Batman & Joker

The Joker is conventionally viewed as the villain of The Dark Knight, but his actual role is far more complex. The entire film is an examination of the nature of duality, but not necessarily polarity. The duality of The Dark Knight is more problematical: while issues such as good versus evil and life versus death are addressed, the usually clear cut divergences are given unexpected dimensions. The centerpiece of this complexity is the Joker who acts more as a force of amorality than immorality.The version of duality that is explored in the film is the element that elevates it far above typical comic book fair. While the very basis of comic book plot history is good versus evil in the form of hero versus villain, ultimately the villain that is most threatening to Batman is not the Joker, but the man who begins the film as a figure that even Bruce Wayne admits is more heroic than Batman: Harvey Dent. It is Dent’s actions that leave Batman running through the night with the polic e hot on his heels.Of course, it is the Joker’s actions that lead Dent and Batman to this climax. The Joker is the repository of duality and is at the same time the personification of the rejection of the easy route of polarity. Rather than act merely as a villain, the Joker’s role is ultimately as unknown and mysterious as the dual claims he makes about the origin of his cars. The Joker’s duality can even be extended to suggest that he is both good and evil or neither good nor evil. The Joker is chaos and disorder and anarchy.Those are words that generally have a negative connotation, but out of chaos and disorder and anarchy arrives something different. That something may be worse, but it may also be better. The point is that nobody can predict the outcome. The Joker himself asserts that he has no plan, likening himself to a dog who would not know what to do with a car if he ever actually caught one. Considering the Joker’s affinity for being less than truthful, that claim may be subject to questioning, but even if he does have a plan, it hardly matters.After all, he is no more in control of the outcome of his plans than anybody else. The most profound scene in The Dark Knight is one that provides insight into the Joker’s role as a force for amorality. When he’s having his conversation with Harvey Dent in the hospital the Joker observes that a convoy of soldiers dying is ignored because it is all part of the plan, but a Mayor being assassinated is a tragedy that creates chaos for an entire city. He’s right, of course, but what he’s really saying is that society has its priorities completely out of whack.A convoy of soldiers dying should be more important than the death of one person. The Joker’s tossing off Gotham City into chaos is an act of extreme duality. It is both bad and horrific in the here and now, but ultimately it may potentially serve the greater good by revealing to the city and its citizens just how out of whack their priorities really are. The Joker’s amorality is viewed as psychopathic and sociopathic and villainous, but there is little question that he manages at least one very vital positive outcome. His actions reveal the corruptibility of Harvey Dent.Surely, it is better for Harvey Dent’s own dark side to surface, as a result of the Joker’s actions, before he gains too much power than after. From this perspective, the Joker must be seen not as a villain, but as a positive force for good. He must also, at the very same time, still be viewed as force for evil. He is both and yet neither. He is the very quintessence of the concept of duality, containing both darkness and light and the mystery of each. If Martians were to visit the earth there are certainly many films that could accurately convey human culture.The first film to show Martians should be a film that reveals the potential for good and evil of our species. This idea should be pursued to give aliens an understanding of the complexity of our genetic makeup. Schindler’s List is the perfect film for this because while it obviously shows the darkest corners of humanity’s capacity for evil in the person of Amon Goeth and the scenes involving the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto and the concentration camps, it also works to reveal the flip side of that coin in the person of Oskar Schindler himself.Schindler’s List is worthy of being viewed by aliens precisely because it does not try to hide the depths to which humans have sunk; it also works to let them know that one us can change the world. Another film that Martians should view as insight in humanity is Airplane. Humor, of course, may very well be a peculiarly human trait that is not duplicated anywhere else in the universe, but this idea seems unlikely. It is important to show alien life forms how vital laughter and comedy is to society, and how it has been throughout history.There are funnier movies, of course, but Airplane contains visual gags, verbal humor, and non-stop bits that perhaps more than any other movie show the full range and extent of the type of humor enjoyed by human beings. While it is true that aliens may not â€Å"get† it, showing them this kind of movie is a way to introduce alien species to what may be one of the most identifiable characteristics of our race. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a film that conveys another important element of humanity; our thirst for knowledge and the quest for an understanding of what is beyond our own limited span of intelligence.While the special effects may serve to induce laughter among actual space travelers, Stanley Kubrick’s monumental film showcases how humanity has been capable of imaging that which we do not know. The film reveals our own internal logic as far as space travel and how it might be carried out, but it suggests that we understand the connection between ancient events and time and sp ace far into the future and far away.In addition, 2001: A Space Odyssey might, with its limited dialogue and reliance on music and visual effects, be the best choice for reaching an alien intelligence that cannot understand our language. And for that very reason, D. W. Griffith’s Intolerance is also a film that should be used to greet Martians. The lack of dialogue as a result of it being a silent movie is just one reason for its inclusion, but perhaps even more important is the content.The film tells four different stories from four different time periods and so represents an adequate attempt to let the Martians get a glimpse of human history. Since religion is such an important aspect of humanity, the story of Jesus Christ as told in Intolerance is quite obviously a significant story to show alien visitors. The modern story’s tale of how a man turns to a life of crime because of societal pressures works in much the same way as Schindler’s List to assert the co mplexity of our species. Each segment of the Intolerance extols the virtues of love and respect and mutual understanding.Perhaps nothing would be more apt to show aliens visiting this planet than to show them a story made of four different components that suggest that despite our failings and despite the fact that evil actions are committed on a daily basis, the underlying foundation that has kept humans alive on this planet for thousands of years is the capacity to meet our failings directly and work through them to evolve and become ever more civilized. A civilization that can address the concerns of a species from an alien world can be most perfectly realized through the history of cinema.

Company Analysis: Hampton Machine Tool Company

The questions for the Hampton Machine Tool Company are given below. Please prepare for submission questions 1 and 2 only. That is, please submit your balance sheet for December 31, 1979 and income statement for the four month period, September through December 1979, requested in question 2 below (your income statement should not be monthly; it should cover the entire four months). Please also prepare, but do not submit, the remaining questions.1. Why can't a profitable company like Hampton repay its loan on time and why does it need more bank financing? What major developments between November 1978 and August 1979 have contributed to this situation?2. Based on the information in the case, prepare a projected income statement for the four months Sept. 1979 through Dec. 1979 and a pro forma balance sheet as of December 31, 1979. (Your income statement should not be monthly. You should make one covering the entire four months.)3. Critically evaluate the assumptions on which your forecas ts are based. What developments could alter your results? Is Mr. Cowins correct in his belief that Hampton can repay the loan in December? 4. Based on the information in the case, prepare a projected cash budget for the four months, September through December 1979. Do the cash budgets and pro forma financial statements yield the same results? Why, why not? Hint: they should.Another hint: Do not rely on the statement on page 6, ―†¦our engineering estimates indicate that we expect to earn a profit before taxes and interest of about 23% on sales on these shipmentsâ€â€". Instead using the accounting relation in Q#2 (footnote below) when constructing your income statement. 5. What action should Mr. Eckwood take on Mr. Cowins' loan request? What are the major risks associated with the proposed loan? What other alternatives does Mr. Eckwood have and what are the pros and cons? What would you do?6. Why did Hampton repurchase a substantial fraction of its outstanding common st ock? What is the impact of this repurchase on Hampton's financial performance? Critically assess Hampton's dividend policy. Do you agree with Mr. Cowins' proposal to pay a substantial dividend in December?With Cartwright, we had a relatively simplistic situation, particularly as it concerns inventory: only one class of inventory was represented, not the typical threesome of raw materials, work in process, and finished goods. (Presumably Cartwright was not adding much value to the raw materials, just selling them through, although—on the contrary—the case seemed to indicate that the company manufactured some door frames, trim, etc.)For Hampton, you might find helpful a basic accounting relationship: beginning inventory + purchases + other outlays – cost of sales = ending inventory;  solving for cost of sales (and recognizing that end – begin inventory is change in inventory), Cost of sales = purchases + other outlays – change in inventory. (Note t hat there are a couple inventory types to include.)Additional sub-hint: the ―other outlaysâ€â€" amount to $400K/mo. There are other expenses that should also be kept in mind when generating the pro-forma income statement. Company Analysis: Hampton Machine Tool Company The questions for the Hampton Machine Tool Company are given below. Please prepare for submission questions 1 and 2 only. That is, please submit your balance sheet for December 31, 1979 and income statement for the four month period, September through December 1979, requested in question 2 below (your income statement should not be monthly; it should cover the entire four months). Please also prepare, but do not submit, the remaining questions.1. Why can't a profitable company like Hampton repay its loan on time and why does it need more bank financing? What major developments between November 1978 and August 1979 have contributed to this situation?2. Based on the information in the case, prepare a projected income statement for the four months Sept. 1979 through Dec. 1979 and a pro forma balance sheet as of December 31, 1979. (Your income statement should not be monthly. You should make one covering the entire four months.)3. Critically evaluate the assumptions on which your forecas ts are based. What developments could alter your results? Is Mr. Cowins correct in his belief that Hampton can repay the loan in December?4. Based on the information in the case, prepare a projected cash budget for the four months, September through December 1979. Do the cash budgets and pro forma financial statements yield the same results? Why, why not? Hint: they should.Another hint: Do not rely on the statement on page 6, ―†¦our engineering estimates indicate that we expect to earn a profit before taxes and interest of about 23% on sales on these shipmentsâ€â€". Instead using the accounting relation in Q#2 (footnote below) when constructing your income statement.5. What action should Mr. Eckwood take on Mr. Cowins' loan request? What are  the major risks associated with the proposed loan? What other alternatives does Mr. Eckwood have and what are the pros and cons? What would you do?6. Why did Hampton repurchase a substantial fraction of its outstanding common s tock? What is the impact of this repurchase on Hampton's financial performance? Critically assess Hampton's dividend policy. Do you agree with Mr. Cowins' proposal to pay a substantial dividend in December?With Cartwright, we had a relatively simplistic situation, particularly as it concerns inventory: only one class of inventory was represented, not the typical threesome of raw materials, work in process, and finished goods. (Presumably Cartwright was not adding much value to the raw materials, just selling them through, although—on the contrary—the case seemed to indicate that the company manufactured some door frames, trim, etc.) For Hampton, you might find helpful a basic accounting relationship: beginning inventory + purchases + other outlays – cost of sales = ending inventory;Solving for cost of sales (and recognizing that end – begin inventory is change in inventory), Cost of sales = purchases + other outlays – change in inventory. (Note tha t there are a couple inventory types to include.)Additional sub-hint: the ―other outlaysâ€â€" amount to $400K/mo. There are other expenses that should also be kept in mind when generating the pro-forma income statement.

