Women s Roles During War During The Ancient Times

Irà ¨ne Herrmann and Daniel Palmieri wrote, â€Å"Women are generally excluded from the debate of belligerence, except as passive victims of the brutality inflicted on them by their masculine contemporaries. Yet history shows that through the ages, women have also played a role in armed hostilities† (19). Women have been integrated into combat roles long before time. â€Å"The earliest-known, Queen Ahhotep I of Egypt, Chinese military leader Fu Hao, and Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra† (21). They were examples of women who have played roles in war during the ancient times. Times have evolved and these days women going into combat has become an ongoing debate. However, I believe women in the United States Armed Forces should serve in military combat. One of the major reasons why women are not seen as a candidate to go into combat is because of their physical strength. In general, women are built smaller than men. â€Å"Women don’t have the brute strength that’s needed in combat,† said Jude Eden, a Marine Seargent in Iraq (54). Certain tasks such as long hikes, running, and obstacles faced in training have a greater impact on women than men. The standards of physical fitness while in training are suitable for men. Therefore, the result of this is having different standards placed on women and men. Jack Kenny wrote, â€Å"Men generally have more strength, speed, and stamina than women. That’s why in nearly all professional or amateur athletic competitions, from golf and tennis to football and basketball,Show MoreRelatedFeminism : A Long Time Goal For The Feminism Movement1671 Words   |  7 PagesEquality has been a long-time goal for the feminism movement. Over the last 100 years did feminism equality advanced so much within the united states. Women have gained many rights that men have and perhaps more. Has feminism accomplished all their goals that there is no need for feminist in the united states? Many women believe that there is no need for feminist anymore. Throughout history women had little to no rights then men. In ancient Egypt women were equal to their husbands but within theirRead MoreGender Roles Of Women And Women1536 Words   |  7 PagesMen and women have very different expectations and roles in the work force. In the past almost all corporations have discriminated against gender, especially women. Whether it is women not being allowed certain positions and/or promotions at a job, or women not being allowed into the field of work that they desire at all. Women have also been discriminated by being payed lower wage and made to work longer hours in unsafe and unhealthy work environments. 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She was celebrated more than any other God in ancient mythology, was the supposed inventor of countless innovations, and her figure gave reason for Greek woman to gain rights long before others of their time. The goddess of war, the guardian of Athens, and the defender of Heroes; Athena’s impact on the lives of Ancient Greeks is outstanding. As a resident on Mount

Career Path of a Surgeon - 1463 Words

Introduction The career path as a surgeon is a physician who specialises in a specific treatment of injury, disease, or deformity through operations. Surgeon’s correct physical deformities, repair bone and tissue after certain impairment, or perform defensive surgeries on patients with a major disease or disorder. The changing nature of surgeons has changed in expeditious manner during the past 20-30 years and yet is still planning to change dramatically over the future. The job demands of a surgeon keep increasing due to having such a large population, as the population grows the demands of surgeons will only increase as the population increases. There are 32 different major types of surgeons some of them include: Brain Surgeon,†¦show more content†¦The surgery industry is a male dominated and a lot of employers believe women can’t handle the job due to high stress level in comparison to what males can. Women are trying to fight this ridiculous sexist and make it an equa l opportunity for both genders. However, it will happen in duration of time. The results show that in 2006 males had 67.8 of fulltime jobs, whereas women had a small amount of 11.3% Figure 1.2. | Job growth is expected to expand throughout the future years especially in 2014 due to the health care is extended to expand at a rapid rate. Referring to figure 1.2. Below the statistics show the historical employment rates in a hundred thousand figures. Figure 1.3. The graph shows that in 2000 the employment rate for surgeons was at 23,000 and in 2009 increased rapidly to 64,000. Whereas, in 2011 the rate dropped back down to 56,000. The employment rates are always a surprise but due to population and more health care needed the rates are guaranteed to increase. The role of OHSamp;W in the workplace Occupation Health Safety and Welfare stands for (OHSamp;W.) OHSamp;W helps protect the safety and welfare of employees in their workplace. OHSamp;W in the medical industry includes * Including and providing information,Show MoreRelatedThe Path Of Becoming An Orthopedic Surgeon877 Words   |  4 PagesThe Path to Becoming an Orthopedic Surgeon Introduction Obtaining a degree in medicine is one of the lengthiest educational paths one can choose to take. Choosing to become a surgeon lengthens that journey even more and it is one of the most challenging degrees to obtain. An orthopedic surgeon is a physician that â€Å"focuses on the diagnosis, care, and treatment of patients with disorders of the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and skin.† (â€Å"Career in Orthopaedics†). Throughout treatmentRead MoreA Career in Orthopedic Surgery1429 Words   |  6 Pagesfunction to one’s life even if they have never been granted movement without restraint before. 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Learning Team Role Identificatiion Paper Free Essays

Running head: LEARNING TEAM ROLE IDENTIFICATION PAPER Learning team role identification paper Tiffany Burrage, Tami Bereki, John Kuespert, Tim Poninski University of Phoenix Interdisciplinary Capstone course GEN/480 Inga Parker Jul 04, 2010 Learning team role identification paper One of the factors that make Justice Inc such a unique organization is the various skills each member has. Each member has a particular job title based off of his or her educations, experience, as well as his or her skills. Tim Poninski is the consultant of the organization. We will write a custom essay sample on Learning Team Role Identificatiion Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now Tim’s job is to provide recommendations, facilitation, and training on the development, management, and technological aspects of organization quality improvement efforts at all levels. This is done for Justice Inc as well as out organizations that Justice Inc is consulting with. Tim has expertise and specialties in all aspects of the criminal justice field; therefore Tim is responsible for keeping organizations abreast of any and all changes in the criminal justice field. John Kuespert is the president of the company. John’s responsibilities are to establish the direction for the development and administration of the organizations quality improvement efforts. John consults with peers throughout the organization on a number of different issues. Maintains and develop an environment of continual improvement in all aspects of the organization. John makes sure that organizations that Justice Inc consults for is satisfied with the services rendered. John also oversees the organizations operations to make sure production efficiency, quality, service, and cost effective management of resources. John is responsible for day to day operation in the organization. Tiffany Burrage is the vice president of the organization. Tiffany’s responsibilities are to oversee all aspects of the organization. This includes but is not limited to improvement efforts, which deals with developing and administrating programs. Tiffany’s also is responsible for assuring all employees receive training and coaching. Establishing strategic plans, policies and procedures at all levels for Justice Inc, as well as outside organizations. Tiffany makes sure that the improvements meet or exceed the needs of internal and external customers. Tami Bereki is the auditor of the organization. Tami responsibilities are to primarily evaluate financial information and put in order financial reports for internal and external organizations. Tami also maintains record of resources, liabilities; profit and loss, tax liabilities, as well as other financial activities with thin an organization. Analyze organizations operations, improvement, cost, revenues, financial commitments and obligations. Tami also is responsible for projecting future revenues and expenses and provides advice for organizations. How to cite Learning Team Role Identificatiion Paper, Essays

