it can be observed in most human activities lead to the assumption that the creation of a ‘legal net’ that could provide an effective protection regarding all aspects of the above activity, should be regarded as a very difficult task. Moreover, although a lot of efforts have been made towards this direction, the relevant national and international legal texts have been proved in many cases inadequate to cover the demands of the relevant area. Violations of the law related with the sustainable development are a characteristic part of human activities around the world. The case of Baltic States and the violations of the laws referring to the forestry regulation is an example of current practice in the area of sustainable development. This paper makes a conclusion that most issues related with the above activity are covered at a primary or even secondary level (low to mid level protection), a fact that should be considered as a significant achievement given the complexity and the extension of sustainable development. In any case, the regulation of all the aspects of a specific human activity is a target that has not been achieved in any social or scientific area so the efforts made up to this point regarding the specific subject have to be evaluated as an important achievement comparing to all other areas of human activity.

Allowing the Use of Discarded IVF Embryos for Stem Cell Research Is Essay

Allowing the Use of Discarded IVF Embryos for Stem Cell Research Is Ethical - Essay Example There are several sources of stem cells. Adult stem cells can be taken from an individual, coaxed into becoming something useful in therapy, and transplanted back into the body. However, the usefulness of adult stem cells is limited, because not all types of cells have been isolated, and they are difficult to isolate because they occur in minute quantities in adults (NIH 11). Embryonic stem cells are the most flexible and can be obtained from in vitro fertilization patients, thus avoiding the moral quagmire of the abortion debate entirely. While visions of Nazi-level experimentation dance in our heads, it’s hard to come to a moral and logical conclusion regarding stem cell research. The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity comments, â€Å"If anything is to be gained from the cruel atrocities committed against human beings in the last century and a half, it is the lesson that the utilitarian devaluation of one group of human begins for the alleged benefit of others is a price we simply cannot afford to pay† (CBHD 53). By demonizing stem cell researchers as cold-blooded, immoral baby killers, this argument avoids actually defining the boundaries of human life and descends into rhetoric. A medical professional must put aside rhetoric and stick to the facts. The â€Å"if-then† scenarios put forth by the religious right are especially rhetorical. If they argue, we determine that a blastocyst or embryo isn’t viable because it can’t survive on its own (separate from major medical intervention or a mother’s womb), then we are only one small step away from using comatose patients in medical experiments (Sullivan 59). Again, the argument is not a scientific one; it is simply a drawing room discussion with no boundaries. Leftover embryos from IVF patients are no longer useful to those who would donate them, and their potentiality is limited.

Gender ideology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender ideology - Essay Example G. Bissinger are no exception to what is stated above. Traditional masculinity is evident in the story of 1988 Permian â€Å"Mojo† Panthers football season. A superficial role is given to the Pepettes, who are senior high school girls. Hysteria prevails amongst the football fans during the entire season, and each tournament is a do-or-die act for the members of the team. The Odessa community has a social structure that intensely favors the male. The football players are treated like the royal princes. How does the football tournament begin? Bissinger provides a graphic picture of the opening ceremony related to the match. He writes, â€Å" Behind the rows of stools stood the stars of the show, the members of the 1988 Permian Panther high school football team. Dressed in their black game jerseys, they laughed and teased one another like privileged children of royalty. Directly in-front of them, dressed in white jerseys and forming a little protective phalanx, were the Pepettes, a select group of senior girls who made up the school spirit squad. The Pepettes supported all teams, but it was the football team they supported most. The number on the jersey each girl wore corresponded to that of the player she had been assigned for the football season. With that assignment came various time honored responsibilities.†(p.45) The mention of time honored responsibilities, indicates the subservient role of the female gender as per the societal norms. The girls had no part in the football game, and not one among them was directly connected to the game, except that they played the role of cheering the players. This is nothing but a subtle form of exploitation and assertion of superiority of masculinity. The exploitation in another form was also prevalent and the players were entitled to some special entitlement, at the cost of Pepette. Bissinger further writes, â€Å" As a part of the tradition, each Pepette brought some type of sweet for her player every week before

Business Strategy Embraced By Ted Backer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Strategy Embraced By Ted Backer - Essay Example This paper outlines some of the unconventional approaches used by the brand to improve its sales. Other than the unconventional approaches as part of the brand’s strategic direction, an analysis of the firm’s strategy using models such as Ansoff and BCG is important in terms of determining the ideal marketing strategy for the brand. In essence, the evaluation of the firm’s strategy is important because it allows for the identification of the existing gaps that may pose a risk for the brand’s business in the market. As such, recommendation on improvements plays a role in ensuring the brand maintains its market share. For instance, it is recommendable for the brand to use other approaches other than the unconventional approaches to improve its business. A good example involves taking advantage of latest technological advancement to improve production. The managing director of the company, Ray Kelvin began in 1988 with a store situated in Glasgow. He further expanded his business to other places such as Manchester and Nottingham. In 1990, the company opened a new store in Convent Garden and the director acquired the entire company from by buying the shares of part owners known as Goldberg and Sons. This saw the introduction of Ted Baker Woman in 1995 and as a clothing retail company, Ted Baker is listed on the London Stock Exchange. In addition, the company also has stores in other parts of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East while its flagship store in the United States was opened in New York’s Fifth Avenue. The Ted Baker’s brand has developed steadily since starting its operations within the United Kingdom. At present, Ted Baker has expanded globally by relying on its three key distribution channels that include retail, wholesale and licensing. The company uses their own outlets and other licensed retail outlets, and partners in recognized department stores across Europe, Asia, Australia and the United States.