Challenges of the U.S. Healthcare System Essay

Understanding the U.S. Healthcare system can be very challenging due to the system is constantly changing from new technology; manage care, health care reforms, aging populations and other economic factors that have a significant impact in the service provided. This paper will focus on the stakeholders involved in health care today. Who are these stakeholders? What are their roles in the healthcare industries? Understanding the public, payers, providers, and the suppliers may explain why the healthcare system continues to be challenge. Today U.S. Health Care System is facing many challenges. According to Sultz & Young (2011), this because the growing concern that the Health Care is a large and difficult to manage and that consume over 17% of the U.S. Gross domestic product and exceeds $ 1.5 trillion in cost (p.1). Who are these major stakeholders that sometimes share and often cause conflicting concerns, interest and influence the major component on the health care system? They are the public, payers, providers, and the suppliers. The public is the major consumers of the service provided by the health system. The insured and the uninsured are both major contributors. The public is truly not aware of the real cost of healthcare services because of the third party payers or the government’s Medicare/ Medicaid program. The insured is only concern is the amount of deductible and co-pay due. The uninsured relies on the government aid and with the lack of understanding prefer ER visit instead of primary doctor vis it. The public also assumes that healthcare is just like other inherits right (such as protection from the police, fire department or public education) and should be accessible to all U.S. citizens. Currently, the number of uninsured is rising, and that’s why Affordable Care Act was implemented by President Obama. The question is â€Å"How many uninsured will actually gain coverages, and whether the reform law will keep healthcare spending growth down are the two many uncertainties in the year ahead?† (Meyer & Evans, 2014, p.15). The consumers also have an organization that lobbies legislation and protection for the public. Such organizations are the American Association of Retired Person, labor organization and a disease specific group (ACS-American Cancer Society, The American Heart Association). Traditionally, patient’s behavior is very  dependent upon the provider (physician), and the possibility of excessive services such as diagnostic testing can be done. Currently, internet has empowers people to seek health information. Internet plays a larger role in their diagnosis and treatment. A survey done by Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project (2013), 1 in 3 American adults have gone online to figure out a medical condition, and 35 % of U.S. adults say t hat, at one time, or another, they have gone online specifically to try to figure out what medical condition they or someone else might have (p.1). Internet use is becoming more popular due to easy access to the internet with smartphones. There are reliable and not reliable website that patients’ needs to be aware when searching the interment. According to Sultz & Young (2011), internet users are becoming more educated and participatory in clinical decision-making (p.59). These just challenge the doctors on how to deal with a more knowledgeable and involved patients. I see more and more patient dictating their treatment options versus before just doing what the doctor says. The payers in the U.S. health system are very influential group of stakeholders because they are the one paying for the high percentage of the cost. The payers are the public sector which includes the federal government, state and local government. The private sectors are the private insurers and business. According to the article Understanding the U.S. Healthcare System (2010), 47% of the expenditures comes from the public sources and 53% from private sources (p.4). They are also the one the currently taking an active role in determining what those costs should be. The government is considered a dominant stakeholder since the implementation of Medicare and Medicaid. The government is the taxing authority that generates the funds to support the healthcare system. The governmentâ₠¬â„¢s role is not just a payor but also as regulators and providers through public hospitals, state and local health department and other government facilities. Many regulators were formed over the years to control over various areas in the healthcare system. Most common regulators are the HHS- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CMS- the Center of Medicare and Medicaid, and the FDA- the Food and Drug Administration. These organizations are created to make sure everyone is compliant with the current law of U.S. The current healthcare situation has created a significant dilemma in our country. Problems such as the rising uninsured,  the advancement of technology and the rising cost and healthcare system emphasis on cure and fail prevention are just few of the example of why the president implemented the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Affordable Care Act will help millions of Americans who currently lack insurance, working-aged men and women and their children, access to Medicaid. It will help small business and individuals with modest means purchase reasonably priced plans. Shaw et al. (2014) mentioned by 2019, the law will bring health coverage and the health benefits of insurance-to an estimated 25 million more Americans (p. 75). It has already restrained discriminatory insurance practices, made coverage more affordable, and realized new provisions to curb costs (including tests of new health- care delivery models) (Shaw et al., 2014). The ACA has positive and negative points, but our troubled healthcare system needs to emerge in these issues and challenges in order to improve our healthcare system. The providers in the U.S. Healthcare System include all individuals and organization that provide healthcare services to the consumers. Individuals include; physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, dentist and any allied health providers. Organization include; hospitals, nursing homes, community-based ambulatory services and other similar entities. Although health professional is the one that provides actual care, hospitals in particular offer the environment in which care can be provided and are compensated by the payers for the service provided. As an employee in the healthcare, I have seen a physician that provides extra service or chargeable item in order to increase revenue. This assumption is hard to prove because of documentation provided by a physician and conflicting opinions. Physicians and organization that emphasis on cure can fail to lead prevention. Healthcare professional can steer and influence public opinion especially when it comes to health. According to Sultz & Yo ung (2011), Professional Association has considerable influence over legislation proposals, regulation, quality issues, and other political matters (p.16). A good example is the lobbying effectiveness of the American Medical Association plays an important role. It also includes the American Hospital Association, and The American Nurses Associations are just a few of the powerful organization that has a role in the health policy decisions. Another important issue is the long term care in the aging population is also creating challenges in our healthcare system. The increase of senior  citizen (baby boomers) will create higher cost deficit and it’s important to create a seamless process of care to avoid duplication of services. Currently, healthcare providers are experiencing budget constraints and strict regulation. Providers are asked to have EMR (electronic medical record) system implemented. According to CMS.gov, as required by law, President Obama issued a sequestration order on March 1, 2013. Under these mandatory reductions, Medicare EHR incentive payments made to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals will be reduced by 2%. This 2% reduction has been applied to any Medicare EHR incentive payment for a reporting period that ended on or after April 1, 2013 (â€Å"EHR incentive programs,† 2014). Continuous quality improvement (CQI) should be included in gathering data quality in the organization, since it focuses on processes rather than the individual; reorganized both external and internal customers, and promotes the need for objective data to analyze and improve processes (Green & Bowie, 2011, p. 258). A more patient-centered care and prevention could cause impact on how the providers handle business. The suppliers in the healthcare system include medical equipment companies and drug companies. These suppliers have grown immensely due to the search of greater efficiency in the delivery of health care services. These companies are for profit and strive for competition in the market just like the insurance companies. New drugs, technology and new creative surgical procedures have made it possible to treat diseases that have a bad prognosis. New technologies have created a life enhancing and life-extending medical accomplishment (Sultz & Young, 2011, p.44). Strategies have c hange in the delivery of care due to the advancement of technology and brought new problems. New medical and technological advancement came with new financial and ethical dilemmas. Financial aspect is whatever it’s beneficial or not the use of new technology has contributed to the higher healthcare cost. The ethical dilemmas are greater ability to prolong the life can likely cause poor quality of life and the right to die. The AMA (American Medical Association) and the federal government have developed programs to examine these issues and provide information to the public and to the providers. In the Technology Assessment Act of 1972, â€Å"it is essential that, to the fullest extent possible, the consequences of the technological applications be anticipated, understood, in the determination of public policy on existing  and emerging national problems† (Shultz & Young, 2011,p.45). The Agency of Health Care Policy and Quality has a challenging mission to adhere and sort out the complicated health care system and determine what is reasonable to whom, when and a t what cost. In conclusion, the U.S. Health Care system is changing economically and socially. Healthcare organizations are challenge in providing high quality, affordable care, and healthcare services are an increasingly difficult challenge. The reported outcomes are critical components of evaluating whether clinicians are improving the health of the patient, safety, reducing cost and encouraging preventive care. Containing the cost will affect the quality of care; that will raise the question to quality and access. In addition, there are strong pressures on providers to examine and document the outcomes and effectiveness of their health care actions. All stakeholders must change in order to resolve the complex issues such as treatment options, domain of laws, politics, journalism, administration, public and providers. There are still a lot of issues that need improvements, but I believe that our government and society will find a middle ground to solve these issues.

I WILL TALK THIS IN DETAIL (this is not a topic) Thesis

I WILL TALK THIS IN DETAIL (this is not a topic) - Thesis Example of garbage in landfills pose dangers not just because of the formation of noxious gases but also the possibility of burying anyone alive if the pile becomes too heavy. Due to the many problems caused by the use of conventional, limiting and non-renewable resources to produce products, the environment faces challenges that may soon be the cause of the ruin of man. However, by carefully planning the methods and actions of manufacturing as well as the use of other alternative methods in the production of items, with the idea of being as eco-friendly as possible, the output of large amounts of industrial wastes can be lessened, and even be reversed. In the book entitled â€Å"Cradle to Cradle†, authors William McDonough and Michael Braungart were able to show through various theories and practical applications on how to create industries that sustain life and the environment, as well as being able to reuse resources and reduce production costs while maintaining product quality. One thing special about the two authors is that they have truly put their hearts and minds to the concept that they have s strong belief in, even their book itself is not made of paper, but rather of a special kind of plastic that contains inorganic resin, making the book strong, smudge-proof as well as waterproof. By making their book as such, the authors were able to prove a point that yes, the concept of sustainability and being friendly to the earth and the ecosystems can be possible, with planning. The concept of cradle-to-cradle is the brainchild of the environmental advocacy of the authors to promote renewable, sustainable and ecological-friendly industries. Instead of following the usual method of using non-renewable and non-sustainable resources, following the old opportunistic design of industries, as well as following the traditional methods of manufacturing that keeps using raw materials but rarely recycles anything else, by following the authors’ methods of using

Histories of Reconstruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Histories of Reconstruction - Essay Example DuBois 1910 essay Reconstruction and Its Benefits. The juxtaposition of these two stories demonstrates the extreme chasm that existed between the perception of whites and the realities of life for the blacks. By the 1890s, many white believed the only way to control the alleged savagery of blacks was through savagery itself. On the contrary, and as this study will demonstrate, whites used extremely brutal forms of violence against African Americans. The whites did not only control the alleged African Americans bestiality but also created a climate of fear so as to subjugate the blacks. Although not all white participated directly in violence against blacks, records from these stories point to that locals hardly made efforts to prevent the crimes. The film birth of a nation, convincingly conveyed the idea that Reconstruction failed because blacks were not the equals of white and were not civilized enough to participate in the democratic process. The narration of, Birth of a nation, is focused on the Klan families. It follows from the beginning of slavery through Reconstruction and how it affected the Klan. In the film, the Blacks take over the town in its politics and wreak havoc on the Klan, whites of the town. The characters are used to portray certain themes symbolically and stir up feelings related to this period in American history. The white men in the film are the heroes that exude the virtues of the old south. They also demonstrate the pro-Klan characters that are trying to establish order again. The Black Americans in the film are depicted as the villains in the Reconstruction South who is out to corrupt and control the White characters. However, Du Bois presented an entirely different view of Reconstruction. Unlike Griffith, Du Bois found the black American to the constitutional convention of 1867 to be very capable. These blacks were active in discussions at the convention and used their