Finance And Funding - Ashtead Group

Question: Describe about the Finance And Funding - Ashtead Group? Answer: Introduction Board of Directors of most of the corporate organizations often require effective consultancy research and report regarding the financial and non-financial performance of their organizations in order to make effective strategic decisions for the growth and development of their business (Aras et al. 2010). Financial ratios are one of the most effective indicators of organizational performance in terms of their financial aspects (Taticchi, 2010). An efficient management consultant always considers preparing a balanced scorecard, which is a strategic planning and management technique that is essential for aligning the organizational vision and strategy of the organizations with their business and operation activities (Sennels, 2011). In other words, a balance scorecard helps monitoring organizational performance and improving organizational communication against their strategic goals. Ashtead Group is one of the renowned organizations renting equipments throughout the world. Most of their domestic networks are in the United States and in the United Kingdom. The company is mainly famous for providing extensive range of industrial and construction equipments for various applications and to a diverse customer segments. Their equipments include power generating, lifting, moving heavy industrial objects, digging, drilling, heating, pumping, ventilating and various other necessities. The key objective of the company is to allocate sustainable assessment and maximum performance throughout the economic cycle, to extend industry-leading arrangement, and to deliver maximum returns for their shareholders (Ashtead-group.com, 2015). Ashtead Group Vision Expanding the growth and development of their business to retain and to improve their leading position within the equipment rental industry The management of Ashtead Group has been concentrating upon their business growth and business development strategies and policies since last few years, as they realized that their company has better chance of winning maximum market share within the equipment renting industry both in the US and in the UK. The company has further improvised their organizational structure, financing structure and operational efficiency in order to dominate the equipment rental market throughout the world, especially in the US and in the UK. Delivering maximum returns on investments to the shareholders throughout the economic cycle (Ashtead-group.com, 2015) The management of Ashtead Group has clearly stated within their Annual reports that their significance success largely depends upon the contribution and dedicated support from their shareholders. Their shareholders have always welcomingly supported their company and the strategies implemented by the management of Ashtead Group. Therefore, they have realised the importance of understanding shareholders benefits and concerns. The company has already been sharing significant amount of their profit with their shareholders and the management has expressed their vision to maximise the shareholders return each year. Their vision will no doubt not only make the shareholders satisfy, but also to influence them investing more towards the company for enhancing growth and development of the Ashtead Group. Strategy Build a Broad Platform for Growth The company is largely operating within both the US and the UK. However, the primary strategic target of the company is the US, where they would like to double their growth and profit. The US market is almost five times larger than the UK and the Ashtead Group is the key supplier of infrastructure equipments in the US right now. Rental penetration in the US is approaching 50% and the major contractors in the US prefer renting the equipments rather than owing them. The equipment rental industry in the UK is emerging and the company Ashtead Group has the financial strength and organizational capabilities, which are helping the company to gain competitive advantages over various inefficient competitors in the US market. However, the company is also concentrating on the UK, where they would like to enhance their market share by 50%. The company is also concentrating on Bolt-on Mergers and Acquisitions (MA), developing clusters within key sectors and on organic fleet growth (Ashtead-group.com, 2015). As the management have foreseen that there are maximum amount of unoccupied market, enhancing demand and presence of ineffective rivals, the management of Ashtead Group is concentrating upon developing a broader business platform, which will have maximum opportunities and growth prospects. Maintain Financial and Operational Flexibility The management of Ashtead Group has taken various strategic initiatives for maintain financial and operational flexibility for supporting their business from both long-term and short-term perspectives. Although, the economic conditions are not favourable and the market competition is increasing, but the group is holding ROI at 19%. The company has been also able to maintain their leverage mostly below net debt to EBITDA. This represent that the company is maintaining financial discipline. The company is also utilising their financial stability and strength for optimising their fleet sector during cyclical upturn (Ashtead-group.com, 2015). The management of Ashtead Group has expressed that the company needs to maintain effective collaboration and flexibility within their finance department and operational department, which are the key units for their business and have significance importance towards achieving sustainable growth and long-term development. Financial flexibility enables them to deal all the operating costs and shareholders return. On the other hand, it also helps them to implement any growth and development strategies effectively. Operational Excellence The management of Ashtead Group has taken various initiatives for improving the efficiency of their operational activities. They are considering fleet on rent, EBITDA, ROI, staff turnover and safety as their key performance indicators. Operational excellence is something that the management and the board of directors of Ashtead Group are trying to concentrate upon widely for gaining sustainable improvisation within their organization using various policies, strategies and modern management techniques. The management of Ashtead Group is mostly considering enhancing operational efficiency by enhancing maximising their operational performance, innovation, effective collaboration, financial and operational flexibility and improving shareholders profit. They are also focusing upon improving their services (Ashtead-group.com, 2015). Balanced Scorecard - Ashtead Group Financial Perspective Goal Key Performance Indicators Target Action or Initiative 1. Revenue Enhancing revenue Revenue from the group Fleet on Rent Market Share Revenue from the group to be enhanced by 19.82% Increased to almost 2700 (US Fleet on Rent) Increased to almost 350 (UK Fleet on Rent) Increased by 50% (UK Market) Increased by 100% (US Market) Greenfield development Improvisation towards product mix Mergers Acquisition (Bolt-on) Similar organic store fleet expansion 2. Shareholder Enhancing return of the shareholder Underlying EPS Dividend per share Underlying EPS to be enhanced by 63p Dividend per share to be increased to almost 20p Maintaining an effective dividend policy with the consideration towards both cash generation and profitability 3. Cash Flow Maintaining Strong and Stable Cash Flow Net Debt Underlying EBITDA margin to be 47% Frequently reviewing the capital structure of the group Adopting a conventional financial policy Maintaining long-term debt maturities Using asset based facilities Minimising debt commitments 4. Profitability Improving Return on Investment and Profit Return on Investment Underlying PBT Underlying PBT to be 403.6 ROI to be enhanced by 19% Monitoring and Managing fleet investment effectively Appropriate incentive for improving return Focusing upon greater return Flexibility towards the pricing structures Optimising utilisation rates and returns Table 1: Financial Perspective - Ashtead Group (Source: Created By Author) Financial perspective implies financial performance of Ashtead group. The company is financially stable. However, they must consider enhancing their profitability for increasing return on investments, as earning profit is the major objective of any profit-making organizations like the Ashtead group. The management of the company may enhance their profitability by implementing various strategies such as managing fleet investment effectively, making the pricing structure flexible etc. Increasing profitability will also have an impact upon the revenue and the shareholders profit, which can be increased by various activities such as Greenfield development, improvisation towards product mix and bolt-on Mergers Acquisition. The company should also consider maintaining continuous cash flow by revising their capital structure, debt maturities and financial policies. In addition, the management should revise their divided distribution policies to enhance return of the shareholders in order t o encourage them for more investments. Internal Business Processes Perspective Goal Key Performance Indicators Target Action or Initiative 1. Fleet Management Enhancing efficiency of the fleet Utilising physically Age of the fleet Maintaining between 60% and 80% More than 2 years in the US More than 3 years in the UK Adopting a model with clustered model Maintaining standardised fleet Ensuring adequate stores for offering wider range of equipment 2. Safety Ensuring Safety Reporting of Diseases, Injuries, and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations Less than 50% Improvising health and safety policies Cultivating safety culture Safety with suppliers and customers Induction training programme 3. Delivery Management Improvising Delivery Cost Recovery and Minimising Respond Time Delivery Time Lead Time Delivery Cost 10% reduction throughout 10% reduction throughout 20% reduction throughout Improving and monitoring organization of the stress and loading of the delivery trucks Training Optimising pick-up and delivery routes 4. Quality of the Services Ensuring Superior Quality of the Services Perfect Order Almost 100% Monitoring Quality of the Services Frequent improvement initiatives Be responsive Table 2: Internal Business Processes Perspective - Ashtead Group (Source: Created By Author) The management of Ashtead Group must concentrate improvising their internal business process by enhancing fleet efficiency, ensuring safety, improving delivery costs and by offering superior customers services. The management should concentrate more upon renovating their organization culture. In addition, continuous campaigns regarding training and development are also essential. Customer Perspective Goal Key Performance Indicators Target Action or Initiative 1. Customer Loyalty Ensuring Customer Loyalty Net Promote Score Annual Customer Spend Greater than 60% Increase by 25% Customer loyalty programme Special discounts Rewards for References 2. Customer Satisfaction Satisfying the customers Customer Complaints Responsive time Less than 10% Less than 1 business day Understanding needs and expectations of the customers Differentiating fleet and service for providing better quality of service Cost effective rental solution 3. Branding Enhancing Brand value Market share Brand rank Increased by 50% (UK Market) Increased by 100% (US Market) Top 5 brand Promotion and advertisements through effective medium Initiating campaigns 4. Customer Retention Enhancing Customer Retention Fleet on rent (on-going) Increase by 10% Offering discounts Pricing scheme development Table 3: Customer Perspective - Ashtead Group (Source: Created By Author) Customer perspective includes various aspects associated with the customers, who are the key to success for the group. The management must consider satisfy their customers for enhancing customer loyalty, customer retention and brand value. The management could fulfil such objectives by concentrating upon customer services, pricing scheme, discounts, promotion and advertisements. Innovation, Learning and Growth Goal Key Performance Indicators Target Action or Initiative 1. CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility Committing towards Sustainability Revenue intensity ratio GHG Emission Less than to 120 Less than 2000,000 and 35,000 (scope 1 and 2) Upgrading lighting Training on maintenance Continuing Tier 4 lower emission equipment Fuel efficiency and carbon emission Considering renewable energy resources 2. Developing Skills Enhancing employee skills Average training hours Greater than 8 Hours On the Job training Formulating and implementing new learning management system Apprenticeship programmes 3. Employee Retention Improving Employee Retention Staff turnover rate Less than 15% Competitive salary Reward and recognition Workforce diversity and equal opportunities Health and Safety working environment 4. Innovation and Technology Developing Innovative Technology IT outages Less than 15 Utilising the latest technologies Investing towards leading technologies for having real-time access to fleet pricing and availability Table 4: Innovation, Learning and Growth - Ashtead Group (Source: Created By Author) Innovation, Learning and