Gender ideology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender ideology - Essay Example G. Bissinger are no exception to what is stated above. Traditional masculinity is evident in the story of 1988 Permian â€Å"Mojo† Panthers football season. A superficial role is given to the Pepettes, who are senior high school girls. Hysteria prevails amongst the football fans during the entire season, and each tournament is a do-or-die act for the members of the team. The Odessa community has a social structure that intensely favors the male. The football players are treated like the royal princes. How does the football tournament begin? Bissinger provides a graphic picture of the opening ceremony related to the match. He writes, â€Å" Behind the rows of stools stood the stars of the show, the members of the 1988 Permian Panther high school football team. Dressed in their black game jerseys, they laughed and teased one another like privileged children of royalty. Directly in-front of them, dressed in white jerseys and forming a little protective phalanx, were the Pepettes, a select group of senior girls who made up the school spirit squad. The Pepettes supported all teams, but it was the football team they supported most. The number on the jersey each girl wore corresponded to that of the player she had been assigned for the football season. With that assignment came various time honored responsibilities.†(p.45) The mention of time honored responsibilities, indicates the subservient role of the female gender as per the societal norms. The girls had no part in the football game, and not one among them was directly connected to the game, except that they played the role of cheering the players. This is nothing but a subtle form of exploitation and assertion of superiority of masculinity. The exploitation in another form was also prevalent and the players were entitled to some special entitlement, at the cost of Pepette. Bissinger further writes, â€Å" As a part of the tradition, each Pepette brought some type of sweet for her player every week before

Healthcare system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Healthcare system - Essay Example Each organization faces different challenges. Hence, the articles discusses what can be done to rectify the trials in the healthcare industry. The two changes that will impact this is healthcare reform such as HIPAA and the Medicare issue that is lingering. There are many implication for this marketing strategy since the market is heavily segmented. One of the heavy reflections that was taken from the article is the administration of Social Security within the context of HIPAA. This strategy is more for a standardized approach and does not cater to an individual organization. Hence, a more integrated approach is needed in order to understand and acknowledge the perspectives all stakeholders is illogical because every case is different. The second implication is the tax implications that healthcare organizations may face with new health plans. The role of states health departments is to provide maternal and child health care. State and local health departments must take a proactive approach to not only collect information, which can be an extremely critical situation for medical personnel. Even though it is almost to estimate the cost of fraudulent claims, taxpayers have to atone for the financial woes as their tax money is utilized. Th e worse aspect in this whole scenario is the fact that money lost to improper financial billing can be used to support lower income individuals. The lower income individuals instead have to suffer as a result of fraudulent claims. Health care marketers will play a role in helping their organizations by ensuring that technology and business processes are placed. Another important aspect within the realm of 120,000 eligible healthcare professionals and more than 3,300 hospitals have qualified to participate, which allows a seamless access of patients to extract their information online â€Å"outpatient lab reporting† as a menu

Morning in Nagrebcan by Manuel E. Arguilla Essay Example for Free

Morning in Nagrebcan by Manuel E. Arguilla Essay (1) It was sunrise at Nagrebcan. (2) The fine, bluish mist, low over the tobacco fields, was lifting and thinning moment by moment. A ragged strip of mist, pulled away by the morning breeze, had caught on the c umps of bamboo along the banks of the stream that flowed to one side of the barrio. (3) Before long the sun would top the Katayaghan hills, but as yet no people were around. In the grey shadow of the hills, the barrio was gradually awaking. Roosters crowed and strutted on the ground while hens hesitated on their perches among the branches of the camanchile trees. Stray goats nibbled · the weeds on the sides of the road, and the bull carabaos tugged restively against their stakes. (4) In the early morning the puppies lay curled up together between their mother’s paws under the ladder of the house. Four puppies were all white like the mother. They had pink noses and pink eyelids and pink mouths. The skin between their toes and on the inside of their large, limp ears was pink. They had short sleek hair, for the mother licked them often. The fifth puppy lay across the mothers neck. On the puppys back was a big black spot like a saddle. The tips of its ears were black and so was a patch of hair on its chest. (5) The opening of the sawali