Description memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Description memo - Essay Example Workplace statistics highlight that the best performing employee is a happy employee. For an employee to be more efficient and more productive in todays workplace environment, as market research indicates, a healthy level of communication and relaxed atmosphere is important as these contribute to levels of happiness. The entertainment centre addresses this when compared to other options like using the space as a conference room. The centre will provide a work-free environment for stress relief via access to entertainment components such as television screens with an Apple TV subscription and gaming consoles. Game tournaments will be encouraged and set up to enhance communication while keeping the work-life challenging and interesting. Bean bag chairs and recliner seats will provide comfort during breaks with the cacti and bonsai trees adding a natural feel to the centre. The headphones and individual devices such as the iPads and google glasses are aimed at satisfying the interns ent ertainment needs without compromising ambience through noise pollution. Items such as the vending machine and table tennis set serve the purpose of encouraging interaction and mild entertainment through actual physical engagement. With this critical information in mind the entertainment centre appears to be an ideal response to enhance productivity, morale and communication of the interns in the

Difference between Leaders and Managers Assignment - 13

Difference between Leaders and Managers - Assignment Example Following these theories in leadership, leaders should depict voluntary action; this is the difference between leaders and managers. Leaders in the article are acting like managers, whose role is to control the employees. They fail in their roles as they are supposed to listen to their needs and look for a way forward to create an admirable working environment. The success of leaders has a different interpretation, as it is governed by many variables; this includes the leadership styles, aspects of the situation, and quality of followers (Bertocci 22). This means that they have to create a basis to enhance their relationship with employees. Â  In the recent business world, there is a need for an integrated education system, which will produce effective people in the job market. This is the main objective Ohio States studies. Through this kind of initiatives, business leaders in China will be in a position to relate professionally with both customers and employees, which is the most prominent object in any organization. With this, industries will eliminate strikes enhance increase their productivity (Bertocci 45).

Bussines writing (11) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bussines writing (11) - Essay Example In today’s business world pie chart is one of the most common methods used for data representation. In a pie chart data is represented in a circular form wherein it is divided into different sectors with areas equal to the corresponding component. The percentage breakdown of the corresponding components is represented by the sectors also knows as slices. Pie charts are used in numerous ways during management meetings such as for representing resource and time allocations, budget categories, market share, expense analysis, income sources, etc (Quinn ). The purpose of a pie chart is to clearly communicate the figures than it could be by a set of numbers. A pie chart gives more clarity than a set of numbers as the figures are represented as pieces of a pie. Greater the figure, greater is the size of the piece. Apart from being clear and increasing clarity, pie charts are also very simple and visually appealing making it easy to understand. It is also very easy to resize and makes changes to a pie

Medical & social needs of homecare clients Essay

Medical & social needs of homecare clients - Essay Example Conclusion Medical and social needs of Homecare Clients. 1. Introduction. Home health aide has a role of assisting the client and family in managing the condition of health at clients home. This essay will describe the needs of the clients, explain the role of home health aide and relate rights of client and family to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It will also discuss culture, life style and experiences of clients while identifying common reaction to illness or disability. The essay will identify body functions, diseases and disorders and emotional or spiritual needs of patients. 2. Basic physical and emotional needs of clients. Home health aides help clients who have diverse needs so that they feel comfortable and get assistance. They include the elderly, infants, mentally ill, people with physical and developmental disabilities together with people with nutritional needs. Majority of the clients require physical assistance in form of service. They require to be bathed, dress and given a hand to conduct self grooming. The client needs to be assisted to wash their hands and perform hygienic tasks to control infections. They need someone to support them as they manage pain. The urinal system may be causing incontinence and they will need someone to help them (Harris, 2004, p. 5). Clients may have nutritional requirements. The home health aide will assist by making the right combination of food and serve them. Those with skin ailments or wounds require help to take care of the skin and the wounds. The home health aide may be required to change the dressing at the right time. The disabled and the elderly may have musculoskeletal system problem. They will need someone to assist them in mobility. The bedridden will require someone who understands the best position when turning them in bed or moving them to another location. The home health aide will give a hand in ambulation and motion. The client will be in need of a safe environment, the home health aide mak es the environment safe for the client. They can clean and arrange their house (Eldelman and Madle 2010, p. 22). The home health aide is involved in organizing and arranging appointments for the client. Organizing entails arranging the means of transport and accompanying the client to their appointments. At times, the home health aide assists in doing shopping and cooking appropriate food for the client. They give the patient company. Additionally, they keep track of medication taken and appointments with the doctors. They facilitate them to participate in certain activities as well as exercise. Because they work closely with the doctors, the home health aides are required to report on the progress of their client. They can be shown to check respiration rate and temperature for the purpose of giving a report. They follow the directions of the physician to give the correct medication. According to Ahroni (1989, p. 77), the client needs to be assisted in lifting and coordinating activ ities. They need someone to give them company. They call in for help in case of emergencies. Clients in home health care need emotional support from the home health aide. This can be achieved if they talk to them, share stories, read books, and listen to them. Emotional support is needed by the client as they cope with their condition and situation. The family too needs emotional support. Families living with the mentally ill patients, disabled and terminally ill need encouragement. The new born can be delicate to handle and people may

Television Plug-In Drug Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Television Plug-In Drug - Essay Example It is the opposite of how the author thinks that people should be, and she blames television directly. Winn also accuses television of damaging family relationships. Before television, families would gather around the dinner table and talk about their day. Now, they take their meals in front of the TV, and don’t talk to each other at all. Winn claims that viewing television acts like a narcotic that numbs us to life, which is going on around us. We lose touch with first hand experience, and do not bond with real human beings. Marie Winn, wrote article â€Å"Television: The Plug-In Drug,† and as mentioned above, she tells about a negative perception of television on families. She sees families as failing to communicate and interact in an authentic way, because of television. Winn’s thesis is that television is an addictive drug, like a narcotic, that keeps people passive. In this article author applies the â€Å"Pathos† style of writing, introduces themes that are detailed and definite, and also presents a lot of examples. To me, it was a very convincing argument overall. I also watch television a lot, and I realize that it is a total distraction from life. Marie Winn writes for the outer world, trying to affect people through the use of emotions and playing on people’s emotions. Questions as well as proximate answers, which were found in the text, encourage the reader to think not wisely using reason, but on the spot, using emotions. Wordplay likewise helps the author convince people about her way of thinking. The author gives the example where parents accept a television-dominated family life so completely that they don’t give enough attention to their children. Or for example: â€Å"Mealtime rituals, going-to-bed rituals, illness rituals, holiday rituals and holiday rituals – how many of these survived the inroads of the television set?† (Winn, 2002). It is a

Starbucks CRM Recommendations report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Starbucks CRM Recommendations report - Essay Example The coffee beverage company is located in Seattle, America. Starbucks has coffee chains all over the globe including the United Kingdom, Japan, and China. The company is widely recognized for its powerful customer care that has enabled it to enjoy customer loyalty in the beverage industry (Jargon, 2009). In reference to Keightley (2014), the act of customer journey mapping is an important method used by many organisations in order to visualize the real experience of their customers. A touch point describes the interface of a brand with the customers.In the process of an interaction, it enables the company to understand how customers visualize the company’s products in their journey. In accordance with my previous assignment, I highlighted several touch points in terms of customer experience whether positive, neutral or negative. In this report, the touch points with a baseline or a negative experience have been analysed. The recommendation report aims to narrow down on the effectiveness of the touch points and the necessary measures that should be carried out in order to achieve the business objectives of Starbucks. The process of implementing the suggested remedies is clearly outlined in the last sections of the work. The IDIC framework that has been used to analyse the effe ctiveness of the touch points is well known to render excellent results in terms of customer relationship management. The first step in this model includes the ability to reach out to the customers on an individual basis. The type of relationship developed here ensures that the business enterprise identifies its loyal customers. It does not mean that you need to know them by names but aims at finding a way to ensure that the same customer comes back for the product another day. The customers differ from each other in terms of their value to the business. This means that for a

Creating a Level Playing Field for Wisconsin Education Essay Example for Free

Creating a Level Playing Field for Wisconsin Education Essay It is a well known fact that the educational outcome of our children is either boosted or hindered by their families’ socioeconomic backgrounds, and while this fact is hardly fair to those underprivileged students, (and despite a few halfhearted but well-meaning policies against it), this inequality is likely to persist. (Wisconsin 2006). Although the rates for high school completion between whites and minorities seem to be slowly equaling out, a 1999 report from the U. S. Department of Education showed that nationwide while 27. 5% of whites had received a Bachelor’s degree, only 12. 2% of blacks had attained that same level of education (Wisconsin 2006). In the State of Wisconsin, 15. 8% of whites have a Bachelor’s Degree, while only 6. 9% of blacks have the same, only about half of the nationwide percentage for blacks. (Demographic Profile 2004). In the Wisconsin school districts, the most important reason for the disparity in education between blacks and whites seems to be centered once again on socioeconomic ills. In 1954 the U. S.   Supreme Court unanimously agreed that segregating schoolchildren by race was unconstitutional, however fifty years later, while the ideas and decisions of 1954 seem fairly straightforward, the reality of the situation is a little less clear. In the Milwaukee area, the portion of the population that is black or Hispanic is rising, and the gap between black and white in Wisconsin as a whole is among the largest in the United States. (Borsuk 2004). Wisconsin has struggled with the task of overcoming that particular stigma and in education at least has made some inroads, but much work remains to be done. The difference in test scores on a recently released federal government report between white and black eighth graders was larger in Wisconsin than in any other state in the United States. (Borsuk 2004). Keep in mind that white students in Wisconsin are on par educationally with the rest of the United States, yet a higher percentage of black eighth graders from Wisconsin scored below basic—the lowest category. Previous studies also confirm that Wisconsin again takes the lead in the gap between incarceration rates between blacks and whites, and that â€Å"racial separation is the predominant pattern for neighborhoods. † (Borsuk 2004). If racial separation is considered â€Å"normal† or usual in the average neighborhood, then changing that in the schools systems represents a huge obstacle. When the desegregation plan went into effect the Milwaukee Public School system was 60% white, and now it is about 15% white, but there are few schools that have substantial enrollment of both black and white students. This means that the white children are leaving public schools to attend private schools, which helps very little in the overall desegregation efforts. Elizabeth Burmaster, Wisconsin’s state superintendent of schools says, â€Å"I believe that in Wisconsin the gap is very directly correlated to economic disadvantage. † (Borsuk 2004). Low income kids, as we all know, do not do as well in testing areas or graduation as do children from higher economic families. Because the lower income students are more likely to be black, the success rate of the black students, particularly in Wisconsin, are at very unhealthy rates, a problem that has been addressed by both Chapter 220 and the voucher system, with some small successes, but nothing to write home about. The white children are more likely to have parents with higher levels of education, leading to more economic advantage, while the black children are more likely to have parent’s with less education, leading to lower paying jobs. It becomes a vicious cycle as the black children don’t seem to be receiving the same education as the white children which will in turn cause them to work at low-paying jobs creating yet another generation of the disadvantaged.