Growth perspective include Committing towards Sustainability, Enhancing employee skills, Improving Employee Retention and Developing Innovative Technology. The tool of balance scorecard helps an organization to prepare a dashboard of all the activities. For example, the balance scorecard indicators of the element of finance are ROI, Return on Investment (ROI), Net Debt and Leverage at Constant Exchange Rates, Dollar Utilization, Underlying EBITDA Margin, etc. Several initiatives have been linked with the key performance indicators of the several elements of the firm. The actual and target element has also been analyzed regarding the elements of finance, internal business process, customer, learning, and growth. Based on the findings of the balance scorecard, the organization Ashtead Group can respond appropriately to attain their strategic goals. Balancing the balance scorecard ELEMENT NUMBER OF MATRICES TOTAL WEIGHTED PERCENTAGE FINANCE 4 25% INTERNAL BUSINESS PROCESSES 4 25% INNOVATION, LEARNING AND GROWTH 4 25% CUSTOMER 4 25% TOTAL 16 100% Table 5: Balanced Scorecard - Ashtead Group (Source: Keyes, 2010) According to the above table (Table 5), the four perspectives are balanced consistently in the Balanced Scorecard for striking a balance in achieving the vision and strategy set out by the management of Ashtead Group. The major rationale behind this is that the four perspectives are closely associated to each other and all four perspectives contribute equally towards the success of the business. Strategic Map - Ashtead Group Figure 1: Strategic Map - Ashtead Group (Source: Windolph and Hlle, 2011) The key strategic goals of the company Ashtead Group are to retain and enhance their position in the industry and to offer diverse range of products and services to the customers for enhancing market share (Uysal and Katipoglu, 2015). The company is also concentrating upon fleet on rent for enhancing their EBITDA margin. In addition, it will also help the company to enhance their ROI. The company is also concentrating on staff turnover and safety concerns. Employees are the key elements for achieving success and the company is trying to strengthen their employees through training and motivation (Tonchia and Quagini, 2010). In addition, the company is also giving priority to safety of the work environment. The management should consider improving EPS, ROI and the Net Debt and Leverage for enhancing shareholders return. On the other hand, the company can also consider analysing the importance of dollar utilization, EBITDA, mergers acquisitions for obtaining long-term sustainable growt h, which will help them retaining strong and leading position in the industry across the US and the UK (Uysal and Katipoglu, 2015). On the other, there are two strategic elements: employee turnover and safety, which are also essential for achieving long-term sustainable growth for the company. Safety is something, which is mandatory for the organizations to avoid any legal consequences. Administrating effectively towards safety concerns by adopting newer strategies will help the company both externally and internally. In addition, the company is also implementing new strategies for maintaining staff turnover rate under control, as employees and staffs are the ones, who will be performing the business activities and operations of Ashtead Group (Windolph and Hlle, 2011). Prioritising the Recommendations to the Board of Directors of Ashtead Group Priority 1-Minimising Operating Costs Operating costs are the costs often deducts major portion of the profits of the companies. Therefore, it is recommended for the Board of Directors of Ashtead Group to monitor their operating costs effectively in order to lower their operating costs, wherever possible. In order to minimise the operating costs, it is essential for the management of Ashtead Group to recruit, select and to retain the efficient employees, who have better knowledge and experience regarding the business operations of Ashtead Group. There are various other ways such as budgeting, planning and monitoring, which could help the company to manage their operating costs effectively (Sarkar, 2010). Construction equipments and various other equipments that require depreciation charges largely are the key products or services of Ashtead Group. Although, the management is financially capable enough to incur such charges, but those costs are something largely affecting the profit margin of the company (Langley, 2013). Priority 2- Investing towards Global Expansion The company is only concentrating after the US and the UK, especially towards the US market, which is mostly unoccupied and is emerging in terms of industry growth. However, there are many other countries such as India, China, and Dubai, where the demands of renting equipments are enhancing frequently. Many researchers have opined that most of these markets will be going to takeover major market share of the renting equipment industry within next few years. Constructions, industrialization etc. are now booming on these emerging countries, where the management of Ashtead Group can consider offering their services largely. In addition, there is less or no competition within these markets. Therefore, it can be a prospective opportunity for the management of Ashtead Group to expand their business within these economies by giving equally importance. Most of these economies are also encouraging for foreign investments. Therefore, the company Ashtead Group will mostly not going to face any business environmental issues within these countries. Global expansion will also help the company to switch around different markets, while their current market is not performing as expected. Priority 3- Concentrating more upon Mergers and Acquisitions (MA) Mergers and acquisitions are very useful for several purposes such as minimising operating costs, enhancing operational efficiency and minimising the threats from major rivals. The company management has already taken various initiatives for investing significantly towards mergers and acquisition activities (Kim, 2010). Many similar companies both in the US and in the UK are new to the industry but may influence the market and affect the market share and profitability of Ashtead Group (Burgess and Heap, 2015). However, it is important for the management of Ashtead Group to consider the companies with highest prospective in terms of operational efficiency and availability of resources, as merging or acquiring an inefficient or non-performing company may affect the profitability of the company and also may become financial burden for the management of Ashtead Group. Priority 4- Expanding the organization towards Related Industries Most of the leading and modern organizations are operating within diverse range of businesses and industries in order to obtain long-term growth and profit. However, those companies have considered expanding their business towards similar line of business in order to maintain operational excellence and to avoid loss. Although, the management of Ashtead Group has already started offering wide range of services, but they must consider expanding their business towards various other related industries such as construction and manufacturing. Construction and manufacturing industries are one of the profitable industries to operate a business. However, the companies must have financial stability to operate within construction and manufacturing industries and the management of Ashtead Group has both financial and organizational capability to start their business within these sectors. In addition, due to similar line of business, the company will not likely to get any issue and their manageme nt can effectively deal with the business and operations of such industry. It will not only help the company to enhance their profitability, but also to help enhance their brand value throughout the world. Limitations Limitation 1 The tool of balance scorecard has several limitations. The major limitation lies in the fact that it is very difficult to implement in practical life due to several technical factors. Balance scorecard do not considers other factors related to the business environment. Therefore, the key performance indicators may not reflect a true picture of the operating activities of the business firm. External business environment may cause several fluctuations in the targeted activities of the balance scorecard. Due to this reason, business organizations may be forced to ignore Limitation 2 Balance scorecard does not consider the size and nature of the modern business organizations. Therefore, it is not possible for the business organizations to implement the tool of balance scorecard within their system. It can be considered as a major limitation for the modern business organization. Critical Evaluation and Discussions Performance management and monitoring both are critical and essential management process, which can be effectively implemented appropriate usage of balanced scorecard (Kaplan and Norton, 2010). In the current study, the balanced scorecard represents the strategic goals of the management of Ashtead Group and the actual performance of the management of Ashtead Group throughout the year (Easton et al. 2015). Therefore, this is an opportunity for the management consultants to use the balanced scorecard for justifying whether the company Ashtead Group is performing up to the expectations of their management and board of directors. Therefore, the balance scorecard will not only help monitoring the performance of Ashtead Group, but also will assist managing their performance effectively (Balancedscorecard.org, 2015). The balanced scorecard also helps revealing the necessary activities, which are aligned with the vision and strategy of the Ashtead Group (Keyes, 2010). Therefore, it helps identifying the most essential management activities, which need to be further enhancing (Windolph and Hlle, 2011). For example, as per the developed balanced scorecard in the current study, it can be inferred that the management Ashtead Group was expecting their EBITDA to be around 45% - 50%. However, they achieved 47%, which is better than the previous financial year. Therefore, the company has been able to improve their EBITDA, but they have to maximise their business performance to enhance EBITDA to attain their estimated target, which was set according to the expectation of leading the industry effectively (Nielsen and Nielsen, 2015). Conclusion The current study concludes that EBITDA margin of Ashtead Group is lower than the industry average but their ROI is stable. This is why the company is able to maintain their profitability and shareholders return. Therefore, the Board of Directors of Ashtead Group should consider improving their EBITDA for enhancing their leading position in the renting equipment industry throughout the UK and the US. However, the financial ratios are suggesting that the company is profitable. In addition, the study also concludes that the company Ashtead Group has also started concentrating upon diverse range of products and services, especially upon the fleet on rent for enhancing both shareholders return and their position within the industry of renting equipments. Reference List Books Burgess, T. and Heap, J. (2015). Performance measurement and management of professional and knowledge work. Bradford: Emerald Group Publishing Limited Easton, P., Halsey, R., McAnally, M., Hartgraves, A. and Morse, W. (2015). Financial managerial accounting for MBAs Kaplan, R. and Norton, D. (2010). The balanced scorecard. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Review Press Keyes, J. (2010). Implementing the project management balanced scorecard. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Tonchia, S. and Quagini, L. (2010). Performance measurement. Berlin: Springer-Verlag Journals Aras, G., Aybars, A. and Kutlu, O. (2010). Managing corporate performance. Int J Productivity Perf Mgmt, 59(3), pp.229-254 Kim, Y. (2010). Measuring the value of succession planning and management: A qualitative study of multinational companies. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 23(2), pp.5-31 Langley, J. (2013). Use data effectively to align people strategy with business goals. Strategic HR Review, 12(5) Nielsen, S. and Nielsen, E. (2015). The Balanced Scorecard and the Strategic Learning Process: A System Dynamics Modeling Approach. Advances in Decision Sciences, 2015, pp.1-20 Sarkar, D. (2010). Learning to identify problems: A performance improvement imperative. Performance Improvement, 49(10), pp.5-7 Sennels, M. (2011). What will help engage employees in the companys changing goals?. Strategic HR Review, 10(3) Taticchi, P. (2010). Performance measurement and management: what is next?. Int J Productivity Perf Mgmt, 59(2) Uysal, G. and Katipoglu, Y. (2015). Strategic Management of Finance Theory: Use Balanced Scorecard in Finance Theory. Journal of Business and Economics, 6(5), pp.984-987 Windolph, M. and Hlle, J. (2011). Balanced Scorecard und Strategy Map. CON, 23(6), pp.304-307 Websites Ashtead-group.com, (2015). Our strategic priorities. [online] Ashtead-group.com. Available at: https://www.ashtead-group.com/aboutus/ourstrategicpriorities.aspx [Accessed 1 Sep. 2015] Balancedscorecard.org, (2015). What is the Balanced Scorecard?. [online] Available at: https://balancedscorecard.org/Resources/About-the-Balanced-Scorecard [Accessed 1 Sep. 2015]