door, its uneven bottom dragging noisily against the bamboo flooring, aroused the mother dog and she got up and stretched and shook herself, scattering dust and loose white hair. A rank doggy smell rose in the cool morning air. (6) She took a quick leap forward, clearing the puppies which had begun to whine about her, wanting to suckle. She trotted away and disappeared beyond the house of a neighbor. (7) The puppies sat back on their rumps, whining. After a little while they lay down and went back to sleep, the black-spotted puppy climbing on top of the Four. (8) Baldo stood at the threshold and rubbed his sleep-heavy eyes with his fists. He must have been about ten years old, small for his age, but compactly built, and he stood straight on his bony legs. He wore one of his fathers discarded cotton undershirts. (9) The boy descended the ladder, leaning heavily on the single bamboo railing that served as a banister. He sat on the lowest step of the ladder, yawning and rubbing his eyes one after the other. (10) Bending down, he reached between his legs for the black-spotted puppy. He held it to him, stroking its soft, warm body. (11) He blew on its nose. The puppy stuck out a small red tongue, lapping the air. It whined eagerly. Baldo laughed a low gurgle. (12) He rubbed his face against that of the dog. He said softly, My puppy. My puppy. He said it many times. (13) The puppy licked his ears, his cheeks. When it licked his mouth, Baldo straightened up, raised the puppy on a level with his eyes. (14) You are a foolish puppy, he said, laughing. Foolish, foolish, foolish, he said, rolling the puppy on his lap so that it howled. (15) The four other puppies awoke and came scrambling about Baldos legs. He put down the black-spotted puppy and ran to the narrow foot bridge of woven split-bamboo spanning the roadside ditch. (16) When it rained, water from the roadway flowed under the makeshift bridge, but it had not rained for a long time and the ground was dry and sandy. (17) Baldo sat on the bridge, digging his bare feet into the sand, feeling the cool particles escaping between his toes. He whistled a toneless whistle with a curious trilling to it produced by placing the tongue against the lower teeth and then curving it up and down. (18) The whistle excited the puppies; they ran to the boy as fast as their unsteady legs could carry them, barking choppy little barks. (19) Nana Elang, the mother of Baldo, now appeared in the doorway with handful of rice straw. She called Baldo and told him to get some live c Is from their neighbor. (20) Get two or three burning coals and bring them home on the rice straw, she said. Do not wave the straw in the wind. If you do, it will catch fire b ore you get home. (21) She watched him run toward Ka Ikaos house where already smoke was rising through the nipa roofing into the misty air. (22) One 0 two empty carromatas drawn by sleepy little ponies rattled along the pebbly street, bound for the railroad station. (23) Nana Elang must have been thirty, but she looked at least fifty. She was a thin, wispy woman, with bony hands and arms. She had scanty, with straight, graying hair which she gathered behind her head in a small, tight knot. It made her look thinner than ever. Her cheekbones seemed on the point of bursting through the dry, yellowish-brown skin. (24) Above a gray-checkered skirt, she wore a single wide-sleeved cotton blouse that ended below her flat breasts. Sometimes when she stooped or reached up for anything, a glimpse of the flesh at her waist showed in a dark, purplish band where the skirt had been tied so often. (25) She turned from the doorway into the small, untidy kitchen. (26) She washed the rice and put it in a pot which she placed on the cold stove. She made ready the other pot for the mess of vegetables and dried fish. (27) When Baldo came back with the rice straw and burning coals, she told him to start a fire in the stove, while she cut the ampalaya tendrils and sliced the eggplants. (28) When the fire finally flamed inside the clay stove, Baldos eyes were smarting from the smoke of the rice straw. (29) There is the fire, mother, he said. Is father awake already? (30) Nana Elang shook her head. Baldo went out slowly on tiptoe. (31) There were already many people going out. Several fishermen wearing coffee-colored shirts and trousers and hats made from the shell of white pumpkins passed by. The smoke of their home-made cigars floated behind them like shreds of the morning mist. (32) Women carrying big empty baskets were going to the tobacco fields. They walked fast, talking among themselves. Each woman had gathered the loose folds of her skirt in front and, twisting the end two or three times, passed it between her legs, pulling it up at the back, and slipping it inside her waist. The women seemed to be wearing trousers that reached only to their knees and flared at the thighs. (33) Day was quickly growing older. The east flamed redly and Baldo called to his mother, Look, mother, God also cooks his breakfast. (34) He went to play with the puppies. He sat on the bridge and took them on his lap one by one. He searched for fleas which he crushed between his thumbnails. (35) You, puppy. You, puppy, he murmured softly. (36) When he held the black-spotted puppy, he said, My puppy. My puppy. (37) Ambo, his seven-year old brother, awoke crying. Nana Elang could be heard patiently calling him to the kitchen. Later he