Taylor Theory Of Motivation Commerce Essay

Taylor Theory Of Motivation Commerce Essay Motivation is the word derived from the word motive which means needs desires wants or drives within the individuals. It is the process of stimulating people to actions to accomplish the goals. In the work goal context the psychological factors stimulating the peoples behavior can be One of the most important functions of management is to create willingness among the employees to perform in the best of their abilities. Therefore the role of a leader is to arouse interest in performance of employees in their jobs. The process of motivation consists of the stages: A felt need or drive A stimulus in which needs have to be aroused When needs are satisfied, the satisfaction or accomplishment of goals. Therefore, we can say that motivation is a psychological phenomenon which means needs and want of the individual tackled by framing an incentive plan. Taylor Theory of Motivation: Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856 1917) put forward the idea that workers are motivated mainly by pay. His Theory of Scientific Management argued the following: Workers do not naturally enjoy work and so need close supervision and control.Therefore managers should break down production into a series of small tasks Workers should then be given appropriate training and tools so they can work as efficiently as possible on one set task. Workers are then paid according to the number of items they produce in a set period of time- piece-rate pay. As a result workers are encouraged to work hard and maximize their productivity. Taylors methods were widely adopted as businesses saw the benefits of increased productivity levels and lower unit costs. The most notably advocate was Henry Ford who used them to design the first ever production line, making Ford cars. This was the start of the era of mass production. Taylors approach has close links with the concept of an autocratic management style (managers take all the decisions and simply give orders to those below them) and Macgregors Theory X approach to workers (workers are viewed as lazy and wish to avoid responsibility). However workers soon came to dislike Taylors approach as they were only given boring, repetitive tasks to carry out and were being treated little better than human machines. Firms could also afford to lay off workers as productivity levels increased. This led to an increase in strikes and other forms of industrial action by dis-satisfied workers. Elton Mayo (1880 1949) believed that workers are not just concerned with money but could be better motivated by having their social needs met whilst at work (something that Taylor ignored). He introduced the Human Relation School of thought, which focused on managers taking more of an interest in the workers, treating them as people who have worthwhile opinions and realizing that workers enjoy interacting together. Mayo conducted a series of experiments at the Hawthorne factory of the Western Electric Company in Chicago He isolated two groups of women workers and studied the effect on their productivity levels of changing factors such as lighting and working conditions. He expected to see productivity levels decline as lighting or other conditions became progressively worse What he actually discovered surprised him: whatever the change in lighting or working conditions, the productivity levels of the workers improved or remained the same. From this Mayo concluded that workers are best motivated by: Better communication  between managers and workers (Hawthorne workers were consulted over the experiments and also had the opportunity to give feedback) Greater manager involvement  in employees working lives (Hawthorne workers responded to the increased level of attention they were receiving) Working in groups or teams  (Hawthorne workers did not previously regularly work in teams) In practice therefore businesses should re-organize production to encourage greater use of team working and introduce personnel departments to encourage greater manager involvement in looking after employees interests. His theory most closely fits in with a paternalistic style of management. C:Usersraja atifDesktopimage083.png Figure 2.Explain the Taylor motivation theory. The Expectancy theory: The Expectancy theory states that employees motivation is an outcome of how much an individual wants a reward. You can check the employee how is doing efforts for his work and how he understand his work and how much he is giving good results individually or in team work. Is he having a leadership quality? He is having a good communication skills .Is he updated with all kinds of information regarding company and also with the market. If he is having a good post in the company how he utilizes his powers in work .He must be a very honest person and also not using his power in wrong ways. He should have great temperament to build good relationship with colleagues. If some person is doing mistakes and lack of knowledge he is available for him or her to guide. C:Usersraja atifDesktoppicture_vroom_expectancy_theory.gif Figure 3.Explain the Expectancy theory. How can business leaders keep employees motivated? Small businesses can take a number of steps in a bid to keep their employees motivated, it has been claimed. Kevin Friary, clinical director at Right Management Workplace Wellness, said that when work is largely physical and repetitive, money is a good motivator. So for businesses operating in this arena, the development of clear financial mechanisms to reward effort will produce more motivation. For others the picture is more complicated; in fact, evidence suggests that when you are looking at brainpower, the more money you throw at people the less productivity you achieve, Mr Friery noted. Motivated staff tends to be people who are given opportunities to excel in an area in which they have specialist abilities. Employees should spend at least a small amount of time at work doing things that stretch them, he suggested. This gives them the opportunity to contribute and see the difference they are making. Giving people flexibility to arrange their work in a way in which they feel they have some control is an important motivating factor, Mr. Friary added. He said managers who see a key part of their role as identifying people doing something right are far more motivating than those who are simply quick to point out the errors.   Perhaps most important is clarity and honesty, linked to performance management, Mr. Friary added. He said that by setting clear performance indicators, along with a good measurement process, both employee and employer can engage in a dialogue about the working relationship and develop an adult, motivated engagement. C:Usersraja atifDesktopSmall-business_666_801364498_0_0_14059739_562.jpg Figure .4.explain how can leaders motivate there employees. INTEL CASE STUDY: According to Intel Corporation the desire of employees is everything for them. By having these kind of idea in their mind Intel is giving financial benefits to their employees which differ from other companies like for motivating the employee for their work Intel has many financial benefits which are like Intel has giving free laptops to their employees so the employees can store all of their personal and confidential data on their computer. They are as follows: Health benefit: Intel is not giving the health benefit only for their employees but they are also giving benefits to the whole family of that employee. By doing this Intel is giving benefit to the whole family. Leave: If a employee want to take break he just have to go and tell the company for a leave and the company will give leave to the employee without asking any further question. Retirement: If an employee is being retired from the company he can still be in contact with the company. If an employee cant afford his cost of living then company will pay his cost of living without taking any kind of work from him. Case study of Sheraton Hotels: Sheraton is a big international chain of hotels and resort. Sheraton hotels are one of the best brands in the hospitality industry. Sheraton is providing best services to their guest. The person who pays for staying in the hotel called guest but Sheraton also consider employees as an internal guests. Thats why Sheraton hotels give lots of motivation benefits to the employees with the basic salaries .Sheraton give bonus, medical facilities, school fee of the employee kids, Air ticket, and 50 % discount in Sheraton made things like if you buy cake from Sheraton hotel they will give you 50% discount as a employee and if you are living in KL and working in Sheraton KL and you are going to Karachi Pakistan and you want to stay in Karachi Sheraton hotel then if you are on management post then room meal is totally free and if you are working in 3rd level then room is free and you just have to pay for meals. After the retirement of the employee Sheraton hotel also give a chance to employees son or daughter to work in Sheraton. Discussion: Companies are successful because of their employees. For example. Sheraton is a big chain of Hotels and resorts it is giving lots of financial rewards for motivation and appreciate their employees by giving bonus, appreciation letter, birthday cake,2 or 3 night stay in any Sheraton hotel, Hajj allowance etc. As we know that Pakistan is facing few problems like Terrorist Attacks, Political stabilities etc but in this atmosphere Sheraton Karachi Hotel is going well and also getting more then 800 crores. Employees of this hotel are working so hard and what they are doing hotel is motivating them by giving financial rewards and benefits. If you see the Intel Company it is also giving lots of benefits to their employees. As employees can give their best so its necessary to give financial rewards and benefits after doing hard work which they deserve. Conclusion: The company after investing millions of dollars, all they require is return over investment which is a lot more depended on productivity of employees, the best human resource will only move to the employer who always keeps them happy, so that they can perform their best on job. After analyzing the success of companies like Microsoft, Sheraton, Google etc. and understanding the benefits provided to employees within organization, without any doubts it can be stated that certainly, happy employees are the one whos taking them to heights.