Physical exercise Essay Example

Physical exercise Essay Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health or wellness. It is performed for various reasons. These include strengthening muscles and cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance and for enjoyment. Physical exercise boosts the immune system, and helps prevent the â€Å"diseases of affluence† such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease. It also improves mental health, helps prevent depression, helps to promote or maintain positive self-esteem, and can even augment an individual sex appeal or body  image, which again is also linked with higher levels of self-esteem. Childhood obesity is growing global concern and physical exercise may help decrease the effects of childhood obesity in developed countries. Physical exercise is important for maintaining physical fitness and can contribute positively to maintaining a health weight, building and maintaining healthy bone density, muscle strength, and joint mobility, promoting physiological well being, reducing surgical risks, and strengthening the immune system. However exercise is a form of discipline. It means self-control and sincerity. We need to neglect  our idleness. Physical exercise helps in character building. It makes our mind sharp and active. It improves mental strength and capability. It adds to our capability and improves our performance. Physical exercise done in morning keeps us healthy. Exercise also reduces levels of cortisol. Cortisol is as stress hormone that builds fat in the abdominal region, making weight loss difficult. Also Cortisol causes many health problems, both physical and mental. We will write a custom essay sample on Physical exercise specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Physical exercise specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Physical exercise specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Regular aerobic exercise has been shown to help shown to help prevent or treat serious and life- threatening chronic conditions such as: Burns calories   Improves endurance Reduces the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes Decreased blood triglycerides Improve weight control There is evidence that vigorous exercise is more beneficial than moderate exercise. Some studies have shown that vigorous exercise executed by healthy individuals can increase testosterone and growth hormone, effects that are not as us fully realized with moderate exercise. However, at this intensity for long periods of time, or without proper warm up beforehand and cool down afterwards, can lead to an increased risk of injury and overtraining. Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise also work to increase the mechanical efficiency of the heart by increasing cardiac volume (aerobic exercise), or myocardial thickness (strength training). Such changes are generally beneficial and healthy if they occur in response to exercise. Not everyone benefits equally from exercise. There is a lot of variation in individual response to training: where most people will see a moderate increase in endurance from aerobic exercise, some individuals will as much as double their oxygen uptake, while others can never enhance endurance. Also, muscle hypertrophy from resistance training is primarily determined by diet and testosterone. This genetic variation in improvement from training is one of the key physiological differences between professional athletes and usually people. I can say that exercising in middle age leads to better physical ability later in life. Beneficial effect of exercise on the Cardiovascular System Improved Heart Health: The first one is an improved condition of your heart is a muscle just like any other and in order for it to become strong it must be worked. If you fail to work it, it will weaken over time and this can cause a  variety of negative health effects. By getting the heart pumping at a faster rate on regular basis you will keep it in shape and healthy. Too many people are getting tired just performing simple exercises such as walking up the stairs and the primary reason for this is because they are neglect to work their heart muscle. -Improved Hormonal Profile Performing cardiovascular exercise also changes the hormonal profile in your body considerably. It releases feel good hormones that will help ease symptoms of depression and fatigue as well as releasing hormones that decrease the appetite. -Management of Diabetes Lastly, for those who have diabetes, cardiovascular exercise helps them manage this condition. By performing the exercise you will increase your muscle’s ability to utilize glucose. Those who exercise regularly tend to have better control of their blood sugars and do not see as many blood sugar swings as those who don’t. For diabetes this is increasingly important as they are extremely sensitive to changes in blood sugar levels. Effect on the immune system Although there have been hundreds of studies on exercise and immune system, there is little direct  evidence on its connection to disease. Epidemiological evidence suggest that moderate exercise has a beneficial effect on the human immune system while extreme exercise impairs, weakens it. Moderate exercise has been associated with 30 % decreased incidence of upper respiration tract infections, but studies of marathon runners found that their long high-intensity exercise was associated with an increased risk of an infection, although another study did not find effect. The immune system of athletes and non-athletes are generally similar. Effects on brain function  There are several possibilities for why exercise is beneficial for the brain: Increasing the blood and oxygen flow to the brain. -Increasing growth factors that help create new nerve cells and promote synaptic plasticity -Increasing chemicals in the brain that help create new nerve cells and promote synaptic plasticity -Increasing chemicals in the brain that help cognition, such as dopamine, glutamate, norepinephrine, and serotonin. Effect on depression Depression can be helped by regular exercise. Physical activity causes brain pleasure centres to be  stimulated and leads to feelings of wellbeing. Exercise can also be effective in the treatment for anxiety and depression. Some research studies indicate that regular exercise may be as effective as other treatments like medication to relieve milder depression. Generally, exercise has a place in treatment as part of a comprehensive approach to the illness. Effect on sleep Some research studies suggested that exercise generally improves sleep disorders such as insomnia. The optimum time to exercise may be 4 to 10 hours before bedtime, though exercise at any time of day  is beneficial, with the possible exception of heavy exercise taken shortly before bedtime, which may disturb sleep. While however there is insufficient evidence to draw detailed conclusions about the relationship between exercise and sleep. Public health measures Signs that encourage the use of stairs, as well as community campaigns, have been shown to be effective in increasing exercise in a population. The city of Bogota, Columbia, for example, blocks off 113 kilometers of roads on Sundays and holidays to make it easier for its citizens to get exercise. These pedestrian zones are part of an effort to combat chronic diseases, including obesity. Common misconceptions Many myths have become surrounding exercise, some of which have a basis in reality, and some are completely false. I will give some examples of myths below: Myth: Someone who’s thin is fit Being fit means you have strong and healthy heart, lungs, muscles, bones and joints. Just because is thin or of normal weight doesn’t mean he or she can run a long distance or open a heavy door. Regular physical activity and balanced eating can help you stay at heathy weight and prevent disease. Myth: There’s one best way to be physically active. There are many types of physical activity that are enjoyable and beneficial for our health. The 3 types of activities that promote overall health are: Activities for strong, healthy muscles and bones, like lifting weights (strengthening ) Activities for safe, healthy joints and muscles, like yoga and stretching( flexibility) Activities for a stronger heart and lungs, like walking or biking (aerobic) Myth: Jogging is a better activity than walking. Walking is an excellent way to get a stronger heart and lungs, and reduce your risk of disease. The important thing is to do an activity you enjoy, whether it’s jogging, walking or something else. To be active for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more days of the week. You don’t have to do all 30 minutes at once. If it’s easier or more convenient, do several 10 minutes sessions throughout day. Physical activity for children (under 5 years old) Being physically active every day is important for the health growth and development of babies, toddlers and preschoolers. For this age group, activity of any intensity should be encouraged,  including light activity and more energetic physical activity. The amount of physical activity you need to do each week is determined by your age. Babies Babies should be encouraged to be active from birth. Before your baby to crawl, encourage them to be physically active by reaching and grasping, pulling and pushing, moving their head, body and limbs during daily routines, and during supervised floor play, including tummy time. Once babies can move around, encourage them to be as active as possible in a safe, supervised and nurturing play environment. All children under 5 years old  Children under 5 should not be inactive for long periods, except when they’re asleep. Watching TV, travelling by car, bus or train or being strapped into a buggy for long periods are not good for child’s health and development. There’s growing evidence that such behavior can increase their risk of poor health. All children under 5 who are overweight can improve their health by meeting the activity guidelines, even if their weight doesn’t change. To achieve and maintain a healthy weight, they may need to do additional activity and make changes to their diet.