came down with a ripe banana in his hand. (38) Ambo was almost as tall as his older brother and he had stout husky legs. Baldo often called him the son of an Igorot. The home-made cotton shirt he wore was variously stained. The pocket was torn, and it flipped down. He ate the banana without peeling it. (39) You foolish boy, remove the skin, Baldo said. I will not, Ambo said. (40) It is not your banana. He took a big bite and swallowed it with exaggerated relish. (41) But the skin is tart. It tastes bad. (42) You are not eating it, Ambo said. The rest of the banana vanished in his mouth. (43) He sat beside Baldo and both played with the puppies. (44) The mother dog had not yet returned and the puppies were becoming hungry and restless. They sniffed the hands of Ambo, licked his fingers. They tried to scramble up his breast to lick his mouth, but he brushed them down. (45) Baldo laughed. He held the black-spotted puppy closely, fondled it lovingly. (46) My puppy, he said. My puppy. (47) Ambo played with the other puppies, but he soon grew tired of them. He wanted the black-spotted one. He sidled close to Baldo and put out a hand to caress the puppy nestling contentedly in the crook of his brothers arm. (48) But Baldo struck the hand away. (49) Dont touch my puppy, he said. My puppy. (50) Ambo begged to be allowed to hold the black-spotted puppy. But Baldo said he would not let him hold the black-spotted puppy because he would not peel the banana. (51) Ambo then said that he would obey his older brother next time, for all time. (52) Baldo would not believe him; he refused to let him touch the puppy. (53) Ambo rose to his feet. He looked longingly at the black-spotted puppy in Baldos arms. (54) Suddenly he bent down and tried to snatch the puppy away. (55) But Baldo sent him sprawling in the dust with a deft push. (56) Ambo did not cry. He came up with a fistful of sand which he flung in his brothers face. But as he started to run away, Baldo thrust out his leg and tripped him. (57) In complete silence, Ambo slowly got up from the dust, getting to his feet with both hands full of sand which again he cast at his older brother. (58) Baldo put down the puppy and leaped upon Ambo. Seeing the black-spotted puppy waddling away, Ambo turned around and made a dive for  it. Baldo saw his intention in time and both fell on the puppy which began to howl loudly, struggling to get away. Baldo cursed Ambo and screamed at him as they grappled and rolled in the sand. (59) Ambo kicked and bit and scratched without a sound. He got hold of Baldo’s hair and tugged with all his might. (60) They rolled over and over and then Baldo was sitting on Ambos back, pummeling him with his fists. He accompanied every blow with a curse. (61) I hope you die, you little demon, he said between sobs, for he was crying and he could hardly see. (62) Ambo wriggled and struggled and tried to bite Baldos legs. Failing, he buried his face in the sand and howled lustily. (63) Nana Elang called out in her tired, patient voice that if they didn’t stop their noise, they’d wake up their father and he’d whip them (64) Baldo now left him and ran to the black-spotted puppy which he caught up in his arms, holding it against his throat. (65) Ambo followed, crying out threats and curses. He grabbed the tail of the puppy and jerked hard. (66) The puppy howled shrilly and Baldo let it go, but Ambo kept hold of the tail as the dog fell to the ground. (67) It turned around and snapped at the hand holding its tail. Its sharp little teeth sank into the fleshy edge of Ambos palm. (68) With a cry, Ambo snatched away his hand from the mouth of the enraged puppy. (69) At that moment the window of the house facing the street was pushed  violently open and the boys father, Tang Ciaco, looked out. (70) He saw the blood from the tooth marks on Ambos hand. He called out inarticulately and the two brothers looked up in surprise and fear. (71) Ambo hid his bitten hand behind him. (72) Baldo stopped to pick up the black-spotted puppy, but Tang Ciaco shouted hoarsely to him not to touch the dog. (73) At Tang Ciacos angry voice, the puppy had crouched back snarling, its pink lips drawn back, the hair on its back rising. (74) The dog has gone mad, the man cried, coming down hurriedly. (75) By the stove in the kitchen, he stopped to get a sizeable piece of firewood, throwing an angry look and a curse at Nana Elang for letting her sons play with the dogs. He removed a splinter or two, then hurried down the ladder, cursing in a loud angry voice. (76) Nana Elang ran to the doorway and stood there silently fingering her skirt. (77) Baldo and Ambo awaited the coming of their father with fear written on their faces. (78) Baldo hated his father as much as he feared him. He watched him now with half a mind to flee as Tang Ciaco approached with the piece of firewood held firmly in one hand. (79) He a big, gaunt man with thick bony wrists and stoop shoulders. A short-sleeved cotton shirt revealed his sinewy arms on which the blood-vessels stood out like roots. His short pants showed his bony-kneed, hard-muscled legs covered with black hair. (80) He was a carpenter. He had come home drunk the night before. He was not an habitual drunkard, but now and then he drank great quantities of basi and came home and beat his wife and children. (81) He would blame them for their hard life and poverty. You are a prostitute, he would roar at his wife, and