Fixed and random effects of panel data analysis

Fixed and random effects of panel data analysis Panel data (also known as longitudinal or cross-sectional time-series data) is a dataset in which the behavior of entities are observed across time. With panel data you can include variables at different levels of analysis (i.e. students, schools, districts, states) suitable for multilevel or hierarchical modeling. In this document we focus on two techniques use to analyze panel data:_DONE_ Fixed effects Random effects FE explore the relationship between predictor and outcome variables within an entity (country, person, company, etc.). Each entity has its own individual characteristics that may or may not influence the predictor variables (for example being a male or female could influence the opinion toward certain issue or the political system of a particular country could have some effect on trade or GDP or the business practices of a company may influence its stock price). When using FE we assume that something within the individual may impact or bias the predictor or outcome variables and we need to control for this. This is the rationale behind the assumption of the correlation between entitys error term and predictor variables. FE remove the effect of those time-invariant characteristics from the predictor variables so we can assess the predictors net effect. _DONE_ Another important assumption of the FE model is that those time-invariant characteristics are unique to the individual and should not be correlated with other individual characteristics. Each entity is different therefore the entitys error term and the constant (which captures individual characteristics) should not be correlated with the others. If the error terms are correlated then FE is no suitable since inferences may not be correct and you need to model that relationship (probably using random-effects), this is the main rationale for the Hausmantest (presented later on in this document). The equation for the fixed effects model becomes: Yit= ÃŽÂ ²1Xit+ ÃŽÂ ±i+ uit[eq.1] Where ÃŽÂ ±i(i=1à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.n) is the unknown intercept for each entity (nentity-specific intercepts). Yitis the dependent variable (DV) where i= entity and t= time. Xitrepresents one independent variable (IV), ÃŽÂ ²1 is the coefficient for that IV, uitis the error term _DONE_ Random effects assume that the entitys error term is not correlated with the predictors which allows for time-invariant variables to play a role as explanatory variables. In random-effects you need to specify those individual characteristics that may or may not influence the predictor variables. The problem with this is that some variables may not be available therefore leading to omitted variable bias in the model. RE allows to generalize the inferences beyond the sample used in the model. To decide between fixed or random effects you can run a Hausman test where the null hypothesis is that the preferred model is random effects vs. the alternative the fixed effects (see Green, 2008, chapter 9). It basically tests whether the unique errors (ui) are correlated with the regressors, the null hypothesis is they are not. Testing for random effects: Breusch-Pagan Lagrange multiplier (LM)The LM test helps you decide between a random effects regression and a simple OLS regression. The null hypothesis in the LM test is that variances across entities is zero. This is, no significant difference across units (i.e. no panel effect). Here we failed to reject the null and conclude that random effects is not appropriate. This is, no evidence of significant differences across countries, therefore you can run a simple OLS regression. EC968 Panel Data Analysis Steve Pudney ISER University of Essex 2007 Panel data are a form of longitudinal data, involving regularly repeated observations on the same individuals Individuals may be people, households, firms, areas, etc Repeat observations may be different time periods or units within clusters (e.g. workers within firms; siblings within twin pairs)+DONE_ Some terminology A balanced panel has the same number of time observations (T) on each of the n individuals An unbalanced panel has different numbers of time observations (Ti) on each individual A compact panel covers only consecutive time periods for each individual there are no gaps Attrition is the process of drop-out of individuals from the panel, leading to an unbalanced and possibly non-compact panel A short panel has a large number of individuals but few time observations on each, (e.g. BHPS has 5,500 households and 13 waves) A long panel has a long run of time observations on each individual, permitting separate time-series analysis for each_DONE_ Advantages of panel data With panel data: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ We can study dynamics à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The sequence of events in time helps to reveal causation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ We can allow for time-invariant unobservable variables BUTà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Variation between people usually far exceeds variation over time for an individual à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ a panel with T waves doesnt give T times the information of a cross-section à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Variation over time may not exist or may be inflated by measurement error à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Panel data imposes a fixed timing structure; continuoustime survival analysis may be more informative Panel Data Analysis Advantages and Challenges Cheng Hsiao May 2006 IEPR WORKING PAPER 06.49 Panel data or longitudinal data typically refer to data containing time series observations of a number of individuals. Therefore, observations in panel data involve at least two dimensions; a cross-sectional dimension, indicated by subscript i, and a time series dimension, indicated by subscript t. However, panel data could have a more complicated clustering or hierarchical structure. For instance, variable y may be the measurement of the level of air pollution at station _ in city j of country i at time t (e.g. Antweiler (2001), Davis (1999)). For ease of exposition, I shall confine my presentation to a balanced panel involving N cross-sectional units, i = 1, . . .,N, over T time periods, t = 1, . . ., T._DONE_ There are at least three factors contributing to the geometric growth of panel data studies. (i) data availability, (ii) greater capacity for modeling the complexity of human behavior than a single cross-section or time series data, and (iii) challenging methodology. Advantages of Panel Data Panel data, by blending the inter-individual differences and intra-individual dynamics have several advantages over cross-sectional or time-series data: (i) More accurate inference of model parameters. Panel data usually contain more degrees of freedom and more sample variability than cross-sectional data which may be viewed as a panel with T = 1, or time series data which is a panel with N = 1, hence improving the efficiency of econometric estimates (e.g. Hsiao, Mountain and Ho-Illman (1995)._DONE_ (ii) Greater capacity for capturing the complexity of human behavior than a single cross-section or time series data. These include: (ii.a) Constructing and testing more complicated behavioral hypotheses. For instance, consider the example of Ben-Porath (1973) that a cross-sectional sample of married women was found to have an average yearly labor-force participation rate of 50 percent. These could be the outcome of random draws from a homogeneous population or could be draws from heterogeneous populations in which 50% were from the population who always work and 50% never work. If the sample was from the former, each woman would be expected to spend half of her married life in the labor force and half out of the labor force. The job turnover rate would be expected to be frequent and 3 the average job duration would be about two years. If the sample was from the latter, there is no turnover. The current information about a womans work status is a perfect predictor of her future work status. A cross-sectional data is not able to distinguish between these two possibilities, but panel data can because the sequential observations for a number of women contain information about their labor participation in different subintervals of their life cycle. Another example is the evaluation of the effectiveness of social programs (e.g. Heckman, Ichimura, Smith and Toda (1998), Hsiao, Shen, Wang and Wang (2005), Rosenbaum and Rubin (1985). Evaluating the effectiveness of certain programs using cross-sectional sample typically suffers from the fact that those receiving treatment are different from those without. In other words, one does not simultaneously observe what happens to an individual when she receives the treatment or when she does not. An individual is observed as either receiving treatment or not receiving treatment. Using the difference between the treatment group and control group could suffer from two sources of biases, selection bias due to differences in observable factors between the treatment and control groups and selection bias due to endogeneity of participation in treatment. For instance, Northern Territory (NT) in Australia decriminalized possession of small amount of marijuana in 1996. Evaluating the effects of decriminalization on marijuana smoking behavior by comparing the differences between NT and other states that were still non-decriminalized could suffer from either or both sorts of bias. If panel data over this time period are available, it would allow the possibility of observing the before- and affect-effects on individuals of decriminalization as well as providing the possibility of isolating the effects of treatment from other factors affecting the outcome. 4 (ii.b) Controlling the impact of omitted variables. It is frequently argued that the real reason one finds (or does not find) certain effects is due to ignoring the effects of certain variables in ones model specification which are correlated with the included explanatory variables. Panel data contain information on both the intertemporal dynamics and the individuality of the entities may allow one to control the effects of missing or unobserved variables. For instance, MaCurdys (1981) life-cycle labor supply model under certainty implies that because the logarithm of a workers hours worked is a linear function of the logarithm of her wage rate and the logarithm of workers marginal utility of initial wealth, leaving out the logarithm of the workers marginal utility of initial wealth from the regression of hours worked on wage rate because it is unobserved can lead to seriously biased inference on the wage elasticity on hours worked since initial wealth is likely to be correlated with wage rate. However, since a workers marginal utility of initial wealth stays constant over time, if time series observations of an individual are available, one can take the difference of a workers labor supply equation over time to eliminate the effect of marginal utility of initial wealth on hours worked. The rate of change of an individuals hours worked now depends only on the rate of change of her wage rate. It no longer depends on her marginal utility of initial wealth._DONE_ (ii.c) Uncovering dynamic relationships. Economic behavior is inherently dynamic so that most econometrically interesting relationship are explicitly or implicitly dynamic. (Nerlove (2002)). However, the estimation of time-adjustment pattern using time series data often has to rely on arbitrary prior restrictions such as Koyck or Almon distributed lag models because time series observations of current and lagged variables are likely to be highly collinear (e.g. Griliches (1967)). With panel 5 data, we can rely on the inter-individual differences to reduce the collinearity between current and lag variables to estimate unrestricted time-adjustment patterns (e.g. Pakes and Griliches (1984))._DONE_ (ii.d) Generating more accurate predictions for individual outcomes by pooling the data rather than generating predictions of individual outcomes using the data on the individual in question. If individual behaviors are similar conditional on certain variables, panel data provide the possibility of learning an individuals behavior by observing the behavior of others. Thus, it is possible to obtain a more accurate description of an individuals behavior by supplementing observations of the individual in question with data on other individuals (e.g. Hsiao, Appelbe and Dineen (1993), Hsiao, Chan, Mountain and Tsui (1989)). (ii.e) Providing micro foundations for aggregate data analysis. Aggregate data analysis often invokes the representative agent assumption. However, if micro units are heterogeneous, not only can the time series properties of aggregate data be very different from those of disaggregate data (e.g., Granger (1990); Lewbel (1992); Pesaran (2003)), but policy evaluation based on aggregate data may be grossly misleading. Furthermore, the prediction of aggregate outcomes using aggregate data can be less accurate than the prediction based on micro-equations (e.g., Hsiao, Shen and Fujiki (2005)). Panel data containing time series observations for a number of individuals is ideal for investigating the homogeneity versus heterogeneity issue. (iii) Simplifying computation and statistical inference. Panel data involve at least two dimensions, a cross-sectional dimension and a time series dimension. Under normal circumstances one would expect that the 6 computation of panel data estimator or inference would be more complicated than cross-sectional or time series data. However, in certain cases, the availability of panel data actually simplifies computation and inference. For instance: (iii.a) Analysis of nonstationary time series. When time series data are not stationary, the large sample approximation of the distributions of the least-squares or maximum likelihood estimators are no longer normally distributed, (e.g. Anderson (1959), Dickey and Fuller (1979,81), Phillips and Durlauf (1986)). But if panel data are available, and observations among cross-sectional units are independent, then one can invoke the central limit theorem across cross-sectional units to show that the limiting distributions of many estimators remain asymptotically normal (e.g. Binder, Hsiao and Pesaran (2005), Levin, Lin and Chu (2002), Im, Pesaran and Shin (2004), Phillips and Moon (1999)). (iii.b) Measurement errors. Measurement errors can lead to under-identification of an econometric model (e.g. Aigner, Hsiao, Kapteyn and Wansbeek (1985)). The availability of multiple observations for a given individual or at a given time may allow a researcher to make different transformations to induce different and deducible changes in the estimators, hence to identify an otherwise unidentified model (e.g. Biorn (1992), Griliches and Hausman (1986), Wansbeek and Koning (1989)). (iii.c) Dynamic Tobit models. When a variable is truncated or censored, the actual realized value is unobserved. If an outcome variable depends on previous realized value and the previous realized value are unobserved, one has to take integration over the truncated range to obtain the likelihood of observables. In a dynamic framework with multiple missing values, the multiple 7 integration is computationally unfeasible. With panel data, the problem can be simplified by only focusing on the subsample in which previous realized values are observed (e.g. Arellano, Bover, and Labeager (1999)). The advantages of random effects (RE) specification are: (a) The number of parameters stay constant when sample size increases. (b) It allows the derivation of efficient 10 estimators that make use of both within and between (group) variation. (c) It allows the estimation of the impact of time-invariant variables. The disadvantage is that one has to specify a conditional density of ÃŽÂ ±i given x Ëœ _ i = (x Ëœ it, . . ., x ËœiT ), f(ÃŽÂ ±i | x Ëœ i), while ÃŽÂ ±i are unobservable. A common assumption is that f(ÃŽÂ ±i | x Ëœi) is identical to the marginal density f(ÃŽÂ ±i). However, if the effects are correlated with x Ëœit or if there is a fundamental difference among individual units, i.e., conditional on x Ëœit, yit cannot be viewed as a random draw from a common distribution, common RE model is misspecified and the resulting estimator is biased. The advantages of fixed effects (FE) specification are that it can allow the individualand/ or time specific effects to be correlated with explanatory variables x Ëœ it. Neither does it require an investigator to model their correlation patterns. The disadvantages of the FE specification are: (a) The number of unknown parameters increases with the number of sample observations. In the case when T (or N for ÃŽÂ »t) is finite, it introduces the classical incidental parameter problem (e.g. Neyman and Scott (1948)). (b) The FE estimator does not allow the estimation of the coefficients that are time-invariant. In order words, the advantages of RE specification are the disadvantages of FE specification and the disadvantages of RE specification are the advantages of FE specification. To choose between the two specifications, Hausman (1978) notes that if the FE estimator (or GMM), ˆ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¸_DONE_ ËœFE, is consistent whether ÃŽÂ ±i is fixed or random and the commonly used RE estimator (or GLS), ˆ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¸ ËœRE, is consistent and efficient only when ÃŽÂ ±i is indeed uncorrelated with x Ëœit and is inconsistent if ÃŽÂ ±i is correlated with x Ëœit. The advantage of RE specification is that there is no incidental parameter problem. The problem is that f(ÃŽÂ ±i | x Ëœ i) is in general unknown. If a wrong f(ÃŽÂ ±i | x Ëœi) is postulated, maximizing the wrong likelihood function will not yield consistent estimator of ÃŽÂ ² Ëœ . Moreover, the derivation of the marginal likelihood through multiple integration may be computationally infeasible. The advantage of FE specification is that there is no need to specify f(ÃŽÂ ±i | x Ëœ i). The likelihood function will be the product of individual likelihood (e.g. (4.28)) if the errors are i.i.d. The disadvantage is that it introduces incidental parameters. Longitudinal (Panel and Time Series Cross-Section) Data Nathaniel Beck Department of Politics NYU New York, NY 10012 [emailprotected] http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/politics/faculty/beck/beck home.html Jan. 2004 What is longitudinal data? Observed over time as well as over space. Pure cross-section data has many limitations (Kramer, 1983). Problem is that only have one historical context. (Single) time series allows for multiple historical context, but for only one spatial location. Longitudinal data repeated observations on units observed over time Subset of hierarchical data observations that are correlated because there is some tie to same unit. E.g. in educational studies, where we observe student i in school u. Presumably there is some tie between the observations in the same school. In such data, observe yj,u where u indicates a unit and j indicates the jth observation drawn from that unit. Thus no relationship between yj,u and yj,u0 even though they have the same first subscript. In true longitudinal data, t represents comparable time. Generalized Least Squares An alternative is GLS. If is known (up to a scale factor), GLS is fully efficient and yields consistent estimates of the standard errors. The GLS estimates of _ are given by (X0à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1X) à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1X0à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1Y (14) with estimated covariance matrix (X0à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1X) à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1 . (15) (Usually we simplify by finding some trick to just do a simple transform on the observations to make the resulting variance-covariance matrix of the errors satisfy the Gauss-Markov assumptions. Thus, the common Cochrane-Orcutt transformation to eliminate serial correlation of the errors is almost GLS, as is weighted regression to eliminate heteroskedasticity.) The problem is that is never known in practice (even up to a scale factor). Thus an estimate of , ˆ , is used in Equations 14 and 15. This procedure, FGLS, provides consistent estimates of _ if ˆ  is estimated by residuals computed from consistent estimates of _; OLS provides such consistent estimates. We denote the FGLS estimates of _ by Ëœ_. In finite samples FGLS underestimates sampling variability (for normal errors). The basic insight used by Freedman and Peters is that X0à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1X is a (weakly) concave function of . FGLS uses an estimate of , ˆ , in place of the true . As a consequence, the expectation of the FGLS variance, over possible realizations of ˆ , will be less than the variance, computed with the . This holds even if ˆ  is a consistent estimator of . The greater the variance of ˆ , the greater the downward bias. This problem is not severe if there are only a small number of parameters in the variance-covariance matrix to be estimated (as in Cochrane-Orcutt) but is severe if there are a lot of parameters relative to the amount of data. Beck TSCS Winter 2004 Class 1 8 ASIDE: Maximum likelihood would get this right, since we would estimate all parameters and take those into account. But with a large number of parameters in the error process, we would just see that ML is impossible. That would have been good. PANEL DATA ANALYSIS USING SAS ABU HASSAN SHAARI MOHD NOR Faculty of Economics and Business Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia [emailprotected] FAUZIAH MAAROF Faculty of Science Universiti Putra Malaysia [emailprotected] 2007 Advantages of panel data According to Baltagi (2001) there are several advantages of using panel data as compared to running the models using separate time series and cross section data. They are as follows: Large number of data points 2)Increase degrees of freedom reduce collinearity 3) Improve efficiency of estimates and 4) Broaden the scope of inference The Econometrics of Panel Data Michel Mouchart 1 Institut de statistique Università © catholique de Louvain (B) 3rd March 2004 1 text book Statistical modelling : benefits and limita- tions of panel data 1.5.1 Some characteristic features of P.D. Object of this subsection : features to bear in mind when modelling P.D. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Size : often N (] of individual(s)) is large Ti (size of individual time series) is small thus:N >> Ti BUT this is not always the case ] of variables is large (often: multi-purpose survey) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sampling : often individuals are selected randomly Time is not rotating panels split panels _ : individuals are partly renewed at each period à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ non independent data among data relative to a same individual: because of unobservable characteristics of each individual among individuals : because of unobservable characteristics common to several individuals between time periods : because of dynamic behaviour CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 10 1.5.2 Some benefits from using P.D. a) Controlling for individual heterogeneity Example : state cigarette demand (Baltagi and Levin 1992) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Unit : 46 american states à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Time period : 1963-1988 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ endogenous variable : cigarette demand à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ explanatory variables : lagged endogenous, price, income à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ consider other explanatory variables : Zi : time invariant religion ( ± stable over time) education etc. Wt state invariant TV and radio advertising (national campaign) Problem : many of these variables are not available This is HETEROGENEITY (also known as frailty) (remember !) omitted variable ) bias (unless very specific hypotheses) Solutions with P.D. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ dummies (specific to i and/or to t) WITHOUT killing the data à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ differences w.r.t. to i-averages i.e. : yit 7! (yit à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢  ¯yi.)_DONE_ CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 11 b) more information data sets à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ larger sample size due to pooling _ individual time dimension In the balanced case: NT observations In the unbalanced case: P1_i_N Ti observations à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ more variability ! less collinearity (as is often the case in time series) often : variation between units is much larger than variation within units_DONE_ c) better to study the dynamics of adjustment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ distinguish repeated cross-sections : different individuals in different periods panel data : SAME individuals in different periods à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ cross-section : photograph at one period repeated cross-sections : different photographs at different periods only panel data to model HOW individuals ajust over time . This is crucial for: policy evaluation life-cycle models intergenerational models_DONE_ CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 12 d) Identification of parameters that would not be identified with pure cross-sections or pure time-series: example 1 : does union membership increase wage ? P.D. allows to model BOTH union membership and individual characteristics for the individuals who enter the union during the sample period. example 2 : identifying the turn-over in the female participation to the labour market. Notice: the female, or any other segment ! i.e. P.D. allows for more sophisticated behavioural models e) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ estimation of aggregation bias à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ often : more precise measurements at the micro level Comparing the Fixed Effect and the Ran- dom Effect Models 2.4.1 Comparing the hypotheses of the two Models The RE model and the FE model may be viewed within a hierarchical specification of a unique encompassing model. From this point of view, the two models are not fundamentally different, they rather correspond to different levels of analysis within a unique hierarchical framework. More specifically, from a Bayesian point of view, where all the variables (latent or manifest) and parameters are jointly endowed with a (unique) probability measure, one CHAPTER 2. ONE-WAY COMPONENT REGRESSION MODEL 37 may consider the complete specification of the law of (y, ÃŽÂ ¼, _ | Z, ZÃŽÂ ¼) as follows: (y | ÃŽÂ ¼, _, Z, ZÃŽÂ ¼) _ N( Z_ _ + ZÃŽÂ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼, _2 I(NT)) (2.64) (ÃŽÂ ¼ | _, Z, ZÃŽÂ ¼) _ N(0, _2 ÃŽÂ ¼ I(N)) (2.65) (_ | Z, ZÃŽÂ ¼) _ Q (2.66) where Q is an arbitrary prior probability on _ = (_, _2 , _2 ÃŽÂ ¼). Parenthetically, note that this complete specification assumes: y _2 ÃŽÂ ¼ | ÃŽÂ ¼, _, _2 , Z, ZÃŽÂ ¼ ÃŽÂ ¼(_, Z, ZÃŽÂ ¼) | _2 ÃŽÂ ¼ The above specification implies: (y | _, Z, ZÃŽÂ ¼) _ N( Z_ _ , _2 ÃŽÂ ¼ ZÃŽÂ ¼ Z0ÃŽÂ ¼ + _2 I(NT)) (2.67) Thus the FE model, i.e. (2.64), considers the distribution of (y | ÃŽÂ ¼, _, Z, ZÃŽÂ ¼) as the sampling distribution and the distributions of (ÃŽÂ ¼ | _, Z, ZÃŽÂ ¼) and (_ | Z, ZÃŽÂ ¼) as prior specification. The RE model, i.e. (2.67), considers the distribution of (y | _, Z, ZÃŽÂ ¼) as the sampling distribution and the distribution of (_ | Z, ZÃŽÂ ¼) as prior specification. Said differently, in the RE model, ÃŽÂ ¼ is treated as a latent (i.e. not obervable) variable whereas in the FE model ÃŽÂ ¼ is treated as an incidental parameter. Moreover, the RE model is obtained from the FE model through a marginalization with respect to ÃŽÂ ¼. These remarks make clear that the FE model and the RE model should be expected to display different sampling properties. Also, the inference on ÃŽÂ ¼ is an estimation problem in the FE model whereas it is a prediction problem in the RE model: the difference between these two problems regards the difference in the relevant sampling properties, i.e. w.r.t. the distribution of (y | ÃŽÂ ¼, _, Z, ZÃŽÂ ¼) or of (y | _, Z, ZÃŽÂ ¼), and eventually of the relevant risk functions, i.e. the sampling expectation of a loss due to an error between an estimated value and a (fixed) parameter or between a predicted value and the realization of a (latent) random variable. This fact does however not imply that both levels might be used indifferently. Indeed, from a sampling point of view: (i) the dimensions of the parameter spaces are drastically different. In the FE model, when N , the number of individuals, increases, the ÃŽÂ ¼i s being CHAPTER 2. ONE-WAY COMPONENT REGRESSION MODEL 38 incidental parameters also increases in number: each new individual introduces a new parameter.