Free Essays on Computer Security

Computer Crime: Prevention and Innovation Since the introduction of computers to our society, and in the early 80’s the Internet, the world has never been the same. Suddenly our physical world got smaller and the electronic world set its foundations for an endless electronic reality. As we approach the year 2000, the turn of the millenium, humanity has already well established itself into the â€Å"Information Age.† So much in fact that as a nation we find our selves out of a service economy and into an information based economy. In a matter of only a few years almost all systems are run buy computers in some way, shape, or form. We depend on them for everything. Even the smallest malfunction or glitch in a system could now cause unfathomable amounts of trouble in everything from riding the bus, having access to your money, to getting your prescription at the pharmacists. Furthermore, Icove (1998) suggested that with the price of home computers that work faster and store more memory going down every yea r due to competition in the market, it is estimated that by the year 2011 most every American home will have a PC with instant access to the Internet. With an increase in users everyday and new businesses taking advantage of perks of an alternate electronic world, this information dimension will only get bigger, more elaborate, provide more services, and we will find society as a whole more and more dependent on it. However, even in an artificial environment such as the cyberspace, it appears mankind cannot escape from its somewhat overwhelming natural attraction to wrongful behavior or criminal tendencies. In turn this alternative dimension has been infected with the same criminal behavior that plagues our physical reality. The information age has opened the doors to anti social, smart, and opportunistic people to find new and innovative ways to commit old crimes. These people are called hackers. Schamalleger (1999), s... Free Essays on Computer Security Free Essays on Computer Security Computer Crime: Prevention and Innovation Since the introduction of computers to our society, and in the early 80’s the Internet, the world has never been the same. Suddenly our physical world got smaller and the electronic world set its foundations for an endless electronic reality. As we approach the year 2000, the turn of the millenium, humanity has already well established itself into the â€Å"Information Age.† So much in fact that as a nation we find our selves out of a service economy and into an information based economy. In a matter of only a few years almost all systems are run buy computers in some way, shape, or form. We depend on them for everything. Even the smallest malfunction or glitch in a system could now cause unfathomable amounts of trouble in everything from riding the bus, having access to your money, to getting your prescription at the pharmacists. Furthermore, Icove (1998) suggested that with the price of home computers that work faster and store more memory going down every yea r due to competition in the market, it is estimated that by the year 2011 most every American home will have a PC with instant access to the Internet. With an increase in users everyday and new businesses taking advantage of perks of an alternate electronic world, this information dimension will only get bigger, more elaborate, provide more services, and we will find society as a whole more and more dependent on it. However, even in an artificial environment such as the cyberspace, it appears mankind cannot escape from its somewhat overwhelming natural attraction to wrongful behavior or criminal tendencies. In turn this alternative dimension has been infected with the same criminal behavior that plagues our physical reality. The information age has opened the doors to anti social, smart, and opportunistic people to find new and innovative ways to commit old crimes. These people are called hackers. Schamalleger (1999), s...

How can people best cope with technology overload Research Paper

How can people best cope with technology overload - Research Paper Example However, there are strategies that can be applied to cope with technological overload. According to Ring (n.d.), time connected has to be estimated. For example, one has to set time at which he or she can routinely check emails. Once the time is evaluated, one can determine why he or she is connected at that time. According to Ring (n.d.), evaluation of the main facets of life such as things that one enjoys or makes him happy reduces overload of technology. Significant amount of time spent on technological application gives one less time with family and friends. However, evaluation of some important aspects and focusing on it reduces technology overload. Technology is the best part of our lives if used within limits and for its intended purpose. For example, mobile phones can be accessed anywhere. This gives the user freedom of movement. However, one has to consider the main purpose of acquiring technology. Some gadgets such as cell phones are acquired for access in a suitable time, not as a burden that has to be accessed anytime. Time management reduces technology overload. One can schedule time access of emails or phone calls. Additionally, scheduling of other personal activities and adhering to it is

Mass Media Areas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mass Media Areas - Essay Example It also helps me build and improve my interpersonal skills in regards to communication. Announcers’ roles encompass different activities both in and outside the media houses such as conducting interviews, presenting music and news. They also act as commentators in sports such as football. They conduct major activities like parties and weddings as masters of ceremony in addition to working in clubs as disc jockeys (Dominick). For one to qualify as an announcer, he or she ought to attain relevant education credentials. It is necessary to have a bachelor’s degree in communication, journalism or broadcasting. One should also take up courses in voice and diction in order to improve their vocal qualities. These programs are essential because they help one to work well relevant computer software and hardware used in studios (Dominick). What attracts me to this job is because it helps me incorporate my skills and hobbies in a professional manner as I find the opportunity to interact with different people with the profession through interviews (Dominick). These individuals include comedians, professional businesspersons, and sportspersons. I think the interpersonal skills that make me qualify for the job in addition to academic requirement. These skills include the ability to talk to people appropriately and with understandable brevity thus encouraging them to talk. As a result, this will facilitate the announcers’ work such as conducting interviews.  

Student Perceptions of Reflective Practice in Online Reading Courses Research Proposal

Student Perceptions of Reflective Practice in Online Reading Courses - Research Proposal Example Reflective thinking is analyzing current patterns of thinking in order to change and grow (Gutek, 2004). It means critically thinking and analyzing about learning. Reflective practice in education focuses on developing the students’ minds with regards to critical analysis and autonomous learning (Gutek, 2004). This concepts entails the view that when students peruse their work and reflect on it, it will lead to greater learning and critical thinking skills (The Higher Education Academy, 2010). Self and peer assessment, group work, personal development, and problem solving are techniques utilized in reflective practice. Reflective practice with regards to teachers is also an important concept, as instructors can improve teaching methods and improve effectiveness (The Higher Education Academy, 2010). The critical reflection of a person’s own work improves significance (Armstrong, 2000; Bain, Ballantyne, Packer, & Mills, 2002; Laskey & Hetzel, 2010; Schon, 1983, 19 87; Wagner, 2006). Activities that are used to foster reflection have been used to help students discover themselves in the context of life in a more meaningful and practical way (Laskey & Hetzel, 2010). Researchers, for this reason, have suggested the use of reflective practice in an online environment (Logreco, 2008; Sivyer, 2007; Wagner, 2006). However, the examination of student perceptions of reflective practice in an online learning environment has been researched by different academics focusing on reflective writing (Palmer, 2008; Wright, 2010). Reflective learning is a major tool used in experiential learning (Guthrie, 2010). In order for students to use experiential learning, teachers and instructors are encouraged to use critical thinking techniques. When media, such as the internet are used, these instructional techniques can be put to greater use by addressing a group of diverse students. With the advent of technological tools, such as the Internet, it is vital that instructors use tools that are current and relevant and make the most use of these developments (Held, 2009). In 2009, Allen and Seaman in their survey report of 2500 United States institutions reported a double digit growth for online enrollment in post secondary schooling. This shows that students have clearly started to prefer online educational methods to a great extent. Due to the increases popularity of online courses, it has become vital that online courses be assessed for their effectiveness. However, the focus of this paper is the use of reflective practice in online education and how students perceive its effectiveness. Reflective practice is a pedagogical tool that develops a higher level of thinking and enables students to learn from experience (Guthrie, 2010). Reflection in education focuses on preparing students to become problem solvers and idea generators, and not just rote learners (Held, 2009). Many scholars have advocated reflective practice in traditional c lassroom settings (Dewey, 1933; Schon, 1983; Laskey and Hetzel, 2010). However as online education is relatively a new phenomenon, it has been a source of debate with high number of dropouts in

Implementing Green Technology In Malaysian Construction Industry Environmental Sciences Essay