as he beat his children, he would shout, I will kill you both, you bastards. (82) If Nana Elang ventured to remonstrate, he would beat them harder and curse her for being an interfering whore. (83) I am king in my house, he would say. (84) Now as he approached the two, Ambo cowered behind his elder brother. He held onto Baldos undershirt, keeping his wounded hand at his back, unable to remove his gaze from his fathers close-set, red-specked eyes. (85) The puppy with a yelp slunk between Baldos legs. Baldo looked at the dog, avoiding his fathers eyes. (86) Tang Ciaco roared at them to get away from the dog: Fools! Dont you see it is mad? (87) Baldo laid a hand on Ambo as they moved back hastily. (88) He wanted to tell his father it was not true, the dog was not mad, it was all Ambos fault, but his tongue refused to move. The puppy attempted to follow them, but Tang Ciaco caught it with a sweeping blow of the piece of firewood. The puppy was flung into the air. It rolled over once before it fell, howling weakly. (89) Again the chunk of firewood descended, Tang Ciaco grunting with the effort he put into the blow, and the puppy ceased to howl. It lay on its side, feebly moving its jaws from which dark blood oozed. (90) Once more Tang Ciaco raised his arm, but Baldo suddenly clung to it with both hands and begged him to stop. (91) Enough, father, enough. Dont beat it anymore, he entreated. Tears flowed down his upraised face. (92) Tang Ciaco shook him off with an oath. Baldo fell on his face in the dust. He did not rise, but cried and sobbed and tore his hair. The rays of the rising sun fell brightly upon him, turned to gold the dust that he raised with his kicking feet. (93) Tang Ciaco dealt the battered puppy another blow and at last it lay limpy still. He kicked it over and watched for a sign of life. The puppy did not move where it lay twisted on its side. (94) He turned his attention to Baldo. (95) Get up, he said, hoarsely, pushing the boy with his foot. (96) Baldo was deaf. He went on crying and kicking in the dust. (97) Tang Ciaco struck him with the piece of wood in his hand and again told him to get up. (98) Baldo writhed and cried harder, clasping his hands over the back of his head. (99) Tang Ciaco took hold of one of the boys arms and jerked him to his feet. Then he began to beat him, regardless of where the blows fell. (100) Baldo encircled his head with his loose arm and strove to free himself, running around his father, plunging backward, ducking and twisting. (101) Shameless son of a whore, Tang Ciaco roared. Stand still, Ill teach you to obey me. (102) He shortened his grip on the arm of Baldo and laid on his blows. (103) Baldo fell to his knees, screaming for mercy. He called on his mother to help him. (104) Nana Elang came down, but she hesitated at the foot of the ladder. (105) Ambo ran to her. (106) You too, Tang Ciaco cried, and struck at the fleeing Ambo. (107) The piece of firewood caught him behind the knees and he fell on his face. (108) Nana Elang ran to the fallen boy and picked him up, brushing his clothes with her hands to shake off the dust. (109) Tang Ciaco pushed Baldo toward her. (110) The boy tottered forward weakly, dazed and trembling. He had ceased to cry aloud, but he shook with hard, spasmodic sobs which he tried vainly to stop. (111) Here take your child, Tang Ciaco said, thickly. (112) He faced the curious students and neighbors who had gathered by the side of the road. He yelled at them to go away. He said it was none of their business if he killed his children. (113) They are mine, he shouted. I feed them and I can do anything I like with them. (114) The students ran hastily to school.The neighbors returned to their work. (115) Tang Ciaco went to the house, cursing in a loud voice. Passing the dead puppy, he picked it up by its hind legs and flung it away. (116) The black and white body soared through the sunlit air; fell among the tall corn behind the house. (117) Tang Ciaco, still cursing and grumbling, strode upstairs. He threw the chunk of firewood beside the stove. He squatted by the low table and began eating the breakfast his wife had prepared for him. (118) Nana Elang knelt by her children and dusted their clothes. (119) She passed her hand over the red welts on Baldo, but Baldo shook himself away. He was still trying to stop sobbing, wiping his tears away with his forearm. (120) Nana Elang put one arm around Ambo. She sucked the wound in his hand. She was crying silently. (121) When the mother of the puppies returned, she licked the remaining four by the small bridge of woven split bamboo. She lay down in the dust and suckled her young. She did not seem to miss the black-spotted puppy. (122) Afterward Baldo and Ambo searched among the tall corn for the body the dead puppy. (123) Tang Ciaco had gone to work and would not be back till nightfall. (124) In the house, Nana Elang was busy washing the breakfast dishes. Later she came down and fed the mother dog. (125) The two brothers were entirely hidden by the tall corn plants. As they moved about among the slender stalks, the corn-flowers shook agitatedly. Pollen scattered like gold dust in the sun, falling on the  fuzzy · green leaves. (126) When they found the dead dog, they buried it in one corner of the field. Baldo dug the grove with a sharp-pointed stake. Ambo stood silently by, holding the dead puppy. When Baldo finished his work, he and his brother gently placed the puppy in the hole. (127) Then they covered the dog with soft earth and stamped on the grave until the disturbed ground was flat and hard again. (128) With difficulty they rolled a big stone on top of the grave. (129) Then Baldo wound an arm around the shoulders of Ambo and without a word they hurried up to the house. (130) The sun had risen high above the Katayaghan hills, and warm, golden sunlight filled Nagrebcan. The mist on the tobacco fields had completely dissolved.