Public Relations on Campus :: essays research papers

Public Relations on Campus   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many problems on campus that could use public relation strategies. One that most comes to mind is the local business participation in campus activities. There are many local businesses that show support in Middle Tennessee State University at their bars or clubs, but they cannot be found at an on-campus event. It is like they use MTSU to improve their business and their name, but they cannot repay the favor. But to their surprise, they could use sponsoring campus activities as an excellent source of advertising.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The public relation strategy that they could use is coordinating special events. By being partial sponsors to these campus events, they could get their name out to numerous college students. In my opinion, this would probably be the best source of advertising for local bars or clubs welcoming college students. Sponsoring special events could increase the business in local companies while meeting the PRSA ethics code. RATV April 1, 2002 The Experience of M*A*S*H   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For my interview, I chose to question my father. He said that through all the mediums of media, he could best relate to and remember the 1970’s hit series, M*A*S*H. He told me how it first started as a book by Dr. Richard Hornberger and later evolved into a movie and one of the highest rated television shows in history. He said that the show started in 1972 and ended eleven years later in 1983. Over its eleven year run, the show consisted of 256 episodes and countless awards. My father said that this show was very easy to relate to in that time and fit for anyone to watch. Through raw comedy, compassion, and drama, M*A*S*H became a household name and an addiction for many television enthusiasts like my father.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The comedy of M*A*S*H is what mostly attracted my father to the television every week. He said that the cast was irreplaceable and could never be duplicated.