Implementing Green Technology In Malaysian Construction Industry Environmental Sciences Essay This study covers the research on challenges of implementing green technology in Malaysian construction industry. This chapter comprises of background of the study, problem statement, objectives of study, significance of study, research methodology, and limitations of study, organisation of chapter and summary. 1.2 Background of the Study Green is a term that refers to something that environmental friendly in which helps to tackle global warming and climate change. Technology utilizes these green features are known as green technology. According to Kutting (2000), green technology is used synonymously with terms environmental technology or clean technology and can be said to refer to technologies that aim to have little impact on the environment. This technology is an idea and understanding found to be exceptionally beneficial to the environment as it can reduce greenhouses gases release to the atmosphere which in turn causes warming of the earth drastically. Humans these days have already gain awareness and deep understanding that these catastrophic disasters are now affecting their life that they persist in non-stop invention of many environmental-friendly technologies and retail them in the market. They comprehend this technology can reduce impact of activities that causes global warming and climate change. According to Rogier (2012), environmentally friendly technology utilizes many methods for reducing the impact that various activities have upon the earth. There are many types of green technology products available in the market that generate low level of waste and pollution such as solar photovoltaic panel, wind turbine and rain harvesting as stated by Rogier (2012), to be considered environmentally friendly, a product or action should be sustainable, produce as little waste and pollution as possible, and utilize the recycling and reuse of materials whenever possible. Nowadays, green technology plays important roles in the construction industry become part of the construction industry. Green technology such as solar panels and energy efficient appliances become essential features in the building. Besides, renewable and sustainable materials are integrated with these elements to make the building green or so-called green building. 1.3 Problem Statement The worlds climate has changed dramatically and confronted with many climatic problems since the birth of the Earth. This has proven when Bernstein (2007) states that warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global average sea level. Human nowadays are attempting to uncover answers to preclude the large-scale disaster. One measure ascertain to mankind is technology of more towards environmental friendly approach or known as green technology. In the beginning of 21st century, numerous advanced nations adopted the expansive utilization of green technology as they deem its capability in halting the global catastrophic disaster. The implementations to the building, vehicles and electronics have been developed among them. The encouragement and awareness of their populace enable the green technology industry to boost up the production. It differs to lower economical developed countries such as Malaysia; the challenges are superb when implementing green technology principally construction industry. Green technology is the decent invention to reduce level of carbon emission from buildings in Malaysia but all at once restrain the developers and contractors to apply it in Malaysian construction industry. The reasons are the high cost and minimal availability in the market. However, it is not necessarily that green technology involves with high expenses. Green technology need not be high-tech. It can be simple technology but still saves energy or creates very little environmental impact and can be easily used (Singh, 2010). Not only that the cost is the issue, also the local banks in Malaysia also are unwilling to risk in providing loan towards green incentives. Commercial banks were reluctant to disburse loans for green technology-related projects in Malaysia due to the possible lack of confidence in such ventures (Najib, 2010). 1.4 Objectives of the Study The aim of this dissertation is to explore about the challenges of implementing green technology in Malaysia construction industry. In order to achieve this aim the following objectives are recognized: To comprehend the low level of green technology resources. To understand scarce of financial initiatives in supporting green technology. To examine low level of knowledge among construction players and other related parties on green technology. 1.5 Significance of Study This study is expected to identify the challenges of implementing green technology in Malaysian construction industry. This finding eventually undertakes the problems encountered to implement green technology in Malaysian construction industry. It also assists paradigm shift to migrate from traditional construction to cleaner and greener construction. The outcome of this study will certainly benefit to one of the objective of the Construction Industry Master Plan (CIMP) which is to promote more innovative green construction. 1.6 Research Methodology The study on the problems to the embracing of green technology in Malaysia construction industry is a relatively new research area and there are deficient of relevant research in Malaysia require to be referred. Therefore, it must be conducted with the limited amount of resources but the study can be scoped only the Klang Valley area. Two types of data, that is primary data and secondary data. For the primary data, interview section and case study will be conducted. For the secondary data, literature reviews are written from references of books, articles and from the internet that are related to the research. The methodologies have been identified to facilitate the necessary data are as follows: Interviews (primary data) Case studies (primary data) Literature Reviews (secondary data) a) Interviews Quantitative methods such as questionnaire will not be very accurate and appropriate in obtaining the data for the research. This is due to the study requires individual opinions and assessments. Hence, qualitative methods for example interview is the best technique in order to obtain relevant data. This sort of methodology was carried out to request opinions and feedbacks from developers, architects, engineer and contractors about the cost of green technology to be used in construction site, the initiatives of local bank towards green technology investment and level of knowledge and experience on green technology among the players in Malaysian construction industry. b) Case studies This methodology is conducted in line with the interviews and supports this primary methodology. The case studies involved with previous and recent projects in which the buildings are built with green technology. Thus, it was carried out in the vicinity of Klang Valley where many green buildings are constructed. The examples of green buildings in this area are G-Tower in Kuala Lumpur, diamond buildings and LEO building in Putrajaya. These studies are to achieve the objective; to explore the lack of utilization of green technology in Malaysian construction industry. c) Literature Reviews Literature review are used to obtain the previous research predominantly on the challenges of implementing green technology in construction site which includes the cost and local bank initiatives and knowledge and experience among construction stakeholders 1.7 Limitation of Study For the scope of the study, the limitation is conducted in order to focus and narrow down the topic of specific areas in the research. The study will be centered on challenges to implement green technology in Malaysian construction industry: i. Respondents from contractors, developers, architects and engineers in construction industry. ii. G-Tower in Kuala Lumpur, diamond buildings and LEO building in Putrajaya. iii. Urban areas in Klang Valley. 1.8 Organisation of Chapter Figure 1.1: Chapter 1 Organisation 1.9 Summary This chapter comprises of background of the study, problem statement, objectives of study, significance of study, research methodology, and limitations of study, organisation of chapter and summary that cover the challenges facing construction technology to be executed in Malaysian construction industry. Study background embraces the term green technology, various types of green technology existed for sale and application of green technology in the construction industry. Problem statement comprises of the challenges such as lack of utilization, lack of initiatives from local bank and lack of knowledge and experience among construction stakeholders about implementation of green technology in construction site. This make out the objectives of study. The significance of the study can be summarized which it can undertakes the challenges by identifying the main factors of hardship in implementing green technology. There are three kinds of research methodology aiding the accomplishment of the study which are interviews, case studies and literature reviews. Limitations of study span within vicinity of Klang Valley. Organisation of chapter outlines the overall picture of the whole Chapter 1.

The Minimum Wage Essay -- Minimum Wage Research Paper

"The minimum wage is something that F.D.R. put in place a long time ago during the Great Depression. I don't think it worked then. It didn't solve any problems then and it hasn't solved any problems in 50 years." -- John Raese For many years it has been a matter of conventional wisdom among economists that the minimum wage causes fewer jobs to exist than would be the case without it. This is simply a matter of price theory, taught in every economics textbook, requiring no elaborate analysis to justify. Were this not the case, there would be no logical reason why the minimum wage could not be set at $10, $100, or $1 million per hour. Historically, defenders of the minimum wage have not disputed the dis-employment effects of the minimum wage, but argued that on balance the working poor were better off. In other words, the higher incomes of those with jobs offset the lower incomes of those without jobs, as a result of the minimum wage l "levitan". Now, President Obama is advancing the novel economic theory that modest increases in the minimum wage will have no impact whatsoever on employment. This proposition is based entirely on the work of three economists: David Card and Alan Krueger of Princeton, and Lawrence Katz of Harvard. Their studies of increases in the minimum wage in California, Texas and New Jersey apparently found no loss of jobs among fast food restaurants that were surveyed before and after the increase [ l "card-92b", l "krueger", and l "katz". While it is not yet clear why Card, Katz and Krueger got the results that they did, it is clear that their findings are directly contrary to virtually every empirical study ever done on the minimum wage. These studies were exhaustively surveyed by the Minimum Wage Study Commission, which concluded that a 10% increase in the minimum wage reduced teenage employment by 1% to 3%. The following survey of the academic research on the minimum wage is designed to give nonspecialists a sense of just how isolated the Card, Krueger and Katz studies are. It will also indicate that the minimum wage has wide-ranging negative effects that go beyond unemployment. For example, higher minimum wages encourage employers to cut back on training, thus depriving low wage workers of an important means of long-term advancement, in return for a small increase in current income. For many workers this is a very ... ...g (1996), " `Who Gets What' from Minimum Wage Hikes," Industrial and Labor Relations Review 49 (April): 547-52.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ------, and T. A. Finegan (1989), "The Minimum Wage and the Poor: The End of a Relationship," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 8 (Winter): 53-71. 23w  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Card, D., and A. Krueger (1995), Myth and Measurement (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press).  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Deere, D., K. M. Murphy and F. Welch (1995), "Employment and the 1990-1991 Minimum Wage Hike," American Economic Review Papers and Proceedings 85 (May): 232-37.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gramlich, E. (1976), "Impact of Minimum Wages on Other Wages, Employment, and Family Incomes," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 2: 409-51.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lang, K. (1994), "The Effect of Minimum Wage Laws on the Distribution of Employment: Theory and Evidence," Working Paper, Boston University.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Neumark, D., and W. Wascher (1995), "The Effects of Minimum Wages on Teenage Employment and Enrollment: Evidence from Matched CPS Surveys," NBER Working Paper No. 5092, April.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smith, R., and B. Vavrichek (1992), "The Wage Mobility of Minimum Wage Workers," Industrial and Labor Relations Review 46 (October): 82-88.