Looking At Different Aspects Of Foster Care Social Work Essay

Looking At Different Aspects Of Foster Care Social Work Essay A kinship care arrangement is an agreement that is commonly made between the parent of the child, the local authority and a close relative such as a grandparent or aunt on a short or long term basis, the kinship carer must be approved by Warwickshire Fostering Panel. Where the child is accommodated by the local authority that is often subject to an Interim Care Order the kinship agreement is reviewed under the Child in Need procedure s (Warwickshire County Council 2009). There is a six week timescale to complete the kinship assessment. The fostering team has the responsibility for completing this within the timescale set out in line with the Fostering Regulations 2002. A Viability Assessment which is Schedule 3 of the fostering regulation 2002 requires that there is a detailed report complete with references be submitted to the Fostering Panel for approval (Warwickshire Fostering Services 2002). As part of this assessment I had to complete a two part Health Safety Checklist Part One during initial visit and Part Two during the actual assessment, which is updated annually as part of the Foster Carer review. I was required to complete the initial 6 week Kinship Assessment on Arthur and Joan to be submitted to Warwickshire Fostering Panel approval, followed by submission to a Finding of Fact meeting in court. Jane is a 6 year old dual heritage female who lived close to Nuneaton centre with mother, Ruth 28 white female unemployed recovering heroin addict and her current partner Jason 35 year old unemployed white male with offending history for violence. The local authority have been involved with Ruth and her child since 2008 the police contacting social services to advise them that Ruths partner had been arrested for having indecent images of children on his computer and serious abuse of babies. Ruth was advised of this but did not appear to recognise the risk he presented to Jane. The courts ordered that Ruth should only have supervised contact due to this. Warwickshire Council convened a child protection conference which concluded that Jane be made subject of a child protection plan. Whilst the investigation into the neglect was ongoing, Jane stayed with her maternal grandfather Arthur and Joan his partner. Arthur is 58 year old football coach and Joan is a 62 year old retired book keeper and they live in a 3 bedroom house close to Ruth. A kinship referral was received by the Fostering Team to complete a viability assess Arthur and Joans ability to meet Janes needs as temporary carers. Jane is still subject of a child protection plan, as well as Looked After Child procedures and is subject of an Interim Care Order made in December 2009. The responsibility for completing the kinship assessment was given to the fostering team that I am on placement with and I was then asked to complete the assessment under supervision. This is the type of assessment that is completed when a child is looked after and placed on a statutory order. Jane is currently experiencing problems at school with bullying because of her skin colour and is in a minority. Jane is being teased because her hair is not the same as other children. I feel that Jane has not recognized that her mother is white and her father black. Arthur has stated that although she is not white she is his granddaughter and he doubts whether Jane even recognises her skin colour as significant. It is important for the Fostering Social Worker to have access to all case files relating to the child when completing the viability assessment so that the assessment demonstrates the level of commitment the grandfather and his partner have and have had to the child (BAAF, 2009). Farmer and Moyers (2005) suggest: Kinship care occupies an uneasy position on the boundary between the public and private spheres of caring and this leads to a situation where some kin carers struggle to care for needy children with low levels of support and financial help. Janes maternal grandfather has shown incredible commitment including being willing to give up his fulltime job to be able to meet Janes needs. This is causing tension in the relationship between Arthur and Joan as this will significantly reduce their income. She has also expressed concerns at not always being able to cope with the high demands of Jane and how this has brought her relationship with Arthur to breaking point at times. When childs behaviour is causing a disruption, kinship carers (as opposed to foster carers) tend to be more willing to persevere with the difficulties faced by the child (Broad and Skinner, 2005, Colton et al, 2008: 38). It is important that when examining Kinship Care that the outcome for the child is measurable, this could be in terms of regular contact with the birth parent with less supervision. Legislation has a propensity towards securing