Essay --

The Shaping’s of Jane Eyre Zucaru Ruth 2/21/2014 2nd period In life the people around Jane Eyre has a way of shaping her as a person. As a person grows older, weather very negative or positive it makes a stronger person out of a person or it affects that person in some way in life. Unfortunately and sadly for Jane she had horrible and wicked people in her life as she grew to be a young woman. Luckily for Jane, down the line of life she was able to meet those whom was respectful to her and appreciated her help and servant abilities. Multiple people had an effect on shaping Jane as a person. By the end of this essay it will be proven that the person in Jane’s life has shaped her Social drive and development as a young woman succeeding its also will be proven on the affects of Jane Eyre and bildungsroman life and early figures in feminist movement, with the affects of Jane’s life and thoughts. â€Å"The night as Jane lays there thinking about everything Mr. Rochester has told her, when she thinks she hears a â€Å"demoniac† laugh. When she leaves her room she then finds a candle burning in the hallway. Jane sees Mr. Rochester’s door open and finds his curtains on fire. He is stupefied by Smokey air, but she wakes him by extinguishing the flames and dousing him with water†, chap 15. Then the actions that took place puts Mr. Rochester in a position of vulnerability as Jane douses water in Mr. Rochester’s room. The situation allows to show her growth as a grown woman in control and independent. The situation brings Mr. Rochest... ...eople in her life has also shaped her to feel extreme tension for the characters around her. Although it’s very fortunate that an orphan like Jane her self is able to achieve wealth and power without having education or social motivation , Jane also has manners and shows sophistication while remaining penniless and powerless. A person cannot always makes choices for themselves in life, some people are put into a life or a situation that has to be shaped its self, negatively or positively. The drive and motivation a person takes from certain situations weather negative or positive in life it shapes a persons character and focus. This essay has proven that the people in life can shape aspects of a person’s future and drive as well as motivation. It has also has proven on the effects of early figures in feminist movement ,with the affects of Jane’s life and thoughts.

Empowerment on Girl Child Essay

With sacrificing family resources to educate a girl child and a potential future leader still a big societal challenge, any effort to see the education of a girl is a huge boon. So when millions of dollars are poured into the effort, the impact cannot be overemphasised. The Campaign for Female Education (Camfed), introduced some few years back, has seen remarkable change of fortunes to many a rural folk. Now, a US$19 million bursary programme has been launched to benefit 24 000 girls from disadvantaged families in rural Guruve, Mashonaland Central. The launch was conducted at colourful ceremony at Chifamba Secondary School in the area recently. With testimonies of previous beneficiaries of the programme giving the clear picture of changed lives, more girls are set to change for the better. Already, lives have changed and tales are being told. More are coming, definitely. Twenty-five-year-old Bridget Moyo was born in the dusty village of Wedza in a polygamous family. Her mother sired six children and the other children under the genealogy of her father are incalculable. She needs to sit down and count them from her father’s first wife until the last. Being a girl on a polygamous family, she was not spared from challenges women as a whole face. From birth she was automatically rendered a future beggar. Her education was considered optional and it was the first thing to be sacrificed in a crisis. Her brothers, uncles and male cousins’ needs had to come first for the family. The family’s future was seen to be in their hands and blood, so it was to them that the family’s resources should be spent primarily. As if that was not enough, the family was so much immersed in poverty. School fees and levies were a luxury they could only dream of and there wasn’t enough for the family to eat. â€Å"I lost count of how many other people’s fields we worked in to make ends meet with my mother. It was not unusual for people to approach my mother and offer me a job as their housemaid,† Bridget said. She said it was very tragic in that some people had the audacity to exchange her labour services with a bucket of maize a month. â€Å"I am a proud member of the Johane Marange Apostolic Sect and my growing up in the church came with benefits and challenges. â€Å"I feel at home hen at church where I am accepted with expectations like other girls who have to get married at a tender age. † â€Å"In my teenage years, I was only supposed to dream about the kind of husband I was going to marry. Even if it meant dropping out of school, I did not drop out until I attained my university degree,† Bridget went on to narrate her ordeal. The turning point in Bridget’s life came after she got a bursary before attending secondary education. â€Å"In primary school I vividly remember being nominated a prefect before the school authorities reversed the decision because I did not have a school uniform. I never had a worry about the strategy to use to sneak back into classroom after being sent home on numerous occasions to collect the fees . Currently I am a holder of Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship,† she said. This is not the only sad tale about girls who rise from invisibility to visibility after attaining education. Another is Talent Tokoda, who grew up as an orphan and single child. Talent was born and bred in Chivhu, where her mother took care of all the family needs. â€Å"It was a nightmare getting shoes or having a proper uniform. I struggled through primary school to completion but fortunately I passed with five units which are a sharp contrast to the struggles I went through. † â€Å"Time to enrol for secondary education came and my hope was like a dim light at the far end of a tunnel which could turn off anytime. A week before I was supposed to go to secondary school, I neither had school fees nor secured a place at any school. † â€Å"I could spend the whole day in the garden with my mother. I got the surprise of my life when I was told that my fees were going to be paid for until I complete Advanced Level,† Talent said in front of the dumbfounded crowd. She passed Advanced Level and was enrolled at the University of Zimbabwe where she is doing her final year studying for a Bachelor in Medicine and Surgery. â€Å"I am proud that I proved to doomsayers that I can achieve any goal men can achieve. In August next year I will be a qualified medical doctor,† Talent said in front of the cheering crowd. This mirrors how the personality can be moulded to greatness. Guruve District’s pass rate is pegged at 25 percent with the national pass rate sitting at 21 percent. Assisting the girl child with resources will help improve the pass rate at rural schools. For example, at Chifamba Secondary School the pass rate for girls is pegged at 10 percent. Research revealed that in Sub-Saharan Africa, 24 million girls cannot afford to go to school and as a result a girl may marry as young as 13. Camfed executive director for Zimbabwe and Malawi, Ms Angeline Murimirwa said it is vital to improve educational access, progression and completion for marginalised secondary school girls. â€Å"The coverage of bursaries will span for four years in 28 rural districts including resettlement areas. The other money will provide a package of support to schools, training of school development committees and support for parents to enable children currently out of school to enrol,† she said. Ms Murimirwa said it is imperative to enhance participation of women in national activities from district level. â€Å"Most secondary school girls drop out of school opting to get married or as a result of lacking financial support. â€Å"Organisations need to cherish marginalised communities and the idea that women constitute a greater percentage to the national population,† she said.

Internship Proposal

Topic: Several Suggestions to Develop a Custom Training Plan for Department of Forest Protection of Hanoi Statement of the Problem Organizations are formed with their employees/staffs or their Human Resource. The basic objective of a group is using its HR effectively to reach its target. One of the most important areas of Human Resource Management is training. The way that the enterprise builds and applies the training and developing program would affect not only the current productivity but also the development in the future of the company.Despite the role of training staffs, this work has not been paid much attention. Even though the staff training plans of Hanoi Forest Protection Department have worked effectively, there are some weaknesses that need to be improved. This study targets in defining and suggesting solutions for those. Purpose and Scope of work The purpose of this study is to determine the current problem in training programs in Hanoi Forest Protection Department. The study will evaluate the importance of training plans and their impact to organization’s development.Besides, basing on the collected data and information, some suggestions would be proposed to improve the Group’s current issues. Source and methods of data collection 1. Collecting Data Primary Data: – Send and collect the printed sheets that have about 10 questions around the current training programs of the organization. * Interview a staff of Human Resource Department of the organization Secondary Data: Search and get information from textbooks, Internet, old reports and other channels. . Research Methods: There are numerous ways to get information. In my report, the research methods used are: literature searches, talking with people and personal interviews Literature search  involves reviewing all readily available materials such as internal company information, annual training reports, annual training plan, company literature and any other supplied materia ls. Besides, I also used website searching and library literature search to gather information.Talking with people is another way to get information. I had conversations with graduated students and friends, who have experience in interning in state enterprises or do research about development and training program. They all feel free to share their experience and the important issues. That helps me a lot to finish this report. According to an expert, personal interviews involving one person interviewing another person for personal or detailed information are a way to get in-depth and comprehensive information.That is the reason for why an interview with a Human Resources staff of the organization was arranged. The interviewer was asked questions from a written questionnaire and the answers were recorded verbatim. Research Questions: 1. What is the major Human Resource Training program in Department of Forest Protection of Hanoi and how were they implemented? 2. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the current training program? 3. How could those programs be improved? ( give suggestions) Preliminary Outline 1.Acknowledge 2. Executive summary 3. Introduction a. Topic: â€Å"Some suggestions to improve the Human Resource Training Program in Hanoi Forest Protection Department† b. Rationales c. Research questions d. Scope e. Methodology 4. Body Chapter 1: Introduction of the Organization * Establishment and Development * Business Areas * Organizational Structure * Current Problem in Human Resources Training Program of the Organization Chapter 2: Theoretical framework 1. Human Resource Management and Human Resource Training 2.The role of Human Resource Training in Organizations 3. Issues in Training Plan * Training demand/ objective/ selection * Building training plan * Training methods * Fee * After training evaluation 4. Factors affect training program and its result 5. Requirement of Group’s Training Improvement Chapter 3: Findings and Analysis * Current situation of Training Program in Hanoi Forest Protection Department * Training Process in Hanoi Forest Protection Department Chapter 4: Recommendation 6. Conclusion 7. Appendixes 8. References