School Locker Searches

Cynthia Miller Juvenile Justice Procedures Wk. #5 DQ 11/16/2010 Should School Administrators have complete access to School Lockers? Most legal authorities state that the validity of locker searches is dependent on the students' reasonable expectations of privacy, which can be affected by school policies designating the lockers as student or school property, and student notification that the school will conduct periodic searches for contraband or will retain a master key to the locker for spot checks (Student Searches and the Law, 1995).The theory posits that unless school districts have written and distributed a locker policy to students, students may have a high expectation of privacy and school authorities may have to meet higher constitutional standards to conduct a locker search. The reality is that the courts have rarely found a school locker search they didn't like, as their application of T. L. O. ‘s â€Å"reasonable in light of all the circumstances† test has al lowed state courts to override whatever expectation of privacy other citizens may have in similar circumstances (S.C. v. State, 1991). There is utter certainty that state law, school district regulations, or written school policies that require schools to maintain custodianship over lockers and to inform students of this policy in writing will override any student privacy concerns that could theoretically be asserted to disallow a search. Discuss the various reasons why youths take drugs. The transition from adolescence to young adulthood is a crucial period in which experimentation with illicit drugs in many cases begins.Drugs may have strong appeal to young people who are beginning their struggle for independence as they search for identity. Because of their innate curiosity and thirst for new experiences, peer pressures, their resistance to authority, sometimes low self-esteem and problems in establishing positive interpersonal relationships, young people are particularly suscept ible to the allure of drugs. Peer pressure is the most well known reason for teens to partake in substance abuse. Some may argue that teen drug abuse is highly correlated with the behavior of close friends especially when family upervision is weak. This relationship, in fact, is reciprocal: substance abusers seek out friends who engage in similar activities. Associating with drug abusers leads to increased levels of drug abuse. Another explanation is that drug users have a poor family life. Studies show that majority of drug users have had an unhappy childhood which included harsh punishment and parental neglect females and Caucasians who were abused as children are more likely to have alcohol and drug arrests as adults.Youths who learn that dugs provide pleasurable sensations may be most likely to experiment with illegal substances; a habit may develop if the user experience anxiety and fear. With all the reasons for teens to take drugs like social disorganization, for example, I b elieve that the main reason is because of emotional problems and rational choice. References: Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Practice, and Law, Tenth Edition Larry J. Siegel, Brandon C. Welsh http://www. worldlawdirect. com/article/825/school-locker-searches. html http://www. unodc. org/pdf/document_1999-01-11_2. pdf