long term placements, children who were placed with their grandparents were the least likely to experience disruption when compared with other family or friends (Hunt et al, 2008). Some placements continued with little monitoring or supervision from the social worker. In other instances social workers had allowed professional standards to fall well below what would have been acceptable to another child. This can cause the child rights to be compromised as they will not receive a service that they are entitled to (Farmer Moyers, 2005). An assessment involves assembling full and accurate facts about a service users circumstances and it is essential during the assessment process that person being assessed is fully engaged with the assessment and as the assessor I am in continuous consultation with my supervisor. The information collected must be recorded in a systematic way to give a clear and accurate understanding of needs and a possible plan of action (Smale Tuson, 1993). The viability assessment must pay close attention to the circumstances around the reason why the kinship arrangement is needed. Arthur and Joan realise that if they do not take on the role of carers then Jane is likely to be placed with unrelated foster carers. The assessment includes the family to look at creating a kinship arrangement that will at best be acceptable to the child, the local authority should consider the childs extended family as an alternative to the mainstream fostering system when completing the assessment. The Childrens Act 1989 directs that where the child is looked after by the local authority the child should be placed with a relative, friend or significant other (www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk accessed 16/01/2011) if this is a viable option. The Adoption and Children Act 2002 directs that relatives must be considered in care proceedings and in line with Public Law Outline which emphasizes the importance of robust judicial case management. The Children and Young Persons Act 2008 has led to developments that promote the childs welfare and are likely to increase the use of placements with family members. Over a 15 year period from 1989 to 2005 there has been a gradual increase in the numbers of children in care that are fostered with family and significant others, from 6 per cent to 12 per cent of looked after children in England (Department of Health, 2006; DfES, 2004). If a child is looked after by the Local Authority and is placed with a family member or significant other for a p eriod exceeding 6 weeks then the carer should be approved as a foster carer by the Local Authorities Fostering Panel (Warwickshire Council 2009). The Local Authority must have a clearly defined role in enabling the parent of the child to have some input in the care arrangements of their child in accordance with section 20 of the Childrens Act 1989. Where the local authority places children in kinship care arrangements they also must assess the kinship carer(s) in line with existing legislation that applies to unrelated foster carers therefore have responsibilities to ensure that the kinship carers receive financial support in line with boarding out regulations (Warren-Adamson, 2009). The Munby judgement in 2002 set a precedent that local authorities must treat kinship carers in the same way as non related foster carers. This means that Warwickshire County Council must assess Arthur and Joan as kinship carers even though they may well already be looking after the child at the point the assessment starts. The difficulties I experienced as the Fostering Social Worker completing the assessment was mainly around the support, training and payment of Kinship Carers. The research also found that Kinship Carers are unlikely to challenge parents legally for the kinship of the child because it can have a negative impact on the parents relationship with the Kinship Carers. One of the implications highlighted by the research document was that Kinship Carers are unlikely to go for Special Guardianship Orders due to the reduced payments and support. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) research found that kinship carers may resent the intrusion the assessment process will entail into their lives by statutory services and feel they are being monitored and placed under surveillance (JRF, 2002). The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) found that unsatisfactory placements with family and friend lasted significantly longer than with unrelated carers (Farmer Moyers, 2008). Local Authorities are required under the Childrens Act 1989 to operate a policy of less intrusive intervention when intervening with families. Argent (2009) draws attention to the assumption that social workers from non ethnic backgrounds tend to assume that families from Black Minority and Ethnic groups would rather manage the kinship without outside help or they do not understand the process. Argent highlights that some minority groups have a strong sense of kinship without any legal or statutory intervention. There are four types of kinship care these are determined by the legal status of the child that is being accommodated Fostered with a family or friend; Residence Order; Living with family and friends and a Special guardianship order. The viability assessment I undertook was to assess whether Arthur and Joan were suitable to go on to the next stage of the assessment, the