Marketing Communications

Introduction Some of the aspects that characterize the present-day business environment include its increasing dynamism, volatility and uncertainty. This poses challenges for businesses that are rigid and not well prepared to change with the transformations in the market (Williamson et al., 2013). On the other hand, it creates opportunities for companies that have the capability of implementing necessary changes that will make them remain relevant to their target markets. Some of the main areas that have been changing in organizations in recent years include management and communication styles, organizational structures, approaches to marketing and the utilization of technology in different departments within organizations (Shimp & Andrews, 2013; Diefenbach & Todnem, 2012). This paper intends to address several issues that relate to the changes and developments taking place in the business environment. It presents an analysis or opportunities and threats that companies like Yahoo and Google face in relation to the rapid technological advancements. It also addresses the appropriate communication approaches that companies should use to facilitate internal and external communication and the communication mix that is used at Apple to market itself to its target clients. In relation to this, the report presents an analysis of a communication campaign used by Nike, a leading sports’ equipment and apparel manufactures in the UK, to establish how effective it is in attaining its marketing objectives. Opportunities and Threats for Google and Yahoo in regard to rapid technological changes Google and Yahoo are some of the well renowned internet-based companies that offer search engine and e-mail services to a wide range of users. Both companies also deal in software development. Based on the services and products offered by these companies, they are directly affected by technological advancements, especially in the ICT sector (Segev & Ahituv, 2010). The opportunities and threat s that these advancements expose the companies to are discussed in this section. Opportunities There are several opportunities presented to these companies as a result of technological advancement. One of these is that it provides a wide range of avenues through which the companies can communicate with their clients and vice versa (Hundal & Grover, 2012). It also provides increased avenues through which the companies can market their products. Technological advancements in the ICT sector across the globe have also led to an increase in internet accessibility. For Yahoo and Google, an increase in internet accessibility provides an opportunity for them to earn more revenue through advertisements (Shih et al., 2013). This is because they are among the most visited websites internationally. Google is ranked as the most visited website, while Yahoo is ranked the fourth (Alexa, 2014). Being business oriented, technological advancement will also make it possible for them to market their products and services to a wider market base through strategic marketing communication strategies. It also provides an opportunity for them to launch e-commerce strategies, which are cost-effective for the company and convenient for clients. Among the advancements that have taken place is the development and increased use of smartphones (Persaud & Azhar, 2012). Given that both companies deal in software development, it provides an opportunity for them to create revenue from developing applications that can be used on these devices. Google has effectively taken advantage of this advancement and has developed the Android operating system (Gandhewar & Sheikh, 2011). The fact that its operating system is compatible with many mobile devices like manufactured by different companies like Samsung and LG increases its usability. With the growing number of global populations using smartphones, the company has a lot to benefit as Android is among the top smartphone operating systems (Butler, 2011). Threats With the increase in the technological advancements in the market, these companies are also exposed to a range of threats (Lovelock & Wirtz, 2011). One of these is the increase in competition from other companies that provide the same products and services. With internet companies like Twitter and Facebook having a growing number of users, they provide a threat for Yahoo and Google in terms advertising revenues (Lagrosen & Josefsson, 2011). There is also a possibility of other internet based companies coming up to provide stiffer competition. In the software business, Google’s Android operating system faces a threat from Apple’s iOS, if it decides to adjust it and make it compatible to other devices (Butler, 2011). Other technology companies may also come up with more innovative products and better marketing approaches than Google and Yahoo, which might reduce their current market shares. Another threat that is associated with technological advancements is posed to the human resources of these companies. Employees face the risk of losing jobs because a wide range of jobs that were initially handled by people can now be done even better by machines (Lovelock & Wirtz, 2011). Even though this might come as a relief for these companies as they cut salary costs, the fact that these advancements may increase unemployment undermines the social responsibility efforts that these companies may have. The increase in technological advancements also increases the levels of cyber crime. Even though the systems of Yahoo and Google may be secure from this risk, given that they have measures in place to address this issue, clients who have opened email accounts with them may not be as secure. Hackers may gain access to their emails, obtain their personal information and use it against them. Even though such cases might occur as a result of low email security measures by the user, some of them tend to blame the email hosting companies like Yahoo or Google as being the reasons for their predicaments. As a result, this ruins the reputation of these companies. Communication at GoogleInternal and external communicationCommunication is among the aspects of a business that are paramount to its success. Internal communication refers to the passing of messages or information within the organization. This could be within the same department or interdepartmental communication (Wright, 2012). External communication refers to the communication that goes on between the organization and external stakeholders, who mainly comprise of customers. When carrying out internal communication, there are several factors that have to be considered. For instance, the messages ought to be confidential to avoid access from external parties. In this case, Google has a company intranet, which consists of an internal message board and email system (Goodman, 2006). This can only be accessed by company employees who have been allocated usernames and passwords. These channels of communications have been highly secured, making it impossible for an external party to access the information or messages passed. Internal communication in organizations also has to be effective and quick. For Google, this is facilitated by the fact that it has a horizontal communication structure. According to Butler (2010), horizontal or lateral communication is the free flow of information or messages across different functional groups in the organization. Employees and managers across all departments and employee levels at Google interact freely without any hierarchical boundaries (The Financial Express, 2005). This approach to communication enhances cooperation among employees and also quickens the process of resolving conflict. On the contrary, it reduces the authority of departmental heads in the organization. External communication is meant to promote products or services offered by the company, or to advertise its clients’ products to a wide range of customers (Wright, 2012). It can also be meant to engage with customers with the aim of making them feel like they are part of the organization. Depending on the aim that is to be met by external communication, there are several measures that can be used. One of the most effective tools that the company uses to accomplish this is through its website. Based on the fact that its website is the most visited in the world, there is a high level of surety that it will communicate to a wide audience (Segev & Ahituv, 2010). Even with the high number of visits on the company’s website, many customers who may be targeted by the messages might not be among the website visitors. Thus, another alternative option that the company uses is through sending e-mail messages directed to certain clients that could be interested in the goods or services of the company. In 2012, the company spent over $231 million in marketing its products, which include the Google+ social media platform, Gmail and the Google Chrome web browser (Efrati, 2012).Market communication theories relevant to the communication str ategyThere are several marketing communication theories that can be considered as being relevant to the communication strategies utilized at Google. One of these is the heightened appreciation model (Dahlen et al., 2010). It is based on the fact that companies need to carry out consumer market research to establish the key attribute that attracts consumers to a brand. Market communication strategies are then designed to link the identified attributes of the product or service to the brand (Fill & Hughes, 2013). For instance, in the advertisement of its Google+ service, the company is aware of the need for people to interact and share instant messages and videos on social media. Google then links this need in the market to Google+, encouraging more clients to subscribe. Another model that can be used to represent the market communication strategies at Google is the advertising exposure model. This model suggests that advertisement objectives can only be met if it created five effects to the target consumer (Fill & Hughes, 2013). These effects are; creation of awareness, conveying messages about the positive attributes of the products, generation of feelings among the target audiences towards the brand, creating a brand personality and triggering purchase intentions (Dahlen et al., 2010). This model also relates to the advertisement efforts that have been implemented by Google as it markets a wider range of its products. The AIDA model can also be used in explaining marketing communication. It is regarded as one of the oldest and most popular market communication models. This model states that there is a hierarchy of events that have to occur for a marketing communication strategy to be termed as having been successful. In chronological order, these are attention, interest, desire, and action. After the attention of the target clients have been drawn, marketers are required to raise their interest in the products or services being advertised through highlighting their advantages. After this has been done a sense of desire is created in the clients by providing them with the assurance that the products or services will satisfy their needs. This will trigger action from the buyer, which is demonstrated by making the purchase. At Google, this model has been widely used, especially when it spent approximately 231 million to market its products in 2012 (Efrati, 2012). However, this model has received criticism for being out-dated and irrelevant for the present market environment.The Communication Mix of AppleThe communication mix is referred to as the specific approaches that are used by companies to promote their services or products to their target customers. There are five elements that make up a communication mix. These are discounts and promotions, public relations, direct marketing communication, advertising and personal selling (Wright, 2012). At Apple, the marketing mix element that is mainly used is direct marketing communication. This approach involves interactive communication with the aim of seeking a certain response from the target audiences. With reference to the recent development at Apple when it was preparing to acquire PrimeSense, an Israeli 3D chip developer, it was vital for the company to inform its external and internal stakeholders or the impending acquisition (Velazco, 2013). Some of the approaches that the company could use to pass this information include direct email communication, social media interaction with its clients and through its website. The company has maintained a large customer data base that contains the contacts of its customers and other Apple stakeholders (Wright, 2012). This also makes it easy for the company to pass such vital information directly to its customers and other external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders, who mainly comprise of employees, can be formally informed through circulation of a memo or posting the message on internal communication platforms.Importance of Cross-functional communicationCross-functional communication is applicable within the organization. It is referred to as the communication among people from different departments or functional groups in the organization (Shimp & Andrews, 2013). The importance of cross-functional communication that is beneficial to Apple Inc is the fact that it enhances cooperation within the organization as different teams work towards attaining the same organizational goal. Encouraging cross functional communication also promotes awareness of whatever is taking place across the entire organization, which eliminates cases of ignorance of misinformation. Some of the challenges that are associated with ineffective cross-functional communication in organizations include the failure for members of certain departments in the organization to appreciate or recognise the contributions made by other departments (Diefenbach & Todnem, 2012). This may result to destructive rivalry that may affect the attainm ent of organizational goals adversely. In a scenario where Apple might plan to acquire another company, cross-functional communication enables all the departments to be equally ready for any changes or additional responsibilities that may arise after the acquisition (Diefenbach & Todnem, 2012).Analysis of an integrated Marketing communications campaignMarketing communication campaigns are defined as strategies that are implemented by organizations with the aim of increasing market awareness about their products or services. This is usually with the aim of increasing the purchasing intentions of the target audience. According to (Bergemann & Bonatti, 2011), ideal integrated marketing communication strategies effectively coordinate all product promotional messages to ensure that they are all consistent. This section presents a market communication campaign that was launched by Nike, a company that deals in the manufacture and distribution of sports equipment (Nike, 2014). The marketin g communication campaign was implemented with the aim of increasing the company’s market share in the UK to extend its lead. This is as a result of the stiff competition from Adidas (Thomasson, 2014). The campaign intended to make use of all the available avenues to increase awareness of the UK market about the brand. It also intended to market the new products that it had launched and seen as appropriate for the target market. These mainly included sports shoes. This marketing communications campaign targeted a wide range of customers, who ranged from 18 to 50 years of age (Nike, 2014).Factors that make the campaign successfulThere are several aspects of the campaign that make this campaign successful in attaining its originally set goals. One of these is the wide range of media outlets were used to pass the message to the audience, basing on the fact that media consumption varies among individuals within different age groups (Bergemann & Bonatti, 2011). Another factor that made the communication campaign successful was the fact that it highlighted the favourable attributes of the company’s products, which included the affordable prices and the comfort of the shoes. Referring to the heightened appreciation model, this is an effective trigger of purchase intentions among the target audiences (Fill & Hughes, 2013). Given that this marketing communication campaign was strategically designed, the only aspect that could undermine its capability to attain the intended goals is the launch of a similar or better campaign by its key competitors.Media UsedDifferent forms of media were used in this campaign to increase the size of the audience that could be reached. These were classified as print, broadcast and interactive media. Print media comprised of newspapers and magazines. These targeted different clients. For instance, ads that were placed in fashion magazines targeted the fashion enthusiasts who could need Nike’s products to work out. Broad cast media basically comprise of radio and TV (Lamb et al., 2008). Different market segments were targeted by advertising on a wide range of TV and radio channels, and at different times. Given that communication campaigns in print and broadcast media are one way, they were designed to contain as much information as possible to answer any questions that clients could have regarding the product (Bergemann & Bonatti, 2011). Interactive media comprised of all the media outlets that could allow the company and its clients to engage real-time with each other (Correa et al., 2010). These comprised of social networking, mobile and via the company’s blog. As opposed to print and broadcast media platforms, interactive media provided capabilities for the company and target customers to engage constructively (Kim & Ko, 2012). Some of the major social media platforms that are ideal for such form of communication between companies and customers include Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Despi te the advantage of real-time engagement that social media presents for companies, information on a flaw of negative attribute on the product spreads very fast (Correa et al., 2010). Conclusion This paper has covered a wide range of issues that relate to the present-day business environment. In regard to the technological advancements that are taking place in the present-day business environment, Google and Yahoo have been used as cases to discuss the opportunities and threats that these advancements present to the company. The paper has also presented an overview of internal and external communication in Google, which has incorporates that factors that are considered and the channels that are used in the communication. Different marketing communication theories have also been presented. These include the heightened appreciation model and the advertising exposure model. In the paper, different organizations have been used in the explanation of various concepts presented. 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