Book Thief Essay on Hope

The Holocaust was a time in history where hatred and violence was expressed in many different ways. Millions of Jews were murdered, simply for their physical appearances. In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, the time period is set during the time of Adolf Hitlers rule. The narrator, Death itself, follows the life of a young girl named Liesel Meminger and the struggles she faces. Although readers would assume that a young German girl would not be having many problems, Liesel’s life is constantly being thrown in the course of trouble.Although many of her friends and family members, and even herself go through many obstacles, they still find faith within each other. Through compassion, happiness and courage, many characters show the reader that optimism is still possible in such a hopeless time. Despite the setting of Nazi Germany being one of the darkest times in history, The Book Thief is a story ultimately about hope. Although the novel is set in such a dark and hateful ti me, compassion is still being shown and felt within different characters in the novel such as Hans Hubermann, Ilsa Herman and, the entire Hubermann family.Hans Hubermann shows compassion for the Jews as they walk by him in the street, and he left Liesel to help one. Hubermann is a German that is living under Hitler’s rule of dehumanizing Jews, but he does not agree with this, and instead of showing hatred towards them, he â€Å"held his hand out [to one] and presented a piece of bread, like magic† (Zusak, 394). In that time, associating with a Jew, or showing any type of kindness to one was considered an act of treason against Hitler’s rule. Therefore, to the Germans, Hans’ actions were considered disgusting.As a result, his paint cart was thrown over and â€Å"they called him a Jew lover† (395, Zusak). Although, to the Jew he tried to help, it was an act of such kindness that it caused him to fall â€Å"to his knees and [hold Hans’] shins. He buried his face between them and thanked [Hans]† (395, Zusak) as the Jew began to cry. Although the majority of Germans are brainwashed to believe that the mistreatment of the Jews was justified, people such as Hans thought otherwise and literally stretched out a compassionate hand in order to help them.This act of kindness shows how humans are capable of expressing compassion towards those in need, despite how out of the ordinary it may seem, and regardless of the consequences. Ilsa Hermann also shows kind-heartedness towards someone who is supposedly beneath her, according to social class. Ilsa Hermann is the mayor’s wife, and because of her social status in the town, the reader would not think to associate her with a poor little girl, such as Liesel. The mayor’s wife takes interest in Liesel because of her love for reading and even allows Liesel to come in at times to choose books from Ilsa’s library to read.This is considered an act of kindness bec ause Ilsa is fully knowledgeable for what is really going in Germany and with the Jews, and in order to shield Liesel from the horrible world outside, she allows her to stay in her luxurious house and read for a few hours. To anyone else, this act would be considered miniscule and unimportant, but to Liesel, this meant the world to her. Liesel has a strong passion for books, as she finds herself constantly getting lost in the words of any book she picks up, and Ilsa understand this as she used to be this way about reading as well.To Ilsa, this is not considered a small act either. She wants to protect Liesel, even if it is for only a few hours. Every time Liesel comes to the mayor’s house to pick up and drop off laundry, the mayor’s wife allows her to read some more in the library. During Liesel’s last visit to the mayor’s house, â€Å"[Ilsa] offered Liesel The Whistler, [and] she insisted on the girl taking it†¦she almost begged† (Zusak, 259) because she felt terrible that Liesel was no longer able to come to her house to read.She wanted to give Liesel a gift to help her forget about the outside world and â€Å"Liesel, touched by the strangeness of this woman, couldn’t bear to disappoint her† (Zusak, 259). Ilsa’s choice to allow Liesel to come into her home and read, and to give Liesel a book from her library shows that although most adults in this time are coldhearted and discriminating, there are some that still can show a special kind of care for others. This shows that in dark times, there are still going to be some adults that try to protect the innocence of children by shielding them from the outside world.The Hubermann family displays a great deal of compassion to someone that they, literally, have no right to. If authorities were to figure out what they were doing, the entire family could be separated and most likely convicted. Rosa and Hans Hubermann show a great deal of courage, compassion and kindness for taking in and deciding to hide a Jew in their basement. Max is the son of Hans’ friend from war, and Hans promised Max’ father that he would help him by any means necessary in the future, and in this case, it was to hide his son from being internalized in a concentration camp.During these times, it was not uncommon for Germans to try and help their Jewish friends, but more often than not, it resulted in them being discovered and both the Jews and the Germans would be killed. Knowing this, the Hubermann’s still decided to allow Max to live in their basement, in hopes that the madness with all the Jews would pass and Max would be free again. What makes this family remarkable, is that they did not know who Max was or what he looked like, before he showed up on their front porch one night and still, â€Å"Hans Hubermann shook [Max’s] hand and introduced himself.He made him some coffee in the dark,† (Zusak, 195) to allow Max to rest an d become acquainted with his saviors. There were many times where the Hubermann’s were almost caught with a Jew in their basement, but luckily, they were never actually discovered. Although it was a fearful time for the entire family, they still knew what they were doing was the right thing to do. When Max first came to the house, â€Å"there was a look of triumph on [Rosa’s] face†¦the triumph of having saved another human being persecution.† (Zusak, 197)Was clearly shown and Max was just as grateful. Max was aware of the danger he was putting the family in, but had no other choice unless he was to go into a concentration camp. He grew a strong friendship with not only Rose and Hans, but Liesel as well. Liesel would go into the basement every night and read with Max, and although most of the times they sat in silence, that is when their friendship grew the strongest. They bonded through Liesel’s readings, and Max’s books that he later gives to Liesel as a present.Max was afraid of being sent away, but he was more afraid of putting this family in danger, especially a little girl like Liesel that had already been through so much. Max knew that Liesel had already lost her first family, so he felt guilty that she could lose this family too, because of him. Although it was a great risk taking Max in, the Hubermann’s knew that it was the right thing to do. Their act of kindness, in the end, benefitted Max as well as their entire family as it brought the three of them closer.This shows that in a place where there is so much hatred, there are still people that can show love and honor by helping those in need. Through Hans, Ilsa, and the Hubermann family, the reader is able to see that hope can be given as well as received through simple acts of kindness, regardless of the time or situation. Despite this many negative emotions going on in this time, happiness could still sometimes be found by both children and adults. Hans , Rudy and, Liesel all felt some degree of joy despite the negative world around them.Hans Hubermann’s happiness did not come from someone else, but from an object. His happiness came from his accordion. Liesel pays close attention to when her Papa plays the accordion, because not only does she notice his happiness, but hearing him play makes her happy as well. Liesel â€Å"often looks at Papa’s fingers and face when he plays. The accordion breathes†¦Sometimes [she] thinks [her] Papa is an accordion. When he looks at [her] and smiles and breathes, [she] hears the notes,† (Zusak, 527) which lets Liesel know that her Papa is being filled with joy as he plays his accordion.Hans has been playing the accordion for a long time now, and he uses his talent to bring delight in the Hubermann household every night when he plays the instrument to Liesel and Rosa, and even Max. Hans is a grown man that not only understands the war going outside his household, but has ev en been in war as well. Despite this knowledge, Hans refuses to give us the simple pleasures in life such as playing an instrument he loves, and allowing his daughter to hear him and receive the same joy he does when he is playing. Hans being happy gives himself, as well as the reader that Hans will never die a bitter man.This shows that adults are still capable of enjoying simple moments, even in times of great stress. During a time where most friendships were broken because of ethnical and physical differences, there was still hope for some new friendships to be made. Rudy and Liesel are two children, a boy and girl, which live on the same street that immediately connect when Liesel moves to Himmel Street. This friendship creates a bond between the two that can only bring a special kind of happiness to them, although neither would ever admit it. Rudy and Liesel’s friendship grew stronger with each new situation they experienced together.There bond grew the strongest after t he two decided to steal together because they both came from poor families. When Rudy was caught stealing a potato, he attempted to explain to the shop owner that his brothers and sisters â€Å"[were] all starving† (Zusak, 294) in order to escape punishment. â€Å"The problem with Rudy†¦was greed† (Zusak, 293), he could never steal enough to satisfy him and because Liesel was his friend she always tagged along with him. Rudy was even able to convince Liesel to start stealing from the mayor’s house. Although it seems like Rudy was a bad influence on Liesel, their friendship still kept them sane.Even as kids, they were able to understand that there was something going on, although they could not tell what is was. They still brought each other joy, whether it be when they played soccer in the street or after they stole something. They helped each other distract the other of what was really going on, and because of it they became inseparable. After they were to steal, â€Å"the book thief and her best friend, [Rudy], sat back to back on a patchy red toolbox in the middle of the street† (Zusak, 484), enjoying one another’s company in still happiness.These two children were able to understand what it means to become a true friend to someone, and because of it, each has gained a special kind of happiness in their life, because the other child was in it. These two’s friendship shows that children are able to bring happiness into anyone’s life, even their own. Regardless of the amount of destruction that surrounds Liesel’s life, she is able to find her own happiness through her readings. When Liesel’s little brother was being buried, Liesel found a book by his grave entitled The Gravedigger’s Handbook that goes through step by step how to perform a proper burial.Liesel steals this book from one of the workers, and when she arrives at the Hubermann’s house, Hans offers to help Liesel learn how to read. Because of Liesel’s nightmares from her brother, she and Hans are constantly awake in the middle of the night attempting to read her book. Liesel ended up with a passion for reading after learning how to with her Papa. She found her escape within her books, and she used her readings to bring others comfort, and herself happiness.During a bomb-raid, while everyone was in a basement taking cover, Liesel started to read in order to calm down the other children. They were crying because of the noises they heard, and once Liesel started reading from her book she â€Å"could feel their frightened eyes hanging onto her as she hauled the words in and breathed them out,† (Zusak, 381). As the kids started to calm down â€Å"a voice played the notes inside [Liesel]. This, it said, is your accordion† (Zusak, 381). Liesel’s reading became what Hans’ accordion is to him, their happiness.These objects were able to bring these two people such happine ss in their lives that it allowed them to forget about the harshness outside them. From this happiness that Liesel gets from books, readers can conclude that the simplest of objects can be the cause of great joy. Hans, Rudy and Liesel are all examples that humans are able to create their own happiness, or allow simple objects to bring them joy. Although these three are living through such a dark and angry time, their ability to feel and express happiness shows that there is still hope for a happier future for them.Nazi Germany consists of a time where those with enough courage to speak against Hitler are beaten down, physically and mentally, to the point where all they have left is fear. Knowing this, Liesel, Max and Hans all display a great amount of courage towards other Germans, Death itself as well as Hitler. Liesel expresses her boldness when she sees Max walking with the rest of the Jews, and decides to acknowledge and speak to him. Max was forced to leave the Hubermann househ old for fear that Nazi’s would come and discover the family was hiding a Jew in the basement.Unfortunately, Max was caught â€Å"halfway to Stuttgart† (Zusak, 511) and was placed in a concentration camp with other Jews. When Liesel saw Max walking with the other Jews on the street, â€Å"never had movement been such a burden. Never had a heart been so definite and big in her adolescent chest† (Zusak, 509). Liesel’s heart shattered when she Max because he was a genuine friend. Max and Liesel created such a strong friendship, that he had given her a story that he created, and she had read to him while he was in their basement.She told Max about her past experiences, about the books that she stole, about the nightmares she had and Max returned the favor by sharing his hallucinations, books and nightmares with Liesel. So, when Liesel saw Max walking with the Jews, â€Å"[she] shrugged away entirely from the crowd and entered the tide of Jews, weaving through them till she grabbed hold of [Max’s] arm† (Zusak, 510). Knowing that the soldiers were watching, she still grabbed ahold of him, wanting to let him know she was there.Max attempted to get rid of her, for fear that she would get in trouble but she would not leave his side. Once the solider realized Liesel was there, he ordered her to leave but â€Å"she ignored [the soldier] completely, [and he] used his arm to separate the stickiness of people†¦the soldier took her [and] his hands manhandled her clothes† (Zusak, 511) but she still insisted on seeing Max. After this, she once again approached max and â€Å"she was courageous enough to reach out and hold his bearded face† (Zusak, 512) and reassured Max that she was here for him.The soldier, seeing Liesel once again talking to Max, pulled out a whip and whipped both Max and Liesel. Even then, the only thing that stopped Liesel from running after Max, was Rudy tackling to the floor and â€Å"[collectin g] her punches as if they were presents† (Zusak, 515). Liesel was determined to be with Max, and this act of bravery shows her courage towards the soldier that was threatening to punish her severely. The courage she expresses shows that people can be brave enough to do what is considered crazy things, if motivated enough.While Max was living in the basement of the Hubermann’s, he was constantly fantasizing about fighting against Hitler himself in a boxing arena. He dreamt that he would finally one day be able to physically beat Hitler down, the way Hitler had done to him and his people. Max shows great bravery in the face of struggle and even Death. As a child, Max had this idea that when he died, he did not want to die a quiet death. The boy vowed that â€Å"when death captured [him],†¦ he will feel [Max’s] fist on his face† (Zusak, 189). Max has shown bravery in the face of many struggles.He had enough courage to travel on his own to seek out Hans H ubermann, with the very likely risk that Germans would catch him. His bravery continued when Nazi’s came to the Hubermnn’s and Max hid under the Swastika flag. Max also shows courage when Liesel discovers him walking with the other Jews after being caught, and instead of ignoring her, he talks to her and comments on how â€Å"it’s such a beautiful day† (Zusak, 512). This was something he used to always say to Liesel when he was living in her basement, so he knew that Liesel would appreciate him saying it to her.He knew that the soldiers would punish him with a whip if he did not stop talking to Liesel, but after everything she had done for him, and the friendship that the two had, he could not even think to ignore her. Max suffered many whippings from the soldier, and afterwards, still â€Å"hoisted himself upright† (Zusak, 514). Max showed courage against death, as well as a Nazi soldier which shows that fearless individuals still exist, and they will do whatever they need to in order to stand up for themselves and those they care about. These individuals also give hope to others around them, by not being afraid and by doing what is right.Hans Hubermann is a man that knows what is right and wrong. The reader learns very early that he has a good head on his shoulder by the decisions he makes with his life. Hans shows great courage when he makes the decision of not being a supporter of Hitler. Hans Hubermann belonged to the 10 percent of Germans that did not show unflinching support for Adolf Hitler (Zusak, 63). He knew what was going on, and he knew that it was wrong. The reason why he took Max in was because Max’s father was Hans’ friend, and rather than looking at it as helping a Jew, Hans saw it as helping a friend.It was very dangerous for Hans not to show support to Hitler. It could ultimately cost him his life, and the life of his family but he chose to boldly stand by his opinion, and not change it for th e sake of being a part of the majority. Hans knew that he could not â€Å"join a party that antagonized [Jews] in such a way† (Zusak, 180) because â€Å"he was a man who appreciates fairness [and] and Jew had once saved his life† (Zusak, 180) therefore Hans refused to be a part of a party that antagonized them.Hans’ refusal to join the party was very dangerous, and because of his decision Hans was constantly ridiculed and his business was even impacted from it. Although he had to go through many hardships as a result of his decision, Hans had the courage to stand by his choices, and because of this it shows that humans are, in fact, capable of doing the right thing. Even if the majority of people are following something that is wrong, there are a few individuals that will be able to stand up and voice their opinion over it, regardless of the consequences.Although The Book Thief takes place in the time of the Holocaust, a time in history that took the lives of ma ny people, this story’s characters continuously show the reader that this is a story about hope. Through characters showing compassion, feeling happiness and expressing their courage, it allows the reader to feel hope that each of those characters will be alright. Hope is something that can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to look for it.