Special Guardianship Order. Special Guardianship Orders were introduced in the Adoption and Children Act 2002 to encourage flexibility with regards to the length of the placement. This order recognizes that long term fostering or adoption might not be an option and that this type of order gives parental responsibility until the child is 18. At present there is not a legal requirement for Warwickshire Council to explore Kinship but the legal framework implies that it is a preferred option to private fostering. A family group conference is called with a view to exploring the potential of a family member becoming a kinsh ip carer (Hunt et al, 2008). The aim of the Viability Assessment is to make certain that Janes needs remain central to the assessment (Hunt et al, 2008). Milner and OByrne (2002) suggest that assessments can be divided into a number of stages: Preparation: I gathered information from case notes and other reports that have previously been written, in consultation with the Janes social worker we agreed on who to interview with regards to people that are a part of the extended family or wider support network and would be in contact with Jane. Preparing for the interview I ensured that I had the essential questions and an explanation of the interview purpose along with timescales for the viability process. Collecting data: I checked on sources of written information for factual accuracy. Weighing the data: I identified gaps, consulted colleagues and began to identify any key facts or themes. Analysing the data: I considered relevant research evidence and theory. Using the data: I analysed the data and formed an opinion as to whether Janes needs would be met by Arthur and Joan. The outcome of the above process was to make a recommendation to the court. Along with the viability assessment was the health and safety of the property that the child will be living in also had to be assessed. . I had to think about how the separate pieces of information interlink and about their impact on the grandfather. It has been suggested it is important to avoid subjectivity and not to dismiss information that does not fit with preconceived assumptions: Taking information for granted and not checking. Getting stuck with one perspective, and failing to recognise alternative explanations. Stereotyping situations and solutions to them. Making assumptions about age, culture, disability or any aspect of a service users life. The way its done here approach fitting service users into the routine response of the agency instead of focusing on the client. Using the assessment process to ration resources or disguising their absence, in other words, assessment becomes resource-led rather than needs-led (Milner and OByrne, 2002). Smale and Tuson (1993) propose three models of assessment: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The questioning model: where the worker is seen as expert and follows a set format of questions à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The procedural model: in which the worker gathers information in order to see if agency criteria are met à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The exchange model: in which the service user is seen as expert in his or her own situation and the worker helps to provide resources and seeks to maximise potential. In conclusion, I realise that people change and as a social worker I need to be aware that new information may emerge that causes situations change, so I have to consider the impact it has on the assessment. Although the assessment is often viewed as a separate stage to the intervention, it is also a continuous process and there is a need to constantly re-assess throughout the intervention (Milner and OByrne, 2002). I used a Task Centered Model for completing the Viability Assessment as it was a short term (6 weeks) problem solving approach with a clear beginning, middle and end, and has a specific timeframe to complete the assessesment and submit it to the court. I adopted a Solution Focused approach in my intervention as it worked with Arthur and Joan to help them to look at their strengths and to find their own solutions to challenges they may face. A Solution Focused approach enables people to see better futures, it can be used to focus on the positives whilst also accepting that their strengths which are Arthur and Joans commitment to meeting Janes needs for as long as she needs them and fact that this can be used as a platform for future long term planning. In practice I found it difficult to choose a single model as I realized I would be using all three in this case. Firstly, the Viability Assessment for kinship involved me in the role of expert with a set format of questions, and secondly, I was conscious of the criteria for kinship to enable me to ask appropriate supplementary questions but lastly, I feel that the exchange model reflects the values of anti-oppressive practice in that Arthur is placed in a position of control and so that the process meets his expectations as well as mine as the assessing social worker. However, as social workers operating within a statutory setting we must recognize that there are pressures to conform to questioning or procedural models. To work in an anti-oppressive manner is to incorporate necessary questioning, schedules and scales into an assessment that respects Arthurs expertise in caring for Jane (Smale and Tuson, 1993).